Apr 9, 2024 | Art and Design, xArt and Design News, xCVPA, xFeatured
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 charge in person or via Zoom, that will feature six art scholars from around the country joining Jessica Labatte, director of the NIU School of Art and Design and associate professor and head of the photography division, to discuss AI’s impacts on visual art.
In this symposium, artists and scholars will present multiple perspectives on the new technology, provoking conversations about the potential opportunities and potential liabilities of this tool.
AI in Visual Arts Symposium will be held Friday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to noon in room 103 of Jack Arends Hall, the Visual Arts Building on the main NIU campus. Those wishing to attend virtually can sign up at go.niu.edu/ai-art-symposium. The symposium and free and open to the public.
Photo by Drew Drusko, design by Sophia Varcados
Mar 17, 2023 | Art and Design, xArt and Design News, xCVPA, xFeatured
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 term as director. Boughton is a professor of art education and previously served as director of the school from 2008 to 2014.
Paul Kassel, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts lauded Boughton for his work as director, including his leadership during the school’s accreditation renewal process, the challenges of the pandemic and financial constraints.
“I look forward to working with Jessica to build upon Doug’s good work,” Kassel said. “To continue the successes, create new ones and to further mission, vision and values of the school, college and university.”
Labatte said being selected for NIU’s Emerging Faculty Leadership Program helped to spark her interest in the director position. The professional development program is designed to develop and expand faculty members’ capacity for leadership in higher education.
“Through the program I’ve seen that I can lead and make connections with other areas and faculty across campus,” Labatte said. “With the skills I’ve developed and the experiences I’ve had in the classroom and as an artist, I’ve realized that my ability to creatively solve problems would be an asset in leadership. The arts have a very important role in everything that our campus does and potentially could do. I feel like I can make the connections needed to create even more opportunities for our students.”
She is excited to be working with students from all areas of the school.
“Throughout the interview process I heard from students in other areas like illustration and art education what they would like to see in our school,” Labatte said. “I am excited to share what we’ve been doing in photography in collaborative experiential learning projects that have a connection to the community. I’ve worked to expand outreach in the arts and I’ll be able to do more of that as director. We have a great faculty with great ideas, and we’ll work together to make some wonderful things happen.”
She first came to NIU as a visiting assistant professor in 2012, and started on her tenure track in 2014. In addition to her academic roles at the university she has spearheaded a number of collaborative initiatives on and off campus. Faces of Belonging was a project in collaboration with the NIU Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the City of DeKalb to create portraits of marginalized identities in STEAM professions. She worked with the Ellwood House Museum and the DeKalb Regional History Center on the Past and Pleasant exhibition.
In March 2022, she worked with campus and community partners as her ARTD 464 Advanced Photography Post Production class successfully created the world’s largest paper snowflake as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The snowflake is the focus of an exhibition at Founders Memorial Library from March 20 through April 10 with a special event scheduled for Thursday, March 23 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the library.
Labatte earned her Master of Fine Arts and her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photo: Jessica Labatte
Photo credit: Amy Fleming, 2023
Mar 7, 2023 | Art and Design, xArt and Design News, xCVPA, xFeatured
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 holder.
The record has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records and you can come see the largest paper snowflake ever created when it is displayed in NIU’s Founders Memorial Library from March 20 – April 10.
A special event will be held Thursday, March 23 that will feature a reception, opportunities to have your picture taken with the world’s largest paper snowflake as your backdrop, a create your own paper snowflake workshop, two talks featuring NIU experts, a time lapse video of the world record paper snowflake creation, real-time snowfall counts from Science on a Sphere, NIU student snowflake designs and much more.
The reception will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., March 23 in Founders Memorial Library.
At 4:30 p.m. there will be an expert talk by Joseph O’Brien, atmospheric science software specialist at Argonne National Laboratory’s Environmental Science Division and Victor Gensini, associate professor in the NIU department of earth, atmosphere and the environment where he specializes in extreme weather, climate variability/change and prediction
At 5:30 p.m. an artist talk with NIU photography students and Jessica Labatte, associate professor and head of the photography department.
Mar 30, 2022 | Art and Design, xArt and Design News, xCVPA, xFeatured
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 Labatte, associate professor and head of the photography department toiled for more than ten hours laying out, tracing, cutting and folding the snowflake on the floor of the NIU Convocation Center.
They will submit the official supporting materials to Guinness to have their new world record certified.
Mar 28, 2022 | Art and Design, xArt and Design News, xCVPA, xFeatured
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 (WNIU/WNIJ), the Divisions of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development and Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and various campus and community partners (including the photography program of the School of Art and Design). The exhibit aims to deepen our communiversity understanding of belonging and othering by exploring personal lived experiences of campus and community members, and the insights of national belonging thought leaders.
“Voices of Belonging” features 11 local residents and students sharing their stories in their own voices. The unrehearsed, extemporaneous interviews conducted by WNIJ producers are honest and captivating.
The exhibit also includes interviews with a local and national expert who helps to define belonging. There is also a rare recording of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to Ohio high school students about belonging. Angela Baron Jeffrey, who moderated NIU’s community conversation with dr. james a. powell, serves as the audio host.
The exhibit also provides reflection questions to encourage personal contemplation at both the individual and community level.
All are invited to join NIU, the City of DeKalb, Northern Public Radio, the DeKalb Area Belonging Council, Target, and Mortenson for the opening reception, March 31 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the main level of Founders Memorial Library for a special opening reception, remarks will be made at 4 p.m.
After the March 31-April 14 run in Founders Memorial Library the installation will travel to the DeKalb Public Library (April 25 through May 8) and then to Kishwaukee College with the intention that the exhibit travel to various campus and community locations including schools, houses of faith, public buildings and other locations to create awareness, provoke thought, personal reflection and to further the creation of a culture of belonging in the DeKalb area and on the NIU campus.
Special thanks to the following for their contributions to the creation of this exhibit:
Moderator and host, Angela Baron-Jeffrey
NIU Marketing and Communications team
The Friends of the NIU Libraries
NIU Founders Memorial Library
NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts – especially Associate Professor of Art Jessica Labatte and her photography students
NIU Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development
NIU Division of Academic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) campus center at NIU
james a. powell
Each of the eleven outstanding participants
The Cleveland Public Library and Ideastream for the contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s rare and powerful recording
A Note for Educators & Discussion Group Leaders
Voices of Belonging includes 12 questions throughout the exhibit intended to provoke personal reflection. Three final questions were asked of each interview participant. Visitors are invited to consider these three questions and submit their own personal Voice of Belonging recording. The exhibit questions were created with educational and group discussion opportunities in mind. Educators and discussion leaders are invited to create assignments, discussions, and experiential learning opportunities related to the exhibit. We would love to know how you use the exhibit and the questions posed.
Your feedback is welcomed and assists us in enhancing our current and future exhibits. Please send us an email at mbernoudy@niu.edu or jgroce@niu.edu with your feedback. Private tours and talks can be arranged from time to time. If you would like to arrange for a private tour and discussion for your class or group, please contact Jennifer Groce at jgroce@niu.edu
Want to Host the Exhibit?
Voices of Belonging is a traveling exhibit. If you would like to submit a request for review to host the exhibit in your location, please contact Jennifer Groce at jgroce@niu.edu or Monique Bernoudy at mbernoudy@niu.edu. Please note that the exhibit can only be used indoors and must be in a safe and secure location that is monitored, and a staff member must be available to distribute and collect disposable headphones and MP3 players as needed.
Questions?
Please contact Jennifer Groce at jgroce@niu.edu or Monique Bernoudy at mbernoudy@niu.edu
