PAST EXHIBITIONS

KEVIN STRANDBERG

ARMSTRONG GALLERY

February 25 - April 1

Opening Reception: February 25th 5:30-8:30PM

Kevin Strandberg Artist Talk

Friday, April 1st, 2022 6:00-7:15PM

Kevin Strandberg will be giving an Artist Talk on his work, "Barcelona: After Images" currently featured in our Armstrong Gallery. Join us Friday, April 1st, 2022, at 6PM to learn about his artistic process.

https://youtu.be/dUTCpbYhTjE



    95TH ANNUAL AMATEUR ART EXHIBITION

    BRANDT GALLERY

    March 4 - April 8 (Opens this Friday at 5:30 PM)

    Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony: March 6th

    5:30-8PM

    Awards will be announced at 6:30 PM



      SUSAN HOLIFIELD

      DOLAN GALLERY

      February 25 - April 1

      Opening Reception: February 25th 5:30-8:30PM


      RAW CREATION: A Collection of Southern Outsider Artists

      Works by Howard Finster, James Harold  Jenkins, Benny Carter, R.A. Miller and more

      The collection of Krystal Kay Lyon

      DOLAN GALLERY

      January 14 - February 18


      • Closing reception on Friday, February 18, 2022.  
      • Members from 5pm to 6pm, Public from 6pm to 8pm



      September 3 - October 15, 2021
      Reception: Friday, October 15, 5-8 PM

      Sponsored by: Lynn & Patricia E. Webber

      Herb Eaton received an MFA in sculpture and drawing from Illinois State University in 1984. He has worked as a carpenter, instructor, museum designer, preparator, toy designer and manufacturer, a co-founder of the Children’s Discovery Museum, and a musician.

      Buddy Plumlee received a BFA from Illinois State University in 1989 and an MS in painting and drawing from ISU in 1991. He is the owner of BPS Artisans, a member of the West Chicago Cultural Arts Commission since 2011, and a decorative finishing/mural painter.

      Brandt GALLERy

      "This past year has, for most of us, profoundly changed our relationship with physical space, especially the formerly safe space of home. Homes for some have become unbearably confining, for some uncertain or nonexistent and for others a desolate empty place to grieve. Natural and man-made disasters have destroyed others, leaving the inhabitants only sad scraps and distorted debris. My work considers this emotional and physical devastation created by the loss of home. Home is where our most basic human needs - nourishment, rest, and safety - are supposed to be met. When these are lost we are set adrift, grieving for security and permanence. This is "hiraeth" a Welsh word for a profound homesickness for a home you can't return to, or that may have never existed. Much of the horror evoked by natural and man-made disasters comes down to this basic fear. Many of my drawings and sculptures formally involve images of homes beyond repair; structures collapsing, burning, ripping, tearing, falling. I draw homes because they ae us; the places where we can be the most real and where we can dream in peace." ~ Susan Emmerson 

      Specifically feeble and precisely precarious, Lisa Walcott's work translates elements of daily life. Moods, guilt, sensations, monotony, accumulation and change are given bodies in objects and movement. Spaces of the mind are realized in physical form and daydreams animated. Up close and in combination they begin to represent the fluidity and contradictions of the everyday. The task of locating and giving form to shapeless sensations like presence, agitation or what it feels like to be full after eating will eventually fail because these feelings can never quite be manifested. However, there is often something more desirable in the always-absent compared to the attainable. The attempt to find shape and materiality for these abstract ideas involves collecting, combining, squinting, and meandering forward. The works are as energetic as they are visual--agitation buzzes overhead as a housefly and presence unexpectedly gurgles from an unknown space. In many cases, the objects feel essential, like they couldn't be anything besides what they are--their physicality is vital for them to hold their position and their essence is what the work is about. There is a sense of balance that is n the verge of being lost as joints are precarious and elements within the pieces are codependent--everything has a place for now. ~ Lisa Walcott

      ARMSTRONG AND DOLAN GALLERY

                                        

      Ted Diamond | Jim Kozak | Tyler Mardis

      June 11 - July 16, 2021

      Closing Reception on Friday, July 16, 2021


      This exhibition will feature the work of three photographers, Ted Diamond, Jim Kozak, and Tyler Mardis. Their images capture the beauty of the vast Illinois landscape, as well as explore the weathered architecture of the rural Midwest. 



