Capstone Art Exhibition opens at Elmhurst College

Senior art students will explore themes ranging from a look into a budding cultural movement to a playful Western spin on traditional Japanese food packaging during the Elmhurst College Art Department's 49th 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, then plan the exhibition and design the promotional materials for it.

The exhibit runs through Saturday, May 27, in the Barbara A. Kieft Accelerator ArtSpace on campus, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. The Accelerator ArtSpace is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The space will be closed, however, from May 22-26. The exhibition is free.

Art student Amarelis Morales' project explores the nature of the emerging LatinX social movement, which Morales defines as a gender-neutral way of referring to a person of Latin American descent. To fully capture the nature of the LatinX community, Morales interviewed numerous members of the Latin community, culminating in a 36-page book on the topic.

"I hope any person who reads 'LatinX' can learn something new, if not a new word to include in their vocabulary, then a look into the current climate of the Latino community," said Morales, of Elmhurst.

Justin Lonski of Elk Grove Village has created a series of concert posters, inspired by different eras of graphic design, that pay homage to a different celebrated graphic designer.

Diamante Hicks of Bellwood crafted a series of packages for traditional Japanese meals, exploring the ways in which each dish fits into modern Japanese culture.

Erin Bartholomew created an original graphic novel, "The Corpse Walker," inspired by the ancient Irish folk tale of the same name.

"The layout is inspired by traditional children's books, and the illustrations pay homage to turn-of-the-century illustrators such as Harry Clarke, Aubrey Beardsley and Virginia Frances Sterrett," said Bartholomew, of Elmhurst.

Her book and original illustrations also will be on display during the exhibition.

For information, visit elmhurst.edu.