southwestern-illinois-college « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Hamas flagship university grooms Hebrew teachers

1king1queen1love — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:04:40 +0000

“Gaza institution adds Hebrew to list of degrees; ‘It is the language of our enemies, but it is also the language of our neighbors,’ Gazan Hebrew instructor says”

Now lets get Hebrew taught as a foreign language and offered to students in AMERICA!

An Interview with Wayne Lanter

John K. Wilson — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:04:05 +0000

Wayne Lanter retired from Southwestern Illinois College and wrote a book about his 25 years of exper

Veterans Job Fair Set In Belleville

Brad Choat — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:00:22 +0000

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)- Illinois officials are planning a series of job fairs beginning next week to help veterans find work.

The Department of Employment Security says the Veteran Job Fair of 2012 is part of Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to help military veterans compete for newly created private-sector jobs.

Events are planned for Carterville, Naperville, Oak Forest, Bartonville, Belleville, Effingham, Champaign, Chicago and Mount Vernon. The Belleville event will be on November 8 at Southwestern Illinois College from 8:30am till noon.

Those attending should bring resumes and be ready for brief interviews with employers who attend.

Officials say veterans make loyal employees because they respect authority, embrace responsibility and do well on team-oriented tasks.

Earlier this year Quinn increased the state income tax credit up to $5,000 for each qualified veteran hired by a business. There’s also a federal tax credit.

TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Southwestern Illinois College Campus Evacuated

jmbutler13 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:27:00 +0000

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOX)- The Belleville campus of Southwestern Illinois College has been evacuated, due to a bomb threat, phoned in shortly before eight this morning.

In a statement from school public information officer Mike Flemming, “the Belleville Police called campus security to inform them they had received a phone call that quote, said there is a bomb at Belleville SWIC.”

The campus was cleared out as law enforcement units moved in to start a search for any device – none so far have been found. Flemming told KMOX News, “the campus will be closed for the rest of the day, we expect classes to resume tomorrow.”

K-9 units from Scott Air Force Base were called in to assist in the sweep. The two-year community college has some 13-thousand students.

KMOX © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Horror Flicks and Billy Goat Chips: A Day in the Life of a Cosmically Down to Earth Guy from the Middle West, Collinsville artist and poet Terry Pierson

tessf — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:05:55 +0000

I met Terry Pierson a couple of years ago when he showed up in the front row of a Creative Writing class I was teaching at Southwestern Illionis College on the Belleville campus. Strangely and serendipitously enough, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen him though.

“Hey, I know you,” I said after taking attendance. ” You are the painter guy from the Joan Baez concert. . . sitting one seat over in the next row. I remember because you had paint on your jacket and a sketchpad. You were also the dark figure following on the sidewalk just past the Metrolink station.”

In the course of that conversation, we agreed that the concert had been a memorable one, each recalling the moment in the encore after hearing one of our fellow concertgoers shout, “Take it to the full moon, Joanie!”

And take it to the moon she did.

With “Diamonds and Rust.”

That song has always been a transcendent one for me . . .sort of ethereal and spiritual in its rawness and longing. And sort of a nice Rosetta touchstone for getting into the topic of Terry’s art, which can also be described using those words. You could also add a few more though starting with “otherworldly,” ”celestial,”" nebular,” “cosmic”, “universal,” and “expressionistic.”

What follows this story of intros and discoveries of shared experience is my standard list of questions for the artist interview blog, accompanied by Terry’s insightful and eloquent responses.

1. Introduce yourself…

Tell me about your background. What events led up to your life in an art-making?

I wouldn’t credit anything in particular as what drove me to make art. I was always creatively inclined asa kid-writing, drawing, imagining and playing games. Painting kind of just started one day when I was about 15.

"Glow" acrylic on canvas, Terry Pierson

2. How do you get your hands and feet wet and dirty? What media / material & process do you like best, and why?

“I’ve almost exclusively worked with acrylic paint. I’ve used oil but I just like acrylic more. I find it more malleable and accessible. And since it is less accepted in the art world think it carries a certain distinction.”

