If you’ve been looking for an excuse to screenprint your own wardrobe, hunt down famous historical felines or simply get a quick cardio workout in the name of culture, Western Illinois University has you covered.
The WIU Department of Art and Design will host its fall season kickoff edition of 'First Wednesday' on Sept. 2 from 7-9 p.m. The free, community-wide event spans Garwood Hall, the Heating Plant Annex and the WIU Art Gallery, offering hands-on art stations, scavenger hunts and late-night gallery hours. Visitors planning to explore the full lineup should note one small catch: the Garwood Hall elevator is currently out of order, meaning attendees will need to take the stairs to reach upper-floor activities.
Those making the climb inside Garwood Hall will find creative opportunities on every level. In the basement, Professor Tim Waldrop will lead a session on surrealistic stencil drawings in Room 03. Moving up to the first floor, Sherry Lindquist hosts 'Paw-some Cats in Art,' an art historical scavenger hunt featuring prizes in Room 10, while Professor Susan Czechowski helps visitors screenprint custom WIU logos onto their own broughtfrom- home apparel in Room 11. On the second floor, Professor Damon McArthur will guide guests through sunflower watercolor paintings in Room 25, alongside fall-themed leaf decoration crafting in Room 24 with art education students Scottie Bragg and Emma Seaborn.
Over in the Heating Plant Annex, interactive studio demonstrations continue with printmaking and sculpting. Professor Kat Myers will demonstrate copper roller printing in Room 107, while Professor Ian Shelly tests visitors' sculpting precision with the 'One Inch Clay Challenge' in Room 111.
Rounding out the evening, the University Art Gallery will remain open late so visitors can tour Mayuko Ono Gray’s solo exhibition, 'This Too, Shall Pass,' which showcases monumental, calligraphic graphite drawings.
The event is free and open to the public, with support provided by The Performing Arts Society and Blick Art Materials. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. For more details, contact the Art and Design office at (309) 298-1549 or email Professor Tim Waldrop at [email protected].
