CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The work of young artists in the Champaign-Urbana area will be showcased during an exhibition hosted by Krannert Art Museum and the School of Art + Design, a unit in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois.
The Area High School Art Exhibition will feature work by students from 10 area high schools (Editors note: See list) and young artists who are home-schooled or independently schooled. The exhibition will run from Dec. 7-Jan. 7 at the Link Gallery, 408 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign. The hope is to make the exhibition an annual event.
During the opening reception, to be held Dec. 9 from 5-7 p.m., Shauna Carey, a teacher and the fine arts coordinator at Champaign Community Unit School District No. 4, will be presented with the School of Art + Design’s 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award in Art Education. The school established the awards this year to honor alumni who have distinguished themselves in the areas of art education, art history, design and studio. Recipients are selected by U. of I. faculty members in each division based upon recipients’ contributions to their field and the community.
During Carey’s 35-year career with Unit 4 Schools she has taught visual arts at the kindergarten through high school levels and has served as the district’s fine arts coordinator for the past five years. Carey, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the U. of I., teaches at Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Champaign, where she has been a faculty member since 1994.
In 2006, Carey was selected as the Phi Delta Kappa/Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year – an achievement that also garnered a resolution in the Illinois House of Representatives – for her efforts in integrating bilingual, gifted and special needs students into regular classes so they could share their languages, backgrounds and talents in cooperative learning groups. Carey’s learning strategies include the use of puppets and drama, dance, art and music to build students’ conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
The opening reception at the Link Gallery will include a musical performance by the Champaign Centennial High School Ensemble.
The hours for Link Gallery and KAM are Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m.-5 p.m. The museum and gallery will be closed Dec. 24-27, Dec. 31, and Jan. 1-2.
Editor’s note: Schools participating in the exhibition: Centennial High School, Fisher High School, Heritage High School, High School of St. Thomas More, Oakwood High School, Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School, Unity High School, University High School, Urbana High School, Villa Grove High School
