Category Archives: Fine Arts

McPherson Theatre Presents “Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts will present “Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)” by Shelia Callaghan Sept. 21-25 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. in the McPherson Theatre (2 Ames Plaza East, Bloomington).

Tickets will be available for purchase on Monday, Sept. 13. General admission ticket prices are $12 for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday performances and $14 for Friday and Saturday performances. Tickets are available to seniors for $1 off the general rate. Students may purchase tickets for $2 with a valid Illinois Wesleyan ID.

This one-act comedy depicts the relationship between cynical 11-year-old Janice, her anxious mother and their deteriorating, yet verbal, apartment. After receiving an unusual Christmas list from her daughter, Janice’s mother must wait until Christmas day for the truth behind Janice’s troubling requests to be revealed. The only comfort available to Janice and her mother throughout this time are fantasies of their respective celebrity crushes, Justin Timberlake and Harrison Ford.

Outstanding Alumni to be Honored at Homecoming

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Three Illinois Wesleyan University alumni will be honored this year at the annual Alumni Homecoming Lunch on Saturday, Oct. 9, at noon in the Shirk Center (302 E. Emerson St., Bloomington), as part of the 2010 Homecoming and All That Jazz activities.

Ron Ford, a 1978 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. Ford is a highly respected reconstructive hand surgeon with the Hand & Plastic Surgery Center.

Rod Adams, a 1995 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, will receive the Robert M. Montgomery Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. A national experienced recruiting leader for PriceWaterhouse-Cooper, Adams was formerly their National Director of Diversity Recruiting.

Jerry Philpott, a 1959 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, will receive the Loyalty Award. In 2002, he started a scholarship for students with financial need named in honor of his father. A resident of Mesa, Ariz., Philpott is a Hole Sponsor at the IWU Alumni Golf Outing every year and acts as the “connector” for alumni and current FIJI’s. Philpott has assisted with class reunions since his 20th reunion.

Merwin and Wakeley Galleries to Feature Paintings and Ceramics

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University’s Merwin and Wakeley Galleries (6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington) will feature the artwork of Michiko Itatani, as well as the ceramic work of Lou Pierozzi, from Thursday, Sept. 2 through Thursday, Sept. 30.

All exhibits are free and open to the public. The opening reception for both exhibitions will take place on Thursday, Sept. 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Itatani’s display, consisting of eight works from 2002-2010, is centered around the theme of “Cosmic Wanderlust” and will be shown in the Merwin Gallery. “I am presenting my personal fiction based on the human desire to reach out into the mental and physical space beyond our grasp,” said Itatani. A professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Marie Sharp Walsh New York Studio Grant and John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, among others. Her paintings have been shown nationally and internationally. Itatani received her master’s degree in fine arts at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1976.

Pierozzi’s ceramic display, Rediscovering America, will be featured in the Wakeley Gallery.

Ceramics and Painting on Display in Art Galleries

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The ceramics of Michael Schwegmann and the paintings of alumna Kay Seefeld will be displayed in Illinois Wesleyan University’s Merwin and Wakeley Galleries, respectively, from May 5 through May 26.

The galleries are located in the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art Building (6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington). The opening reception for both exhibitions will be held on Thursday, May 6 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Contemporary Flameworking and Photography on Display at Art Galleries

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The works of glass maestro Emilio Santini, among others, and the photography of Sarah Stonefoot will be displayed from Tuesday, Jan. 12 through Thursday, Feb. 4 in Illinois Wesleyan University’s Merwin and Wakeley Galleries, located in the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art Building (6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington).

All exhibits are free and open to the public.

The opening reception for both exhibitions will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 12 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Santini’s works will be featured in the Merwin Gallery, as well as the artwork of: Micah Evans, Kari Russell-Pool, Robert Mickelsen, Kaori Koike, Dorie Gurthie, Milissa Montini, Jay Musler, Nathan Purcell, Christopher McElroy, Caitlin Hyde, Paul J. Stankard, Mike Shelbo, Marshall Hyde, Elizabeth Ryland Mears, Matt Eskuche and Shane Fero. Stonefoot’s photography exhibition, Suspension, will be featured in the Wakeley Gallery.

Rock Show Posters and Easter Eggs at Art Galleries

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Exhibits by artists Jennifer Crescuillo and Burlesque of North America will be on display at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Merwin and Wakeley Galleries beginning Tuesday, Nov. 10 with an artist’s lecture to take place from 4 to 5 p.m. and an opening reception for both shows from 5 to 6 p.m. in the galleries (6 Ames Plaza, Bloomington).

