Welcome to the Springfield Area Arts Council

The Springfield Area Arts Council…Enriching the community by promoting and supporting all art forms and providing creative opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts. Welcome to the website of the Springfield Area Arts Council. Since 1976 the Arts Council has been dedicated to developing and sustaining arts and culture initiatives in Springfield and surrounding communities. More than 60% of all income generated by the Arts Council returns to the community in quality events for your family, performance and exhibition opportunities for artists, services and resources for area arts organizations, performing artists in our schools, and arts programming funding for social service agencies.

This website was developed with funding from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency 

Check out First Night Springfield on its own page and other activities on the Calendar and Events page.

Adult Prom 2013 "An Evening in Paris"

Grab the formals and tuxedos - from any era - and join the fun as the Springfield Area Arts Council presents a new event: Adult Prom 2013. With a theme of "An Evening in Paris," the event will be held Saturday, May 11, from 7 to 11 p.m. in the Hoogland Center for the Arts, Theatre 3.

Adult Prom 2013 is for ages 21+ with a cash bar available. Semi-formal to formal attire is suggested. Prom photos will be taken and prom music from multiple decades is by The Sounds DJ Service.

A Prom King and Queen will be crowned, with selection based on the Prom Court couple who raised the most funds for the Arts Council. ALICE 97.7 is the media sponsor with Molson and Josie as a Prom Court couple. SAAC Executive Director Penny Wollan-Kriel with her prom date of 50 years ago, Byron Nesbitt, is another of the couples. The three other couples include: Ann Frescura and Tim Farley, Michelle Dearing and Joe Jackson, Ronda and Tom Brinkman.

For information on purchasing tickest or making a Prom Court couple donation, please check out the Calendar & Events

MAYOR'S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCED 

Recipients of the19th Mayor's Awards for the Arts were announced at a ceremony held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts on Thursday evening, October 11, 2012.  Sponsored by the Springfield Area Arts Council and Mayor J. Michael Houston, the Mayor’s Awards for the Arts recognize outstanding commitment and dedication to the arts in Sangamon and Menard counties.    The award for each recipient was a limited edition ceramic piece, “Bluelip Vase,” by local artist Bob Dixon.

The Award recipients for 2012 were:

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:  Hazen and Roland Folse 

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST:  John Knoepfle   

ARTS VOLUNTEER:   George King

ARTS ORGANIZATION:  Illinois Central Blues Club

BUSINESS or CORPORATION committed to the arts:  UMedia – David Cain, owner

For further information on the award recipients, CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD the Mayor’s Awards for the Arts Recipient Program.

Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest 

2013 Regional Poetry Out Loud Winners: Anna Kefalas (Runner-up), Stephen Young of The Poetry Foundation, Charday Crawford (Winner)

Poetry Out Loud is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Regional and State competitions, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, are hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council. For more information, click on Poetry Out Loud in the top banner.

Arts Grants Awarded to Organizations and Artists

The Community Arts Access Program is conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Grants from this program are awarded to area not-for-profit organizations which bring arts programming to the citizens of Sangamon and Menard counties.   For 2012-2013, Community Arts Access Grants, totaling $7945, were awarded to: Benedictine University; Downtown Springfield, Inc.; Illiopolis Elementary School; Illinois Central Blues Club; Illinois State Museum Society; Illinois Symphony Orchestra; Menard County Singers; Pleasant Plains Historical Society; Scholastic Art Awards; Senior Services of Central Illinois; Springfield African-American History Foundation; Springfield Urban League; Theatre in the Park; YMCA of Springfield.  This program is funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, and additional funds from the Springfield Area Arts Council.

City Arts Grants are given to social service agencies that provide arts programming for underserved populations (i.e. people with disabilities, senior citizens, ethnic minorities, etc.). The City Arts Grant program also provides subsidies to area arts organizations for rehearsal, performance or exhibit space.  Funding for these grants is provided by the City of Springfield. City Arts Grants, totaling $6475, were awarded to: Senior Services of Central Illinois; Prairie Art Alliance; Prairie Grapevine Folklore Society; Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony; Sound Celebration Chorus; Springfield Guitar Society; Springfield International Folk Dancers.

The Rosie Richmond Artist Advancement Award provides financial assistance to committed artists for specific projects which will enable them to advance their work and careers. In 2012, musical and literary artists were eligible. Alisa Harris, vocalist, received this award.

For information on grant applications for 2013-2014, contact the Springfield Area Arts Council at 217-753-3519 or office@springfieldartsco.org