The Illinois State Museum's extensive collections can be seen in both permanent and rotating exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions are always available, while rotating exhibitions change every few months.
New to the second-floor corridor: a hall monitor jacket and two CD albums from Sylvia Fedrick of Chicago, representing Sylvia’s journey from the “Most Talented” member of her senior class at Lindblom Technical High School to a Black Essence Award-winning recording artist.
The Illinois State Museum’s collections are always in development as new things are added and as we learn more about what we have. New and noteworthy objects are often featured in the lobby and/or on the second floor corridor. Keep checking back at the ISM to see what’s new!
Photographer Sharon Hoogstraten celebrates the Potawatomi people dressed in their dance regalia through 30 portaits. Begun in 2010 at the Family Reunion Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma, this project honors the descendants of the Great Lakes’ early inhabitants—proud, modern people preserving culture with intention. Dancing for Our Tribe reflects how regalia is a living tradition, not a costume or relic. It is an expression of identity, blending ancestral artistry with contemporary life—from sewing machines and synthetic fabrics to tattoos and military service.
Minohsayaki ‘Painted Robes’ presents the story of collaborative efforts by the Peewaaliaki (Peoria Tribe) and Myaamiaki (Miami Tribe), along with non-Native scholars, to reconnect with their historic practice of hide painting. This exhibition was supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Humanities Without Walls Consortium, which is administered by the University of Illinois. It was first exhibited at the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum (RCCAM) at Miami University in Spring 2024 and is augmented with artifacts from the ISM’s Anthropology Collection that originate from historic Peoria villages. The exhibition is part of the Reclaiming Stories project.
Indigenous Beadwork of the Great Lakes features stunning examples of beadwork created by Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) artists from the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition explores beadwork as a form of resiliency and a method for expressing and maintaining one’s identity. Due to their delicate nature, this is the first time in many years these beaded textiles are on display.
This exhibition of photographs and journal entries by Nora Moore Lloyd (Ojibwe/Anishinaabe) provides a look into one artist’s ongoing work with bird rescue and release in the Chicago area. These photographs honor those birds whose lives have been interrupted by human activity. Lloyd’s work is rooted in her Indigenous perspective of mutual respect and relationship to the land and nature.
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