Obituary by Michele-Feder Nadoff Chicago artist, Theodore (Ted) Halkin, well-loved husband, father, professor, and friend, died on August 11, 2020 at the age of 96. Halkin was associated with the 1950’s group of Chicago artists known as the Monster Roster. Like many in this group, he was a WWII veteran and is also considered one of the… Continue reading Theodore (Ted) Halkin, (1924-2020)
The Illinois State Museum has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Illinois State Museum has been accredited since 1972. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review… Continue reading Illinois State Museum Receives Highest National Recognition
In the last month, the Museum has installed two new exhibitions: Hats Off: Stylish Selections from the Illinois Legacy Collection and Harvesting the River: Pearl Buttons. Hat’s Off contains wide variety of women’s hats from the Museum’s collection. They include a winter bonnet, a mourning bonnet, and a hat made from an entire barn owl.* Harvesting the… Continue reading New Exhibits on Display
The website dedicated to the history of the Illinois State Museum is up and running. “The Story of Illinois” is a project of the Illinois State Museum Library, which secured a $12,500 Illinois History Digital Imaging grant from the Illinois State Library to begin to digitize the Museum’s archives relating to its history. The site… Continue reading Illinois State Museum History Site Live
Three sculptures by Theodore Halkin from the Illinois State Museum’s art collection will be on view in the upcoming exhibition 3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, 1964-1980 at the Tang Museum of Art in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Exhibition will run from September 8, 2018 – January 6, 2019. Featured artist include: Don Baum, Roger… Continue reading Illinois Legacy Collection on the Road
If you have ever wondered how the Illinois State Museum got its start or wished you could find an image of that classic exhibition from your childhood, there is a new resource in the works thanks to a recent grant from the Illinois State Library. The Illinois State Museum Library recently secured a $12,500 Illinois… Continue reading The Story of the Illinois State Museum
The Museum opened its Bicentennial & Beyond! The Illinois Legacy Collection exhibition on Friday, June 29 with a public celebration. Almost 400 people enjoyed music, food, drinks, and one of the largest exhibitions of rarely-seen objects from the Museum’s Illinois Legacy Collection of 13.5 million objects. Bicentennial and Beyond! exhibits artifacts from a variety of disciplines,… Continue reading Bicentennial & Beyond! Opens with a Splash
The Illinois State Museum continues to welcome new faces to its staff. We would like to introduce Samantha Comerford, Sarah Davis, and Dannyl Dolder. Samantha Comerford is interning with the Art and History Section for one year. She recently graduated with an art history degree and a history minor from Illinois State University where she worked… Continue reading Welcoming New Faces
In 2018, the State of Illinois is celebrating its 200th birthday. In recognition of the Bicentennial, Illinois museums are sharing the State’s rich history through the objects in their care with a new website entitled “The Story of Illinois: Celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial Through Museum Objects” (story.illinoisstatemuseum.org). The website, built by the Illinois State Museum,… Continue reading “Story of Illinois” Website Launch
The Museum would like to feature your Illinois “unsung hero” in a Facebook Gallery that will supplement a coming exhibition. On March 3, the Museum will open a new exhibition, Unsung Heroes, featuring three little-known heroes from Illinois’ past. Anna Heistad was a nurse and settlement worker in early 19th century Chicago who rose before dawn… Continue reading New Exhibition Honors Heroes: Including Yours!
