February 24, 2011

Cedarhurst hosting SIUC photography exhibit

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A photography exhibit featuring the works of Southern Illinois University Carbondale students, faculty and staff opens this week at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mount Vernon.

The 2011 exhibition opens Friday, Feb. 25, and runs through May 1, and will be located in the Beal Grand Corridor Gallery. An opening reception will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

The annual exhibit will feature about 30 pieces, mostly from students, said Daniel Overturf, a professor in the Department of Cinema and Photography. The annual exhibition began in 1992.

The exhibit “is an excellent sampler of the diversity of our program and student body,” Overturf said. Students who are participating the exhibition, along with students who will likely be showing in next year’s event, will be present at the opening reception, Overturf said.

“In many cases, this is the first time our students will have a show in a public, independent, off-campus facility and it’s a way to have them think about showing their work,” he said.

“Working with Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in this annual exhibition continues the relationship between a rather phenomenal facility in Southern Illinois and our campus,” Overturf said. “It’s important to have that link between SIUC and Cedarhurst and we look forward to continuing to foster that connection as much as we possibly can.”

Rusty Freeman, visual arts director at Cedarhurst, said the annual exhibit “is a good collaboration between the two institutions.”

Cedarhurst Center for the Arts is at 2600 Richview Road, Mount Vernon. The facility is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and national holidays.