Tarble Arts Center Announces Upcoming Exhibitions | Arts and theater

Due to capacity restrictions related to COVID-19, Eventbrite reservations will be required to access all Tarble Arts Center programs. For more information on registration, visit www.eventbrite.com.

Masks are mandatory for all individuals, regardless of their vaccination status.

ARTISTS AT WORK: SELECTION FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION

This exhibit highlights the role of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in central Illinois by showcasing the work of artists employed by a major federal agency during the Great Depression.

Focused on a variety of themes, including folk art, regionalism, and the American working class, the artwork is significant as a distinct movement in the long history of art development. Additionally, the story behind each piece offers insight into the artist, the historical moment they represent, and a nascent art movement, as well as the political and economic realities of the time.

Guided by Assistant Professor Camden Burd, students enrolled in the Department of History’s Public History Internship selected, researched, and reviewed the Tarble Arts Center’s unique holdings to design an engaging exhibit for the general public. Students gained hands-on experience researching works in Tarble’s permanent collection, working with Tarble staff on curatorial methodologies, and facilitating relationships with community partners to share, promote, and exhibit their work. This exhibition is supported by a Redden Fellowship from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

TOUCH ME: A FLAT FILE EXHIBITION

Typically, the last thing a museum wants you to do is touch the artwork. But for the upcoming Tarble Community Art Exhibition, visitors will be allowed and even encouraged to flip through the portfolios set up in the galleries: each flat-backed drawer will contain works of art made by members of the Tarble community.

This intimate, tactile viewing experience allows for an unprecedented look at the variety of works produced by artists working today while rewarding slow looking practices and multiple visits to the exhibition space.

As the exhibition opens, gallery visitors will be invited to don gloves and then carefully leaf through portfolios of artworks. La Tarble will manage a system for connecting collectors with exhibiting artists, as many works will be for sale, but La Tarble will not manage any financial transactions or sales.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: RAFAEL E. VERA

• Residency: February 14 to 26
• Exhibition: February 25 to March 26

Visual artist Rafael E. Vera will be in residence at the Tarble Arts Center and will transform one of the Tarble galleries into a working studio.

Alongside students from EIU’s art and design department, Vera will be present and working during the museum’s opening hours from February 14 to 18, creating an exhibition that will open in the same space on February 25. This residence will offer visitors an unprecedented experience. an overview of site-sensitive studio practice, how installation art is conceptualized and made, and the importance of teaching, learning, and collaboration within practice Vera’s broader artistic.