McKinley CU

Artists’ Alley

McDonnell panorama
Artists Alley_CMYK_1

Established in 2017, Artists’ Alley is a Fine Art Gallery sponsored by the McKinley Foundation. It is located off the Presby Hall lobby at 405 E. John Street in Champaign. The entry is on the east side of the Presby Hall building facing Daniel Street. Open 9 AM and 8 PM daily.

Artists’ Alley is approximately 350 square feet with 44 feet of wall/hanging space. The corridor is a physical expression of the connection between students and the local community. Presby Hall students and hundreds of campus and community visitors frequently move through this space on a daily basis.

The McKinley Arts Council—a group of current University of Illinois undergraduate students, McKinley Foundation and McKinley Church members—select the final artwork to be displayed in Artists’ Alley. Selection is based on quality of work, size of exhibit proposed, and the benefit of the exhibit to the McKinley community.

To Apply

  • Complete and submit the Exhibit Submission Application.
  • Include at least four digital images of artwork included in your proposed exhibit. Files should not exceed 1MB in size. JPEG or PNG files are preferred file formats.
  • Send all materials to artists-alley@mckinley-foundation.org. Or send hard copies to
    • McKinley Arts Council
      809 S. Fifth Street
      Champaign, IL 61820

General Information

  • All applications will be reviewed by the McKinley Arts Council.
  • The McKinley Arts Council reserves the right not to select all submissions.
  • If your exhibit is selected for display, all participating artists will be required to sign a contract.
  • Exhibits are typically displayed for 6-8 weeks, including university holidays, breaks and the summer session. If there is a time period that you do not want to be considered for display, please indicate this on your application.
  • Artists/sponsors will receive notification of their selection status within 4-6 weeks of submission.