From the Staff | Krannert Art Museum
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Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
From the Staff | Krannert Art Museum
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From the Staff
Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, Jake Pinholster, cut the ribbon at our Grand Reopening Celebration on August 28, 2025—after eighteen months of renovations in the Kinkead Pavilion. This group includes museum staff, the mayors of Champaign and Urbana, and other community supporters. Photo by Fred Zwicky.
We are delighted to welcome you to Krannert Art Museum!
For all of our staff team, there’s nothing better than days when visitors fill our galleries. And since our Grand Reopening Celebration on August 28, 2025, we’ve had many such days!
After eighteen months of renovations in the Kinkead Pavilion, hundreds of community members joined us to celebrate—enjoying the ribbon-cutting on the lawn, exploring the new exhibitions on view, and marveling at performances by Peruvian rapper Liberato Kani.
Krannert Art Musum’s Kinkead Pavilion originally opened in 1988. Recent renovations focused on
sustainability and stewardship
priorities. In partnership with the University of Illinois Facilities & Services group, this project included taking care of long-overdue maintenance and safety upgrades. We installed a new roof to address leaks, a sprinkler system in case of fire, and bird-friendly glass in the windows. Environmental upgrades also included new humidification and HVAC ductwork, plus energy-saving LED lighting throughout.
Concurrent with the renovations, we were able to improve access to the Peabody Drive entrance by adding a ramp. Both entrances are now open with easier access to the galleries and auditorium.
In addition, we debuted a beautifully
redesigned gallery
on the lower level, showcasing the museum’s pre-Hispanic Andean arts collection. Innovative elements include custom-built cases with drawers for viewing textile fragments, touchscreens to hear the voices of our partners in Peru, and labels in English, Spanish, and Quechua. Toronto-based architect Julia Di Castri provided the design; the construction was completed by Facilities & Services staff.
Nine new exhibitions will be featured in 2025–2026:
•
Ronny Quevedo: a l l s t a r s
– Aug 28–Dec 6, 2025
•
Imagination, Faith, and Desire: Art and Agency in European Prints, 1475–1800
– Sep 26, 2025–Feb 28, 2026
•
Fragmented Histories: Andean Art Before 1600
– Opened Aug 28, 2025
•
Reinstallation of the Historical European and American Art Collectio
n – Opened Aug 28, 2025
•
Rest Lab 8: Greenspace
– Oct 11, 2025–Jan 31, 2026
•
Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie | School of Art & Design Faculty
– Jan 29–Jul 2, 2026
•
Memorias de la Mujer Lotina: Arpilleras, Women, and Coal in Chile
– Feb 26–Sep 5, 2026
•
Master of Fine Arts Exhibition | School of Art & Design
– April 11–25, 2026
•
Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition | School of Art & Design
– May 9–16, 2026
Each of our projects rely on
collaboration and partnerships
. Key partners for exhibitions this year include University of Illinois colleagues: Kasia Szremski, co-curated the
Fragmented Histories: Andean Art Before 1600
exhibition, which was in development for nearly a decade. She is
Associate Director for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and teaches Anthropology classes. Terri Weissman is curating the School of Art & Design Faculty exhibition,
Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie
. She is the director of the School's Graduate Studies program and teaches Art History classes. Magdalena Novoa is curating
Memorias de la Mujer Lotina: Arpilleras, Women, and Coal in Chile
. She teaches Urban and Regional Planning classes. In addition, the annual
ATTACH Art Show
(Nov 6–Dec 16) is built on a partnership with area art teachers at Champaign Central High School, Centennial High School, and Urbana High School. The exhibition showcases student artwork created in response to artwork on display at the museum.
We look forward to seeing you at one of the gallery tours, artist talks, open-mic evenings, music performances, exhibition receptions, art workshops for adults, curator conversations, and family events for kids of all ages. You can find museum
events on our website
or on
Facebook
. You can also sign up for a
monthly email
with upcoming events.
Hundreds of students—from kindergarten through college—have already visited this fall, spending time in the galleries as part of their coursework, including university classes in architecture, art history, creative writing, humanities, printmaking, archaeology, experimental music, dance performance, art education, and museum studies. Contact us to
request a class visit
or get started linking your curriculum to the collection and exhibitions on view.
Thank you for your interest in Krannert Art Museum. We welcome visitors. We welcome collaborators. We welcome you!
