Events Calendar

It’s our 62nd year for bringing original art to central Illinois and we want you to be a part of the celebration!
As one of the oldest art events in the country, the Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair is nationally recognized for its organization, event marketing, and for putting artists’ needs at the top of the priority list. We offer affordable hotel rates, convenient artist parking, “grab ‘n go” breakfasts each morning, boxed lunches,Saturday Artist Award Party, snacks in the Artist Breakroom, cold water and hot coffee, along with 200 enthusiastic volunteers to take care of any artist need.
We were voted #41 in the Top Art Fairs in the Midwest by Sunshine Magazine in 2023!

Gallery Hours: M – F, 9:00 – 2:30; M – Th, 4:30 – 6:30
Artist Reception: Thursday, 5/2 from 5:00 – 8:00

Welcome to the 38th annual Gerald M. Brookhart Arts in Education Series Spring Celebration! This year, each weekday from April 22nd, 2024 to May 15th, 2024, the talents of students from local schools across central Illinois will resonate across the Peoria County Courthouse! Starting at 11:00AM through 1:00PM each weekday, arts in education will come alive and we hope you will join us!

The first day, April 22nd, the program kicks off at the Peoria Riverfront museum, featuring jazz performances from three local schools in recognition of International Jazz Month at 11:00AM.

Then, Tuesday April 23rd through May 15th, the program moves to the grounds of the Peoria County Courthouse. Lunchtime will mean so much more if you come out to support the arts in education! The attached flyer explains it all!

For updated and detailed information, please go to www.springcelebration.org and we will see you downtown in April!

The Foster Gallery is excited to present “Imperfect Pears” by Betina Flemming with special guest artist Ann Klungseth.

This exhibition is a teacher’s reflection on the unique complexities of students who have passed through her class. Each of the ninety-seven distinctly painted pears in the show represents people, relationships, or cherished memories.

Reception: Friday, May 3, 5-8 PM
Live Music

Exhibition Dates: May 1 – May 26

Gallery Hours:
Sundays 8:30 AM-NOON
Monday through Friday – 9 AM – 1 PM
Other showings by appointment.

For additional information, call (309) 673-3641 or email [email protected].

Peoria Historical Society 60th Annual Rennick Art Show
The Old and the New: Envisioning Peoria History in New Ways
Variable Times
For more information, visit peoriahistoricalsociety.org or 309tix.com.

May exhibition in the Main Gallery at the Peoria Art Guild

Exhibition Statement:

Macrocosm, a collaborative exhibition by artists Jan Brandt, Kelly Hieronymus Whiting, and Krystal Kay Lyon, speaks to the wonderment of exploration, travel, observation, and connection to our surroundings.

Brandt’s lushly dense, botanically inspired fiber sculptures are installed on the wall in prolific color groupings reminiscent of seasonal changes. Hand cut, formed, and stitched, using many up-cycled components, these layered compositions offer a dimensional contrast to Whiting’s flatter, geometrically strong, topographically inspired woven “rugs” on the floor. The scale between Brandt’s overgrown sculptures and Whiting landscape paintings stretches the veil between big and small… a sense of vastness and connection to all things. Whiting’s work is tethered to the real world as it is inspired by her time traveling by air and car.

Krystal Kay Lyon provides woven, circular forms that fashion into large, human-like sculptures. These personas inhabit the world Brandt and Whiting have created. Playing with scale, Lyon’s work questions the interplay and importance between people and their surroundings. Viewers may perceive Lyon’s sculptures as stand-ins for themselves, or as an invitation to go deeper into the installation, to join Lyon’s sculptures to decipher the other artist’s visual decision-making.

This installation is meant to challenge the viewer’s perspective, as it would be challenged standing on the edge of a mountain. Perspectival changes in the installation lead the eye to look up, down, and around. Just as technology allows one to zoom in and out on a location, we intend to provide an immersive experience, sometimes literal, sometimes not, changing the gallery space into an adventure in discovery.

