A longtime MC tradition, the annual exhibition is notable for its eclectic mix of artistic media and pieces. Because of the volume and complexity of the student artwork, it is held in two different stages. The featured artists for the second phase include Catherine Bartunek, Nick Carlson, Jessicah Heinzman, Jill Lionberger and Kathleen Woolley.

Bartunek, an art and psychology major from Lake Zurich, will display a collection of ceramic teapots as well as some photographs that have been captured on slabs of clay through a process using a liquid emulsion. The artist says her ceramic teapots, which take on a variety of sizes and shapes, are representative of her Christian relationship with God.

During the semester, her challenge has been to sculpt the pots from numerous small pieces. "In this process, you don’t always get the right results, but you keep trying," she said. "If I had it right the first time, there would be no joy at the end of the process, and thus there would be no learning."

Computer modeling and computer animation are the focus of Carlson’s work. A double major in art and communication and theater arts, the Yorkwood High School graduate, who now lives in Alexis, likens his computer modeling to sculpting, only in a 3-D virtual world.

A portion of the work is his interpretation of the Hebrew Tabernacle, where the Jews came to offer sacrifices to God in the time of Moses. The other portion of his work portrays a battered and wounded Jesus, bearing a cross.

"As one who has been forgiven through Christ’s death and resurrection," said Carlson, "I am compelled to use my art to glorify him. My hope is that these pieces will give the viewer a fresh perspective of how holy and powerful God truly is in a time when holiness and perfection are concepts we can’t seem to grasp."

Carlson says he hopes secure a position in Web development upon graduation.

Woolley, a native of Crystal Lake majoring in art with a minor in business, will present sculptures that are made out of what she calls "found and junk items. They are mostly things from nature that eventually take on the form of bird baths … My work encompasses many themes, including the simplicity of nature. I also find some inspiration in the look of birds, which is why I think I create birdbaths.

She continued, "My work deconstructs the idea of ‘junk.’ I turn it into something you would not expect. I think these themes are shown in the materials I use, the natural look of my work and my use of nature. I create this work to show my love of the natural world and to try to turn nothing into something."

Woolley says she will most likely pursue a job in interior design, although graduate school in interior design or something related to historic preservation may also be in her future.

Lionberger, a native of La Harpe, will graduate from MC with degrees in art and business. Her contribution to the exhibit will be displays of ceramics and color digital images.

"Nature is a vast and beautiful subject. Thus, I focus on capturing its delicate rural American features in an up-close manner," she said. "I often create work by capturing abandoned objects and focusing on the way they interact with nature. By doing so, I illustrate the beauty of forgotten, overlooked and misunderstood features in the rural environment, through the medium of photography and ceramics."

"The forms, ‘cells,’ grotesquely and aggressively disappear, die and then reemerge," she continued. "Yet within, the ‘cells’ fluidly show reiteration that integrates into an annihilative conceptualization. As one visualizes how these cells might invade their body, feelings of apprehension and fear penetrate the mind."

The Everett Gallery is open during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to midnight.