University Galleries of Illinois State University is pleased to announce the opening of the inaugural Central Illinois High School Art Exhibition. A public reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 1. The exhibition will be on view June 1 through July 29.
The exhibition includes 152 works by students at nine Central Illinois high schools. Art teachers submitted their students’ work in nine categories—drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, design, time arts, printmaking, and mixed media—for consideration by jurors. Monetary prizes will be announced during the opening reception. Awards include Best in Show; first, second, and third place; and honorable mention in each of the categories.
The following schools and educators are participating in the show:
Centennial High School, Champaign—Stacey Gross
Central High School, Urbana—Carol-Lynn Comparetto
Dee-Mack High School, Deer Creek—Sam Ingram
Henry-Senachwine High School, Henry—Frank Bush
Lexington CUSD #7, Lexington—Emma Long
Mahomet-Seymour High School, Mahomet—Bess Lanker
Prairie Central High School, Fairbury—Casey McCullough
Tri-Valley High School, Downs—Rachel Angus
Washington Community High School, Washington—Jayme Banzhoff
The jurors are Kelly White and Matthew Boonstra.
White is the executive director of 40 North |88 West in Champaign County and the project coordinator for both Art & Sol and Sight Specific in downtown Champaign. She was previously the assistant curator and collections manager for the SCAD Museum of Art at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Boonstra is an assistant professor of sculpture at Eastern Illinois University. His work has been exhibited at the International Sculpture Center in Hamilton, New Jersey; Reese Museum in New Johnson, Tennessee; and Urban Institute of Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Illinois Art Education Association and the Illinois Art Education Association Central Council and hosted by University Galleries of Illinois State University.
Illinois High School Art Exhibition is a not-for-profit organization created and run by full-time educators. Its mission is “to advance art education for young people by providing art exhibition and education opportunities that celebrate students’ artistic achievement, promote mastery and ingenuity in learning, and facilitate post-secondary opportunities.”
In conjunction with the exhibition, one gallery in the exhibition will feature works created by the art teachers at the participating schools.
University Galleries is located at Uptown Station at the corner of Beaufort and Broadway streets. Parking is available directly above in the Uptown Station parking deck, and the first hour is free, as well as any time after 5:01 p.m.
If you need special accommodations to participate in any event, contact University Galleries at (309)438-5487 or gallery@IllinoisState.edu. All events at University Galleries are free and open to the public.
