A Sept. 4 open house at the NIU Gallery 215 on Fourth Street brought out a crowd of art lovers, including local notables.

Corn Fest offered more than food, music and carnival rides. Attentive eyes might have caught the first glimpses of the “Downtown Initiative.” Launched by a volunteer squad of undergraduate and graduate students from the NIU School of Art and Design, the project comes in response to NIU President Doug Baker‘s pillars. Talk about Student Career...