Kalamazoo Valley Community College Alumni + Art Show Winners Announced

The opening reception and awards presentation for Kalamazoo Valley’s Eighth Annual Alumni+ Art Show took place during Art Hop on Friday, April 5 at the Center for New Media in downtown Kalamazoo. This juried art show enables Kalamazoo Valley alumni to showcase their works in a professional gallery setting. This year’s show includes 65 entries from 33 alumni artists who work in the genres of ceramics, carving, digital art, painting, video art and more. The art show is sponsored by Kalamazoo Valley's Alumni+ program, which was launched in April 2010 as a way for graduates, former students and supporters of Kalamazoo Valley to stay connected to the college and each other.

The award winning artists, their prizes and background information follows below.

Christopher Darling – BEST OF SHOW $500, lithography piece “The Cleveland Symphony Plays Respighi”

Darling attended Kalamazoo Valley 2002-2009 and went on to Western Michigan University to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and a Masters in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. and a Paula Rhodes Award for Exceptional Achievement in Visual Essay. In 2010, he co-founded Carrier Pigeon Magazine, a publication of illustrated fiction and fine art. In 2013 his work won a Pixie award for illustration work with Sony Music Entertainment. From 2011-2013, Christopher taught illustration and design at Queens College in NYC. Darling freelanced as an illustrator for more than ten years. Some of his clients included: The New York Museum of Natural History, Sony Music Entertainment, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and The A. M. Todd Company. His artwork has appeared in publications such as Wallpaper Magazine, Frieze Magazine, and Juxtapoz Magazine. He was recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, 3x3, Creative Quarterly, The Pixie Awards, and the Association of Illustrators. His paintings, and illustrations, have been published and exhibited internationally. Additional works by Darling can be viewed at Christopherdarling.com. At the time of his death, Christopher was associate professor of Illustration and Digital Design at Kent State University.

Heather Briggs – DIRECTOR’S CHOICE $300, charcoal & pencil “Charlotte’s Secret” This is Briggs’ second Alumni+ show, having entered in 2018. She attended Kalamazoo Valley from 2012-2014, and went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Andrews University.

Briggs entered ArtPrize in 2017 and was a third place winner in the 2018 West Michigan Area Art Show. Her 20 photographs entitled “A Stupid Brilliance” were exhibited in March this year at the Richland Community Library. Additional works by Briggs are found at heatherbriggsphotography.com.

Robert Morris – 1st PLACE $100, ceramic “Long Neck Ewer”

This is Morris’ first Alumni+ Art Show. He attended Kalamazoo Valley from 1997-2011. He has been producing pottery for more than 25 years. His work has been exhibited at the Birmingham/Bloomfield Art Center in 2018. And his work was juried into the 2018 Michigan Fine Arts Competition. Morris has been a featured artist at the KIA’s ARTbreak: Up Close & Personal. Morris has taught ceramics at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) and his work has been available in the Gallery Shop at the KIA. He is a member West Michigan Potters Guild.

Tracy Klinesteker – 2nd PLACE $100, pastel ‘H.O.M.E.S.’

The 2019 Alumni+ Art Show is Klinesteker’s third, having previously entered in 2015 and 2018. She attended Kalamazoo Valley in 2013 and 2014 and is a member of the Great Lakes Pastel Society. Her pastel work was on exhibit at the People’s Church of Kalamazoo January – February 2017.

Her work has garnered awards at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the Westminster Presbyterian Church Art Festival. As part of a KIA project, she along with Frank Wolf, presented an ARTBREAK TALK-Making Art Accessible to the Blind. This presentation is now available at the National Docents.org site. More of her work can be seen at tracy-klinesteker.format.com.

Jessica Zwalua – 3rd PLACE $100, oil painting “Sticks & Stones”

The 2019 show is Zwalua’s first Alumni+ Art Show. She is a 2009 Kalamazoo Valley graduate who went on to earn a Bachelor of Art in Painting degree at Kalamazoo College in 2011. More of her work can be seen on behance.net/jessicazwalua.

Linda Manguiat-Herzog – HONORABLE MENTION $25, oil painting “Marching On” This is Manguiat-Herzog’s sixth Alumni+ Art Show. She is a 2008 Kalamazoo Valley graduate and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Western Michigan University’s Frostic School of Art in 2010 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids in 2013. During 2012 she studied at the Studio Arts Center International (SACI) in Florence, Italy.

Manguiat-Herzog has been exhibiting her work since 1990. Her paintings have been included in many private and corporate collections, including Bronson Methodist Hospital and Cincinnati Bell Telephone. She has entered works in the ArtPrize competition in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018. Her works have won awards including the 2011 Plein Air Painting Event (Kalamazoo), in 2009 at the Michiana Area Arts Competition (St. Joseph, MI) as well as previous Alumni+ Shows.

Cathy Green – HONORABLE MENTION $25, ceramics “Sunflower Bowl”

This is Green’s second time entering in the Alumni+ Art Show. She attended classes from 1989 through 2006. Her work can be seen at several local galleries including the KIA Arts Gift Shop. Green’s work was included in the October 2018 ARTSandEATS tour in Plainwell. A video of Green discussing her work and demonstrating the processes she uses can be viewed at pbs.org.

Show judges are area professionals who come from a variety of disciplines and whose expertise enables them to deliver expert, but impartial, determinations. “We are very proud of our alumni,” said Center for New Media Director Tom Hamann. “Our judges have the wonderful opportunity of choosing winners from the outstanding works submitted. In the past, our judges have been impressed by the variety and quality of work.”

Participation in the Alumni+ Art show has steadily increased. "I'm always impressed with the quality of artwork that our former students are creating," said Denise Thomas, Coordinator of the Alumni+, "It's exciting to see each year's submissions." The exhibit will remain on display through the end of April.