Art Faculty Biennale Opens on October 1st at the Komechak

The art faculty's biennial exhibition opens today at Komechak Art Gallery. It involves ten faculty from the Fine Art and Graphic Art and Design programs currently offered at Benedictine University. They are William Scarlato, HaiRi Han, Teresa J. Parker, David Marcet, Jennifer Scavone, Karen Brooks, Vincent Lucarelli, Susan Davis, James Bulosan and Lynn MacKenzie. This exhibition represents currently produced works by the faculty as part of their professional work outside of teaching.

Starting with William Scarlato, department chair of Fine arts, he is continuing with his series of Midwestern landscapes with two small painting gems. Some of these works come as inspiration from the surrounding landscape at Benedictine University, in Lisle, Illinois. Another piece , larger, relates his interest in abstracting still life subjects. These works usually involve a table upon which sit objects normally found in still lifes, but in this instance, Scarlato has brought out an undulating series of curvilinear lines and orbs which magnify and alter the normal perception of space. This piece goes to his long time study of modernist perception. The last piece, is a small painting which includes a self-portrait. The artist is at his easel and peering discerningly around it to analyze himself. The look on the artist's face is stern, and reminds us of self-portraits by the British painter Lucien Freud.

Another painter in the biennial is David Marcet. His highly-detailed, realistic self-portraits have a sense of humor, like the one where he portrays himself as a butcher that just lopped off his own finger and funnily mugs at the viewer and innocently goes "Oooo". His mastery of the painting medium is evident and his repeated use of himself as subject matter is refreshing and a delight to behold.

Continuing with a love of Nature is Jennifer Scavone and her two photographs of walking in the woods. Her tonality reminds us of the work of Stieglitz and Strand. They are wonderfully reflective pieces and peaceful.

In a departure from her previous works, Teresa J. Parker has begun a new series about dementia and Alzheimer's. The photo collages are devoted to her mother who is struggling with the syndrome. They are smaller works, intimate and engaging.

Vincent Lucarelli's photo series presents views of the local riverwalk and often involves his family members. They are bright, colorful and full of life.

He also gives us one of his signature abstract digital works ....

James Bulosan, art therapist that works with clay, has brought in a piece called "Dissolution" for the exhibit. The mixed media piece is open to interpretation as possibly a bird or a tube of paint that has been squished out.

Susan Davis gives us her drawing and painting prowess in two color works, plus an etching of a horse. Karen Brooks gives us several calligraphic works that show her mastery of lettering.

HaiRi Han, head of the Graphic Art and Design area presents two of her recent handmade artist books. Her elegance and flow of construction and lettering make for a poignant tribute to her ailing brother. Lynn MacKenzie, art historian , surprises the exhibitor with four recent paintings. She presents patriotism, humor and a savvy in painting from her personal photographs involving friends, herself and her daughter.

A reception for the artists will take place on October 3rd, from 3-6pm. Open and free to the public. www.ben.edu/artgallery

Celebrating Additions to Our Permanent Collection!

As the Komechak Art Gallery begins it 5th season this fall, we wanted to share with you some of the gifts and acquisitions to our ever-growing permanent collection. Some of the artists included in the summer exhibition include the following:

Robert Rauschenberg, Cat Chow, Karl Grobl, Ford Beckman, Leonardo Nierman, Marth pettigrew, Robin Branham,

Dan Ramirez, John Sevigny, Eric Carbrey, David Brandenberg, John Fraser, Eleanor King Hookham, David Guo, Dann Nardi, Milan Kosar, Charles E. Boone, and the Brentwood Stations of the Cross, (donated from contemporary artists from the UK).

We want to thank our generous donors as well, who include Roy Boyd, Kay Torshen, Rev. Joseph Kelchak, Mr. Harry and Marie Hostetler, and Mrs. William and Susan Sonntag.

The exhibition will run through the end of July. Summer hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For an updated listing of our Fall 2018 exhibitions and programs see www.ben.edu/artgallery

Inaugural Senior Exhibition at the Komechak Art Gallery!

