Yang Family University Art Gallery

YANG FAMILY UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY 
BFA/BA

April 27–May 9, 2026

About: This exhibition features the work of graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. In recognition of their accomplishments, the exhibition will be accompanied by a pinning ceremony, as well as the department’s annual scholarship and awards presentation. The works on view reflect the knowledge, skills, and techniques students have developed throughout their time at Indiana State University. Together, this exhibition marks a culminating moment, serving both as a recognition of their achievements and as a meaningful “rite of passage” into their next chosen paths.

MFA Thesis Exhibition

April 2, 4-6pm

About: This exhibition features the work of graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. In recognition of their accomplishments, the exhibition will be accompanied by a pinning ceremony, as well as the department’s annual scholarship and awards presentation. The works on view reflect the knowledge, skills, and techniques students have developed throughout their time at Indiana State University. Together, this exhibition marks a culminating moment, serving both as a recognition of their achievements and as a meaningful “rite of passage” into their next chosen paths.

Annual Juried Student Exhibition

Jan 26- Feb 20, 2025

About:
The ‘Annual Juried Student Exhibition’ celebrates the creativity, technical accomplishment, and emerging voices of Indiana State University’s undergraduate and graduate artists, showcasing work across a wide spectrum of mediums, techniques, and styles.

This year’s juror, Robin Cooper, Manager of Curatorial Affairs at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, has thoughtfully selected a compelling group of artworks that exemplify artistic excellence, innovation, and conceptual rigor.

Collectively, these works offer a snapshot of the remarkable talent found across campus and underscore the importance of fostering the next generation of artists. The exhibition invites viewers to engage deeply with the perspectives of students from diverse disciplines and to appreciate the vitality of their creative pursuits.

BA/BFA SENIOR EXHIBITION

Dec 1- 13, 2025

About:
This exhibition showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

81st ANNUAL WABASH VALLEY EXHIBITION- Swope Art Museum

Aug 19- Oct 31, 2025

About:
The Swope Art Museum’s 81st annual Wabash Valley Exhibition, one of the region’s longest-running juried exhibitions hosted by Indiana State University’s Yang Family University Art Gallery.
This year’s exhibition was juried by esteemed artist and educator Tony Gant, a Yale University graduate and professor emeritus of Knox College. Gant selected 71 outstanding mixed-media works by artists living and working in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. The exhibition highlights a range of artistic media, including painting, drawing, photography, and new media, each exemplifying technical skill, conceptual strength, and creative vision.
Indiana State University is honored to partner with the Swope Art Museum in continuing the legacy of the Wabash Valley Exhibition while the Museum undergoes renovations, scheduled for completion in January 2026.
With more than $8,000 in prizes to be awarded, this year's exhibition offers a vibrant testament to the talent of artists throughout the Wabash Valley region and beyond. We invite the public to experience this compelling showcase of contemporary art and regional excellence.

BFA/BA SENIOR EXHIBITION

Apr. 28- May. 10, 2025

About:
The 'BFA/BA Senior Exhibition' showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

YANG FAMILY UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY
ANNUAL JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION

Mar. 17- Apr. 11, 2025

About: 
The Annual Juried Student Exhibition showcases outstanding undergraduate and graduate artwork from Indiana State University students, highlighting a diverse range of mediums, techniques, and styles. This year’s jurors, ISU alumni and Yang Family University Art Gallery sponsors, Neng Chiang Yang and Yanya Yang, have carefully selected pieces that demonstrate exceptional skill and artistic vision.

'SONG OF LAWINO'
ELIAS MUNG-ORA

Jan. 27- Feb. 21, 2025

About: 
'Song of Lawino,' a solo exhibition by Kenyan artist Elias Mung'ora, draws inspiration from and takes its title from Okot p’Bitek's seminal 1966 poem, which expresses a woman’s lament over her husband’s adoption of Western ways. Through this body of mixed media artworks, Mung'ora explores the enduring effects of colonialism on contemporary society. 
Mung'ora's work combines archival photographs and historical documents from the Tumutumu Scottish Mission with his family’s photographs and excerpts from 'Song of Lawino.' This fusion highlights the missionary influence on his own family history. Raised in a Presbyterian household actively involved in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa—originally founded as the East Africa Scottish Mission—Mung'ora seeks to reconcile the complexities of growing up within these intertwined cultural narratives. 
Mung'ora is a perceptive observer of lived spaces and their memories. His artistic practice offers a window into everyday life in Nairobi, capturing fleeting cityscapes as well as deeply personal moments. Through his canvases, Mung'ora reveals traces of past lives and histories, skillfully juxtaposing the fragmented urban landscapes with the social dynamics of their inhabitants. A member of Brush Tu, a Nairobi-based artists' collective, he has showcased his work in numerous exhibitions, including The Ghost in The Machine at Montague Contemporary in 2020. 
'Song of Lawino' invites viewers to reflect on the intricate layers of cultural identity and heritage, offering a powerful exploration of the personal and collective impacts of colonial history.

