Visual Art

Last month Bob Waldmire made public what he has known for some time – that he has colon cancer and he probably won’t live much longer. Last Sunday, Nov. 22, “Bob’s Last Art Show” was held at his family’s famous Cozy Dog Drive In. There Waldmire, seated in a wheelchair, greeted hundreds of friends, some […]

After a 24-year dream of opening his own gallery, Norman Calmese is now the owner of Springfield’s newest treasure of the art world. He is also a musician, playwright, artist and teacher. Minor’e Gallery, which opened in March, sits quaintly downtown at 516 E. Monroe, next to Café Brio. The art hub is equipped with […]

Reading Scope, the 16th annual literary magazine of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, uncovered a more human side to the health care system than that to which I have become accustomed. In the last decade I’ve been inundated by red tape and bad experiences as I cared for my son, my 85-year-old mother-in-law and […]

Being sedated in a darkness that is so disturbing and beautiful that it makes the viewer comatose is a unique experience. Welcome to the complex mind of Felicia Olin. Her creations will be showing at the Robert Morris Gallery until Sept. 4. Hours of operation for the gallery are Tues-Fri 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. […]

Beginning Feb. 22, people from across the nation will head to St. Louis for a chance to see a backgammon board. The gilded board, from Beijing’s Palace Museum, dates back to 1426 and will be displayed at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Power and Glory: Court Arts from China’s Ming Dynasty is the first exhibition […]

In Detroit, it’s called the social. In Dallas, it’s called the swing. But in the Land of Lincoln, it’s called stepping. From 9 p.m.-3 a.m. on Nov. 22 at the American Legion #809, 1800 E. Capitol Ave., couples will compete for a $200 prize and bragging rights. Stepping is a dance that builds off of […]

Finding Fogel It is an event Seymour Fogel himself most likely would have shunned. In fact, the artist would probably be better known today were it not for his intense independence and passionately private nature. Art historian Greta Berman has said of Fogel (1911-1984), “He didn’t ‘play the game’ and he never promoted himself. He […]

His bronze sculptures, monuments, and paintings tell of deep sorrow: the scars of slavery, the sacrifice of immigration, the quiet suffering of women. His art also speaks of hope: the eloquent words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the restless spirit of pioneer Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the creative rebirth of the Harlem Renaissance. […]

One person’s trash is another’s treasure, and Dick Oglesby, 76, has taken the old saying to heart by creating a holiday display consisting of old jewelry donated by the women of Oak Terrace Active Retirement Community, where he also lives. “In June, I asked the activities director to ask the ladies if they had any […]

The Springfield Art Association opens its inaugural Holiday Hall Exhibition and Sale this weekend. The event marks a departure from the themes of past holiday exhibitions in favor of a fine-crafts sale for shoppers. Typically SAA’s juried exhibits draw works from artists all over the Midwest, but for the Holiday Hall, the SAA chose the […]