Northern Star Online: Art sale on campus to benefit Feb. 14 fund

Linda Conley (left), points out one of her favorite paintings to Bill Conley (center) and Ken Babbitt (right) at an art showing in gallery 214 located inside of the Visual Arts building on Thursday evening. Paintings and drawings of all sorts were sent from different areas of Illinois to be a part of the gallery. Twenty percent of the money made from the art will be donated to the Feb. 14 scholarship fund.

Some eager artists will be selling their artwork to benefit NIU’s Feb. 14 Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Thursday night kicked off an eight-day art sale that will give 20 percent of all profits to the scholarship fund.

This unnamed exhibit showcases the artwork of Elgin Community College (ECC) and McHenry County College (MCC) continuing education students.

“There is a wide-range of prices; some very low, some very high,” said Mary Telfer Holden , a continuing education professor at both ECC and MCC. “Works include pencils, colored pencils, chalk and oil pastels, mixed media, photography and sculpture, among others.”

In total, there are 67 pieces available for purchase.

Six of those pieces come from MCC continuing-education student Emily Yantis.

“My pieces are all oil pastels,” Yantis said. “Themes of mine range from rocks to birds to violins.”

Many of the artists take pride in their work and also take honor in the fact that 20 percent of the proceeds go toward the Feb. 14 Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Lois DiPerna , Telfer Holden’s assistant at MCC, is one of the contributing artists that share that belief.

“I think this sale is great. It’s a worthy cause,” DiPerna said. “I watched what happened here on TV and it was so devastating. I’m pleased to help in some way.”

According to the NIU Web site, the Memorial Fund receives gifts through the NIU Foundation for the general scholarship fund and works with the NIU Scholarship Committee to find deserving students of the scholarship in name of those who lost their lives in the shooting at Cole Hall.