All exhibits and events are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The galleries will be closed Nov. 24 through Nov. 29 for Thanksgiving Break, as well as closed Dec. 1.

The Merwin Gallery will feature Burlesque of North America, a graphic design and screenprinting studio based in Minneapolis, Minn. The studio is formed by a group that once worked on the no longer existent graffiti magazine, Life Sucks Die. Burlesque, lead by creative directors Wes Winship and Mike Davis, has since created album artwork, logos, T-shirt graphics, and concert posters for such groups as The Arcade Fire, Phish, and MGMT. Their Merwin Gallery display will focus on the rock show posters and art prints which have been published, designed and screenprinted at the studio.

Pratt Scholars Travel to White House

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Pratt Music Scholars of Illinois Wesleyan University’s Preparatory Music Program have been invited to the White House on Nov. 3 and 4 to participate in activities surrounding the Classical Music Performance. The performance is a part of the White House Music Series organized by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the trip’s send-off on Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Supporters will meet in the Bloomington-Normal Airport visitor waiting area where there will be a banner, signs, balloons and treats. All are encouraged to wear something red, white or blue to help students identify their supporters.

While in Washington, D.C., the students will take lessons from musicians Awadagin Pratt, Joshua Bell, Alisia Weilerstein and Sharon Isbin, after which they will attend an afternoon concert at the executive residence.

Awadagin Pratt, the award-winning concert pianist with roots in Bloomington-Normal, helped arrange for the students to be invited to the event. He founded the Pratt Foundation in 1997. The Pratt Music Scholars are supported by funds provided by community members as well as corporate sponsor State Farm® and the foundation has raised about $200,000 to date. These funds provide music lessons with Illinois Wesleyan music instructors through the Illinois Wesleyan Preparatory Music Program as well as make certain that the students have music and instruments as needed.

Faculty Biennial on Display at Merwin & Wakeley Galleries

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be on display from Oct. 6 through Nov. 5 at Illinois Wesleyan’s Merwin & Wakeley Galleries. The galleries are located in the Ames School of Art building (6 Ames Plaza West, Bloomington).

An opening reception will be held in the galleries on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. This exhibit, held every other year, offers a unique opportunity for the Illinois Wesleyan School of Art faculty to show their latest work to IWU students and the University community.

Regular gallery hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday evenings and 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. All Merwin & Wakeley Gallery events are free and open to the public. Extended hours for Homecoming Weekend are Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11 from 11 to 5 p.m. As part of the homecoming festivities, a special reception for IWU Alumni will be held in the galleries on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

McPherson Theatre to Present Comedic Farce “What the Butler Saw”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts will present “What the Butler Saw” by Joe Orton. The production will take place in McPherson Theatre (2 Ames Plaza East, Bloomington) at 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 1, 2 and 3. A matinee performance will be held Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m..

Compared to Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the story line follows a psychiatrist, Dr. Prentice, as he opens his own clinic. His sexual escapades become evident through his interviewing of a new assistant. Meanwhile, a bellhop seduces (or rather gets seduced by) Dr. Prentice’s wife, Mrs. Prentice. The couple must try to keep these secrets from one another while handling an unexpected visit to the hospital from the state inspector. The result, of course, is pandemonium.

Symposium of Contemporary Music to Feature ONIX Ensamble

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The music group ONIX Ensamble will be the featured guests at Illinois Wesleyan University School of Music’s annual Symposium of Contemporary Music. The Symposium will be held from Oct. 2 to Oct. 3 and is free and open to the public.

Established in 1952, the Symposium of Contemporary Music brings prominent guest composers or performers to campus for a two-to-three day residency. The Symposium’s goal is to involve students directly in performing new compositions by contemporary composers while also participating in discussions on the aesthetics of the works. Recent guests of the Symposium include the Orchid Ensemble, Roderik and Annelie de Man, Stephen Paulus, New York New Music Ensemble, and Louis Andriessen.

ONIX is a group of musicians from Mexico that plays Latin American contemporary music. The group consists of Alejandro Escuer, Edith Ruiz Zepeda, Fernando Dominguez, Abel Romero, and Edgardo Espinosa. All members of the group have experience as soloists, have an international career, and are all professors at the National University of Mexico. Founded by Escuer in 1993, ONIX has released 50 musical works and is a non-profit organization striving to use educational and community projects to enhance and redirect the role of music in society.

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