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      Brandt GALLERy

      PATHWAYS, Nichole Gronvold Roller/David Linneweh/Megan Hinds

      April 23 - June 4, 2021
      Brandt Gallery

      Nichole Gronvold Roller creates ambiguous spaces that possess an unpredictable gravity or no gravity at all. She constructs these spaces with vortexes, fragmented planes, and energy pathways borrowed from both human-made and natural systems. Her shaped canvases explore the material, geographical, and cultural influences of architectural design.

      David Linneweh’s work reflects on the idea of the American Dream, asking if its tenets are based on illusion or reality. He begins with photographs of suburban streets, which are then printed and transferred over a wood veneer. Layers of graphite and paint serve to emphasize or flatten compositional elements, resulting in images that are altered and weathered by time.

      Megan Hinds explores ecosystems and architecture in her three-dimensional prints, drawing inspiration from beehives to human cities. Her layered compositions provide opportunities for visual exploration and discovery, with camouflage and chaos giving way to organized focal points.

      94th Annual Amateur Exhibition

      March 6 -  April 

      Masks and social distancing required.


      ARMSTRONG GALLERY


      ONCE REMOVED, Jim Neeley & Wayne Bertola

      April 23 - June 4, 2021

      Armstrong Gallery

      Due to the COVID-19 no public reception will occur

      The three-dimensional constructions Jim Neeley builds press him to think like a graphic designer, use his hands like a finish carpenter, and obsess over the details. His inspirations are numerous and varied. The iconic design and culture of the 1970s. Bird’s-eye views of the rural landscape where he cycles. High/low architecture, studied wherever he travels. Quirky things, irreverent things. Unrelated bits and pieces such as local found objects and recycled stuff that he re-imagines and reorganizes into meticulous, elegant tableaus, all neatly contained in handmade boxes. Superfluous details of the objects he incorporates into these pieces are “erased,” leaving just the essence of mundane elements. For the observer, he hopes that his work pings a distant recollection, conjures a smile, and also inspires a bit of self-indulgence.

      Wayne Bertola combines found objects and images—the discarded debris of the once-functional and the most humble of materials—in a way that demonstrates their capacity to transform. Recontextualized, the objects engage the viewer in a creative dialogue of association, allusion, and reverie beyond the limitations of the utilitarian and preconceived notions of what is worthy of notice and what constitutes value.


      Apart/ Together

      An exhibition featuring our in-house McLean County Arts Center instructor's work created during the pandemic celebrating the togetherness and connection the arts offer even when physically distanced. Features photography, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting, and more!


      DOLAN GALLERy


      PUNCTUATION: 35 YEARS OF DIABETIC DEBRIS, Karl Smith

      April 23 - June 4, 2021

      Dolan Gallery


      Karl Smith’s still life photos utilize the medical supplies he personally used to treat his diabetes since he was a teen. The debris includes hundreds of syringes, insulin bottles, glucose testers and supplies, and hospital wrist bands. More recently, the series shifted to photographs of his life after receiving kidney and pancreas transplants, including photographs of his organ donor’s family.


      CROWNS OF EMPOWERMENT

      February 26 - April 9, 2021

      Natalie Jackson studied photography at the Atlanta Art Institute and completed a full curriculum at Gwinnett Technical College. She specialized in portraits, which she later combined with a love for jazz, shooting CD covers, concerts, and posters for musicians.

      I produced this body of work because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me on the covers of vintage magazines. I believe representation and inclusivity are paramount to success. You must see to believe. The purpose of this work is to empower Black women and educate everyone else as to the important roles they’ve played in history.

      Brandt GALLERy


      Tending Place

      January 15- February 19 

      Jessica Bingham & Hua Nian 

      Masks and social distancing required.

      Hua Nian is a signature artist of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP) and the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS). Her paintings appear in international and national art exhibitions, winning awards at local, state, and national shows. She is now an active exhibiting artist and art instructor of Hua Nian Art Studio in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

      Jessica Bingham (b. 1989) is an artist, curator, educator, and mother working in Central Illinois. She is Curator at University Galleries of Illinois State University and the Director and Cofounder of Project 1612, an independent artist-run space focused on ephemeral exhibitions and participatory performances. In addition to curating exhibitions and engaging community, Bingham is a practicing artist whose work examines memory, trauma, homemaking, childhood, and motherhood through mending.

      Armstrong Gallery


      Unsteady Hands

      David Dow

      Artist, entrepreneur, advocate, and philanthropist David Dow continues and evolves his exploration of masks: do they hide who we are or allow us to become something we wish to be? His current work is inspired by childhood recollections conjured up during the tumultuous months of 2020: an exotic gift received, his eccentric paternal grandparents, and exposure to the richness of cultures vastly different from his own. Taking a pause from ceramics, he has produced a new body of work created by steady hands, glass beads, and wax. Oh, and patience.



      Dolan Gallery

      Art Strings and Tambourines

      Art Strings & Tambourines - a benefit for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, in cooperation with the McLean County Arts Center. This event showcases the talents of professional artists on violins and tambourines. A complete display of artwork to be auctioned online February 1-13 can be viewed at the McLean County Arts Center now through February 13.

      Click below to view and bid!

      Illinois Symphony Orchestra


       






      ALL GALLERies

      44TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY TREASURES

      November 5 - December 31, 2020



      Brandt GALLERY

      PRISM | JAN BRANDT, KRYSTAL LYON, NATALIE WETZEL

      August 28 - October 9, 2020

      ARMSTRONG GALLERY

      DRAWN TO THE WATER | CATHY ENGBERG & MANDY ROEING

      Sponsored by Brian and Yvonne Hoop
      August 28 - October 9, 2020

      Dolan GALLERY

      CREATURES | ERICA GILLIAM

      August 28 - October 9, 2020


      Brandt GALLERY

      SELECTIONS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION


      July 14 - August 21, 2020


      Harold Gregor, Above the Farm IV, color linocut

      Brandt GALLERY

      93RD ANNUAL MCLEAN COUNTY AMATEUR ART EXHIBITION

      February 28 - April 10, 2020
      Sponsored by The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, Jerry Antonini, Paula Aschim and Tim Garvey, Miles and Ruth Bair, R. Charles and Laura S. Baue, Gail and Galen Crow, Susan Emmerson, Robert Fisher and Linda Willis Fisher, Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell, John and Marilyn Freese, Ed and Judy Hines, Brian and Yvonne Hoop, Mike and Alexis Kalish, Sheila Lamberson and Cheryl Divine, Cathy Pratt and Dave Templeton, Jim and Pam Raymond, Laura and Bob Reardon, Robert and Connie Stefl, Tracey Sullivan Covert, Lynn and Patsy Webber, Stephen R. and Beverly A. Young

