Exhibitions & Collections

Illinois Art Station boasts a premier gallery space for the exhibition of artworks created by IAS young artists and guest artists whose work inspires children, youth, & their families. Exhibits rotate roughly every 6 weeks. See below for more information on our current and past exhibitions!

Current Exhibition

GUEST @ IAS: A Home For Monstars by Starlight-Jaxsun of Monster Girl Brigade

February 18 – March 11, 2023

Be our GUEST!

Illinois Art Station welcomes artist Starlight-Jaxsun Porter (they/them) of Monster Girl Brigade as our first GUEST artist of 2023! A Home For Monstars is a show about identity and self expression through loving oneself. It’s about magic, monsters, love, and a home each of us carries in our hearts.

“I’ve always viewed my art as a diary,” says Starlight-Jaxsun. “I create pieces that are colorful, eye catching, monstrous. Pieces that will draw in as many people as possible through the use of color, subject matter, and humor lots of time. I use bold, neon, vivid colors to combat social injustices, personal trauma, and as a bridge. I want my work to help at least one other person out there that’s feeling similar or how I did in my past. I want it to be a bridge back to their own self for that person. A bridge of realization that they aren’t alone in their feelings.”

Follow Starlight-Jaxsun on IG @starlightjaxsun

Past Exhibitions

Itsy Arts on Location: The Exhibit

January 7 – February 11, 2023

The artwork on display was created by more than 200 four-year-old artists from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022 as they explored six major emotions: Happy, Sad, Mad, Excited, Surprised, & Calm. Shout out to our partner sites of education and art exploration: Brigham Early Learning, Sarah Raymond School of Early Education, and Heartland Head Start.

Itsy Arts On Location (formerly Itsy Studio: In the Community) is an early learning, outreach series that has traveled to libraries (including NPL) and schools around Bloomington-Normal since 2018 – as long as IAS has been offering community education – to provide transformative, hands-on experiences in the visual arts to our youngest artists and families.

From Fall 2019 through Spring 2022, Itsy Arts On Location was offered in partnership with PNC Grow Up Great® and supported by funds granted by the PNC Foundation. The program continues today at Brigham Early Learning Center, Milestones Early Learning Center & Preschool, and Scott Early Learning Center.

Itsy Arts On Location: The Exhibit was displayed at Normal Public Library from December 16, 2022 – January 3, 2023.

String Theory

November 19 – December 31, 2022

String theory isn’t only for physicists. Here at Illinois Art Station, we have a theory too. Art is at its best when people feel connected to it. One way to feel connected to art is to look at it. Another way to feel connected to art is to make it. In this collaborative installation exhibit, you get to do both! Will you help us create an interwoven artwork that connects us all?!

Aniversario de Papel / Paper Anniversary

23 de septiembre – 29 de octubre de 2022

Del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, celebramos las culturas, contribuciones y la creatividad de las comunidades latinx,* hispanas y latinas/o/e-identificativas de todo el mundo. Lo que hoy conocemos como el Mes de la Herencia Hispana-Latina se alinea con los aniversarios de independencia de varias naciones latinoamericanas. Para celebrar el aniversario de papel (1 año) de IAS y nuestra colaboración con Conexiones Latinas del Condado de McLean, ¡les presentamos esta exhibición de papel inspirada en el arte!

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the cultures, contributions, and creativity of Latinx,* Hispanic, and Latino/a/e-identifying communities around the world. What we know today as Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month aligns with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American nations. In celebration of IAS’s paper (1 year) anniversary and our collaboration with Conexiones Latinas de McLean County, we present to you this paper art-inspired exhibit!

*Illinois Art Station usa “Latinx” además de Hispano y Latino/a/e para representar las identidades de género no binario, no conforme, y las personas que amplían el género, así como las vidas de las personas indígenas, brasileñas y otras personas que no hablan español.

*Illinois Art Station uses “Latinx” in addition to Hispanic and Latino/a/e to represent the identities of non-binary, gender non-conforming, and gender-expansive people, as well as the lives of Indigenous, Brazilian, and other non-Spanish speaking people.

We Need a Bigger Boat

June 25 – August 13, 2022

During the week of June 13-17, 2022 local youth from the ages of 6 to 16 were invited to participate in an Empowerment Through Art Camp here at Illinois Art Station. The goal of this camp was to provide participating youth with an opportunity for self-expression through the visual arts. In that week, campers explored the art of Mark Bradford and Bethany Collins and many more practicing and past artists. We Need a Bigger Boat was inspired by Bradford’s Mithra (2008) and Collin’s practice of erasure poetry. Empowerment Through Art Camp was made possible by the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Mirza Arts & Culture Grant.

Designing Discoveries

October 27 – December 18, 2022 at University Galleries at Illinois State University.

Designing Discoveries, celebrating 40 years of Design Streak Studio at ISU, featured the branding created by Design Streak Studio students and faculty for Illinois Art Station in 2018.

Design Streak Studio is a research based social innovation lab focused on human-centered service design. It strives to facilitate an interdisciplinary environment promoting discovery, and experimentation engaging in experiential and service learning. In collaboration with various organizations, Design Streak Studio-lab combines the process of design thinking and making — conducting ethnographic research and collecting quantitative data to create new and authentic solutions to society’s complex problems. The studio-lab is committed to producing solutions of exceptional quality, and embracing design aesthetics to find a balance between form and function. Each project is valued for providing long term sustainability with a strong emphasis on morality and social justice.