USF Announces Results from 2024-2025 High School Art Exhibition

Joliet, Ill. – The 2024-2025 University of St. Francis (USF) High School Art Exhibition celebrated the exceptional talent and creativity of local high school artists, showcasing over 300 works of art. The exhibition featured a diverse array of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and digital art, offering a colorful and inspiring display of student expression. This annual event not only highlighted the dedication and skill of young artists but also provided them with a platform to share their unique perspectives with the community.

The open house reception, held on at the USF Art Gallery on Saturday, January 11, 2025, welcomed over 250 attendees, creating a vibrant atmosphere of support for the artists. Awards included cash prizes for Best of Show and Honorable Mention, as well as a $10,000 Grand Prize University of St. Francis Art & Design Scholarship. Additionally, Professors Paul Erschen and Chester Costello conducted portfolio reviews for aspiring art majors, offering valuable guidance and insight into pursuing a future in the arts at USF.

Grand Prize ($10,000 USF Art & Design Scholarship): Jaidan Wilber, Reed-Custer High School

Best of Show (in each category): Painting – Avery Jaki, Oswego East High School; Photography – Tianna Romberg, Joliet Central High School; Sculpture – Abigail Juers, Lockport Township High School; Works on Paper – Eduardo Patino Perales, Joliet Central High School, and; Digital/Other – Alivia Schertz, Joliet Catholic Academy.

Honorable Mention: Giovanni Baldo, Reed-Custer High School, Samia Britt, Oswego High School, Addison Brown, Reed-Custer High School, Esmé Bryson, Joliet Central High School, Hailie Carpenter, Reed-Custer High School, Aron Chimmy, Joliet Central High School, Aarushi Das, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Aahana Das, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Elissa Dulce, Benet Academy, Harley Engdahl, Oswego High School, Jamie Garcia, Bremen High School, Eva Genova, Joliet Catholic Academy, Yuvia Hernandez, Joliet Central High School, Aleise Hewitt, Plainfield South High School, Ellen Hsuan, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Tommy Jemilo, Joliet Central High School, Rae Kraus, Coal City High School, Samantha Lascari, Benet Academy, Korina Mongirdas, Benet Academy, Ingrid Pizano, Joliet Central High School, Faith Pondelicek, Plainfield South High School, Kaitlin Russell, Oswego High School, Cadence Smorynski, Lockport Township High School, Ivy Sontag-Amezcua, Joliet Central High School, Makyah Stallings, Joliet Central High School, Nicole Thornton, Lockport Township High School, and Addison Tyner, Oswego High School.

Award of Excellence: Sarah Boness, Oswego High School; Chaylene Crews, Reed-Custer High School; Olivia Esparza, Reed-Custer High School; Amilio Gonzalez, Joliet Central High School; Jordan Henry, Illinois Math and Science Academy; Cynara Jackson, Oswego High School; Kennedy Martinis, Benet Academy, and; Madalyn Petersen, Coal City High School.

