A jazz combo from the NIU School of Music will perform at the exhibition reception for Kevin Cole's (NIU '84)...
Art and Design Archives
Homecoming includes a mural painting that you can help bring to life
One of the many activities to enjoy during Homecoming Week is an NIU Homecoming inspired mural that you can not only...
Visiting artist Melanie Yazzie to lecture on “Stories That Shape Us” in School of Art and Design.
Indigenous Navajo artist Melanie Yazzie will be on campus September 14-16, visiting the NIU School of Art and Design....
“The Risk Worth Taking” exhibition open now in Jack Olson Gallery
DeKalb, Illinois -- “The Risk Worth Taking” a visual art exhibition by NIU School of Art and Design alumnus Kevin Cole will run in the Jack Olson Gallery in NIU’s Jack Arends Hall from August 24 through October 16. “The Risk Worth Taking” draws a personal narrative...
Art and Design’s Sinclair Bell selected to write essay for Etruscan exhibition in Legion of Honor Museum
Sinclair Bell, PhD, professor of art history in the NIU School of Art and Design, was one of 18 international consulting scholars invited to write an essay in the Yale University Press published exhibition catalogue for "The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy"...
Paintings by former NIU Art faculty Carl Hayano on view at Industrial Treasures
Forty years after landmark oral history interview about his family's internment during World War II, three rarely seen works on display Industrial Treasures, located at the east end of Indiana Avenue, 1501 Indiana Ave., Unit 1A, St. Charles, IL, is now offering three...
Jayla Trenyce’s exhibition “The Power of Place” running now at Ellwood House Museum
"The Power of Place" a new photography exhibition by Jayla Trenyce is open now through December 20 at DeKalb's Ellwood House Museum. Trenyce earned her MFA in Fine and Studio Arts from the NIU School of Art and Design in 2025. "The Power of Place" xplores how physical...
NIU to host alumnus Kevin Cole’s exhibit “The Risk Worth Taking” celebrating America’s 250th at Jack Olson Gallery
"The Risk Worth Taking" a visual art exhibition by NIU School of Art and Design alumnus Kevin Cole will run in the Jack Olson Gallery in NIU's Jack Arends Hall from August 24 through October 16. "The Risk Worth Taking" draws a personal narrative arc beginning with Jim...
Commencement Profile: Skye McCord, BS Anthropology and Art History
Skye McCord, who earned their BS in anthropology and art history was profiled in a video that ran during commencement ceremonies last weekend. Skye will be attending Cornell University in the fall to study archaeology. Meet Skye. https://youtu.be/7JAV8YKB2uk
From NIU to the Ivy League, Skye McCord to study archaeology at Cornell University
Skye McCord remembers becoming fascinated by archaeology by watching as many documentaries and PBS Nova episodes on the subject as possible as a kid growing up in Crystal Lake, Illinois. They joke that it felt natural because they have "nerdy" parents who encouraged...
Art and Design students research how high school art teachers are using AI
When Kelly Gross, assistant professor of visual arts education at NIU received a grant from the NIU Student Engagement Fund for a study into the use of artificial intelligence, she knew which students of hers would be perfect for it. She approached Lane Staffeldt and...
NIU Sculpture presents outdoor group exhibition at Gurler House
Continuing the Gurler House’s tradition as a long-standing space of community gathering, the Northern Illinois University Sculpture and property owner, Shane Harris, extend a welcome to the neighbors, friends, and passersby to engage with the work of Illinois and...
Sinclair Bell named 2026 Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor
Whether it’s expertise on Roman chariot racing and spectacle of the circus in ancient Rome, serving as research director on an archaeological dig in Italy, conducting research into race, representation and social practice on Romans in antiquity, or bringing his...
Finding Beauty in a Fractured World, the 2026 B.A./B.S. Art Exhibition opens March 30
The annual spring group exhibition of work by students in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs in the NIU School of Art and Design will open March 30 in the Jack Olson Gallery. Finding Beauty in a Fractured World runs from March 30 through...
Kelly Gross named Illinois Higher Education Art Educator of the Year
Kelly Gross, Ph.D., assistant professor of art and design education in the NIU School of Art and Design has been named the 2025-2026 Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA). Gross was honored at their annual...
NIU faculty, alumni and students highlight annual National Art Education Association conference
A strong contingent of faculty, alumni and students will represent the NIU School of Art and Design's art and design education program at this year's National Art Education Association conference in Chicago March 5-7. Three members of the faculty are being awarded...
Douglas Boughton to receive NAEA’s Viktor Lowenfeld Award
Douglas Boughton, professor of art and design education in the NIU School of Art and Design has won just about every major award in his field, and that now includes the Viktor Lowenfeld Award from the National Art Education Association. Boughton’s career as an art...
Nora (Balayti) Reuter, ’06, combines her interests in a new children’s book on someone’s first trip to Wrigley Field
When Nora (Balayti) Reuter was working shifts as a bartender at Murphy’s Bleachers, the popular sports bar located just steps from the bleacher entrance of beautiful and historic Wrigley Field, little did she know that she was also doing prep work for a future book...
National Art Education Association honors NIU’s Kerry Freedman with Eisner Award
Dr. Kerry Freedman, professor of art and design education in the NIU School of Art and Design is the 2026 recipient of the National Art Education Association’s Eisner Lifetime Achievement Award. Freedman has previously been honored by the NAEA with the National Higher...
Huskie Spotlight – Lane Staffeldt, Art and Design Education
Lane Staffeldt, is a senior art and design education major who graduated from Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Illinois and transferred to NIU from College of DuPage. Staffeldt is working as a research assistant to Kelly Gross, assistant professor of art and...
Stanley Schultz, ’04: Designing the Digital Backbone
Behind every click, stream and swipe lies a vast network of data centers — the backbone of our daily lives. “From 911 calls to banking, food production to aviation, medical to gas industries, the digital and physical systems that support modern living all pass through...
Full Speed Ahead: NIU fueled career growth for Adrienne Miller
Adrienne Miller, M.F.A. ’15, came to NIU with a clear goal: to elevate her career. Now serving as exhibition and publications manager at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, Miller has built a career where creativity meets precision. “I was a studio manager...
2025 President’s Holiday Card design contest winners
Students were invited to submit an original artistic design to be used as the 2025 NIU holiday card to help spread warmth and good cheer to the entire community. The theme for this year's holiday card competition was to capture the spirit of campus life, winter and...
NIU Sculpture presents outdoor group exhibition “Unimposing Yet Dignified” at Gurler House
Continuing the Gurler House’s tradition as a long-standing space of community gathering, the NIU School of Art and Design sculpture studio, and property owner, Shane Harris, extend a welcome to the neighbors, friends, and passersby to engage with the work of...
Ann Arbor Film Festival Traveling Tour to visit NIU, Oct. 29
The traveling tour of the 63rd Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival makes its next stop at NIU, Wednesday, October 29. The traveling tour provides filmmakers the unique opportunity of having their work screened in front of audiences, for whom in many instances, the tour is...
NIU hosts 16th International Burma Studies Conference, Oct. 9-12
The NIU Center for Burma Studies is presenting the 16th International Burma Studies Conference, "Dealing With Legacies in Burma", Thursday, October 9 through Sunday, October 12. Conference sessions will be held in the Holmes Student Center with some pre-conference...
Updates on the faculty in the School of Art and Design
It's been a busy few months for faculty and staff in the NIU School of Art and Design. Kelly Gross, assistant professor of art education has been named Educator of the Year by Illinois Art Education Association. Amanda van Valkenburg earned tenure and promotion to...
60 Years of NIU Printmaking show to open August 27
The artistic achievements of current and former faculty, alumni and visiting artists will be highlighted in this retrospective exhibition of the Printmaking Division of NIU’s School of Art and Design. In this broad ranging display, various printmaking media such as...
Art and Design’s Geoffrey Todd Smith’s show “Assembly” featured in Colossal
NIU School of Art and Design Instructor of Drawing Geoffrey Todd Smith's show, Assembly at Western Exhibitions was featured in the online art magazine Colossal. Continually drawn to abstraction and geometry, Smith is known for his mesmerizing works that infuse...
Art and Design’s B.A. and B.S. Art Exhibition, “Great Ideas of Humanity” runs through April 17
The capstone exhibition of students earning their bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degrees in the NIU School of Art and Design runs from April 7-17 in the Jack Olson Gallery on the main floor of Jack Arends Hall. Titled, Great Ideas of Humanity, the show's...
Meryl McMaster next up in Elizabeth Allen Scholars in Art History Lecture Series, Feb. 5
Meryl McMaster is a Canadian artist with nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), Métis, British and Dutch ancestry. Her lens-based practice incorporates the production of hand crafted materials and performance forming a synergy that transports the viewer out of the ordinary and into a...
