Museum News & Events

Orpheum Children's Science Museum SPRING BREAK CAMPS

2012-01-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

Looking to add some fun to your break while school’s out? Break into discovery at the Orpheum for hands-on experiments and fun. Join in the adventure with a full week of engaging fun for kindergartner through 5th graders. Full day campers attend from 8:30am-4:30pm. Half day campers attend 8:30am-noon or 1:00pm-4:30pm. Campers should bring a lunch and drink everyday. Snacks will be provided. Monday: Science of Art. Leonardo Da Vinci is the inspiration for integrating science and art. Come explore the inventor in you. Tuesday: Structures. Build your own structures from different materials as you learn about arches, bridges, and biomimicry. Wednesday: Wizardry. Bring your wand and join us for a day with magic classes, Quidditch, House competitions and all sorts of Harry Potter themed adventures. Thursday: Grossology. Grossology is the study of the icky. Phenomenon such as burps, sweat, and gas might be cause for embarrassment at the dinner table, but are fair game for exploration. Friday: Zoopreme (Animals. Leap into the fascinating world of animals with experiments, games, and crafts. Meet some real-life furry and scaly friends.

Having a Senior Moment? Come learn about Forests...

2012-01-13T07:37:00.001-08:00

We like to serve our public where they are sometimes! We know it can be difficult for seniors to get to our facilities and preserves, so once a year we bring our resources to them! All of the locations below welcome the public, but require registration to know how many people to accommodate. Call 586-2612 for more information.

The staff of the Champaign County Forest Preserve Education Department will be presenting lectures/activities at Canterbury Ridge, Clark-Lindsey and Windsor of Savoy (dates listed below). Natural Resources and Museum staff have teamed up to talk about the natural and cultural history of forests in companion talks, "Into the Woods-A Virtual Hike" and "Into the Woods: Forests in the Arts and Literature."

In January:

Thursday, January 19 INTO THE WOODS—A VIRTUAL HIKE
Clark-Lindsey Village, 101 W. Windsor Road, Urbana, 7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Friday, January 20 INTO THE WOODS—A VIRTUAL HIKE
Emeritus at Canterbury Ridge, 1706 E Amber Ln, Urbana, 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

Tuesday, January 31 INTO THE WOODS—A VIRTUAL HIKE
Windsor of Savoy, 401 Burwash Ave., Savoy, 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

Here's a description of the Virtual Hike:
Senior citizens and mobility-limited individuals are invited to experience the sights and sounds of a woodland hike in the spring—without ever going outside! Along the way, we will discover and explore local woodland flora and fauna. Free.

Then in February:

Wednesday, February 8 INTO THE WOODS—FORESTS IN ART AND LITERATURE
Emeritus at Canterbury Ridge, 1706 E Amber Ln, Urbana, 10:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
Windsor of Savoy, 401 Burwash Ave., Savoy, 2:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M

Thursday, February 9 INTO THE WOODS—FORESTS IN ART AND LITERATURE
Clark-Lindsey Village, 101 W. Windsor Road, Urbana, 7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Here's a description of the "Forests in Art and Literature"

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,” Robert Frost says of the woods on a snowy evening in his famed poem. Woods, or forests, have been depicted as beautiful, dangerous and unfathomable in art and literature since ancient times. Barb Garvey, Assistant Director of the Museum of the Grand Prairie, will take you on a multimedia tour of the famous forests of the past, real and imagined, and delve into how our perceptions of the forest are influenced by depictions of them in the arts. Free.

UPD Summer Camp Open House

2012-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Urbana Park Districts'
CAMP OPEN HOUSE

JAN 19th, 6-8pm

at the Phillips Center

505 W. Stoughton

With the arrival of the first significant snow of this winter to East Central Illinois, you may have some moments where you wish for summer. The Urbana Park District is helping those who are already planning for summer 2012 with a free Summer Camp Open House.

From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 19 at the Phillips Recreation Center, parents and kids can meet camp program leaders and learn about a variety of camp offerings, including the Counselor-in- Training and Junior Counselor programs, Arts Camp, Sports and Aquatic Camp and Nature Day Camp.

While you are there, play a few games, eat pizza and drink lemonade or hot chocolate. The district invites you to ask questions and to enjoy photos from past camps to get a feel for what happens at camp.

Participants can get a jump on summer and register on site to take advantage of early bird camp prices, which are only available now through April 30.

Call the Phillips Center at (217) 367-1544 for more information.

Fragments: Recent Paintings by Kenneth Hall

2012-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Recognizable figures from famous paintings in art history take on new meaning in Iowa artist’s Kenneth Hall’s paintings, to be featured in a Parkland Art Gallery exhibit opening Monday, February 13.

“Fragments: Recent Paintings by Kenneth Hall” will run in the gallery through Tuesday, March 27. An artist reception takes place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, with gallery talk by Hall at 7 p.m. and music by the Urbana High School Jazz Band. Hall will provide an additional lecture in the gallery earlier on February 16, at 1:15 p.m.

An assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa in Painting and Drawing, Hall received a BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design in 2004 and an MFA from Miami University in 2007. His paintings combine realism with gestural forms to give new meaning to imagery that sometimes include recognizable figures from famous paintings. Each painted surface reveals another space, and through swirling, smearing, and pixilation of the media, Hall manipulates each image so that there is a struggle to clearly see what is in the forefront of the picture plane.

“The painting is a place of construction and demolition; I sift through fragmented remains of imagery for things that I can salvage,” Hall said in an artist statement. “Forms are pierced, fractured, inflated, spun, shaken, morphed, and spliced together as I rearrange them in this visual container. Source imagery comes from a multitude of places like nature video-documentaries, sketchbook doodles, and objects like toy dinosaurs, flowers, or cicada shells.”

Parkland Art Gallery’s spring hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; and Saturday, noon-2 p.m. The gallery will be closed on March 23 and 24 for Parkland’s spring holiday.

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.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/351-2505.

"Black Holes" at the Planetarium!

2012-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

The William Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College is please to bring the fulldome show "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity" to the dome beginning January 20! The show will run on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. through the end of February, then continue through March on Friday only. The show gained national attention for it's story and visualizations. Incidentally, the visualizations were done right here in town at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications on the campus of the University of Illinois. We'll travel to the massive black hole that lurks at the center of our galaxy plus watch stellar black holes at the moment of their creation. Ever wonder what it might be like to visit a black hole? Join us for the wild ride, starting January 20th! www.parkland.edu/planetarium.

Getting Interactive

2012-01-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

When planning the Spurlock Museum, our hopes included interactive gallery areas. Unfortunately, our budget didn't. We knew that our rented temporary exhibit Children Just Like Me (2008-09) had been a great success, so as part of our centennial discussions, we talked about how we could get active in becoming interactive. At the moment, we have an interactive space in our European Gallery, where visitors can see themselves as a noble child of the Renaissance, and the recently added area in our Asian Gallery where you can "See Yourself in a Sari." Currently, we are planning the creation of a market area for our African Gallery where visitors can wrap themselves in mud cloth and play music. We have some great pictures of African markets that will adorn the walls.

Take a look at the tour and program pages on our website (www.spurlock.illinois.edu), and you will see we are building hands-on programs that are a lot of fun as well. And don't forget Open Hours in our Learning Center many Saturdays from 1-4 PM. Open Hours will be announced on our Facebook page. Tomorrow (1/7/12), we are making kites!

Owl Prowl at Anita Purves

2012-01-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

Noon Day celebration at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum

2011-12-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Ring in the New Year with a big balloon drop at noon! Make crazy hats, crazy noise, and bring in the New Year with a big balloon drop while parading around the Orpheum Theatre! $6 nonmembers, $5 members.EVENT WILL BE FROM 11AM-1PM

A Friendly Reminder

2011-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Orpheum Children's Science Museum will be closed December 24-26.

Register NOW for the Orpheum Children's Science Museum's Girls Do Science Club!

2011-12-19T13:37:00.001-08:00

Register now for the Spring semester of Girls do Science Club! The Girls do Science Club builds sisterhood, self-confidence, and science literacy while giving girls entering 1st-5th grade a great opportunity to spend time chilling with their girlfriends. The Girls do Science Club builds sisterhood, self-confidence, and science literacy while giving girls entering 1st-5th grade a great opportunity to spend time chilling with their girlfriends. The club meetings will be focused on a different topic for each of the 10 session meetings. Girls will enjoy the variety of topics, and will be inspired by the projects and curriculum used in SciGirls, Dragonfly, and Scratch programming. Girls will explore sound, Antarctica and the march of the penguins, forensic investigation, fossils, music, earthquakes, bone identification, mass and momentum, memory, and even create their own animated story using the Scratch design studio software. Each day will be a different topic and always include hands on activities. Through a fun and girl centered environment, club members will be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills including predicting, experimenting, observing, interpreting and communicating.

Register Now

Chanute Air Museum Holiday & Winter Hours

2011-12-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Winter Hours - Effective Dec 19, 2011 thru Mar 19, 2012
Monday thru Saturday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 Noon -4:00 PM

Holiday Hours
Christmas: Closed - Dec 24 and 25, 2011 (Saturday & Sunday)
New Years: Closed - Jan 1, 2012 (Sunday)

Last Snow Globe and Drop & Shop at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum

2011-12-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

We're making kaleidoscopes during "Drop and Shop" tomorrow! Also, you can create your own perfect thumbprint Christmas tree card during the DIY session. Be sure to join us for our last Snow Globe Saturday this Saturday, December 17 from 2-5pm. $8 for nonmembers $5 for members. Info regarding the event can be found in this week's Buzz Weekly online: http://readbuzz.com/arts/2011/the-science-of-the-holidays