The Senior Exhibition at the Komechak Art Gallery opened on May 1st, 2018. It will run through May 31st. The exhibition featured nine graduating seniors from the Fine arts and Graphic arts programs at Benedictine University. It is the first time the senior artists have been exhibited at the KAG, and their works reflect a variety of vision and exemplary skill. Enjoy the pictures and congratulations to all the artists, and their families, as these fine young people move forward in their careers! Seniors Michelle Piasecki Jacob Gagnon Jesus Gutierrez Caroline Grigoryan Adam Holt John Mathews Maria Sposito Katherine Martinez Trevor Manzke

2018 Student Annual Juried Show at Komechak Art Gallery!

This year's student annual exhibit at the Komechak Art Gallery was juried by Christine Rabenold. She is the Department Chair and art gallery coordinator at North Central College, in Naperville, IL. Ms. Rabenold is a practicing artist in ceramic sculpture. She received her BFA from Temple University and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Awards were presented at the opening reception on April 16th. The award winners are listed below. Congratulations to everyone that participated.

Awards Best of Show Michelle Piasecki Best in Fine Arts Rebecca McDonough Best in Communication Arts Jesus Gutierrez Best in Graphic Arts Rebecca McDonough HM Fund. Design Maria Sposito HM Fine arts Sydney White HM 3D Design Christian Estrada HM Photo Nicola Calabrese HM Graph Arts Trevor Manzke Best Freshman Qizhao, Nie Best Sophomore Anna Silva Best Junior Morgan Soukup Best Senior Zijun, Jian People’s Choice Christian Estrada

John Hitchcock's Mission for Environmental Activism

John Hitchcock's colorful and message-filled prints are now showing at the Komechak Art gallery at Benedictine University. It is an exciting exhibition which speaks about a number of topics near and dear to the artist's concerns about the environment, Man's attack upon the Earth and respect for one's heritage. Hitchcock, a native of Oklahoma who now resides in Madison, Wisconsin, has embarked upon a long-standing message about his heritage as a Native American (of Comanche descent).

His quirky group of owls, cows, deer, birds and buffalo project a lot of soul, but the flip side of these portraits is that they don't always appear to be living creatures. The radioactive horse is electric yellow-green and the buffalo skull portrait is a ghostly charcoal- gray. The clusters of cows skulls and wide-eyed owls sear through the viewer as they show us their struggle to survive outside environmental and human attacks.

The inclusion of helicopters, tanks, and bombs come from his experiences hearing testing at Fort Sill, which ran along his family's tribal lands. The flatness and outlined hollowness of the shapes in contrast to his hand-drawn animals is intentional, and help s us see the abstractness of the military versus the liveliness of Mother nature.

Hitchcock’s artwork is deeply informed by his personal biography and family history. He grew up in western Oklahoma on Comanche tribal lands in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma next to Ft Sill, a US field artillery military base. Fort Sill was originally established in 1869 to wage battles against American Indians. Hitchcock’s current artwork consists of mythological hybrid creatures (buffalo, wolf, boar, deer, moose) and military weaponry (tanks and helicopters) based on his childhood memories. He depicts stylized skulls of animal heads - buffalo, horse, and deer—that represent departed family members, and are linked to American Indian folklore passed down through his ancestors. The work reflects on communities and traditions disrupted by war and cultural genocide. This exhibition is held in conjunction with the university's Social Justice Teach-In for March.

Hitchcock is currently Professor and Associate Dean of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he teaches screenprinting, relief cut and installation.

Awards: Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artistic Innovation and Collaboration Grant The American Photography Institute Jerome Foundation grant National Graduate Seminar Fellowship at New York University Tisch School of Arts Vilas Associate Grant at University of Wisconsin-Madison Artist in Residence at the American Cultural Center in Shanghai, China and the Venice printmaking Studio, in Venice, Italy