Art and Design students place in President’s Holiday Card Contest
Senior visual communications major Amanda Cruz and junior painting manager Keira Howard submitted designs that finished second and third in the 2024 President's Holiday Card Contest. Students were invited to submit an original artistic design to be used as the 2024...
High School Invitational closing reception features workshops for students
The annual High School Invitational is underway through November 16 in the Jack Olson Gallery. The closing reception on Saturday, November 16 will feature workshops for high school students. Workshop registration will start at noon until 1 p.m. in person before the...
Kerry Freedman and Richard Siegesmund publish book on the use of images in social science research
A popular presentation at a conference more than a decade ago led to a pair of NIU colleagues in the School of Art and Design to publish a book on the use of images in social science research. Visual Methods of Inquiry: Images in Research was written by Kerry...
Annual High School Invitational art exhibition opens November 4
The annual High School Invitational art exhibition at the NIU School of Art and Design will open Monday, November 4 and run through Saturday, November 16 with a closing reception that day. This year's exhibition features a mix of 2D, 3D and digital work created by 74...
Art and Design Education students and faculty presenting at IAEA Conference
Faculty and students from the art and design education program in the NIU School of Art and Design will be presenting a number of sessions and workshops at this year's Illinois Art Education Association Conference in Bloomington-Normal. Friday, October 18 9:10 – 10:00...
Guest lecturer Lisa Hochtritt to discuss social justice in art, Oct. 29
Lisa Hochtritt, visiting professor of art and art education at Teachers College, Columbia University, will present a guest lecture, "Social Justice in Art Education," Tuesday, October 29 at 5 p.m. in Jack Arends Building Room 102 at the NIU School of Art and Design....
Winners of the Huskies Vote contest revealed
Three winning designs have been chosen in the NIU School of Art and Design's Huskies Vote poster design contest. The project was an effort for students to create designs that would encourage others on campus to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election....
Catherine Lang-Cline ’88, receives Alumni Achievement in the Arts Award
Award-winning CEO Catherine Lang-Cline, ’88, leveraged her 15-year career in creative marketing to build Portfolio Creative, a niche recruiting and staffing company exclusive to roles in marketing. Combining her marketing expertise with her love for problem-solving...
Art and Design’s Frank Trankina named 2024 Illinois Arts Council Fellow
Frank Trankina, professor of art in the NIU School of Art and Design has been selected as one of the Illinois Arts Council Fellows for 2024. The Illinois Artist Fellowship provides a limited number of monetary awards annually to accomplished Illinois artists who have...
Michael Leeson ’24, shoots and scores for NIU Soccer and School of Art and Design
At any university the performing arts students and intercollegiate athletes are some of the most visible students on campus. Not only is that true at NIU, but Paul Kassel, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Sean Frazier, vice president/director of...
Kevin Cole, M.F.A. ’85: From childhood art therapy to the Smithsonian
Artist Kevin Cole, M.F.A. ‘85, has created more than 47 public art works, including a 15-story Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic mural he was commissioned to create for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. A challenge he completed without even touching the wall....
Art History presents the lecture “The Largest Mystery: A Buddhist Shrine in the Art Institute of Chicago”
The Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History Lecture Series, the NIU School of Art and Design and the NIU Visual Studies division present, "The Largest Mystery: A Buddhist Shrine in the Art Institute of Chicago," as a free lecture, open to the public,...
School of Art and Design hosts Artifical Intellingence in Visual Arts Symposium, April 12
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. How do artists and art history scholars understand and anticipate the impact this technology has on creativity and artistic creation? The NIU School of Art and Design is hosting a symposium, which can be attended free of...
Meet the new director for the Center for Burma Studies, Feb. 7
An open house is being held, Wednesday, February 7 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to welcome Aurore Candier, Ph.D. as the new director of NIU's Center for Burma Studies. Drop in at the center (located in Pottenger House, 520 College View Ct. across the street from Anderson...
Art and Design Education’s Kerry Freedman earns Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award
Kerry Freedman, Ph.D., professor and head of art education, has earned the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award from Northern Illinois University. In more than 20 years on the faculty of the NIU School of Art and Design, Professor Freedman has continued her work as a...
Sinclair Bell earns Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from Archaeological Institute of America
Sinclair Bell, professor of art history in the NIU School of Art and Design is the 2024 recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Archaeological Institute of America. The award is given annually to those who have demonstrated excellence in...
Art and Design students take top prizes in annual Holiday Card contest
NIU School of Art and Design students took home the top two prizes in the annual NIU Holiday Card Contest. Designers of the top three cards receive scholarship awards, and the first prize entry is sent out as the official holiday card from the Office of NIU President...
Commencement profile: Christian Ulloa, School of Art and Design
Christian Ulloa, who graduated in December with a Bachelor of Fine Art in sculpture from the NIU School of Art and Design was profiled during the undergraduate commencement ceremonies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57-6oNpuKzw Congratulations to Christian, and to...
Art and Design’s Fall BFA Show opens Dec. 4
The 2023 Bachelor of Fine Arts student exhibition in the NIU School of Art and Design opens Monday, December 4 in the Jack Olson Gallery in Jack Arends Hall. The 2023 B.F.A. Fall Exhibition showcases the capstone work of the students earning their BFA from the NIU...
“Space + Light” pop-up art installation in Founders Memorial Library, Oct. 26
A new projection mapped installation, "Space + Light" presented by students in ARTD 467 Advanced Topics: Video Art will be on display with an open public reception, Thursday, October 26 in room 337 of Founders Memorial Library from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Visiting Artist Lecture on Working With/In Community as a Holistic Practice
The NIU School of Art and Design welcomes Dr. Pamela Lawton, the Florence Gaskins Harper Endowed Chair in Art Education at the Maryland Institute College of Art, for a visiting artist lecture titled, "Artstories" with Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity for Art...
NIU presenters at Illinois Art Education Association conference
A large number of NIU School of Art and Design faculty and students will be presenting at the 2023 Illinois Art Education Association annual conference in St. Charles, Illinois, October 19-21. The conference is being held at the Q Center, 1405 North Fifth Avenue in...
Photography exhibition “CREATE & DISCOVER Belonging in STEAM” open in Johns Gallery
The NIU School of Art and Design presents a photographic exhibition that is an extension of the "Faces of Belonging Project," a collaborative art project that promotes belonging amongst individuals who live work and study in DeKalb, Ill. "CREATE & DISCOVER...
Art and Design alumnus Dana Arnett appointed to two prominent boards
VSA Partners, a leading creative and strategy agency, is pleased to announce the appointment of its Chairman and Founder, Dana Arnett, to two prestigious boards: the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Board and the Chicago Public Media Business Leadership Council. Arnett...
New Art and Design graduate Quinn Sedig illustrates the unique opportunities for students at NIU
When Quinn Sedig transferred to the NIU School of Art and Design from Sauk Valley College, she knew she wanted to major in illustration, and her focus was on creative or storybook illustration, until she took her first class at NIU. "I had Todd Buck (professor of Art...
Graduate Profile: Edwin Perez-Hernandez, BFA in Photography
We are proud of all of our new alumni who earned their degrees and are preparing to do even more great things in the world. This profile of Edwin Perez-Hernandez, who received his B.F.A. in Photography from the NIU School of Art and Design last weekend was featured...
NIU offers summer graduate class for art teachers
Thinking about an online masters degree or just seeking professional development credits? The NIU School of Art and Design is offering Research Readings in Art Education (ARTE 685), a three credit online course offered over four weeks from June 19 to July 16. There...
Art and Design BFA Show opens May 1
The annual show of graduating Bachelor Fine Arts majors in the School of Art and Design opens May 1 and will run through May 8 in the Jack Olson Gallery and Annette and Jerry Johns Student Art Gallery in Jack Arends Hall. There will be a reception at the galleries,...
Photography major Brookelyn Sears named to All-MAC team in gymnastics
Brookelyn Sears, a senior design and media arts major from Centerville, Ohio earned a spot in this year's All Mid-American Conference Academic team in gymnastics. Sears has a 3.68 cumulative grade point average and was a key member of a Huskies gymnastics team that...
Art and Design’s Brooke Stonebraker named All-MAC in women’s basketball
Brooke Stonebraker, a junior design and media arts major in the NIU School of Art and Design has been named to the All-Mid American Conference Academic team in women's basketball. Stonebraker came to NIU from Versailles High School in Versailles, Ohio. She's a 6'3...
NIU Printmaking welcomes Lynne Allen for visiting artist lecture
Lynne Allen, whose printmaking work has been exhibited around the globe will be at NIU the week of April 17-21 working in the NIU Printmaking Studio in Jack Arends Hall (AB 409) and will give a lecture, Tuesday, April 18 at 5 p.m. in AB 102. Allen is a Boston-based...
