Chicago artist Ashley January will have a solo exhibition, “Human | Mother | Black,” on display Tuesday, Jan. 17 – Friday, Feb. 24 at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. A reception for the artist will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. The artist will speak about their work at 5 p.m. January creates contemporary paintings informed by her maternal experience. Due to pregnancy complications that led to her son’s premature birth, her body of work addresses the crisis of the Black maternal mortality and morbidity rate in America. Recently, January became the first... Read More

St. Louis artist Michael Darough will have his solo exhibition, “The Talk: A Conversation about Race in America,” on display Tuesday, Feb. 22-Friday, March 25, at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. Darough graduated from the University of Memphis, earning an MFA in photography in 2011, and his BFA in photography from Arizona State University in 2007. His work explores the intersection of personal and cultural identity through tableau and portraiture. He is a nationally and internationally exhibiting artist whose work has recently been shown at the Brooks Museum of Art (Memphis,... Read More

Illinois artist Jason Ackman will have his solo exhibition, “Navigating Boarders,” on display through Friday, Oct. 29, at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. A reception for the artist will be held Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 4:30-6 p.m. The artist will speak about his work at 5 p.m. Ackman is a sculptor and educator living with his wife and two daughters in the small river township of Frederick, IL. As an artist, his primary focus is the use of reclaimed building materials to establish narratives for his sculptural works. He and his wife, Christy, are also co-directors of Farwell... Read More