Snow Globe and a Science Fair at the Orpheum

2011-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Join The Orpheum Children's Science Museum for Snow Globe from 2-5p.m. in the afternoon! Admission for Snow Globe Saturdays: $5 for members and $8 for non-members. There will also be a DIY Pom-Pom Snowman activity from 1-3p.m. ALL on Saturday, Dec.3rd :) FYI- Drop & Shop was cancelled for this Saturday. We also have U of I's Learning in the Community Group's fair “Nab the Aquatic Invader!” An action packed day for just $8! :)

Learning in the Community Class at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum

2011-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Students working with the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant are putting on an educational fair teaching children about aquatic invasive species such as Asian carp and zebra mussels, what their impact is on the environment and what we can do to help. This event will target students in grades 1-8. We’re looking for kids who want to help book these “aquatic invaders” for their disruptive activities. You can be a private investigator on the case and help the other detectives “book the bad guys, by playing games and learning about aquatic invasive species

Weekend Wizards

2011-12-01T06:16:00.001-08:00

Grab your wizard hat every Saturday from 1-3pm. A new experiment or craft is available each week, and often with a community partner. Grab a friend to make, create, and collaborate with on Do It Yourself projects and experiments.

Drop and Shop at The Orpheum Children's Science Museum

2011-11-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

December 3rd, 10th, and 17th from 9-11 a.m.

Let us entertain your children with games and activities while you finish up your holiday shopping and errands. Children will make gifts for the loved ones of their choice including coasters for dad, bath fizzies for mom, and fancy kaleidoscopes for a sibling. Registration required. For ages 4+. $14 nonmembers ($12 additional siblings) $12 members ($10 siblings). Registration is required.

Experience the Snow Globe in the Orpheum Theatre!

2011-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

The event's grand opening is November 26th after the Parade of Lights!

Sponsored by Chesser Financial

Activities include indoor sledding, ice fishing with prizes, story telling, snowball throwing, snowman making, storytelling, treats, and holiday crafts!

After the Parade of Lights, come to the Orpheum where the merriment of storytelling, sledding, and crafting continues! Spend an enchanted time in a winter wonderland featuring indoor sledding, snowman making, snow ball throwing, and ice fishing. Sounds of the season will float through the air from DJ Diane Ducey. After a couple of runs down the sledding hill, enjoy hot chocolate, treats, and crafts throughout the Museum. $5 admission.

Snow Globe Saturdays

December 3rd, 10th, 17th, 2-5 p.m. $8 nonmembers, $5 members

Coffee and Tea, Cups and dessert: A Parkland Art Gallery Benefit

2011-11-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 8, 2011

From 4 to 7 p.m.

In the Art Gallery Lounge

At Parkland College

A $30 donation allows you to choose from among dozens of creative handmade cups donated by Parkland College Ceramics program faculty and students as well as enjoy tasty desserts provided by Great Harvest Bread Company and coffee provided by Herriott’s Columbia Street Roastery. Tea will also be served. Guests will appreciate the soothing sounds of Guitar Army while they visit the "State of the Art 2011-2012: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational" exhibit, curated by Suze Lindsay. This exhibit, which runs through February 4, features the work of 10 artists from across the U.S. Many of these works will be available for sale during the event. To round out the evening’s festivities there will also be a silent auction of both student and faculty ceramic work.

Tickets to the gallery benefit are available for advance purchase; cups will be chosen on a first come first serve basis. All proceeds will support Parkland Art Gallery exhibition. Tickets may be purchased in the Art Gallery, through the Fine and Applied Arts office in C120a, or through the Art Gallery office by calling 217/351-2485 or emailing lcostello@parkland.edu.

State of the Art 2011-2012: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational

2011-11-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Suze Lindsay curates this year’s 13th National Biennial Ceramics Invitational. Suze Lindsay has been a professional potter for over 20 years and is a practicing artist in North Carolina. She was at Penland School of Crafts on a two year fellowship from 1987-89, and subsequently received her MFA from Louisiana State University. Lindsay has selected ceramacists for this exhibition who were former classmates from these institutions and who possess proficient skill in the diverse realm of pottery − some addressing pottery's straightforward utility, others using it as a springborad to produce conceptuaol vessels and other works of art. Participating artists Margaret Bohls, Jim Brashear, Kathryn Finnerty, Douglas Herren, Maren Kloppmann, Neil Patterson, Jenny Lou Sherburne, Jane Shellenbarger, Janice Strawder and Holly Walker. An acccompanying catalogue for the exhibition will be available .

Reception and Curatorial talk December 1st from 6-8pm with music by

Parkland Guitar Ensemble.

Additional curatorial talk December 1st from 1:15pm in Room S119.

