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Dr. Avis Proctor, Harper College president (left), and student-artist Lain Dennis stand with Lain's “This is Who Was Always Here.”
Harper College students Lain Dennis and Jefferson Sobczak grew up in different parts of the U.S., have different educational paths and employ their artistic talents in wildly different ways. But when describing their artwork, they both use the same word: therapeutic.
Originally from Aliso Viejo, California, and now living in East Dundee, Lain hand-sewed “This is Who Was Always Here.” The student-artist, 21, blended a supposedly “girly” technique with a macho aesthetic to create a battle flag-like banner with pointy studs. The striking, black-and-white piece represents some of his feelings about being a transgender male.
“This is about my own inner conflicts with identity,” Lain said about the banner he created in Professor Jason Peot’s sculpture course. “I flipped a gender stereotype on its head to prove a point. It was a very healing experience.”
Jefferson, from Elk Grove Village, created the ceramics piece “Nautilidae” with ideas from German abstract artist Beate Kuhn and mathematic principles related to his pursuit of a career in mechanical engineering. The 22-year-old student-artist said his work allowed his inner creativity – instilled in him by his mother – to flow.
“I feel like I had been in a rut,” he said about his time working on the sea-inspired piece in Assistant Professor Nikki Anderson’s ceramics class. “It was like, ‘Turn off your brain and work with the clay.’ In the end, it’s more than just the clay that came together.”
Dr. Avis Proctor (left) and Jefferson Sobczak stand with Jefferson's "Nautilidae."
The healing byproduct of the artistic process is not the only thing that unites “This is Who Was Always Here” and “Nautilidae.” The two pieces were chosen by Dr. Avis Proctor, Harper’s president, for the 2024 President’s Art Selection Award and, as such, have been installed together outside her office on the college’s Palatine campus.
Every year, Dr. Proctor chooses one or more works of art from Harper’s annual Student Juried Art Exhibition to be installed in the President’s office suite. The artists help install their pieces with the help of Professor Peot, discussing their work with the president in the process, and receive a stipend for loaning their work. Both items will remain on exhibition for the duration of the 2024-25 academic year, to be experienced by Harper students, faculty, staff and visitors.
“Being a former mathematics instructor, I enjoyed the mathematical patterns in Jefferson’s ‘Nautilidae,’ which reflect the same patterns that are found in nautilus shells in nature,” said Dr. Proctor, who then discussed math elements such as the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence with the artists. “And I was drawn to Lain’s banner because I instantly recognized how it spoke to our aim to create a sense of belonging and welcoming environment for all students. ‘This is Who Was Always Here’ is a powerful and important message.”
Lain is on track to graduate from Harper with an Associate Degree in Fine Arts in spring 2025 and plans to transfer to a four-year school to pursue a job in marketing in which he can use his artistic skills. Jefferson is set to graduate in fall 2024 before transferring from Harper to study to become a mechanical engineer at a university. Both spoke highly of their Harper experiences, from the approachable nature of instructors to opportunities to put their creativity to good use. They said they were grateful to have their work celebrated and displayed by Dr. Proctor.
“It is such an honor to be chosen for the President’s Art Selection Award. It’s like my first proper award,” Jefferson said. Lain agreed: “It feels good to be recognized. Getting this award tells you that you have a lot of substance in what you make – a lot of substance in who you are. And it’s nice hearing from the president that she cares about so many of the things we care about.”
Professor Jason Peot (left) and Lain Dennis prepare to hang Lain's work.