NIU hosts collecting and collectors symposium for Americans In Burma exhibition
The NIU Center for Burma Studies is hosting a collecting and collectors symposium, Friday, April 14 to coincide with the exhibition "Americans in Burma: The Art of Collecting" which is open now through May 13 in the NIU Art Museum. The symposium is free and open to...
Art and Design alumnae exhibition open at Purple Window Gallery
NIU School of Art and Design alumnae Rebecca Griffith and Lauren Iacoponi have a two-person exhibition open now through April 29 at Purple Window Gallery in Chicago. Griffith is an NIU STEAM educator who earned her B.S. Ed. in Art Education and her M.F.A. from the NIU...
Shei-Chau Wang’s Fulbright Grant focuses on furthering art education internationally
Shei-Chau Wang, associate professor of art education and student teacher coordinator in the NIU School of Art and Design is concluding the work on his Fulbright Grant in Indonesia. His project, Crossing Borders: Applying Visual and Cultural Inquiry to Art Education...
Visiting Artist – Stevie Imuakalani Cisneros Hanley, April 6
The NIU School of Art and Design is hosting a visiting artist lecture by Stevie Imuakalani Cisneros Hanley, titled "Hoopononpono." The lecture will be held Thursday, April 6 in Jack Arends Hall, room 102 at 2 p.m. Hanley received an M.F.A. from the School of The Art...
Art and Design hosts visiting artists week of March 20-24
Two prominent educators and printmakers will be visiting guest artists in the NIU School of Art and Design during the week of March 20. Jeff Sippel, professor at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, and former education director at the world famous Tamarind...
Jessica Labatte to become director of the School of Art and Design
Jessica Labatte, associate professor and head of the photography department at the NIU School of Art and Design has accepted the position of director of the school effective July 1, 2023. Labatte will succeed Douglas Boughton, PhD, who is completing his three-year...
World record paper snowflake to be exhibited at NIU library, March 20-April 10
On March 29, 2022 students in Jessica Labatte's ARTD 464 Advanced Photography Post Production class set a Guinness World's Record for the largest paper snowflake when they made one that is 44 feet and six inches. It was more than double the previous world record...
Fine art photography of Laura Fenwick, ’12, featured in British Vogue
Laura Fenwick, ’12, was only 23 when she started her fine arts photography business, but for her, it was a stressful beginning, and success came after a lot of hard work. Fenwick’s most recent achievement is her outstanding work being featured in British Vogue over...
Art and Design students tops in NIU holiday card contest
The winners have been announced for the annual NIU President's Greeting Card contest. The theme for this year's holiday card competition was "joyful wishes for a peaceful season and year ahead." More than 30 students submitted original artwork and the winning entries...
Jeff Lietz, ’96, builds the future at Charles Vincent George Architects
For Jeff Lietz, ’96, his work in the field of architecture and as principal at Charles Vincent George Architects in Naperville, Illinois, means he gets to do three simple but very fulfilling things—“create new things, renovate old things, and preserve spaces when...
School of Art and Design seeks entries for annual Community College Invitational Exhibition
The Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design is accepting entries for its annual Community College Student and Faculty Invitational Exhibition. The exhibition will run from January 15, 2023 through February 4, 2023. The student exhibition will be held...
NIU School of Art and Design’s Jack Olson Gallery hosts “Meeting of Makers: Merging of Space”
The Jack Olson Gallery of the NIU School of Art and Design is home to the exhibition "Meeting of Makers: Merging of Space" from August 29 through October 27. It is an invitational exhibition of artist printmakers with interest in installation. Works by Laura Berman,...
Art and Design’s Peter Van Ael and spouse Jessica Gondek to exhibition work at Bridgeport Art Center
Peter Van Ael, coordinator of the Jack Olson Gallery in the NIU School of Art and Design and museum studies faculty member, and his spouse, Jessica Gondek, will open an exhibition of their work at the Bridgeport Art Center, Friday, September 16. The exhibition is...
NIU Art and Design and NIU baseball alumnus Tim Kuncis brings sports art to famed locales
When former NIU baseball player Tim Kuncis, ’96, was majoring in art in college, it was not clear how or if he would use his degree. In fact, for the first two decades of his career, he worked in the trading pits of the Chicago Board of Trade before realizing his...
Art and Design alumna, Nestlé’s Jasmin Nava, brings entrepreneurial mindset to NIUAA Board
As an undergraduate student at NIU, Jasmin Nava changed her major several times, as she began to understand her passions and strengths. “I realized I could be an independent and entrepreneurial artist while also thriving as a businesswoman in a corporate environment,”...
Michael Barnes work featured in major exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum
Michael Barnes, NIU Presidential Professor, Head of Printmaking and Coordinator of Graduate Programs in the NIU School of Art and Design has eight of his works featured in a new, major exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum. "Catching the Moment: Contemporary Art from...
Art and Design’s Kerry Freedman moderated international panel on post-pandemic visual arts education
Kerry Freedman, professor and division head of Art and Design Education in the Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design initiated and moderated a five-hour international panel that brought together arts educators from around the globe to discuss a...
At the intersection of art and engineering in the Senior Design Program
While the disciplines of art and engineering are not always thought to converge, they quite often do. In fact, art converges with many industries and careers that many might not realize. “Art applies to many fields, such as architecture, landscape architecture,...
Retired Art History professor Avra Liakos passed at 86
Avra Liakos, who taught art history in the NIU School of Art and Design from 1968 to 1999 passed away, April 29 at the age of 86. Avra was born in Athens, Greece and attended the University with the intention of studying law, but her love of art won out and she earned...
Artist, educator and philanthropist Dorothea Bilder passes at 81
Dorothea Bilder, an accomplished artist and educator and longtime philanthropic supporter of the visual arts passed away last week at the age of 81. Bilder was a professor of art in the Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design for more than 35 years, and...
Art and Design Education’s Kryssi Staikidis named 2022 NIU Presidential Engagement and Partnership Professor
For nearly 20 years, Kryssi Staikidis has, through her work as a researcher and an art educator, been asking fundamental questions about how artistic engagement and intercultural exchanges within communities on a global level form bridges of mutual understanding and...
Caroline Kent, Northwestern University art theory and practice professor to give visiting scholar presentation at NIU, April 12
Caroline Kent, assistant professor of art theory and practice at Northwestern University, will deliver a visiting scholar presentation, Tuesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. in Room 100 of Jack Arends Hall, the Visual Arts Building on the NIU Main Campus. The presentation will...
NIU photography students best world record holder for largest paper snowflake
NIU School of Art and Design students in ARTD 464 Advanced Photography: Post Production created a paper snowflake that measured 44 feet, six inches, besting the current Guinness of Book of World Record of 20 feet and one half inch. The students, led by Jessica...
Follow along live with the world record attempt for the world’s largest paper snowflake
Students in the photography area of the Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design are attempting to break the world record for the world's largest paper snowflake today, starting at 1 p.m. in the NIU Convocation Center. You can follow along live by...
Art and Design presents visiting artist presentation by Sharif Bey
Sharif Bey, associate professor of art at Syracuse University will present an online visiting artist lecture, Monday, April 4 at 5 p.m. titled "Life, Art and Social Responsibility." Bey is a teaching artist in ceramics, sculpture, art community programming and art...
Voices of Belonging exhibit to run from March 31-April 14 in Founders Memorial Library
An interactive audio exhibit that builds on the work of last year's "Faces of Belonging" collaboration, "Voices of Belonging" will run from March 31-April 14 in NIU's Founders Memorial Library. Voices of Belonging is a collaboration among NIU's Northern Public Radio...
New media artist Snow Yunxue Fu to present visiting artist talk April 6
Snow Yunxue Fu, US-based Chinese-born artist, curator, and Assistant Arts Professor in the Department of Photography and Imaging at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts will present a visiting artist talk, Wednesday, April 6 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Fu's work builds off of...
NIU photography students to attempt to set a Guinness World Record
Just because the Olympics are over doesn't mean world records are safe. On Tuesday, March 29, photography students from the NIU School of Art and Design are going to attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the world's largest cut-paper snowflake. The snowflake...
Art and Design’s Kryssi Staikidis solo exhibition “Emergence” opens at ARC Gallery on March 3
Kryssi Staikidis, Ed.D., Professor and Head of Art and Design Education at the NIU School of Art and Design has a solo exhibition at the ARC Gallery in Chicago from March 3-26. The show is titled "Emergence" and there is an opening reception, Friday, March 11 from 5...
Art and Design Professor Emeritus Richard Siegesmund to present on qualitative research and the arts
Richard Siegesmund, professor emeritus of Art and Design Education in the NIU School of Art and Design is the featured speaker of the Qualitative Inquiry Collaborative at NIU. He is the next speaker in their online speaker series that highlights varied research...
