Sculptures by George Lorio featured in Schoenherr Gallery

North Central College will showcase sculptures by artist George Lorio in the exhibit “Concerns” May 31 through July 28.

The exhibit is free and open to the public in the College’s Schoenherr Gallery at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. An artist reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 31; complimentary refreshments will be served.

The works of art featured in “Concerns” draw from Lorio’s New Orleans upbringing and experiences living near the U.S.-Mexican border for more than 10 years. Each sculpture offers commentary and reflection about life along the border. However, Lorio’s time in New Orleans, in particular, exposed him to extremes that have influenced his art, including beauty and decay, religion and ritual, custom and iconoclasm.

“From my New Orleans experiences, I acquired an excitement for visual matters, colors, forms and even artifacts,” he says. “Before moving to the Rio Grande Valley, my sculpture employed a constructed metaphor to nature with which I sought a transcendent reference to my experience. Having lived on the border of Mexico, my imagery has grown more topical. Presently, I use an image of irony with constructed and found forms as a way to convey my comments on the privilege of class, immigration and social hierarchy.”

For more than three decades, Lorio has displayed artwork in group and solo exhibitions in galleries across the United States, including the Smithsonian Institution. He received a bachelor’s degree in art education and master of fine arts from the University of South Florida. He currently serves as an associate professor of visual arts at the University of Texas at Brownsville where he’s been teaching since 2001. Lorio also has received numerous fellowships and recognitions for both his art and his teaching.

For gallery hours or to learn more about the exhibit, contact Nickole C. Lanham, North Central’s gallery director, at 630-637-5375 or nclanhammurray@noctrl.edu.

Art, art history and art education are among more than 55 undergraduate majors offered at North Central College.

Navistar is underwriting sponsor of North Central College’s 2012-2013 Fine and Performing Arts Season. The season is partially supported by USG Corporation and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and National Endowment of the Arts.