SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–The Art & Design Department of South Suburban College is pleased to present an exhibition entitled “Along the Des Plaines River” by college faculty member Amy Babinec and George Liebert. The exhibition will be on display in the Dorothea Thiel Gallery until February 4, 2021. An artist’s reception and lecture will be announced at a later date.

Along the Desplaines features a series of paintings created by Amy Babinec and George Liebert, featuring plein-air landscapes along the Desplaines River. Plein-air painting is done outdoors at the site of the subject of the painting, relying on direct observation and capturing the spirt of the landscape. Historically, many artists have chosen to use this method to better capture and interpret the feeling of the landscape, notably more difficult than studio painting where the artist works inside separated from natural elements. The show contrasts two different reactions to the landscape along the Desplaines River. Babinec’s paintings, completed on-site, capture the seasonal color and light within carefully considered geometric compositions. Liebert expands his watercolor and ink sketches into abstractions in the studio, creating improvisational, calligraphic riffs on the traditions of landscape painting, color theory, and art history.

Amy Babinec is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently teaches painting, drawing, and design at South Suburban College. George Liebert is Adjunct Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.

The Dorothea Thiel Gallery is located on the fourth floor and is open for visitors with masks and social distancing Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The galleries are closed on weekends and holidays. The galleries are supported in part by the SSC Foundation. SSC is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. For more information, please email jtassin@ssc.edu or call (708) 596-2000, ext. 2316.