Curator’s Introduction | Generations Exhibition

Art by Fern Logan

As we open Artspace Southern Illinois’ 2026–2027 season, I can think of no better exhibition than Generations to reflect who we are and what we value.

Art does not develop in isolation. It grows through relationships—through teaching, mentorship, friendship, collaboration, challenge, and encouragement. The artists in this exhibition remind us that creative influence moves across generations and often far beyond the places where those relationships first began.

Curated by our Curator Emeritus, Fern Logan, Generations brings together artists connected through those exchanges. Their work spans a remarkable range of media and experience, but the through line is deeply human: artists helping shape other artists, and in turn being changed themselves.

That idea feels especially appropriate as we begin a new season at Artspace Southern Illinois. Our work has always been about more than presenting exhibitions. It is about creating the conditions in which artists can connect, take risks, encounter new ideas, and find opportunities to grow. It is also about recognizing Southern Illinois as a place where significant artistic lives and careers are nurtured—often with an influence that reaches well beyond our region.

I am grateful to Fern for bringing these artists and their stories together, and to every artist who has entrusted us with their work. I invite you to spend time not only with the art, but with the relationships behind it. They tell an important story about how artistic communities endure, evolve, and continue from one generation to the next.

Chuck Benya, EdD

Artspace Southern Illinois, CEO and Curator