Blogs
Gable House in 2nd Place in Day 6 of Solar Decathlon
Illinois is currently in second place, behind California, in Day 6 of the 10-day event. Illinois has received scores in seven out of ten contests: Architecture, Market Viability, Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home entertainment and Communications. Click here to see Illinois' Gable House scores to-date. Still to come: Net metering (possible 150 pts), Engineering (possible 100pts), and Lighting Design (possible 75pt).
FAA Receives Major Gifts
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The University of Illinois Foundation recently held its 74th Annual Meeting of its board of directors and showcased several gifts and the donors who are supporting the University through private support. Two of the gifts announced during Annual Meeting weekend featured donations to units of the College of Fine and Applied Arts: |
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• a seven-figure commitment of outright and deferred gifts from Robert E. and Kay E. Merrick of Quincy, Ill. has established the Robert and Kay Merrick Family Endowment Fund. This fund will be used to support interdisciplinary enterprises in the School of Art and Design, and will be split equally to support the University Library, the College of Applied Health Sciences and the School of Art and Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts.
Robert Merrick received a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the Urbana-Champaign campus in 1972 as well as a master’s degree in public health and an M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1976. He is medical director for quality at Blessing Hospital in Quincy and medical director for the Adams County Health Department. Kay Merrick, who earned a master’s degree in education at UIC in 1978, taught in Chicago Public Schools and is business manager of Robert Merrick’s professional practice. Their children — daughter Kelly is an attorney and son Jeff is a graphic designer — are also University of Illinois graduates. |
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• a seven-figure estate gift from Chinoree “Ben” Enta of Chicago will establish two funds within the University of Illinois Foundation. The Kimiyo and Chinoree T. Enta Japan House Endowment will provide opportunities for students and the public to learn about traditional Japanese culture, garden tours, tea ceremonies, art, dance and other cultural experiences held at Japan House. A second fund will support the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Mr. Enta earned a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology and chemistry at the U of I in 1951 and a master’s degree from DePaul University. He retired as a chemist with the Chicago Water Department. Kimiyo Enta was a professional dancer and taught Japanese folk dancing for more than 30 years.
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Through the generosity of our alumni and friends, the College is pleased to report that private support has allowed the College to secure more than $57.9 million towards the College’s $70 million campaign goal during the University’s Brilliant Futures campaign. Through the vital partnership between the College and its donors we can provide enhanced learning opportunities, improved facilities, superior technologies, and vital scholarship and research experiences for our students and faculty through its academic and public engagement units.
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Gable House in 1st Place in National Solar Decathlon
University of Illinois' solar house, the Gable, is currently in first place in the Department of Energy's national Solar Decathlon. Illinois is one of 20 college and university teams competing to design, build, and operate a solar-powered house judged on esthetics and solar efficiency. The teams reassemble their houses on site and compete in ten contests over the course of eight days. more
Chicago-based Artist to Hold UIUC Residency
To commemorate the thirty-first anniversary of the mural at Fifth and Park Streets in Champaign, its creator, Angela M. Rivers, will visit Champaign-Urbana during the week of October 12, 2009. Ms. Rivers, an artist and educator based in Chicago, has worked at different times as an administrator, curator, educator, and consultant for various educational and cultural organizations and museums in central Illinois, the Chicago metropolitan area, and Dallas, Texas, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, the DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Dallas Museum of Art.
FREE PUBLIC LECTURE: “Re-visiting Murals, Animating Neighborhoods”
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 15, 5:15-7pm
WHERE: 103 Mumford Hall, 1301 W. Gregory Dr., C.
Parking in the ramp and adjacent lots is free after 5pm in most cases.
In an illustrated talk, Angela M. Rivers will tell about the mural at Park and Fifth Streets that she designed entitled "The History of African Americans in Champaign County."
Rivers will also facilitate various activities related to community history and memory in the North End throughout the week. All the events are free and open to the public.
• Monday, Oct. 12, 1-3pm, Walkathon past the Mural, Booker T. Washington Elementary School, 606 E. Grove St., C. Organized by the Booker T. Washington Parent-Teacher Association.
• Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3:30-5:30pm, Neighborhood memory workshop at Douglass Branch Library, Conference Room, Douglass Branch Library, 504 E. Grove St., C. Registration is free, but call 217-333-7094 so we know how many to expect.
Rivers will lead people of all ages in creating visual memory maps of their North End neighborhood as they remember it, with the help of some archival materials and photographs. Participants will have the opportunity to share their stories with the group, celebrating memories of the city throughout different eras. There will be a scanner available to digitize images and documents.
• Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1:06-1:50pm Rivers will be featured on WILL-AM Radio’s Afternoon Magazine with Celeste Quinn (580 on your radio) Call in!
• Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:00-6:00pm On-location discussion of the Park St. mural entitled "The History of African Americans in Champaign County" with the artist. The mural is located at the corner of Fifth and Park Streets, Champaign, IL. Meet with the artist and other community members to discuss the importance of the mural in the community and memories of the area.
Ms. River's visit is funded primarily by the Frances P. Rohlen Visiting Artists Fund of the UI College of Fine and Applied Arts with additional support from the Community Informatics Initiative, Graduate School of Library and Information Science. http://www.cii.illinois.edu/rivers
Contact: Sharon Irish, Community Informatics Initiative, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, 501 E. Daniel, Champaign, IL slirish@illinois.edu; 217-333-7094
Oct 8 Lecture: Arts Influence on Globalization
Irit Rogoff, a professor of visual cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, discusses how the arts influence globalization and the cultural phenomena at Levis Faculty Center on campus. Rogoff, director of the Arts and Humanities Research Board research project “Translating the Image: Cross-Cultural Contemporary Arts,” leads an international research project on cross-cultural arts, investigating audience participation in contemporary art spaces. more
Rogoff’s lecture is to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the faculty center, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana. A reception will immediately follow the lecture.
