SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCCU) — The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is presenting “A More Perfect Union” by St. Louis-based artist John Early.
Coinciding with the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, “A More Perfect Union” is a sculptural installation made for a nation at a pivotal moment.
Early is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose site-based work explores the textures, layers and histories of place. Much of his recent work addresses power structures of inequity found in the recreational landscape of St. Louis’s public parks. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and is a faculty affiliate at the University’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity.
In conjunction with this exhibition, the artist will present an Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series lecture from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, November 6 in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library.
Early’s lecture, “Creative Practice for Social Change,” will feature images from his art practice. His work highlights the complexities of social change, advocating for spatial equity, racial justice and the preservation of community memory through art.
Following this lecture, the UIS Visual Arts Gallery will host an exhibition reception for “A More Perfect Union” from 7-8:30 p.m. at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery.
This event is free and open to the public.
The exhibition will open on Monday, October 21 and run through Thursday, November 14.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Sciences Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information and future exhibitions, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website.