Parkland Art Gallery Hours: Mon - Thur 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-3pm

and Sat. 12n-2pm. Gallery will be closed on the following dates: Thanksgiving holiday - November 23rd at 5pm through Sunday November 27^th, Winter break, Friday, December 22^nd at 3pm through Monday, January 2^nd, 2012 and Martin Luther King day, Monday, January 16, 2012

visit: http://artgallery.parkland.edu/

phone: 217-351-2485

e-mail: Lisa Costello, Director at lcostello@parkland.

BioBus Returns to the Orpheum Children's Science Museum!

2011-11-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

November 22nd, from 3-5 p.m.

The Cell Motion BioBus is a mobile science laboratory. Kids will explore the world around them with research-grade microscopes, and make their own discoveries under the guidance of professional scientists. This event is being sponsored by the event is the Center for the Physics of Living Cells.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

2011-11-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Join us for a New Water Exhibit Grand Reopening Sponsored by the USGS

Saturday, November 19th, 1-3 p.m.

Celebrate one of the Orpheum's most popular exhibits with a grand reopening event! The USGS and the Orpheum are delighted to introduce a completely remodeled water flume exhibit. Adjustable wall panels allow children to change the direction of the river and control the water flow, speed, and velocity.

"The USGS is very excited about the new exhibit, as it fits nicely with our science mission. Giving the opportunity to teach kids about river forms and water flow is a very rewarding experience," said Ayla Ault, USGS IL WSC Outreach Coordinator. Learn about the purposes of dams and reservoirs and the types of river flow and river forms.

In addition to experiencing the new exhibit, enjoy the many other hands-on activities that will be available such as water tastings, river channel activities, and trying to move water uphill! Children will be able to take home a hand-made souvenir of their own.

To Grandmother's House We Go!

2011-11-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

At the Museum of the Grand Prairie we’ll be preparing for the holidays with a new version of our old standby, To Grandmother’s House we Go. Children will be allowed to make and take botanical, environmental and historical ornaments and gifts for family members. Make your own Christmas memory booklet, and join in a sing-along at the end of the program. Free. (217) 586-2612 or ctice@ccfpd.org.

To Grandmother's House We Go!

Saturday December 3, 2011
2:00-4:00 p.m.

America Recycles Day at the Nature Center

2011-11-15T09:46:00.001-08:00

America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized day dedicated to publicize and educate individuals and their communities about recycling in the United States. Since 1997, America Recycles Day has become more publically recognized and now has more than 1,700 pledges—those who pledge to recycle and be waste free. Take the Pledge

The Urbana Park District and The City of Urbana’s U-Cycle will be having their 4th annual America Recycles Day at the :

Anita Purves Nature Center on

Saturday, November 19th at

10:00am-2:00pm.

This year’s theme is “Waste Free Lunch’, hoping to educate others about ways to reduce lunch waste and how to be more eco-friendly. There will be information, presentations, and fun and creative activities during the event. Discover ways to reduce waste, create art from trash and save money!

Other local eco-encouraging organizations will be at the event. Activities include:

1. The I.D.E.A Store: Check out a “compost pile” made out of reusable materials available at their store. They will have information on the store, eco-craft workshops, and donations.

2. Market Sprouts Program- Discover the Sprouts Program- focused on educating kids about eating healthy food. Learn what makes a healthy lunch.

3. Common Ground- Play games with staff from Common Ground about filling lunches with healthy local foods. Learn the long journey of farm to table.

4. The City of Urbana: U-Cycle Program- Get information on lunch waste and easy ways to reduce it. Play recycling games and other sorting activities.

5. Urbana Park District- Create an eco-lunch container made out of milk jugs!

We will be accpeting limited recyclables at the event. For a list and more information please call 384-4062 or visit the URbana Park District website.

Reading with Lincoln

2011-11-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

On November 6, 2011 the Museum of the Grand Prairie hosted Bob Bray from Illinois Wesleyan University who spoke about the books that Lincoln read over the course of his lifetime. Did you know, for example, that Abraham Lincoln was fond of Aesop's fables? may have modeled the Gettysburg address on Thucydides Funeral Oration for Pericles? was ridiculed for his taste in Shakespeare by a major actor of his day? Seems like there is always more to know about Lincoln which is why....

We're looking forward to another great lineup next year so keep your eyes peeled for 2012! Look for "Daily Life in the Civil War" in April and our Fall Lincoln Lecture Series in Autumn 2012.

Mummy News

2011-11-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Well, on November 2nd we had our mummy panel presentation at the Spurlock Museum. The researcher team did find out some very interesting new things about our ancient Egyptian mummy. For example, the mummified child is of West Asian or Middle Eastern heritage, which is a reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of Roman-era Egypt. Another indication of this time period is that the brain, lungs, and heart were all left inside the body. Also discussed was the significant damage seen in the pelvic bone and skull. The digital images of the mummy's reconstructed face are amazing. A real look into a face of past.

