ABOUT THE GALLERY

Backspace Gallery is an independently run, alternative space that provides the Northern Illinois University community with equally unique exhibition programming.

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Located on the first floor of the Jack Arends Art Building, Backspace utilizes its limited space in conjunction with the artists and artwork displayed. 

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After being built in January of 2016, the eight-foot-wide, four-feet-deep, “U” shaped gallery announced it's first show; titled, "Tiny Pieces for a Tiny Space." Creators Jodi Robertson and Leyla Puskar continued operation until each of their respective graduations from NIU. 

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Passing on the gallery in the Fall of 2017 to Jose Jimenez and Ari Norris, Backspace entered it's second phase with a large addition that more-than-doubled its original wall space. Both units for a brief time were separately located at adjacent corners of the Jack Arends Art Building’s first floor. 

 

Consolidating both units to the East corner of the building to begin the Spring 2018 semester, Backspace continued to host a range of exhibitions featuring work by NIU Students, Alumni, Faculty, Retirees, and Midwest based artists.  

 

May 2019 brought the conclusion of Jimenez and Norris’ curation of Backspace Gallery; continuing the tradition of leaving the space for future NIU Sculpture Department students to operate.

 

After a short break during Covid19, a new generation of Graduate students have picked up the torch to carry on the Backspace Gallery tradition at NIU.

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