The James S. Murray Gallery is featuring the exhibit “Herbaria and Otherwords” by local artist Ruthan Mazrim through April 5. The campus community as well as the public is invited to attend a reception with the artist today from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

“Herbaria and Otherwords” represents a body of work influenced by the tradition of botanical collections that was popular during the Victorian era. However, unlike standard collections, Mazrim alters and manipulates dried plant remains, adding pigment, fibers and found objects. “The use of text adds to or changes the meaning of the specimens,” says Mazrim.

Her exhibit also includes works that incorporate pages or covers from vintage books. “It is a reference to the speculation about the future demise of printed books,” she explains.

Mazrim was born in rural Minnesota but has spent most of her adult life in central Illinois. She studied art at LLCC, Sangamon State University, University of Minnesota, Arrowmont School in Tennessee and Penland School in North Carolina. Her work has been exhibited in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Seattle and throughout the Midwest.

The LLCC Arts and Humanities Department will hold a showing and discussion of the film “The Way” this evening,  March 22, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Trutter Center.

In “The Way” (2010), a father hears that his son was killed in an accident in the north of Spain while walking the over 1,000-year-old pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. The father goes to Europe to claim his son’s body. Once there, he decides to complete his son’s pilgrimage to honor his son’s memory. This is the story of a man and the people he meets on the Camino de Santiago who find meaning and purpose while on pilgrimage. Speaker and facilitator is Joseph Hoff, LLCC professor of Spanish.

Prior to the film showing, the Trutter Museum will have culturally relevant artifacts from the Trutter collection on display in the reception area. Film series attendees are encouraged to come early to enjoy the art and history.

The event is the second installment in LLCC’s spring film and discussion series entitled “Through a Different Lens: Cultural Perspectives through Film,” which is hosted by Ashley Green and Paul Van Heuklom, LLCC professors of English, and Professor Hoff. The final film in the spring series, “Your Name” (Kimi No Na Wa) (2016) will be shown on April 19. There is no charge to attend.

LLCC’s Recital Series will feature a Chamber Music Recital with Brick House Brass and Blackwater Strings on Sunday, March 25 at 4 p.m. in the Trutter Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The Brick House Brass Ensemble consists of Wil Adams, trumpet; Vince Camille, trumpet; Austin Wilson, horn; Jason Waddell, associate professor of music at LLCC, euphonium; and Tom Philbrick, tuba. The ensemble will be performing a variety of Brass Quintet literature including classical selections and popular brass selections.

The Blackwater Strings Ensemble is comprised of Ashley Peterson Rescot, violin I; Mary Gamble Lueking, violin II; Rachel Gamble Helton, viola; and Chet Lord-Remmert, cello. The ensemble will be performing classical quartet selections with fate-based themes by the composers Schubert and Beethoven.

“Herbaria and Otherwords” by Ruthan Mazrim is the current exhibit in the Murray Gallery through April 5.  The gallery, on the second floor of Menard Hall, is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The campus community as well as the public is invited to attend a reception with the artist tomorrow evening,  March 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the gallery.  Read more about the artist and exhibit. 

The LLCC Arts and Humanities Department will hold a showing and discussion of the film “The Way” tomorrow evening,  March 22, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Trutter Center.

In “The Way” (2010), a father hears that his son was killed in an accident in the north of Spain while walking the over 1,000-year-old pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. The father goes to Europe to claim his son’s body. Once there, he decides to complete his son’s pilgrimage to honor his son’s memory. This is the story of a man and the people he meets on the Camino de Santiago who find meaning and purpose while on pilgrimage. Speaker and facilitator is Joseph Hoff, LLCC professor of Spanish.

Prior to the film showing, the Trutter Museum will have culturally relevant artifacts from the Trutter collection on display in the reception area. Film series attendees are encouraged to come early to enjoy the art and history.

The event is the second installment in LLCC’s spring film and discussion series entitled “Through a Different Lens: Cultural Perspectives through Film,” which is hosted by Ashley Green and Paul Van Heuklom, LLCC professors of English, and Professor Hoff. The final film in the spring series, “Your Name” (Kimi No Na Wa) (2016) will be shown on April 19. There is no charge to attend.

LLCC Theatre, in collaboration with Theatre in the Park, presents Ken Ludwig’s “The Three Musketeers” Friday through Sunday, May 19, 20 and 21 and Thursday through Saturday, May 25, 26 and 27. The play begins at 8 each evening at Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site in Petersburg. Pre-show entertainment begins at 7 p.m. in the indoor theatre, and at approximately 7:20 p.m., Director Mark Hardiman, professor of theatre, will present a brief talk about the production.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $10 for children under the age of 12 and may be purchased online at theatreinthepark.net or by calling 632-5440 or 800.710.9290. The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 5 to 8 p.m. on show nights.

