HOMESheila Walk2020-12-03T20:49:54-05:00

Resources for Creatives Affected by the COVID-19 Crisis

WELCOME

SAAC is dedicated to developing and sustaining arts and culture initiatives in Springfield and surrounding communities, something we’ve been doing since 1976. Our mission is to enrich the community by promoting all art forms and providing creative opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts.

UPCOMING EVENTS

THE BIG READ – LAB GIRL
April 18 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

MAKE AN
IMPACT

Our work is supported by the contributions of community members like you.

We’ve launched a new membership structure in 2019. Click the button to the right for a list of benefits and more ways to give!

springfieldartsco

The Arts Council is contributing a program to this

The Arts Council is contributing a program to this great community initiative – Sangamon River Project.

A biologist, and chemist, and language artist will help you look at our local river from varied perspectives.

Riverside Park, Springfield
Sunday, April 18, 2021 (Rain date: Sunday, April 25th)
1:00-3:00 P.M.
Free
Public

Just call or e-mail to reserve your spot: 217-753-3519; programs@springfieldartsco.org

Please join Arts Council staff and board members f

Please join Arts Council staff and board members for our annual meeting on Tuesday, April 13th, at 6:00pm to mark our 45th anniversary.
Our musical guest is local singer/songwriter Micah Walk.
The meeting is online this year and will take place via Zoom.
Visit our webpage springfieldartsco.org (link in bio) for links and login information.
We hope to see you there!

Help us mark our 45th Anniversary by joining us fo

Help us mark our 45th Anniversary by joining us for our 2021 Annual Meeting!
The meeting will take place virtually over Zoom on April 13th at 6:00PM.
Local singer/songwriter Micah Walk will perform.
We look forward to seeing you there!

The Walgreens Expressions Challenge (@expressionsc

The Walgreens Expressions Challenge (@expressionschal) is a contest that connects, inspires and empowers youth to share their perspectives on life through the arts. Entries are still open until 3/31!

Here are the details:

- The challenge is open to high school students (13-18).

- There are three entry categories (spoken word, visual arts, and media arts).

- Students can enter each category if they choose (but one entry per category).

- Students can submit previously created work or create something new.

- Students can work alone or in groups.

- Students can choose any topic.

- Twelve students/groups will be awarded $2,000!

- Video, audio (max 3 minutes) and image files accepted only (no text files)

- Entries are due March 31.

Visit expressionschallenge.com for more information and to enter

Catherine Herrera (Taft High School, Chicago) is t

Catherine Herrera (Taft High School, Chicago) is the 2021 Illinois State champion in the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.

The competition was held virtually earlier month.

Herrera now will advance to the virtual national competition in May.

Riley Tomes from Wheaton-Warrenville High School was declared the runner-up.

Poetry Out Loud in Illinois is a collaborative project of the Illinois Arts Council Agency and seven arts agencies, each of which hosts a regional contest. The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through analysis, memorization, performance, and competition. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in conjunction with state arts agencies, support this nation-wide program with participants from all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

More information is available at www.poetryoutloud.org or from our website

This Wednesday, spend an evening “Feeding the Sp

This Wednesday, spend an evening “Feeding the Spirit of A Nation” with US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. A Facebook Live event hosted by the Woody Guthrie Center, the Bob Dylan Center, and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Harjo will discuss her new album “I Pray For My Enemies” with an exclusive sneak peek. Joy, a third-year Tulsa Artist Fellow, is distinguished as the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States along with being the author of several books of poetry, plays and children’s books.
“The concept for ‘I Pray for My Enemies’ began” says Harjo, “with an urgent need to deal with discord, opposition. It could have been on a tribal, national or a personal level. I no longer remember. The urgency had a heartbeat and in any gathering of two or more, perhaps the whole planet, our hearts lean to entrainment – that is, to beat together.”

3/3 @ 7PM

https://fb.me/e/g9UrZr1nP

The 2021 Central Illinois Regional Poetry Out Loud

The 2021 Central Illinois Regional Poetry Out Loud winners are Thaddeus Bergschneider and Madden Delaney of Franklin High School. They were the top two finishers in the competition that took place earlier this month.

They will advance to the Illinois State Finals in March. Due to the pandemic, all competitions are held virtually.

The Illinois State Contest will feature recitations by two students from each of eight Poetry Out Loud regions in the state. The Illinois State champion will advance to the national contest.

260 students and 10 teachers in 5 schools began the 2021 Poetry Out Loud season in central Illinois last fall.

For more information, please visit our website or poetryoutloud.org

Don't miss your chance! Place your bid for a backy

Don't miss your chance! Place your bid for a backyard barbecue package from Nelson's Catering.

The package includes:

Appetizers: Grilled Chicken Wings, Bourbon-glazed Meatballs, Stuffed Mushrooms

Entreés: Grilled 1/4 Chicken, Pulled Pork Barbecue, Smoked Beef Brisket

Sides: Cheddar Cheese Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls and Butter

Desserts: Fresh Fruit Salad, Salted Caramel Brownies

Visit facebook.com/SpringfieldArtsCo/ to place your bid.

The winning bid will be announced Sunday, February 14, at 6:00pm

To warm your heART on these cold days, consider su

To warm your heART on these cold days, consider supporting one or both of these Arts Council fund-raisers this week.

1. Backyard Barbecue for twenty-five people from Nelson's Catering - See details about the auction on our Facebook page. $750 value!

2. Valentine's Drive-through Dinner - Find details on our website: Only $25! Orders must be in by 2/11 @ NOON. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Order yours now! Link in bio

If the Super Bowl has you thinking about tailgate

If the Super Bowl has you thinking about tailgate parties, then you might be ready to think about summer backyard parties. The Arts Council has just what you need - a chance at a barbecue package for twenty-five people from NELSON'S CATERING.

We're going to run an auction through Facebook, and we're starting (You guessed it.) during the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 7, at 6:00pm. The winning bid will be announced one week later (Sunday, February 14, at 6:00pm).

Here's what you'll be bidding on:

Appetizers: Grilled Chicken Wings, Bourbon-glazed Meatballs, Stuffed Mushrooms

Entreés: Grilled 1/4 Chicken, Pulled Pork Barbecue, Smoked Beef Brisket

Sides: Cheddar Cheese Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls and Butter

Desserts: Fresh Fruit Salad, Salted Caramel Brownies

Visit facebook.com/SpringfieldArtsCo to place your bid

Load More... Follow on Instagram