Was the mummy's gender determined? No. So we will have more years of not having all the answers for our visitors. But you know what? I can live with the mystery. I leaves something for future testing and discovery...an inspiration to future generations.

The Mummy Returns...to the Spurlock Museum

2011-10-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

The suspense is mounting....In March, we had a new CAT scan done on our ancient Egyptian mummy. On November 2nd at 4 PM the team of experts who have looked at the new information will tell the world what they have learned. I have specifically told the team leader not to tell me ANYTHING. I want to be as surprised as everyone else. This is sooooooo exciting. Join us at the Museum next week!

MAC at 88 Broadway in Urbana tomorrow night!

2011-10-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Museums at the Crossroads will be presenting Champaign County Museums

Pecha-Kucha style (http://www.pecha-kucha.org) along with seven other local art programs at the Arts Connect event on October 13th at 88 Broaday in Urbana.

Stop in to help us celebrate National Art's and Humanities month.

Support the Orpheum Children's Science Museum

2011-09-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the Corkscrew Gala Wine Tasting, benefiting the Orpheum Children's Science Museum, to be held at the Urbana Civic Center on September 29, 2011 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The warm autumn evening will make the perfect setting for sampling more than 100 offerings by some 20 vendors featuring select vineyards from around the world. Area food vendors will provide a light fare as David Howie returns to fill the air with the gentle strains of his acoustic guitar. Wine preorders will be available at the event, along with a fine selection of beers. A percentage of wine sales as well as all other proceeds directly benefit our community through funding programs at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum.

You'll also enjoy bidding on hand-selected auction items that come from both wine vendors and many of your favorite local establishments. Unique and original items will be available for auction only at the gala including an event rental in the Orpheum Theatre and a Night at the Museum birthday package.

Purchase your tickets at the door, in advance at the Museum, at Corkscrew (cash or checks), or online at http:/ocsmwine.eventbrite.com. Please note that you must be 21 years or older to enter.

2nd Annual MAC Educator’s Open House

2011-09-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Museums at the Crossroads (MAC) hosted their 2nd annual Educator’s Open House last night at the Anita Purves Nature Center in Urbana. Educators from all over the county were invited to come discover what the eleven Champaign County museums had to offer. Representatives from each museum presented exciting ways to enhance curriculums through their programs, resources, and other services.

Over two dozen educators participated in the event. Many walked out with amazing door prizes including: museum memberships, free school programs, honey tastings, gift shop discounts, and even a hand crafted vase from a Parkland student. MAC plans to host another open house next year, in hopes of raising more awareness of the museums’ educational resources and helping teachers make the most of what is available to their students.

Be sure to look though our interactive calendar of events http://www.m-crossroads.org/pages/calendar.html for more opportunities to get involved with your local museums!

NEW ART EXHIBIT AT THE ANITA PURVES NATURE CENTER!

2011-09-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Anita Purves Nature Center is pleased to present “Communicating Nature”, a varying exhibit of multimedia from colored pencil to collage, that runs from September 10-November 30, 2011. The exhibit and artist reception are free and open to the public.

Opening Artist Reception,
Saturday September 10, 1-3pm at the
Anita Purves Nature Center,
1505 N. Broadway in Urbana.

The artists in this exhibition participated in the Allerton, Emiquon, Rivers, and Sangamon Corridor Corps of Discovery. The mission of the Corps is to provide an aesthetic documentation of the natural beauty and history of Illinois Rivers and their associated landscapes, through writing, photography, sketching, and painting.

Here the artists share their interpretations of what they have experienced—their discoveries of the landforms and life forms of the diverse prairies, rivers, wetlands, backyards, and agricultural lands of Illinois.

The Anita Purves Nature Center is open Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00pm and Saturday 9:00-4:00pm. For more information about the exhibit or nature center call (217) 384-4062.

The Centennial Rolls On.....

2011-08-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

The Spurlock Museum Centennial Celebration this year has been amazing! We have had lots of new visitors and some terrific events. Our birthday party attendance was off the charts, and we ended up buying nearly every cupcake in town to make sure we had enough for everyone. Visit our website (www.spurlock.illinois.edu) for information on our fall events and join in on the fun!

2011 Parkland Art and Design Faculty Exhibition

2011-08-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Unique works in Faculty Art Exhibition set to open August 22

CHAMPAIGN—Parkland College’s annual Faculty Art Exhibition opens Monday, August 22 and runs through Saturday, September 17, featuring works by the school’s Fine and Applied Arts department faculty in Art and Design. The works include sculpture, photography, metals, wood, oil, watercolor, digital media, ceramics, and other media.

In celebration of exhibit artists, a reception, with live music, including accordion, by The Chris Reyman Trio, will be held on Thursday, September 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery lounge. The reception allows the public to mingle with the artists and features a talk by Peggy Shaw on her work at 7 p.m.

