Koehline art exhibit for Black History Month opens Thursday

Koehnline Museum of Art in Des Plaines is celebrating Black History Month by exhibiting art from four Chicago-based artists. The free exhibit will feature works by Preston Jackson, Joyce Owens, Bernard Williams, and Rhonda Wheatley.

From 5-8 p.m. on opening night, Thursday, Feb. 2, the public is invited to a reception with the artists. Jackson, professor of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, examines the nation’s past through depictions of well-known individuals. Owens, curator of the Galleries Program at Chicago State University, challenges the public to “look beyond the masks — the many faces we all wear” through her art.

Williams, a former instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, incorporates signs and symbols to comment on the complexities of history, human development, and movement through the ages. Wheatley focuses on language and the written word in her paintings and collages on canvas and paper.

“Two Plus Two = Jackson, Owens, Williams, and Wheatley,” at the Oakton Community College museum, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines, is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.