Amelia Kraehe to present visiting lecture on Creative Abolitionist Teaching
Dr. Amelia Kraehe, associate professor in art and visual culture education at the University of Arizona will present a visiting artist/scholar lecture, Tuesday, February 2 titled, "Creative Abolitionist Teaching: Anti-Racism Theory and Practice in the Art Classroom"...
Illustration major Caitlyn Alejandre wins 2021 NIU Holiday Card Contest
Caitlin Alejandre, a senior illustration major from Marengo won the annual NIU Holiday Card contest this year with her entry, "NIU Community." "I love creating playful imagery and incorporating strange, delightful details," Alejandre said. "I wanted to include imagery...
Art and Design presents Fall BFA Show, Nov. 30 – Dec. 3
The NIU School of Art and Design presents the Fall 2021 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Show, an undergraduate exhibition, Tuesday, November 30 through Friday, December 3 in the Annette and Jerry Johns Gallery (Room 214) in Jack Arends Hall, the Visual Arts Building on...
Art and Design’s Kelly Gross to present on artistic process and scientific principles at STEM Cafe
We often think of art and science as very different processes. But for Kelly Gross and Jolien Genus, art and science share the same processes of investigation, research and relationship building. At the next STEM Café, hear from these two artists and educators about...
2021 NIU Holiday Card Design Contest
NIU President Lisa C. Freeman invites all students to participate in the 2021 holiday card contest. Take advantage of the opportunity to be one of three artists who have their work featured on the official NIU president's electronic holiday card. President Freeman...
Art and Design presents visiting artist/scholar presentation on Learning in the Making
The NIU School of Art and Design presents "Learning in the Making" a visiting artist/scholar presentation by Dr. Kimberly Sheridan, co-director of the Mason Arts Research Center at George Mason University. The presentation will be held Monday, Oct. 18 in Room 110 of...
Science photographer Michael Peres to speak at School of Art and Design
Michael Peres, an award-winning photo educator, author and science photographer in the School of Photographic Art and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology will be presenting at the NIU School of Art and Design, Thursday, October 7 on "Images Within Images."...
Art and Design returns to face-to-face exhibitions with “re-Emerge”
After nearly a year and a half without face to face exhibits the School of Art and Design is excited to host re-Emerge, an exhibition of work by recent alumni in the School of Art and Design at the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb, during Corn Fest, August...
Memorial service for retired art faculty member John Rooney
A memorial service will be held at St. Mary Church, Sycamore, at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 24 to celebrate the life of John Rooney, celebrated painter and former faculty member at Northern Illinois University School of Art. John was a member of the painting faculty at...
Artist and Educator Agnes Ma grateful for NIU faculty mentorship
Just as Agnes Ma, M.F.A. ’15, was finishing up her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, she was also discovering a totally different career path as an artist. “Up until my senior year of college, I had...
Douglas Boughton to serve as Director of the School of Art and Design
Douglas Boughton, Ph.D., who had been serving as Acting Director of the NIU School of Art and Design since the fall of 2020 has accepted the position on a permanent basis. It is Boughton's second stint as director of the school. He also served in the role from 2008 to...
Graduation Stories: Angie Redmond, MFA Paining, Museum Studies certificate
Angie Redmond received her MFA in Painting with a museum studies certificate, and was one of many NIU students who were able to attend an in-person graduation ceremony over the weekend. Angie's story was featured in the master's degree commencement video. Also...
NIU students partner with WNIJ reporters to tell stories with data
A collaboration between public radio station WNIJ and students in NIU’s data visualization courses helps to build student portfolios and improve reporting in the region. In 2020, NIU graduate student Bharat Kale prepared graphics to accompany WNIJ reporting in...
Exhibits and conversations promote Belonging in DeKalb
While the pandemic has been keeping people apart, the City of DeKalb, Northern Illinois University and a collection of local agencies have been working to bring the DeKalb community closer together through the Belonging initiative. The initiative to develop a...
NIU Printmaking exhibition at ARC Gallery Chicago
Students in the Printmaking Area of the NIU School of Art and Design are exhibiting their work at the ARC Gallery in Chicago, 1463 W. Chicago Ave. Plucked & Gleaned opened on March 6 and runs through March 27. It is a group exhibition of fine art prints. The work...
Visiting artist lecture on Ohio Earthworks and World Heritage, March 17
Join Dr. Christine Ballengee Morris, professor in arts administration, education and policy development and director of American Indian Studies for The Ohio State University for a free, open to the public virtual lecture, Wednesday, March 17 at 5 p.m. Several thousand...
Artist, entrepreneur Cheryl Holz virtual visiting artist talk, March 9
Join mixed-media artist Cheryl Holz as she presents a visiting artist talk to the NIU School of Art and Design, Tuesday, March 9 at 11 a.m. Holz is a Midwestern artist whose mixed media artwork celebrates nature's strength, beauty and diversity. Like sediment...
Cartoonist Leigh Rubin visiting artist presentation, March 4
Cartoonist Leigh Rubin, whose cartoon "Rubes" is syndicated in more than 400 media outlets worldwide and distributed by Creators Syndicate will take part in an online visiting artist presentation with the NIU School of Art and Design, Thursday, March 4 at 11 a.m....
Photographer John Opera to give visiting artist lecture March 1
John Opera, a photographer who "works at the intersection of photographic materiality and light-derived abstraction" will present a visiting lecture for the NIU School of Art and Design, Monday, March 1 at 5 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public via Zoom...
LVL3’s Vincent Uribe to chat with ARTS715 class
Vincent Uribe, director of LVL3, an artist-run exhibition space and online publication launched in 2010 will chat with students in ART715: Professional Studio Practices, in an open to the public Zoom, Thursday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. Uribe is an artist and creative...
In Art Gallery director to discuss resources for artists to exhibit their work
Haley Clancy Inyart, co-director of The In Art Gallery, an online gallery and resource for artists in all ranges of careers to have a platform to exhibit artwork and reach a global audience, will be the subject of a Zoom meeting, Thursday, February 25 at 11 a.m. The...
MFA grad Geoffrey Todd Smith featured at Western Exhibitions
Chicago based artist Geoffrey Todd Smith, a 1997 MFA graduate of the NIU School of Art has a solo exhibition currently running at Western Exhibitions, 1709 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Sordid Orchestra is Smith's sixth solo show at Western Exhibitions. The gallery...
Art and Design Professor Todd Buck’s work featured in Doctors Without Borders publication
Todd Buck, professor and illustration area coordinator of the NIU School of Art and Design created all of the illustrations in a new report published by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders titled "Overcoming Neglect" which calls for an improved global...
Art and Design alumnus Joe Tallman advances in Pabst Blue Ribbon can design contest
Joe Tallman, a graduate of the illustration program in the NIU School of Art and Design is one of five finalists in Pabst Blue Ribbon's contest to redesign their cans. Tallman's entry was one of thousands submitted and he made the cutdown to the top 25 designs and has...
Art and Design Education’s Kryssi Staikidis honored by National Arts Education Associaton
Kryssi Staikidis, Ed.D., Professor and Head of Art and Design Education in the Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the National Arts Education Association's June King McFee Award. The June King McFee Award...
Photography students selected for publications and exhibitions
A number of photography students in the NIU School of Art and Design have had work selected for publications and exhibitions recently. Mikayla Shuster's "Cat Nap" was chosen for Analog Forever Magazine's December "Love in all forms" exhibition:Amy Fleming earned...
Photography project among next steps to enhance ‘belonging’ in DeKalb
Efforts by Northern Illinois University and local partners to increase racial healing recently got a boost from the State of Illinois in the form of a grant to foster efforts to create a Belonging leadership council and fund public art and engagement activities in...
Art History Professor Sinclair Bell wins prestigious NEH Fellowship to study Race in Antiquity
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced $32.8 million in grants to support 213 humanities projects in 44 states, including a research Fellowship for Sinclair Bell, Professor of Art History at Northern Illinois University, to research the...
Watch: Dr. Ellen Winner’s guest lecture, “How Art Works: Five Puzzles”
In her lecture, “How Arts Works: Five Puzzles,” presented to NIU School of Art and Design, November 10, artist and experimental psychologist Dr. Ellen Winner discusses puzzles about the arts that have preoccupied philosophers as well as the general public. Can art be...
David Spoehr, ’02, gets creative with Chicago-based design company Monroestar
It is the year 1998, and NIU visual communication student David Spoehr is passionately cheering on the Huskies football team (who were on a significant losing streak) while decked out in full face and chest paint at Huskie Stadium. He is there with his best...
Mike Rea and friends present, “I Yell Because I Care, He Needs Me” on instruments real, and imagined
One of the most talked about pieces in the NIU Art Museum's current installation, the NIU School of Art and Design Faculty Continuum is a sculpture of a piano, "Tight Notes and Black Holes, CTINH (Conceptualize there is no Heaven" created by Mike Rea, associate...
