Parkland Planetarium and Art Gallery Fall Preview

The sprawling buildings, tree-lined campus, caring staff and focus on the student are a few things that immediately spring to mind when thinking about Parkland. But two of the most unique and exciting features of Parkland are missing from this list: The William M. Staerkel Planetarium and the Parkland Art Gallery.

The William M. Staerkel Planetarium is preparing for an especially exciting fall. It is the 25^th anniversary of the planetarium and, to celebrate, they will be showing their very first show all over again, only better.

Waylena McCully, Production Designer, with help from a few of the other planetarium staff members, is in the process of restoring “Odyssey,” the planetarium’s first show.

McCully is taking the original show from slides and converting it to the new digital format in addition to rerecording the narration for the show. This new adaptation will be premiering in the fall.

Along with “Odyssey,” something else to look forward to in the fall schedule is “Cosmic Colors,” a show that Parkland played a crucial part in creating.

McCully and Parkland contributed about three minutes of animation that is used in the show. The William M. Staerkel Planetarium also hosted the original premiere of the show at a conference for planetariums in the Great Lake’s region.

“Cosmic Colors” is basically a summary of all the colors, how and why they exist, how we see them, and how astronomers use colors to learn more about the universe. 

Other shows that will be at the planetarium this fall include “Prairie Skies,” which both planetarium director Dave Leake and McCully consider their favorite show. “Prairie Skies” is an interactive, ever changing presentation of the night sky as it is. The “World of Science Lecture” series is returning as well and, as always, will provide entertaining and educational programming.

The William M. Staerkel Planetarium schedule is available online at www2.parkland.edu/planetarium/calendar.html. There are shows Friday and Saturday nights at 7 and 8 p.m., and pricing for adults who are not students is $5.00 for one show or $7.50 for two. A full price list is available online as well, and more information can be found on the website or by calling 217-351-2568.

The Art Gallery will be having an exciting fall with quite a few field trips to art destinations in the Chicago-land area as well as some unique exhibitions.

Currently, artist Tammie Rubin, a professor at the University of Illinois, has a ceramics exhibit on display.

The exhibit, entitled “I Dwell in Possibility” features interesting colors and textures that create an almost whimsical feel. “My sculptures are assemblages of collected objects, the primary interest is transforming the familiar, disposable, and trivial into the mythic and fantastical,” Rubin said in an artist’s statement. Rubin’s exhibition will be on display from now until August 2.

The next exhibition is the “Parkland Art and Design Faculty Exhibition.” This is an opportunity to see the work of some of the talented Parkland faculty who work in the art department and graphic design and will feature 3-D and 2-D pieces. The faculty exhibition will be on display from August 20 through September 22 and will have a reception and talk on August 23 as well as a “High Noon with the Artist Lecture” on September 12 with Kelly White.

From September 29 through November 3, Philadelphia artist Morgan Craig will be showing his paintings that focus on abandoned architecture. The reception for Craig’s work will be held on October 11 from 6-8 p.m. Finally, a contemporary photography exhibition will be featured from November 12 through February 2. This exhibition will feature various artists selected by Peggy Shaw, an associate professor in photography and video at Parkland. There will be a reception on November 15.

Aside from exhibitions, there are other exciting things happening at the Art Gallery this fall. One includes a trip to the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House and the Smart Museum of Art. The trip is open to the public and is a fund-raising effort put together by the Art Gallery and Community Education. The registration deadline is October 12 and the trip is October 26.

Finally, the Art Gallery will be presenting the “Global Lens Film Series” this year. There will be six films shown from September 6 through December 6, with one being shown every two weeks. Admission is free and the movie begins at 6:30 p.m. More information about these films can be found at the Parkland Art Gallery website.

The Art Gallery is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, and noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday during the fall semester. Detailed information can be found at artgallery.parkland.edu/index.html or by calling 217-351-2485.