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.