2016 Parkland College Art and Design Faculty Exhibition

Image Info: Denise Seif, Micro Series, 2015, 2.5” x 2.5”, copper and enamel

Faculty Art Exhibition at Giertz Gallery Sept. 1

Works by 14 artists; gallery talk at 6pm by Denise Seif, music at reception by the Sam Peters Trio, Thursday Sept. 1, 5–7 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Giertz Gallery at Parkland College is proud to present the 2016 Art and Design Faculty Exhibition, opening Monday, Aug. 22.

An annual showcase of art created by faculty, the exhibition runs through Sept. 17 and features sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, video, photography, metals, ceramics, and graphic design. Exhibiting faculty members include Louis Ballard, Chris Berti, Lisa Costello, Bryan Heaton, Melinda McIntosh, Laura O’Donnell, Denise Seif, Peggy Shaw, Sheila Schneider, Joan Stolz, Matthew Watt, Kelly White, Liza Wynette, and Paul Young.

An opening reception for the artists will take place Thursday Sept. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. and will include a gallery talk by Seif and music by the Sam Peters Trio.

During her gallery talk at 6 p.m., Seif, Art History and Metalsmithing Faculty and Program Director for the Art Department at Parkland College, will discuss her work in the exhibition. “The work in this year's faculty exhibition is a continuation of my explorations in metals,” Seif says. “I tend to have a couple of directions in my work, one that is formal, often with inspirations from nature and my observations and a second that is more personal and influenced by family and circumstances. Sometimes these two directions overlap as is true with this year's work. The Micro Series initially started with thinking about growing cultures in petri dishes with my Dad, and then doing this over the summer with my daughter. The petri dish influenced the circle format and the scale for many of the pieces in this series.”

Additionally, Peggy Shaw, 2016 Outstanding Faculty Award recipient and Associate Professor of Photography, will give an Artist Lecture about her work on Wednesday, September 7 at high noon in the gallery. Shaw teaches Digital Photography, Darkroom Photography, Video Production and Photography Portfolio classes in the Art and Design Program. Shaw received her Master of Fine Arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her photography has been shown nationally and has won numerous awards in both photography and video, including fellowships from both the Illinois Arts Council and Arts Midwest/National Education Association Regional.

The Art and Design Faculty Exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Fall gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, noon to 2 p.m. The gallery will be closed Monday, Sept. 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 door X-7, turn left, 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.

[Editor’s note: Photos of exhibit works available; please contact lcostello@parkland.edu.]

Travels: Works by Chung Chak and Travis Linville

Exhibit: Monday, June 13–Thursday, August 4, 2016

Reception: Thursday, June 16, 5–7pm

            Gallery Talk at 6:30pm by Travis Linville

            Music by Big Blue Stem

Artist Lectures:

Thursday, June 16 at 11am by Travis Linville  

Thursday, July 14 at 6:30pm by Chung Chak

Additional Lectures:

Wednesday, June 29 at 11am by Chris Berti and Lisa Costello

Morocco: Pattern and Embellishment

Tuesday, July 12 at 1pm by Jody Littleton

The Study Abroad Experience

image information:

Chung Chak, "Hello Mirrors, Japan," archival digital print, 42" x 42", 2015

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Giertz Gallery at Parkland College presents a two-person art exhibition exploring ideas and experiences surrounding travel.

“Travels: Works by Chung Chak and Travis Linville” opens Monday, June 13 and runs through Tuesday, August 4, 2016. In conjunction with the exhibit, a reception honoring the artists is scheduled for Thursday, June 16 from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring a gallery talk by Travis Linville at 6:30 p.m.

An additional artist lecture in the gallery will feature Chung Chak on Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. This evening lecture is co-sponsored by Champaign-Urbana Design Organization. This “Meet The Pros” lecture will include Chak’s versatile talents as both a photographer and a graphic designer. Other programming during this summer exhibition will feature two additional presentations that involve travel. The first presentation on Wednesday, June 29^th by Chris Berti and Lisa Costello is “Morocco: Pattern and Embellishment”, that focuses on their visit to Morocco through a Title VI Grant to further internationalize the curriculum. The second presentation “The Study Abroad Experience” will be by Jody Littleton on Tuesday, July 12 at 1pm. Littleton, an associate professor of speech and the Study Abroad Coordinator for Parkland College, will discuss study abroad and it’s relevance for career building and personal growth. The exhibit, reception and lectures are free and open to the public.

Chung Chak, originally born in Hong Kong, has been teaching at The College of New Jersey since 2001 as an associate professor of graphic design. In 1991, he received a BFA in graphic design from SUNY New Paltz, in 1995 he received his MFA in graphic design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He has had many solo exhibitions all over the country.

“As an image-maker formally trained as a designer, I have found my voice… I view my imagery as timeless visual poetry with psychological impact where viewers can no longer remain passive. Conceptualizing and resolving a solution is as rewarding as the seeing the result.”

“I have always felt that we have very little control of our lives. Therefore I enjoy the process of photomontage because I can randomly connect unrelated persons, events, and environments. Although my subjects may never have the chance to meet in reality, they are permanently bound within my artwork. By taking this approach, I find myself in absolute power to control and design.”

Travis Linville, of Elgin, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Miami University in 1999, and a Master of Fine Arts from Clemson University in 2003. He has been teaching photography and other art courses at the college level since 2000, arriving at ECC in 2009.

