Urbana Painter's Work Featured in New Giertz Gallery Exhibit
The new exhibit opens Monday, February 17
An Urbana painter's artwork will be featured in a new exhibit at the Giertz Gallery beginning Monday, February 17.
The exhibit, "Travis Keller: Domesticated" will showcase his vibrant, large-scale oil paintings of everyday experiences which offer a fresh take on domestic life. Keller interprets his painting as a time-based media, searching for meaning and hope in daily rituals and memories of the everyday.
His process of creating work involves collecting and collaging pictorial references from videos, photographs, drawings, and his own memory, all of which have varying degrees of clarity. Combining this ephemera, Keller depicts domestic moments at home, such as interacting with a pet or connecting with his partner.
Born in Las Vegas and later moving to Arkansas, Keller was influenced by comic books, cartoons, and movies from an early age. He earned his BFA from the University of Arkansas and his MFA in Painting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Currently, he lives and paints in Urbana.
A reception will be held on Thursday, February 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a gallery talk by Keller at 6:15 p.m. An additional artist lecture will be held on Wednesday, March 26, at 1:15 p.m. in the William M. Staerkel Planetarium. All events and the exhibit are free and open to the public.
Gallery hours are Monday–Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 2 p.m. The gallery will be closed on February 27 for Professional Development Day and March 17–22 for Spring Holiday. The exhibit is open until Tuesday, April 1.
To find the gallery when classes are in session, use the M6 parking lot on the north side of campus. Enter through Door X7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located.
The Giertz Gallery acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. All events in the accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland is a Section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/353-2338 or email accessibilityservices@parkland.edu.
(Image description: Travis Keller, "Spring Break: The Night We Made Contact," oil on canvas, 74 x 60 inches, 2022)