University Galleries is hosting the 2010 Alumni Spectacular, which is an open-entry exhibition of work by arts and arts technology alumni who attended Illinois State since the 1940s. Although there are many works by artists who received bachelor’s or master’s degrees at Illinois State, neither a degree in studio art nor a diploma was a requirement for admission.

The exhibition is the most encompassing alumni show ever installed in University Galleries. Drawings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, metals, glass, paintings, collages, assemblages, videos, and digital works by 220 artists from 28 states across the United States are on display.  Two additional exhibitions are included. National and Then & Now: Artists from the Lang-Fuller Building.

Curated by Adam Farcus, National includes works by Maria Gaspar, Matthew Paul Jinks, Rebecca Mir, Irene Perez, Allison Yusakawa and Adam Farcus. “Each artist explores nationality through personal experience and related cultural issues,” Farcus said.

Then & Now is curated by James Hejl and cometogether studios. For more than 30 years, the historic Lang-Fuller Printing Company building in downtown Bloomington has housed artists’ studios. This exhibition features two works by each artist: one created while working in a Lang-Fuller Building studio, and one created recently. Textual and photographic documentation of the building’s history accompany the exhibition, which includes work by Harold Boyd, Mark Forth, Lyle Salmi, Michael Dubina, James Hejl, Rick Harney, Michelle Peterson, Michele Bock, Fay Lee, Angel Ambrose, Chris Starkey, Todd DeVriese, Rhea Edge, Gerard Erley, Herb Eaton, and Sandra Oglesby.

All exhibits opened September 18 and run through October 17. They are free and open to the public. The University Galleries has recently added an online bookstore. Check it out!