Poets, Painters, & Performers - A Magical Evening

The evening of Wednesday, August 29th, was one of magical feeling.  Poets read, singers sang, and artists explained.  If one came early enough to get a seat in the front row, they would be shocked to turn around and see the gallery packed to the brim.  Patrons were at standing room only, rows deep, some congregated around the wine, some backed up against the storefront windows.  We laughed, we cried, we clapped for one another, congratulated one another, and were filled with love.  Each artist, through their own particular art forms, were not only given the chance to display their personal talents and strengths, but in the spirit of the Year of Compassion (www.prairiecompassion.org) communicated with one another through the arts.  A painting was created from poetry, a poem created from an original musical composition, and so on and so on.  The inspired caused inspiration and the cycle seemed to build on itself throughout the evening, leaving everyone who walked out the door a the end of the event in cyclical state of inspiration and hope.  The next morning, the gallery space was still ripe with energy from the evening before, left in an afterglow of discarded wine glasses and haphazardly placed chairs.

President of Springfield Poets & Writers Anita Stienstra reads her piece "Into the Cathedral" inspired by Mary Ellen Strack's oil painting "Into the Allerton."  A connection of understanding was built between the two, surely from similarly expressed experiences.  Wet eyes and hugs silenced the room.

Musician Josie Lowder impresses the crowd with her original composition "Here to Love."  Her rich voice filled the space and enveloped us all in her talents.  Joanna Beth Tweedy created the poem "Here to Love" based on Josie's composition.

Hugh Moore shared his original musical composition "White Squirrels" which inspired the three part poem "White Squirrel Variations in Music, Myth, and Haiku" by Lola Lucas.  With the performances came a lot of "Hugh-Moore (humor)"!

UIS Creative Writing Professor Meagan Cass shared her short fiction piece "Horse Head with Comb" inspired by Teri Zucksworth's plaster sculpture "Domino".  The story had the audience bursting into belly laughter, and then, by the end of the story, humbled by the harshness of life this horse head would have prefered to witness.  The artist spent four months making the mold for this very realistic sculpture.

Shawna Mayer shared her poem "What We Cannot Ask" which inspired the identically titled mixed media piece by artist Lynn Hotes.  Lynn researched the poems references thoroughly to create a work rich with meaning.  By the end of the evening, the artist had gifted her piece to the talented writer.

Thank you to the members of the Springfield Poets & Writers, members of the Prairie Art Alliance, and all contributing musicians for creating such a special evening inside the walls of Prairie Art Alliance Gallery II.  To view past poems and paintings, please visit the Poets & Painters blog, administered by the Springfield Poets & Writers: http://springfieldpoetsandpainters.blogspot.com/.  To view more photos of the evening please visit the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery II Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Prairie-Art-Alliance-Gallery-II/174125409323457



Artist Studio & Garden Tour 2012 Photos

The 2012 Artist Studio & Garden Tour, held on June 9, 2012, was a success... and a lot of fun too!  Patrons of the event enjoyed five gorgeous locations, plein air painters, demonstrations, interesting studios, and beautiful gardens.  They perused fine artisan work, floral interpretations by the Springfield Garden Club, raffles, silent auctions, and bonsai by the Springfield Bonsai Society in the H.D. Smith Gallery, and discovered hidden treasures of the Springfield artisan community all along the way.  Thank you to volunteers, staff, patrons, and supporters for all your help in making this event happen!



A special thank you to Bob Fox for taking photos of the event.

In The News

Emerging artists can find a place to exhibit and grow in the Prairie Art Alliance  Also there are only 2 days left to purchase your Artist Studio & Garden Tour tickets!  Read about it all, and the busy art weekend, in this Arts & Entertainment feature.

In The News

The Artist Studio & Garden Tour is featured in the Illinois Times Calendar!

Buy Local ...Art!

For the month of June, during the opening of the Farmer's Market, a busy downtown summer, and of course... being a local art gallery... we are encouraging visitors to take the time to think "local first"  with our special exhibit "Buy Local" at Gallery II.

Front wall display:

Ceramic "Snowcap Vase" by Bob Dixon, Gourd Art "Together" by Liz Drake:

Wall quotes to inspire you:

Here's a few of the pieces.  Warning: Your mouth may water!

