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Mavigliano/Brabec Art Prize Honors Couple's WIU History

September 17, 2018

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MACOMB, IL - The Department of Art in the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University has announced a new art prize that will be funded by an endowment established by WIU alumnus George (1964) and WIU alumna Renee (Brabec) Mavigliano.

This prize will be awarded each spring, starting in spring 2019, to a graduating senior in the art department, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

George and Renee met at Western in 1963. After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1964, the two continued their studies at Northern Illinois University. George received his graduate degree in art history and Renee graduated in 1966 with a degree in art education. They were married in August 1966, and rented an apartment in Oak Park, IL.

George began his teaching career at Wilbur Wright Community College and established Triforum Gallery in Old Town, while Renee taught art at Morton West High School.

In 1970, George took a teaching position in the School of Art at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. Renee, after completing hear MFA degree in fibers, began teaching at John A. Logan Community College. They raised three children in the following years and made collecting art a major passion in their lives.

George retired from the dean's office in the College of Communications and Fine Arts in 1997, and has since opened Side Door Art, a book store and gallery. Renee retired in 2007, and paints full-time in her home studio.

"We returned to WIU for the first time in January 2003 to donate a portion of our art collection to the WIU Art Gallery," according to the couple. "The visit was exhilarating and reminded us of the vitality and warmth we had experienced in the art department as undergraduates, and the campus that had spawned our personal relationship 40 years previously. It was at that point that we began considering how we could make an enduring contribution to the art department and its mission."

In 2016, the couple made plans to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an exhibition of art they had completed during their years together. This exhibition, entitled "A Shared Life in Art," traveled to WIU in February 2017.

"Once again, at the closing celebration, we felt the genuine warmth of welcome by everyone, including Vice President Brad Bainter and his staff, members of the art department, and Tyler Hennings, director of the Art Gallery," the couple said. "That visit solidified plans to establish the annual Mavigliano/Brabec Art Prize for graduating art seniors. It seemed natural to want to give back to a University that had provided the encouragement and foundation to pursue our own life in art."

The Mavigliano/Brabec Art Prize is open to graduating senior art majors at Western. There are two rounds; the first round will be judged by WIU Art faculty Nov. 5, and the second round will be on public view from Feb. 4-22, 2019, in the Annex Gallery on the Macomb campus.

A winner will be chosen for a "Grand Finale Show," set to take place April 18-26, 2019, in the University Art Gallery, during which a reception will be held for the presentation of the $1,000 prize. This reception date will be announced at a later time and is open free to the public.

Interested and eligible students should contact the WIU Department of Art office at art@wiu.edu to receive an application.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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