The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is proud to present “Hindsight 20/20,” a virtual exhibition showcasing the creativity and skill sets of senior visual arts majors at UIS.
As a result of the public health concerns regarding COVID-19, and in keeping with UIS policies in place to protect our students, faculty, staff and patrons, this special exhibition will take place online.
"Hindsight 20/20” features works by UIS Visual Arts graduating seniors that, together, explore how visual language can more clearly express those experiences that are difficult to communicate through words alone.
Exhibiting artists include Logan Baskett, Kelsey Cleary, Kailee Harris, Rachel Lewis, Dominic Miraldi and Merrick Wilderman.
This exhibition will feature animation, digital media, painting, screen printing and sculpture.
Each of the student artists have created works that collectively strive to transport the viewer, inviting individuals to immerse themselves and recognize not only how our surroundings affect our emotions, but also how individuals impact the environment and the world around them.
These works are especially poignant in light of recent develops and the hardships many now face as a result of the global pandemic. “Hindsight 20/20” serves as a reflection and testament to the hard work of these students in the midst of these challenging times.
This article appeared in The Illinois Times on May 1, 2020.
Read the entire article online.
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2020
Monday, October 30, 2017
Subdued hues and strange shadows at University of Illinois at Springfield
Newspaper is often the first ephemera we come to understand.
It’s an impermanent medium that we try to make permanent over and over again, whether it’s a yellowing comic strip on someone’s fridge or a historical front page tucked away in the closet.
In that sense, newspaper is also typically our first lesson in the power of print and how our stories become tangled up and tactile through ink and paper.
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery digs into this dynamic with “of strange shadows,” its current show from Texas-based collaborators Leslie Mutchler and Jason Urban.
Pulling at the threads among color, print and collective memory, Mutchler and Urban pair hues of low saturation with images of protest and violence that examine the 1960s and ’70s — moments of political unrest “too familiar and yet distant” to our own time.
This story appeared in The Chicago Tribune on October 30, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
It’s an impermanent medium that we try to make permanent over and over again, whether it’s a yellowing comic strip on someone’s fridge or a historical front page tucked away in the closet.
In that sense, newspaper is also typically our first lesson in the power of print and how our stories become tangled up and tactile through ink and paper.
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery digs into this dynamic with “of strange shadows,” its current show from Texas-based collaborators Leslie Mutchler and Jason Urban.
Pulling at the threads among color, print and collective memory, Mutchler and Urban pair hues of low saturation with images of protest and violence that examine the 1960s and ’70s — moments of political unrest “too familiar and yet distant” to our own time.
This story appeared in The Chicago Tribune on October 30, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
"of strange shadows" Opening Reception
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present "of strange shadows" from Texas-based collaborators Leslie Mutchler and Jason Urban.
The exhibit will open on Thursday, October 26, and run through Thursday, November 16. An artist reception will take place on Thursday, October 26, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The exhibit, "of strange shadows," is an investigation of color, print and collective memory. Contrasting a subdued primary palette with gray images of residual protest and violence, artist-collaborators Mutchler and Urban look back to the 1960's and 1970's as captured in printed matter from the same era.
Both teach in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin where Mutchler is associate chair and director of the AAH Core Program and Urban is head of the studio division's print area.
This article appeared in the Illinois Times on October 26, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
The exhibit will open on Thursday, October 26, and run through Thursday, November 16. An artist reception will take place on Thursday, October 26, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The exhibit, "of strange shadows," is an investigation of color, print and collective memory. Contrasting a subdued primary palette with gray images of residual protest and violence, artist-collaborators Mutchler and Urban look back to the 1960's and 1970's as captured in printed matter from the same era.
Both teach in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin where Mutchler is associate chair and director of the AAH Core Program and Urban is head of the studio division's print area.
This article appeared in the Illinois Times on October 26, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
UIS Theatre Department launches degree program with production of ‘Machinal’
When she chose the 1920s drama “Machinal” as the University of Illinois Springfield’s fall theater production, director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson felt a certain sense of deja vu.
The play, opening Friday for six performances at the UIS Studio Theatre, depicts a young woman “struggling to find her place in what (the playwright) perceived as an overly mechanized, automated, unfeeling society and culture,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theater at UIS.
Its main character also experiences sexual discrimination and harassment, pressure to conform to society’s expectations of women, and a growing sense of alienation, with tragic results.
“It can be difficult to distinguish whether Treadwell was writing about the 1920s or the 2010s,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said, especially since adverse treatment of women in entertainment, politics and other fields continues to make news on a daily basis.
“Certainly times have changed, but how much, and how far?”
“Machinal,” written by Sophie Treadwell, depicts a young stenographer who marries her boss but finds him repulsive and controlling. Desperate to escape her loveless marriage, she has an affair with a younger man, kills her husband and is tried for his murder.
“She is a victim of her time,” said Sherri Mitchell, a newly enrolled theater major who plays the young woman’s mother.
Mitchell said her own character “represents the ugly side of what it meant to be a woman” with no financial security apart from a breadwinning man. “She represents the life most women had been living then,” focused only on the drudgery of daily survival, she said.
The show also marks another milestone for the UIS Theatre Department: the official launch of its bachelor’s degree program in theater, approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education last year.
“Having a BA in theatre is a great asset for the campus and makes it a robust liberal arts university,” added Thibodeaux-Thompson, whose husband Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor and director of theater, and assistant professor Dathan Powell round out the theater department faculty.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 25, 2017.
Read the entire story online.
