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Public Relations and Marketing | Published Dec 17, 2021
Submissions are open to students, faculty, alumni and staff at College of Lake County (CLC) for the Postcards Project, a new part of Voices of Lake County where participants can share their personal perspectives on identity and place in any medium they choose.
Voices of Lake County is a multi-year, interdisciplinary series of collaborative projects across the Communication Arts, Fine Arts and Humanities division, including work in composition, art, digital media, communication, humanities, theatre, dance and more.
This is the first year of the Postcards Project. It’s open to everyone at CLC, not only art students, and it can be anything from painting, dancing, writing and more as long as it is representative of the theme of home, place or identity. The concept of a postcards can be literally or metaphorically interpreted, so participants can submit actual postcards that they created, small-scale work that represents the concept of a postcard, or interpretive postcards, such as dance performances that interpret a specific place in Lake County.
The idea of postcards came from a project in one of art instructor Hans Habeger’s classes where the students would paint small-scale portraits of places within Lake County. The Postcards Project will help bring the diverse voices that make up Lake County and CLC together into one exhibit, with the goal of encouraging those from within and outside of Lake County to better understand and appreciate our unique neighborhoods, communities, histories, and cultures.
“We have students from all over Lake County,” said English instructor Laura Otto. “They’re diverse in socioeconomic status, race, opportunity for social mobility and more. We wanted to find a way to connect everyone together.”
The project will culminate in a spring showcase from May 13-22 at the Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art. There will also be a performance event for anyone who wishes to perform their work.
A special preview exhibit will take place at the Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan during performances of "I Have a Story to Tell," March 4-6.
The Postcards Project is a chance for students to put their work and talents on display for the public, and it’s also a time for students who create art that isn’t traditionally presented to get exposure.
“We'd really like students to be involved and take advantage of an opportunity to showcase their work,” Otto said. “Some students do great work, but then it ends in the classroom. There aren't as many opportunities for them to read the work at an open mic or to have it displayed in a professional exhibit.”
Digital work may be submitted online in the submissions portal. For those who wish to submit physical or performance work, there will be an in-person submission date in the spring.
To learn more about Voices of Lake County and the Postcards Project, visit: https://www.voicesoflakecounty.com.
About College of Lake County
College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college committed to equitable high-quality education, cultural enrichment and partnerships to advance the diverse communities it serves in northeastern Illinois. Offered at three campuses in Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan or online, college classes are affordable and accessible to help each student achieve academic, career and personal goals. More than 70,000 students graduated with degrees and certificates since the college opened in 1969. College of Lake County is the only higher-education institution ranked among the top 15 best places to work in Illinois by Forbes and is a national leader in many areas, including sustainability and conservation.