Contact:  Kyla Kruse

SPRINGFIELD — The Trutter Museum & Murray Gallery at Lincoln Land Community College will host the exhibit “the neophobic kingdom” featuring artwork by sculptor Thad Duhigg Jan. 12-Feb. 12. The public is invited to a closing reception on Thursday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The exhibit is open for viewing weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum and gallery are located on the upper level of Menard Hall on the LLCC Springfield campus, 5250 Shepherd Road.

Duhigg’s work critically explores the intersection of tradition and contemporary anxiety. Known for his mastery of bronze casting and his ability to subvert expectations, Duhigg creates sculptural landscapes that challenge viewers to reconsider the narratives shaping our world.

In an era of polarized media and heightened cultural divides, Duhigg’s work asks what fears define us and how do we construct “the other”? His latest series transforms the historically idyllic landscape into a stage for contemporary crises. By depopulating scenes and introducing unsettling elements — a tornado, a bomb crater, a lone raft — Duhigg evokes both vulnerability and resilience.

Bronze, a material long associated with permanence and authority, becomes a vehicle for critique. Here it frames fragility and decline. Elevated on pedestals reminiscent of Romantic-era conventions, these intimate vignettes invite reflection on what — and whose stories — we choose to enshrine.

Duhigg has shared his sculptural expertise with college students for more than three decades and is now a professor of art at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His work has appeared in major venues including Laumeier Sculpture Park, the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts and the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence. His sculptures reside in public and private collections across the United States and abroad.

Learn more about LLCC’s Trutter Museum & Murray Gallery and its exhibits at www.llcc.edu/trutter-murray.