Air Art Show: An elemental delight!

The art show "Air," which was on exhibit in the Ronald Williams Library until April 10, had a mission that is as essential as the element it is named for: to get Northeastern Illinois University accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD). Curated by Art History majors Lisa Beiwel and Angelina Makowski, with the guidance of Dr. William Sieger, the art show had a wild variety of media represented: from exotic conceptual art such as Will Veled's "Urban Tumbleweed," through gorgeous artwork, such as the award-winning "On the Fin" by Chantala Kommanivanh, second place winner "The Ins and Outs" by Kelly Novak, and the third place winner "Listen" by Jennifer Dickson.

The NASAD accreditation is significant because, according to the NASAD Web site, "Many public schools will not let you teach after graduating if you do not have a NASAD degree." NEIU had judges from NASAD evaluating NEIU's eligibility for NASAD accreditation on the same day that the "Air" show opened, as planned by the curators. These judges were able to attend this delightful show and also participated in the reception on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building where the awards were given. The awards included: $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place, all graciously donated by Mark McKernin, Chair of the Art Department.

Of the 60 works submitted, winners were chosen in this juried exhibition by a consensus that was based on a variety of considerations: quality of craftsmanship, strength of concept, relation to theme, and how engaging and meaningful the image was determined to be. The curators selected a jury that represented as diverse a point of view as the media included in the show: Books, metals, photography, fiber, mixed-media, ceramics, jewelry, metal, conceptual art, oil/acrylic on canvas and sculpture.

"In a Breath" by J.E. Baker is a lovely depiction of a poem that can only be fully experienced first-hand. You could touch this letter-pressed book on handmade paper that is as soft and precious as its title. In metals, there is "Flying Free" by Starroula Melissavatos, which is a metal butterfly with flowers, musical notes, and stars impacted by the whimsy of a purse and shoes on the left wing.

The photography included a profound sense of breathlessness invoked by Lindsey Richards' work "Sans Breathe." This dramatic depiction is of a woman wrapped in fabric and plastic while gasping for breath. Even the title makes one want to intervene so that there may be breath. Ceramics has the centerpiece of Jennifer Dickson's work "Listen" where one can actually hear the sounds of the ocean in the piece if the ear is held closely enough to the opening of this gently fluid auburn vase.

The canvas that won the heart of the jurors in this exciting exhibit was "On the Fin." This unique mixed media---acrylic, tea, coffee, string, and juice on canvas---depicts two geese flying free in the breeze, while their shapes are echoed by silhouettes of pale blue canvas both on and off the frame of the work. The title, according to the artist Kommanivanh, is street slang for loyalty. Kommanivanh chose the image of geese for this canvas because of their devotion to each other until death.

An example of jewelry represented in the show was "Morning" by Katherine Mahoney. This necklace has a rectangle of blue amazonite framed in silver, with a tiny circle of sunstone rising on the right of the wearer. Novak's "The Ins and Outs" is a series of four tiles of lungs on wood. The first tile looks like leather hand-made moccasins with metal ankles, the second tile shows relief-cast lungs with pearls and copper wire inset behind a glass brass-edged front, the third tile is a three dimensional set of lungs complete with red airways and blue capillaries, and the fourth is an intaglio of lungs in copper-colored tile.

Sculpture in the "Air" exhibit includes a steel kite with a metal tail of bows on a wire, titled "Take It and Run With It." This innovative piece seems to float freely in the space of the south wall of the library. Fiber arts can be found in the form of a little wheat-colored bird in an untitled piece by Barbara Wakefield that is ingeniously flitting across the wall away from "Take It and Run With It".

"This was a great first-time experience for us as curators and for our future careers as art historians," said Lisa Biewel. "We had the invaluable assistance of Dr. Sieger. Peter Goldman, himself an NEIU alumnus and office manager in the Art Department was a tremendous asset to us. The art community of Northeastern, comprised of teachers, students and staff all came together in a very supportive way that we are tremendously grateful for. We were very pleased with the number of works submitted. The most difficult part of this process was turning down people who we knew had worked so hard on participating in the show. I am also lucky to have been working with my co-curator, Angelina Makowski." Biewel continued, "This is a bi-annual show based on the elements, as we had done one based on the theme of water a few years ago. Dr. Sieger also contributed the idea of doing an art show based on the theme of one of the seven cardinal sins."

Stay tuned for more information on the progress of NEIU's NASAD accreditation and other NEIU Art Department events.