I’ve always worked on canvas but lately I’ve played around with a few other things-wood, glass…pretty much anything I can
find. Around the time I first started exhibiting I painted on clothes-jackets, bags, jeans, shirts…I would be covered in paint head to toe anytime you saw me. But for now , canvas remains my preferred medium. Whenever I get a picture in my head, a vision of a painting, it’s always on canvas. So it’s just the most natural for me.”

"All the Time," acrylic on canvas by Terry Pierson

3. You know, Hemingway wrote a whole book around his experiences trying to feed himself in Paris as a starving artist. ..Do tell about your experiences. How and what DO you feed yourself?

“I feed myself hand to mouth, sometimes using a utensil such as a fork or spoon. I love fresh fruit-especially raspberries and
blackberries. I’m big on craft beer and red wine. I think the art of the culinary world is best represented in deserts. I like pecan or pumpkin pie best. All said I’m a working college student who eats too much fast food.”

"In My Pajamas" acrylic on canvas by Terry Pierson

4. Now that you have some food in your stomach, tell me a bit about your process. Do you have a ritual to get things started? Comfort stuff. ..listening material?

I always listen to music-everything from Kanye West to Bob Dylan. A lot of the time while I listen to music I have the TV on or am at my computer. I like to have constant stimulation. I’ve been watching movies recently while working-mainly old horror
films.

5. What inspires you most?

“Life is inspiration. I think art, at its purest, is a reaction. I don’t know how anyone could not make art. We take so much in all the time, especially in this country, that I think one has to let something back out.

But immediately and specifically monster movies, cartoons, and economic inequality.”

6. How have you evolved in your process? What learning experiences have had the biggest impact?”

“The most significant thing for me has been learning to trust myself. It’s easy to spout off independent sentiments but to really not let other’s opinions and expectations influence you is tough.”

7. “If you could do dinner with any creative person, dead or alive, who would it be and where would
you go to dinner?”

“I think it would have to be Kurt Cobain. And we’d probably go to one of our excellent local breweries. Schlafly is always a safe bet.”

"And the Scars to Prove it" acrylic on canvas by Terry Pierson

8. What would you order and what questions would you ask?

“Billy Goat chips are always a must.”

9. “Now that you have made your marks, pass the torch. ..what advice do you have for emerging artists?”

“Create the art you want to see in the world. Your goal should always only be to make work you are personally proud of. There is no wrong way. ”

"It's NIce Out" Digital illustration by Terry Pierson

10. For your burgeoning fan club! Please tell us where we can find you online.

“My official webpage will be coming soon. Until then I’m on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/terrypiersonart“

11. Thanks for such an insightful and entertaining interview, Terry! I really enjoyed learning more about your creative process.

(Author’s note: A couple of these images are actually digital illustrations mislabled as “acrylic on canvas.” Am having a dickens of time trying to edit these captions for some reason. My apologies to Terry.)

"The Way It Is" acrylic on canvas by Terry Pierson

Pastel, Petals, and Channeling Van Gogh: The Emerging Works of Mallory Maves

tessf — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 13:49:24 +0000

Today’s artist’s interview features yet another blossoming talent from the Woesthaus night school of play and painting, another new friend and true kindred spirit, already drawing near and dear
to my heart. . .who like myself also too, has come to embrace a passion for
petals and pastels.

I met Mallory last spring. . .when the snow was thick on SWIC pavement. . . and we all propped our canvases close to one another trying to find some warmth in the midst of those Midwestern crows and cornfields.

Mallory was the quiet one who smiled all the time. . .with a painting style very much like the artist
herself, overflowing with an abundance of warmth and sensuality.

You could just stand and watch her dab and dance around the canvas all day. . .her energy is so
inspiring too!

So on with the questions now! Just sit back and enjoy the wild ride! (and do try to forgive this spacing format. i am not sure how these line breaks happened with wordpress. . .can’t seem to delete them either. very mysterious!)

*************************************************************************************************

1. Introduce yourself…Tell me about your background.

What events led up to your life in art-making?

I don’t quite remember when I first became interested in art. I was home
schooled from 4th grade all the way through high school, and we always had art
classes with friends. I remember I loved copying photos because I loved drawing
peoples faces. I would try to get my drawing to look just like the photo, and I
would always get so mad if it didn’t look just right.

