Sharp Museum

Exhibits

North Hall

Mitchell Gallery

  

• Captive Coal: The Works of Michael K. Paxton
  January 16th – May 10th
  There is a deep connection between Mr. Paxton’s work and southern Illinois. Coming from a sixth-generation West Virginian coal family, Michael’s work reflects the people and industry that shaped his life. While not always a direct reflection of this relationship, the sentiments and subject matter portrayed exude a stoic strength. One synonymous with the people of that region, as well as those who find their way to the coal fields. This deep-seated connection shaped the course of Michael’s life, and the subject matter of his work. Captive Coal embodies this connection. Through his haunting imagery, Michael brings specters from his past to life, embracing and reconceptualizing the darker side of an industry to which he is so closely tied.
  Opening reception on January 19th, 2024, from 4:30pm - 7:00pm.

Continuum Gallery

• Coal Mining Families in Southern Illinois

  January 16th – March 30
  Southern Illinois has a strong connection with the coal mining industry. In collaboration with Special Collections Research Center, the Sharp Museum invites you to explore this collection of narrative photography, giving voices to the people who tirelessly work in this industry.

• MFA Exhibition: Sarah-Anne Winchester

  April 2nd – April 6th
  An exhibition of the works of graduating Masters of Fine Arts student Sarah-Anne Winchester.

Atrium Gallery

• WPOW: Women Photojournalists of Washington
  January 16th – May 10th
  The WPOW 17th Annual Photography and Multimedia Exhibition features standout visual journalism by members of the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW).
  
  

South Hall

• Southern Illinois Gallery
  Our Region
  Ongoing
  "Our Region" is an exhibition of Southern Illinois history, featuring artifacts from the Sharp Museum and Center for Archaeological Investigations collections.
  
  
• Lutes Gallery
  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.
  
  
• Saluki Gallery
  Off the Wall: Into the Story
  January 16th – March 8th
  Kristy Deetz’s work is as complex metaphorically as it is surreal. The works on display in this gallery are a confluence of imagery that explore the possibilities of the media itself and reimagines concepts that are ubiquitous in our lives. By layering imagery she is able to create new realities in her paintings, creating surrealist dream like worlds where her subjects and the audience are able to explore a variety of concepts. Concepts ranging from rebirth, the fidelity of life and the human condition to the American holidays.
  Opening reception on January 27, 2024.
  
  Meredith Tromble: What Does It Mean to Know
  March 19th – May 10th
  Meredith Tromble is an intermedia artist and writer who makes drawings, installations, and performances. Her curiosity about imagination and knowing has sparked several projects with scientists, exploring the creative process of these individuals and the life events that helped shape them.
  
  
• West Gallery
  Women’s Voices 4: Pushing Boundaries
  February 6th – May 10th
  Using visual art as a motivator, this exhibit expresses how women in our region use art to channel their voices to open the viewers mind to their day-to-day influences. Influences that frequently inspire profound emotions that accumulate in the artist’s creative energy. Reflecting each artist’s unique circumstances and giving insight into what drives their creative process.
  
  
• Hall of Art
  Community Spotlight: The Language of Color
  January 16th – May 10th
  Marquez Scoggin is a Carbondale community member and one of the owners of Project Human X. Over the past years it has been Marquez’s passion to design a new language from the ground up. Combining positive emotional language with a spectrum of colors. This exhibition explores how we as humans can communicate, blending visual and spoken narratives.
  
  
• Study Gallery
  Thought Control
  January 16th – March 30th
  Propaganda is a big word that elicits strong emotions. Likely when it comes to mind you picture political posters or commercials, attacking a candidate or a policy they support. Or maybe your mind jumps to pro war imagery, where one side tries to make themselves out to be superior to another. While both are clear examples of this practice, they are a simplification of what propaganda can be. The various pieces on display explore just how broad this concept can be.
  
  MFA Exhibition: Benjamin Kaita
  April 2nd – April 6th
  An exhibition of the works of graduating Masters of Fine Arts student Benjamin Kaita.
  
  Queer Narratives in Literature, Film, & Visual Culture
  April 16 – May 10th
  Students in professors Rafael Frumkin and Heather O’Brien’s course explore queerness as an identity, a creative ethos, politics, written word, film and the visual arts. Through this course their students will be tasked with creating a major written work and then adapting it into a visual medium for showcase in this exhibition.
  
  
• International Gallery
  International Treasures
  February 6th – March 30th
  The Sharp Museum has a collection that boasts representative artifacts from across the globe. The Curators at the Museum have scoured our Archive to find truly unique and intriguing artifacts for exhibition.
  
  MFA Exhibition: Benjamin Kaita
  April 2 – April 6th
  An exhibition of the works of graduating Masters of Fine Arts student Benjamin Kaita.
  
  Pyro History
  April 16th – May 10th
  A collaborative exhibition curated by the honors students in Charles Ruffner’s Pyro History Class. Exploring how humanity has evolved alongside fire, and how it has shaped our history.
  
  

The Sharp Museum's online collections have moved to a new home. Our digital exhibitions and recorded artist's talks can be found on the Resources page through the main navigation menu.