2:43 on a Tuesday

University Galleries of Illinois State University is pleased to present 2:43 on a Tuesday from May 26 through October 3, 2026.

2:43 on a Tuesday presents 30 works from University Galleries’ permanent collection, each selected for its relationship to ideas about chronology. These paintings, photographs, lithographs, sculptures, and ceramics reflect on the ways time passes, how it is experienced, felt, measured, and sequenced. Artists include Barbara Crane, J. Brooks Dendy III, Frank Eckmair, Benjamin Gardner (M.F.A. 2005), Joan Gardner, Martin J. Garhart, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, Richard Mawdsley, Patrick McDonnell (M.S. 1990, M.F.A. 1993), Josefina Muñoz Torres, Patrick Nagatani, Robert Rauschenberg, and Neil Tetkowski (M.F.A. 1980).

Chronology describes the method of arranging and structuring what has happened and what will take place, often leading to the creation of timelines, ages, and epochs. These frameworks are not static; they are ever-changing as histories shift and memories fade. The exhibition’s title, 2:43 on a Tuesday, expresses this complexity by referring to the 24-hour clock—the current and dominant form of timekeeping—as both a precise and arbitrary marker.

Some of the pieces question how we chronicle our lives and who has the power to construct narratives and tell histories. For example, in Autobiography (1968), Robert Rauschenberg situates a spiral-shaped autobiographical text next to his astrological chart, contemplating the roles of the cosmos and pre-determined fate in his life. In his Nagatani-Ryoichi Excavations (1985-2000) series, Patrick Nagatani creates a fictional series of archeological excavations of contemporary objects unearthed at ancient sites. By setting these (seemingly) temporally distant objects alongside each other, the artist asks the viewer to consider time as a non-linear progression. Other works explore how we recall, feel and forget as time unfolds. Benjamin Gardner’s All done up and sweet smelling’ (Vanitas #3) (2006) offers the sense of a particular memory fading away. The still life within a domestic scene, as a contemporary version of a vanitas or memento mori, speaks to the transient and fleeting nature of not only the objects in the painting, but of life itself. Meanwhile, Joan Gardner’s Sunday 2 P.M. (1981) presents a Surrealism-inspired scene of figures, animals, and objects that appear still or frozen. The sensation of everything occurring at once is like a conjuring of memory, the piecing together and blending of different moments that collapse into one.

Chronology shapes how we make sense of our lived experiences. These temporal maps are embedded into stories, mythologies, and histories: what is told, taught, learned, and transmitted through generations. By locating points in time, we attempt to locate ourselves—where we are in relationship to others in the past, present, and future.
2:43 on a Tuesday is curated by Holly Filsinger (M.A. 2023), Gallery Assistant at University Galleries. Exhibition-related workshops are supported by the Lori Baum and Aaron Henkelman University Galleries Community Fund.

Friday, June 5, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Independent drawing hour. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibition and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.

Saturday, June 13, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Drop-in poetry at the galleries. Spend time writing poetry in response to artworks on view. Materials provided (including poetry templates).

Saturday, June 27, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
All-ages art-making workshop. This workshop is based on artworks in the exhibition. Materials and instruction provided.

Wednesday, July 8, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Independent drawing hour. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibition and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.

Saturday, July 25, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
All-ages art-making workshop. This workshop is based on artworks in the exhibition. Materials and instruction provided.