Parkland Professor to Curate New Exhibit at Giertz Gallery
"Flaw: Embracing Chance in a World Seeking Perfection" opens on Monday, November 18.
A Parkland College faculty artist will curate a new exhibit at the Giertz Gallery titled "Flaw: Embracing Chance in a World Seeking Perfection," opening Monday, November 18.
The new exhibit, curated by Parkland Professor of Fine and Applied Arts Peg Shaw, features six contemporary lens-based works by artists including Mark Armbruster from Baltimore, Susan Calza from Montpelier, Vt., Michael Mapes from Charleston, Ill., Holly Roberts from Corrales, N.M., Constance Scopelitis from Indianapolis and Helen Sear from Bourgogne, France.
Using innovative approaches and materials to address issues beyond representation, the artists embrace conceptual and process-oriented artwork that expands and redefines photographic media. They also include work involving unique techniques, mixed media, and direct touch, by taking risks and trusting flaws, employing new approaches to express ideas and engage the viewer.
Shaw is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist incorporating video, sound, photography, and mixed media, often using layered site-specific installations. Her work has been shown nationally, including solo Chicago and New York exhibitions. She has also won numerous awards in photography and video, most recently the Illinois Arts Council Agency 2021 Artist Fellowship Award in Media and the 40 North Champaign Arts Council 2018 Artist Ace Award.
A reception for the "Flaw" exhibit will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a talk by Shaw at 6:15 p.m. The exhibit will be open until Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025.
Giertz Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The gallery will be closed Nov. 28–30 for Thanksgiving break, Dec. 9–Jan. 11 for winter break, and Jan. 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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.
Visit parkland.edu/FlawExhibit for programming details, including an artist lecture by Mapes on Monday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. in the William Staerkel Planetarium and more programming in the spring by Scopelitis and Sear.
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: Helen Sear, Becoming Forest 10, giclée print, 51 x 51 cms, 2020)