Parkland College Art, Design Student Juried Exhibition 2017

Parkland College Art, Design Student Juried Exhibition 2017 Exhibit: April 10 to May 6, Giertz Gallery at Parkland College Reception: Thursday, April 13, 5­7 p.m., Gallery Lounge, with awards ceremony at 6 p.m. and musical performance by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble Parkland College's Art and Design Student Juried Exhibition for 2017 will be held April 10 through May 6 in the Giertz Gallery. image information: Neda Sroka, Maquette for St. Sebastian, terra cotta, 18" x 8" x 8", 2016, from Sculpture II 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. Parkland Art and Design faculty will select approximately 180 works from among 350+ entries for this year's exhibit. Students taking art classes in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2016, were eligible to submit artwork.  Many of these works earn artistic awards, which will be announced during the exhibit's opening reception Thursday, April 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery lounge. The Parkland Guitar Ensemble will provide music. Art and design associate professor Matthew Watt is among many Parkland art and design faculty who look forward to this event each spring, along with students. "Making art is rigorous work; it takes grit to make it happen," Watt said. "I am always impressed with what our students can accomplish."  As students planning on a profession in the arts begin their career path at Parkland, this exhibition allows them to showcase their extensive talent as well as the exploration processes they have experienced throughout their studies in art and design, according to gallery director Lisa Costello.  "It introduces them to professional practices they will encounter in their field as well, 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. "This is a necessary component for resume building and establishing themselves as practicing artists once they graduate or transfer to a four-year college."  During the April 13 reception, an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. will recognize students whose artwork shows remarkable distinction. 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 to these awards, there will also be an Art Coop Award for Sustained Studio Excellence, which allows students to purchase art supplies.  Parkland Art and Design students are eligible to earn scholarships, which are also announced during the reception; these include the Don Lake Art Scholarship, the Underwood-Alger Scholarship, and the Robert Ralph Ford Memorial Art Scholarship. Finally, the winner of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Scholarship will be announced. Merit awardees, scholarship recipients, and certificate winners retain possession of their work, while purchase awards become part of the Parkland College Student Art Collection.  Exhibit Sneak Peek In addition to the reception and award festivities, the college will hold a Boneyard Arts Festival Sneak Peek of the new exhibit on Friday, April 7, 2­6 p.m.  "It is great to be a part of the county-wide celebration that 40 North, the Champaign County Arts Council, organizes each year," she said. Gallery Hours and Directions All events in the handicapped-accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday­Thursday, 10 a.m.­7 p.m., and Saturday, noon­2 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 Lisa Costello, gallery director, at 217/351-2485 or visit the gallery website at www.parkland.edu/gallery.

Giertz Gallery Presents "Home: Works by Alicia Henry"

Award-winning Parkland College Alumna Presents Solo Exhibit

Home: Works by Alicia Henry
Exhibit: Monday, Feb. 13–Tuesday, March 28, Giertz Gallery
Reception: Thursday, Feb. 16, 5–7 p.m., with gallery talk by Henry at 6 p.m. and music by Nathaniel and Friends
Additional artist lecture: Henry, Thursday, Feb. 16, 1:15 p.m., Harold and Jean Miner Theatre

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A solo exhibition of artwork by award-winning Parkland College alumna Alicia Henry will feature at the college's Giertz Gallery starting Feb. 13.

"Home: Works by Alicia Henry" will run in the gallery through March 28. An artist's reception will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m., with a gallery talk by Henry at 6 p.m. and music by Nathaniel and Friends. The same day, Henry will provide an additional lecture at 1:15 p.m. in Parkland’s Harold and Jean Miner Theatre.
 
The exhibition, lectures, and reception are free and open to the public, and the community is encouraged to attend.

Gallery Director Lisa Costello said Henry’s exhibit is a long-awaited event.

"We are delighted to have this Guggenheim Award-winning artist return home from Nashville to exhibit her work and share her experiences with our students and community," Costello remarked. "Hosting it this year, in celebration with Parkland College’s 50th anniversary, makes it an ideal time."

This exhibition includes work that explores issues of loss. Henry is interested in how cultural, gender, racial, and social differences affect both individual and group responses to loss. Using abstracted human figures, both in isolation or in interaction with others, Henry goes beyond mere representation of the figure and presents a psychological interpretation of her ideas.

Henry is an associate professor and the discipline coordinator in the Department of Arts and Language at Fisk. She received her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her MFA at Yale University School of Art. In addition to attending Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, she has received numerous awards, grants, and residencies, including a Ford Foundation Fellowship; a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant; Art in General, MacDowell Art Colony, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown residencies; and, most recently, the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art. Henry's works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in private and public collections. 

[Image: Alicia Henry, Brown, Red, White, and Blue (detail), acrylic, cotton, linen, leather, wool, felt, fabric/synthetic blend, dye, thread, yarn, graphite, and colored pencil, dimensions variable, 2012–2015]

Image information: Hong Chun Zhang, “Twin Spirits #3,” charcoal on paper with scrolls, 42” x 100”, 2015

2016 State of the Art: Drawing Invitational Curated by Shelby Shadwell

Exhibit: Monday, November 14, 2016– Saturday, February 4, 2017

Reception: Thursday, November 17, 5–7 p.m., with Curatorial Talk by Shelby Shadwell at 6 p.m., and music by Parkland Guitar Ensemble

Additional artist lecture by Shelby Shadwell on Thursday, November 17 at 11am

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Contemporary drawing artists from across the U.S. will exhibit artworks during the "2016 State of the Art: Drawing Invitational," opening Monday, Nov. 14 at the Giertz Gallery at Parkland College.

