Visual Art | Thursday, May 16,2013

ARTIFICATION of Springfield

A mural project is set to bring beauty to downtown

“It used to be scary down this way.”Barry Friedman, owner of the Alamo, 115 N. Fifth St., is reminiscing about conditions in downtown Springfield prior to the 2005 opening of the Abraham L

Visual Art | Thursday, April 18,2013

Wonderful world of Illinois watercolors

Statewide contest honors Skip Watts’ support of arts

By Anita Stienstra

Carol Watts and Mary Selinski enjoyed a watercolor class together years ago. Neither could have guessed that in 2012-13 they would collaborate on a sizable statewide watercolor exhibit and contest.Car

Visual Art | Thursday, April 4,2013

Photo contest winners: Images of Illinois

Prairie Art Alliance contest yields impressive regional talent

By Anita Stienstra

Digital cameras that are affordable and easy-to-use, including those cameras and image-sharing apps in our smartphones, have sparked a photo craze. Who could have predicted that so many Americans woul

Visual Art | Thursday, February 28,2013

Feet first

Kimberly Conner’s Jump In has red carpet premiere

By Scott Faingold

Midway through the filming of Jump In, director Kimberly Conner of Springfield faced a day of personal reckoning.“We were on day five of a 10-day shoot,” she recalls. “My emotions we

Visual Art | Thursday, January 3,2013

The Stories Behind the Faces

Springfield Art Association adds biographies to new portrait exhibit

By Anita Stienstra

The Springfield Art Association has an interesting new exhibit planned to open Friday, Jan. 4, that includes images and stories of local people. The Stories Behind the Faces, features a combination of

Visual Art | Wednesday, November 21,2012

Skin City

Tattoos come of age in Springfield

By Patrick Yeagle

Why would someone voluntarily undergo several hours of a needle stabbing them several thousand times per minute? The simple answer is for the sake of art, but the long answer is a bit more complicated

Visual Art | Thursday, October 11,2012

America Behind Barbed Wire

Art at UIS captures nightmare of US concentration camp

By Anita Stienstra

America has a dark little secret. We imprisoned 120,000 fellow citizens during World War II in U.S. concentration camps or, as some call them, internment camps. Artist Roger Shimomura tells this troub

Visual Art | Thursday, July 12,2012

Art fun in the summertime

The Pharmacy ups the ante and throws a party

By Scott Faingold

Since mounting its first group show on 11/11/11, upstart local art collective The Pharmacy has already become something of a Springfield institution. Along with providing work space for a variety of a

Visual Art | Thursday, July 12,2012

Living pictures come to life again

The Soldiers Aid Society performs at SAA’s Civil War Ice Cream Social July 14

By Erika Holst

“The ladies of Springfield gave a grand Tableaux last week for the benefit of the Soldiers Aid Society,” Mercy Conkling wrote to her son in 1862. “It was a brilliant affair. Mr

Visual Art | Thursday, June 14,2012

Pottery summer at Edwards Place

“The experience is more than the end result.”

By Grace Sweatt

The Springfield Art Association is offering two exciting opportunities for the community to explore ceramics and pottery-making over the summer months. A kickoff event, ROASTED:%u2008Hot Pots or Pork,