Participating Students: Benet Academy – Maisie Carr, Victoria Drozdowicz, Elissa Dulce, Samantha Lascari, Kennedy Martinis, Korina Mongirdas and Lucy Rooney; Bremen High School – Kaylian Alexandre and Jamie Garcia; Coal City High School – Blake Huddlestun, Rae Kraus, Leo McCants, Avery McConnell, Mackenzie Messina, Ava Meyer, Madalyn Petersen, Tyson Sample and Winter Wills; Illinois Math and Science Academy – Aini Ahmed, Aahana Das, Aarushi Das, Cameron Eddinton, Jordan Henry, Ellen Hsuan, Vivian Ludwig, Nathan McMeen, Megan Onorato and Brent Rodrigo; Joliet Catholic Academy – Olivia Chovanec, Eva Genova, Ava Pritz and Alivia Schertz; Joliet Central High School – Julie Aragon, Abril Arias, Esmé Bryson, Aron Chimmy, Rusten Deihs, Angel DuBose, Amilio Gonzalez, Yuvia Hernandez, Tommy Jemilo, Cecil Littlejohn, Adriel Magana, Rauri O’Hara, Eduardo Patino Perales, Ingrid Pizano, Manuel Reyes, Edwin Robles, Tianna Romberg, Ivy Sontag-Amezcua, Da’Siah Spearman and Makyah Stallings; Lockport Township High School – Deshawn Andrew, Jack Dewey, Ollie Evans, Gianna Frieri, Abigail Hogan, Abigail Juers, Tyler Kouba, Liliana Leone, Monica Marcial, Kyan Santiago, Emily Smart, Cadence Smorynski, Natalie Strejc and Nicole Thornton; Oswego East High School – Joan Allen, Shayan Chittanoori, Avery Jaki, Madeline Kornelik, Payton Lustrup, Braxton Lyons, Jackson Mancuso, Denae Mason, Addison Peter, Madison Pony, Taytum Puls, Austin Sitterly and Abigail Tinajero; Oswego High School – Isabel Ames, Emma Auten, Leona Bateman, Makenzie Benz, Sarah Boness, Samia Britt, Owen Brungart, Kimberly Bustamante, Ava Coronel, Sohayla Curry, Ava DeSanto, Harley Engdahl, Lillian Felker, Alexandria Flores, Larissa Funkhouser, Mia Gaspar, Laila Green, Prisha Gupta, Joslynn Hennagan, Juanmanuel Hernandez, Cynara Jackson, Kobe Jones, Alanna Kozbiel, Sophia Lopez, Perla Melgoza, Elsa Norman-Mennig, Sadie Oehelerking, Cassidy Ogden, Sofia Petrella, Ava Pinks, Brenda Plata, Joelynn Portillo, Aidan Quach, Lynn Rameriz, Keagan Reiseck, Carson Rogers, Kaitlin Russell, Anna Singh, Kaylani Toum, Addison Tyner, Nguyen Van, Arianna Vargas, Jacob Wester, Robbie Wilson and Salvador Woolever; Plainfield South High School – Shelby Ellermann, Aleise Hewitt, Noah Mahlberg, Evelyn Myers, Faith Pondelicek, Viviana Ramos and Zach Wild; Reed-Custer High School – Giovanni Baldo, Brock Billingsley, Addison Brown, Holly Brumfield, Hailie Carpenter, Abigail Cousins, Chaylene Crews, Olivia Esparza, Dakota Evans, Natalie Flores, Meghan Lamping, Samantha Mahr, Zacharey Markle, Hailey Praner, Jaidan Wilber and Skylar Zebell.

About the USF Art Gallery

The USF Art Gallery is located at 25 E. Van Buren Street in Joliet and is open to the public every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the gallery, visit stfrancis.edu/artgallery or contact Jennifer Moore, Gallery Director, at jmoore@stfrancis.edu.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 3,300 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

USF News

Alamo-Costello Earns Grant to Fund Photography Project

Joliet, Ill. – Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, MFA, professor of art and design at the University of St. Francis (USF), has received a $6,000 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to photograph in Southwest China over the next year. The grant will cover travel and project costs while Alamo-Costello is in China.

“The plan is to photograph faculty, students and staff at Sichuan University of Science and Engineering (SUSE) in the same format as that procured at USF since 2000, while also working with individuals at SUSE on writings on their teaching philosophies and practices,” Alamo-Costello said.

“I have worked with faculty and staff at USF in a similar format in recent time. Initially, I intended to create a USF portrait book. Now, my focus has shifted to contrast the photographs and writings from the two institutions to illustrate their differences and similarities. I’ve discussed putting this into book form with SUSE/USF personnel in the future. There are feelings that this approach will offer a deeper understanding of education approaches in the 21st century,” he added.

