50th Anniversary Student Art Gallery

New art exhibition alert! In honor of the Undergraduate Library’s 50th Anniversary, the UGL Art Gallery has two new displays to celebrate. Come check them out and celebrate with us!

For the first display, you’ll find the submissions to the Undergraduate Graphic Design Competition. Each of these unique designs captures the spirit and mission of the UGL. You won’t want to miss this impressive display of student artwork!

 

In the second display, you’ll explore the UGL Through the Decades. Learn about the history of the Undergraduate Library while browsing photographs of the UGL over the years. You’ll see the UGL transform from a space on the first floor of the Main Library into the thriving library we know today. The gallery takes viewers through the “Early Beginnings of the UGL,” to “1969: Undergraduate Library Established,” and concludes with the “UGL Today.” Come learn more about this unique building and how it came to be.

We hope to see you there! And be sure to follow us on social media to learn more about events celebrating the UGL’s 50th.

Thank you to the students who submitted to our graphic design competition, and to the University Archives for providing historical images of the Undergraduate Library.

Written by: Izzy

Edited by: Ryan & Lauren

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The UGL is Fifty!

The UGL is the big “5-0!” This fall, the UGL is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will host a series of events throughout the semester for all students to enjoy. In addition, we will showcase student work on merchandise for the UGL@50 celebration — thank you to Taylor Chism, whose design was selected as the first place winner of the UGL’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition, as well as the other competition winners, for their design contributions! To see all three winners’ artwork from this competition, please see our past blog post

Historic view of the UGL in 1970.

The UGL in 1970

The first Undergraduate Library was established on the first floor of the Main Library in 1949, as part of a one million dollar post-war expansion. This campus drive to expand services to undergraduates eventually led to the current Undergraduate Library building opened to campus in 1969 to better support a growing undergraduate population. Today, the UGL helps support more than 33,000 undergraduate students, in addition to the graduate students, staff, and faculty who utilize our resources and services. 

Please join us as we celebrate throughout the semester! Our full schedule of events is below: 

Photo Booth

Monday, September 9 from 3-7pm

50 Donuts an Hour

Monday, September 23 from 12-10pm

50th Anniversary Button Making Event

Monday, October 7 from 3-7pm

Birthday Cake!

Monday, October 21 from 2-4pm

Photo Booth

Monday, November 4 from 3-7pm

DIY Whiteboard Artwork (week-long event)

Begins: Monday November 11 

Ends: Friday November 15

 

Want to know more? Explore the UGL website to learn more about the history of the UGL — we hope to see you this semester!

 

Written and Edited by Lauren

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UGL’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition – Winners Announced!

In February, we posted a blog announcing an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students: the kickoff of a graphic design competition in celebration of the UGL’s 50th Anniversary! The competition guidelines asked undergraduate artists to create a unique design for the UGL@50 celebration which embodied an expression of the University of Illinois undergraduate student body.  After much time and deliberation, the results are in, the competition has come to a close, and winners have been chosen!

Judges looked for clarity, creative flare, and relevant representations of the UGL in the designs. Among many amazing entries, only three designers were awarded top rankings and prizes. Without further ado, we are excited to announce the winners of the UGL’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition:

 

In first place, Taylor Chism!

Taylor will win $100 and her design will be featured at the UGL@50 celebration this fall! Her design will also be printed on merchandise, so look for this design on t-shirts and mugs in the future. Great job, Taylor!

This is an image of the winning design, featuring corn, technology, and books.

1st place – “UGL”

Judges loved the incorporation of the past, present and future theme and multiple easter eggs, including the iconic corn from the Morrow plots, use of technology, and prevalence of books across all time periods.

 

In second place, Alexis Vasquez!

Alexis has won $50 and the honor of second place for her awesome design. Fantastic, Alexis!

This logo highlights the 50 years that the UGL has been opened.

2nd place – “50”

The clean lines and clear design of this entry made it a visually strong and appealing entry in the contest.

 

In third place, Sabas Padilla!

Sabas has won $25 for his third-place ranking. Congratulations, Sabas!

This image highlights the shape of the UGL

3rd place – “50 Years of UGL”

Corn made another appearance in this design, as well as excellent incorporation of the underground setting.

Thanks again to all of the applicants of the competition! Come and see all of the design submissions in the UGL Student Art Gallery this fall – all designs will be exhibited during the Fall 2019 semester.

For information about how to showcase your artwork at the UGL, contact undergrad@library.illinois.edu

 

Written by Annabel

Edited by Lauren

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The Undergraduate Library Announces the UGL 50th Anniversary Design Competition!

The Undergraduate Library 50th anniversary flyer for the Graphic Design Competition. Create the official UGL @50 design! 1st place receives 100 dollars. 2nd place receives 50 dollars. 3rd place receives 25 dollars. Submission deadline is April 10, 2019. Text is on a yellowish orange block on a white background.

The UGL@50 Design Contest!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois! As we prepare to turn as golden as the corn in the Morrow Plots, we’re eagerly planning for an awesome celebration in Fall of 2019.  No UGL celebration would be complete without incorporating student creative voices, though, so we’re launching a special competition for aspiring graphic designers.  The UGL is inviting submissions for a commemorative graphic design which represents the look and theme for the UGL@50 celebration, and encapsulates the many roles the library serves in students’ lives.

Prizes will be awarded to the designers of the top three designs. The first-place design will become an enduring part of the UGL’s digital identity and it will be printed on multiple forms of commemorative items including t-shirts, mugs, and other swag! In addition, the first-place logo designer will receive $100, free UGL swag with their design printed on it, and a special invitation to the 50th anniversary celebration taking place in Fall 2019. The second and third-place designs will receive $50 and $25 prizes.

All submissions should reflect a relevant representation of the University of Illinois undergraduate student body, and should embody what the UGL experience means to you and your classmates. The design should celebrate elements from the past, present, and/or future of the UGL, should there be a future UGL. Designers should ask themselves how the UGL has affected their student experience and provide a design representative of their personal association with the library. Most of all, we want you to celebrate the longstanding of our underground gem!

Here are the contest guidelines:

  • The deadline for all submissions is April 10, 2019. Winners will be notified by April 20th.
  • Only current undergraduate students are eligible to compete.
  • Any design shape is permitted, but should scale easily for a variety of formats – including print, digital, and physical items like t-shirt and coffee cups.
  • Designers wishing to incorporate the official University of Illinois colors or ‘Block I’ into their design should refer to the University of Illinois brand guidelines.
  • Only one submission permitted per artist.
  • All entries must be submitted as PDF, PNG, TIFF, or JPEG images with high resolution. Designers are highly encouraged to save the original format.
  • Submitting your artwork will provide the UGL with the right to use your work in promotional materials. You will receive credit and ownership as the content creator. For full contest and ownership details, see the content submission form.
  • Read the full list of contest rules.

Need help getting started? Check out the following resources for some information and inspiration!

Please contact undergrad@library.illinois.edu with any questions.

Written by Annabel

Edited by Zander

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