As always, the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Approximately 20 faculty studio artists will participate in this year’s exhibition. Art enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy the versatility of the works on display, which mirrors the broad spectrum of art courses available at Parkland. Exhibit artists include Louis Ballard, Chris Berti, Lisa Costello, Marsha Daniels, Jennifer Davis, Stacey Gross, Bryan Heaton, Steven Hudson, Jamie Kruidenier, Melinda McIntosh, Craig McMonigal, Laura O’Donnell, Denise Seif, Peggy Shaw, Phil Smith, Tim Stiles, Joan Stolz, Matthew Watt, Kelly White, and Paul Young.

A series of art lectures in the gallery has been planned to coincide with the exhibit. These “High Noon with the Artist” lectures allow faculty from selected areas to offer in-depth discussions on their artwork or on other art-related topics. Depending on the question-and-answer portion, these events, which begin at noon, should last a half hour to 45 minutes. On September 8, Associate Professor Matthew Watt will talk about his work, a new series of drawings (non-digital) and 3D modeling he worked on in Canterbury, England, during an instructor exchange. Laura O’Donnell, an instructor in Art History and Ceramics, will present a talk with Hiroko Ito, instructor of Japanese language and culture, about an upcoming Ceramics Tour to Japan that they will lead next spring through Parkland Community Education.

This year’s Faculty Art Exhibition is being held in memory of Blair Kling, emeritus professor of Indian history at the University of Illinois, who passed away in May due to complications from mesothelioma. Kling’s family and friends, who are sponsoring the exhibit, had suggested at that time that memorial donations be sent to the Parkland Art Gallery in lieu of flowers.

Fall gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; and Saturday, noon-2 p.m. The gallery will be closed on Monday, September 5 for Labor 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.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/351-2505.

Hans Habeger and Robert McCann: Strip Malls, Superstores and the American Landscape

2011-05-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

At the Parkland Art Gallery...

Monday, June 27–Monday, August 1
Reception Thursday, June 30 with gallery talk by Hans Habeger at 7pm
Artist lecture by Robert McCann on Tuesday, August 2 at 10am in gallery

This exhibition includes paintings that explore the byproduct of American consumer society through the landscape that is formed in the areas surrounding strip malls and superstores. Both artists share a decidedly different interpretation in the paintings they construct. Habeger, assistant professor at College of Lake County in Evanston, Illinois, finds pause in the desolate asphalt landscapes through his rendering of light and shadow in often overlooked locations, embedding beauty in utilitarian design and breathing new life into vacuous locations. McCann, assistant professor at Michigan State University, creates a scenario of events that foster the portrayal of American society captured through the disorienting lens of reality television and kitsch B-rated horror films. Each artist imbues a seductive quality into the paintings they construct—Habeger through seeing the landscape through a fresh perspective and McCann through drama and chaotic action.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/351 2505.

Parkland Art Gallery
2400 West Bradley Avenue
Champaign, Illinois 61821-1899
Gallery Office 217/351-2485
www.parkland.edu/gallery

Summer Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Monday – Thursday: 6 – 8 p.m.
Closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday

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.

Objects, and Research, and Deadlines.....Oh, my!

2011-05-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Creating a temporary exhibit at the Spurlock Museum can take two years, so those of us who serve as exhibit coordinators are often working on multiple exhibits simultaneously....along with all our other duties. Currently, I am finishing up the final text on an exhibit of incredible Japanese woodcarvings that opens next month; doing research on shoes around the world for a fall, 2012, exhibit; and working with the Champaign-Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild on a fall, 2013 exhibit that will feature items the Guild members will be creating that were inspired by artifacts in our Museum collections. All of these are fascinating in their own way.

For me, the best time of all is the early research phase, when I learn so many new things about the culture(s) and artifact(s) we will be displaying. Right now, I am reading and reading on shoes, finding out the most fascinating things. I will leave you with the following bit of shoe information: The average American woman owns at least 30 pairs of shoes. So put on your shoes and come visit sometime soon.

Parkland Art Gallery's State of the Art 2011: National Biennial Watercolor Exhibition

2011-02-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Robert Cottingham, W.T., Watercolor, 1982

Curated by Chalen Phillips
Sponsored by the Friends of Martha Seif  
February 14 through March 29, 2011

 
Upcoming Exhibit Lecture
Wednesday, March 2 at 3:00pm in the Gallery   
Don Lake, professor emeritus, and Jamie Kruidenier, current watercolor instructor, will provide additional history and commentary about the work in the exhibition.

Chalen Phillips is Curator of Collections at the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri. Mr. Phillips has served as a juror for the Watercolor U.S.A. 2009 and the Prints U.S.A. 2009 competitions and is a member of the Watercolor Honor Society.  
In his curatorial essay, Phillips states that his background in art history strongly influenced the selections he has made from Springfield's enormous collection. "I am not an artist; I simply admire the way art tells a story or reflects a certain period in time. This is my passion," he said. "I strive to understand how history was shaped by the raging whirlwind of events made evident in the artistry of the times. With that in mind, I chose artists who depicted a period of time from the past such as the documenting of a disastrous flood, the death of a bee, or a simple moment of peace."
 
