As detailed in the recent Illinois Times cover story on the state of the arts, Springfield is increasingly becoming a destination for artists from around the region and the world. Nowhere is this the case more than at the DEMO Project, located on the campus of the Springfield Art Association. Tonight is the opening reception of a new […]
Scott Faingold
Scott Faingold is a journalist, educator and musician. He has been director of student media at University of Illinois Springfield, founding editor of Activator magazine, a staff reporter for Illinois Times and co-host of Old School Bleep, a music-centered podcast.
Posted inArts & Culture
Art for every need
“We’re grateful that we still have this nice space to be in. It’s really made a big difference to what we’ve been able to deliver to the community,” says Janet Seitz Carlson of the Prairie Art Alliance. This time last year, the Hoogland Center for the Arts, which houses the PAA’s handsome HD Smith Gallery […]
Posted inMusic
Henry Rollins brings a ‘talking show’ to the Hoogland
Henry Rollins is no Abe Lincoln. But that doesn’t stop the 51-year-old punk rock icon, TV personality, author and blogger from incorporating sections of the 16th president’s 1838 speech to the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield as part of “Capitalism,” his current spoken word tour of all 50 state capitals, which touches down at the […]
Posted inMusic
Art, bikes and rock ’n’ roll
Rock musician. Fine artist. Cycling champion. If lifelong Springfield resident Jeff Williams does not qualify as a genuine renaissance man, he’ll have to do until one comes along. In addition, these disparate areas of interest have built on each other throughout a 30-year career, in often unexpected ways. Williams and his band, NIL8, have come […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Getting ready for college today
High school guidance counseling in Springfield School District 186 ain’t what it used to be. Just ask Donna Povse, “post-secondary coach” at Springfield High. “In each of the three public schools,” she explains, “there is a retired person like myself who works approximately two and a half days a week, and primarily our goal is […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Art fun in the summertime
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 area visual artists, the 401 South Grand Ave. West location has also become a haven for local writers via its “Pharmacy Literati” wing, as […]
Posted inMusic
Meet the maestro
“The power of music can unite a community,” says Alastair Willis, brand new music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. “That’s what we all need to be striving towards. It’s really about ‘how can we do this together?’” Willis’s appointment is the culmination of an arduous search which began in July 2010 with the announced […]
Posted inNews
Changes on the horizon for WUIS
Change doesn’t have to be painful. At least that’s what WUIS general manager Bill Wheelhouse is hoping will be the case this summer, when the venerable radio station plans to shift from its longtime classical music-based programming to focus instead on news and talk. “I like to call it ‘civilized talk,’ a public radio version […]
Posted inArts & Culture
I bought a theater
“I would say buying real estate is an emotional decision,” says Scott Richardson. “It’s probably not the wisest move, but sometimes you follow the heart. So we bought a theater!” Not just any theater. The building in question, at 101 E. Lawrence, had served as a focal point for local performing arts for more than […]
Posted inMusic
Confessions of a (minor) rock star
Mike Doughty has been through the ringer. The former lead vocalist for sample-heavy ’90s alternative-rock mainstays Soul Coughing (“Super Bon Bon,” “Circles”) has put a lot of distance between himself and that band in the post-120 Minutes era, releasing a steady stream of solo recordings, all of which retain his trademark acerbic wit and sometimes-dense […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The ballad of Tom Irwin
To call Tom Irwin a fixture on the Springfield music scene would be something of an understatement. Beginning in the mid-1970s as a bass player and eventual frontman for various local rock bands, straight through to his present status as an accomplished songwriter and bandleader, Irwin has been a popular draw in local clubs since […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Upbeat arts in a down economy
“I’m glad they’re here, kicking the arts in the butt,” smiles Betsy Dollar, executive director of the Springfield Art Association. She is referring to the organizers and participants of Third Thursday, the upstart local collective whose calling card is a floating, monthly exhibition featuring volunteer artists [see “The Third Thursday artists,” by Tom Irwin, July […]
