The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery will unveil a new art exhibit entitled “Love You Bro” by Chicago-based artist Stephanie Graham and host a Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series discussion called “Spielberg, Diddy, Oprah and Me” on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, as part of an exploration of race in art.

The art exhibit, “Love You Bro,” will open on Thursday, Oct. 25 and run through Thursday, Nov. 15.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, “Spielberg, Diddy, Oprah and Me,” an ECCE Speaker Series lecture, discussion and visual presentation by curator, writer, and artist advocate Tempestt Hazel will serve as the opening event from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. The ECCE presentation will immediately be followed by a reception for “Love You Bro” in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

As part of this special collaboration, Hazel will lead a discussion and Q&A session featuring Graham during the ECCE event. Hazel will also discuss the work she has done to promote art and artists who work along the margins outside of mainstream historical narratives across the spectrum of gender, race, ability and being. Hazel is the founding editor of Sixty Inches from Center, and the art program officer for the Field Foundation of Illinois.

Artist Stephanie Graham’s exhibit “Love You Bro” will explore relationships and how affection is expressed between black men. As an African-American artist, Graham’s photographs, videos, and installations are armed with humor, satire, and soul in an effort to make otherwise difficult conversations on race and gender easier and more comfortable in this increasingly divisive political and cultural climate.

Graham’s artwork highlights subcultures, social class, relationships and Black America. Her projects have been presented at the Hyde Park Art Center, Mana Contemporary (Chicago), Chicago Artists Coalition, Terrain Exhibitions and the Gene Siskel Film Center. She has been featured in Studio Photography Magazine and the Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers and her work is held in the public collection of the Chicago Historical Society. Graham studied film and photography at Columbia College Chicago and currently works on the crew of NBC's "Chicago PD.”

Hazel has worked in arts administration, curating and multidisciplinary programming at Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago Park District and Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago. Her exhibitions and research have been displayed in the Chicago-area and nationwide and her writing has been featured in several prominent publications.

Individuals with disabilities who anticipate the need for accommodations should contact the UIS Speaker Series Office at 217/206-8507 or speakerseries@uis.edu in advance.

The Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, Room 201, and is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by email at alach@uis.edu.