The play, opening Friday for six performances at the UIS Studio Theatre, depicts a young woman “struggling to find her place in what (the playwright) perceived as an overly mechanized, automated, unfeeling society and culture,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theater at UIS.
Its main character also experiences sexual discrimination and harassment, pressure to conform to society’s expectations of women, and a growing sense of alienation, with tragic results.
“It can be difficult to distinguish whether Treadwell was writing about the 1920s or the 2010s,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said, especially since adverse treatment of women in entertainment, politics and other fields continues to make news on a daily basis.
“Certainly times have changed, but how much, and how far?”
“Machinal,” written by Sophie Treadwell, depicts a young stenographer who marries her boss but finds him repulsive and controlling. Desperate to escape her loveless marriage, she has an affair with a younger man, kills her husband and is tried for his murder.
“She is a victim of her time,” said Sherri Mitchell, a newly enrolled theater major who plays the young woman’s mother.
Mitchell said her own character “represents the ugly side of what it meant to be a woman” with no financial security apart from a breadwinning man. “She represents the life most women had been living then,” focused only on the drudgery of daily survival, she said.
The show also marks another milestone for the UIS Theatre Department: the official launch of its bachelor’s degree program in theater, approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education last year.
“Having a BA in theatre is a great asset for the campus and makes it a robust liberal arts university,” added Thibodeaux-Thompson, whose husband Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor and director of theater, and assistant professor Dathan Powell round out the theater department faculty.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 25, 2017.
Read the entire story online.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Modernism and residency: The SAA kicks off a summer of unique programming
The Springfield Art Association is currently in high gear with a unique exhibit featuring nearly 300 specimens of modernist furniture and décor.
The SAA is also now hosting the first two visiting artists to participate in the recently established Enos Park residency program for visual artists.
James Pepper Kelly of Chicago and German-born Astrid Kaemmerling are both in the midst of six-week stays, during which they are creating new work relating to the Enos Park neighborhood or Springfield as a whole. The work will be presented later this summer in a special exhibit at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Visual Arts Gallery.
Kaemmerling, who has shown work in Germany, Italy, Korea and the United States and has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, is currently based in San Francisco. The concentration for her current Springfield-based project is in the field of “walking art,” in aid of which free tickets are currently available for her “Enos Park Community Walking Laboratory.”
According to Kaemmerling’s online event page, “while meandering the streets of Enos Park for one hour you and I will engage in a conversation about the past, present and future of the neighborhood while monitoring our thoughts and passageways.” The conversations will be recorded and later presented as part of the exhibit, along with maps of the paths taken in each walk.
Kaemmerling’s enthusiasm for the residency is palpable. “It’s a fantastic way for me to put some of the research I have done into action and really field test it,” she said. “The support here so far has been incredible. And welcoming! Wherever I go, even on the street, people are super friendly; they greet you and engage in conversation. It’s been really nice.”
This story appeared in the Illinois Times on June 22, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
The SAA is also now hosting the first two visiting artists to participate in the recently established Enos Park residency program for visual artists.
James Pepper Kelly of Chicago and German-born Astrid Kaemmerling are both in the midst of six-week stays, during which they are creating new work relating to the Enos Park neighborhood or Springfield as a whole. The work will be presented later this summer in a special exhibit at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Visual Arts Gallery.
Kaemmerling, who has shown work in Germany, Italy, Korea and the United States and has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, is currently based in San Francisco. The concentration for her current Springfield-based project is in the field of “walking art,” in aid of which free tickets are currently available for her “Enos Park Community Walking Laboratory.”
According to Kaemmerling’s online event page, “while meandering the streets of Enos Park for one hour you and I will engage in a conversation about the past, present and future of the neighborhood while monitoring our thoughts and passageways.” The conversations will be recorded and later presented as part of the exhibit, along with maps of the paths taken in each walk.
Kaemmerling’s enthusiasm for the residency is palpable. “It’s a fantastic way for me to put some of the research I have done into action and really field test it,” she said. “The support here so far has been incredible. And welcoming! Wherever I go, even on the street, people are super friendly; they greet you and engage in conversation. It’s been really nice.”
This story appeared in the Illinois Times on June 22, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Susan Koch: Praise for exceptional performing arts at UIS
The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on June 10, 2017.
"Just a few days ago, The State Journal Register’s “Weekend and More” section featured the rollout of UIS Sangamon Auditorium’s 2017-18 performing arts season.
The season represents the final encore for auditorium director Bob Vaughn. Bob is transitioning to a well-earned retirement after 11 years of bringing exceptional quality and diversity to the Sangamon Auditorium stage.
But many of the more than 75,000 patrons who regularly attend Sangamon Auditorium Broadway Shows, Visiting Artists and Kitchen Sink Series each year are not aware of an additional slate of rich performances that are equally appreciated. I’m talking about the Class Acts program — special daytime performing arts programming offered for students from preschool through high school from across central Illinois.
Thanks to enthusiastic partnerships with several school districts, including the Springfield Public Schools, almost 15,000 students attended at least one of 15 Class Acts performances this year, ranging from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” for high school students to “Pete the Cat” for primary-aged children.
A complimentary program called “Grow Up Great” provides additional funding for professional development for teachers and opportunities for parents and Head Start children to attend an evening meal and performance.
The Class Acts and Grow Up Great programs would not be possible were it not for the generosity of donors who believe in the importance of arts education and who help fund the programming, subsidize the purchase of tickets for the students and help pay the cost of bus transportation.
