Sharp Museum

Selections from Sharp Museum Collection
Ongoing

This spring, we spotlight works by well-known artists like Josef Albers, Salvador Dali, Richard Hunt, Stephen Pace, Gabor Peterdi, Andy Warhol, and others from our collection.

European Painting, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts
Ongoing

This exhibition highlights paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and furniture from Renaissance Europe selected from the collection of Carl W. Lutes.

Nicholas Blair: Castro to Christopher, Gay Streets of America 1979 - 1986
April 11th – September 27, 2025

Blair documented the narrow window of time between 1979 and 1986, after Stonewall and before the worst days of the AIDS epidemic, when there was a period of giddy, blossoming gay life in places often seen as "gay paradises." San Francisco’s Castro District, New York’s Christopher Street and Fire Island, and Provincetown, Massachusetts, were best known. If the shadow of AIDS were not lingering over these photographs, it would be as though they were showing us an alternate universe where full legal equality for LGBTQ people could have come much sooner. These historic images encapsulate some of the few places in America where, for the very first time and very brief while, it was OK to be gay.

Queer Stories, Queer Spaces: Southern Illinois Histories and Queertographies
April 4th – October 31, 2025

Two years of loving effort went into researching, compiling, and designing this exhibit. Hear the rich oral histories, experience the collective memories on display, and learn the facts and figures of our local queer community with an emphasis on the greater Carbondale Area in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We encourage visitors to leave their queer histories in the Story Booth to become part of our Special Collection Research Center.

Oak Street Art Collective | Member Series

IN HONOR OF THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF MURPHYSBORO'S OAK STREET ART FAIR

Oak Street Art is a collective of eight women artists working in different media. Their mission is to nurture connections between art and their community through advocacy, education, and practice.

The collective began after two artist friends, Sue Gindlesparger and Rachel Ensor, discussed creating an art event on Oak Street’s historic brick road. Over the course of a year and the addition of several member artists, the conversation evolved from dreaming to planning to reality.

Oak Street Art Fair is a juried event open to artists making original work. The first Oak Street Art Fair took place on Oak Street’s historic brick road in Murphysboro in April 2016. The one-day fair featured a dozen exhibiting artists, live music, art demonstrations, and food from Pat’s Barbecue. The event attracted numerous visitors and included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Murphysboro’s Mayor, Will Stephens. Although much has changed over the years, the Art Fair remains a yearly staple of Murphysboro. It continues to shine a light on what people now call the General John A. Logan Historic Arts Neighborhood.

Current members, in alphabetical order:
• Luca Cruzat (co-founder; printmaking)
• Stephanie Dillard (stained glass)
• Sue Gindlesparger (co-founder; metals, jewelry)
• Meagan Majors ( 2025, painting)
• Darby Ortolano (co-founder; ceramics)
• Nicki Rathert (2025, textile)
• Cathy Schmidt (leather)
• Madeline Steimle (fused glass, illustrations) (2022)

In addition to hosting the annual art fair, Oak Street Art members, mostly SIUC alumnae, are deeply engaged in their community by encouraging children to create their own art and offering local artists opportunities to thrive at pop-up sales and gallery shows. Mark your calendar and experience the art, creativity, and community at the 10th anniversary Oak Street Art Fair in April 2026. Be part of the celebration!

Contact them at oakstreetart1@gmail.com
You can also Like/follow their Facebook page (@oakstreetart) or Instagram @oakstreetart1. Also follow hashtags #oakstreetartgroup, #oakstreetartfair, and #oakstreetart.
Oak Street Art headquarters: 401 S. 16th St., Murphysboro, IL 62966

WPOW | Women Photojournalist of Washington
August 19 - December 13, 2025

Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW) is a completely volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the role of women and those who identify as women in visual journalism and fostering their professional success. WPOW is about building both community and bridges into the industry.

WPOW’s membership consists of over 400 seasoned and emerging women photojournalists, photo editors, video journalists, multimedia producers, other industry professionals, and yes, students, in the Washington, D.C. area. WPOW hosts quarterly meetings, workshops, monthly social gatherings and an annual juried exhibition— this one-- which travels to universities and galleries across the United States. WPOW also offers grants and most importantly, community.

Every year since 2008, the WPOW Annual Photography and Multimedia Exhibition is curated from members submitting work by an annually rotating roster of industry professionals. It debuts in a major Washington, D.C. gallery in November and travels during the academic year, with prints exhibited at up to ten colleges and universities throughout the country. This year’s traveling exhibition is sponsored by Canon.

WPOW offers their exhibition to colleges and universities with a commitment to visual journalism, with the goal of creating a bridge to the industry and inspiring the next generation of professionals. WPOW Traveling Exhibition will be held at Southern Illinois University’s Sharp Museum, 1000 Faner Dr., Carbondale, IL from August 19 - December 13, 2025. Reception with WPOW speaker, Evelyn Hockstein, will be held Friday, September 12, 4:30-5:30 with a reception following until 8 pm.

Scrollwork and Decoration
Ongoing

This semester, we highlight artifacts and scrolls from our Dr. Cho-Yee To collection, including an ink block from the Song Dynasty and three Katsushika Hokusai woodblock prints.

 The Blaffer Collection | New Harmony Clay Project’s Past Artists in Residence
September 9 - December 13 , 2025

This exhibition features a selection of works from various ceramic Artists-in-Residence from the New Harmony Clay Project (NHCP). These artists have the opportunity to create and experience the slower pace of the New Harmony, Indiana community that is home to two attempts at establishing utopia and the surroundings “that pay tribute to a blend of the past and future.” The Blaffer Collection will be on view September 9 - December 13, 2025 with an artist talk by NHCP Founder and director, Lenny Dowhie followed by reception on Friday, September 19, 5-9pm.

