An award-winning artist from West Virginia who ponders the struggle for individuality among powerful social forces will be a guest of SIUC next week.

The Visiting Artist Program, with the assistance of various supporters, opens its1995-96 season with a slide presentation by Carmon Colangelo, of West Virginia University, Monday Sept. 18

I’ve never been to Carbondale, Colangelo said. But I’m looking forward to coming because SIUC has a strong art department and the Visiting Artists is a quality program.

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Colangelo, who said his work deals with the strugle for individual identity against the powerful social forces of medical and religious institutions, will show about 80 slides, half of which will be of his own work.

I plan to talk a little about the direct influences of my work, he said. I will illustrate the context and some of the ideas of my work with contemporary prints of other artists.

Colangelo’s work is a part of the theme of this year’s program, elemental forces.

The idea of the theme is both natural and societal elemental forces, Jerry Montieth, director of the Visiting Artist Program said. Natural elemental forces such as weather, minerals, and chemical changes are included. But societal forces may be so prevalent they are almost an element of the environment.

Colangelo, an art professor and coordinator of the printmaking program at West Virginia University, has an extensive record of exhibitions,

including shows at the Philadelphia Print and Photography Club and the Lubbock Fine Arts Center in Texas.

Supporters of the program said it is internationally known and respected.

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It’s a fine program, and something to be proud of, John Jackson, dean of COLA said. It brings internationally acclaimed artists to the University, particularly artists from Central and South American countries.

Bob Paulson, director of the School of Art and Design, said the program is internationally respected.

If you meet someone in England and tell them you’re from SIU, they may very well ask you if that’s the school that has the Visiting Artist Program, Paulson said. About two-thirds of the artists are international in origin, or acclaim.

Paulson said the University has always offered a good amount of assistance to the Visiting Artist Program.

The University has always been behind the Visiting Artist Program with substantial support, he said.

Also funding the program is the National Endowment for the Arts(NEA), which Montieth said is evidence of the accomplishments the program.

We like to think that receiving a grant from the NEA is an indication of the degree of success of the Visiting Artist Program, Montieth said.

The public has always been supportive of the program, Montieth said.

We’ve had a good response, and good attendance, he said. When we had the slide presentations in the University Museum Auditorium, we overflowed the space. We’ve had a good track record of support.

Paulson said the program has good public support, but could always use more.

We’re always looking for public support, be it in attendance or dollars, he said.

Support for the Visiting Artist Program is provided by the College of Liberal Arts(COLA), Office of the President, Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Executive Assistant to the President for International and Economic Development, Graduate School, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Colangelo will lecture at 7 p.m. in Browne Auditorium, 124 Parkinson Hall.