“Though this collection of photographs is less characteristic of my typical personal work, it gave me the opportunity to practice photography in a different style,” said Linville. “As an educator, I am also a perpetual student and regularly seek ways to work outside my comfort zone. In this way, I expand my knowledge of my chosen field both technically and creatively and can bring those experiences back to the classroom.”

Giertz Gallery at Parkland College reduced summer hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  

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 door X-7, turn left, 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.

Programs at the gallery are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution; for accommodation, call 217/351-2505.

For more information on the exhibit, please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.

The Parkland College Graphic Design: Student Juried Exhibition will be on display at the Giertz Gallery Monday, May 9 through Saturday, May 28. A reception honoring the students will be held Wednesday, May 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery lounge with an awards ceremony scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and a Gallery Talk scheduled immediately following.

As with all events in the handicapped-accessible gallery, the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

The juried exhibit highlights work completed by students in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2015. Parkland Graphic Design and Interactive Design faculty jury the show and select the most imaginative, inspiring, distinctive, innovative, unusual and memorable pieces for display in the gallery. Then local industry professionals are invited to judge the show and select the awards. This year’s judges are Kelly White, Executive Director of 40 North, and Matt Wiley, Graphic Designer at Taylor Studios.

Works in the exhibit showcase creative solutions to design problems presented to students in Parkland’s Graphic Design, Interactive Design and Illustration studio classes. Expect to see traditional print media, motion graphics, logos, branding, packaging, menus, books, publications, posters, brochures, websites, video and illustration.

“Parkland’s Graphic Design and Interactive Design programs are rooted in solving real-world visual communication problems,” said Graphic Design Program Director Paul Young. “This year's exhibition is no exception. Students are taught that design needs to fulfill a function instead of just looking pretty. And they soon figure out that the best and most memorable designs have a great concept behind them and communicate the client’s message in a creative manner.”

During the May 11 reception, an awards ceremony honoring 2016 Graphic Design student achievements will take place at 6:30 p.m. “A number of these awards that we will be giving out were donated by local businesses, clients and supporters of Parkland's Graphic Design curriculum, said Young. “We really appreciate the generous support from the people at Surface 51, The Robeson Family, [co][lab], Studio 2D, Six Demon Studio, Wesley Food Pantry and the Champaign-Urbana Design Org (CUDO). Other awards are provided by the Parkland Foundation, Parkland faculty and administration.

Immediately after the awards ceremony, Illustration instructor Liza Wynette will give a special presentation titled "The State of Contemporary Illustration." Her gallery talk will feature recent student and professional art commissioned for editorial, advertising, and other commercial applications. "Illustration is one of those professions that walk the line between fine art and commercial art," says Liza Wynette. "Both types of art need to be aesthetically beautiful, creative, and communicate a concept visually. The only real difference between fine and commercial art is its function. Where fine artists can ask questions, commercial artists have to answer them.

Parkland College is one of the few community colleges in the US that offers a series of professional illustration courses. Students who take these hands-on studio art courses leave the class with functional commercial art samples for their portfolio.

Giertz Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday noon to 2 p.m. To find the Gallery when classes are in session, use the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through door X-7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located.

This exhibit is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, call Giertz Gallery Office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.

Parkland College Art and Design Student Juried Exhibition

[Image Information: William Smith, Still Life, oil on canvas, 20” x 16", 2015, from Painting 1]

Parkland College’s 2016 Art and Design Student Juried Exhibition will be held April 11–30 in the Giertz Gallery.

Audiences will enjoy an impressive body of student work in photography, painting, drawing, metals, sculpture, three-dimensional design, two-dimensional design, color theory, and ceramics. For this exhibit, Parkland Art and Design faculty selected approximately 180 works from more than 350 entries. Students taking art classes since summer 2015 were eligible to submit artwork.

Many of the works on display have earned artistic awards, which will be announced during the exhibit’s opening reception Thursday, April 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery lounge. The Parkland Guitar Ensemble will provide music.

Joan Stolz, a painting and drawing instructor, joins many faculty and students looking forward to this exhibit each spring. “It’s my favorite show of the year,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for us as instructors to see what our students have been making in classes other than our own.”

The student art exhibition allows budding professional artists to showcase their extensive talent and the exploration processes they have experienced in Parkland Art and Design courses, explained Giertz Gallery Director Lisa Costello.

“This show introduces them to professional practices they will encounter in their field, such as working with a gallery, preparing their work for exhibition, and engaging in the jurying process that is essential for an emerging artist,” Costello said. “That kind of experience is necessary for resume building and establishing themselves as practicing artists after graduation or transfer to a four-year college.”

During the reception, the 6:30 p.m. awards ceremony will recognize artwork of merit. Student artists will receive monetary awards including the Parkland President Award, the David M. and Shirley A. Jones Student Art Award, the Metals Award for Jewelry/Metalsmithing, the Fine and Applied Arts Chair Award, the Parkland Art and Design Faculty Award, and the Blair Kling Memorial Art Award. In addition, one student will receive the Art Coop Award for Sustained Studio Excellence, which allows students to purchase art supplies.

Several Art and Design scholarships also will be announced during the reception, including the Don Lake Art Scholarship, the Underwood-Alger Scholarship, and the Robert Ralph Ford Memorial Art Scholarship. Finally, the winner of the acclaimed Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Scholarship will be announced.

Merit awardees, scholarship recipients, and certificate winners retain possession of their work. Works receiving Purchase Awards become part of the Parkland College Student Art Collection.

All events in the handicapped-accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., and Saturday, noon–2 p.m.

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 door X7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point on the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area. This exhibit is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, call Costello at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.