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.

Chanute Air Museum Receives $2,000.00 for Organizational Support

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."

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!

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.