SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Museum announces the Nov. 7 opening of “Here, There: New Perspectives on the Collection,” a guest-curated exhibition featuring modern and contemporary artworks by Illinois artists at the Lockport Gallery.

Three guest curators – Mariela Acuña, Sheridan Tucker Anderson, and Allison Lacher – were invited to explore and bring a fresh perspective to the Illinois State Museum’s (ISM) nearly 100-year-old collection of Illinois and regional artists.

“Our groundwork for this project was to review and identify works by Black, Latine, Asian, and LBGTQ+ artists in our collection. This provided the curators a core inventory from which they could ground their research,” said Doug Stapleton, curator of art with the ISM. “The curators selected artworks that speak to themes of nostalgia, home, belonging, and sites of history in American art.”

Visitors are invited to explore the complexities of the museum’s collection voiced by curators from outside of the state museum. It is one of several major question-driven initiatives by the ISM to find what stories are forgotten, untold, misrepresented, and eager to be heard.

“The museum has a truly remarkable collection of around 13.5 million objects that tell the whole story of Illinois. We have collections from anthropology, art, botany, geology, history and zoology that we use for exhibitions and research,” said interim ISM Director Jenn Edginton. “These collections, grown throughout our 147-year history, touch and represent all aspects of life in Illinois through natural science and culture. While a small selection of our collection, the artworks in the exhibit speak to the diverse stories told at the Illinois State Museum.”

ISM invites visitors to celebrate the opening of “Here, There: New Perspectives from the Collection” on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Lockport Gallery. For more information, please contact the gallery at 815-838-7400. The exhibition will be on display at the Gallery until Feb. 22. Admission is free.

This exhibition is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation of American Art. The Terra Foundation supports individuals, organizations, and communities to advance expansive understandings of American art. Established in 1978 and headquartered in Chicago, the foundation is committed to fostering cross-cultural dialogues on American art locally, nationally, and internationally, through its grant program, collection, and initiatives.

Established in 1877, the Illinois State Museum is a dynamic institution that inspires the exploration of Illinois' past and present to inform and enrich everyday life and promote stewardship of cultural and natural resources. Headquartered in Springfield with branch facilities in Lewistown and Lockport, ISM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and a proud member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives.

Illinois e-News Release

Illinois State Museum launches ‘Here, There’ exhibit at Lockport Gallery

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