Winners In Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Juried Art Exhibit

Above Photo:

McHenry County College student Molly Tait of McHenry stands next to two of her pieces that are part of a trio that won Best of Show in the 2014 Skyway Juried Art Competition hosted by McHenry County College. The 2014 Skyway Juried Art Exhibit is on display through April 8 in Gallery One and Gallery Two in the MCC Library.

Two McHenry County College (MCC) students won top awards in the 2014 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Juried Art Exhibit hosted by MCC through April 8 in Gallery One and Gallery Two in the MCC Library. The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Award winners include: Best of Show, Molly Tait of McHenry, for her untitled ceramics and Award of Excellence, Shelby Page of Crystal Lake, for her untitled ceramics. Both students are among seven MCC students who had their artwork selected for the Skyway Juried Art Competition, which included 36 student artists from eight area community colleges,     including College of Lake County, Elgin Community College, McHenry County College, Moraine Valley Community College, Morton College, Prairie State College, Oakton Community College and Waubonsee Community College.

Tait earned her associate in science degree from MCC last year and she continues to take a few prerequisite art classes with plans to transfer next fall to Bell Haven University in Jackson, Mississippi to next ceramics. She works part-time in the Art Department and is involved with MCC Student Senate, where she is a student rep for the MCC Clay Club. Her award-winning entry features a trio of Chinese bronze vessel-inspired pieces that were soda fired and include Asian motifs and architectural design. One of the pieces includes movable wheel parts.

“Ceramics is my favorite class,” Tait said. “My instructor, Tom Vician, probably had the most influence on my work. He’s very open to new ideas. I like the fact that he’s always searching for new things to do and sharing them with our class. There’s always something new to learn.”

Page is in her third semester at MCC and plans to transfer next fall to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study art. She also works part-time in the Art Department and at a local Starbucks coffee shop.

Other MCC students selected for the 2014 Skyway Art Exhibit are: Natalie Jedynak of Fox River Grove, for “Warrior,” an archival pigment print; Dallas LaCassa of Lake in the Hills, for “Goldbaum,” a stoneware, gold leaf; Mariela Ryan of Crystal Lake for “Sisters,” an archival pigment print; Joanna Sit of Crystal Lake, for “Jomana,” an oil on canvas; and Dennis Taylor of Lake Barrington, for “It’s None of Your Bismuth,” oil on canvas.

The jurors were Duncan MacKenzie, assistant professor of art and design at Columbia College in Chicago and Shannon Stratton, executive director of threewalls, a Chicago-based not-for-profit gallery space and art instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.