Our program features ambitious and experimental art exhibitions, artist talks, screenings and discussions. We work with a range of professional artists, from those who are just beginning to emerge in their career, to internationally renowned and established artists. See our calendar of upcoming events below.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is an inclusive space for everyone to explore and enjoy. All events are free and open to the public.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery has a new home!
This fall, we're excited to open the doors to a newly renovated facility in the Performing Arts Center (PAC 115). This marks an exciting new chapter for contemporary art at UIS. The gallery reflects the university's continued investment in the visual arts and strengthens the role of contemporary art as a vital part of campus life.
We look forward to welcoming you into this dedicated space for exhibitions, artist talks, and public programs that bring together students, artists, and our broader community. Join us as we inaugurate the gallery with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events this fall!
Upcoming Exhibitions
Constellations: Visual Arts Faculty and Alumni Exhibition
Monday, August 24 - Thursday, October 1, 2026
Reception: Thursday, September 3, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
The inaugural exhibition in the new UIS Visual Arts Gallery celebrates the enduring relationships between studio faculty and alumni in the Visual Arts program at UIS. Each studio faculty member presents work alongside two alumni with whom they shared sustained studio time, artistic growth, and formative moments in teaching or practice. Constellations highlights the work of our faculty, the trajectories of our alumni, and the enduring relationships that continue to shape Visual Arts at UIS.
Featuring UIS Visual Arts faculty Brytton Bjorngaard, Allison Lacher, Mike Miller, and Shane Harris, with UIS Visual Arts alumni Teddy Armstrong, Brad Balster, Jerica Griffin-Stewart, Chrissy Hanula, Tyler Phibbs, Jeff Robinson, Darrin Simmons, and Tyler Wise. Constellations is co-curated by UIS Visual Arts alumna Barbie Sutheard.
Mike Rea: Post Wet
Monday, October 12 - Thursday, November 19, 2026
Reception: Thursday, October 15, 5:30 -7:30 p.m.
Mike Rea is an artist and Associate Professor of Sculpture at Northern Illinois University. Drawing on popular culture and personal narrative, Rea's work examines a culture that both critiques and celebrates the extremes of human experience. Inspired by science fiction, horror, and mythology, his large-scale sculptures explore the intersections of humor, indulgence, vulnerability, and fantasy, blurring the boundaries between fiction and contemporary life.
His work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, including recent solo exhibitions at Bertrand Productions (Philadelphia), Rockford University (Rockford, IL), Cleaner Gallery (Chicago), Bread & Salt (San Diego), Hutton Hotel (Nashville), and Verdant Studio (Springdale, AR). Recent group exhibitions include the Atlanta Art Fair with Bertrand Productions, the Pensacola Museum of Art, Circle Contemporary at Arts of Life, Common Wealth Gallery, and Cleaner Gallery + Projects. Rea's work has been featured in Chicago Gallery News, Whitehot Magazine, American Craft Council Magazine, and Newcity.
ECCE Lecture: Aram Han Sifuentes
Community Is Power: Art and Activism
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 - 6:00 p.m.
Brookens Auditorium
Chicago-based artist Aram Han Sifuentes works across fiber, social practice, and collaborative, community-based projects to explore themes of labor, migration, and belonging. Her projects center collective making, often through sewing, as a way to build community and create space for participation, especially for those whose voices are often excluded or who may be at risk.
In this lecture, Sifuentes will share images and discuss her practice, with a focus on her Protest Banner Lending Library. This ongoing project brings people together to create handmade banners that can be used in demonstrations and other forms of public protest, making space for different forms of participation and expression. The Protest Banner Lending Library offers a pathway for participation in public protest and civic dialogue.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery’s Annual Silent Auction & Benefit
Available Online: November 9, 2026
On view: Novemeber 30 - December 3, 2026
Reception: Thursday, December 3, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
The annual Silent Auction & Benefit offers items in a variety of media, including painting, collage, ceramics, prints, glass, and photography, among others. All featured items have been donated by artists and donors from the Springfield community and beyond. Proceeds from this auction support gallery programming throughout the year, including ambitious exhibitions by emerging and established artists, student exhibitions, and educational programs.