Art and Design’s Mike Rea presents “I Yell Because I Care, He Needs Me” music video, November 14
Artist and Associate Professor of Sculpture Mike Rea puts together "a band" to produce a music video featuring his sculpture Tight Notes and Black Holes, CTINH (Conceptualize there is no Heaven), 2019. I Yell Because I Care, He Needs Me, is a site-specific...
Comic book cover illustrator Jenny Frison to present visiting artist talk, Nov. 18
Jenny Frison, who has created covers for Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Batman, Black Panther, The X-Men and many more will present a virtual visiting artist talk on Zoom, Wednesday, November 18 at 5 p.m. The lecture can be accessed on Zoom with meeting ID 845 2949 1367,...
Visiting artist Kayla Schlipf on when illustration is “more than just a job”
Kayla Schlipf, a BFA graduate from the NIU School of Art and Design will give a virtual visiting artist talk for the Illustration Area titled, "Redefining success: When illustration is more than just a job." The lecture will be presented Thursday, November 12 at 5...
Illustration area presents visiting artist talk from Brian Povich, industrial designer
Brian Povich, an industrial designer and 2007 BFA graduate in Illustration from the NIU School of Art and Design is presenting a visiting artist talk, Wednesday, November 11 at 5 p.m. The virtual presentation can be viewed on Zoom, (Meeting ID 833 4676 7133, with the...
NIU Illustration visiting artist talk, Gawki, Oct. 28
The Illustration area of the School of Art and Design presents a visiting artist talk with independent artist Ki, Wednesday, October 28 on Zoom. The visiting artist talk will be held at zoom.us/join at 5 p.m. The Meeting ID is 880 3625 2467 and the password is 155171....
Artist/experimental psychologist Ellen Winner to lecture at NIU, Nov. 10
The School of Art and Design at Northern Illinois University will host a guest lecture by artist and experimental psychologist Dr. Ellen Winner, titled "How Art Works: Five Puzzles." Winner is professor of psychology at Boston College and senior research associate at...
Larissa Barnat wins Best Artist Video at Woodstock art exhibition
Larissa Barnat, a third year Master of Fine Arts student in the School of Art and Design earned the "Best Artist Video" prize at the Dangerous Lullabies VI art exhibition in Woodstock, Ill. The exhibition is being held at the Old Courthouse Arts Center in Woodstock,...
NIU NAEA Student Chapter presents an alumni lecture on interviewing and teaching during unexpected circumstances
The NIU Student Chapter of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) welcomes Chelsea Cwiklik, a 2020 MFA graduate of the School of Art and Design to their Invited Speaker Alumni Series. Cwiklik's presentation, "Not A Normal Year: Navigating the Interview Process...
Visiting Artist Lecture: The Lettering and Calligraphy of WA Dwiggins, Nov. 4
The School of Art and Design is hosting a visiting artist lecture by calligrapher, type designer and design historian Paul Shaw, on the words American graphic artist W.A. Dwiggins. William Addison (W.A.) Dwiggins was a master calligrapher, book designer, and type...
Art and Design’s Kryssi Staikidis publishes book on Artistic Mentoring as a Decolonizing Methodology
Kryssi Staikidis, Professor and Head of Art and Design Education in NIU's School of Art and Design has recently published the book, Artistic Mentoring as a Decolonizing Methodology: An Evolving Collaborative Painting Ethnography with Maya Artists Pedro Rafael González...
NIU Sculpture Visiting Artist Talk – Heather Mekkelson
The sculpture area of the NIU School of Art and Design is hosting a virtual Zoom presentation by visiting artist Heather Mekkelson, Thursday, October 8 at 5 p.m. Mekkelson is a sculptor and installation artist based in Chicago. She has had several solo exhibitions at...
River Weaving walking tour rescheduled for Oct. 3 and 11
UPDATE: The River Weaving walking tour has been rescheduled for two dates, Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 11. Both will be held at 2 p.m. and attendees can pre-register for free at go.niu.edu/riverweaving. The walking tour and discussion will begin at the...
As NIU celebrates the 125th Anniversary, River Weaving affirms its commitment to sustainability and the environment
Thirty-four years ago, John Siblik was an NIU art student drawing up a concept for an environmental sculpture to be placed in the Kishwaukee River where it flows past the lagoon and the Music Building. Now, Siblik finds himself standing in that same river, in that...
Art and Design’s Todd Buck featured as one of 16 medical illustrators doing groundbreaking work
Todd Buck, Professor of Illustration in NIU's School of Art and Design is among those featured by Creative Bloom as "one of 16 medical illustrators doing groundbreaking work." Medical illustration is a specialized field that has gained increased importance during the...
Art and Design’s Olivia Zubko honored by the International Sculpture Center
Olivia Zubko, a May graduate of the NIU School of Art and Design has been honored by the International Sculpture Center in their 2020 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award program. This year 217 students from more than 100 college and...
Art and Design adds a pair of top five program rankings
The nationally renowned School of Art and Design at NIU has earned a pair of new top five rankings. Animation Career Review has announced their 2020 Graphic Design School Rankings. More than 700 schools with graphic design programs across the nation were evaluated and...
Art and Design’s Stephanie Sailer’s sculpture selected for CSI 20 20 show
Stephanie Sailer, program advisor and recruitment coordinator in the School of Art and Design has had one of her sculptures selected for the Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) 20 20 show. CSI 20 20 is a juried members exhibition that showcases 20 sculptures created...
NIU Center for Burma Studies presents online exhibition “Looking At Women in Contemporary Burma”
The Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University has launched an online exhibition, "Looking At Women in Contemporary Burma." It focuses on the evolving portrayal of Burmese women as depicted today by Myanmar artists reflects a politico-cultural milieu in...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Ethan Deboer
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well. Ethan Deboer, BFA in Time Artswww.ethandeboer.com Artist Statement:"My work is made up of characters in the form...
Three NIU photography majors featured in Float Magazine’s “Best of Quarantine”
NIU School of Art and Design photography majors JB Rivera, Maeve Wallace and Manny Espejel had work featured in Float Magazine's online exhibition "Best of Quarantine."
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Eric Craps
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Eric Craps, BFA in Visual CommunicationsGalleryView all of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Class of 2020...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Daniel Ortiz
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Daniel Ortiz, BFA in IllustrationDanielortizillustration.com Artist Statement“My mission as an artist is to show a...
School of Art and Design presents online BFA/MFA Show
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the annual NIU School of Art and Design Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Fine Arts show could not be exhibited in the galleries of Jack Arends Hall. But a virtual version of the exhibition exists online for everyone to enjoy at...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Shannon Perkinson
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well. Shannon Perkinson, BFA in Visual CommunicationsPerkinsondesign.com “Graphic design and art has been a part of my...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Jenna Cavin
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Jenna Cavin, BFA in Illustrationhttps://jennacavinstudio.wixsite.com/illustration Artist Statement“Growing up in a...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Katelyn Phillips
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well. Katelyn Phillips, BFA in Time Arts Katelyn-phillips.jimdosite.com Artist Statement “Working in organic elements...
NIU Artists. Never. Quit. Beginning Illustration Class (Part Three)
As NIU and the world around us deals with a global pandemic, artists continue to find ways to express themselves. In the College of Visual and Performing arts the learning and teaching hasn’t stopped, it’s simply evolved to meet the needs and limitations of the...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Anjela Cabalong
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Anjela Cabalong BFA in Visual CommunicationsBeing raised on the island of Guam by a single Filipino mother for most...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Brooke Kanas
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Graduating Senior Spotlight: Brooke Kanas, BFA in Drawing“Nature is a powerful force that merges the body and soul,...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Olivia Zubko
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well. Graduating Senior Spotlight: Olivia Zubko, BFA in Sculpture “In an effort to make some sense of where I stand as...
Art and Design Senior Spotlight – Sarah Navigato
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we’ll be sharing them here on the blog, as well.Sarah NavigatoBFA in Illustration “My life-long passion for animals inspires me to create. Sparking interest in...
NIU Artists. Never. Quit. – Beginning Illustration Class (Part Two)
As NIU and the world around us deals with a global pandemic, artists continue to find ways to express themselves. In the College of Visual and Performing arts the learning and teaching hasn’t stopped, it’s simply evolved to meet the needs and limitations of the...
Art and Design Senior Student Spotlight: Alexis Gruber
The School of Art and Design is spotlighting recently graduated students and their work on Facebook, and we'll be sharing them here on the blog, as well. Alexis GruberBS Ed in Art and Design Education "Congratulations to Alexis for making it through student teaching...
Grad Profiles – Chelsea Cwiklik
The spring class of 2020 hasn't had a traditional conclusion to their studies, but they do have a lot of great stories. Over the summer months we'll be profiling some of them. Chelsea Cwiklik MSEd with K-12 Licensure and endorsement in Art Hometown: Batavia, IL...
