01 Exhibitions
02 Alumni News
03 Semester Review & Preview
Mapping Territories / Trazando Territorios January 13 - May 15, 2026
Mapping Territories: The Art of Exile in Pilsen - Chicago proposes a historical view of the iconic Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, through the account of print exhibitions and printmakers activities along with the social and political conditions that brought in waves of migrants. It is a rare look back on this community over the last century, highlighting its artistic achievements and the social and political struggles residents faced in building the neighborhood's resilient social fabric
AU Staff and Faculty Art Show January 13 - May 15, 2026
The Aurora University Staff and Faculty Art Exhibition celebrates the creativity and diverse talents of the people who shape our academic community Featuring work by staff and faculty from across departments and programs such as Nursing, Marketing, Social Work, Athletics, Admissions, and the Office of People and Culture. The exhibition includes a wide range of media such as painting, drawing, photography, textile art, and mixed media By bringing these works together in a shared public space, the exhibition fosters connection, dialogue, and appreciation across disciplines
Here, There: New Perspectives from the Collection
September 1 - December 11, 2026 Image
Here, There: New Perspectives from the Collection is a guest-curated exhibition featuring modern and contemporary artworks from the Illinois State Museum. Three guest curators, Mariela Acuña, Sheridan Tucker Anderson, and Allison Lacher were invited to explore and bring a fresh perspective to the ISM’s nearly 100-year-old collection of Illinois and regional artists Their curatorial projects speak to themes of nostalgia, home, belonging, and sites of history in American art
Q1
What graduate program are you pursuing?
Alum Spotlight: Museum Studies Grad Cassie Uhl (24')
Studying Abroad at the University of Glasgow
AU Majors and Minors:
History and Museum Studies Minor
AU Experiences:
Intern at Aurora Regional Fire Museum
The graduate program I am currently pursuing is the Museum Studies Masters at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland.
Q2
What inspired you to pursue museum work internationally?
I had so many reasons for pursuing museum work internationally The first and probably most important was that I wanted to, it became my dream in the last 6 months of my undergrad My professors asked me why I wasn't looking at top museum studies programs overseas like I was in the U S, and that really was the catalyst I want to become a top-notch museum professional, I want to pursue a doctorate, and I want to be published someday for history and museums I had all these dreams and aspirations for what I chose to base the rest of my life around and the first step was looking at what the rest of the world had to offer me
Q3
What are some exciting projects you have been able to work on while at the University of Glasgow?
Even though I've only completed one semester of my Master's so far, the amount of exciting projects that I've been able to be a part of has been astounding. The very first thing that I signed myself up for was becoming one of the museum studies Masters student representatives. I felt very honored to be chosen by my professors, as well as being the only American representative selected. What made this so interesting was that they chose me because I already have a background in museum studies and I was basically given the project of helping my fellow American international students settle into the program and the basics of museum work that we did for the first 3 weeks of the semester The amount of opportunities you can find if you look is indispensable at a place like the University of Glasgow
Q4
How did your Museum Studies minor at AU prepare you for your graduate studies?
I think one of the best things I got out of my minor, was patience and perseverance You have to be delicate and patient when you work with objects that are so important and fragile, you have to have perseverance to research and study for weeks on end to then sit down and actually write the paper I think the best thing that it gave me was patience, it takes so much time and energy to work with a museum catalog, to create accession numbers for objects, and then put them into proper storage Those are all things my minor gave me, it wasn't just the physical act of knowing how to hold an object or what materials need to be stored with Tyvek. It gave me the wonderful gift of being able to be patient with myself and with my work and to understand that it is the best way to create longevity for museums and their objects.
Q5
What are your career goals after completing your graduate program?
Career goals for after I finish my masters are kind of up in the air at this point There are so many parts of museums that I love and want to be involved in that I can't pin it down to one job title I want to be a collections manager, an archivist, an education director
But the true end goal after I hopefully do all those things is to be a curator of a museum
Museum
Studies Program
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Spring
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Preview
Aurora University’s minor in Museum Studies provides students from a wide range of majors a working knowledge and historic foundation of the role of museums The courses are designed to combine theory and practice to train students for entry-level jobs in museums or serve as a stepping stone for graduate school where advanced studies can lead to careers as archivists, conservators, and curators. Students in the program have the opportunity to participate in hands-on projects working with objects, developing educational programming, and curating a class exhibit
In fall 2025, the Schingoethe Center welcomed more than 3,300 visitors and 76 tours to
our exhibition Eye to Eye Curated by Dr Natasha Ritsma, Eye to Eye explored portraiture as a vehicle for sharing personal, historical, and mythological stories that illuminate identity, cultural memory, and contemporary life. This interdisciplinary exhibition featured photographs, paintings, prints, and sculptures by more than 40 artists, spanning over 180 years.
This fall the Schingoethe Center was also selected to be one of only nine Smithsonian
Affiliates to collaborate with the National Museum of Asian Art on its Artful Movement program. This initiative will enable two of our staff members to travel to Washington,
D.C. in January for specialized training in slow looking, mindful movement, and breathing practices inspired by works of art. We look forward to bringing this reflective, wellness-centered approach to engaging with art to students in the coming year
Thisspring,we’reexcitedtoshowcaseMappingTerritories/TrazandoTerritorios:The
ArtofExileinPilsen–Chicago,ourfeaturedexhibitionforthesemester.Picturedinthe topleftisDoloresMercado’spieceAdios/Farewell Mercadowillbeamongtheartists attendingtheopeningreception,whereaseriesofartistmicro-talkswillbegivenby JoséAndreu,RenéArceo,CarlosBarberena,ArturoBarrera,HectorDuarte,Roberto Ferreyra,andDoloresMercado.Thereceptionprovidesauniqueopportunitytohear directlyfromtheartists,offeringvisitorsfirsthandinsightintotheexperiencesand processesthatshapedtheworksonview.
Alongsidetheexhibition,we’rehostingalineupofprogramsandeventsdesignedto sparkdiscussionandconnectionthroughoutthesemester Featuredeventsthatare freeandopentothepublicinclude:
OpeningReceptionforMappingTerritories–Tuesday,January13,2026/5–7pm
FamilyDay–Saturday,April11,2026/10a.m. –1p.m. Funforallages!Crafts,prizes,snacks,kitemakingstation,scavengerhunt,print makingdemo,andmore!LivemusicbyAU’sMariachiEnsemble.