In addition to being a show sponsor every year, PNC Bank is a major sponsor of both Class Acts and Grow Up Great. “We’re so appreciative of PNC’s consistent support for these programs,” says Vaughn. “They’re helping us create a point of entry to the performing arts for both students and educators who might not otherwise have access to these experiences.”
Bob and Liz Staley have also been longtime supporters of the programs. Though Liz is now deceased, the Staley family continues to provide a generous grant each year to enable small-town schools in New Berlin, Auburn and Waverly to participate in the Class Acts program.
The Staley gift also provides funding for teachers to attend an evening performance at the auditorium each year. Participating teachers are asked to provide feedback about their students’ experiences, and their words may provide the best commentary on the value of the Class Acts and Grow Up Great programs.
A music teacher from Riverton High School reported, after her class attended a performance of the
acappella group Vocalosity: “An excellent performance! The students loved it. Students need opportunities to compare and contrast real professionals with their own ensembles so they can better understand what a high quality performance really is.”
As we bid director Bob Vaughn a fond farewell and welcome new Sangamon Auditorium director Bryan Rives in the coming weeks, I’m looking forward to another exceptional year of performing arts at the University of Illinois Springfield — for audiences of all ages."
Read the entire column online.
"Just a few days ago, The State Journal Register’s “Weekend and More” section featured the rollout of UIS Sangamon Auditorium’s 2017-18 performing arts season.
The season represents the final encore for auditorium director Bob Vaughn. Bob is transitioning to a well-earned retirement after 11 years of bringing exceptional quality and diversity to the Sangamon Auditorium stage.
But many of the more than 75,000 patrons who regularly attend Sangamon Auditorium Broadway Shows, Visiting Artists and Kitchen Sink Series each year are not aware of an additional slate of rich performances that are equally appreciated. I’m talking about the Class Acts program — special daytime performing arts programming offered for students from preschool through high school from across central Illinois.
Thanks to enthusiastic partnerships with several school districts, including the Springfield Public Schools, almost 15,000 students attended at least one of 15 Class Acts performances this year, ranging from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” for high school students to “Pete the Cat” for primary-aged children.
A complimentary program called “Grow Up Great” provides additional funding for professional development for teachers and opportunities for parents and Head Start children to attend an evening meal and performance.
The Class Acts and Grow Up Great programs would not be possible were it not for the generosity of donors who believe in the importance of arts education and who help fund the programming, subsidize the purchase of tickets for the students and help pay the cost of bus transportation.
In addition to being a show sponsor every year, PNC Bank is a major sponsor of both Class Acts and Grow Up Great. “We’re so appreciative of PNC’s consistent support for these programs,” says Vaughn. “They’re helping us create a point of entry to the performing arts for both students and educators who might not otherwise have access to these experiences.”
Bob and Liz Staley have also been longtime supporters of the programs. Though Liz is now deceased, the Staley family continues to provide a generous grant each year to enable small-town schools in New Berlin, Auburn and Waverly to participate in the Class Acts program.
The Staley gift also provides funding for teachers to attend an evening performance at the auditorium each year. Participating teachers are asked to provide feedback about their students’ experiences, and their words may provide the best commentary on the value of the Class Acts and Grow Up Great programs.
A music teacher from Riverton High School reported, after her class attended a performance of the
acappella group Vocalosity: “An excellent performance! The students loved it. Students need opportunities to compare and contrast real professionals with their own ensembles so they can better understand what a high quality performance really is.”
As we bid director Bob Vaughn a fond farewell and welcome new Sangamon Auditorium director Bryan Rives in the coming weeks, I’m looking forward to another exceptional year of performing arts at the University of Illinois Springfield — for audiences of all ages."
Read the entire column online.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Arts residency in Enos Park
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is partnering with the Springfield Art Association and Enos Park Residency for Visual Artists to offer a funded residency and art exhibition for the summer of 2017.
The residency will last from four to eight weeks and is open to artists working in all media and at all stages of their career.
The Enos Park Residency for Visual Artists will provide studio facilities as well as living quarters and there will be a $1,000 stipend for expenses.
The residency will culminate with an exhibition at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, opening June 30 and running through July 28.
“The idea is that the program will draw artists to Springfield, and ideally, over time, some of them will stay,” said Allison Lacher, manager of the UIS Visual Arts Gallery.
Applications for the residency and art exhibition are due by April 7 and need to include a detailed proposal, dates, artist statement, work samples, image list, resume and references. Artists from across the country are encouraged to apply.
This article appeared in the Illinois Times on March 23, 2017.
Read the full article online.
The residency will last from four to eight weeks and is open to artists working in all media and at all stages of their career.
The Enos Park Residency for Visual Artists will provide studio facilities as well as living quarters and there will be a $1,000 stipend for expenses.
The residency will culminate with an exhibition at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, opening June 30 and running through July 28.
“The idea is that the program will draw artists to Springfield, and ideally, over time, some of them will stay,” said Allison Lacher, manager of the UIS Visual Arts Gallery.
Applications for the residency and art exhibition are due by April 7 and need to include a detailed proposal, dates, artist statement, work samples, image list, resume and references. Artists from across the country are encouraged to apply.
This article appeared in the Illinois Times on March 23, 2017.
