Knox College will host its first Knight Fund Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Michael Takeo Magruder, from September 16 to September 30, 2025. Magruder is an internationally known artist who has held over 300 exhibitions in 35 countries, including a recent exhibition at the British Library in London.

Magruder's exhibition, re:GeneratedPrairie, will be on view at the Borzello Art Gallery in the Ford Center for the Fine Arts (CFA) from noon to 5 p.m. on weekdays throughout the two-week residency.

The artist’s photography and videography were taken at Green Oaks, Knox’s biological field station and inspired by the annual prairie burn, which he used to explore mankind’s relationship to the cosmos and the natural world through cycles of renewal and regrowth.

The residency opens with an artist talk by Magruder on Tuesday, September 16, at 4 p.m. in the Round Room of CFA, followed by a gallery opening and reception at Borzello Gallery.

Knox College’s Knight Distinguished Chair for the Study of Religion and Culture, Robert M Geraci, brought Magruder to campus for the residency. 

“A lot of his work is about sacred landscape, the natural world. When he asked me about what is sacred at Knox College, I didn’t really know. I know I’m an outdoors person, and I love the prairie and mentioned the Prairie Burn. He told me that is all he needed to know,” Geraci said.

Magruder visited Knox College in May and received a guided tour through Green Oaks, where he captured the regrowth of the prairie after last spring’s Prairie Burn. 

“Knox is such an interesting place. I told him (Magruder) how on one end of campus we have all this beautiful student artwork at the Whitcomb Art Center, then an urban farm on the other side,” Geraci said. “It’s amazing how our story and environment at Knox can capture the interest of a professional artist.”

Magruder’s residency goes beyond showcasing his work. After arriving on Thursday, September 11, he and Geraci invited students to learn how to set up a curated exhibit for public display. Magruder will also critique any willing student’s work while also dispensing his wisdom on art and what it means to do professional artwork on a global scale.

“When he came in May, he offered to speak with students about art, which was awesome,” Geraci said. “He’s been very generous, and he’s been very clear he wants to give time to students if they want or need him.”

The two-week exhibit and artist discussion on September 16 are free and open to the public, offering the Knox College and Galesburg communities an opportunity to view works by a world-renowned artist in their own backyard. 

“I hope the whole Galesburg community will come to Borzello to see the art and hear Magruder,” Geraci said. “This exhibit isn’t just to benefit students, faculty, and staff across the Knox community, but to be welcoming to the wider community around us.” 

The exhibition is a collaboration drawing on contributions from the Program in Religious Studies, the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Biology, the Seymour Library Archives and Special Collections, the Makerspace Collective, and Knox College Building & Facility Services.