Bradley University Galleries

Functional Ceramic Work by Jeff Oestreich
October 1 – 25
Heuser Gallery

Reception: October 1, 5:00 – 6:30pm, Heuser Art Center
Lecture: October 1, 6:30 – 7:30pm, Horowitz Auditorium (Caterpillar Global Communications Center room 126)

The subject matter of my work is function. Of concern to me is how my pottery operates in a domestic setting, both physically and aesthetically.

   Initially all work is thrown on a potter’s wheel, later to be altered using a variety of techniques. These techniques are often traditional ones modified to suit my ideas. My current firing method is soda firing, a contemporary version of a 16^th century German process where a sodium compound is introduced into the kiln as it reaches 2300 degrees. The sodium interacts with the glaze and produces a varied surface, which is often unpredictable. It is this element of risk that drives my work.

   For several decades my central source of inspiration came from historical pottery of the Far East, England, and Europe. A trip to New Zealand ten years ago reintroduced me to Art Deco architecture with its abundance of geometric and playful detail. This has become a central theme in my work.  I have been to Napier, a predominately Art Deco village with over 100 commercial buildings of this style, on several occasions.

   Jeff Oestreich began his pottery training in 1965 at Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota. He later studied at the University of Minnesota with Warren MacKenzie. Upon graduation Jeff moved to England to apprentice for two years with Bernard Leach at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall.
   Upon returning to the US in 1971, Jeff  set up his pottery in rural Wisconsin, later relocating to Minnesota. He exhibits and conducts workshops nationally and internationally. He is a recent  recipient of a McKnight Foundation grant as well as a  Jerome Foundation grant allowing him to exhibit and teach in England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand and Australia.

Lecture by the internationally renowned graphic designer and illustrator, Alan Aldridge.

September 17, 2009
6:30pm in the David Horowitz Auditorium in the Caterpillar Global Communications Center (room 126)

Graphic designer Alan Aldridge. Dubbed the graphic entertainer in the 1960s and 70s, Aldridge illustrated lyric books for the Beatles, album covers for the Rolling Stones, the Who and Elton John, was Art Director for Penguin, illustrated children’s books such as the much loved The Butterfly Ball. Alan Aldridge won many design awards and his work was used in advertisements, television commercials and magazines throughout the world. He has designed advertisements and identities for iconic brands such as the House of Blues and the Hard Rock Café. Comics have always interested him, and this led to his first book ‘The Penguin Book of Comics’, which he produced with George Perry in 1967.

August 20 – September 25
Heuser and Hartmann Galleries 

Reception: September 17, 5:00 – 6:30pm, Heuser Art Center

Concurrent is a travelling group exhibition of abstract painting and sculpture, including work by Natalie Alper, Tim McFarlane, Diane Simpson, and Larry Webb. This exhibition was co-curated by Robert Bridges, Nancy Einreinhofer, Paul Krainak, Dan Mills, Kristina Olson, and Sam Yates, with an “adventurous state of mind.” It includes artists who have devoted their careers to abstraction and who have been making strong consistent, and highly developed bodies of work for a number of years.  

There’s an exciting line of up shows planned for the Bradley University Galleries this fall. The artists included are:

 Tim McFarlane will be one of the four artists on view during our first exhibition for the season. Concurrent is a traveling group exhibition on view in the Hartmann and Heuser Galleries from August 17 through September 25. Other artists included in this show are, Natalie Alper, Diane Simpson, and Larry Webb. This exhibition began at the University of Tenneessee in the fall of 2008, and has or will visit William Patterson University, West Virginia University, and Lehigh University before completing its tour at Bucknell University in the fall of 2010. 

 

 

 

Jeff Oestreich will be the visiting Ceramic scholar for 2009-2010. Oestreich is a functional potter, and has spent 40 years in the ceramics field. He will be visiting Bradley October 1, 2009 for a lecture and reception, and his pots will be on view in the Heuser Gallery, October 1 – 25. 

 

 

 

 

SIMPARCH is an artist collaborative that will be creating a special exhibition just for Bradley. The exhibition’s focus will be desperate design, examining the things which are created under economic hardship where function tends to override form. Beginning with their lecture on October 15, SIMPARCH’s visit will last through October 23, during which they will be installing this experimental exhibition, working with student volunteers,  and giving critiques to Bradley students. This exhibition will run through November 22 in the Hartmann Center Gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly Kaczynski, a sculptor and installation artist from Chicago, will be presenting The Owl is Plastic, November 2 – 27 in the Heuser Gallery. Kaczynski’s work investigates our relationshipswith the natural world and the ways we find and apply meaning to nature.

Students, families, faculty, and the public all met at the Prairie Center of the Arts last Saturday night for the opening of 4 concurrent BFA exhibitions: Still Finding Myself, by James Flanigan, life, the universe, and everything, by Rebecca Lydia Goughnour, Death, Detrius, and Decay by Ryan Horvath, and Clastic Aureoles, by Sarah Rebholz. These shows are up through Friday, so if you haven’t seen them, head down to the Prairie Center and check it out!

They’ve worked hard for years, striving towards this point of completion. The four BFA students who will be installing their shows this week have made big strides within their creative output, and all of them have created new work just for this culminating exhibition. These four students will be presenting their work to the public beginning this Friday, March 27th through April 10th. The reception will be on Saturday April 4th, from 7:00 – 9:00pm. All of this is taking place at the Prairie Center of the Arts, in the warehouse district in downtown Peoria. As you can see below this is a large space with lots of character. 

Join us for the grand opening of the 32nd Bradley International this Friday, March 6, 2009. The opening will begin at the Heuser and Hartmann Galleries from 6:00 – 8:00pm, next we will move to the Peoria Art Guild from 7:00 – 9;00pm and then finally we will end at the Contemporary Art Center from 8:00 – 10:00pm. At each location you’ll find exciting art, good food, and good people! We look forward to seeing you there…

 

Juror Lynwood Kreneck has given nine awards to nine spectacular pieces in the bradley International. Even though he’s singled out these artworks Lynwood said he felt that all of the artwork in the Preview Show was worthy of an award. Here are the winners:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you weren’t able to make it to the Heuser Gallery last Thursday you missed more than just a good show…Lynwood Kreneck, the juror for the 32nd Bradley International was here to give out his awards and to talk about his own impressive career. Lynwood made nine awards, one for best in show, three for merit, and five honorable mentions. As he announced each winner, he explained his reasoning for selecting the work, and he also discussed his thoughts behind the entire jurying process. It was an informal yet informative talk, the evidence of which can be seen below. 

Though the talk and lecture have already passed, the preview show which opened last Thursday will be up until February 27th, so there’s still time to see it if you haven’t.