Ludwig’s adaptation of the famous novel by Alexander Dumas is a hilarious, rollicking and suspenseful adventure. The retelling of the musketeers’ story involves a young man, D’Artagnan, who sets off to join the musketeers. His sister, Sabine, comes along, joining in the swashbuckling and proving her sword-fighting abilities.

“It is a fantastic addition to a great tale,” says Hardiman. “This adaptation balances the roles of men and women quite well. It also adds more fun and swashbuckling!”

LLCC’s Honors Recital is being held tomorrow, April 26 at 7 p.m. in Menard Hall 2250. The recital showcases LLCC’s finest and
best music majors along with advanced hobby musicians. The program features a wide variety of instrumentalists and vocalists and is a partial requirement for LLCC’s Private Applied Music courses. The event is free and open to the public.

L to R – Zach Aiello of Chatham (incoming Lamp editor), Madison Mings of Springfield (former Lamp editor), Tim McKenzie (adviser), Theresa Brummett and Tess Peterson

LLCC’s student newspaper, The Lamp, received 11 awards at a statewide competition April 7. The awards were presented at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association (ICCJA) spring conference held at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.

The Lamp staff won honorable mention for the Mike Foster General Excellence Award, a prize for overall quality of the paper. The Lamp staff includes Isaac Warren of Springfield as editor, and Jared Gorrell of Springfield, assistant editor. “I saw the other papers, and the competition was fierce,” said Tim McKenzie, The Lamp’s adviser and assistant professor of journalism and humanities. “Winning a staff award is always gratifying because it reflects on the quality journalism and contribution of the whole staff.”

Other awards include:

Theresa Brummett of Salisbury won first place for news photo. Brummett previously was assistant editor of The Lamp. Lukas Myers of Taylorville placed first in arts review.

Isaac Warren received second place for page design and honorable mention for headline writing. Theaibold Kennon III of Springfield won second place for feature writing.

Anne King of Springfield placed second in sports feature writing, while Jesse Baker of Springfield received honorable mention.

Tess Peterson of Springfield won second place for Editorial Writer of the Year and Ryan Mazrim of Chatham garnered second place and honorable mention for feature photos.

In addition to The Lamp awards, Adviser and Assistant Professor McKenzie was elected to serve on the ICCJA board of directors.

The 2017 LLCC Juried Student Art Show winners were announced at the exhibit opening last night. Sixty-four art students submitted a total of 164 entries for consideration, representing 13 of LLCC’s studio classes.

Kevin Veara, MFA, painter and owner of Black Moon Tattoos, served as juror for the show. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sangamon State University and his Master of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. His paintings of bird and plant life have been exhibited nationwide and support even another identity for Veara as an environmental activist.

Juror Veara selected 101 art entries out of the 164, as well as the winners in the studio art categories. This year’s show also showcases several works from LLCC’s digital applications program.

Student art winners in the following award categories include:

Ceramics: Keirin Martel, Chatham – “Algal Bloom”, stoneware, Ceramics
Design Graphics: Binh Nguyen, Springfield – “Metamorphosis”, digital media, Intro to Graphic Design
Drawing: Arthur Silver, Springfield – “Nude with Bun”, Conté crayon, Life Drawing
Painting: Suzanne Traylor, Springfield – “Pilgrimage”, oil on canvas, Painting II
Printmaking: Binh Nguyen, Springfield – “Nymph”, serigraphy, Silkscreen Graphics
3-D Design: Katie Baer, Springfield – “Creatures in Miniature”, mixed media, 3-D Design
Photography: Summer Spain, Springfield – “Bloody Christmas”, giclée print, Digital Photography
Best in Show: Diane Wilson, Auburn – “Ryan’s Hands of Inner Strength”, oil on canvas, Painting II
Art History: Alicia Windisch, Springfield

Alexis Wernsing Pinnacle Award: Miles Guffy, Chatham – The Pinnacle Award was created in 2016 to honor the memory of LLCC alumna, Alexis Wernsing, who graduated from LLCC in 2011. The Pinnacle Award, chosen by the LLCC full-time art faculty, goes to the student who strives for the best in all their academic endeavors without complaint and no matter what the context.

The student art exhibit is open for viewing through May 4.