Illinois All-State Art Exhibition at Giertz Gallery

Description

In collaboration with 40 North: Champaign County Arts Council, the Giertz Gallery at Parkland College will present the "Illinois All-State Art Exhibition", a juried showcase of contemporary Illinois artists beginning Monday, June 8. Participating artists include Michael Aldag, Sarah Anderson, Rajee Aryal, Chris Beaty, Gary Beaumont, April Behnke, Francesca Bertani, Jess Beyler, Jerry Bleem, Teron (TeJay) Bowman, Jenny Chernansky, Mafe Cruz, Diane DeLeonardo, Sherri Denault, Sarah Eckstine, Jeff Evans, Viktoria Ford, Stacey Gross, Ellie Henderson, Samuel Herndon, Christopher Hiltz, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Eunjoo Kang, Annika Keckhaver, Carolyn Knox, Maria Kunigk, Donald K. Lake, Charissa R. Lansing, Ruth Lantz, Amy Lozar, Maria Macko, Paula McCarty, Adrienne Elyse Meyers, John Odum, Nathan Olsen, Taylor Dennis Pasquale, Rosalyn Schwartz, Carol Spindel, Brian Sullan, Dan Swanson, Grant Thomas, Michael Thomas, Natalie Troyer, and Mel Watkin. This year’s juror, Misa Jeffereis, currently serves as associate curator at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. Previously, she served as curatorial associate at the Walker Art Center. Jeffereis has juried exhibitions for Apexart, the Association of Art Museum Curators, the Bemis Center for the Arts, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial, New American Paintings, Socrates Sculpture Park, the South Bend Museum of Art Biennial, and the Springfield Art Museum, among others. On jurying the exhibition, Jeffereis states: "As a curator based in the Midwest, it was an honor to jury this year’s Illinois All-State Juried Art Exhibition, during which I was exposed to so many stellar artists’ practices and gained an even deeper sense of the strong artistic talent in this region. I was impressed by the artists’ deft material explorations across a wide range of mediums, as well as their ability to integrate form with content, grappling with issues around identity, the land, and environmental concerns, among many other salient topics." She also serves on the boards of Gallery 210 at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Midwest Artist Project Services, which supports artists, collectives, and arts organizations across the Midwest. "For artists, taking part in a statewide juried exhibition gives them exposure and recognition," Giertz Gallery Director Lisa Costello said. "It can introduce them to new audiences, like curators, collectors, and gallery owners. This helps with networking, encourages them to create new work, and all of these are important for an artist’s career advancement." Costello added: "I always look forward to seeing all the artwork exhibited in the gallery and hearing what visitors think. The experience is just as much about bringing the community together as it is about giving artists a chance to show their work." "The Illinois All-State Exhibition" will run through Thursday, July 23, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 11, with remarks at 6:15 p.m. by Costello and 40 North Director Kelly White. A closing reception will take place on Thursday, July 23, from 5:30–7 p.m., featuring a gallery talk by Jeffereis at 6:15 p.m. The gallery’s summer hours are Monday–Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The gallery is closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. To find the gallery, use the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through door X7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area. All events in the accessible gallery are free and open to the public. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution. For accommodation, call 217/353-2337 or email accessibility@parkland.edu. Programs at the gallery are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.