Growing up in Springfield, there were countless times when my friends and I would use the phrase, “there’s nothing to do here.” Well, maybe we just were not looking hard enough. Being back on campus can be nerve-wracking, stressful and exciting. Seeing friends, colleagues and professors after what we have all experienced is a tall task for anyone. It has felt that way even at home – we are at war with an irregular foe. Getting back to a normal, a new normal, could do good for everybody.

Springfield has offered me more than what a simple Google search could have shown me. I have found love and lost love, learned and was misled – and ultimately made friends forever.

COVID-19 has instilled pain in all of us. I wish, and you wish, we could make the pain and angst subside. As students we have overcome great adversity. Students such as us have proved that following your brain can be done while following your heart.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery time and time again reminds us of the vital importance that art bestows on the community. Since 1975, the gallery has given credence to local, regional and national artists alike. The recent exhibition, “180,000+” by Wendy DesChene and Jeff Schmuki, is an abstract alternative to modern food and distribution methods.

While DesChene and Schmuki’s exhibition has ended, more is to come. In the coming weeks, José Guadalupe Garza, an artist, educator, and veteran, will have a featured exhibit in the Visual Arts Gallery. Garza’s previous exhibits tend to call attention to themes of race, politics and capitalism. This exhibit will begin Thursday, Sept. 30.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is open to the public Monday through Thursday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. All UIS students, faculty, and members of the public are welcome. Face masks are required in the Gallery.

So what are you doing? Thanks for reading, but get out there. Just wander, you are not lost.