Exhibition caps Elmhurst College art majors' education
This spring, 10 graduating art majors will explore a variety of compelling and often personal themes, from the experiences of first-generation college students to honoring a Native American ancestry, during the Elmhurst College Department of Art's 50th annual Spring Capstone Art Exhibition.
The high point for every graduating art major, the Capstone Exhibition requires students to create a body of work in their area of concentration, plan their exhibition and design the promotional materials for it. Here's a look at the artists' contribution to the exhibition:
• Sarah Rose Anderson of Darien, whose concentration is in painting and drawing, was inspired by her grandmother, who was Tyendinaga Mohawk. In her honor, Anderson created mixed-media portraits in honor of the Tyendinaga Mohawks, who were brutally slaughtered in the 1700s.
"I decided to leave the eyes on each face blank to represent the hardship all Native Americans have experienced both in the past and modern-day, leaving each face looking haunted and sad," she said.
• With a focus on graphic design, Alissa Cichelli of Addison created a fictional company, "Works of Women," that creates products featuring the art of women.
"My company, even though it is fictional, was created to empower and inspire girls and women," she said.
• Maria Garcia of Chicago, whose concentration also is graphic design, focused on the stories of six individuals who are first-generation college students. The project features a video and the layout for a 32-page magazine.
• Amy Renee Johnson of Palatine, with a graphic design concentration, used illustration, photographs and graphic design to create "Art Hermit," a fictional social media event-planning service that brings together people with a shared interest in fine art.
• Using her graphic design concentration, Catherine Schroeder of Palatine paid tribute to her family by creating an identity for the fictional Viola Patisserie and Café, a modern bakery named in honor of her grandmother.
Other participating students are:
• Jonathan Carter of Elmhurst, graphic design
• Arvell Dorsey Jr. of Chicago, graphic design
• Jimmy Mitchell of St. Charles, graphic design
• Melissa Rivera of West Chicago, graphic design
• Steven Rudnik of Villa Park, graphic design
The Elmhurst College Spring Capstone Art Exhibition opens Saturday, May 5, and continues through Saturday, May 26, in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center and in the Barbara A. Kieft Accelerator ArtSpace, both on the college campus, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.
Public receptions will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in the Founders Lounge and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Accelerator ArtSpace. The exhibition and reception are free. The Accelerator ArtSpace will be closed Sunday to Friday, May 20 to 25.
For information, contact Suellen Rocca, curator and director of exhibits, at (630) 617-6110 or srocca@elmhurst.edu.