      Armstrong GALLERY

      Prairie to Peak | Aaron yount & pamela cather

      February 21 - April 10, 2020

      Dolan GALLERY

      luminosity | cathie Crawford

      February 21 - April 10, 2020

      Brandt GALLERY

      Growing Time | Melissa Oresky

      January 10 - February 14, 2020
      View exhibition catalog


      Armstrong GALLERY

      Double Vision | BILL O'DONNELL

      January 10 - February 14, 2020


      Dolan GALLERY

      A Stitch in Time | Kathryn Leslie

      January 10 - February 14, 2020


      Exhibition Archive


      2019

      Marisa Boyd

      In Contrast - Jeff Bess

      Traverse - Megan Kathol Bersett & Tyler Lotz

      Landscapes That Were, Mindscapes That Are - Swati Sreejith

      Familiar Spirits - Mary F. Coats, Andrea Ferrigno, Mariko Brown Harkin

      92nd Amateur Art Exhibition

      Recollections - Lori Reed

      M ㄅ V ㄍ M ㄍ ㄇ ㄒ III: Bad Buddha, 嫦娥 - Cathy Hsiao

      2019 Emerging Illinois Artists

      Melanated - Shane-Jahi Jackson

      Strings and Hollows - Paul Klee & Nisa Blackmon

      Amble - Deana Moore Schoolcraft & David Stratton

      Pure Color - Illinois Prairie Pastel Society

      Imperfect Symmetry - Bala Thiagarajan

      Eye Candy - Elaine Rexdale

      Madcap Mayhem - Michael Amis, William Butler, Dominic Henkelman

      Renderings - Garret McFann

      Sinew - Naomi Whiting Towner

      Richard Finch - A Retrospective

      Holiday Treasures

      2018

      Molly Markow

      Boundary Layer - Nancy Fewkes & Laura Primozic

      From the Studio - Dann Nardi

      Jinghua Zeng

      Warning Signs - Jeff Robinson

      91st Amateur Art Exhibition

      Wingding: Some Small Quilts - Cathy Haab

      Deconstruct | Accord - Peter Bushell

      Lunacy - A Group Exhibition

      Points in the Pattern of Cloud - John Humphries & Katherine Tauscher

      Revisiting Rockwell - Maggie Meiners

      Eric Benson & FreshPress

      Nick Satinover

      Jim Arendt

      Student Artists of the McLean County Arts Center

      Alice Lee

      A Practice in Permanence

      Holiday Treasures






      2017

      point | line | shape | form

      Thin Deep Ribbon - Scott Rankin

      Dualities - Carolina Rodriguez

      Alighted - Stephanie Roberts

      90th Amateur Art Exhibition

      Spring is on the Wing - Deanna Frautschi

      Nuclear Tourism - Nate Matthews

      Welcome to Hard Times (East Texas Pinholes) - Vaughn Wascovich

      Behavior of Water - Karen Gyllin

      To the Sacred Grove - Cynthia Kukla

      Lose the Feeling - Heather Brammeier

      Figura Autem A Femina - Krystal Lyon

      KodaRoamers Camera Club

      MCAC Board Members & Staff

      Harold Boyd

      Rhea Edge

      Holiday Treasures





      2016

      Legacy

      Elemental - Doug DeWitt

      89th Amateur Art Exhibition

      The Lay of the Land - Tony Rio

      Altered Portraits - Monica Estabrook

      Bravo Charlie Alpha - Kevin Goodrich

      2016 Emerging Illinois Artists

      The View from Here - 4 Photographers of McLean County

      micro<MACRO

      Rover

      tread lightly my dear, for you tread on my dreams - Dawn Gettler

      The Quickening - Lisa Lofgren

      40 Years NEW

      Behind Every Print

      Holiday Treasures

      Flora - Colleen McCall, Julie Nelson, Matt Urban

      Abstracted Landscapes - Dick Folse

       







      2015

      Contemporary Portraiture -Margaret LeJeune, Rick Lewis, Jason Patterson

      Self is a River - Mel Keiser, Nicole White, Chris Wille

      88th Amateur Art Exhibition

      Kaye Buchman


      Know You - Benjamin & Delaney Demott

      Near & Far

      Illinois Quiltscape

      Contemporary Quilts - Mary Jo Bowers

      Art in Nature

      Memory of Water - Brian Frink

      Observance - Bethany Carlson, Dawn Gettler, Ann Coddington Rast

      Animalia - Carlene Dingman Atwater, Kara Kirchner, CJ Niehaus

      Holiday Treasures

      The Corner of my Eye - Dale C. Evans









       
      2014

      Brian Patrick Franklin

      Kevin Strandberg

      87th Amateur Art Exhibition

      Jodi Birdwell

      Jason Reblando

      Emmerson, Sheese, & Stolle

      Kowalczyk & Swanson

      Lofgren & Somers

      Film Noir- KodaRoamers Camera Club

      Rover

      Ecovisions

      Preserving ParkLands

      Holiday Treasures

      Charles Timken

      Somatic- Brooks, Lotz, & Rubin





       
      2013

      Harold Gregor

      86th Amateur Art Exhibition

      Andrew Huot & Angela Pease

      Tommy Reyes

      Emerging Illinois Artists

      Define Drawing

      Rover

      125th Celebration

      Stephen Cartwright

      Discover ParkLands

      Holiday Treasures

      Matthew Holt

      Donald Lake




       
      2012

      Jin Lee & Rhondal McKinney

      John Cassidy

      85th Amateur Art Exhibition

      Connie Estep

      Dennis French

      Matt Moyer

      In Your Neighborhood

      Figure Drawing

      Timothy van Laar


      O’Donnell & Chalmers 


      Made By Hands


      Holiday Treasures


      Vase as Voice







      Mission Statement: We encourage and promote the appreciation, study, cultivation, development, and practice of art for the benefit of all the people, cultures and communities of McLean County. 


          
              "This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts"

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