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Exhibitions
Visitors to Dickson Mounds Museum's more than 15,000 square feet of exhibits discover many different ways of interpreting the past, including innovative displays of artifacts, arts, and archaeology; exciting hands-on activities; and multi-media presentations.
Permanent
Temporary
Kevin Veara: Exult
Opens March 16, 2024
Springfield artist Kevin Veara paints eye-popping scenes of birds among imagined and mutant landscapes. His paintings celebrate the vibrant, extraordinary beauty of the birds he observes along the Sangamon River. Equally, his work comments on the impact of human action on native ecosystems.
Kevin Veara: Exult features 16 paintings from 2009 to 2020. Veara is a painter, tattoo artist, naturalist, and birder living just outside of Springfield, Illinois. He holds a BFA from Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois Springfield) and an MFA from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Upcoming exhibition
Peggy Macnamara: In Flight
Fall 2025
Peggy Macnamara is a keen observer of the natural world. This selection of her watercolors centers on birds native to central Illinois, reflecting the museum’s mission to connect art, science, and our regional environment.
More than scientific illustration, Macnamara’s work captures fleeting moments in nature with both precision and spontaneity. The fluidity of watercolor mirrors the movement of her subjects, transforming careful observation into moments of wonder.
Her paintings radiate joy and curiosity—but also carry a quiet urgency. Aware of the global decline in biodiversity, Macnamara collaborates with natural scientists to turn art into a tool for conservation, supporting efforts to protect endangered species and ecosystems across the Americas.
Through her eyes, we’re invited to pause, look closer, and rediscover the beauty—and fragility—of the world around us.