Men walked around in tutus, many wore only underwear and all expressed their impression of amour at this year’s Love at the Glove.

The art exposition is sponsored annually by the League of Art and Design, a Registered Student Organization, and showcases the work of local and student artists.

Jason Wonnell, president of LOAD and a senior from Carbondale studying art, said the event is a great way to collaborate the art spectrum of Carbondale with the community.

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“We had a great crowd. There were all types of people dressed up or down having a good time,” he said.

Love at the Glove was established in 1996 by former SIUC student Bradley Bulleck when the surplus gallery was started.

Every year the expo has a love-related theme, which often consists of some heavy sexual content.

Wolfgang Vandiver, a sophomore from Chicago studying art, said Love at the Glove is a great opportunity for artists to not be so serious.

“The theme allows for everyone to be a little more playful and expressive in a fun environment,” he said. “People have an opportunity to express their sexuality and perspectives of what love

is without being judged.”

The art pieces consisted of everything from paintings, video, sculpture, photography and glasswork to live interaction and crowd-oriented performances.

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Rudy Faulkner, a graduate student in art from Morgan Hill, Calif., said this was his first time being a featured artist at Love at the Glove.

“I was a little nervous to see the audience’s reaction. This is the first time I have ever done something with a sexual overtone, but it’s going really well and I am really enjoying myself,” he said.

Wonnell said one of his favorite parts of this year’s event was that other RSOs were incorporated.

“We had people there from Push and Pull Press selling handmade Valentine’s Day cards and people there from Photogenesis taking pictures of people in our bedroom setup,” he said. “It’s great that we can involve more people from the community, and it just made the event that much better.”

Alexa Nutile, a graduate student in media arts from Elmhurst studying, said she has been coming to the event for about five years and has a great time ever year. She said there is a lot of diversity and many mediums represented at the show, which she said is great for people to see and experience

all in once place.

The self-expression is phenomenal, Nutile said, as she watched a fully naked friend get shaved by members of the crowd.

“She’s speaking out for feminism. That’s the great thing about art; everything has an underlying meaning or tone,” she said.

Local bands including The Jewels and Sun Horse performed music throughout the night.

David Allen and Kevin Ohlau, both members of The Jewels and Carbondale residents, said it was a great environment. Ohlau said the event brings good music, art and friendly people together.

Allen said he found playing at the event liberating.

“We’re playing on the floor for people who care about art and expression. There is just this awesome feeling of intimacy,” Allen said.

Wonnell said he was glad to see so many different types of people come out and support the community.

“I’ve been running this event with the help of many for three years now and it is something I really enjoy doing,” he said.

“It has become a tradition and something that many people anticipate every year.”