Come create art with us!

Join us each week to explore how illustrators bring imagination to life through various artistic processes. Each month features a different theme.

May’s theme is Pencil Art!

This program has been made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Come create art with us!

Join us each week to explore how illustrators bring imagination to life through various artistic processes. Each month features a different theme.

April’s theme is Watercolor!

This program has been made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

First Fridays was created by the Central Illinois Artists Organization (CIAO) to give the community the opportunity to visit artist’s studios after normal business hours.

Studios on Sheridan Resident Gallery features at least one new artist each month with music for a pleasant atmosphere. We invite you to stroll through the building, visit working studios, and galleries.

The Foster Gallery is excited to present “Imperfect Pears” by Betina Flemming with special guest artist Ann Klungseth.

This exhibition is a teacher’s reflection on the unique complexities of students who have passed through her class. Each of the ninety-seven distinctly painted pears in the show represents people, relationships, or cherished memories.

Reception: Friday, May 3, 5-8 PM
Live Music

Exhibition Dates: May 1 – May 26

Gallery Hours:
Sundays 8:30 AM-NOON
Monday through Friday – 9 AM – 1 PM
Other showings by appointment.

For additional information, call (309) 673-3641 or email [email protected].

Join us for the opening reception of “Macrocosm: JAN BRANDT, KELLY HIERONYMUS WHITING, KRYSTAL KAY LYON” in the main gallery, and “Reaching: BRADLEY UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHY CAPSTONE STUDENTS” in the Project Space Gallery.

Refreshments will be available as well as an opportunity to meet and visit with the artists.

Live Music by Black Velvet

Black Velvet is a Peoria Based Duo performing many 80-90’s hits including The Police, Prince, Peter Gabriel and Fleetwood Mac with a special set of music by Grammy winning guitarist, Jeff Beck.

While here, check out the new art exhibits, as well as the Resident Artist Studios where artists create, display and sell their work.

On the 3rd floor, visit the studios of resident artists of Tanya Bayer, William Butler,
Pamela Connell, Elizabeth Davis, Julie K.W. Harkless, Larry Hendricks, Bennett Johnson,
Darlene Jones, Richard Kirchgessner, Joe Kotas, Donald Mason, Kagan Masters,
Ilva McBrayer, Joy Johannes Miller, Erica Pamson and Adrianne Risby.
In the Side View Gallery on the 2nd floor, see the work of Preston Jackson and Natalie Jackson.

May exhibition in the Project Space Gallery at the Peoria Art Guild.

Exhibition statement:
Reaching is the Bradley University Photography Senior Capstone exhibition showcasing work from artists Chrissy Boisvert, Dasha Duffy, Robert Morin, and Kristen Valley. While each artists’ mediums and subjects differ, they all share similar examinations of reaching for connection, understanding, and remembrance. Boisvert’s series features self portraits printed on interactive three-dimensional objects that the viewer can touch, wear, look through, and manipulate, breaking the barrier that usually stands between art and the observer.

Just as the viewer desires to reach out and touch the art, the art desires to reach out and touch the viewer back. Morin’s imagery sheds light onto the ephemeral nature of memories and the subconscious. Imagery coupled with an auditory experience explores discomfort, inner tension, uncertainty, and remembrance, seeking to deepen our understanding of the psyche. The imaginative nature of this series is discovered instead of captured. In the broader context of this exploration, Robert unearths inner trials and fluctuating emotions from both the past and the present. Duffy’s series represents universal experiences such as grief, love, and new adventures through collages of personal objects and recognizable iconography paired with inspirational phrases that can resonate with the viewer’s own experiences. Valley’s series highlights the connection between location and memories, using images collected over the last four years to show how memories breathe life into the spaces in which they were created. Overall, this exhibition investigates the impermanence of time, the lasting impressions of memory, and the barriers that inhibit connection.

