Visual Art | Thursday, September 23,2004

The gifts of Grace

Danville native Grace Eckert didn't take art classes in high school, even though she knew she was going to be an artist. Her father, a math professor at Illinois State University and the Univer

Visual Art | Thursday, September 9,2004

Sweet 16 for popular craft fair

By Job Conger

More than 60 artists from 12 states have registered for this weekend's Edwards Place Fine Crafts Festival, an annual event hosted by the Springfield Art Association. The number of participants

Visual Art | Thursday, September 2,2004

Chips off of an old block

By Job Conger

As a tide of "getting back to our roots" sweeps the country, woodcarving is gaining in popularity. The phenomenon will be in evidence this weekend at the 14th annual Sangamon Valley Woodcarvers

Visual Art | Thursday, August 19,2004

He got his start with living-room art

By Job Conger

One of the longest-lasting galleries in Springfield evolved not from dreams of framed immortality but from the desire to put down roots in a relatively small Illinois community. Art Concepts is

Visual Art | Thursday, July 29,2004

Manning adds studio space, launches anti-Kerry series

By Job Conger

Springfield artist Michael Manning says that most of his friends are liberals, and so he expects that his newest project will "drive them crazy." Manning, who served two tours of duty with the

News | Thursday, July 22,2004

The love bug

By Job Conger

The love affair began at age 12, when his father let him take the family's 1959 Chevy Impala up and down the driveway. Since then, Mario Ingoglia has been captivated by vintage cars -- the ones

News | Thursday, July 15,2004

The fat rap

Growers, processors dispute obesity-corn syrup link

By Job Conger

Corn growers and processors are fixing to pop a kernel over a recent report that blames Americans' expanding waistlines on the widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup. Among those leading the cha

Visual Art | Thursday, July 8,2004

Prairie Art Alliance thrives in new location

By Job Conger

Since moving in January from its location on North Fifth Street to the Hoogland Center for the Arts, the Prairie Art Alliance has acquired more than a vastly improved venue for its gallery and

Music | Thursday, June 17,2004

American wine, Eastern Euopean barrel

By Job Conger

One of the lesser-known legacies of Ronald Reagan's years in the White House is a band comprising citizens of the Czech and Slovak republics, formerly Czechoslovakia. It's probably fair to say that wi

Feature | Thursday, June 17,2004

Riding the tide

By Job Conger

As a tide of great expectations, created by the splash of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, sweeps through downtown Springfield, Mike Sigler, owner of the Jewelry Service Center, is