Better known for straight talk and growing corn than delving into obscure and intense visual art works, central Illinois may not seem like an ideal location for a symposium on the 19th century European art movement known as Symbolism. But inspiration knows no bounds and art reaches to the corners of the globe with a language all comprehend. The conference with several international experts begins next Wednesday, April 25, and runs through Saturday at the Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello near Champaign-Urbana.
Organized and inspired by Dr. Rosina Neginsky, associate professor in the Liberal and Integrative Studies department at University of Illinois Springfield, the official title for the event is Second International Symposium: Symbolism, Its Origins and its Consequences: Light and Darkness. Neginsky, the author of three books of poetry, numerous articles on Russian and European artists and two non-fiction academic books, was born in Russia and raised in Paris, France, before coming to study at the University of Illinois Urbana. She often gives lectures at the Springfield Art Association concerning Symbolist-influenced artists.
The event was featured in an April 19, 2012, article in the Illinois Times.
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