A trio of Midwest photographers—Qingjun Huang, Natalie Jackson, and Matthew Terry—will showcase their latest works at the Quad City Arts Center in Rock Island, Illinois, from May 8 through June 19. The exhibition, titled "Huang, Jackson, & Terry," features Huang, a Peoria-based freelancer born in China with international exhibition credits including Christie’s London and the Benaki Museum; Jackson, a portrait and fine arts photographer from Peoria who serves on the board of the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; and Terry, a Davenport-based contemporary photographer and Academy of Art University graduate whose work has been shown in galleries across the U.S. and Europe.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the growing visibility of regional artists from the American Midwest, offering a platform for photographers whose work has gained national and international recognition. By bringing together three distinct voices—each with ties to local arts organizations and a record of juried exhibitions and awards—the show underscores the vitality of community-based art centers in fostering careers and connecting audiences with diverse photographic practices outside major coastal art hubs.