
McKinley Foundation, in partnership with UIUC Center for Advanced Study (CAS), is proud to welcome Asa Featherstone, IV, to Artists’ Alley January 26-31, 2025. The residency will center around the theme of visibility and representation in the arts, especially focusing on photographers and visual artists of color from the Midwest and Rust Belt. It will consist of workshops, lectures, and collaborative projects, and culminate in an exhibition that showcases the featured artists from MIDTONES Photo Magazine.
While in residency, Featherstone will produce new work featuring stories and photos from the Champaign-Urbana community that will be included in the exhibit.
Asa Featherstone, IV
Photographer & Curator
Asa (AY-suh) Featherstone, IV is a photo-based artist, curator, and founder of MIDTONES Photo Magazine currently living in Cincinnati, OH. His work prioritizes the beauty and nuance of daily life for marginalized communities through narrative in a tone that leads by listening. His approach to photography is influenced by his homeschool upbringing, where he spent much of his formative years observing communities and asking questions about the behaviors of the people around him.
He’s provided work for The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Google, Bloomberg Business, and American Airlines, among others. In 2017, he was an Animating Museums Fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, and in 2020 was recognized for having one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Portraits of the Year.
Scheduled Activities
Monday, January 27
Dear Mr. President, a dialogue with Asa Featherstone, IV
School of Social Work
Hosted by Dr. Kevin Tan, Associate Dean for Engagement, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Tuesday, January 28
School of Art & Design lecture
Hosted by Jennifer Bergmark, Assistant Professor of Art Education
Wednesday, January 29
DREAAM workshop
Hosted by Tracy Dace, Founder, and Luther Sparkman, Site Coordinator
Thursday, January 30, 5 to 8PM
Exhibition Opening and Artist Talk
Hosted by McKinley Foundation and Center for Advanced Study