Art & Design Above and Beyond

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Art Department - Fine Arts: Student paint palette

Trinity Offers Art & Design Students Endless Opportunities

When you consider Trinity’s proximity to all Chicago has to offer, students and graduates alike have endless opportunities to grow in their artistic career. We have a small school’s personal attention; no art student at Trinity falls through the cracks. The faculty knows what each of our students needs to get to the next level.

OPUS 2022 logo

Mark Your Calendars for OPUS 2022

OPUS, Trinity’s annual festival of student scholarship, is taking place on Wednesday, April 20. The word “opus” is Latin for work. Whether it’s the arts and humanities, natural and applied sciences, or social sciences, students from all disciplines can present their work or attend this annual celebratory conference.

Downtown Chicago

Trinity Professors Named Chicago Semester Scholars

Along with many Trinity students who have taken advantage of everything Chicago Semester has to offer, several professors from the College, including Prof. Kaleb Dean, will be participating in Chicago Semester’s Summer 2022 Scholar-In-Residence program.

Professor Ryan Thompson

Tenure Lecture of Prof. Ryan Thompson

Join us for the tenure lecture of Professor of Art & Design Ryan Thompson  Tenure lectures are a celebration of the mature Christian scholarship of our faculty colleagues.

Student: Sarah Hernandez in elementary school classroom

98 Percent of the Class of 2021 Are Employed or in Grad School

According to data from Trinity’s Cooper Center for Vocation and Career Development, 97.7 percent of the graduates in the Class of 2021 are employed or in graduate school. That far surpasses the nationwide average of 82.4 percent.

Bakker artist lecture

Roseland Portrait Project Featured in Seerveld Gallery

For Professor of Art & Design John Bakker, art is a catalyst to build stronger communities. His Roseland Portrait Project, which was recently on display in the Seerveld Gallery, represents the most recent iteration of that philosophy.

Fusion 59 - students giving a presentation

Fusion 59 Consulting Team Offers Professional Expertise

For professional market research, improving brand awareness, boosting social media engagement, creating business models and other services, local companies have an option right at Trinity—Fusion 59’s Consulting Team.

Dean's List

Congratulations to Fall 2021 Dean’s List Students

The Dean’s List is Trinity Christian College’s highest academic honor. Congratulations to all our undergraduate students who met this distinction for the Fall 2021 semester.

John Bakker - Chicago Bridge Magazine Cover Nov 2021

Bakker Featured on Cover of Chicago Bridge Magazine

Professor of Art & Design John Bakker was recently featured on the cover of “Chicago Bridge Magazine” and its podcast, where he was described as a “legend in and around the community of Roseland and the state of Illinois.”

College Factual

College Factual Recognizes Art Education Program

Trinity’s emphasis on its education program was recently recognized by College Factual, which named Trinity’s art education degree among its “most focused.”

Yuri Coleman '24

Student Spotlight: Yuri Coleman ‘24

Graphic design major Yuri Coleman ‘24 came to Trinity because of the College’s size and opportunities that such a close-knit community offers.

US News Best Colleges 2022

U.S. News Names Trinity a Top 20 School

The life-changing value of a Trinity education has once again been recognized by U.S. New and World Report, which named Trinity to several of its “best” lists for 2022, including among the Top 20 Regional Colleges Midwest and #15 for social mobility.

Seerveld Gallery Show

Seerveld Gallery Reopens with Desjardin Show

Trinity’s Seerveld Gallery brings the works of internationally famous artists, as well as artists from Chicago’s thriving art scene, to campus. And the Seerveld Gallery is currently hosting an exhibit by Katherine Desjardins called “Touch.”

Mariah Nelesen '20

Alumni Success Story: Mariah Nelesen ‘20

A year ago, Mariah Nelesen ‘20 was just months away from graduating from Trinity with a degree in graphic design. Like her classmates, she was excited for graduation and to begin her career. Then tragedy struck in a way that turned her world completely upside down. But with the care of her family and friends, members of her church, and the Trinity community, she is now in graduate school and planning her wedding.

Ryan Thompson coffee business

Thompson Launches Micro Coffee Roastery

Professor of Art & Design and Department Chair Ryan Thompson has recently begun another creative endeavor–a micro coffee roastery in Oak Park, Ill., called Sideyard Coffee.  Thompson and his business were recently featured in the Oak Park “Wednesday Journal.”

U.S.News Top 25 Regional Colleges - Midwest

Trinity Ranked Among Top 25 of Best Colleges

Continuing a years-long tradition of excellence and recognition, Trinity Christian College has been named among the “Best Midwestern Regional Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report for 2021. Trinity was also named a “Best Value” college and a “Top Performer on Social Mobility.”

Professor John Bakker Portrait Project

ProPublica Interviews Bakker about Police Department Portrait Project

“In some ways, painting portraits is really dumb and painting portraits of hundreds of people is ridiculous. It takes an awful amount of time,” says Professor of Art & Design John Bakker in a recent interview about his series of portraits that are exhibited in a Chicago Police District Station. “But in the current situation, I can’t think of anything more avant garde.”

Madron Gallery Exhibit March 2020

Trinity Professor and Alums Exhibit at Chicago Art Gallery

The Madron Gallery in Chicago is currently hosting an exhibit featuring the work of several artists who are part of the Trinity family, including Professor of Art & Design John Bakker and alumni Pierce Cruz ’18 and Hannah Dykstra ’17.

Jacob Boglio

Boglio ’18 Serves as Trinity’s First Post-Baccalaureate Art Fellow

Jacob J. Boglio, who graduated from Trinity with a BA in graphic design and a BFA in studio art, currently has a solo exhibition, “Wage(r)s,” at the Seerveld Gallery in Trinity’s Art & Communication Center.

Chicago Reasearch Summit logo

Nelesen’s Design Selected as Chicago Research Summit Logo

Graphic design and Spanish double major.Mariah Nelesen ’20 has had her design selected to serve as the Chicago Research Summit’s new logo.

Becky Dean, alumna, owner of Pens and Lens

Pen and Lens

Alumna Becky Dean and her husband, Professor Kaleb Dean,  take their love of art and photography and make something special.

Prof. Kaleb Dean's Ludis et Veritas

Professor Kaleb Dean’s Masters of Design Year End Show

Congratulations to Professor Kaleb Dean ’14 on his Masters of Design year end show!

Dr. Bakker takes art and design students to the Art Institute in Chicago

Art & Design Students Visit Chicago Museums

World-famous art, just a field trip away—Trinity Art & Design students visit downtown Chicago museums

Andrea Sanchez and Elizabeth Vande Griend's art work on display

Trinity Alums Featured in Art Exhibit

Recent grads Andrea Sanchez and Elizabeth Vande Griend recently showcased their artwork at the yo:u gallery in Chicago .

Seerveld Gallery

Seerveld Gallery

Art is a dialogue without words. Just as in a good library where a wide range of views are represented, so in our gallery you will see a cross section of work and viewpoints from across the art world. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeerveldGallery/

Bakker’s Galesburg Portrait Project

To be in Galesburg at night is to hear a cacophony of train whistles and Harley engines, but for portraitist and Knox Artist-in-Residence John Bakker, bikers and train conductors can only begin to encapsulate the Galesburg experience.