Join the Peoria Area Civic Chorale, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Chamber Orchestra, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Youth Chorus, and the Children’s Festival Chorus for a season-ending concert performance of diverse music that will inspire souls and lift spirits, featuring one of the most serene, comforting, inspirational, and beloved works of choral music ever written – Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

Performing since 2004 Central Illinois Dueling Pianos has played to over 125,000 people with their laugh a-long, sing a-along, drink a-long, party a-long time request and comedy driven rock ‘n’ roll piano show! Get a group together and come enjoy this fun night out of laughter and song! This is a 21 show with full bar offerings.

Admission is $25pp. The bar will open and seating will begin 1 hour before the show at 7p with the show running from 8p-11p.

Purification (Sweat) Lodge information, construction, and potential to participate in ceremony, if appropriate guidelines are met.

“Selections and Stories”, An Exhibit of Architectural Drawings.

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation’s creation of an Architectural Archive. To celebrate this milestone, the Archives Committee will be hosting an exhibit of architectural drawings and ephemera from its collection. The exhibit will take place May 4th through June 28th at the Peoria Public Library, 107 NE Monroe, Main Library Gallery during regular library hours. The committee extends an invitation to you to join us for an opening reception on Saturday, May 11th from 2:00 to 4:00pm. Make sure to mark your calendar for this event.
The committee has selected items showcasing Peoria’s rich architectural history. The display ranges from buildings we see every day to ones we have lost to history that now only live through photographs and documents. Take some time and stop by the library during May and June to see some of our treasures.
The archive was established in 1984 with a gift of 66 boxes of building plans from Paul Strehlow of the recently closed V. Jobst & Sons, building contractors. The collection has grown to an estimated 28,000 sheets of drawings representing 2,850 projects. The emphasis of the collection ranges from the work of architects that practiced in Peoria as well as central Illinois buildings done by architects from other cities. The scope of the collection includes residential, commercial, religious, industrial and institutional projects. Works by Frederic J. Klein, L. Eugene Robinson, John Hackler and Company, Lankton, Ziegele, Terry, among others, will be represented in the exhibit.
Items in the collection include original drawings, blueprints, specifications, photos, books, architectural and trade periodicals, office records and watercolor presentation drawings. These items date from the late 19th century to the 1980s.
The archives are located at the Peoria Public Library, main branch. The collection is not open to the public, but by appointment only. Anyone with inquiries or who would like to donate items to the archive may contact Tim Hartneck at [email protected]
The Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to historic preservation. Visit our website at www.cilfpeoria.org to become a member.

Join us for metals open studio every Thursday for 10-2 and every first Saturday and make your own jewelry!

Part 6 of the 10 Part Wilderness Survival Series

This hiking course is designed and taught by the Panther Creek Survival and Life Skills Crew to introduce people to wild edibles found in Central Illinois and throughout the Midwest. This course will cover an array of local wildlife plant species that are edible and some that are medicinal. Learn how these plants can be harvested, prepared, their reported medicinal qualities and how they might have been used in traditional medicine years ago. Discussions will include the many uses for Common Plantain, Mullen, and Henbit and how Mustard-Garlic can spice up your best hamburger. While sipping on freshly made Dandelion tea there will be chats about the many uses of Dandelions. Also, foraging basics will be covered:

-Laws and legal considerations that govern foraging
-The Universal Edibility Test for survival
-Wild edible plants that are common
-Season availability
-Where to find and when to harvest
-What to avoid in wild edibles
-Common lookalikes
-How to ensure positive identification
-Much more

Location: Parkside Pavilion on the West Side of Wildlife Prairie Park
Hike Rating: Easy
Price: $36 for WPP Members; $40 for non-members
Participants Can Bring: Small, flat baskets or paper sacks for collecting materials

Spring Wild Edibles

Panther Creek Survival and Life Skills
(309) 200-2002
Email: [email protected]

Location: Visitor Center Bricks
Event Date: Saturday, 5/4/2024
Event Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Hike through the Park with a member of the Recreation Staff. Learn a little about Park history, while mainly focusing on hiking for fitness and reaching step goals. Hikes will last 1 – 1.5 hours. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Hikes will only be canceled if it is actively storming, or conditions are unsafe to get to the park. The route will be determined the day of the hike.
Registration Required. (https://sales.wildlifeprairiepark.org/Performance.aspx?pid=10262&cal=https://sales.wildlifeprairiepark.org:443/calendar.aspx)

Meet at the Visitors Center.

