The Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery is a meeting ground for students of Moraine Valley, the local community, and the contemporary art world. Our mission is to present significant works, through exhibitions and programming, by local, national and international artists.
Gallery Hours
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless noted; summer and holiday hours vary.
Free and open to the public.
2024-25 Exhibitions
(r)evolutions
Sept. 25–Oct. 28
Reception: Thursday, Oct. 3 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
David Sobotka believes all artists are creators, but within that creative process is an evolutionary process as well. Over a period of six years, Sobotka created more than 3,200 photographic images of plant life, placed over a simple black background. While these images are fascinating in their own right, they opened a creative door for David to merge these compositions together into entirely new creations. By turning single images into repeating patterns and shapes, Sobotka’s work further emphasizes the beauty and biodiversity of plant life.
This process mirrors what occurs in our world. As life progresses, there are more layers of increasingly complex forms, all striving for a greater level of perfection. This work contemplates the infinite variety of biodiversity in our world, as well as the ongoing loss of those lifeforms due to the hand of man.
David majored in fine art at Calvin College. While earning his degree, he cultivated a mindset of creativity and an openness to the wonder of the world. In simple terms, as a result of the program, he began to view the world as a canvas.
Unsteady Vanishing Points
Nov. 4–Dec. 14
Reception: Thursday, Nov. 7 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
The immersive installation Unsteady Vanishing Points is a playful improvisation on a common perspective tool. A vanishing point describes the moment of disappearance in the rendering of a space. These points are small, decisive and fixed; yet somehow, they describe everything we cannot see. In this installation, materials converge to create vanishing points that multiply and shift. Found materials transform into abstract gestures that create new ways of seeing. This place of exploration turns the mind’s eye outward to reflect on the vanishing points we place on materials in our everyday environment.
Stensberg’s background as a performing musician ignited her exploration of how materials resonate through time and space. Utilizing easily overlooked materials such as pine needles, twigs, light, plastic, textiles and sound, Stensberg’s work explores alternative experiences of these everyday materials, challenging their perception as dead or inanimate. These materials are carefully layered, painted and sewn into new forms. Light is choreographed around sculptural marks, using their shadows to paint echoes across the walls and floors. This improvisational way of working blurs boundaries between disciplines of painting, sculpture, installation and time-based media. The final installation becomes a place of contemplation and wonder, as explorers suspend their disbelief while walking through the work. Rhythms of small stitches and hand-painted ribbon encourage viewers to experience the work closely and intimately. These spaces have been sites of gathering, musical performances, and guided meditations.
Stensberg grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Born into a musical family, Stensberg pursued dual paths in classical music and visual art. While in Eau Claire she balanced orchestra and chamber music performances while developing a language in abstract painting. Stensberg completed her Master of Fine Arts degree at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her practice is increasingly experimental; her interest in the intersection of images, sound, and time led her to video work and installation. She is currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Art and Design Faculty Exhibition
Jan. 6–Feb. 2
Reception: Thursday, Jan. 30 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
This exhibition will spotlight the Moraine Valley Art and Design Program faculty as they share their work with the college, students and community. The show highlights the faculty’s breadth of experience and expertise, spanning multiple media, themes and styles in this eclectic exhibition. At the reception, mingle with the art faculty and learn what has inspired their works.
Structure & Color
Feb. 5–March 2
Reception: Thursday, Feb. 6 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
As a contemporary fiber artist, Heather Macali has focused primarily on color, pattern, texture, distortion and memory. Structure & Color examines the psychology of limitations utilizing waffle weave, a 3-dimensional single weave pattern. These works analyze this popular but mundane weave structure within a set of limitations to promote creative and unexpected outcomes.
This research encourages new ways to think about sculptural form using the inherent structure to create dimension within the cloth. Altering the scale, materials, and colors, Macali creates impactful dimensional cloth and sculpture. This work considers color theory, optical blending, architectural components, and inspiration from the genres of op-art and pop art.
Her use of color and pattern arose out of childhood experiences steeped in the material culture of the Midwest in the 1980s and early 1990s. She worked in the fashion industry for four years as a print and pattern designer at Abercrombie & Fitch and La Senza. Macali grew up in Munroe Falls, Ohio, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in crafts from Kent State University. She continued her art research and development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison receiving her Master of Fine Arts degree in Textiles in 2009. Macali currently resides in Detroit, Michigan, working as a fiber artist and a professor at Wayne State University.
41st Annual High School Art Exhibition
March 7-13
Reception: Friday, March 7 | 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Open House: Saturday, March 8 | 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
The 41st Annual High School Art Exhibition showcases talented students from local high schools including Victor J. Andrew, Argo Community, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Chicago Christian, Carl Sandburg, Evergreen Park Community, Oak Lawn Community and Reavis. The exhibition features a variety of art mediums such as jewelry, sculptures, photography, painting, drawing and much more! The gallery hours are extended March 10-13 until 7 p.m.
Moraine Valley Juried Student Art Exhibition
March 25–April 20
Reception: Thursday, March 27 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Join us as we celebrate the college’s emerging visual artists. Students submit artwork from across all areas of study including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, design and digital art. A guest juror selects best of show, honorable mention, and Agree-to-Degree award to a student graduating that will go into the permanent art collection displayed in the hallways of the Fine & Performing Arts Center.
Beyond Inking
April 23–May 18
Reception: Thursday, April 24 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Working as a mixed media fiber artist, Gretchen Jankowski uses traditional printing techniques as a launching pad for her explorations into other mediums of art making. Using macro and micro-environments inspired by nature and places, she constructs stuffed, voluminous, collaged-like quilts, often made of fabrics that are hand printed using traditional printmaking techniques. These fabric collages are quilted and batted together to make large 3-dimensional “coral reef” like works that often hang on the wall.
By incorporating abstract botanical patterns with sewn patterns that weave in and out of each other, the work quite literally calls out the viewers’ sensation to touch. Often creating works in series, using many iterations of the same pattern and print, changing medium as seen fit for each idea, Jankowski’s large-scale mixed media pieces and soft sculptures push the boundaries of classic relief printmaking and fiber art. Learning from every piece that she makes, even if a piece hasn’t conventionally conformed to her expected outcomes, Jankowski cherishes the inspiration and new techniques that often emerge out of mishaps.
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jankowski currently has a home and studio in Forest Park, Illinois. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio arts from Columbia College Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from California State University, Long Beach. She currently teaches printmaking in the fine arts program full time at Governors State University.
Juried Community Art Exhibition
May 30–July 31
Reception: Saturday, May 31 | 1-5 p.m. Awards at 2 p.m.
Gallery Summer Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery invites the community to celebrate the final exhibition of the season, showcasing local artists. The 22nd annual Juried Community Art Exhibition gives local artists the chance to show off their artistic talent. The exhibition has an array of styles, perspectives and media from a variety of diverse local artists. This is one show you do not want to miss!
Learn more about past shows at the Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery
