The daffodils and violets are also showing off just in time for Champaign County’s signature Boneyard Arts Festival this weekend, April 12-14. With over 70 vendors throughout the county, there is truly something for everyone. …
Robert Browning famously opened his poem “Home thoughts, from Abroad” with the line “O to be in England/Now that April’s there.” England’s got nothing on April in Champaign-Urbana. From Boneyard, to Ebertfest, to the proliferation …
There’s nothing like a good love story; composer-lyricist William Finn’s (b. 1952) Falsettos is one of many in the musical theatre canon. But this musical love story eclipses many others with one magic, elusive trait: …
I love Urbana’s Independent Media Center. I love love it. It’s one of my happy places. The return of the Greater Community AIDS Project’s Artists Against AIDS art fair filled the IMC with everything that …
The annual Eric Show is on view at the Illini Union Art Gallery through April 5th. Take some time to head over to the Union to experience some of this year’s best art from Champaign-Urbana’s …
Curation is an art. Selecting works for exhibits, or stories and poems for a collection, or putting together a playlist is an expression of who we are. The star of The Distance Between now showing …
The stars of the Artists-in-Residence exhibit at Eastern Illinois University’s Tarble Arts Center were the artists in residence producing art in real time. Studio space became gallery space. Sadly, I missed that part. What’s left …
Illinois Theatre recently unveiled a production that, quite literally, plays the air: Airness by Chelsea Marcantel. Staged at Fat City Bar and Grill, a venue that, before this event, had been criminally underutilized for live …
Punxsutawney Phil announced our early spring back on Groundhog Day. Savvy little rodent, but we’ll all be cursing him if we get a random snowstorm in April. For now, it’s a great time to come …
In the last decade and a half, comics and comics-adjacent culture have become mainstream. Even if you don’t know what anime is, or the names of indie comics publishers, you’ve probably seen a Marvel Cinematic …
The play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, written by Tom Stoppard, takes the key moments of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tells it from a different perspective, of the smaller characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Though perhaps it’s …
Carnaval! was a party, and it felt like everyone was there. The celebration held annually on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts included music, food, drinks, performers, and casino games. …
When it comes to stories, it’s been said that there are ultimately two kinds of stories to tell: a.) someone sets off on a journey, and b.) a stranger comes to town. This past weekend, …
February, the shortest month of the year, has an incredible amount on offer in our twin cities with regard to the arts. Even with an extra day in this leap year, there’s hardly enough time …
Dance at Illinois’ annual February Dance program returns this weekend with the work of five choreographers: Elliot Reza Emadian, Jaymes Crowder-Acres, Banafsheh Amiri, Sojung Lim, and Anna Peretz Rogovoy. You’ll be able to view the …
Lions in Winter is a literary festival at Eastern Illinois University. Each winter, three authors are invited to campus to share their work and their practices with students and community members alike. We’ve previously covered …
On a frigid January evening last weekend, I stepped in from the cold into the back room of Mrs. Krishnan’s shop. I didn’t know what to expect from this production of Indian Ink Theatre Company’s …
Janice Harrington has lived in Champaign-Urbana since the 1980s, working at both the Urbana Free Library and the Champaign Public Library. Currently she is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois and an …
This was my first year as arts editor, and I was thoroughly impressed by the excellent events and initiatives that highlighted the talent present in the Champaign-Urbana arts community. Although 2022 saw the beginning of …
My list of favorite books changes frequently depending on my mood and season of life. One that nearly always tops the list is a novel by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ called Stay with Me. Whenever I recommend …
Kambui Olujimi’s The Rock that Cuts the Night in Two at the University Galleries of Illinois State University surveys decades of work in one exhibition. Olujimi is a Brooklyn-based, Columbia-educated artist. He is, in many …
On the evening of November 7th, I had the pleasure of heading over to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and seeing a production of Andrew Lippa’s musical The Wild Party, put together by …
What’s more bad-boy than taking the “H” out of the name Jonny? Becoming undead through the power of love, of course. Parkland’s Creature Double Feature is two shows about teenage zombies, with a striking amount …
A few weeks ago, my friend Ragini brought to my attention that Rabindranath Tagore, the globally renown Bengali writer, activist, and cultural figure, had a strong link to Champaign-Urbana. During the academic year 1912–13, Tagore …
