Koehnline Museum of Art: Upcoming Exhibitions

 

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Gregory Orloff: Prints from the Great Depression

September 3 – October 16, 2009

Gregory Orloff (1890-1981) was born in Kiev, Russia, where he started his art education. After moving to the U.S. he studied at the National Academy of Design in New York and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During the Great Depression, Orloff lived in Chicago and worked as an artist for the Works Progress Administration. “I doubt whether I express in my work the spirit of any definite group – religious, political or economic, “ Orloff says in the book, Art of Today: Chicago, 1933, “but I feel more interested in the manifestations of life as it is lived by the great mass of mankind than by the select few.” This exhibition features more than 60 prints including lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings. While some works, created in the 1920s, are clearly inspired by early modernism, most reflect Orloff’s later fascination with social realism and regional art.

Public Reception: Thursday, September 3, 5 - 8 p.m.


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ID Show

November 12 - December 4, 2009

Members of the Oakton Art Department faculty showcase their unique artistic identities in a show that features paintings, photography, ceramics, and digital art.

 Public Reception: Thursday, November 12, 5 - 8 p.m.


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Curt Frankenstein: Dream World and Real World

December 10, 2009 - January 29, 2010

Born to a Jewish father and a Lutheran mother in Hanover, Germany, Curt Frankenstein (1922-2009) was just 17 when he joined his father in Shanghai in 1939, just months before Hitler invaded Poland. When World War II ended, Frankenstein relocated to Chicago to study on a Hillel-sponsored scholarship at the American Academy of Art, and later at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Frankenstein admired abstract expressionism as a young artist, especially the work of Jackson Pollock, but preferred to tell stories through recognizable pictures in a surrealistic manner. He also produced whimsical images relating to the art world and collecting art. This exhibition pays homage to the artist one year after his death, and was produced with the support of the American Jewish Artists Club, where Frankenstein was a member for 40 years.

Public Reception: Thursday, December 10, 5 - 8 p.m.


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Corey Postiglione: Retrospective of Paintings 1972-2010

February 4 - March 26, 2010

Corey Postiglione’s mature work begins with a series of minimalist works that examine the nature of painting as an object, and are inspired by artists including Frank Stella, Brice Marden, and Robert Mangold. In another series, Postiglione focuses on the urban landscape in abstract paintings that are clearly referential. In the 1990s the artist’s paintings embraced labyrinthine imagery as a metaphor for several concepts – from global decentralization to personal journey. These works were strongly influenced by the work of postmodern authors including Frederic Jameson and Jean Baudrillard. Postiglione’s most recent paintings continue along this aesthetic trajectory, propelled by new subjects such as exponential population growth and its ramifications.

Public Reception: Thursday, February 4, 5 - 8 p.m.


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Skyway Conference Art Competition

April 1 - April 30, 2010

This juried competition features the work of art students from Oakton Community College as well as the College of Lake County, Elgin Community College, McHenry County College, Moraine Valley Community College, Morton College, Prairie State College and Waubonsee Community College. The exhibition showcases a wide variety of media, including paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, and digital art.

Public Reception: Saturday, April 10, 1 - 3 p.m.


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Sculpture Invasion 2010

May 13 - August 26, 2010

Members of Chicago Sculpture International return for one of the area’s largest juried exhibitions. Last presented in 2007, this impressive display features an “invasion” of large outdoor sculptures at the Oakton Sculpture Park on the Des Plaines campus. Smaller sculptures and maquettes will be on display inside the Koehnline Museum of Art. The members of Chicago Sculpture International work at all scales and in media ranging from stone and steel to video and nylon. Instead of offering a comprehensive survey on the state of contemporary sculpture, Sculpture Invasion hopes to reflect the stylistic diversity that sculptural artists have embraced since the twilight of modernism.

Public Reception: Thursday, May 13, 5 - 8 p.m.


 

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