Situated off of the Wabash River, New Harmony Clay Project is an artist residency and educational center whose mission is to foster an environment that supports the investigation of new ideas and work in the ceramic arts. The Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation provides NHCP with year-round studio space at the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Pottery studio, and September-April of each year, it gives the “Gate House” as housing for the NHCP resident artists. This in-kind support makes the program possible.

The Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation was created to preserve, promote and support, financially, and otherwise, the various historic and educational attributes of New Harmony, Indiana, and the Part of Posey County, Indiana, that is immediately adjacent to and historically or culturally related to the Town of New Harmony. A 501(c)(3), the Corporation has been organized exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes.

Ms. Jane Blaffer Owen, the daughter of Robert Lee Blaffer and Sarah Campbell Blaffer, was a firm believer in the ceramic arts. “In the mid-1950s, to channel her philanthropic efforts and to honor her late father, she established the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation. Grants from the Foundation were to be used to preserve and promote the town’s historical and educational attributes.” The clay studio was constructed in 1985.

In 2015, the Blaffer Foundation requested proposals for programming that utilized the ceramics studio facilities. Lenny Dowhie, Professor Emeritus at University of Southern Indiana (USI), developed and proposed a residency program that gave ceramic artists access to an immersive experience that could truly expand their creative ideas by eliminating any associated program fees, the typical concerns for work-life balance and the need for general sustaining income. This allows time for residents to fully commit to a serious focus on the development and execution of their ideas.

Choosing to Participate | a Smithsonian Traveling Poster Exhibit
September 9 - December 13 , 2025

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologist

As the world has become more interconnected, it is more important than ever to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has partnered with the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves to dramatically increase access to the themes and content presented in its national initiative Choosing to Participate with poster exhibition designed to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in classrooms and communities. The posters will be on view in Continuum Gallery in our museum’s North hall from August 19 - December 13, 2025.

Developed for middle school and high school students, the posters are intended to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The posters present the experiences of individuals and communities, explore the impact of cultural differences, and encourage viewers to consider the consequences of everyday choices—to discover how “little things are big”—and to make a difference in their own communities.

These graphically compelling colorful posters are being distributed at no cost to schools, libraries, museums, and community organizations through partnerships including Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Library Association.

Founded in 1976, Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives. For more information, visit www.facinghistory.org.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 70 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition descriptions and tour schedules, visit www.sites.si.edu.

The Choosing to Participate posters were created by Facing History and Ourselves and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in our communities.

Visions of Us | Southern Illinois Portraits by Paul Elledge
September 9 - December 13, 2025

Visions of Us is a visual celebration of the idea that beneath the surface of our diverse appearances, we share a profound connection that transcends our differences. Originally shown at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Paul Elledge’s Vision’s of us will be on view September 2 - December 13, 2025 here at Sharp Museum. Artist talk followed by reception will be, Saturday September 27, 2 - 6 pm.

Visions of Us: Southern Illinois Portraits by Paul Elledge is a visual exploration that seeks to illuminate the diversity and depth of the people of southern Illinois. Inspired by the works of author Studs Terkel and by photographer August Sander's People of the Twentieth Century, this exhibition aims to dispel the misconception that southern Illinois is merely "flyover country" and instead showcases the richness and complexity of its inhabitants.

Through several years of photographing this collection of portraits, Elledge's intention has been to unite the vast array of people who call southern Illinois home, celebrating their diverse points of view, lifestyles, jobs, economic situations, educations, and life experiences. This exhibition serves as a reminder that true understanding and connection can be found by focusing on our shared humanity and embracing our commonalities rather than fixating on our differences.

"In the spirit of Studs Terkel, Visions of Us is a tribute to the power of recognition and the importance of
respecting and honoring everyone’s unique narrative. Just as Terkel dedicated himself to capturing the
voices of everyday people through his writing, I endeavor to do the same through these portraits."
~ Paul Elledge

August Sander's influential work photographing the people of the twentieth century also serves as a
touchstone for this exhibition, which inspires Elledge to delve deep into the lives and identities of the
individuals he portrays. Sander's commitment to capturing the dignity of his subjects, their social roles, and their humanity resonates within Visions of Us as Elledge strives to present a truthful and authentic representation of the people of southern Illinois.

"This exhibition is a celebration of our shared humanity—an invitation to see one another more clearly.
I’m especially grateful to share this work here in Southern Illinois, a region rich in natural beauty and
cultural depth. The opportunity for the university community and students to engage with these images
firsthand means a great deal.

My hope would be this exhibition will leave a lasting impression—sparking curiosity, dialogue, and
inspiration across disciplines and generations."
~ Paul Elledge

Paul Elledge, an alum of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is a Chicago photographer and filmmaker whose clients include major advertising agencies, record companies and corporations. He has been honored with numerous national and international awards for work that is both individual and uncompromising.

Elledge has photographed such celebrities as AC/DC, Billy Corgan, Jennifer Hudson, Ministry, Willie Nelson,Trent Reznor, Luciano Pavarotti and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few.

His work has appeared worldwide in galleries and museums, and has been published in such publications as Audubon, Fast Company, Life, Men's Health, People, Rolling Stone, Time, and Wired, among others.

Elledge's interests outside of image making include vintage motorcycles, all things Italian, music and
expressions of creativity.