Oakton Community College Sculpture on Parade

Approach the Oakton Community College Des Plaines campus from the north, and you'll notice three large foreign objects on the lawn at the south end of the parking lot that were not there before mid-May.

Sculptures "Winter Moon" (welded and bolted aluminum) by Ray Katz, "Deconstruct-Reconstruct" (Indiana limestone) by Michael D. Brown and "Wacko" (aluminum) by John Adduci stand well over 6 feet tall and look like they've been dropped out of the sky. The aluminum pieces are shiny and their shimmer suggests they're not lifeless, while the limestone work is just imposing.

It's almost like they've invaded the space, hinting they are not alone.

Indeed, they're not. They're part of an exhibit of more than 40 large and small sculptures titled "Sculpture Invasion," which will last throughout most of the summer. This is the second invasion. The first happened in 2007 with different sculptures.

There's even more to see as you look toward the building. "Silver Oak" by Barry Tinsley, which looks likes it's leaning down to take a drink from the lake, resembles the giant silvery mother of "Winter Moon" and "Wacko." But, "Silver Oak" is part of the college's permanent collection.

Nathan Harpaz, curator for the Koehnline Museum of Art at Oakton Community College, said the pieces in "Sculpture Invasion" complement many of the works in the permanent collection. He and Lela Hersh, exhibition curator, selected the pieces from the membership of Chicago Sculpture International, an organization that supports sculptors willing to share exhibitions

"They're similar to what we have on display here. They fit with each other," Harpaz said. "That's why we titled it 'Invasion.' They're joining the sculptures on permanent display."

Some of the same artists, such as Ray Katz, are represented in both exhibits. On the west end of campus, his 16-foot tall black, red and yellow painted steel "Transcendent" looks like a larger version of "Winter Moon."

It's the aluminum and steel pieces outside that draw the observer in, especially when the sun is out. It's hard not to notice them winking and shimmering when the light hits them just right. The new sculptures form a loose trail around the building with stops at pieces in the permanent collection, such as "Nightingale," a steel work that looks like a wilting flower, by Dessa Kirk, or John L. Seyfried's "Photography Hall of Fame," a mixed media piece that looks like lenses pointing in all directions, some with the names of important photographers on them, on loan from the Photography Hall of Fame.

Most of the "Invasion" pieces are monochromatic, so encountering "Astroterra" by Nicole Beck on the south side of the college is a brilliant surprise. The 8-foot tall teardrop-shaped mosaic, enamel paint and steel piece sparkles with several different colors, especially blues and purples.

Inside the college's art museum are several smaller pieces made with a greater variety of material, texture and color. For example, "Recycled Bodies" by Joan Truckenbrod are made of felt while Shelley Gilchrist's "Sierra High" is a 10-color encaustic work in jagged shapes.

"We expect a lot of people to come and enjoy the show," Harpaz said. "It's a learning process, it's about getting people closer to modern and contemporary art." 'Sculpture Invasion 2010'

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday through Aug. 26, at Oakton Community College, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines. (847) 635-2633 or www.oakton.edu.