February 15, 2016 - March 29, 2016

• Reception: Thursday, February 18, 5-7 p.m.; Gallery Talk at 6:30 p.m. by Jason Peot
• Music by Parkland Guitar Ensemble
• Additional Gallery Lectures:
  Jason Peot: Thursday, February 18 at 1:15 p.m.
  Ann Coddington: Tuesday, March 8 at 1:15 and 6:30 p.m
  Linda Norbut Suits, Art-in-Architecture Coordinator for the State of Illinois Capital Development Board: Wednesday, March 2 at 1:15

This two-person exhibition consists of works that explore concepts of installation and the relationship of material and space to create or respond to our physical surroundings. Both artists were commissioned to create work for the Parkland College campus through the state of Illinois’ Art-in-Architecture program. Peot’s installation is located in the Parkhill Automotive Technology Center and Coddington’s sculptural installation is slated for placement at the Student Union this summer. In addition to the artist lectures, Linda Norbut Suits, Art-in-Architecture Coordinator for the State of Illinois Capital Development Board will speak about the statewide program on Wednesday, March 2 at 1:15pm.

Coddington, an associate professor at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, has attempted to reduce her artmaking to the most elemental means of expression. She seeks to connect with an authentic physical experience in our ever-growing contemporary, digital society.

“My artwork borrows fiber techniques from the traditional craft of basketry to create a sculptural expression of my beliefs and experiences and how they are sensed by the body,” Coddington said in her artist statement. “I am intrigued by the differences between feeling and knowing, body and mind.”
Peot, an associate professor of art at Harper College in Palatine, creates a dialogue with light and shadow that occurs between the materials he assembles and the space they occupy. In his artist statement, he clarifies the different processes of artmaking, from individual pieces to public installations such as the one at the school’s Parkhill Automotive Technology Center.

Foremost, though, is the development of content in a piece. While my large public pieces are formally inspired by the architecture and space of their site, they are conceptually derived from the purpose of the space and ideas about place in a broad sense. A successful installation will contribute to the viewer’s experience of a space rather than simply providing adornment for that space. This is particularly important for public art. Unlike the viewer in a gallery or museum, the typical viewer of public art is going about their day with no intention of experiencing art. If someone can cognitively relate to the content in a piece and be visually intrigued by it, the artwork will positively alter their experience of that place.”

Image: Jason Peot, Centers (series), light, wood aluminum, electrical components, dimensions variable, 2016