Illinois State University Photographer Has New Exhibition at Old Site

Visitors to Chicago this summer and into the fall can view the photographic work of an Illinois State University School of Art faculty member while also visiting one of the city's oldest landmarks.

A solo exhibition of photographs, "Elevations," by Associate Professor Bill O'Donnell is on display at the City Gallery on the ground floor of the Chicago Water Tower. The show is up through Nov. 2.  Admission is free and the gallery, located at  806 N. Michigan Avenue, is open 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. everyday but Sunday, when it closes at 5.

At first glance, O'Donnell's color photographs appear to describe small houses in rural and lakefront settings. But closer viewing quickly reveals that these structures are small model houses and interiors. The artist states that in photographing these toy-like structures, he hopes to create allegories rooted in the general sense of a home as haven from the unforgiving elements.

O'Donnell has been awarded two Artists Fellowships by the Illinois Arts Council and an Arts Midwest Regional Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has an OX-BOW residency in 2005.  His work is held in the collections of the National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artists Fellowship Archive at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Illinois State Museum, Springfield; Central Washington University, Ellensburg; and Seattle Arts Commission Portable Works Collection.