Monday, April 25, 2016




The Parkland College Graphic Design: Student Juried Exhibition will be on display at the Giertz Gallery Monday, May 9 through Saturday, May 28. A reception honoring the students will be held Wednesday, May 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery lounge with an awards ceremony scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and a Gallery Talk scheduled immediately following.

As with all events in the handicapped-accessible gallery, the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The juried exhibit highlights work completed by students in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2015. Parkland Graphic Design and Interactive Design faculty jury the show and select the most imaginative, inspiring, distinctive, innovative, unusual and memorable pieces for display in the gallery. Then local industry professionals are invited to judge the show and select the awards. This year’s judges are Kelly White, Executive Director of 40 North, and Matt Wiley, Graphic Designer at Taylor Studios.

Works in the exhibit showcase creative solutions to design problems presented to students in Parkland’s Graphic Design, Interactive Design and Illustration studio classes. Expect to see traditional print media, motion graphics, logos, branding, packaging, menus, books, publications, posters, brochures, websites, video and illustration.

“Parkland’s Graphic Design and Interactive Design programs are rooted in solving real-world visual communication problems,” said Graphic Design Program Director Paul Young. “This year's exhibition is no exception. Students are taught that design needs to fulfill a function instead of just looking pretty. And they soon figure out that the best and most memorable designs have a great concept behind them and communicate the client’s message in a creative manner.”

During the May 11 reception, an awards ceremony honoring 2016 Graphic Design student achievements will take place at 6:30 p.m. “A number of these awards that we will be giving out were donated by local businesses, clients and supporters of Parkland's Graphic Design curriculum, said Young. “We really appreciate the generous support from the people at Surface 51, The Robeson Family, [co][lab], Studio 2D, Six Demon Studio, Wesley Food Pantry and the Champaign-Urbana Design Org (CUDO). Other awards are provided by the Parkland Foundation, Parkland faculty and administration.

Immediately after the awards ceremony, Illustration instructor Liza Wynette will give a special presentation titled "The State of Contemporary Illustration." Her gallery talk will feature recent student and professional art commissioned for editorial, advertising, and other commercial applications. "Illustration is one of those professions that walk the line between fine art and commercial art," says Liza Wynette. "Both types of art need to be aesthetically beautiful, creative, and communicate a concept visually. The only real difference between fine and commercial art is its function. Where fine artists can ask questions, commercial artists have to answer them.

Parkland College is one of the few community colleges in the US that offers a series of professional illustration courses. Students who take these hands-on studio art courses leave the class with functional commercial art samples for their portfolio.


Giertz Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday noon to 2 p.m. To find the Gallery when classes are in session, use the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through door X-7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located.

This exhibit is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, call Giertz Gallery Office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.