I didn’t really start getting into the “artistic” side of drawing until I
started college at Southwestern Illinois College. I have loved every single art
class I’ve taken at SWIC. I really wanted to branch out and learn what I could
do with different medias, so I took as many art classes as possible. I loved
drawing, which I knew, so I took every drawing classes possible including the
studio classes. I then went on to design, photo, ceramics, and painting. I feel
like every art class I took influenced how I perceived my drawing later. I
graduated SWIC 2011 with a double associate’s of AFA and AA.

“Rose” and “Van Gogh’s Shoes” oil on canvas, Mallory Maves

2. How do you get your hands and feet wet and dirty? What media / material & process do you like best, and why?

I prefer to draw, I use mostly graphite and charcoal, I’ve never been a
huge fan of color pencils. I like to make things as big as possible. When I was
younger I would work on things 8×10 or 5×7 because it was faster to finish
and easier to get done. Now that I understand the amount of detail that can go
into a piece just by upgrading the size to 30×36 or even larger, it makes me
feel that the time that it takes to fill the space is worth it just so I have
the perfect ending to my journey with the piece.

I feel like drawing is a very controlled art which I like, but painting is
what I really let loose with. My friend often says she loves to watch me paint
because I make such and mess around me. Splatters of paint will speckle the work
space around me, and the clothes that I wear, she just thinks it’s so
funny.

Mallory's palette

3. You know, Hemingway wrote a whole book around his experiences trying to feed himself in Paris as a starving artist. ..Do tell about your experiences. How and what DO you feed
yourself?

I’m almost like a Rothko who only ate cheap Chinese or nothing while
working on a piece. I will go days without eating while working on a piece, not
because I can’t afford it, but because I can’t pull myself out of the “trance”
it has me in. When I do emerge to eat it’s a quick cheap meal that I can quickly
eat before starting again. I also like to drink wine while I paint. During the
“fasting” time I “feed” myself with music, and books, and sources. It is
important to be educated in the world around you so that can convey itself in
your art.

4. Now that you have some food in your stomach, tell me a bit about your process.

Do you have a ritual to get things started? Comfort stuff. . .listening material?

Just like Audrey Kawasaki I do everything on my floor. When painting, I sit
on the floor in my room and prop my canvas up on the wall. For drawing, I like
laying my drawing board with paper on top right in the center of my floor
and kneel over it, it feels natural to me. I hate easels, I hate standing, and I
even hate sitting in chairs. When I do art I feel like I need to be at one with
myself and the best way to do that is to have no distractions, just me and the
floor.

I feel like music and art go hand in hand alot of the time. Music can be
very influential in the artistic process. I will listen to things based on my
mood or the mood of the piece. I normally loop the same albums over and over
depending on what the piece is making me feel. A common CD is “Lungs” by
Florence and the Machine, I could have the CD on repeat for hours and still not
get tired of it. Other that that I will listen to Bjork, Radio Head, TV on the
Radio, and sometimes even Ke$ha (just for fun).

5. What inspires you most?

People! People’s bodies, People’s music, People’s emotions, People’s
thoughts, even the decomposition of a person, anything that has to do with
someone can and will inspire me. I’m working on a series right now completely
inspired by the expressions on woman’s faces after they die. Although from the
outside this sounds like a graphic horrific task I find the decomposition of the
body to be beautiful when painting. There are so many colors and so many things
the paint can do. Each “dead woman” will tell a different story just by
the expression in their eyes and face. I’m hoping this will draw in the viewer
and create a thought process to discover the poor soul’s story. Make
people wonder what happened?

I have two oil paintings I am working on in the series, neither of which
are finished. By the time I am done I hope to have 15 drawings and
paintings.

6. How have you evolved in your process? What learning experiences have had the biggest
impact?

ALL learning experiences have an impact. I have found painting, photo,
ceramics, even make up design to help me with my drawing and vise versa. The
number one thing I would tell anyone that helps is take a design class if
someone is able to. It really helps with a persons artist vocabulary,
the composition of a piece, and even dabbles a bit in color theory. Other than
that I really feel in is important for a person know history, literature, even
biology, everything in life that can be leaner can also be conveyed into an
artistic experience.