For a glimpse of Alamo-Costello’s work as part of this project, visit alamo-costello.com/documents-visual-archeology/sichuanchina.

About the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

According to its website, the mission of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is “to enrich Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. To support this overarching mission, the Cultural Grants Program’s goal is simple: to serve as a catalyst to foster a robust, healthy arts community where artists, nonprofit arts and culture organizations and creative industries thrive. Designed to reach artists, creatives, and nonprofit arts and culture organizations across Chicago, DCASE Cultural Grants provide operating funds and project support for nonprofits and project specific funding for individual artists.”

For more information on DCASE, visit www.chicagoculturalgrants.org.

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University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF News

USF and SUSE Host Inaugural Virtual Art, Design & Photography Symposium

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) and Sichuan University of Science & Engineering (SUSE) in Zigong, China, hosted their inaugural SUSE-USF Virtual Art, Design & Photography Symposium in April 2023. The three-session event (April 11, April 18, and April 25, 2023) featured materials by fourteen USF and sixteen SUSE students and were in response to research completed on the Sichuan region and Chicagoland. The live and interactive event allowed student presenters from each institution to discuss art, design, and new media practices in an open forum format with roughly 300 students in attendance at the primary auditorium at SUSE in Zigong, China. In addition to the symposium, USF students were introduced to traditional and new art practices and culturally significant materials of China. This included Sichuan tie-dying, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, and the Chinese Lantern Festival in a Topics in Art & Design class during the Spring 2023 semester. USF student presenters: Stephanie Behland, Karli Ceci, Jaclyn Duske, Ayla Gilmer, Liliana Gomez, Samantha Gonzalez, David Kalter, Jareset Lagunas, Nick Munafo, Mazi Niezgoda, E. Porter, Alvaro Robles, Isaac Rodriguez, and Alana Wendel. SUSE instructor Zhang Qi (Amber) and Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, MFA, professor of art and design at USF, served as symposium facilitators. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

USF News

USF Art and Design Department to Host Fair and Sale

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) Art and Design Department will host an Art Fair and Sale on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Marian Hall Abbey Lounge (604 Taylor Street, Joliet, IL 60435). The free event, which is open to the community, is centered around student-produced handmade artworks, crafts, clothing and other items produced that will be for sale. This year, students have created drawings, paintings, photography, screen prints, totes, t-shirts, pins, and other arts related items. Eighteen students from a variety of departments will participate. The items are modestly priced, so come out and support students in this preholiday season. For more information, please contact professor Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, MFA, at mcostello@stfrancis.edu. For more information on the USF Art and Design Department, visit stfrancis.edu/art-design. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

USF News

USF Art & Design Department to Host Art Fair and Sale on April 13

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) Art and Design Department will host an Art Fair and Sale on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Marian Hall Abbey (604 Taylor Street, Joliet, IL 60435). The event, which is open to the community, will consist of student-produced artworks for sale, including drawings, paintings, stickers, clothing, jewelry, accessories, and other ephemera. Proceeds from the sale will be used to assist students with purchasing materials to support advanced studies in art and design over the summer. This event is free and open to the general public. Attendees will be required to adhere to the university’s COVID-19 safety protocols, which include providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test dated within one week of the visit to campus. Face coverings are optional (but recommended). For more information, please contact professor Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, MFA, at mcostello@stfrancis.edu. For more information on the USF Art and Design Department, visit stfrancis.edu/art-design. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

