Illinois Community College Juried Poster Exhibition
The Art + Design Department at Northeastern Illinois University welcomes original graphic design submissions from Illinois Community and Junior College students exploring the aesthetics and conceptual framework of poster design. This exhibition aims to showcase a range of approaches to visual communication through contemporary graphic design.
The exhibition will be on view for a month in NEIU's Student Gallery, with an opening reception on September 25th from 6-9PM.
JUROR
Raeann Van Zee is a designer, printmaker, and Chicago-area design educator. Her work considers value, forms of labor and currency, language, and the activity of self-publishing. Raeann publishes books and other printed matter via the Risograph and her small press BOVINE. She would call the work of creating her publications a sort of poetic knowledge construction, and is interested in the altered relationship between designer and work when they are involved in all stages of production.
Raeann received her BFA and a master’s degree in graphic design, most recently earning her MDes in 2024 at the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her publication work has been featured in the LA Printed Matter Art Book Fair, San Francisco Art Book Fair, and the Detroit Art Book Fair, among others. In 2022 she was awarded a fellowship at UIC where she completed her MDes program, and in 2025 worked as an Artist in Residence at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.
Her teaching practice encompasses a wide range of classes, but is especially focused on the areas of typography and 2D Form. As an educator and practitioner she is interested in using writing and research as design tools, and investigating design’s value assignments as well as its social implications.
AWARDS
1st Place: $200 Blick Art Materials Gift Card
2nd Place: $150 Blick Art Materials Gift Card
3rd Place: $100 Blick Art Materials Gift Card
KEY DATES
August 1: Submissions Open
September 7: Entry Deadline (11:59pm CST)
September 11: Notification of Acceptance
September 25: Exhibition Reception (6:00 - 9:00 PM @ NEIU)
September 25 - October 9: Exhibition Open
October 15 -17: Poster Pickup
ELIGIBILITY
- The exhibition is open to all students currently enrolled in an Illinois Community or Junior College
- Artwork must have been created between August 2023 and the present.
SPECIFICATIONS
Each student artist may submit up to three original works.
Image Submission
- Digital submissions of posters up to 11” x 17” will be accepted.
- Submit high-resolution images of your work (minimum 300dpi)
- Accepted formats are .pdf, .png, .jpg
- Name files with your first name, last name, and an entry number: ex. Jane_Smith_1.jpg
Posters
Posters may address a wide range of purposes, including, but not limited to, poster design that focuses on typography, advertising, experimental design, events, protest or socially engaged themes.
Posters made digitally, on the RISO, letterpress, and screen-printed are eligible.
Accepted Works
- Accepted posters will be laser printed at NEIU by NEIU Studio Specialists
- Students submitting RISO, letterpress, or screen-printed posters are invited to drop off their work in person. Will be in touch to discuss delivery details on a case-by-case basis.
- All the posters will be displayed salon-style in NEIU's Student Gallery
Drop Off / Pick Up
- All work must remain in the show for the duration of the exhibit.
- Posters will be available for pick-up at the end of the exhibition.
Fees/Sales/Commissions
- There is no entry fee.
- All sales inquiries will be forwarded directly to the artist.
- No commissions will be taken from sales.
- Work does not have to be for sale to be exhibited in the show.
Publicity
- By submitting this application, the artist agrees to all conditions stated here.
- The artist also agrees to release images of the artwork for publicity and cataloging purposes.
Notification
- Artists will be notified via email whether or not the jury selected their submissions.