Read the full article online.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Springfield’s art scene is riding high
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery, on the campus of University of Illinois Springfield, where Allison Lacher works her day job as gallery manager has hosted an eclectic array of work this year, including an exhibition by St. Louis artist Lyndon Barrois, Jr., which took as its subject the late iconic musician Prince. “That was really timely in the context of Prince’s passing and it was a different show for us,” Lacher said. Other memorable exhibits this year included Washington, D.C.’s Paul Short who mounted an ambitious combination exhibition, lecture and workshop centering around cultural and economic stigmas associated with loitering. A recent two-person show by central Illinois figurative painters Amanda Greive and Stanley Bly turned out to be a big hit with attendees. “They presented a cohesive exhibition where their work was very much in dialogue with one another while maintaining their individual identities,” Lacher said.
The spring semester is slated to kick off at the gallery with an exhibition from Tyler Lotts, a professor of ceramics at ISU, followed by a March 2 presentation from Diaz-Lewis, a husband and wife collaboration between Alejandro Diaz and Cara Lewis. “Alejandro is a Cuban refugee,” Lacher explains, “and he and Cara have created an ongoing work entitled ‘34,000 Pillows’ in response to a congressional mandate stating that immigration and customs enforcement agents are required to maintain a quota of 34,000 detained immigrants per day in 250 centers around the country.” The couple is trying to make a pillow for every detainee of this mandate and will be bringing a “Pillow Workshop” to the UIS gallery along with other work.
“That’s the beauty of programming here at UIS,” Lacher said. “One month you might have a more traditional exhibition of figurative painting and then follow it up with a very socially conscious and culturally diverse project.”
The story was reported by the Illinois Times on December 15, 2016.
Read the story online.
The spring semester is slated to kick off at the gallery with an exhibition from Tyler Lotts, a professor of ceramics at ISU, followed by a March 2 presentation from Diaz-Lewis, a husband and wife collaboration between Alejandro Diaz and Cara Lewis. “Alejandro is a Cuban refugee,” Lacher explains, “and he and Cara have created an ongoing work entitled ‘34,000 Pillows’ in response to a congressional mandate stating that immigration and customs enforcement agents are required to maintain a quota of 34,000 detained immigrants per day in 250 centers around the country.” The couple is trying to make a pillow for every detainee of this mandate and will be bringing a “Pillow Workshop” to the UIS gallery along with other work.
“That’s the beauty of programming here at UIS,” Lacher said. “One month you might have a more traditional exhibition of figurative painting and then follow it up with a very socially conscious and culturally diverse project.”
The story was reported by the Illinois Times on December 15, 2016.
Read the story online.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
'Earnest' and 'Distracted' headline new season at UIS Theatre
University of Illinois Springfield Theatre has announced its 2015-16 theater lineup.
This fall will see a production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”; for the spring, “Distracted” by Lisa Loomer.
“Earnest” will be Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 5-7 in the Studio Theatre, lower level of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor and director of theater, will direct with scenic design by Dathan Powell, assistant professor of theater.
“Distracted” will be performed April 22-24 and 28-30, also in the Studio Theatre. Directing will be Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theatre, with scenic design by Powell.
Both shows will hold open auditions and crew interviews, open to students, faculty, staff, and community members.
This story appeared online in The State Journal-Register on August 19, 2015.
Read the entire article here.
This fall will see a production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”; for the spring, “Distracted” by Lisa Loomer.
“Earnest” will be Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 5-7 in the Studio Theatre, lower level of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor and director of theater, will direct with scenic design by Dathan Powell, assistant professor of theater.
“Distracted” will be performed April 22-24 and 28-30, also in the Studio Theatre. Directing will be Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, associate professor of theatre, with scenic design by Powell.
Both shows will hold open auditions and crew interviews, open to students, faculty, staff, and community members.
This story appeared online in The State Journal-Register on August 19, 2015.
Read the entire article here.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
'Copy Shop' at UIS gives artistic visitors chance to create
Visitors to the reception for the University of Illinois Springfield’s Visual Arts Gallery’s installation “Copy Shop” can interact with the exhibition on more than one level.
Chicago-based artists Tom Burtonwood and Holly Holmes have created 3D-printed and digitally fabricated objects for the exhibit. But visitors also can bring their own objects to be 3D scanned and 3D printed during the reception to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the gallery located in Room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on campus.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 27.
Visitors are welcome to bring objects the size of a softball to be 3D scanned and 3D printed. Original and printed objects will become part of the exhibition. “The plan is to display their originals on the left-side shelves (of the exhibit) and the copies on the right.
Visitors can collect their creations on or after the 27th,” Burtonwood said in an email. “The printing process is fairly slow; it would take much longer than the time of the reception to print a single object. Average time is probably 5-6 hours.”
What’s called 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file, according to 3dprinting.com. The creation of a 3D-printed object is achieved using additive processes in which an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.
Giving visitors the opportunity to have their objects 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to the exhibition at UIS is a reprise of what Burtonwood and Holmes did in January at Firecat Projects gallery in Chicago. People had objects such as stuffed toys, cameras, flowers and keepsakes 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to that exhibition.
“Participants in ‘Copy Shop’ received a limited-edition, 3D-printed sculpture in recognition of their help in this project,” Burtonwood said on his website tomburtonwood.com.
Working from a variety of sources, Burtonwood and Holmes create 3D-printed, modular works that borrow from natural systems of organization.
Among creations in “Copy Shop” are “AIC Candy Dispensers, 2014.” There’s also the “Dana Thomas House Frieze Interactive Project.” “These molds, depicting the frieze design created by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Dana Thomas House in Springfield, have been created through the process of scanning and 3D printing,” said an accompanying statement.
