Years in the Making: The Art of Aldon Addington

“I consider all of my sculptures to be abstract, non-figurative compositions that make no reference beyond themselves. I hope, however, that they are evocative – that the viewer will explore and contemplate and come to their own thoughts or conclusions.” 

– Aldon Addington

Artspace 304 announces the opening of a special regional exhibition, Years in the Making: The Art of Aldon Addington, that spans three gallery spaces in Southern Illinois. The exhibition features a retrospective of sculptures and ephemera from Aldon Addington at Artspace 304, John A. Logan College, and The Corridor Gallery at the Carbondale Civic Center. Receptions will be held at John A. Logan College (November 5, 11am-1pm) and Artspace 304 (November 12, 12-3pm). The receptions will also recognize several permanent sculptures by Aldon that are installed outside of Artspace 304 and John A. Logan College.

Exhibition Schedule
Artspace 304
October 28-January 6
Reception: November 12, 12-3pm

The Corridor Gallery at the Carbondale Civic Center
November 1-January 13

John A. Logan College
October 26-November 30
Reception: November 5, 11am-1pm

Aldon Addington began teaching at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1967 after studying at the Kansas City Art Institute (BFA in Industrial Design, 1959) and the Cranbrook Academy of Art (MFA in Sculpture, 1966). He taught sculpture and 3D design for thirty-four years at the School of Art and Design. While at SIUC, he also led many hands-on seminars, including metal sculpture workshops at the Glasgow School of Art (Glasgow, Scotland) and the University of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland), and demonstrations at Art Park (Lewiston, NY). 

Aldon’s art is represented at Cedarhurst Sculpture Park (Mt. Vernon, IL), the Illinois State Museum (Springfield, IL), the Sheldon Swope Art Gallery (Terre Haute, IN), the SIUC Museum (Carbondale, IL), and the University of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland), as well as additional private collections. 

Since his retirement in 2001, Aldon has become even more active as a sculptor. In 2006, he completed his largest sculpture to date: a house built 9 feet above ground and constructed out of recycled materials that he shares with his wife Dona in Carbondale. Other major projects include Symphony in Steel (2005), commissioned by the Art-in-Architecture program for the University of Illinois; Rings of Friendship (2006), installed at a Carbondale park; Origami (2019), installed at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art; Three Portals (2020), installed at the Ella Elizabeth Hise Museum of Regional Art; and Rings (2022), installed at the Springfield-Branson International Airport. Aldon also installed Cosmos (2022) at Unity Point School in memory of his son, Bryan. 

At 88, Aldon is proud to see his works continue to grace the Southern Illinois community, with a sculpture installed on the grounds of Artspace 304 and two monumental sculptures installed at John A. Logan College.