Michael Smith - Natural or Man-Made or One in the Same

Natural or Man-Made or One in the Same, a photo exhibition by Michael E. Smith, will be shown from June 9 to June 24 in the Visual Arts Gallery. A closing reception will be hosted by the artist on Wednesday, June 24th from 6 to 9 p.m. in the gallery.

As a lifelong chronicler of nature and the outdoors, Smith uses his photography as a means to understanding the environment and our role in it. In a series of large format photographs Smith illustrates our effect on the natural world. Subjects range from national parks and golf courses to urban blight. The saturated palette lends a heightened reality to the pieces that gives an altered feel to the landscapes. Each photo shows how humankind has directly impacted the natural world, but each also shows the unremitting strength of Mother Nature. The photographs ask the question: do we recognize what we have wrought in our world?

Natural or Man-Made’s goal is to engage the viewer in a debate about natural versus artificial and wilderness versus civilized. Smith’s photographs show the sometimes messy, sometimes beautiful world we made. Are we a part of nature? Or are we apart from nature?

Diaspora - Peter Bosy

“Diaspora – Dispersing the Light”, a photo exhibition by Peter Bosy, will be on display from May 18 to June 5 in the Visual Arts Gallery. An opening reception celebrating Bosy’s work will be held on Monday, May 18, from 6 to 9 p.m., in the gallery.

In this series of photos, the light is spread and creatively diffused, enabling visual exploration to find a sensitive balance between shadow and light. Featuring the subject matter of flora, translucent items, and the human form, Bosy captures their beauty utilizing sharp angles and soft lines giving viewers the opportunity to blend a combination of color, shapes and forms into focus.

Bosy is the owner of Peter Bosy Photography, Inc. in suburban Chicago, where he works with both commercial and fine art clients. He has served as full-time faculty at Harrington College of Design in Chicago, and is completing his Master of Arts Degree in Photography at Governors State University.

Gabriel Villa

From Chicago Public Radio's City Room:
This week artist Gabriel Villa was putting finishing touches on this mural in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. Now someone has brown-washed the work. Alderman James Balcer (Ward 11) told WBEZ this morning that he called the city’s Streets and Sanitation Department to have it destroyed.
Follow the story here and here. An exhibition of Villa's work here at the GSU Visual Arts Gallery is scheduled for September of this year.