“You are welcome to use the available air-drying clay to press into the molds to create your own frieze design. Take the product with you; the clay will harden and serve as a permanent artifact from ‘Copy Shop.’”
Burtonwood said the 3D printer/scanner is to sculpture what the sampler was to music.
“The world is open. It can be copied and pasted at the touch of a button. This is a paradigm shift in terms of how we make objects, and the economies that support their production,” Burtonwood said.
“Artists have always tinkered with the newest technology and have taken the tech places its creators never intended. With 3D printing, I imagine you’ll see the same.”
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register online, November 5, 2014.
Read the article online.
Chicago-based artists Tom Burtonwood and Holly Holmes have created 3D-printed and digitally fabricated objects for the exhibit. But visitors also can bring their own objects to be 3D scanned and 3D printed during the reception to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the gallery located in Room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on campus.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 27.
Visitors are welcome to bring objects the size of a softball to be 3D scanned and 3D printed. Original and printed objects will become part of the exhibition. “The plan is to display their originals on the left-side shelves (of the exhibit) and the copies on the right.
Visitors can collect their creations on or after the 27th,” Burtonwood said in an email. “The printing process is fairly slow; it would take much longer than the time of the reception to print a single object. Average time is probably 5-6 hours.”
What’s called 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file, according to 3dprinting.com. The creation of a 3D-printed object is achieved using additive processes in which an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.
Giving visitors the opportunity to have their objects 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to the exhibition at UIS is a reprise of what Burtonwood and Holmes did in January at Firecat Projects gallery in Chicago. People had objects such as stuffed toys, cameras, flowers and keepsakes 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to that exhibition.
“Participants in ‘Copy Shop’ received a limited-edition, 3D-printed sculpture in recognition of their help in this project,” Burtonwood said on his website tomburtonwood.com.
Working from a variety of sources, Burtonwood and Holmes create 3D-printed, modular works that borrow from natural systems of organization.
Among creations in “Copy Shop” are “AIC Candy Dispensers, 2014.” There’s also the “Dana Thomas House Frieze Interactive Project.” “These molds, depicting the frieze design created by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Dana Thomas House in Springfield, have been created through the process of scanning and 3D printing,” said an accompanying statement.
“You are welcome to use the available air-drying clay to press into the molds to create your own frieze design. Take the product with you; the clay will harden and serve as a permanent artifact from ‘Copy Shop.’”
Burtonwood said the 3D printer/scanner is to sculpture what the sampler was to music.
“The world is open. It can be copied and pasted at the touch of a button. This is a paradigm shift in terms of how we make objects, and the economies that support their production,” Burtonwood said.
“Artists have always tinkered with the newest technology and have taken the tech places its creators never intended. With 3D printing, I imagine you’ll see the same.”
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register online, November 5, 2014.
Read the article online.
UIS students performing Neil Simon's 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'
The first of Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical plays, “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” opens the University of Illinois Springfield theater season Friday.
While Simon is best known for comedies such as “The Odd Couple,” director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson noted that “Brighton Beach,” which debuted on Broadway in 1983, marked one of the first times that critics recognized Simon’s ability to blend comedy and drama in a single work.
“This play has been on my list (of plays to direct) for years,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, an associate professor of theater at UIS. “Simon’s work can be deceptive — it’s not simple but very, very challenging.”
“Brighton Beach Memoirs” takes place in 1937, with 15-year-old Eugene Jerome (Liam Schaver) — a shy Jewish youth preoccupied with baseball, writing and girls — living with his extended family in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The play depicts the antagonism and affection between Eugene, his parents Jack and Kate (Wesley Skym and Liza Torrence), his brother Stanley (Christopher Romero), his aunt Blanche (Diamond Dixon), and his cousins Laurie and Nora (Emily Hartney and Courtney Kincaid), who all live under the same roof.
It is the first in Simon’s “Eugene trilogy” of plays loosely depicting his teenage years, his experiences as an Army recruit in World War II (“Biloxi Blues”) and his early career as a television comedy writer (“Broadway Bound”).
“He’s intelligent, but sort of naive at the same time,” Schaver said of Eugene. “His ambitions are to be either a sportswriter or a pitcher for the New York Yankees. He’s good hearted, but a little self-centered.”
Eugene’s mother, Kate, “is a busybody who worries about everything, takes on everyone else’s problems as her own, and needs to be in control,” Torrence said. In contrast, Blanche is quiet and reserved, and “has a hard time finding her voice,” said Dixon, because she is ashamed to be dependent upon her sister and her brother-in-law.
The play requires 1930s-era costumes and props and must be staged in a manner that allows the audience to see simultaneous actions in more than one room in the Jerome household. “All of these moving parts have been part of the challenge,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said. She and set designer Dathan Powell, UIS assistant professor of theater, began planning the set design over the summer, eventually creating a multi-level set combined with a non-standard seating arrangement for the audience.
“I’ve always loved this play,” which portrays the struggles of a working-class family in the years between the Depression and World War II, Thibodeaux-Thompson said. “I love the relationships it depicts, and that the characters are not one-dimensional. We see these people as flawed human beings, not caricatures.”
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 5, 2014.
Read the article online.
While Simon is best known for comedies such as “The Odd Couple,” director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson noted that “Brighton Beach,” which debuted on Broadway in 1983, marked one of the first times that critics recognized Simon’s ability to blend comedy and drama in a single work.
“This play has been on my list (of plays to direct) for years,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson, an associate professor of theater at UIS. “Simon’s work can be deceptive — it’s not simple but very, very challenging.”
