Prairie Stories returns to the Museum of the Grand Prairie

PRAIRIE STORIES

Saturday, Sep 15, 2012

Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 600 N. Lombard, Mahomet, IL (map)

10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Join us for an afternoon of hands-on activities and demonstrations from settler times. Watch working blacksmiths and coopers! (Arriving at 10:00 a.m.) Try samples of apple butter, hush puppies and fresh-churned butter. Enjoy Banjulele as they perform Illinois folk music. Free.

For information, (217) 586-2612 or kriopelle@ccfpd.org

The wonderful traveling exhibit ¡Carnaval! came down at the Spurlock Museum on August 12, and we are frantically working to install our fall exhibit, A World of Shoes, in time for the September 4th opening. As both exhibit coordinator and curator, I have been able to concentrate time on one of my favorite things: researching artifacts. Often people ask me what my favorite artifact is in the Museum.  My answer is always "The one I'm working with or researching right now." I've learned so many new things about shoes over the past year; some are details about shoes we've had in the collections for years. In some cases what I've learned will mean changing information in our database, as some of the shoes have been improperly identified. This is always a challenge for museums. It's one of the reasons we love doing exhibits that use artifacts we have in storage. We get to look at them closely, sometimes for the first time since acquiring them, and get excited about them all over again. I love my job!

High Noon Artist Lecture Series at Parkland Art Gallery

A series of art lectures in the Parkland Art gallery have been planned to coincide with the Art and Design Faculty exhibit, which runs through September 22nd. 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.  Starting at noon and including a question and answer segment, the talks normally last 30-45 minutes. 

The High Noon Lecture with Derek Dallas is the first in the series and will take place in the Parkland Art Gallery on Tuesday, August 28^th at 12:00pm.  Dallas, an instructor in Computer Science and Information Technology, teaches Digital Media courses and the occasional Graphic Design course.  He will discuss his new children’s book, A Melvin Story: Melvin and the Garden Bot.  Attendees will have the opportunity to see his work and hear how Dallas utilizes blogging as a means to journal his process. He will also showcase student work from the Digital Media program and provide his insights into the many aspects of developing and publishing creative works. 

The series will continue with painter Kelly White speaking on Wednesday, September 12th at noon.  Ms. White, Director of 40 North, Champaign County Arts, Culture and Entertainment Council and instructor of art history classes for Parkland’s Fine and Applied Arts Department, will discuss her painting practice.

Educator Open House on Sep 20th

National Teacher Appreciation Day at Staples

The Musuem at the Crossroads gives a big THANK YOU to educators across Champaign County and beyond! Join consortium members in celebrating this special day!

Date: Saturday, August 18

Time: 9am-12pm

Location: Staples 2005 N. Prospect Ave, Champaign, IL 61822

Stop by the Staples event in Champaign to learn about local resources for the classroom and upcoming professional development opportunities for educators. Pick up tons of freebies and enter to win door prizes. Free!

Unique works in Parkland Faculty Art Exhibition set to open August 20

CHAMPAIGN—Parkland College’s Art and Design Faculty Exhibition opens Monday, August 20 and runs through Saturday, September 22.  Featuring works by faculty from the Fine and Applied Arts Department, the exhibit includes sculpture, photography, metals, wood, oil, watercolor, digital media, ceramics, and other media.

In celebration of the exhibiting artists, an opening reception with live music by Big Bluestem will be held on Thursday, August 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery lounge. The reception will allow the public to mingle with the artists and hear Professor Joan Stolz talk about her work at 7pm. 

Art enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy the versatility of works on display that mirrors the broad spectrum of courses available at Parkland.  Exhibiting faculty members include:  Louis Ballard, Chris Berti, Lisa Costello, Marsha Daniels, Jennifer Davis, Derek Dallas, Larry Ecker, Bryan Heaton, Steven Hudson, Melinda McIntosh, Craig McMonigal, Laura O’Donnell, Denise Seif, Peggy Shaw, Phil Smith, Tim Stiles, Joan Stolz, Matthew Watt, Kelly White, Gretchen Wieshuber, and Paul Young.

A series of art lectures in the gallery have 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.  Starting at noon and including a question and answer segment, the talks normally last 30-45 minutes. The first lecture in the series is scheduled August 28^th and features Derek Dallas, an instructor in Computer Science and Information Technology.  Dallas will talk about his new series of drawings (non-digital) for a children’s book that he is currently working on. On September 12, Kelly White, an instructor in Art History and Director of 40 North, will discuss her paintings. 

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

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.