Participating Artists from the Springfield Art Museum Collection include:
Kent Addison, Mary L. Aro, Nell Blaine, Charles Burchfield, Chen Chi, Robert Cottingham, John Steuart Curry, Adolf Dehn, Elsie Bates Freund, Donald Holden, Gregory Litinksy, John Marin, Don Nice, Philip Pearlstein, David Plank, and Joseph Raffael.

Parkland Art Gallery's spring hours
Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 3:00pm
 Monday through Thursday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm 
Saturday from 12:00pm to 2:00pm

Happy Birthday, Spurlock Museum!

2011-02-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

After years of planning, it's all starting to come together: a year-long party celebrating our 100th birthday. There's all kinds of events and a special exhibit. The exhibit's opening celebration is February 20th from 12-4. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends AND to meeting people who are visiting for the first time...friends of the future.

This whole preparation experience has been a lovely combination of old and new. Our director, Wayne Pitard, and Martha Landis, one of our Board members, spent months researching the Museum's history. So many stories have come to light, filling in years that have been blank in institutional memory. We also have new student employees, graphic design majors, who are giving us fresh ways of looking at the familiar images of friends and staff that are being used to create scrapbooks.

Visit our website (www.spurlock.illinois.edu) for details on all of the excitement. We hope to see you all very soon.

Chanute Air Museum Receives $2,000.00 for Organizational Support

2010-08-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Chanute Air Museum is proud to announce that it has received a $2,000.00 General Support Grant from the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) to support the Museum's collections preservation efforts. The current target for these efforts is the Tuskegee Airmen-related photographic media from the William R. Thompson Collection.

The IHC grant funds are being used to hire and intern and purchase necessary equipment and supplies to properly catalog, digitize, and archivally rehouse several hundred photographic prints and film negatives and multiple scrapbooks.

"The Illinois Humanities Council is proud to support not-for-profit organizations that promote the importance of the humanities in private and public life. Through their efforts, Illinoisans have greater access to lifelong learning opportunities," said IHC Executive Director Kristina A. Valaitis. "These champions of the humanities make their communities and our whole state more vibrant."

2010-06-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Chanute Air Museum is proud to host the B-17G Flying Fortress "Texas Raiders." Operated by the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, "Texas Raiders" will offer aircraft tours and flight experience opportunities.

Come and experience a dynamic component of our World War II aviation heritage and legacy!

Saturday July 24, 2010:
Tours from 10:00am-12:00pm
Rides at 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm

Sunday July 25, 2010:
Tours from 12:00pm-2:00pm
Rides at 3:00pm, 4:00pm

Tours = $5 for adults, $3 for children, FREE for WWII Veterans
Rides = $425 per person (donations ar tax deductable)

To learn more about the Gulf Coast Wing and "Texas Raiders," visit their website at http://www.gulfcoastwing.org/

Call to Educators!

2010-06-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Spurlock Museum Education Section will be updating its school information booklet over the summer. The booklet gives information about our tours, programs, special exhibits and special events. If you would like to be on the list to receive an email version of the booklet in August, send your email address to Kim Sheahan at ksheahan@illinois.edu. If you have suggestions for improving the booklet (e.g. there is information you wanted but couldn't find), let Kim know that, too.

Summer fun for kids at the Spurlock Museum

2010-05-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Spurlock Museum Education staff is excited about our summer offerings for kids. There are three different programs available:

Wrapped Up in Ancient Egypt • June 6 • 1:30-4:00 PM
Participants ages 8-13 will visit hands-on stations that highlight the mummy-making process and head home with their own “tomb-to-go!” Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Cost: $3. Contact Kim Sheahan (217-244-3355 or ksheahan@illinois.edu).

Castles, Catapults, and Coats of Arms • June 23-25 • 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
The Museum is pleased to offer Club Invention’s "Castles, Catapults, and Coats of Arms," a hands-on, three-day, summer enrichment program that blends science and history and focuses on the lifestyles and scientific ideas of Medieval Europe. Participants will build (towers, catapults, water wheels), create (jewelry, shields), and spend time in the Spurlock Museum’s Gallery of European Cultures. Registration ends Monday June 15, costs $70, and is open to children entering grades 3 - 7. Space is limited. Contact Brook Taylor (217-265-0474 or taylorb@illinois.edu).

It's All Greek to Me • July 10 • 1:30-4:00 PM
Kids 9 to 14 years old! Join the Museum staff for an afternoon celebrating ancient Greece. Activities will include storytelling, dressing up as heroes, heroines, and gods, performing a play in the Greek style, artifact seek-and-finds, and a “Guess the Olympic Sport” game. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Cost: $3. Contact Kim Sheahan (217-244-3355 or ksheahan@illinois.edu).

