Two new spring exhibits on display at Aurora University's Schingoethe Center

The Schingoethe Center of Aurora University presents two new spring exhibitions focusing on the environment: "Alice Hargrave: Sea Change" and "eARTh tones." Both exhibitions will be on view through Friday, April 29, at the gallery, 1315 Prairie St. Aurora.

"Sea Change" showcases a selection of photographic imagery, sound and site-specific installations created by Alice Hargrave over the last 15 years.

These works collectively celebrate the beauty and mystery of nature - drawing attention to the reduction of biodiversity and habitat loss, both below and above the sea, while also communicating hope and exploring solutions to environmental challenges.

Hargrave is a Chicago-based artist. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; Yale University Art Galleries, New Haven, Conn.; and the Lianzhou Foto Festival, Lianzhou, China. She has taught photography since 1994 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Columbia College Chicago.

"eARTh tones" features photographs, prints, sculptures and installation pieces addressing some of the most pressing environmental concerns facing our planet. The show features artists' creative responses to critical issues affecting our everyday lives by visualizing scientific data, illuminating overlooked topics, and highlighting sustainable solutions already in practice.

Artists in this exhibition include Barbara Ciurej, Shephard Fairey, Charley Harper, Lindsay Lochman, Courtney Mattison, Nathalie Miebach, Lindsay Olson, Georgia Schwender, Little Suns Project, and Tempestry Project.

The Schingoethe Center will host an exhibitions reception on Tuesday, April 12, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The reception will be followed by a panel discussion with five featured artists in Tapper Recital Hall in the Welcome Center.

Aurora University professors Bridgitte Barclay, Ph.D., and Mark Soderstrom, Ph.D., will moderate a conversation with Barbara Ciurej, Alice Hargrave, Lindsay Lochman, Lindsay Olson, and Georgia Schwender.

The Schingoethe Center is located in the Hill Welcome Center at 1315 Prairie St. in Aurora. The museum is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum is free and open to the public.

The mission of the Schingoethe Center of Aurora University is to foster inquiry, celebrate artistic excellence, preserve and perpetuate Native American cultures, and inspire a lifelong engagement with the visual arts. An agent of and catalyst for teaching and learning on the Aurora University campus, the museum is integral to the academic community. The museum provides cultural and historical enrichment that builds bridges between the classroom and the world beyond.

Building on its tradition of object-based learning, the museum brings people and objects together using interdisciplinary approaches. State-of-the-art exhibition spaces combine with a lecture hall, classroom space, study center, and our library and rare book collection, to facilitate access to the collection. The museum also serves the broader community with unique exhibits and programs. The Schingoethe Center supports Aurora University's continuous 100-year tradition of valuing the arts. For more information, visit aurora.edu/museum.