"Silence in Film," oil on canvas, Mallory Maves

7. If you could do dinner with any creative person , dead or alive, who would it be and where would you go to dinner?

Mark Ryden hands down! Ryden is a pop-surrealist painter who first started
out in the 1990′s, his work is just breathtaking. He uses his intellect to
create these beautiful paintings of dewy vixens, and random symbolism. I
would probably take him to sushi? Ryden had a solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2003
so I feel like sushi would be a good fit to his interests, plus I just love
sushi.

8. What would you order and what questions would you ask?

Tamago, Inari, Salmon, Tuna, maybe some spicy crunchy tuna rolls? And a
good white wine of course!

I would probably ask him just how he does it? How does he make an image
that evokes so much feel using every day items, such as meat? I would want to
who what his inspiration is as well. Why dose he create
such ridiculous worlds?

9. Now that you have made your marks, pass the torch. ..what advice do you have for emerging
artists?

Go to school, and finish college. I LOVED every college art class I ever
took!!! Also, listen to your teachers! My teachers would drive me so hard to get
more out of me, and although it gets hard to listen and even go to class at
times, they know what they are talking about. Artists especially young ones
often think we don’t need help, but that is not the case, there’s always room
from improvement. So If a teacher says get an artist statement, make one! If
they say go home and drink a cup of tea then draw the leaves at the bottom DO
IT! They know what they are talking about and it’ll make you a better artist in
the end.

The only thing that is kind of controversial that I myself find does not
work for me is keeping an artist journal. I love writing, but I HATE drawing and
planning things out before I start them, I love to just dive in, but every time
a teacher has asked me to do one I’ve done it.

10. For your burgeoning fan club! Please tell us where we can find
you online.

Right now the only
place I have my art up is my own private facebook. I’ve thought about making a
SLART page or a fan page on facebook but I’m afraid of any backlash or people
not understanding my art.

Maybe once I begin school at SIUE this fall and bulk up my portfolio
alittle more I will think about making my art public.

Man Sentenced in Library Child Porn Case

danwarner11 — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:41:19 +0000

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) - An Illinois man is sentenced to seven years, six months in prison for trying to download child pornography on a public library computer.

The crime took place October of last year at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, where a security officer caught Thomas Smith, 28, attempting to download the images onto two mp3 players.

Some of the images featured minors engaged in explicit sexual acts, and Smith told police that he “could not control himself.” Smith’s release from prison will be followed by 20 years of supervised release.

Smith is listed as homeless on court records, but is formerly of the Belleville area.

Copyright KMOX Radio

I can hear it from the interstate

theinvisiblegardener — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:35:11 +0000

Sometime during my sophomore year in High School amidst learning to drive my 1996 Dodge Neon, I purchased Itzhak Perlman’s Greatest Hit’s CD. I was learning Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble Bee.” It was an intense time in my life as a young violinist, and it was important for me to live, breath, and sleep music.

Perlman did that.

Like that Dodge Neon, however, my violin studies came to a screeching halt around my freshman year in college, and yet I listen to that CD even today. Why? Because I still live, breath, and sleep music.

This is one reason I’ve decided to write a music blog. My taste in music ranges from Mr.Perlman to everyone from Conor Oberst to Dolly Parton and ABBA to U2. Along with music reviews I plan to incorporate art reviews and post my favorite “hot spots” around the St.Louis area, but first and foremost this is a music blog so expect to read reviews and updates from my favorite musicians, bands, and especially live shows.

I’ll also be posting my own photos along with photos my partner-in-crime and good friend Dustin Winter took. He has spent years photographing musicians like Sigur Ros, Reel Big Fish, and So Many Dynamos (and many more). He’s been close friends with UK based band, Ash, for quite sometime now. His knowledge of the music world is beyond impressive and I am lucky to be able to bring him aboard this ship.

I consider music to be a great priority in my life, but also believe that music is both subjective and personal, so if you have a tip on a great band/ musician you don’t think we’ve heard of, want us to review your band, or even disagree with one of my reviews, feel free to comment…and of course follow this blog.

Much love,
Rachel Bray