Monday, November 25, 2013

"Coffee and Tea, Cups and Dessert" Parkland Art Gallery Benefit


Select from among a stunning array of handcrafted ceramic cups and enjoy great music and bakery-fresh treats during “Coffee and Tea, Cups and Dessert,” Parkland Art Gallery’s biennial fundraiser scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the gallery lounge.

Guests can take home one or more beautiful handmade ceramic mugs or cups that have been generously donated by Parkland College Ceramics program faculty and students. The benefit features desserts from Great Harvest Bread Company, coffee from Herriott’s Columbia Street Roastery, and live music by the Chip McNeill Jazz Trio.

At 5:30 p.m. during the benefit, Parkland art and design faculty members Chris Berti and Laura O’Donnell will give a special gallery talk about the current exhibition, “State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational.” Curator Delores Fortuna has selected eight ceramic artists from around the country to showcase their work. The exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. In addition, many of the artists’ works will be available for sale during the benefit and exhibit.

A silent auction rounds out the afternoon’s festivities, where guests place bids on various ceramic pieces also donated by students and teachers of the Ceramics program.

Tickets to the gallery benefit are $30 or two for $50, with advanced purchase recommended; cups will be chosen on a first come, first serve basis. To purchase tickets, please contact the Art Gallery office at 217/351-2485 or stop by the Art Gallery. All proceeds will support Parkland Art Gallery exhibitions.

Please call 217/351-2485 or email parklandartgallery@parkland.edu to purchase tickets.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational


Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Art demonstration at 1:15 in S building by local ceramic artist Don Pilcher

Rascal Ware Portrait Plate, ceramic, 11” high, 2013


Parkland Art Gallery will host works by ceramic artists from across the U.S. during its "State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational" opening Monday, Nov. 18.



Curated by artist Delores Fortuna, the exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. A reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m. in the gallery lounge that features a curatorial talk at 7 p.m., music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble, and refreshments. Both the ceramics exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.



Other events connected with the invitational include an additional gallery lecture by Fortuna on Nov. 21 at 1:15 p.m.; an art demonstration by exhibiting artist Don Pilcher on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 1:15 p.m. in the S building on the campus' south side; and a biennial benefit for the gallery presenting ceramic cups made by student and faculty artists. These events, with the exception of the Dec. 5 benefit, are also free.



Fortuna, adjunct assistant professor of ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, has selected eight ceramic artists from across the country to participate in the Parkland invitational. Her premise for the show stems from her interest in the art-making and problem-solving process as it relates to shifts within the artist's body of work or dual bodies of work they may have developed. The artists include Mary Barringer, editor of the independent journal The Studio Potter and practicing potter in western Massachusetts; Sam Chung, assistant professor, Arizona State University, Tempe; Bill Farrell, retired educator and studio potter in Galena, Illinois; Julia Galloway, professor, University of Missouri, Missoula; Richard Hirsch, professor, Rochester Institute of Technology (New York); Maren Kloppmann, studio potter from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sean O’Connell, visiting artist instructor, Alberta College of Art & Design; and Pilcher, local practicing artist and professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



Pilcher, creator of (and character in) the fictional Rascal Ware Pottery company, returned to making ceramic pieces in 2002 after spending several years focusing on sculptural works. Known for elegant ceramic forms embellished with bits and pieces of porcelain to create energetically encrusted works with a mischievous air about them, Pilcher’s work was included in the American Ceramics exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., in 2001.



Parkland Art Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery will be closed from 5 p.m. November 27 through December 2 for Thanksgiving Break; December 21 through January 5 for Winter Holiday Break; and January 20 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.



To find the gallery when classes are in session, we suggest using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through any door and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area.



Programs at the gallery are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution; for accommodation, call 217/351-2505. For more information on the invitational, please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.
 

State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Gallery Talk by Curator Delores Fortuna 1:15pm

Opening Reception 6:00pm 

Delores Fortuna, Slice, Porcelain Casting Slip with Wire, cone 1 firing, 28"x17"x17", 2012


Parkland Art Gallery will host works by ceramic artists from across the U.S. during its "State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational" opening Monday, Nov. 18.



Curated by artist Delores Fortuna, the exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. A reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m. in the gallery lounge that features a curatorial talk at 7 p.m., music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble, and refreshments. Both the ceramics exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.



Other events connected with the invitational include an additional gallery lecture by Fortuna on Nov. 21 at 1:15 p.m.; an art demonstration by exhibiting artist Don Pilcher on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 1:15 p.m. in the S building on the campus' south side; and a biennial benefit for the gallery presenting ceramic cups made by student and faculty artists. These events, with the exception of the Dec. 5 benefit, are also free.



Fortuna, adjunct assistant professor of ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, has selected eight ceramic artists from across the country to participate in the Parkland invitational. Her premise for the show stems from her interest in the art-making and problem-solving process as it relates to shifts within the artist's body of work or dual bodies of work they may have developed. The artists include Mary Barringer, editor of the independent journal The Studio Potter and practicing potter in western Massachusetts; Sam Chung, assistant professor, Arizona State University, Tempe; Bill Farrell, retired educator and studio potter in Galena, Illinois; Julia Galloway, professor, University of Missouri, Missoula; Richard Hirsch, professor, Rochester Institute of Technology (New York); Maren Kloppmann, studio potter from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sean O’Connell, visiting artist instructor, Alberta College of Art & Design; and Pilcher, local practicing artist and professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



Pilcher, creator of (and character in) the fictional Rascal Ware Pottery company, returned to making ceramic pieces in 2002 after spending several years focusing on sculptural works. Known for elegant ceramic forms embellished with bits and pieces of porcelain to create energetically encrusted works with a mischievous air about them, Pilcher’s work was included in the American Ceramics exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., in 2001.



Parkland Art Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery will be closed from 5 p.m. November 27 through December 2 for Thanksgiving Break; December 21 through January 5 for Winter Holiday Break; and January 20 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.



To find the gallery when classes are in session, we suggest using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through any door and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area.



Programs at the gallery are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution; for accommodation, call 217/351-2505. For more information on the invitational, please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.