Western Illinois University Department of Art & Design

https://www.wbez.org/in-the-loop-with-sasha-ann-simons/2026/06/15/what-story-does-the-art-tell-at-the-obama-presidential-center 💜💛WIU is PROUD OF YOU!💛💜

Congratulations to our fabulous Art & Design Spring 2026 Graduates!!! ❤️

Coming next week!!! Monday - Wednesday, 10am - 6pm.
Stop by and Check it out!!

Today, the WIU Department of Art and Design celebrated the WIU Pride Celebration through print! We had such a fun time!

please join the department of art & design is celebrating dr. holz!

The WIU Dept. of Art and Design would like to recognize Natalie Divan as this weeks faculty spotlight. Let’s forget about qualifications and get straight to the fun stuff:

Where is your favorite place? Anywhere with my boys and dogs.

Best food you’ve EVER had? Locally, it has to be Kaeng Kua from Pookie’s in Burlington. Pookie makes the best Thai food and she is the nicest human. 

Underrated movie that you love. White Oleander. I love Michelle Pfieffer and I kept that movie in my DVD player for months. 

One place you will NEVER go back to. High School.

What was your nickname in college? Nat
High school? Natter

Favorite day of the year? I have two days-March 22 and July 6-my sons’ birthdays.

Favorite animal? Why? Dogs because they love you unconditionally. 

What do you love about teaching? I love that I am able to share my years of experience with the students. I have been in the graphic design and print industry for over 20 years and I think I have a lot of knowledge and insight to share. 

Spirit animal? Frog

Favorite artist? Who inspires you? I am inspired by a lot of artists, but some of my favorites include Judy Pfaff, Mark Rothko, Paul Rand, and Neville Brody.

Music taste? My go to while working for the past year has been Noah Kahan. I do love Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Alkaline Trio, P!nk, Florence and the Machine. It all depends on my mood.” -Natalie

Thank you so much Natalie for your amazing contributions to our Art and Design Department.

This week, we were able to host a series of workshops for Ingersoll Middle School from Canton, IL. These students were awesome to work with and we are so glad to have invited them to experience WIU art making! Thank you to all WIU faculty and students who were able to make this event possible!

Last night, we celebrated Maggie Long and Brooke Baker’s collaborative show “Sacred Objects”! We had a very successful turn out and were so glad to see so many students, community members, and faculty join us for their opening! If you were unable to join us last night, the show will be on view through April 23rd. Congratulations Brooke and Maggie! Thank you for making this amazing work accessible to the WIU and Macomb community!