Art students take part in College of Engineering and Engineering Technology’s Virtual Senior Design Demonstration Day
Every year, engineering students at NIU take part in a senior design showcase to demonstrate innovative work they've done. This year will be no different. Well, it will be a little different. First off, because of Illinois' stay-at-home order the event will be held...
ART 655 Virtual Spring Exhibition – “Where You Live. What You Eat: The Foundations of Wellness in DeKalb,” NIU Art Museum
World renowned printmaker Michael Barnes selected as Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor
Michael Barnes, Northern Illinois University Professor in the School of Art and Design, has been selected as a Presidential Research, Scholarship and Artistry Professor. The award was created in 1982 to recognize faculty excellence in teaching, research, scholarship,...
School of Art and Design’s Daniel Ortiz wins Drinkling Moving Image Award
Daniel Ortiz, a senior illustration major from Aurora has won a $1,000 Drinkling Moving Image Award and been accepted into the 2020 Society of Illustrators Student Competition. Kimberly Masters, professor of illustration at NIU said that Ortiz is one of only 23 to win...
All Dressed Up With No One To Show – An informal walking tour of the art in Jack Arends Hall
This spring the School of Art and Design prepared for its regular accreditation visit, but it was postponed due to travel restrictions and stay at home orders caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, that doesn't mean you can't see the student art that was displayed in...
Art and Design’s Bethany Nicoli artwork featured on cover of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Policy publication
Bethany Nicoli, a graduating senior soon to earn her bachelor of science in art, has artwork featured on the cover of the current edition of Harvard University's Kennedy School Journal of Hispanic Policy. The JHP is the oldest student-run academic journal at the...
Todd Buck among NIU faculty to participate in Congressional poster session in Washington DC
As part of the ongoing celebration of NIU's 125th anniversary, a group of faculty will join NIU President Lisa Freeman as part of a delegation traveling to Washington, DC to celebrate the university's story and present on research and artistry programs.The event will...
In the news: NIU’s Data, Devices and Interaction Laboratory featured in Technology Networks
The NIU Data, Devices and Interaction Laboratory (ddiLab) and co-directors Joe Insley, associate professor in the NIU School of Art and Design and Michael Papka, associate professor of computer science are the subjects of an article in Technology Networks. Technology...
School of Art and Design’s Angie Redmond wins first place at Museum of Science and Industry’s Black Creativity exhibition
Angie Redmond, a second year MFA student in painting and museum studies at the NIU School of Art and Design from Maywood, Ill. won first place at the prestigious national juried art exhibition "Black Creativity" at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago....
Winning 2019 holiday cards designed by Art and Design students
NIU President Lisa Freeman has selected student artwork to showcase the incredible talent that NIU students possess. Of the entries submitted for consideration, three were selected and the artists received scholarships for their winning designs. Their work will be...
Ina Murphy’s long, interesting route from Moldova to the School of Art and Design
For Ina Murphy, a summer job in the Wisconsin Dells changed the course of her life in many unexpected and exciting ways. Ina grew up in Moldova, in eastern Europe, where her love of animation got an unlikely start. Part of the legacy of the years her native country...
Art and Design welcomes visiting artist Janet Ballweg, Nov. 12
The School of Art and Design welcomes visiting artist Janet Ballweg to campus for a public lecture, Tuesday, November 12 at 5 p.m. in Jack Arends Hall, room 110. Ballweg is professor of art at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her artwork explores the complexity...
MFA first year graduate exhibition runs through November 7
"Prologue" an exhibition of first-year Master in Fine Arts students from the NIU School of Art and Design runs through Thursday, November 7 in Gallery 215 located at 215 North Fourth Street in DeKalb. There is an opening reception, Thursday, October 31 form 5 p.m. to...
Art and Design Education hosts lecturer Ami Kantawala on Reframing the Past: The Writing of History
The School of Art and Design's Art and Design Education program presents a lecture on historical inquiry in art education by author and scholar Ami Kantawala, Monday, November 4 at 5 p.m. in Jack Arends Hall room 110. The lecture is open to the public and free of...
Students, staff invited to attend a private tour of the historic Starline Factory Building in Harvard
On Friday, October 25, starting at 4:30 PM, NIU students and staff are invited to join NIU Alum Philip Sassano (BFA 1992) for a private tour of the historic Starline Factory Building in Harvard, Ill. that has been transformed into one of the Midwest’s premier art and...
“The Destruction of Memory” film first up in the Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History Series
The Destruction of Memory, an 85-minute documentary on the increase in the destruction of culture and artifacts, kicks off the 2019-2020 Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History Series. The film will be shown, free of charge and open to the public, Tuesday,...
Tips on how to successfully photograph the first Friday the 13th full moon in 19 years
A rare confluence of events will occur this week when not only will we see the first Friday the 13th full moon in the Central Time Zone since 2000, it's also what's known as a "harvest moon" because it's the full moon closest to the September 23rd autumnal equinox....
Book published to commemorate alumni exhibition to celebrate Jack Arends Hall’s 50th
A book is for sale to commemorate the alumni and faculty art exhibition held last fall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jack Arends Hall, home to the NIU School of Art and Design. The 376 page book can be purchased in hardcover, softcover or electronic formats,...
In the news: Married School of Art and Design alums open new gallery space in Rockford
NIU alumni Iga Puchalska, and her husband Jason Judd recently opened New Genres Art Space in Rockford. They met in graduate school at NIU's School of Art and Design. Puchalska earned her MFA in Time Arts, and Judd in Fine/Studio Arts. The couple says the mission of...
Art and Design’s Mike Rea’s work on exhibit in Philadelphia
Mike Rea, associate professor of sculpture in the School of Art and Design is part of an exhibition titled, "Reveries: Monsters & Melodies" at Globe Dye Works in Philadelphia. He is co-exhibiting with Roger Allan Cleaves, an artist based in Memphis, Tenn. View a...
Long-time Art and Design grad student assistant has an interesting retirement plan
For many, retirement is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Some people take that concept more literally than others. Joan Smola, office support specialist in the College of Education, will retire from NIU at the end of June after 15 years. Her...
Alumni spotlight: Korkut Akacik, illustrator, animator, and educator
Korkut Akacik earned his Master of Fine Arts in animation from the NIU School of Art and Design in 2018. He is currently the creative director at Econ Illinois, a non-profit organization through NIU that has been developing interesting and interactive...
Oona Holtane uses “illustration to tell stories and evoke emotion” and it’s led to a dream summer
Oona Holtane says her love of art and illustration goes back as long as she can remember, when as a three-year old she was watching Disney's The Aristocats while, "holding a pudding spoon in one hand and a crayon in the other." The junior illustration major from...
NIU and DeKalb’s annual art celebration ARTigras returns May 4
ARTigras is an annual event developed by the NIU School of Art and Design in partnership with the City of DeKalb to create a fun and creative celebration of the arts – something new for the area to bring our community together. The first inaugural ARTigras took place...
Alumni Speakers in Art History series presents talk on the impact of The Black Arts Movement on diversity in Art History
The final lecture of this year's Elizabeth Allen Visiting Alumni Speakers in Art History Lecture Series features Freida High Wasikhongo Tesfagiorgis' talk: A Sankofa Moment in 2019: The Impact of The Black Arts Movement On Diversity in Art History and Museums in the...
What Art and Design alumna Laura Fenwick has learned by throwing herself into the deep end
Laura Fenwick is a 2012 graduate of NIU. She founded Fenwick Photo Arts in Nashville, Tenn. in 2013, "on the belief that art is the universal language of understanding, storytelling, mystery, and love. And, that each of those elements is paramount to a good day....
Vis Com major Chloe Topf earns Best of Show at Self Employment in the Arts Conference
Chloe Topf, a Visual Communication major in the School of Art and Design recently earned Best of Show for her work, "Sound Connection" at the 19th Annual 2019 Self Employment in the Arts (SEA) Conference in Chicago, February 23 and 24. The purpose of the SEA...
So, you want to take pictures of the Super Moon
If you like your moons big, 2019 has started off with a bang for you. March 21 brings us the third month in a row when we've had a chance to see a "Super Moon." To put it simply, a Super Moon is when the moon is full and at the closest point to the Earth in its...
Arlene Turner-Crawford named NIU Alumni Association Award Winner
Arlene Turner-Crawford, School of Art and Design class of 1971 has been chosen to receive an award from the NIU Alumni Association for her achievements in the arts. In total, seven Huskies will be honored. "This is among the most impressive groups of award recipients...
Pair of solo exhibitions open at Jack Olson Gallery, March 7
The Jack Olson Gallery at Northern Illinois University presents two solo exhibitions; UNTILED (Simple Acts) by Carlos Melian and Material Alchemy: Cobbling with Clay and Found Materials by Gina Lee Robbins, Thursday, March 7 through April 18 (the gallery is closed...
