“Up to Eleven”

SPRINGFIELD – The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Program is proud to present “Up to Eleven,” an exhibition featuring artworks by senior visual arts majors at UIS. This exhibition represents the culmination of years of artistic development, bringing together an ambitious and interdisciplinary body of work that pushes creative limits and celebrates the transition into professional practice. The exhibit will open on April 20 and runs through May 7. A reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 23.  All gallery events are free and open to the public.

“Up to Eleven” will be located in two locations on campus: the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, located in the Health & Sciences Building, Room 201, and the Access Gallery, located in the central lobby of the Visual & Performing Arts Building. 

The exhibition emphasizes ambition: turning it up, pushing it further and exploring what is possible when creative boundaries are challenged. Through collaboration, the artists have strengthened both their individual practices and the exhibition as a whole. 

“Up to Eleven” features a wide range of multimedia works,including sculpture, graphic design, commercial design, animation, illustration, painting, installation and ceramics. The exhibition highlights the largest graduating class from the Visual Arts program in recent years, reflecting a dynamic and diverse group of up-and-coming artists. 

“It’s always fun to push things to the limits but it’s even more fun to do things in quality company,” said Edith Raskin, one of the exhibiting artists. 

Each space offers something different: a multi-sensory, immersive and, at times, interactive experience. The artists embrace a wide variety of different approaches, demonstrating a high level of interdisciplinary practice. Their work explores personal narratives, heritage and identity, as well as referencing art history, engaging with nostalgia and examining popular culture. From digital design to the physical application of paint, the exhibition showcases both traditional and nontraditional approaches to the visual arts. 

For many of the participating artists, this exhibition represents both a final milestone and a beginning. 

“It’s an exciting time for us. We are about to enter the world as artists, and we get to mark the culmination of our time here at UIS with this group exhibition that we are very proud of,” said visual arts student Tiama Elfgen. “This show is a burst of freedom—a last huzzah and a first step into the professional realm. It’s not an ending but a beginning.” 

Featured artists include Honoka Adachi, Gavin Bayne, Kat Brinkman, Luke Butcher, Kristyn Durbin, Tiama Elfgen, Cooper D. Marx, Cheyenne Meneghetti, Lilith Nadine, Edith Raskin and John A. Toelle. 

“Up to Eleven” stands as a testament to years of dedication, experimentation, and growth, offering a powerful and satisfying pinnacle of the student experience while signaling the start of new artistic journeys. 

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 upcoming exhibitions, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website.

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Host or Publisher University of Illinois Springfield - Visual Arts Gallery