Guided Hike will be free for WPP members, and free for non-members with paid admittance.

Join the Peoria Area Civic Chorale, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Chamber Orchestra, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Youth Chorus, and the Children’s Festival Chorus for a season-ending concert performance of diverse music that will inspire souls and lift spirits, featuring one of the most serene, comforting, inspirational, and beloved works of choral music ever written – Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

Performing since 2004 Central Illinois Dueling Pianos has played to over 125,000 people with their laugh a-long, sing a-along, drink a-long, party a-long time request and comedy driven rock ‘n’ roll piano show! Get a group together and come enjoy this fun night out of laughter and song! This is a 21 show with full bar offerings.

Admission is $25pp. The bar will open and seating will begin 1 hour before the show at 7p with the show running from 8p-11p.

FUNDAMENTALS OF ENCHANTED HERBALISM
6 Week Class Working with the Energetics, Elementals, and Spirit of Plants
Learn herbs though their energetic correspondence, common magical uses, ancient lore, and direct communication

Nicole will guide you through a personal healing journey and teach you how to create your own sacred botanical remedies. Each class will be hands on and provide take home resources and remedy, charm, & potion making. Classes will teach the uses of herbs from an esoteric perspective, easy herbal rituals, working with the spirit of the plants, and lots of creative fun.

Classes held at Miraspa East Peoria
Across 24 from Eastport Marina
2500 N Main St #2b, East Peoria, IL 61611

First Class of the series begins March 24, 2024.
12pm – 3pm Sundays alternating

#1 March 31- Principles of working with sacred Herbs:
Honoring, evoking, and communing with plants.
– Basic wildcrafting, building a magical apothecary, astrological timing, and ritual skills.
– Yarrow, bay leaves, St. Johnswort
– Creating a talisman, making medicinal tea

Peoria Public Library’s community concerts, free and open to all, are held monthly and feature local, regional and even international musicians performing a variety of music – from vintage American blues and roots to an eclectic mix of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret and everything in between.

This month, come enjoy Still Shine, a progressive bluegrass band based here in Central Illinois.

Join the Peoria Area Civic Chorale, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Chamber Orchestra, the Peoria Area Civic Chorale Youth Chorus, and the Children’s Festival Chorus for a season-ending concert performance of diverse music that will inspire
souls and lift spirits, featuring one of the most serene, comforting, inspirational, and beloved works of choral music ever written – Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. Other selections include “God Bless the USA,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and more. Tickets available at www.peoriacivicchorale.org, by calling 309-693-6725 or at the door.

Gallery Hours: M – F 9:00 – 4:00

Throughout the series, we will demystify the operating and reporting requirements for nonprofit organizations; discuss local, state, and federal laws governing nonprofits; and dive into important topics for nonprofit leaders including fundraising laws, governance, and unrelated business income tax. Each event will include an educational presentation, group discussion, Q&A, and networking time in-person. Participants may also attend the presentation via Zoom.

May 7: Nonprofit Reporting Requirements
Make sure your nonprofit never misses a report by learning about filing requirements for the Illinois Attorney General’s office, Secretary of State, and IRS. And, learn the consequences and what to do if your nonprofit has fallen out of compliance.

Have FUN and learn with us! What are they? How are they different? How can we use them?
Must register in advance… https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/AJYPT4P5AKS

Paint n Draw open studios is led by George Weers the current set up is a Plein Air experience while the weather is nice meaning each week the location of the open studio changes to find out more information about this please contact George Weers via email at [email protected]

During this program for children 1 to 4 years of age and their grown-ups, children develop language, small motor skills, and social skills while engaging in hands-on exploration. Each class includes songs and musical instruments, a read-aloud story, time for play, and a visual art activity. Look for a different theme each week!

