Department of Art

Jillian Moore, BFA 2004, has continued her pursuit of the unusual and is being recognized for her great talent and successful work.

From the Society for Contemporary Craft blog.
The work of Jillian Moore is bright and colorful, shiny and bold. It can also be slightly disturbing in that it-looks-like-something-that-is-supposed-to-gross-me-out-but-I-don’t-want-to-look-away kind of ways. [...]

Matt M. Myers, BFA 2004, in metalsmithing and jewelry design. Since graduating Matt has taught himself blacksmithing, welding and forging. He even built his own coal forge and now runs his own studio The Black Toad Forge.
Schiffer Publishing contacted Matt requesting both photographs and a brief explanation of some of his steel sculpture. The six [...]

The Western Illinois University Art Department, the Visiting Lectures Committee, the University Theme Committee and the Provost’s Office welcomed Visiting Artist Ryan W. Kelly February 6-10th, 2012.
Ryan’s work presents a discovery of new media and technology in regards to collaborative and interdisciplinary practice, posing questions of pedagogy, research, and learning. [...]

Victoria Hallberg, breaks the current “bridge to nowhere” record with a new record of 98 pounds.

Each bridge is expected to span a 12 inch gap. Students are to use only one bag of clay. Hallberg’s bridge, “The Church” established her as a formidable clay bridge engineer amongst a fierce group of competitors this semester.

Congratulations Victoria, a Job well done

Shawn Spangler will teach a summer workshop from July 2 to 6 at prestigious Sante Fe Clay in New Mexico.  This will be the 15th summer series at Sante Fe Clay.
Shawn’s workshop is titled Structuring Compositions: Exploring Wheel Thrown Forms.
Complex, articulated pots are often created by assembling multiple wheel thrown parts. Using porcelain clay, students [...]

From University Relations:
MACOMB, IL – Charles A. Wright, chair of Western Illinois University’s Department of Art, has been named a candidate for the College Art Association’s (CAA) Board of Directors. He is joined on the ballot by a small contingency of academics from institutions including Harvard and [...]

Bruce Walters latest Art in Plain Sight is about the First National Bank in Davenport, IA.  As always, always in plain sight and maybe not as appreciated as it should be, thanks to Walters for directing attention to the art all around us.
The entrance to the First National Bank Building (now U.S. Bank) at [...]