Moraine Valley Juried Art Exhibit Showcases Community Talent

PALOS HILLS, IL -- A picture is worth a thousand words, and Erik Sorensen’s watercolor “Social (Me)dia” captures the reality of 21st century family life. The Norman Rockwell-esque satirical painting shows a family of three sitting on couch isolated from each other by their smartphones, as seen from the point of view of the family dog. The entry earned the Oak Lawn man first place in the 2018 Juried Community Art Exhibition at the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, plus a $200 cash prize.

Second place was awarded to Richard Schmidt, of Frankfort, who received $125 for his oil painting entitled, “Swamp Reflection.” Kristine Christensen, of Oak Forest, won third place and $100 for her welded sculpture, “Recoil.”

Honorable mentions, with a prize of $40 each, were earned by Sandee Meek, of Palos Heights, for a relief carving she titled, “Magnolia II;” Alfredo Martinez, of Berwyn, for his colored-pencil drawing entitled, “Piano Bar;” and Lyn Tietz, of Oak Brook, for her mixed media entry, “Golden Swirls.”

“This is one of my favorite exhibitions every year,” said Tommy Hensel, managing director of the Fine and Performing Arts Center. “The high quality of artwork from our community members always amazes me, and this year we had particularly excellent submissions. The winners represent several different media and is testament to the diversity of talent in our artistic community. I hope everyone will stop by over the summer to view the exhibition.”

The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Aug. 1. The art gallery is located inside the Fine and Performing Arts Center, Building F, at the college, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills.

Juror of the exhibition was Andrew Reyes, a Chicago-based curator and gallery director at the O’Connor Art Gallery at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. Reyes earned his bachelor of arts degree in art history and sculpture at Dominican University and his master of arts in museum and exhibition studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Reyes has worked for commercial art galleries and museums in Chicago, including Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.