Guitars As An Art Piece

An exhibit of guitar assemblages titled “Brother and Sister Guitars” by Michael Gaughan will be on display through Oct. 1 in Gallery Two, located in the hallway outside the MCC Library. The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

The guitar assemblages were created for the band, Brother and Sister, and were used during live performances from 2005-2009. The works were created with financial support from the Jerome Foundation for Emerging Artists 2004-2005. “Helicaster” includes an RC helicopter and electric guitar parts and was created with the engineering help of Steven Day. The spinning mechanism on “Quadchopper” was created with the assistance of Toby Lawson.

Michael Gaughan, formerly of McHenry County, who now lives in Minneapolis, earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Minnesota. He has been a visiting artist at the Walker Art Center and at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. His paintings have been exhibited in numerous group and solo shows including Deitch Projects at Art Basel in Miami, Deplayer in Rotterdam, Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts in Oregon, the Ace Hotel in New York City, the Soap Factory, Soo Vac Gallery and Familia Skateshop. His illustrations have been used by Nike, American Apparel, Andrew WK, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Jagjaguwar Records, Troma Films, City Pages, Good Magazine, Dining Out Magazine, and other musical arts, print and film projects. 

For more information about MCC art galleries, contact Sandra Lang, at (815) 455-8785 or email her at: slang@mchenry.edu.

Produce A Supply of Honey

Join McHenry County College for a three-part series on beekeeping presented by three experts, who will present extensive insight into the science and art of beekeeping.  The series takes place from 7-9 p.m. on Friday evenings, Sept. 9, Nov. 4 and Dec. 9 in the MCC Conference Center. The college is located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

The series explores the condition of the ancient honeybee in the challenging present day environment. Three world-renowned speakers and authors will discuss their research, practical beekeeping, and take a philosophical look at the man-nature interaction. The three-evening series is intended for beekeepers, naturalists, and those who support nature

The three-part series features the following topics:

September 9: Queen Breeding and the Logic of Nature
The latest advances in biology and genetics regarding strategies for queen breeding and production will be discussed. The new scientific findings call into question many assumptions and strategies for bee breeding. Guest speaker Randy Oliver brings his 40 years of practical beekeeping experience to suggest the most effective ways to breed for varroa resistant bees. Oliver owns and operates a small commercial beekeeping enterprise in the foothills of Grass Valley in Northern California. He manages about 700 colonies for migratory pollination and produces queens, nucs, and honey. He earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in biological sciences. Oliver researches, analyzes, and digests beekeeping information from all over the world to not only broaden his own depth of understanding and knowledge, but to develop practical solutions to many of today’s beekeeping problems.

November 4:  The Bee Informed Partnership
Bees are dying in droves. What’s a beekeeper to do? Leading apiarist Dennis VanEngelsdorp explains how the bee informed partnership (beeinformed.org) proposes to help. Using epidemiological methods developed to investigate human epidemics, he will present the most current findings based on this year’s management practices survey. Find out which management practices work and which ones don’t.

Guest Speaker: Dennis VanEngelsdorp is senior extension associate for the Department of Entomology at Penn State University. He has a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and a Master of Science degree in environmental biology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, and a Ph.D. from Penn State.  He has written numerous articles on Colony Collapse Disorder and has contributed to a segment on Good Morning America and in magazines such as Discover, Fortune and The New Yorker.

December 9, 2011 - Natural Beekeeping
Beekeepers face new challenges in keeping bees alive and healthy, but, until now there’s been no holistic orientation on beekeeping. Natural Beekeeping offers an alternative to chemical practices and delivers a program of natural hive management to produce long-term solutions to today’s beekeeping challenges: naturally resistant, healthier hives. Both novices and neo-pros receive tips on everything from genetics and breeding to pests and harvesting.

Guest Speaker: Ross Conrad learned his craft from the late Charles Mraz, world-renowned beekeeper and promoter of apitherapy. Conrad is a former president of the Vermont Beekeeper’s Association, a regular contributor to “Bee Culture - The Magazine of American Beekeeping,” and author of “Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches To Modern Apiculture” published by Chelsea Green. Ross has given bee related presentations and led organic beekeeping workshops and classes throughout North America for many years.

Cost is $25 for each session or $60 for all three.  To register, please use course IDs:

NCC S70 001: Queen Breeding and the Logic of Nature with Randy Oliver; NCC S71 001: The Bee Informed Partnership with Dennis VanEngelsdorp; NCC S72 001: Natural Beekeeping with Ross Conrad; and NCC S73 001: entire three-speaker series.

To register, call the MCC Registration Office at (815) 455-8588.  For more information, call Amy Carzoli at (815) 455-8764 or Kristine Emrich at (815) 479-7570.

McHenry County College Trustees Review Proposed Budget

   The McHenry County College Board of Trustees will conduct two meetings this evening. The first is a Committee of the Whole which begins at 5:30 pm. This agenda includes the usual review of minutes of the June 24 Committee of the Whole meeting, review of the Board Packet for the Regular Board meeting to follow the COW meeting. Also includes is the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Presentation.
   The Regular Meeting of the Board follows the COW meeting. The Fiscal Year 2011 Budget will be reviewed by the Board for placement on public display until the August 26 adoption.
It must be realized that this budget is a representation of tying the college budget to the college's strategic plan. Earlier in the year, the Board was presented a three-year financial plan that included a $2 in-district tuition increase effective with the fall semester.
   As for budget cuts, four administrative and professional potions were eliminated while a new full-time faculty position was added. As for capital equipment and locally funded repairs and renovations, only the highest priority items are included in the proposed budget. One bright note is that adequate funds have been included in contingencies so the College may respond to emergencies and critical needs.
   The regular meeting of the College Board will follow the Committee of The Whole meeting beginning at 7:00 pm.

Private Investigation Course Offered By McHenry County College

McHenry County College’s Professional Education Department will offer an Introduction to Private Investigation course from 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesdays from June 3 through July 22. This class will meet in Room A119.

If locating people’s lost loved ones or investigating fraud appeals to you, or if you would enjoy interviewing witnesses to cases or be a part of an undercover operation, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about a new career. This course is taught by a working licensed private detective.

This class fulfills the training required mandated by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for obtaining the Permanent Employee Registration Card (PERC). The PERC is necessary for anyone interested in pursuing this exciting and challenging profession.

Cost is $209, which includes all course materials. For more information, contact Ruth Kormanak at (815) 479-7879. To register, contact the MCC Registration Office at (815) 455-8588 and reference class ID: QCJ C01 001.