Curated by University of Wyoming Associate Professor of Art Shelby Shadwell, the exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. A reception Thursday, Nov. 17, 5–7 p.m. in the gallery lounge will feature a curatorial talk by Shadwell at 6 p.m., music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble, and refreshments. Both the drawing exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Exhibiting artists include Tamie Beldue, Susan D’Amato, Alison Denyer, Christopher Ganz, Michael Hook, Seth Marosok, Jeremy Plunkettt, John Sabraw, Christopher Troutman, and Hong Chun Zhang.

“I started with an assumption that, to the extent it can be observed, quality in visual art, including drawing, consists in the creation of objects that inspire a sense of awe and wonder through their expressed form and content.  I believe the pieces in this show succeed at that on every level,” Shadwell said about the show. “In terms of form, the artists demonstrate great ability to construct a convincing plasticity of space and the illusion of volumetric forms that encourages me, and hopefully all viewers, to marvel in sublime satisfaction at homo sapiens ability to translate what are essentially abstractions (observed lines, shapes and values) into highly organized representations in the mind.”

Giertz Gallery at Parkland College hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery will be closed Nov. 23 (5 p.m.) and reopens Monday, November 28 for Thanksgiving; Closed December 12 and reopens January 17 for Holiday Break.

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 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. All events in the handicapped-accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/353-2802 or email crobinson@parkland.edu.

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

Gallery talk with DON LAKE and JACK EKSTROM

Wednesday, November 2, at 6pm in the gallery.

image information: Jack Ekstrom, Fern, gouache on paper, 42” x 55”, 2008

We invite you to come, listen, and converse with Jack Ekstrom & Don Lake, Professors Emeriti of Parkland College, about Parkland College 50^th: Art and Design Alumni Exhibition and reflect on the history of the Art and Design Program at Parkland College.

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

Giertz Gallery is located at 2400 West Bradley Avenue in Champaign, IL on the Parkland College campus. To find the gallery when classes are in session, we suggest using the M parking lots. Enter through door X-7, 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 Lisa Costello, gallery director, at 217/351-2485 or visit the gallery website at www.parkland.edu/gallery.

Parkland College 50th: Art and Design Alumni Exhibition

Parkland College Alumni Art, Design Exhibit Opens Sept. 26

Exhibit: Monday, September 26–Saturday, November 5, Giertz Gallery 

Reception: September 29, 5–7 p.m., gallery lounge, with welcoming remarks by President Tom Ramage and gallery talk by Chris Berti and Joan Stolz, 6 p.m.; music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble

Additional Programming:

Closing Reception: Saturday, November 5, noon–2 p.m., with gallery talk by Barry Blinderman, 1 p.m.

Gallery Talk by Don Lake and Jack Ekstrom: Thursday, October 27, 6 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Works by Parkland College Art and Design alumni will feature in an exhibition at the college's Giertz Gallery beginning Sept. 26.

The contemporary art juried exhibition, "Parkland College 50th: Art and Design Alumni Exhibition", will run through Nov. 5. Curator for the exhibit is Barry Blinderman, director of the University Galleries of Illinois State University. 

Giertz Gallery Director Lisa Costello said the show provides an opportunity to celebrate Parkland's 50th anniversary and share the past with many familiar faces.

"It has been terrific to receive calls and emails about the exhibit from former students and to hear the impact Parkland has made in their lives," she remarked. "I am looking forward to seeing their work in the exhibition, hosting the reception, and attending our additional exhibit programs, including the gallery talk by retired faculty members Jack Ekstrom and Don Lake. Both of them taught in Parkland's Art and Design Program and were critical in the college's formative years."

Participating artists include Jodi Adams, Jenny Barrett, Jason Bentley, Jess Beyler, Jennifer Bonilla-Edgington, Daniel Bornt, Taylor Braasch, Felicia Breen, Cindy Carlson, Marsha Daniels, Sabrina Donnelly, Kyle Dunn, Christopher Evans, Jeff Evans, Bob Fish, Jacob Foran, Viktoria Ford, Todd Frahm, Julio Gaytan, Megan Hinds, Sarah Holt, Michael Hughes, Sandra Hynds, Eric Inskip, Siti Mariah Jackson, Dusten Jenkins, Lauren Jenkins, Judy Jones, Jan Kappes, Lisa Kesler, Bruce Kloth, Patricia Knowles, Rick Larimore, Paula McCarty, Ann McDowell, Lawrence McGown, Michèle Miller, Charlie Mitsdarfer, Patricia Monigold, Georgia Morgan, Amanda Mulcahy, Jason Patterson, Ruta Rauber, Laura Reiss, Rebecca Renwick, Ann Rund, Barbara Ryan, Judy Seyb, Shaheen Shorish, Emily Sur, Bonnie Switzer, Michael Thomas, Yu Wang, Rosalind Faiman Weinberg, Charles Wisseman, Sarah Wisseman, Shania Wright, and Michael Zachay. 

During the closing reception, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m., Blinderman will speak about his career as a curator of contemporary art, educator, and essayist. As director of University Galleries since 1987, Blinderman curated the first U.S. museum surveys for David Wojnarowicz, Michelle Grabner, Martin Wong, Jane Dickson, Keith Haring, Siebren Versteeg, Jeanne Dunning, Tony Tasset, and others. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Lannan Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Illinois Arts Council, and the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation. His most recently curated exhibitions include "Hard Love", at Martos Gallery in New York (2016); "Walter Robinson: Paintings and Other Indulgences", at University Galleries and The Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia (2014-2016); and "Judy Glantzman: Face to Face" (2013), University Galleries.

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

Giertz Gallery is located at 2400 W. Bradley Ave. in Champaign, Illinois, on the Parkland College campus. To find the gallery when classes are in session, the staff suggests using the M parking lots. 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 Lisa Costello, gallery director, at 217/351-2485 or visit online at parkland.edu/gallery.