Arts

There's nothing scary about the arts calendar this October. From visual art to dance to theatre, it's nothing but treats. 

Felix Crim’s psychological thriller taunts viewers with menacing tableaux.

According to co-owner Katye Newhouse, Prism Studios seeks to dismantle the idea that “art only looks a certain way and that if you can’t achieve that narrow definition then you are just bad at art.”

The University's Murphy Gallery comes alive with possibility, rupture, and collaboration at the Future Spaces in Community Places exhibition. 

“You will stop drowning when you realize you can breathe through your tears,” writes Tarriona “Tank” Ball in “Survival Guide,” from her debut collection of poems. 

The in-person 2021 C-U Black and African Arts Festival promises a feast for all of your senses, plus a one-stop way to support Black and African-owned businesses.

Parkland’s art and design faculty capture the present moment in bold relief through color, landscapes, and even a few dirty rotten scoundrels.

Did you know that with the proper paint and priming, an outdoor mural can last more than ten years? Take a deep dive into the mural making process with Carlie Upchurch and Lisa Kesler. 

This month's arts picks focus on pride. They offer opportunities to explore spaces and celebrate experiences that may feel like home to you, or, may challenge you to think and feel outside of your comfort zone. 

In the Dreaming with Johnny universe, artist Sophie McMahan strives to “keep a balance between beauty and the grotesque.”

The Urbana Museum of Photography is many things. It just may not be what you think it is. 

According to Janet Soesbe,of the Urbana Park District, Bridging the Art Divide is “perfect for these times….You can view the art anytime between sunrise and sunset at your convenience, for free. Come as you are, so no social pressure.”

Of his assemblage work, the late Durango Mendoza said “the goal is to encourage people, as different as they are, to see the potential and hope that is intrinsic in all things, and embrace diversity, acceptance, and change.”

Roeing's technique is so well executed, that not only do I get an accurate sense of what that location looks like, but I also sense the artist’s feelings about the place.

According to mixed media artist Sarah Marjanovic, “a common complexity of merging media is that each medium has its own characteristics and involves some careful planning—getting them to work together in synergy is key.”

With everything from beachscapes to tango, there's plenty to dip into as you enjoy your last slice of C-U summertime arts.

At the newly opened Recreation Club in downtown Champaign, a unique business structure and “come as you are” approach has flipped traditional tattooing culture on its head and offers a revitalized future for local arts culture.

A small exhibition at Krannert Art Museum offers an opportunity to ponder on what’s changed since the 1930s.

Ashanti Files discusses her experiences thus far as Urbana's Poet Laureate, including what she has learned in the position, and what is still to come for the remainder of her year-long term. Trigger warnings: please note that this article contains mentions of mental health concerns including body image, depression and suicide.

July is hot with changes to experience the arts outdoors and among friends. 

The opening reception of Around the Block III:  Artists from Our Neighborhood was an all too familiar affair in these times:  100% virtual.

As I planned my Boneyard weekend, I wondered “With everything that we've gone through these last 18+ months, would the work reflect grief, loss, rage, or metamorphosis? Would it inspire catharsis? A glimmer of hope? A path forward?”

“It almost feels a bit like starting over which can be a bit messy but wholly thrilling at the same time,” says 40 North Executive Director Kelly White about Boneyard 2021. 

These three new installations from the Urbana Utility Box Mural Program show just how much can exist within a thin layer of vinyl wrapping. 

Green screen technology does some incredible work for this opera, both practically and narratively.

Debra shares five things in arts this month you won't want to miss. 

Recent University of Illinois graduate Jordan Ratliff discusses the inspiration, process, and takeaways from a senior thesis production that has been over a year in the making.

Springtime is the right time to cultivate your Instagram. Here are five artists you want to be following. 

Designer and illustrator Brooke Armstrong advice to new artists is to “make the work you want to see.”

Lyric Theatre at Illinois co-director Julie Gunn “[likes] our students, the performers, to work with living people at least some of the time, and I also like them relating what they’re doing to something in their own lives.”

After months of preparation, The Station Theatre is revamping its focus on racial justice this summer with a brand new Teen Spotlight workshop for young artists of color.

According to poet Christopher Kempf, his new collection employs Gettysburg as a vehicle to “engage ongoing issues involving race, regional identity, and the ethics of memory, tracing how post-bellum memorial practices (like monument construction) advance hegemonic notions of whiteness.”

Evelyne asks two Illinois Art + Design BFA candidates about the messages and media behind the work they've selected for the student exhibition at Krannert Art Museum.

May 2021 in the C-U arts scene means celebrating graduating visual and performing arts students, and beginning to explore ways, even in-person, to learn and explore the arts yourself. 

For the second year in a row, graduates of Illinois Theatre’s Acting program are filming their work for casting directors in the hopes of smoothly transitioning into the professional theatre industry.

For Tom Zhang, a second-year MFA student in stage management at Illinois Theatre, COVID restrictions have been frustrating, but they also inspired technological innovations that may live on past the pandemic. 

For LGBTQ+ artists, both the social risks and emotional benefits of sharing aspects of their identities in their work are particularly high.

“The Midwesterners [in] Far From Mars are regular people who took chances, followed their passions, and pursued meaningful hobbies,” says author Sal Nudo.

According to Matt Wiley, “One of the benefits of a simple illustration style is how significantly facial expressions and framing can have on the feeling of a scene.”

MFA candidate and teaching assisstant Kayt MacMaster says “teaching through a pandemic has illuminated what may be the most crucial skill set developed through the performance process: Collaboration.”

Tyehimba Jess' advice to young poets is “Don't give up and revise, revise, revise, and have a decent understanding of American history or of the history of the country you're living in and the country that your people came from.”

Melinda McIntosh shares that en plein air painting teaches us “if we’re not quick to capture something it may not be around a week later.”

Nearly a decade ago, a project local to Brooklyn began a pilot campus program at the University of Illinois that would prove to be successful beyond its creators’ wildest dreams.

April 2021 arts events are springing up in person and online. Debra shares five things you won't want to miss. 

When asked about any upsides to this year's virtual format, 8 to Create president Caroline Wuerl said “it is refreshing to know that we have the potential to reach even more people now that it’s streamed virtually.”

When asked about her ongoing investigation of empty spaces, artist Drea Aarons says “Life is full of a bunch of junk, and we’re busy pretending otherwise.”

Kristina Boerger talks about her life and career after leaving Champaign-Urbana.

Rachel Rizzuto, one of the MFA candidates whose work will be showcased in March Dance 2021, is “hoping that discomfort can also lead to discovery.”