USF News

USF Student’s Photography Appears on NBC’s Today Show

Joliet, Ill. – Being able to gain real world experience by photographing one of your favorite musicians in concert is rewarding. Learning that those photographs were used during that musician’s appearance on NBC’s Today Show with Hoda & Jenna is unforgettable. For University of St. Francis sophomore Jaclyn Duske, the itch to explore photography began back when she was in 7th grade. “My grandfather was a photographer and actually gave me my first camera – a little Nikon CoolPix – in 7th grade. I enjoyed art and drawing, but I started taking classes in high school. I stuck with it and it looks like it is now paying off,” Duske said. It is certainly paying off. Duske, who is double-majoring in photography and graphic design, is already gaining valuable and memorable experiences as a student in USF’s Art & Design Department. With the help of professor Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, MFA, Duske arranged for an opportunity to photograph country music star Dwight Yoakam in concert last August at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Ill. “I did one concert at the Rialto at the end of August, right before the first day of classes. Professor Alamo-Costello has arranged student shoots at Joliet and Chicago music venues since the start of The COMP Magazine (the USF Art & Design Department’s nonprofit art, design and culture magazine) in 2013. He reached out to Valerie Devine, executive director of the Rialto. He indicated he had a student interested in concert photography. He asked if I would be able to come in and photograph the upcoming Dwight Yoakam, and she said ‘yes’. I got a press pass and had to sign a media release. Per the terms of that release, I was only able to take photographs during three songs and could use only three pictures to accompany a story I wrote for The COMP,” Duske said. From that single experience, Duske was immediately hooked. A few months later, she attended a photography workshop with the photographer for country singer Luke Combs. Then when she saw that country music star Josh Turner was scheduled for a late November concert at the Rialto, she contacted Devine with hopes of photographing that show. “I love country music and saw that Josh Turner was coming to the Rialto in November, so I reached out to see if I could shoot that show. Thankfully, I was able to and I received a press pass. There was no media release this time around, but I was told that Josh Turner’s management team wanted to use some of my photos afterwards. So, I shot the show and sent my photos to his management team, who loved them and asked for permission to use them for promotional purposes,” Duske said. Two days later, the Turner’s management team sent an email to Duske with two screenshots of her photos used on NBC’s Today. Understandably, Duske was pleasantly surprised. “It was absolutely crazy. I just couldn’t believe it. I was working on a class project with my friends when I found out and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m on the Today Show!’”, she said. Duske said that she continues to keep in contact with Turner’s management team with aspirations of photographing future shows. She also photographs home athletic contests for the USF Fighting Saints. These experiences are important, as Duske’s plans following graduation in two years involve a career in professional photography, either as a concert or touring artist photographer or a sports photographer. When she is not behind the camera or in class, Duske volunteers at Victory Reigns Therapeutic Riding Center in Peotone, Ill., four to five days each week. “I started volunteering at Victory Reigns seven years ago. We work with children and adults with disabilities and at-risk youth. I absolutely love it. I love horses and have been riding since I was 8. It’s something I have always been passionate about,” Duske said. Duske took notice of USF when she learned of its annual high school art show from her high school art teacher. While participating in the show, Duske toured the university’s art facility and soon placed USF atop her list of prospective schools. But it wasn’t until she received what she calls “a sign” that she knew she was meant to be at USF. “When I toured the main campus, the first place they took us was the chapel. When we were leaving the chapel, I saw hanging on the wall a framed panel of wood with praying hands burned into it. I knew immediately that it was one of my grandfather’s works. I told my mom I knew it was his and I knew it was a sign that USF was the place I was supposed to be,” she said. After talking with her grandfather, Duske learned that it was, indeed, one of his works that he had given to one of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate, USF’s Sister sponsors, years back. As she begins the second half of her sophomore year, Duske is enjoying her USF experience. “It has been such a good experience. I never thought that I would have access to the number of opportunities I have had at USF to date. I can’t wait to see what’s next,” she said. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

Tag: Michael "Chester" Alamo-Costello

USF Announces Results from 2024-2025 High School Art Exhibition

Alamo-Costello Earns Grant to Fund Photography Project

USF and SUSE Host Inaugural Virtual Art, Design & Photography Symposium

USF Art and Design Department to Host Fair and Sale

USF Art & Design Department to Host Art Fair and Sale on April 13

USF Student’s Photography Appears on NBC’s Today Show

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