May 13, 2026
SIU’s Sharp Museum seeking cryptid-themed art for juried exhibition
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Whether it’s Bigfoot, the Big Muddy Monster, creatures from the watery deep among urban legends, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Sharp Museum wants all artists to put their best work on display in celebrating hidden or unknown animals and creatures.
“Spooks or Spoofs,” a national juried cryptid-themed exhibition will run Aug. 11 through Dec. 21 in the museum. All media are eligible, but artificial intelligence-generated images will not be allowed.
The exhibition will accept up to 50 entries, and artists are limited to three submissions. A $5-$10 donation is requested for each entry.
More information and submission forms are available on the museum website.
Cryptozoology is the study and search for these rumored, unproven animals and figures, such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.
“There are several legends of wild things lurking in the dark woods of the Shawnee Forest and remote regions of Illinois, such as Bigfoot, the freaky Farmer City Monster, a creepy thing called cohomo (Cole Hollow Monster), the Big Muddy Monster, and the Enfield horror,” said T. Lance, the museum’s curator of exhibits. “There is also the man-eating Piasa bird, terrifying thunderbirds over Illinois, creatures of the watery deep, kangaroos on the loose, and albino squirrels of Olney.”
Submissions need not be focused on Illinois cryptids, they said.
Lance noted that Loren Coleman, an American cryptozoologist, author, and the founder and director of the International Cryptozoology Museum, studied anthropology and zoology at SIU Carbondale in the mid-to-late 1960s.
Jeremy Efroymson, an artist, art collector, amateur cryptozoologist, philanthropist, grassroots arts activist, and vice chair of the Efroymson Family Fund, will be the juror. Efroymson earned a bachelor’s degree in film and video studies from the University of Michigan, a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago, and an MBA from Butler University. He primarily works in photography, installation and found-object sculpture.
Deadlines
The submission deadline is July 1 with jury results posted by July 14. Artwork drop off is due by Aug. 11, with a reception planned for Oct. 23, Lance said.
As with all exhibitions, the artwork represents the viewpoints of its creators, not SIU. SIU complies with the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act and State Officials and Employees Ethics Act.
Museum hours
For more information on the exhibitions, contact Lance at 618-453-5388 or t.lance@siu.edu or visit museum.siu.edu. Sharp Museum hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday, and during all SIU breaks and holidays. The museum will be closed through June 6 for intersession and resume normal hours on June 9.