The Central Illinois Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters will re-establish a local public space by hosting a student art show. Decades ago, Robeson’s held an annual show at their store in Champaign and this year, the NSAL committee, headed by Dale Steffensen, a self-proclaimed art enthusiast, hopes to pick up where Robeson’s fine tradition left off.
With the NSAL as a sponsor and support from Mr. Steffensen, they will begin their more than modest start this Saturday, April 12 with their first annual art show opening reception from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Paintings will be on display in the Green Street Studio at Techline, 24 E. Green St. in Champaign, with three artists representing the University Laboratory, Centennial and Urbana High Schools. Awards will be presented to three of the nine students at 3:30 p.m. Green Street Studio will display the nine paintings until Saturday, April 19. In addition, a traveling exhibition of nineteen finalists from the NSAL’s 2007 National Career Awards Competition, “Water Media on Paper,” will also be on display until Friday, May 9. The NSAL plans to expand next year’s competition to include other high schools in Urbana, Champaign, and eventually all of the high schools in Champaign County.