Seniors exhibit their artwork in “Self Reflections”

North Central College senior studio art majors Robyn Mikyska and Hallie Hedinger will showcase their artwork in a monthlong exhibit.

Titled “Self Reflections,” the exhibit includes sculptural art, drawings, sketches, portraits, two-dimensional media and more, reflecting the interests and life experiences of the two featured artists. The free exhibit is open to the public and on display from Feb. 4 through March 3 in the College’s Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery, 31 S. Ellsworth St. An artist reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2; complimentary refreshments will be served.

Mikyska, of Downers Grove, draws and paints but especially enjoys creating sculptural art out of wood, clay and found materials, especially those deemed as trash. “The concept behind each work has a story that’s connected through my life experiences with people, different places and contact with other art,” says Mikyska. Those connections have been formed by her interests in singing, hunting and travel, including trips to London with her high school choir and to South Africa and Canada on hunting safaris. “I saw amazing works of art from woodcarvings in Canada, tribal paintings in South Africa and famous sculptures in London … giving me a great perspective and appreciation for the arts.”

Hedinger, of Chatham, Ill., has been an obsessive reader from early childhood. Her favorite literary characters have made their way to the pages of her sketchbooks and her computer screen. “I’m greatly interested in conveying the personality and individuality of each character through my work, and thus a large portion of my art consists of portraiture,” she says. “I’ve also used a variety of two-dimensional media, from pencil and ink-pen to digital vector, tailoring each medium to the piece’s subject, rather than forcing the subject to conform to the medium.”

Christine Rabenold, assistant professor of art, is faculty advisor for the exhibit. For more information about the exhibit or gallery hours, contact Rabenold at 630-637-5543 or cmrabenold@noctrl.edu.

Art students at North Central College learn traditional and contemporary media; engage in analytical, critical and abstract thinking; and learn to communicate ideas visually. Students attend gallery and museum openings and exhibits in Naperville and Chicago, meet visiting artists, enter juried exhibitions and gain an academic foundation for graduate study in studio art, art education, art history, art therapy, arts administration, art criticism and visual communications. Visit northcentralcollege.edu/majors/art to learn more about North Central’s art program.