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.

Preston Jackson | Here We Are

December 5, 2025 - June 26, 2026

Here We Are is a celebration of Preston Jackson’s recent works, both in bronze and painting. These fantastical images portray intricate narratives rooted in history. His series "Fresh from Julieanne´s Garden", reveals the lives and personalities of his ancestors and the stories of all of our forbearers who lived in the Southern United States in the 19th and early 20th century. This work reflects an admiration for the resiliency of each individual. Jackson was awarded a Regional Emmy for hosting "Legacy in Bronze", a television show featuring his Julieanne´s Garden sculptures.

Preston Jackson (b. 1944, Decatur, IL) is a visionary artist whose work spans multiple mediums and themes, from abstract expressions of emotional landscapes to complex representations of social narratives. Mr. Jackson is a professor emeritus of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. In 1967, Jackson enrolled in Southern Illinois University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969 while playing jazz guitar with various groups from the area including Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois in 1972. With a career that has flourished over decades, Jackson's art continues to engage and provoke audiences worldwide. His dedication to exploring the human condition, combined with his exceptional skill and innovative techniques, makes his work not only visually stunning but also deeply meaningful.

As an artist, Jackson specializes in bronze and steel sculpture as well as painting. Jackson has also created two-dimensional pieces and large monuments. His public artworks include a cast bronze relief about native American history in Peoria, a stainless steel piece about African American musicians from Champaign, Illinois; the 14 foot cast bronze Freedom Suits Memorial in St. Louis; the bronze wall façades for the Cahokia Mounds Museum; a cast bronze sculpture of Irv Kupcinet for the City of Chicago; a larger than life size sculpture of comedian Richard Pryor and a Korean War soldier in Peoria; a life size figure of Miles Davis in Alton, Illinois; life size figures of Bass Reeves, Martin Luther King, Norman Borlaug, and George Washington Carver in Decatur; monumental stainless steel and bronze sculptures for McCormick Place West in Chicago, Purdue University, Urbana Park District, Chicago Transit Authority, and Peoria Civic Center; a cast bronze monument memorializing the 1908 Springfield, Illinois race riot; a cast bronze and granite monument for Decatur Illinois; a Martin Luther King memorial bust for Danville, Illinois; a bronze bust of Fred Hampton in Maywood, Illinois; a life size bronze of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable in Peoria; a life size bronze figure of Marie Wilkinson seated on a stainless steel bench in Aurora, Illinois; a bust of Dr. Georgianna Simpson for University of Chicago; and a bust of surgeon Dr. Daniel Hale Williams for Northwestern University.

Coming soon: Unspoken Words | Len Davis and Nate Powell

January - April 2026

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.

Coming soon : Ways to Worship

This will be an anthropological exhibit looking at ways people worship across the world in different religions and cultures including artistic expressions, personal and communal practices, ritual and symbolic acts, and sacred spaces.

Beth Lo | A Chinese Immigration Story in Porcelain

January 31 - May 9, 2026

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.