Chicago Heights, IL–(ENEWSPF)– When an ice storm hit the Chicago area on December 18, Bruce Peerson, of Crete, knew an opportunity when he saw one. The Prairie State College (PSC) student grabbed his camera and took photos for nine hours of the icy glaze.
Peerson’s perseverance paid off. He won an honorable mention for his photograph entitled, “Iceland,” at the Illinois Community College Juried Art Exhibition recently held at Governors State University.
“I captured the essence of what nature gave us,” said Peerson. “Photography is my creative outlet, and I was happy to be recognized for my work.”
Michelle Cox, of Lansing, and Charlie Rohrer, of Homewood, also won awards at the art exhibition. Cox received an award of merit for her photograph entitled, “Illuminate My Soul,” and Rohrer received an award of merit for his painting entitled, “You Can Call It a Cookie Cutter.”
In her photograph, Cox explained how she wanted to highlight the beauty of an old, abandoned church.
“The viewer may be mentally conflicted when they see the photo because churches are supposed to be beautiful, not run down and deserted,” said Cox. “When taking this photo, I was struck by the beauty of the place I was in and all the memories that lingered there. I really wanted to capture the ‘if walls could talk’ feeling through the image and the irony of the situation.”
Rohrer has been drawing since his mom gave him his first crayon as a young child. He picked up his first paintbrush two years ago and describes his style as graffiti-influenced. The piece he won an award for started out as a doodle.
“I love to doodle and often find inspiration from them,” said Rohrer. “I wanted to create of piece that appealed to me. To have it accepted and win an award in a gallery show was so exciting.”
Juried Student Art Exhibition at GSU Closes with Award
University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Governors State University recently hosted 2009 Illinois Community College Juried Art Exhibition. The juried art exhibit culminated on April 3, with a reception and awards ceremony.
This exhibition gave students, currently enrolled in Illinois community colleges, the opportunity to display their work and compete for recognition. All students were allowed up to three entries. The juror, Jeremy Biles of the Chicago Artists Coalition, selected the work for the exhibit and announced the award winners.
Best in Show was earned by Steven Stoll of Mendon, from John Wood Community College. Awards of Merit were earned by Brian Sullivan of Champaign, from Parkland College; Richard Neubaurer of McHenry, from McHenry County College; Andy Lechner of McHenry, from McHenry County College; Ashley Dedin from Joliet Junior College; Charles Rohrer from Prairie State College; Lara Meador of Normal, from Heartland Community College; Michelle D. Cox from Prairie State College; Chasity Logan of Crete, from Heartland Community College, Bruce Peerson of Crete, from Prairie State College; and Brandon Swartz and Mercedes Wagner from Joliet Junior College.
Exhibiting artwork was in a variety of media including collage on canvas, oil on canvas, ceramics, mixed media, spray paint, silver gelatin paint, and photography.
Images of all the work exhibited are available on the GSU Visual Arts Gallery blog, gsuvisualartsgallery.blogspot.com.
The Visual Arts Gallery at GSU is free and open Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits change regularly, and feature the artwork of students, faculty members, visiting and community artists.
Governors State University is located at 1 University Parkway, University Park. For more information, call (708) 534-4017.