Green Onions by Bernie White Hatcher

Tomatoes and Asparagus by Bernie White Hatcher (Sorry, Already Sold!)

Radishes by Debbie Megginson

Carnival by Tracery Maras

You Tell 'Im Girls! by Tracey Maras

So come on out for First Friday Downtown June 1st and celebrate, learn, and appreciate the local arts and the potential of our local economy.  Thank you to our sponsors: Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Downtown Springfield, Inc., and Illinois Times

The Art of Being a Woman

Friday, April 27th, I barely peaked out from behind the sales desk... which is a good thing.  Before the festivities really got going, I was able to take this one photo:

I was not amongst it, but I knew the amount of estrogen in the room was probably suffocating.  Though every time I looked over, it seemed as if our male volunteers did not mind!  Women were invited to the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery II on Friday, April 27th from 6-8pm to celebrate the art of being woman, to be surrounded by fine art, artisan jewelry, chocolate, champagne, and many other activites and items often times associated with, but never limited to, our gender.  But the evening wasn't just about over indulgences or sales, we also wanted to inspire a feeling of sisterhood.... so we invited a local charitable organization that deals with womens' issues and works towards creating a better quality of life for women in our community. 

We had a very successful silent auction that benefited Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc. with items donated from many businesses, organizations, and artists in Springfield, IL:  Maldaner's Retaurant, Hoogland Center for the Arts, Davis Cleaners, Iris & Ivy, The Wardrobe, Flowers by Mary Lou, artist Felicia Olin, artist Joan Burmeister, artist Pam Allen, KM Hairworks, Recycled Records, BJ Grand Salon & Spa, J Parsons, Uptown Looks, J Design, Denny Jewelers, Pease's, Cold Stone Creamery, artist Leslie Smith, and artist Mike Manning.  Sojourn was founded in 1975 and operates with a mission to build a community free of violence through service, leadership and education.  Sojourn provides emergency shelter, a 24-hour hotline, individual and group counseling, court advocacy, pro bono legal assistance, community education, volunteer opportunities and operates Sojourn Westside Fashions. Sojourn is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization and a certified United Way member agency.

We were also a designated drop off this evening for any items the Sojourn typically needs such a non perishable food items, bedding, toiletries, and gently used clothing.  We have collected a lot, and are still collecting!

We also prepared a "Ladies' Night In" basket for one lucky winner, as well as offered mystery "grab bags" full of fine art and beauty products.

Feast your eyes on some other little details from the evening:

Interrupting your usual programming! (Photo courtesy of Ginny Lee)

Chandelier made entirely of plastic bottles.

"willow heart" curtain

Pink lights and artisan jewelry helped set the mood for the wonderful evening.  So many women who usually do not make it into the arts community were re-exposed to the visual arts.  We were so happy to raise awareness for Sojourn Shelter & Services, Inc. and for the visual arts community.  We cannot wait for another ladies' night next year!  Thank you to everyone who made the event a success.  Women's issues and the arts are both so very close to my heart.  If only I had a picture of the chocolate table for you to drool over...

-Jennifer Snopko, Gallery II Manager

Images of Illinois 2012

The Prairie Art Alliance had their first photography competition this year thanks in large part to the Illinois Times, who sponsored the event.  Images of Illinois Amateur Photography Competition recieved nearly 400 images from 117 photographers!  The winning photographs were printed in the Illinois Times (click here to view winning photos) and exhibited in Gallery II from March 31st through May 10th.  The opening reception was March 31st, and we digitally displayed all photos submitted - which was a huge hit!  People were staring at the projection all night long, making their own decisions about which photos they thought were best! 

We cannot wait to have another photography competition next year and are looking forward to adding a new category for professionals.  We will let you know the date and details of the 2013 contest later this year!  If you missed the opening, you missed out:

Best in Show, RT McDonald

Second Place People, Ann Frescura

Honorable Mention Places, Richard DuPont

Honorable Mention People, Jonathan Benning

Children's Category First Place, Ty Dyson

Big Crowd!

The projection!

It was so great to be able to display all the talent that came out of the woodwork through this contest.

Great live music thanks to Pete Sander.

 The hanging:

Love the wall decals.


Despite the Rain, People Came!

Photos courtesty of Ginny Lee and Michael Berk