Don’t knock community college. It’s a great place to figure out who you want to be without wasting a ton of your parents’ — or John Q. Taxpayer’s — or your money. I went to Parkland Community College and I saved a ton of money on my general education requirements and earned my associate’s degree. (I went on to spend seventeen grand on a bachelor’s degree from a state university. I am a full-time bank teller and a part-time writer. Anyway…) The great thing about Parkland was that it was a step between the horny, turbulent world of high school and the drunken, horny, turbulent world of college. I got to ease into the independence thing and figure out my life a little bit.
I recently visited the old stomping grounds to check out the Art and Design Student Juried Exhibition. I saw photographs first, so I started there. One black-and-white print caught my eye, and I leaned in to study it further. This little gem depicts a tucked away corner of a building, perhaps in a small European village. There are brown vines crawling up the wall and around the two windows on either side of the frame. Turns out this image by Feby Riani is called “Pieces of Parkland.”
Another lovely image is a photo that is “hand painted silver gelatine, diana camera.” I don’t really know what all of that means, but I can say it produces an effect. The field of pastel flowers and portion of wooden fence are hazy, almost dreamlike in the frame. The living flowers look dried, faded, and forever preserved. The left portion of the picture is warped, like a childhood memory. I like it, Karen Scott. Maybe give it a title.
I perused the sculptures and saw a charming scene: two amorphous figures leaning in, their heads tilted slightly. They look like squat, little birds without feet. They are adorable dumplings with vague, non-facial features. They have personality without having any human characteristics. When I look at the title, I smile. “Just Curious,” by Peter Garrett.
“Giraffe,” by Saeree Kim is a six-year-old’s dream. It’s a three-dimensional giraffe, made entirely of cardboard, that stands about three feet high. Kim received the Parkland President Award for this sculpture and I can see why. It’s worth checking out.
Throughout the exhibit, I saw ceramics, paintings, wire work, jewelry, and more photographs. There is a colorful saki set and a sketch called “Still Life With Duck.” One sculpture by Bart Tredway is made of steel and looks like a coyote. Maybe it’s a dog. Either way, it is impressive and has a thought-provoking title: “Repellent.” I’m not sure if the title is an adjective or noun, and I love that it could be either.
One stoneware water pot looks harmless enough. I noted its handle and the title, “Caffeine,” by Melody Bilbo. As I tried to figure out what motivated Bilbo to name this kind-of-tea-pot what she did, I noticed something incredible. The bottom of the vessel is a heart. It’s not a valentine; it’s a human heart. I’m blown away by the message, even though I haven’t formed exactly what it is. I remember drinking lattes while my niece ate her cookie; drinking coffee at a greasy spoon diner with my high school boyfriend; working in my sister’s cafe. I smelled Folgers with cream when I’m barely able to open my eyes in the morning. Somehow caffeine, coffee especially, has become intertwined with my heartbeat, proverbial and anatomical. Maybe Melody Bilbo didn’t intend any of those particular connections to happen, but they did.
One of my favorite oil paintings in the mix is “Strawberry Milk” by Julia Galaway. It is big and bright and filled with unbridled joy. Two smiling people fill the frame, and are edged out of it in fact. There is a bright pink glass in the middle of the canvas, filled with the most amazing thing in the world, apparently. The faces in the painting are the happiest there ever were. I want that painting.
This exhibit runs until May 4 and I suggest you go. Parkland is a great place and the art gallery is worth supporting finacially. They give students a place to display their hard work and talent. The public is welcome to view it and learn from it, and it’s absolutely free. Visit the gallery Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Fridays 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., or Saturdays 12 noon–2:00 p.m.
Photos courtesy of Parkland Art Gallery.