LLCC’s annual Student Art Show will open to the public tonight in the James S. Murray Gallery on the second floor of Menard Hall. The LLCC art department welcomes the LLCC community and the public to join them at a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. when award winners will be announced in several categories. A special invitation is extended to all students who put forth the effort to enter their artwork for jurying. Kevin Veara, MFA, painter and owner of Black Moon Tattoos, served as juror for the show.  The student show will be open for viewing until May 4.

As part of the 2016-2017 Recital Series, Chamber Music Recital with Brickhouse Brass and Blackwater Strings will be held Sunday, March 19 at 4 p.m. in Trutter Center. The recital is free and open to the public.

The Brickhouse Brass ensemble consists of Wil Adams, trumpet; Vince Camille, trumpet; Jan Arnold, horn; Jason Waddell, associate professor of music at LLCC, euphonium; and Tom Philbrick, tuba. The ensemble will perform various songs including “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” “St. James Infirmary,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and “a couple of goofy tunes to make the audience smile.”

The Blackwater Strings ensemble consists of Ashley Peterson Rescot, violin I; Mary Gamble Lueking, violin II; Rachel Gamble Helton, viola; and Chet Lord-Remmert, cello. The ensemble will perform String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Opus 18, No. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

As part of the Recital Series, Chamber Music Recital with Brickhouse Brass and Blackwater Strings will be held Sunday, March 19 at 4 p.m. in Trutter Center. Brickhouse Brass Quintet was founded by five area band directors who needed an outlet to make their own music. Founding members Vince Camille and Tom
Philbrick are combined with Wil Adams, Jan Arnold and Jason Waddell, associate professor of music at LLCC. They perform an eclectic array of music and will provide a fun-filled, toe-tapping afternoon. Blackwater Strings will join in for this special chamber music performance.

An exhibit of artworks by Al Shull, professor of art, called “Narrative” is currently on display in the Kathy Sacks Art Gallery at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tenn., through April 28. There are 24 works consisting of paintings, drawings and prints in the exhibit. On March 23, Professor Shull will speak at an opening reception as well as spend the day with art students at the university.

“I work in thematic series often involving the human figure,” says Al. “I have an interest in traditional media and techniques as they have been used throughout history; especially in the Italian Renaissance and Baroque time periods. I am, at heart, a traditionalist with a German expressionist nature. My art is very egocentric in nature because it reflects my questions about life, history and the world in which I live.

“Over the 20-plus years that I have been making art, my themes have remained constant. I still want the viewer to be impacted emotionally, intellectually and psychologically when looking upon my work. However, my technique has improved; for I am much more careful in the decisions I make throughout the creative process to create and execute a work of art.”

Artwork of LLCC student Trish Duknoski was selected for the 2017 Community College Art Faculty Invitational and Juried Student Exhibition. The exhibition runs through Feb. 24 at Gallery 215 North, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. An opening reception is being held tomorrow from 1 to 3 p.m.

The exhibit is open to art faculty and students from community colleges in Illinois. Artwork submitted must have been completed within the last two years. Duknoski’s submission is an untitled ceramic bottle form in turquoise and light yellow, which was made last year in Art 218-Ceramics II.

According to Art Professor Michelle Coakes, “I am immensely proud of Trish and the work she creates in the ceramics program here at LLCC. She is a valued leader in the program. Having a piece selected for inclusion in this exhibit is impressive, as Trish was competing with students from across the state. It is great that she is being recognized at the statewide level.”

LLCC Theatre, in collaboration with Theatre in the Park, is holding auditions tonight, tomorrow and Friday, Jan. 27 from 7-9 p.m. in Sangamon South room 0015 for Ken Ludwig’s “Three Musketeers,” adapted from the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The production will be directed and fight directed by Mark Hardiman, professor of theatre. The production runs May 19, 20, 21, 25, 26 and 27 at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. Auditions will also be held for a historical piece to be performed in the spring at Theatre in the Park.

The production will employ cross gender casting for many roles. All roles are open in this production. Auditions include reading from the script and movement exercises. The cast comprises adults and young men and women able to play 17 years and up. College students and community members are encouraged to audition. Those interested in backstage duties, stage management, or assistant to the director should drop by auditions for a brief conference with the director.

LLCC Theatre is committed to education in theatre, emphasizing not only performance but also growth in those involved in the production. Those participating will register for college credit or participate through LLCC’s Community Education program.

Questions may be directed to mark.hardiman@llcc.edu or by calling 217.786.4942. Persons who would like to audition but cannot attend should contact Professor Hardiman. More information on the productions may be found at theatreinthepark.net.

LLCC’s Recital Series continues this evening with a performance by the LLCC Big Band, beginning at 7 p.m. at First Christian Church, 6^th and Cook, Springfield.

LLCC’s Big Band, directed by Jane Hartman, professor of music, consists of LLCC students and community members performing arrangements of big bands such as those of Count Basie and Woody Herman. It also serves as a lab band for students who wish to write original arrangements. The Big Band performs a number of public concerts each year and also at campus events.

Also mark your calendars for:

Sunday, March 19 – Chamber Music Recital with Brickhouse Brass and Blackwater Strings, 4 p.m., Trutter Center, LLCC Springfield campus.

Wednesday, April 26 –  Honors Recital featuring LLCC music majors, 7 p.m., Menard Hall 2250, LLCC Springfield campus.

Arts and Humanities sponsors the film “Birth of a Family” on Thursday, Dec. 8, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Trutter Center.

In “Birth of a Family” (2012) Soo-Jung begins work at a home shopping channel network. She is a bright and warm-hearted woman. Her life changes when her father suddenly dies in a fire. Now, she has to learn how to take care of her family: her mother and her troublemaker younger brother Soo-Ho.

The event is the final installment of LLCC’s fall film and discussion series entitled “Through a Different Lens” and is hosted by Ashley Green, Ph.D., assistant professor of English; Paul Van Heuklom, professor of English; and Joseph Hoff, Ph.D., professor of Spanish. There is no charge to attend.