“New Boneyard venue spotlight: Immaterial Books” (March 25, 2022)

Immaterial Gallery offers a nontraditional, immersive gallery experience spotlighting artists currently working on projects with Immaterial Books. Both of which are led by Kalantzis-Cope and Tamsyn Gilbert. Immaterial Books "is an independent publisher of contemporary art and literature. We seek to cultivate an editorial perspective that challenges us to think critically—and in parallel—about subject matter, medium, and the book form." Everything about this venue, its host, and the work to be shown, is carefully curated to inspire a thoughtful and transformative experience. It promises to be a much-needed addition to our local arts and culture landscape.

https://www.smilepolitely.com/arts/new_boneyard_venue_spotlight_immaterial_gallery/

“Brian O’Neill: Beach Boulevard” (February 21, 2022)

As a sociologist, O’Neill is trained to classify and document the world. Beach Boulevard, however, attempts discovery instead. As the eponymous boulevard, the 50 mile stretch between the Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains, was a fully unknown land to the photographer, he used it as a central axis for his project. He would encounter low-rise apartments, condos, strip malls, fast-food eateries, and highways piling up to the ocean. O’Neil remains completely fascinated by this region and calls it a phenomenon of historical condition. The photographs we see here look almost idyllic — sandy beaches, families having fun in the sea, green leaves, golden hour and blue skies.

https://stories.mnngful.com/brian-oneill-beach-boulevard/

“Poseidon’s Desalination Plant Threatens our Climate and Human Right to Clean Water” (December 8, 2020)

As California continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, leaders must ensure fundamental human rights like clean water. It is essential that we do not allow this crisis to tip the scales in favor of polluters and private water corporations.

https://voiceofoc.org/2020/05/maestas-rodriguez-and-vielma-poseidons-desalination-plant-threatens-our-climate-and-human-right-to-clean-water/

“The Ever-evolving Campustown” (February 7, 2019)

As development continues to expand Campustown vertically, the historic homes, which have been neglected for decades, are becoming a rare sight. Throughout this article, we will explore the changes in development that have helped almost completely shed its former traditional neighborhood composition.

https://www.smilepolitely.com/culture/the_ever-evolving_campustown/

“Urbanizing the Undiscovered Country, Part One” (June 25, 2019)

Photos have a way of dredging past memories and stirring within us visions of a new possible future. When piecing together our impressions of the places we call home, somewhere in our consciousness, we inevitably will harken back to the smoky historical images we’ve come across throughout the years. The photos of downtown with horse-drawn carriages and sharply-dressed mustached men. Shopkeepers proudly guarding their wares. Ghostlike characters that exist only on yellowed paper. Whether intentioned or not, when we find ourselves photographing our city, we are freezing on film our own impressions and creating a framework by which future generations will understand our times.

And so it goes with Brian O’Neill’s photographs of Champaign-Urbana. Brian, unlike myself, wasn’t born and raised with the backdrop Champaign-Urbana ever-present. Instead, like so many others, Brian was drawn to the area by the university; moving to the area to study sociology as grad student three years ago. Brian’s photos, out of necessity of schedule, are mostly taken at night, further cementing the work as the photos of a curious onlooker: a part of the community but also separated from it by darkness and history.

https://www.smilepolitely.com/arts/urbanizing_the_undiscovered_country_part_i/

“Urbanizing the Undiscovered Country, Part Two" (July 9, 2019)

Rather than a written record of events, photographs emerged as a relevant and important means of communication, if not social change, during the 20th century. The medium in this way is meant to evoke a sense of common emotion and unveil universal notions. Photographs were meant to convey a verisimilitude and dexterity of interpretation that words could not, when used in a journalistic style. However, more recent 20th and 21st century commentators on photography have questioned the extent to which any “objective” evidence or universal experience can be obtained from the still photograph.

https://www.smilepolitely.com/arts/urbanizing_the_undiscovered_country_part_two/