Noon Day celebration at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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!



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

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

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!

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.....

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.