“Brighton Beach Memoirs” takes place in 1937, with 15-year-old Eugene Jerome (Liam Schaver) — a shy Jewish youth preoccupied with baseball, writing and girls — living with his extended family in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The play depicts the antagonism and affection between Eugene, his parents Jack and Kate (Wesley Skym and Liza Torrence), his brother Stanley (Christopher Romero), his aunt Blanche (Diamond Dixon), and his cousins Laurie and Nora (Emily Hartney and Courtney Kincaid), who all live under the same roof.
It is the first in Simon’s “Eugene trilogy” of plays loosely depicting his teenage years, his experiences as an Army recruit in World War II (“Biloxi Blues”) and his early career as a television comedy writer (“Broadway Bound”).
“He’s intelligent, but sort of naive at the same time,” Schaver said of Eugene. “His ambitions are to be either a sportswriter or a pitcher for the New York Yankees. He’s good hearted, but a little self-centered.”
Eugene’s mother, Kate, “is a busybody who worries about everything, takes on everyone else’s problems as her own, and needs to be in control,” Torrence said. In contrast, Blanche is quiet and reserved, and “has a hard time finding her voice,” said Dixon, because she is ashamed to be dependent upon her sister and her brother-in-law.
The play requires 1930s-era costumes and props and must be staged in a manner that allows the audience to see simultaneous actions in more than one room in the Jerome household. “All of these moving parts have been part of the challenge,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said. She and set designer Dathan Powell, UIS assistant professor of theater, began planning the set design over the summer, eventually creating a multi-level set combined with a non-standard seating arrangement for the audience.
“I’ve always loved this play,” which portrays the struggles of a working-class family in the years between the Depression and World War II, Thibodeaux-Thompson said. “I love the relationships it depicts, and that the characters are not one-dimensional. We see these people as flawed human beings, not caricatures.”
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 5, 2014.
Read the article online.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
UIS faculty part of Springfield Art Association exhibition
The latest exhibition at Springfield Art Association is the new work of University of Illinois Springfield faculty. An opening reception is Friday, April 4, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Featured faculty artists include Brytton Bjorngaard, Shane Harris, Tim Kowalczyk, Allison Lacher, Mike Miller, Michael Prault, Megan Rigoni-McCormic, Jeff Robinson and Clay Stalter.
The event is in conjunction with the DEMO Project Opening Reception of UIS Professor of Art Mike Miller’s “Please to See You” exhibit. What’s unusual about Miller’s presentation is his use of a drone to get video and re-create a simulated paparazzi response to Abraham Lincoln’s probable attendance at an onsite Edward’s Place event in 1857.
DEMO Project is located on the grounds of Springfield Art Association. Both exhibits are on display throughout April.
The story was featured by the Illinois Times on April 3, 2014.
Read the article online
Featured faculty artists include Brytton Bjorngaard, Shane Harris, Tim Kowalczyk, Allison Lacher, Mike Miller, Michael Prault, Megan Rigoni-McCormic, Jeff Robinson and Clay Stalter.
The event is in conjunction with the DEMO Project Opening Reception of UIS Professor of Art Mike Miller’s “Please to See You” exhibit. What’s unusual about Miller’s presentation is his use of a drone to get video and re-create a simulated paparazzi response to Abraham Lincoln’s probable attendance at an onsite Edward’s Place event in 1857.
DEMO Project is located on the grounds of Springfield Art Association. Both exhibits are on display throughout April.
The story was featured by the Illinois Times on April 3, 2014.
Read the article online
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Auction to benefit UIS art gallery
Artist ANN E. COULTER of Peoria has an art piece in the silent auction benefit at the University of Illinois Springfield that at least met its minimum bid (as of Monday).
Coulter’s “AWAY # 4” pastel drawing on vintage postcard had a minimum bid of $50. The piece’s pastel drawing offers deep blues in a landscape setting on a vintage postcard that has writings such as “c/o The Brickyard at New Bedford” and a 1-cent Benjamin Franklin postage stamp.
Broadly described as a landscape artist on Facebook, Coulter’s pastel drawings are from photographs she takes of “weedy little patches of nothing and nowhere” in central Illinois.
Coulter’s artwork is among dozens of original works of art donated for the UIS VISUAL ARTS GALLERY 2013 SILENT AUCTION BENEFIT.
Final bidding and a closing reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the gallery, Room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building at UIS. The UIS Music Camerata will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. during the closing reception.
The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on December 12, 2013.
Read the article online
Coulter’s “AWAY # 4” pastel drawing on vintage postcard had a minimum bid of $50. The piece’s pastel drawing offers deep blues in a landscape setting on a vintage postcard that has writings such as “c/o The Brickyard at New Bedford” and a 1-cent Benjamin Franklin postage stamp.
Broadly described as a landscape artist on Facebook, Coulter’s pastel drawings are from photographs she takes of “weedy little patches of nothing and nowhere” in central Illinois.
Coulter’s artwork is among dozens of original works of art donated for the UIS VISUAL ARTS GALLERY 2013 SILENT AUCTION BENEFIT.
Final bidding and a closing reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the gallery, Room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building at UIS. The UIS Music Camerata will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. during the closing reception.
The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on December 12, 2013.
Read the article online
Thursday, December 5, 2013
State of the arts: Allison Lacher
Allison Lacher was an accomplished installation artist when she moved to Springfield from Utah a few years ago to accompany her husband who had been hired as a professor in the business department at UIS. A frustrating period of dormancy followed, but Lacher has since rallied to become an essential conduit for the local fine art scene.