The Realness, written by Idris Goodwin in 2016, is a story combining elements of rap and hip-hop with a romance for the emotional resonance and a history lesson for the intellectual one. Goodwin’s play How …
Ah, November. Whether you are eyeing the end of the school or academic semester and the chaos that brings, or preparing for the barrage of holidays, it’s safe to say the last two months of …
On Thursday October 26th, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ production of Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical drama Rent (1996) opened at the Virginia Theatre. Rent famously re-creates the Parisian bohemians of …
The second production of the Station Theater’s 2023–24 season opened on October 26th. The play Without Rule of Law (WROL) is about a group of eighth graders who take a stand against environmental and social …
Editors note: The date and location for the festival has changed since publication. The article has been updated to reflect the updated event information. The 2023 Tagore Festival is going to be held on November …
This season, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is bringing the fan-favorite musical Rent to the stage. The Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical written by Jonathan Larsen initially premiered in 1996. Rent “follows a year …
As a kid, I never read a choose your own adventure book, but I recently discovered it is never too late to try out the genre. I decided to read The Murder at Old Willow …
I first encountered Sara Jahn’s paintings at this year’s Crystal Lake Arts Fair. I was immediately drawn to her dark and moody paintings of skulls with pops of red set against a black backdrop in …
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the great authors series at the Champaign Public Library. For the first time, there was an afternoon music event and an evening talk with book signing. I …
Ahead of October Dance, I spoke with concert director Sara Hook about the planning and preparation for the annual dance showcase put on by the University of Illinois’ Department of Dance. This year’s performance was …
A few weeks ago, the result of a community art project was unveiled at Anita Purves Nature Center. The art piece was created by Cris Hughes of Secret Gardens CU with items foraged and donated …
Introduced in the fall of 2018, Busey Bank Wealth Management held its first annual art exhibition at its Urbana building’s second and third floors. The exhibition was entitled The 1868 Collection because Busey Bank was …
October Dance, formerly November Dance, is the annual dance showcase put on by the University of Illinois’ Department of Dance as their first event of the year. As I wrote in my Five things in …
October always feels to me like the start of holiday season. It’s finally safe to do some themed decorating (unless you are one of those people who puts up Halloween decorations in September), it’s time …
This was my first Unreliable Bestiary performance, and although I had seen photos and video clips from previous iterations, and even had the honor of interviewing co-directors Deke Weaver and Jennifer Allen, I still wasn’t …
Sometimes I like to write a longer introduction to give you, the reader, more background about my subject. My hope is that you’ll feel like you know them as you read. For this article, there …
Shakespeare’s MacBeth lends itself well to creative re-imaginings. Alan Cummings performed the play as a one-man show set in a psychiatric unit. A 2010 film adaptation starring Patrick Stewart set the film in 1960s Romania …
Laurie Rumery moved to Illinois 46 years ago when her husband accepted a teaching position at the University of Illinois, and she has lived in the area ever since. When her daughter was getting ready …
If you’ve seen High in Fiber Rugs at any of the numerous arts events and markets around town (including West Side Arts, Boneyard, and even the Urbana Farmers Market), you already know how creative (and …
As a Millennial, nothing gives me more nostalgia than a great burned CD. It immediately takes me back to sitting in class where there would always be a few people who could make exceptional mixes. …
Artist, actor, and performer Deke Weaver has embarked on an incredible endeavor: create a performance representing a threatened animal or habitat for every letter of the alphabet. The first installment of this life-long project, The …
One of the PYGMALION performances I’m looking forward to is Arushi Jain with the University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Jain is a musician, radio DJ, and modular synthesist. She draws on …
After rain took center stage at Crystal Lake Arts Fair, I was hopeful that West Side Arts wouldn’t suffer the same fate. Luckily, the weather was perfect for the second year of this juried art …
When most people hear PYGMALION, they think “music.” And it’s true — there are tons of excellent music events happening. But, as I wrote in my recent interview with poet Deon Robinson, I want to …
PYGMALION is right around the corner, and as I mentioned in my five things in arts this month, there’s plenty to do at the festival even if you aren’t into the music scene. Ahead of …
