Dual exhibitions of collage art by internationally renowned illustrator Stephen Kroninger, and 40 incredible works selected by the Society of Illustrators showcase illustration’s diversity and breadth November 9 through December 11.
"Kroninger! Experimental Collage Art from the 1980s" and the Society of Illustrators’ "Illustrators 52" span decades of Illustration, and traditional and contemporary mediums from oil paint to photography and digital media. They are two of four illustration exhibitions on view.
"As some of the most prominent visual communicators of our time, illustrators today know no limits to their art," says Christine Beetow, MIAD Associate Professor of Illustration, which is one of MIAD’s largest design majors.
"Illustration is art for the living world, creating windows that allow people to see abstract ideas come to life, whether through advertising, videogames and t-shirt graphics, or magazine covers, children’s books and films."
Kroninger’s seminal work reflects his earliest influences – the street graffiti, jazz and hip-hop culture of New York City in the 1980s. His art diverges from conventional illustration in both size and technique, emphasizing the field’s many facets.
Credited with reviving collage art, Kroninger’s photocollages have graced the cover of Time Magazine, while his editorial illustrations appear regularly in prominent national and international publications. His work is part of the permanent collections at MoMA and the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute.
Kroninger will give an Artist’s Talk at 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, before the exhibitions’ opening reception, from 6 – 8 p.m.
Forty preeminent works selected from the Society of Illustrators’ annual, juried exhibition – "Illustrators 52" – appear together with Kroninger’s exhibition. The exhibition showcases both emerging and well-known talent in the genre, including such notables as Serge Bloch, Joseph Ciardiello, Jody Hewgill, Gary Kelley, Anita Kunz, Tim O’Brien and Yuko Shimizu.
In conjunction with this dual show, MIAD will host two additional illustration exhibitions. An exhibition of Milwaukee Area Children’s Book Illustrators features the work of MIAD faculty Christiane Grauert, Susan Estelle Kwas ’83 and Carol Schwartz, and local illustrators Linda Bleck, Bonnie Leick, Jeff Newman and Renee Graef, illustrator of the popular Kirsten series for American Girl and "My First House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The exhibit provides the opportunity to view books and rarely seen original artwork side-by-side.
"Tom Noffsinger: New Work" will also be on view and feature the art of MIAD Professor of Illustration Tom Noffsinger.
Illustration is one of MIAD’s largest design majors, and its alumni pursue successful careers in a variety of fields. Highly acclaimed and award-winning director, producer and writer Rob Schrab (Illustration ’92) has worked in film and television, and launched a comic book series.
Mark Holzer (Illustration ’07) is the lead designer at the Center for BioMolecular Modeling, where he designs interactive materials for science education.
Other MIAD illustration alumni hold titles such as graphic designer at Rishi Tea Company (Jenny Kim ’02), Senior Rehabilitation Counselor at Lincoln Medical + Mental Health Center (Briana MacWilliam ’04), and Scientific Illustrator at the Burpee Musuem of Natural History (Erica Lyn Huppe ’06).
Illustration alumni work in areas as varied as editorial illustration, cartooning, comic book design, interactive design, animation, game design, fashion design, film, television, video design, environmental graphic design, package design, and publication design for prominent local and Fortune 500 companies.
For a press release about the exhibitions, click here.
For a catalog of Kroninger’s works, click here.
For a catalog of "Illustrators 52," click here.
For biographies of the Milwaukee Area Illustrators, click here.