Krannert Art Museum Staff
Fall 2025
Previous Letters (2018–2024)
Skip to main content
From the Staff
Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, Jake Pinholster, cut the ribbon at our Grand Reopening Celebration on August 28, 2025—after eighteen months of renovations in the Kinkead Pavilion. This group includes museum staff, the mayors of Champaign and Urbana, and other community supporters. Photo by Fred Zwicky.
We are delighted to welcome you to Krannert Art Museum!
For all of our staff team, there’s nothing better than days when visitors fill our galleries. And since our Grand Reopening Celebration on August 28, 2025, we’ve had many such days!
After eighteen months of renovations in the Kinkead Pavilion, hundreds of community members joined us to celebrate—enjoying the ribbon-cutting on the lawn, exploring the new exhibitions on view, and marveling at performances by Peruvian rapper Liberato Kani.
Krannert Art Musum’s Kinkead Pavilion originally opened in 1988. Recent renovations focused on
sustainability and stewardship
priorities. In partnership with the University of Illinois Facilities & Services group, this project included taking care of long-overdue maintenance and safety upgrades. We installed a new roof to address leaks, a sprinkler system in case of fire, and bird-friendly glass in the windows. Environmental upgrades also included new humidification and HVAC ductwork, plus energy-saving LED lighting throughout.
Concurrent with the renovations, we were able to improve access to the Peabody Drive entrance by adding a ramp. Both entrances are now open with easier access to the galleries and auditorium.
In addition, we debuted a beautifully
redesigned gallery
on the lower level, showcasing the museum’s pre-Hispanic Andean arts collection. Innovative elements include custom-built cases with drawers for viewing textile fragments, touchscreens to hear the voices of our partners in Peru, and labels in English, Spanish, and Quechua. Toronto-based architect Julia Di Castri provided the design; the construction was completed by Facilities & Services staff.
Nine new exhibitions will be featured in 2025–2026:
•
Ronny Quevedo: a l l s t a r s
– Aug 28–Dec 6, 2025
•
Imagination, Faith, and Desire: Art and Agency in European Prints, 1475–1800
– Sep 26, 2025–Feb 28, 2026
•
Fragmented Histories: Andean Art Before 1600
– Opened Aug 28, 2025
•
Reinstallation of the Historical European and American Art Collectio
n – Opened Aug 28, 2025
•
Rest Lab 8: Greenspace
– Oct 11, 2025–Jan 31, 2026
•
Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie | School of Art & Design Faculty
– Jan 29–Jul 2, 2026
•
Memorias de la Mujer Lotina: Arpilleras, Women, and Coal in Chile
– Feb 26–Sep 5, 2026
•
Master of Fine Arts Exhibition | School of Art & Design
– April 11–25, 2026
•
Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition | School of Art & Design
– May 9–16, 2026
Each of our projects rely on
collaboration and partnerships
. Key partners for exhibitions this year include University of Illinois colleagues: Kasia Szremski, co-curated the
Fragmented Histories: Andean Art Before 1600
exhibition, which was in development for nearly a decade. She is
Associate Director for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and teaches Anthropology classes. Terri Weissman is curating the School of Art & Design Faculty exhibition,
Another Place: Storymaking the Entangled Prairie
. She is the director of the School's Graduate Studies program and teaches Art History classes. Magdalena Novoa is curating
Memorias de la Mujer Lotina: Arpilleras, Women, and Coal in Chile
. She teaches Urban and Regional Planning classes. In addition, the annual
ATTACH Art Show
(Nov 6–Dec 16) is built on a partnership with area art teachers at Champaign Central High School, Centennial High School, and Urbana High School. The exhibition showcases student artwork created in response to artwork on display at the museum.
We look forward to seeing you at one of the gallery tours, artist talks, open-mic evenings, music performances, exhibition receptions, art workshops for adults, curator conversations, and family events for kids of all ages. You can find museum
events on our website
or on
. You can also sign up for a
monthly email
with upcoming events.
Hundreds of students—from kindergarten through college—have already visited this fall, spending time in the galleries as part of their coursework, including university classes in architecture, art history, creative writing, humanities, printmaking, archaeology, experimental music, dance performance, art education, and museum studies. Contact us to
request a class visit
or get started linking your curriculum to the collection and exhibitions on view.
Thank you for your interest in Krannert Art Museum. We welcome visitors. We welcome collaborators. We welcome you!
Krannert Art Museum Staff
Fall 2025
Previous Letters (2018–2024)