Champaign County's Lincoln

2010-03-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Early American Museum has a new permanent exhibit! "Champaign County's Lincoln" explores the time Lincoln spent in our home county as a lawyer, politician and friend. This exhibit is full of surprises-- you can ride in a buggy, sit down for an imaginary drink at our own Kelley's Tavern, have a sitting in a 19th century photographers shop, or hear a political discussion in our own re-creation of the Goose Pond Church where Lincoln spoke in 1856.
There is something for everyone.

The new exhibit has a companion exhibit at the Champaign County Courthouse. Through multimedia, the courthouse exhibit helps you to discover Lincoln's legal practice in Champaign County. That exhbit is open 8-5 on weekdays, the Early American Museum exhibit is open 1-5 daily year-round.

2010-03-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

The Spurlock Museum will be celebrating its Centennial in 2011. As part of the celebration, we are asking anyone with memories from either the Spurlock Museum or World Heritage Museum to share them on our website at http://illinois.edu/db/view/303. Was there an exhibit, event, party, work, or visit experience that was special to you? Let us hear it!

New exhibit opening

2010-03-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Spurlock Museum has just opened a new temporary exhibit called "Korean Funerary Figures: Companions for the Journey to the Other World." The exhibit features over 70 carved wooden figures that would have been placed on the funeral bier used to transport the deceased's coffin to the burial grounds. Some of the figures represent mythical creatures, like dragons. Others portray different kinds of people, including caregivers, nobles, musicians, acrobats, and clowns. It is thought that the figures both protected the deceased on the journey to the next world and brought happiness and joy in this time of sadness and grief. The pieces are quite engaging.

The grand opening for the exhibit will be March 13 from 1-4 PM. There will be games, crafts, and storytelling for all ages. Come celebrate with us! Admission is free!

2010-02-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

The Chanute Air Museum (CAM) has been chosen to participate in the 2010 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP). The Chanute Air Museum joins the 2,700 museums that have participated in CAP in its twenty year history of serving small museums. CAP assists museums by providing funds for professional conservation and preservation specialists to identify the conservation needs of their collections and recommend ways to correctly improve collections conditions.

CAP provides a general conservation assessment of the museum's collections and building. Professional conservators will spend two days surveying the site and three days writing comprehensive reports that will identify conservation priorities. The on-site consultation will enable the Chanute Air Museum to evaluate its current collections care policies, procedures, and environmental conditions. The assessment reports will help the museum make appropriate improvements for the immediate, mid-range, and long-range care of their collections.

Accreditation...Finally

2010-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

In 2009, the Spurlock Museum was awarded accreditation by the American Association of Museums. This is the highest national award a museum can receive, and I'll tell you, the process was NOT an easy, short, or simple one. Our preparation began almost as soon as we opened the new Spurlock Museum building in 2002. First, we spent months filling out a preliminary self-study. This forced us to think about how we run all the different aspects of the Museum and plan for areas where improvement or expansion was necessary. We checked everything, including written policies, educational programs, artifact preservation and storage procedures, information storage, volunteers, security, finances, and exhibit creation.

This self-study was then sent to the American Association of Museums and evaluated. We were told that our self-study proved we were ready for step two, which was the completion of a questionnaire that took us a year to finish. This document asked for incredibly detailed information and lots of pictures. We're talking literally thousands of pages of information....multiple four-inch, three-ring binders.

Once step two was approved, we moved to step three: a site visit by peer advisors, who talked to the staff members about their work and asked specific questions they still had after reading our answers to the questionnaire.

After step three, we waited for the advisors to write their report and the accreditation committee to read it and come to a decision. There was a lot of whooping and hollering the day the news came in!

What does all this mean? It means the Museum has received what every professional institution wants: recognition by its peers that it is following best practices. Of over 17,000 museums in the U.S., only about 775 are accredited. It allows institutions with traveling exhibits to know we have a trustworthy and appropriate venue. It adds to the prestige of the University. It's the Oscar of the Museum world. I'd start thanking everyone who is a part of this incredible staff (and, trust me, none of them are "the little people"), but the orchestra would start playing about halfway through...

2010-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Chanute Air Museum has applied for a 2010 CAP Assessment to to help the museum more professionally protect and preserve its collections.

Staerkel Planetarium to reopen in February

2010-01-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College will be closed for the month of January for needed maintenance. In addition to the replacement of the carpeting in the dome, the dome itself will be cleaned and repainted. The new paint will effectively reduce the reflectance of the dome ahead of the installation of a full-dome digital video system, scheduled for the summer of 2010. The first weekend for public shows will be February 5/6. A full schedule appears at www.parkland.edu/planetarium. Photos of the maintenance work can be found on the Staerkel Planetarium's Facebook site.