BFA/BA SENIOR EXHIBITION

Dec. 2- Dec. 14, 2024

About: 
This exhibition showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

PRESENT TENSE INDIGENEITY

Oct. 7- Nov. 1, 2024

About: 
Present Tense Indigeneity is an exhibition that acknowledges and celebrates six contemporary Indigenous artists and their role in the 21st-century art world. By emphasizing the current impact and importance of these artists, their work, and their respective communities, we further unravel outdated narratives and ideologies seen through the lens of colonialist history. Each artist uses their own innovative materials and progressive approach to art-making, addressing issues from commentary on the use of sacred tribal homelands to identity, and the misrepresentation of American Natives through popular culture. The intended goal of the exhibition is to help reconcile the past by raising awareness of the present contributions Indigenous artists are making in today's art world.

FACULTY EXHIBITION

Aug. 19- Sep. 20, 2024

About: 
The Faculty Exhibition invites you to engage with the creative work and research of the faculty in the Department of Art and Design at Indiana State University. The faculty dedication to their artistic process testifies to their continued commitment to remain current and professionally active. Their on-going persistence demonstrates to students that it is a ‘practice’ and encourage them to keep challenging, evolving, and pushing beyond the perceived boundaries of their chosen discipline.

BFA/BA SENIOR EXHIBITION

Apr. 29- May. 11, 2024

Artists: 
Zoe Booker, Erica Bowman, Tayler Commings, Trinity Cunningham, Shanine Delph, Sydney Denny, Grae Fulford, Gaven Golish, Stella Harrison, Kaimilani Matsumoto, Megan Matyi, Tierney McDonald, Nina Mims, Dean Morton, Chase Pondel, Alexis Pyszka, Ashlyn Siples, Freya Stroven, Camille Swaner, Kelbie Thompson, Justina Yocom
About: 
This exhibition showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

THE YANG FAMILY UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY ANNUAL JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION

Mar. 25- Apr. 12, 2024

About: 
The Annual Juried Student Exhibition celebrates the juror’s selection of Indiana State student artworks in a wide range of mediums. It showcases an array of exquisite and highly individual techniques and skills. The juror for this year’s event is Robert G. La France, the Director and Chief Curator of the David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University.

ROBERTO MARQUEZ EXHIBITION: 'Commedia' curated by Tanmaya Bingham

Feb. 5- Mar. 1, 2024

About: 
The exhibition – entitled 'Commedia' – is the realization of Mexican artist Roberto Márquez's dream to vividly illustrate each canto from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. This ambitious project of over 100 mixed-media works began during the Covid global confinement in 2021, which aligned with the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death. Although many artists throughout the centuries – from Pacino di Buonaguida (1280-1340) to William Blake (1757-1827) to Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) – have visually depicted this complex narrative, Márquez’s interpretation is imbued with a visceral atmospheric depth, which brings a unique visual dimension to this epic poem. In this exhibition, the viewer is guided through each of the three sections from the Dante classic – Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise) – to grapple with the vicissitudes of human experience.

CHRISTOPHER SCHNEBERGER: LIMINAL CONNECTIONS:

Nov. 27- Dec. 15, 2023

About: 
Contrary to interdependence, the whisper of loneliness isolates people from self and others while simultaneously evoking a longing for interpersonal connection. In Liminal Connections, the uncertain tension between one’s desire to relate and the actualization of relationship thematically connects Christopher Schneberger’s two tonally contrasted digital photographic series: The Wanderers and Glimmer: The Haunting of the Graham House. While the Scouts in The Wanderers seek to relate with one another, the land and self, the Graham House family in Glimmer expresses their individual striving for connection with the ghost of a young woman, and vice versa. Serving as connective tissue between these two narrative projects are selected works from Spaces which includes various series that illustrate liminal space through interior, urban, and rural imagery. These immersive narratives encourage the viewer to find comfort and respite in the ambiguity of connection.

MFA EXHIBITION:

Oct 9 - Nov 3, 2023

About: 
SAM T. MORLAN: I Felt Like I Was in the Way, So I Panicked
‘I Felt Like I Was in the Way, So I Panicked’, an exhibition to remind the viewer that we’re all human and that it’s ok to not be ok. This series of works ranges from drawings on mirrors to large scale oil paintings on canvas that explore physical and psychological aspects of the shared human experience. Pulling from therapy techniques that elicit the subconscious mind like “brain dumping” and “automatic writing” and writers like Shel Silverstine for his child-like nonsensical language and sometimes mildly disturbing illustrations. For example, my piece “I Seem To Be Thriving In Spite of My Wallpaper”, a 14 foot long oil painting on canvas inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, attempts to normalize trigger words like depression, anxiety, and trauma through a chaotic spread of imagery and text. This exhibition is intended to provide a safe space where people from all backgrounds can gather to reflect on life and remember that sometimes you just need to laugh.

