SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present “Junk Drawer,” an exhibition by Champaign-based artist Guen Montgomery.

“Junk Drawer” will open on Monday, March 18th and run through Thursday, April 11th.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the artist will present an Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series lecture from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27th in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library. Montgomery’s lecture, entitled “Kinship Stories,” will feature images from her art practice, which draws inspiration from her rural Appalachian heritage and identity as a femme gay person—and the consideration of identity through studies of gender, regional narrative and family mythology.

Immediately following this lecture, the UIS Visual Arts Gallery will host an exhibition reception for “Junk Drawer” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information and future exhibitions, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website.

About Guen Montgomery:

Montgomery is an artist and performer whose work investigates identity through studies of material culture, gender and family mythology. Materially, Montgomery’s work is located in the intersections between printmaking, performance and sculpture. Montgomery has exhibited nationally and internationally and her artwork has been displayed in public collections at the Centre for Art and Design in Churchill, Australia and Mushashino Art University in Tokyo, Japan. Her work was recently exhibited in Nashville and St. Louis. Montgomery currently teaches in the Studio Arts program at the University of Illinois. Urbana-Champaign. She lives in Champaign with her wife, baby daughter, dog and two cats.