May 18 to June 18
- Reception: Thursday, May 21, 6-8 p.m., Gallery Lounge,
- Music by DJ Lincoln Jones
- Award ceremony at 7 p.m.
- Reception sponsored by the Parkland College Foundation
The Parkland College Media Arts Exhibition showcases the best student work from the college's Graphic Design degree and certificate programs. This year's work will be on display May 18 through June 18 at the Parkland Art Gallery. A reception with special guest Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart will be held on Thursday, May 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery lounge.
The media arts exhibit allows students taking Graphic Design, Web Design, and Illustration courses the chance to present their best work to the community and to industry professionals in marketing communication, advertising, and design. Art gallery director Lisa Costello said the show's new description of "Media Arts" is more encompassing, due to the changing role of today's graphic designer.
"With the design profession expanding from traditional print media into areas like web animation, motion graphics, and interactive design, we felt the need to be open to all the possibilities the future may bring," she said. "We are commercial artists solving visual communication problems for our clients, using any and all media creatively."
This show also highlights service learning, an important component of Parkland's curriculum. The students successfully solve visual communication problems for local clients; in return, the clients often donate money for the school's annual design awards. During the reception, a number of such awards will be presented, including the Dr. David M. and Shirley A. Jones Student Art Award for a work of outstanding artistic achievement; the Department Chair of Fine and Applied Arts Award for excellence; the Graphic Design Best of Show Award; the Fine and Applied Arts Department Chair Award; and the Graphic Design Program Director Award. Other awards, given by clients and supporters of the Graphic Design program, include the Frederic W. Goudy Type Award; the Bonadies Creative Inc. Award for Design Excellence; the Electric Pictures Award of Excellence; the Luciferin & Luciferase Design Award; and the Dean's Graphics Award of Excellence, among others.
The 7 p.m. award ceremony will also feature a special unveiling of the new logo for Champaign County's 150th anniversary. Designed by Champaign resident Pat Bright, a Graphic Design major, the logo was selected from a pool of submissions presented to a 17-member committee of residents, including four former mayors and Mayor Schweighart. Mayor Schweighart will be on hand to present the award to Bright.
View online catalog of student entries and winners.
Champaign County's 150th Anniversary Committee, which has been working on a 13-month celebration that will last through March 2011, was grateful for the chance to work on the logo with students from instructor Paul Young's Graphic Design class, said Mary Dennis, committee chair and executive director of the Champaign Downtown Association. "There were 22 different logo designs, and every one of them was wonderful, so it was a really tough decision and we are thrilled with the results," she said.