BY: HIBA OBEED
Staff
On Thursday, March 6, 2025, St. Louis Community College (STLCC) Meramec’s Interior Design Professor Erin LeClerc and Graphic Design Professor Michael Swoboda hosted the opening night of an art exhibit, “A Legacy in Design” located in the Humanities East building art gallery. The exhibit took place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and displayed work from 18 graphic designers and five interior designers.
But what does it take to host an exhibit with such a wide variety of artists? “We had to plan about a year ahead,” said Swaboda. “Late last spring, I started reaching out to alumni, some of whom were graduates from about 18 years ago, others relatively recent and the rest everywhere in between.”
In the hall outside of the gallery, visitors spent their time listening to live music played by Professor Jim Ibur and his friend Ben Vonhartz, as well as socializing and eating together before eventually coming in to see the show. As the show began, people filled the gallery, looking at the graphic design posters, cards, booklets, workshop pieces, clothing, furniture, and even interacting with a computer.
“We had a variety of works that included print media, two-dimensional media, interactive design, augmented reality— just a great variety to show what we think is a tremendous width and breadth of the capabilities of our graduates over the last two decades,” Swoboda said.
One artist, Justin Tolover, made an interactive retro arcade-themed computer that guests were encouraged to touch and scroll on. It included a variety of different sections to explore including an Arkanoid style game.
Another artist, Chelsey Farris, designed the 2024 US Open poster for the United States Tennis Association, a non-profit organization known as the national governing body for the sport of tennis. “A Legacy in Design” was created to show viewers the variety and level of skill cultivated by STLCC’s design programs, said Swoboda. “The program demonstrates that our program at a community college can be as powerful and impactful as any design program in the country,” said Swoboda. “It demonstrates that our students can compete for the very finest jobs and opportunities in our field.”
One attendee, Greta McGlawn, said they enjoyed the variety of artworks. “There were a lot of artists that did graphic design, interactive designs, and experimental designs,” said McGlawn. One thing that stood out to them was the interior design. “I liked the variety of interior design work; it wasn’t all just schools and doctors’ offices, there were lots of different rooms and styles.”
