College of DuPage Associate Art Professor Brad Killam has dedicated more than 20 years to teaching the fundamentals of fine arts, particularly drawing and painting. But it’s his acclaimed personal artwork that has earned him a spot at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Edna Carlsten Art Gallery.

“Dare I speak on behalf of all the art professors I’ve ever met, a shared reward from teaching is seeing students truly connect with and love what they discover in their art education,” Killam said.

Killam earned his undergraduate degree in art from Illinois State University beforepursuing graduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. It was during these years he developed his passion for teaching.

“When a student realizes that they’re transforming from somebody who’s just taking a class to thinking ‘Wow, I think I’m going to be an artist.’ And you recognize that in their attitude and their approach to the coursework, their commitment and dedication, that’s super satisfying.”

His skill set spans multiple mediums, including photography and sculpture. However, he said that he finds himself painting more often than other disciplines these days. Inspired by landscapes and the world around him, his oil paintings are more traditional and created with an experience in mind. “What I love about oil painting is that not only do I think I know what I can and can’t do with the material, but I’m also still learning quite a bit which is pretty amazing,” Killam said. “You can keep working with a single material for decades and still find that you have not completely learned everything about it.” 

Curated by exhibition director Kyle Knoke, “Swept Over the Rug” is a joint exhibition featuring Killam and Michelle Grabner, crown professor of art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. These creative partners have collaborated on artwork, curating and publishing since the 1990s. Together, they have participated in more than 100 solo and joint exhibitions worldwide.

“We were reading the same theories. We were following the same artists. We have a shared imprint of art in the ‘80s and ‘90s, which was very important to us.” Grabner said. “We both believe art is a privilege and a responsibility. We work hard on it, not because we have an exhibition coming up, but because we believe in the freedom that we have, both as faculty and human beings, to be creative.” 

In recent years, Grabner has focused her artistic exploration on patterns and fabrics in painting, printmaking and sculpture. Key patterns in her work include ginghams, burlaps and crocheted items. 

“Repetition is particularly interesting to me right now because it evokes consistency and skill, especially in a time when everything in culture seems to be in disarray,” Grabner said.

The new work displayed in the museum expands on Grabner’s ongoing interest in replication, from the personal domestic sphere of home and kitchen to the public, yet overlooked, world of the janitorial underclass, she said.

“Janitorial work is supposed to go unnoticed,” she said. “That’s the stuff you’re not supposed to see when walking through different institutional buildings like [COD]. We also think that institutions need to be absolutely clean, tidy, and hygienic. That is the work of the laborers who go uncelebrated and unnoticed. The idea of taking their materials and transferring them into something that is porcelain and glazed in a beautiful way, I think really honors that kind of work.” 

Their collaboration in “Swept Over the Rug” highlights the intersection of their unique artistic practices, with each artist bringing a distinct perspective to the exhibition’s exploration of overlooked elements of everyday life.

“The ‘fool the eye’ nature of Grabner’s work and the not ‘fool the eye’ nature of my work has a built-in contrast or contradiction, and I think the curator was sort of having fun with the title,” Killam said.  

The pair consistently encourage students to look beyond themselves and invest more in the work they create, Grabner said. Dedication to the craft, rather than the narrative behind it, comes first in order to grow as an artist.

“Invest your energies into the process of making art, and don’t concentrate on what might be fashionable at the moment,” Killam said. “Concentrate on the hard work that it takes to be in the studio working. Always practice until your next practice.” 

“Swept Over the Rug” is on display at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Edna Carlsten Art Gallery through March 7. The gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about upcoming exhibitions, visit uwsp.edu/events/category/art-exhibit.