Art and Design welcomes visiting artist Thomas Lucas, Feb. 28
Thomas Lucas, founder and master printer at Hummingbird Press Editions, will present a lecture, Thursday, February 28, at 6 p.m., in room 102 in Jack Arends Hal, the visual arts building on the NIU main campus. Hummingbird Press Editions publishes artists like Kerry...
NIU Sculpture Visiting Artist Talk: Chris Bradley, Feb. 12
The sculpture area of the NIU School of Art and Design is hosting a visiting artist talk with sculptor Chris Bradley, Tuesday, February 12 at 5 p.m. in Jack Arends Hall, the visual arts building. Chris Bradley, born 1982, USA, is an artist based in Chicago working...
NIU hosts art exhibition, workshop and visiting artist on topic of mental health and wellness in college
A series of events around the theme: Challenging the Stigma - Mental Health and Wellness in College is coming to NIU thanks to Helping Huskies Thrive and Counseling and Consultation Services in collaboration with the School of Art and Design, Department of Counseling,...
Art and Design hosts Community College Art Faculty and Juried Student Exhibition
Northern Illinois University’s School of Art and Design is hosting the Community College Art Faculty and Juried Student Exhibition now through February 15. Student and faculty work form more than a dozen Illinois community colleges is on display. A closing reception...
Art and Design alumnae Christine Woywod to lecture at NIU on transformative partnerships with community artists
Christine Woywod Veettill, chair of the Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is returning to her alma mater, Tuesday, February 19 for the lecture, "Art That Makes Communities Strong: Transformative Partnerships with Community Artists...
Congratulations to the 2018 Student Holiday Card Contest winners
Three students from the School of Art and Design were the finalists in this year's Student Holiday Card Contest. The winners were selected by NIU President Lisa Freeman to "showcase the incredible talent that NIU students possess." The artists behind the winning...
Art and Design’s Sinclair Bell to lecture at Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago
Sinclair Bell, Assistant Professor of Art History will present the lecture, "Spectacles of Death: Gladiatorial Combats and Naval Battles in the Roman Arena," at the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, Tuesday, January 8 at 6 p.m. The lecture is open to the public...
Value of versatile design skills a key message at 2018 Seek Conference
Advice, inspiration and humor were in large supply as a group of about 190, including 45 current NIU School of Art and Design students and a large number of young alumni attended the 2018 Seek Conference, November 12 at Morningstar in Chicago. Attendees were treated...
School of Art and Design hosts High School Art Invitational and workshops
The School of Art and Design hosts their annual High School Invitational November 9-16 in Jack Arends Hall. The High School Invitational exhibition features work by high school students from northern Illinois. The exhibition is partially underwritten by Blick Art...
Art and Design faculty Jessica Labatte solo show open at Western Exhibitions
NIU School of Art and Design instructor of photography Jessica Labatte’s second solo exhibition at Western Exhibitions, Shade Garden is open now through December 22. Western Exhibitions is located at 1709 West Chicago Avenue in Chicago. Her show is in Galleries One...
NIU hosts alumna Alexandra Green for lecture on the Buddah in late Burmese art
Dr. Alexandra Green, who attended the NIU School of Art and Design from 1991 to 1993, returns to campus for this month's entry in the Elizabeth Allen Visiting Alumni Speakers in Art History series. Green is the Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia at the British...
NAEA Alumni Speaker Series features Lynn Stockton, Nov. 14
Lynn Stockton, an art educator with more than three decades of experience will lecture on "Consistency, Conversation and Community in the High School Art Room," Wednesday, November 14 as part of the National Art Education Association's Alumni Speaker Series. The...
NIU Visual Communication hosts SEEK Design Conference in Chicago, Nov. 12
The Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design's Visual Communication program is hosting SEEK Conference 2018, November 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Morningstar Auditorium in Chicago.The day-long conference features TED Talk style presentations by a...
NIU Center for Burma studies hosts symposium and exhibition on Asian reverse glass painting traditions
Northern Illinois University's Center for Burma Studies is hosting an international symposium, November 16 titled, "Looking Through the Glass: Asian Reverse Glass Painting Traditions." Experts from around the world will present on the history behind and importance of...
Road trips from NIU to Chicago museums opened a world of art to Elaine King
For Elaine King, her path to becoming an art historian and educator took form during Saturday road trips from NIU to Chicago when she was a pre-law undergraduate student. King was back on campus recently as part of the Elizabeth Allen Alumni Scholars in Art History...
NIU Art History alumni Thomas Russo to lecture on sculpture in the Romanesque Church
Thomas Russo, associate dean of international programs and professor of art history at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., will speak on "Defining Sacred Spaces: Sculpture in the Romanesque Church," Wednesday, October 17 as part of NIU's 2018-2019 Elizabeth Allen...
NIU alum Paul Erschen to give visiting artist talk, Oct. 18
NIU School of Art and Design graduate, accomplished sculptor and painter, academic and former Huskie baseball player Paul Erschen will be on campus, Thursday, October 18 to give a visiting artist talk. The visiting artist talk will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Jack Arends...
NIU drawing alum Chris Peuler of Scientific Games to present October 11
The Drawing Area in the School of Art and Design is sponsoring a presentation by NIU alum Chris Peuler. Peuler is the Core Artist at Scientific Games in Chicago, and a 2010 BFA graduate of the NIU School of Art and Design in Drawing. Some of his original artwork can...
NIU Art and Design alum Steven Tritt diplays “Gestural Abstractions” at The Art Box in DeKalb
“Gestural Abstractions”, an exhibition of paintings by Steven Tritt, Northern Illinois University alum and local artist, will be on display at THE ART BOX, 308 East Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb, from October 1 – 27, 2018. Tritt is a non-traditional painter who...
Jack Arends Hall 50th Anniversary celebrated with exhibition receptions, Sept. 20
The School of Art and Design at Northern Illinois University is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the opening of Jack Arends Hall (the visual arts building on the NIU main campus) with exhibitions featuring former NIU School of Art students and faculty. Venues for...
NIU School of Art and Design hosts “Bridges” an exhibition of digital graphics and augmented reality
The NIU School of Art and Design is hosting "Bridges" an exhibition of digital graphics and augmented reality by three art faculty members from Poland's University of Silesia, at Gallery 215, located at 215 Fourth Street in DeKalb. The exhibition opens with a...
NIU Art History ranked Top 10 by College Magazine
College Magazine has ranked the Art History program at NIU as one of the top ten in the Midwest, according to a report published on September 11, 2018. NIU's Art History program was ranked number eight on the College Magazine list ahead of the Art Academy of...
Backspace Gallery presents: All Sheets to the Wind – Works on Paper featuring alumni, faculty, retirees and visiting artists
As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of NIU's Jack Arends Hall, home to the School of Art and Design, the Backspace Gallery presents "All Sheets to the Wind - Works on Paper" an exhibition featuring work from NIU alumni, faculty, retirees and visiting...
Visiting Scholars in Art History series begins with Elaine King on how art market legitimatizes cultural products
Elaine King, professor emerita of the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University, and an alumnus of the NIU School of Art and Design, kicks off the 2018-2019 Elizabeth Allen Visiting Speakers in Art History Alumni Series, Monday, September 17, with "A Cultural...
Unpacked Mobile Gallery presents Maktub: An exhibition of SWANA identity in disaspora through bookmaking
Unpacked Mobile Gallery presents Maktub, a three-person exhibition by Lamia Abukhadra, Essma Imady, and Zeinab Saab, Friday, September 14. Maktub is an Arabic word that translates to "it is written" and the the exhibition deals with the history of three Arab women...
Fall edition of Artifacts features award-winning faculty and more
Artifacts, the alumni newsletter of the NIU School of Art and Design has just posted a fall issue online. In this edition you'll learn about: The 50th anniversary of Jack Arends Hall celebration Features on award winning Art and Design faculty Student profiles The...
Art History Professor Mary Quinlan receives National Science Foundation grant
Mary Quinlan, Professor of Art History in NIU’s School of Art and Design, has received a major grant from the National Science Foundation to support her research into the roles of vision and visual psychology in 16th century iconoclasms. Quinlan is working on a book...
Art and Design alum Samantha Butkus embarks on her new career
In May, Samantha Butkus walked across the NIU Convocaton Center stage to accept her degree in art and design education. On Friday, she taught her first classes at DeKalb High School. The DeKalb Daily-Chronicle profiled her at the dawn of her new career. New teacher...
Alumni profile: First generation college graduate John Siblik
1988 School of Art and Design graduate John Siblik was a first-generation college student, and he went on to start a successful art practice, have a more than 20 year long career in arts higher education and is currently the director of the school he graduated from....
Special events offered for Illinois Institute of Art students looking to transfer to NIU
The NIU School of Art and Design's streamlined process for accepting transfer students is just one of the perks that separates us from other institutions. Transfers have the opportunity to join other dynamic artists at NIU and become a vital part of a world-class...