Her position as manager of the Visual Arts Gallery at UIS, where she is also an instructor, has provided a link to the local arts establishment and gives her a legitimacy that has been useful in forging connections between Springfield and the wider world of art.
In addition to presenting visiting artists at the university gallery, she has been able to facilitate connections between the local grassroots Pharmacy collective and similar groups in other towns. This year she, along with UIS Visual Arts Gallery Director Jeff Robinson, volunteered time to help found and curate the DEMO Project, a sui generis, artist-run gallery located on the campus of the Springfield Art Association. The DEMO Project continually presents work by eminent, contemporary artists from Chicago, New York City and elsewhere.
Lacher was featured by the Illinois Times on December 5, 2013.
Read the article online
Her position as manager of the Visual Arts Gallery at UIS, where she is also an instructor, has provided a link to the local arts establishment and gives her a legitimacy that has been useful in forging connections between Springfield and the wider world of art.
In addition to presenting visiting artists at the university gallery, she has been able to facilitate connections between the local grassroots Pharmacy collective and similar groups in other towns. This year she, along with UIS Visual Arts Gallery Director Jeff Robinson, volunteered time to help found and curate the DEMO Project, a sui generis, artist-run gallery located on the campus of the Springfield Art Association. The DEMO Project continually presents work by eminent, contemporary artists from Chicago, New York City and elsewhere.
Lacher was featured by the Illinois Times on December 5, 2013.
Read the article online
Friday, November 8, 2013
'Clybourne Park' offers new twist on matters of race
UIS Theater’s fall production, “Clybourne Park”, explores how racial and social attitudes have changed — and not changed — over the course of the past 50 years.
Written by Bruce Norris, “Clybourne Park” expands and continues the story told by playwright Lorraine Hansberry in “A Raisin in the Sun,” her 1959 drama about an African-American family buying a home in an all-white Chicago neighborhood.
The play opens Friday at the Studio Theatre at the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois Springfield (see accompanying information for ticket details). Director and theater professor Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, said “Clybourne Park” is classified as a comedy but has “pendulum swings between serious and funny moments.” Following its premiere in 2010, it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2011 and the Tony Award for best new play in 2012.
"It causes us to reexamine what we consider acceptable behavior with regard to race, sexual orientation and gender issues and other issues,” he added. “It shines a light on the things that unite and divide people."
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Nov. 14-16, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Studio Theatre, lower level of the Public Affairs Center, University of Illinois Springfield Tickets: $14 adults, $12 ages 65 or older with a picture ID, $10 university faculty and staff, $8 students with a valid college ID, $6 ages 17 and under, available at 206-6160, www.sangamonauditorium.org.
The performance was featured by The State Journal-Register on November 8, 2013.
Read the story online
Written by Bruce Norris, “Clybourne Park” expands and continues the story told by playwright Lorraine Hansberry in “A Raisin in the Sun,” her 1959 drama about an African-American family buying a home in an all-white Chicago neighborhood.
The play opens Friday at the Studio Theatre at the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois Springfield (see accompanying information for ticket details). Director and theater professor Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, said “Clybourne Park” is classified as a comedy but has “pendulum swings between serious and funny moments.” Following its premiere in 2010, it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2011 and the Tony Award for best new play in 2012.
"It causes us to reexamine what we consider acceptable behavior with regard to race, sexual orientation and gender issues and other issues,” he added. “It shines a light on the things that unite and divide people."
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Nov. 14-16, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Studio Theatre, lower level of the Public Affairs Center, University of Illinois Springfield Tickets: $14 adults, $12 ages 65 or older with a picture ID, $10 university faculty and staff, $8 students with a valid college ID, $6 ages 17 and under, available at 206-6160, www.sangamonauditorium.org.
The performance was featured by The State Journal-Register on November 8, 2013.
Read the story online
Monday, October 14, 2013
Susan Koch: Theatre, an important university experience at UIS
The following is a portion of a guest column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in the October 13, 2013 edition of The State Journal-Register.
"The university experience comes with a great many important decisions: what major to choose, what courses to take, what activities to pursue, how to manage the financial burden of school, to name a few.
Like most, I made those choices, too. But perhaps the best decision I made as an undergraduate had nothing whatever to do with my major. I decided to try out for a play and became, at least for a few months, Bella Manningham, whose diabolical husband was trying to drive her insane in the classic Victorian thriller, “Angel Street.”
The performance won me the best actress award for that year; but being involved with theatre proved far more valuable than the little plastic trophy that still sits on my bookshelf.
I was reminded of that valuable experience and how lucky I had been to attend a university with a strong theatre program when I had a conversation recently with University of Illinois Springfield Theatre professors Eric and Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson. They, along with their colleague, Dathan Powell, are building an intellectually vibrant and engaging theatre program at the University of Illinois’ Springfield campus."
Read the full column online
"The university experience comes with a great many important decisions: what major to choose, what courses to take, what activities to pursue, how to manage the financial burden of school, to name a few.
Like most, I made those choices, too. But perhaps the best decision I made as an undergraduate had nothing whatever to do with my major. I decided to try out for a play and became, at least for a few months, Bella Manningham, whose diabolical husband was trying to drive her insane in the classic Victorian thriller, “Angel Street.”
The performance won me the best actress award for that year; but being involved with theatre proved far more valuable than the little plastic trophy that still sits on my bookshelf.