Cost (children only; no additional cost for adults accompanying children): $5 for members, $7 for non-members. Fee does not include the cost for museum admission.

Program Plus PlayHouse Admission for the Day (non-members only): $17 per child and $10 per adult.

This program has been made possible by a grant from OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

Metals Open Studio
Every Thursday 10-2 & First Saturday of the month 10-2.
Free for PAG members. $5 for non-members.

During this program for children 1 to 4 years of age and their grown-ups, children develop language, small motor skills, and social skills while engaging in hands-on exploration. Each class includes songs and musical instruments, a read-aloud story, time for play, and a visual art activity. Look for a different theme each week!

Cost (children only; no additional cost for adults accompanying children): $5 for members, $7 for non-members. Fee does not include the cost for museum admission.

Program Plus PlayHouse Admission for the Day (non-members only): $17 per child and $10 per adult.

This program has been made possible by a grant from OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

9:30 a.m. Refreshments
10:00-11:00 a.m. Lecture by Jane Oneail, Founder and President, Culturally Curious, Manchester, New Hampshire

Sponsored by Maggie and Paul Nelson.

The 19th century portrait painter John Singer Sargent found success creating flattering likenesses with virtuoso brushwork. His ability to render luxurious fabrics made him a favorite among the upper class and aristocracy. Yet his career was punctuated by criticism and controversy, including the scathing reception of major works like Madame X. Sargent himself admitted, “Every time I paint a portrait, I lose a friend.”

This program will explore Sargent’s career from his daring and experimental works as an ambitious young artist, through his celebrated Grand manner portraits of the European and American elite, to his major commissions in Boston and later watercolors.

Jane Oneail is founder of Culturally Curious, an arts education company specializing in art appreciation programs. She also teaches at the college level.

IMAGE (in the public domain per WikiArt): “Madame X” or “Portrait of Madame X”, John Singer Sargent, 1884, Oil on canvas, Size framed: 95.75 x 56.625 inches. Collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthur Hoppock Fund, 1916.
~

Josh Thompson will provide a training session on how to use the Peoria County’s interactive application known as the front desk. The audience will be trained on how to find property tax, property sales, and owner information and the main tools in the application. They will also learn how to use the online document search to find historical plat, deed, and other recorded documents.

Josh has served as the GIS Manager with Peoria County for over 11 years. He has worked in local government for the past 15 years. Josh is currently pursuing a Professional Science Master in Geographic Information Sciences from Eastern Illinois University. He graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography and minor in Environmental Studies.

Zoom registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMufuGpqzwuGtHI7b7wIeSSaGmaeXePkW-m

Come create art with us!

Join us each week to explore how illustrators bring imagination to life through various artistic processes. Each month features a different theme.

May’s theme is Pencil Art!

