Reception: Thursday, February 14, 6–8pm; Gallery Talk by
artist at 7pm
Music by: Parkland Guitar ensemble
Additional Artist Lecture: February 19 at 1:15pm
Painting exhibit celebrates retired faculty member John Ekstrom
Starting February
11, the Parkland Art Gallery will host a solo exhibition of works by retired
art professor John Ekstrom. An artist
reception takes place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 14 with a gallery
talk by Ekstrom at 7 p.m. and music by Parkland College Guitar Ensemble. The artist will provide an additional lecture
in the gallery on Tuesday, February 19 at 1:15 p.m.
Originally from Chicago, Ekstrom received both his BFA and
MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lived in Paris for a number of years prior
to joining the faculty at Parkland College, where he taught painting, drawing,
and figure drawing from 1979 through 2001. Ekstrom considers himself first and foremost a
teacher and has influenced many Parkland alumni and artists in the community
with his talent, energy and humor. Since
retiring, he continues his art practice and travels frequently to southern
California, a source of inspiration for much of his newer work. The retrospective will include artwork that has
been produced throughout his artistic career and will feature work on paper as
well as paintings.
In addition to having taught at Parkland College, Ekstrom
curated two exhibitions for the Parkland Art Gallery: “Artists Who Teach” in 1991 and a “Drawing
Invitational” in 1998. The latter included a wide variety of work,
challenging the notion of what constitutes a drawing, and showcased an unexpected
range of media, from tar to torn paper.
This exemplifies Ekstrom’s interest in a wide range of artistic
expression that is evident in his own practice. Abstraction and figuration both serve as valid
means of artistic exploration and he is fluent with a variety of media; mainly acrylics,
gouache and colored pencil.
The Parkland College Permanent Collection is fortunate to
include a work by Ekstrom titled “Downtown”.
It is an oil on canvas measuring
approximately 5’ x 6’ and was modeled after downtown Champaign. The painting is currently on display in the D
Wing of the college. Lisa Costello,
Gallery Director states, “It creates a lot of discussion during my tours of
artwork on campus and it is really enjoyable to have elementary school students
come through and try and guess the location. His use of color, brushstroke and
artistic liberty with downtown Champaign makes it very engaging and it is
really part of our local history as well.”
The exhibit also honors Ekstrom’s significance as a teacher. This is most evident if you happen to find
yourself in the halls of the art department.
Paintings by former students are on display and one is a portrait of
Ekstrom. “Although Jack served his
tenure before I started working at Parkland, his influence is still evident
within the art department and our alumni. He continues to be a part of the
Parkland community through attending our receptions and asking engaging
questions after the artist lectures,” says Costello. “We are very excited to have this opportunity
to show his work.”
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 22
and 23 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.
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