Artifacts – the alumni newsletter for the School of Art and Design returns
After an absence of more than a decade and a half, Artifacts, the School of Art and Design alumni newsletter has returned in electronic form. The newsletter, which features alumni profiles, upcoming events and opportunities for alums to share their news was e-mailed...
Garden in the Sky at the Illinois State Museum in Lockport Gallery
John Siblik, Director of the NIU School of Art and Design was commissioned by The Gaylord Building, a holding of the National Historic Trust. The Project received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Garden in the Sky project is also supported...
School of Art and Design kicks off 50th Anniversary celebrations
Call for entries for two exhibitions The 2018 fall semester kicks off the 50th Anniversary of Jack Arends Hall, home of the NIU School of Art and Design. First up are a pair of exhibitions: "Golden" Jack Arends Hall 50th Anniversary Juried Alumni Show, an All-Alumni...
Kinga Wojciaczyk receives School of Art and Design Dean’s Award
Kinga Wojciaczyk, BFA in Photography '18, is this year's recipient of the 2018 NIU School of Art and Design Dean's Award. The award winner is selected by a vote of the faculty of the School of Art and Design. "Working with Kinga has been an honor. She is the kind of...
Sycamore Depot Light Show features work from NIU School of Art and Design students
The Sycamore Depot Light Show is back, featuring the artwork of NIU School of Art and Design students. Starting at dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.) Saturday, May 19 the outer walls of the historic Sycamore Train Depot will be lit with artwork depicting the 25 year...
School of Art and Design students honored at Graduate Student Awards
With the academic year coming to a close, the following NIU School of Art and Design students were honored at this year's Graduate Student Awards. Outstanding Graduate Student Awards Shane Bowers – Art and Design (Studio – Sculpture) Dana Katz – Art and Design...
School of Art and Design’s Kerry Freedman wins Lowenfeld Award
Kerry Freedman, Professor of Art Education in the School of Art and Design at NIU was named the winner of the 2018 Lowenfeld Award, granted annually by the National Art Education Association and considered the most significant award in the industry. As well as...
Artigras annual Spring Art Walk is now a two day event
The City of DeKalb will host the annual Artigras celebration, Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5. The two-day event features an 'art tasting,' numerous art exhibitions by students of the NIU School of Art and Design, a variety show at the Egyptian Theatre and a grand...
New exhibition at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art features works from School of Art and Design’s Jessica Labatte
The exhibition "Picture Fiction: Kenneth Josephson and Contemporary Photography" opens this week at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and it features two works from NIU School of Art and Design Instructor of Photography Jessica Labatte. The exhibition is a survey...
Check out the NIU Graphic Design Show at NIU Chicago Center
Works from four NIU School of Art and Design students are on display at the NIU Graphic Design Show, April 23-May 11 at the NIU Chicago Center. Check out artwork from Leslie Latimer, Ping, Ben Lawson and Simon Saxsma at the Chicago Center Gallery, 105 W. Madison...
Elizabeth Russo designs winning Artigras poster
Elizabeth Russo, a junior illustration major in the NIU School of Art and Design, designed the winning poster promoting the annual Artigras weekend. Artigras is a two-day event celebration of the arts in downtown DeKalb, featuring an art walk, art tasting, variety...
Art and Design presents the visual communication Senior Show 2018 on April 25
The School of Art and Design presents the visual communication Senior Show 2018, Wednesday, April 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Space 1858, 1858 West Grand Avenue in Chicago. The Visual Communication program provides an intellectually based, professional design...
Attend the Historia Artis Student Symposium
Check out the Historia Artis Student Symposium, April 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. in room 114 of Jack Arends Hall (Art Building). Schedule 1:00 p.m.: Opening Remarks, Historia Artis President, Markie Striegel 1:10 p.m.: Parting Words for Graduating Students, Art History...
Art and Design alum Luis Sahagun featured at MCA Chicago, April 10
Artist Luis Sahagun, an NIU School of Art and Design MFA graduate in 2015, is featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago series "In Progress" at MCA Chicago, April 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free of charge. MCA Chicago's description reads: Luis Sahagun...
Check out the NIU MFA Thesis Exhibition “Nitty Gritty”
The Northern Illinois University Master's in Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition "Nitty-Gritty" is being held Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, April 21 at ARC Gallery, 2156 North Damen Ave. in Chicago. The "Nitty Gritty" opening reception is Friday, March 30 from 6 to...
NIU Sculpture visiting artist Claire Ashley to lecture March 28
Claire Ashley, a sculptor and instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will be at NIU, Wednesday, March 28 for a talk at 6 p.m. in the Jack Arends Visual Arts Building, room 111. The lecture is open to the public and free of charge. Ashley's work...
Art History professor Sinclair Bell to lecture at ISU
School of Art and Design Professor Sinclair Bell is lecturing this spring as part of Illinois State University's Speaker Series. Race and representation in the Roman Empire Sinclair Bell Classical archaeologist and art historian “Race and Representation in the Roman...
Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History concludes with John Osborne on monuments of ancient Rome
The NIU School of Art and Design's annual Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History series concludes, Wednesday, March 21 at 5 p.m., with John Osborne, emeritus faculty of Carleton University's lecture "The Monuments of Ancient Rome in the Medieval...
School of Art and Design Guest Artist – Demonstration on Alternative Etching Techniques and Collage
Join School of Art and Design guest artist Nandini Bagla Chirimar for a demonstration on alternative etching techniques and collage/Chine-Collé techniques, Tuesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. in Room AB 408 of the Jack Arends Hall on NIU's main campus. Everyone is welcome....
Art and Design Education presents Guest Speaker Charles Garoian, March 1
The NIU Art + Design Education Division welcomes Dr. Charles R. Garoian for a guest lecture, March 1 at 5 p.m. in the Jack Arends Visual Art Building room AB-111. Garoian is professor of art education at Penn State University, and has performed, lectured, and...
For Dana Arnett, failure turned out to be the best teacher
For the last 30-plus years, Dana Arnett, a 1983 BFA graduate of NIU's School of Art and Design, has been a driving force behind one of the most successful creative agencies in the nation, VSA Partners. He returned to campus to be honored at the Second Annual College...
NIU hosts community college art exhibition Feb 9 – 23
Northern Illinois University’s School of Art and Design is presenting an exhibition of artwork by Illinois community college students. This show will run from February 9-23 and features the professional artwork of community college art faculty and a juried...
Art and Design students design winning NIU holiday cards
Michelle Corkery, a senior visual communications major from Geneva, Ill., and Lynn Corr, a jewelry design/jewely fabrication major from Sycamore, Ill., designed two of the three holiday cards selected by NIU Acting President Dr. Lisa Freeman. The three winning...
Life drawing models needed for spring art classes
Life drawing is the study of the human figure through exercises in contour, modeling and gesture drawing in a variety of media. Northern Illinois University is seeking male and female models to pose nude for Spring 2018 life drawing classes. Classes are held Mondays...
School of Art and Design alumna Barbara Lee Smith: “It started with a dream”
After 35 years away, renowned mixed media artist Barbara Lee Smith returned to the NIU campus last month to spend a day meeting students, talking with faculty and reflecting on her time completing her Master's in Fine Arts in 1979. She spoke of how grateful she was...
School of Art and Design’s Michael Barnes selected for Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award
Michael Barnes and Victor Ryzhov have been selected as the recipients of the 2017 Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. The award honors exceptional members of the graduate faculty for their scholarly achievements and outstanding contributions to graduate education at...
2017-18 Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History lineup
The lineup for the 2017-2018 Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History series in the NIU College of Art and Design has been set. Join us in room 100 of the Art Building (Jack Ahrends Hall) on the main campus of NIU. All of these talks are free of charge and...
School of Art and Design hosts Frankie Flood, Oct 11-12
SOAD will be hosting artist Frankie Flood on Wednesday, October 11, and Thursday October 12 for a number of lectures and demonstrations. All are open to any interested students. Frankie Flood is an Associate Professor of Art at Appalachian State University, and the...
Assistant Professor Michael Rea’s work featured at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
NIU Assistant Professor of Sculpture, Michael Rea's platform sculptures are a featured part of a current installation at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). Choreographer Maria Gillespie presents "Tangible Space," a performance and movement installation,...
School of Art and Design hosts art crawl and Student Art Gallery naming, Sept. 14
The School of Art and Design offers a unique opportunity to see art exhibitions in four university gallery spaces in one evening, and attend the naming of the Student Art Gallery. The progressive art crawl begins at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, September 14 on the main...
School of Art and Design hosts 13 Chinese students
Thirteen design students from Xi’an University of Technology in Shaanxi, China, spent two weeks at NIU as part of what both universities hope will be the start of a series of exchanges between the two universities. The students spent a week studying under School of...