This program has been made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

RATING: PG-18 (mature audiences)
Presented by Funny Money Inc., COMEDY @ The Waterhouse welcomes comedic musician TIM CAVANAGH. Opener will be announced soon!
Tim Cavanagh has brought his comedic songs and inventive stand-up to concert halls, corporations, college campuses and nightclubs across America. And cruise ships around America. Over the years, he has also made several trips to Canada, where he has to convert all his jokes to Celsius and his one degree in philosophy becomes a bone-chilling minus 31.
Early on, it was Tim’s funny music that got a lot of attention. His song, “I Wanna Kiss Her (But She Won’t Let Me),” was the first of Tim’s pieces to receive national radio exposure, on the legendary “Dr. Demento” show. Other songs followed, including “99 Dead Baboons,” “Get Drunk with Dignity,” and “Really Safe Sex.” His funny tunes have been heard on radio stations everywhere, as well as on Sirius XM and even the BBC.
In 1997, Tim released his first CD, “Sounds Like Fun!” By then he had become a regular guest on “The Bob & Tom Show,” a nationally syndicated radio show now heard in 130 markets. For two years, Tim did a weekly segment on the show called “The One Minute Song,” which spawned two more CDs. Fast Forward to 2016. That’s when Tim’s fourth comedy album, “Love, Fish and Sausages,” was released. This latest CD contains 20 original comedy songs, backed by some great musicians. The 21st song on the album, “Vehicle Man,” is a parody of the 1970 hit “Vehicle.” The parody is not only done with permission, Tim actually sings this funny adaptation with Jim Peterik, the man who wrote the original and sang the lead on the “Ides of March” hit.
As for television, Tim has not only appeared on Comedy Central, he was chosen by the network to do several live performances for their clients and customers. His national appearances on ABC-TV, Showtime, and WGN America have put a face to the voice that so many knew only from the radio.
The book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jokes, features a half-page of Tim’s advice on “How Not to Introduce a Joke,” as well as other select Cavanagh jokes. His book, Chicken Soup for the Vegetarian Soul, just went through its sixth printing. Tim firmly believes in printing them “one at a time.”
Admission is $25pp and seating is reserved. The bar will open and seating will begin 1 hour before the show at 7p with the show starting at 8p. The show will last approximately 90 minutes.

GUIDED HIKE WITH WPP RECREATION STAFF

Event Date: Saturday, 5/11/2024
Event Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour

The guided hike will be presented by a member of the Recreation Staff. The hike will include park history but will mostly focus on hiking for fitness and reaching step goals. Dress appropriately for the weather. Hikes will only be canceled if it is actively storming, or conditions are unsafe to get to the park. The route will be determined the day of the hike. Registration Required.

Meet at the Train Depot.

Guided Hike will be free for WPP members, and free for non- members with paid admittance.

11:30 AM Meet & Greet. Bring a sack lunch if you wish.
12:00 PM Roll call with reading or original or favorite poems by members and guests.
1:00 PM Program: “America through the eyes of a poet: Carl Sandburg” presented by John Brady, retired attorney and life-long student of all things Sandburg.
Guests are always welcome and are invited to bring a poem to read or to just listen and share in our fellowship.

The Wheels O’ Time Museum blacksmithing shop is located in the Farm Building and operates
every second and fourth Saturday of the month from May to October.
From May through October, our resident blacksmith, sometimes with a few assistants, is on site every second and fourth Saturday of the month between noon and 4 pm. Children love to stop there, watch him fire, pound, twist and bend metal to create all kinds of intricate tools and gadgets. They often go home with a small iron token, a masterpiece forged just for them! Fun for all ages! Come, ask questions, learn about blacksmithing. This is always a free event with your membership or admission ticket.

Come hear the exciting changes occurring during the Community meeting at 2 pm, then stay to enjoy some live music via an Open Mic 4-7 pm, along with strolling the grounds and enjoying nature. Free to Attend!

Join us this Mother’s Day for a delicious brunch catered by Hy-Vee! Since registration is required, book your reservations before it’s too late. Brunch tickets include Park Admission, tax, and gratuity. Moms can ride our famous Zephyr Prairie Train for FREE all day on May 12.

*Menu*

Eggs

Bacon

Sausage Links

Assorted Pastries

Mixed Fruit

Egg Casserole

Hash Brown Casserole

Biscuits & Gravy

The ICC Philharmonic Chorale will present its spring concert, A Festival of Song, on Sunday, May 12, at 2:30 pm in the ICC Performing Arts Center. A variety of choral numbers and multiple, 4-hand piano, accompanied songs will be performed. Tickets ($10) can be purchased at the door, from a Chorale member or online using the QR code on the attached graphic. Seating is unreserved.

Paint n Draw open studios is led by George Weers the current set up is a Plein Air experience while the weather is nice meaning each week the location of the open studio changes to find out more information about this please contact George Weers via email at [email protected]