I was reminded of that valuable experience and how lucky I had been to attend a university with a strong theatre program when I had a conversation recently with University of Illinois Springfield Theatre professors Eric and Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson. They, along with their colleague, Dathan Powell, are building an intellectually vibrant and engaging theatre program at the University of Illinois’ Springfield campus."
Read the full column online
Thursday, October 10, 2013
PBS' Mr. Steve to perform at UIS
Children’s artist Steve Roslonek of SteveSongs will perform at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Sangamon Auditorium Studio Theatre in Springfield.
Roslonek, considered a rising star on the national children’s music scene, creates music featuring smart lyrics, catchy melodies and messages that appeal to both children and adults. He has five full-length CDs, a DVD and two volumes of children’s music from his role as Mr. Steve on the PBS Kids morning block, which features a schedule of cartoon favorites geared toward children.
As part of Friday’s pre-show activities, the PNC Grow Up Great Mobile Learning Adventure will be on site for children ages 2 to 5 to explore interactive learning kiosks, have their photo taken at the “When I Grow Up” station and receive take-home activity books.
The story was featured by the Jacksonville Journal Courier on October 10, 2013.
Read the article online
Roslonek, considered a rising star on the national children’s music scene, creates music featuring smart lyrics, catchy melodies and messages that appeal to both children and adults. He has five full-length CDs, a DVD and two volumes of children’s music from his role as Mr. Steve on the PBS Kids morning block, which features a schedule of cartoon favorites geared toward children.
As part of Friday’s pre-show activities, the PNC Grow Up Great Mobile Learning Adventure will be on site for children ages 2 to 5 to explore interactive learning kiosks, have their photo taken at the “When I Grow Up” station and receive take-home activity books.
The story was featured by the Jacksonville Journal Courier on October 10, 2013.
Read the article online
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Make music with college students
If you play a musical instrument or sing, and like being around undergraduate students, you might find an outlet at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The UIS Music Ensembles are open to students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members, and rehearsals for several groups start next week in Room 33 at the Visual and Performing Arts Building on campus.
You can even get academic credit for these groups:
UIS Band: 4-5:50 p.m. Mondays.
UIS Chorus: 7-9:15 p.m. Tuesdays and 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursdays.
UIS Chamber Orchestra: 5:40-7:30 p.m. Thursdays.
Other groups you can check out:
UIS Old Time Jam: 7-9:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
UIS pep bands: The group performs at home basketball games
For more information, go online at www.uis.edu/music, or contact Sharon Graf, director of co-curricular music, at 206-6570 or sgraf1@uis.edu.
The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on August 20, 2013.
Read the blog post online
The UIS Music Ensembles are open to students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members, and rehearsals for several groups start next week in Room 33 at the Visual and Performing Arts Building on campus.
You can even get academic credit for these groups:
UIS Band: 4-5:50 p.m. Mondays.
UIS Chorus: 7-9:15 p.m. Tuesdays and 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursdays.
UIS Chamber Orchestra: 5:40-7:30 p.m. Thursdays.
Other groups you can check out:
UIS Old Time Jam: 7-9:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
UIS pep bands: The group performs at home basketball games
For more information, go online at www.uis.edu/music, or contact Sharon Graf, director of co-curricular music, at 206-6570 or sgraf1@uis.edu.
The story was featured by The State Journal-Register on August 20, 2013.
Read the blog post online
Thursday, April 4, 2013
'Awake and Sing' paved way for modern theater
“Awake and Sing,” the spring production by University of Illinois Springfield Theatre, could be thought of as the granddaddy of ensemble casting, Method acting and other aspects of film and theater that today’s audiences take for granted.
“One of the reasons we decided to do it, is due to its historical significance,” director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson said of Clifford Odets’ 1933 play about a working-class Jewish family from the Bronx confronting the Great Depression.
The play opens Friday at the UIS Studio Theatre for six performances.
“It was the first play to be produced by the Group Theater, many of whose members became icons of theater,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said.
The play was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 4, 2013.
Read the article online
“One of the reasons we decided to do it, is due to its historical significance,” director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson said of Clifford Odets’ 1933 play about a working-class Jewish family from the Bronx confronting the Great Depression.
The play opens Friday at the UIS Studio Theatre for six performances.
“It was the first play to be produced by the Group Theater, many of whose members became icons of theater,” Thibodeaux-Thompson said.
The play was featured by The State Journal-Register on April 4, 2013.
Read the article online
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The arts scene in Springfield finds vitality in niche markets
With the addition of new assistant professor Dathan Powell, the Theatre Department at University of Illinois Springfield is prepared to tackle new challenges in the coming year, starting with a production of Clifford Odets’s 1935 play Awake and Sing, dealing with timely issues of economic hardship.
For UIS Theatre Director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, it’s all about education and community.
“Our students learn from the faculty, and the people from the community who work with us learn from the students, and I think we learn a lot from the community folks as well. So it’s a win-win,” he beams.
Auditions for Awake and Sing will be held Jan. 22 and 23. For details visit www.uis.edu/theatre/productions/auditions.html.
UIS Theatre was featured by the Illinois Times on December 20, 2012.
Read the article online
For UIS Theatre Director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, it’s all about education and community.
“Our students learn from the faculty, and the people from the community who work with us learn from the students, and I think we learn a lot from the community folks as well. So it’s a win-win,” he beams.
Auditions for Awake and Sing will be held Jan. 22 and 23. For details visit www.uis.edu/theatre/productions/auditions.html.
UIS Theatre was featured by the Illinois Times on December 20, 2012.
Read the article online
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