REGAN M. ZERWIG: Transformations
Regan M. Zerwig uses the word transformations to describe her sculptures and installations as they relate to the “makers” in her family and the profound experiences in her life. It is her family’s history and her past experiences that led Zerwig to want to create a legacy, which is reflective of her transformative and unique experiences, assets, and skills in life. This body of work is characterized by color, geometry, and repetition which is influenced by her background in architecture, interior design, science, mathematics, and art. In her practice, Zerwig focuses heavily on process and product and includes the use of a variety of materials such as paper, wood, concrete, metal, and acrylic. Zerwig hopes to create environments that exude wonder, beauty, and change based off her own desires and aesthetic appeals while also promoting personal meditation, reflection, and transformation.

PERCEPTION OMNIFOLD:

Aug 21- Sep 22, 2023

About: Jiabao Li’s exhibition ‘Perception Omnifold,’ inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem, often referred to as, ‘The Mountain' traverses themes ranging from climate change to the investigation of interspecies by merging design, technology, and biology. The interpretation of each artwork from Chthulucene to Once A Glacier is colored by multi-media modes of presentation including AR, AI, VR, and video. Ultimately, Li asks us to question our own perception of the world and how this might be augmented, altered, and curated.
Jiabao Li is originally from Shenyang Chia and is an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a Master of Design in Technology from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

BFA/BA EXHIBITION:

Apr. 24- May 5, 2023

About: This exhibition showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

Annual Juried Student Exhibition:

Mar. 20- Apr. 7, 2023

About: The Annual Juried Student Exhibition celebrates the juror’s selection of Indiana State undergraduate and graduate student artworks in a wide range of mediums. It showcases an array of exquisite and highly individual techniques and skills. The juror for this year’s event is Art Martin, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, who is the Senior Curator at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan

Public Blackness II: 

Artists: Abe Abraham (Abanar Productions LLC.), Courtland Blade, Idris Habib, Ayana Ross, Dread Scott | Jan. 30 - Feb. 24, 2023

About:Public Blackness is an exhibition that spans all three of the Art Galleries at Indiana State University. The aim is to create greater awareness of the on-going and often unresolved local and national racial issues. The show is designed to provide a safe platform where ISU students and the broader community can learn, engage, and be inspired to take positive action to help heal and transform outdated and unconscious biases.
Public Blackness demonstrates how the Black body in a racially divided society gradually disappears from our understanding of what it means to be a human. What transpires when the Black body is captured in our gaze—a gaze that has been trained to only view it as a problem everywhere it exists? What happens when the myths from our past—which were frequently used to justify its destruction—become ingrained in our imagination of its existence today? One should leave the exhibition knowing a bit more about what makes the Black body vulnerable to the violence it still endures today.

BFA/BA Exhibition: 

Artists: Zoe Adams, Sarah Chatman, Catrale Ellick, Grace Engel, Sara Felz, Kayla Gray, Brianna Hall-Purnell, Tajiah Jones, Lacey Keller, Lauren Kuenker, Caeleigh Reaves, Jenna Rupska, Mariah Simon-Jarboe | Nov. 28- Dec. 9, 2022

About: This exhibition showcases the artwork of the graduating BFA and BA students from the Department of Art and Design. Each work displayed encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and techniques that these students have gained throughout their years at Indiana State University. This culmination point and celebration together signify their ‘rite of passage’ into their next chosen path.

Faculty Exhibition: 

Artists: Tanmaya Bingham, Chester Burton, Jacob Byers, Mark Cela, Kira Enriquez Loya, Jamie Nichols, Nancy Nichols-Pethick, Brad Venable | Oct. 3- Nov. 4, 2022

About: This exhibition invites you to engage with the creative work and research of ISU faculty members in the Art and Design Department. This continued commitment to remain current and professionally active is a testament to their dedication to their artistic process. Through their ongoing practice that they demonstrate to students that it is a ‘practice’ and encourage them to keep challenging, evolving, and pushing beyond the perceived boundaries of their chosen discipline.

COOL, WARM, AND FUNKY: Selected two-dimensional works from the Permanent Art Collection

Aug. 15-Sept. 9, 2022

About: The exhibition focuses on various aesthetic approaches and thematic tones expressed within the Indiana States Permanent Art Collection.  Some of the work displayed will look cool and austere, while others will be wildly colored and agitated, reflecting the concerns of the contemporary artists exhibited. 
Image Info:
Jose Lerma, Untitled #2, 2007, mixed media