NCI ARTworks Legacy artists reception set Oct. 25 in Peru

NCI ARTworks will host an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, for the NCI ARTworks Legacy artists.

NCI ARTworks celebrates the art and passionate arts advocacy of current and former NCI ARTworks board members, staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to build a community through the arts for the past 13 years. Artists whose work will be on display include Mary Janusick, Emily Maze, Frank Kobilsek, Lorena Malm, Penny Boedigheimer, Francie Skoflanc, Paula Guttilla and Julie Jenkins.

Kobilsek

Kobilsek served on the board of NCI ARTworks for many years. He has a long history as a wood turner and carver, making bowls, platters, bottle openers, bottle stoppers and inlaid charcuterie boards. His body of work features wall sculptures often inspired by jewelry. Where a jeweler might set a stone in a textured field of metal, Kobilsek will inlay a colorful piece of wood or resin in a turned and carved field of wood. He is retired and exhibits at art shows throughout the Midwest.

Jenkins

Jenkins was born and raised in rural Ottawa and is the co-founder of North Central Illinois ARTworks. She studied art through high school, and then went on to Illinois Valley Community College for her associated degree in art. Jenkins continued her education at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where she received a bachelor’s degree in art education and later completed her master’s in art education at Eastern Illinois University.

She resides in Peru with her husband and teaches high school art at La Salle-Peru High School. She is a member of the Illinois Art Education Association and has exhibited throughout the region. Her work is comprised of an ongoing study of culture, architecture and natural surroundings. In these pieces, she explores the use of watercolor, soft pastels and mixed media. She bases her artwork on her photographs and experiences from her travels. The body of work is from her travels to Mexico, France, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Guttilla

Guttilla’s passion for photography started when she received her first camera at age 10. She is a founding member and currently serves as treasurer of NCI ARTworks. Her photographs grace the walls of homes and businesses throughout the country and have been published in numerous books and magazines, including National Geographic and the Smithsonian Magazine. She has won many prestigious awards. Now retired and enjoying family time, she travels and photographs nature wherever she goes.

Malm

Malm is a self-taught artist whose abstract work has been featured in prestigious art publications in the U.S. Although her main focus has been abstract work, she has expanded her artistic inventory by integrating digital art into her repertoire, creating a world of whimsical and pensive images. Malm creates images from her life experiences, memories and sometimes from her dreams, embedding emotions into the art in order to create a connection with the viewer. Malm is the NCI ARTworks gallery operations manager.

Maze

Maze is a professional artist who lends a hand as a gallery assistant at NCI ARTworks when her busy schedule permits. She is a member of the Westclox Studio mural team that is responsible for major public art installations in the Illinois Valley, including the Mendota Union Depot mural, the Seneca “Find Your Connection” mural and the Streator Heritage Park mural. She also works with acclaimed mosaic artist Susan Burton, teaches classes at NCI ARTworks, and has exhibited at various art shows in the region.

Skoflanc

Skoflanc is a graduate of Illinois State University with her bachelor’s degree in art. She has been in the graphic design industry since 1976 and served as graphic design technology director at IVCC for many years. She is a founding member of NCI ARTworks and is the co-owner of a delightfully eclectic wine bar called Cat’sEye and its neighboring art collective and unique gift shop called A Mess of Things in Ottawa. Skoflanc has been published and has won numerous awards.

Boedigheimer

Boedigheimer is the assistant operations manager at NCI ARTworks, whose work includes hard, dramatic pieces inspired by her former career as a law enforcement officer as well as softer, gentler pieces reflecting the nuanced reality of her formally trained artistic character and skill set. She received her formal fine arts training at Northern Illinois University and has exhibited in galleries in the Midwest.

Janusick

Janusick is a founding member of NCI ARTworks. She is formally trained and offers art classes at The Paint Box Studio in the Westclox Building. Janusick was instrumental in creating many important art events in the Illinois Valley, including the La Salle Art Walk and the Trashion Show, and she has been one of the key advocates for expanding access to all aspects of art through her volunteer work at the annual Mad Hatter Ball, which raises funds for operations and public arts installations throughout the Illinois Valley.

The NCI ARTworks Legacy Exhibition opening reception is free, and all are welcome. The exhibition will take place at the NCI ARTworks gallery in the west wing of the Westclox Building, 400 Fifth St., Peru.