Arts Alerts: 'Still Black Sketches,' Fashion Week, ArtHAUS part of fun April

Richard Kirchgessner is a resident artist occupying a studio on the 3rd floor of the Contemporary Art Center. Come see what he’s been creating on First Friday on April 5.

ART EXHIBITS

John Heintzman’s “Still Black Sketches,” a collage exhibition, is at Bradley University’s Heuser Art Center through April 12.
The Contemporary Art Center Member Artists Biennial Exhibition remains at CAC through April 13.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Peoria Fashion Week takes place April 2-6
at Exposition Gardens. Events include a VIP Meet and Greet, themed runways, a concert, and more.
Check out local artist studios for First Friday on April 5 — the perfect opportunity to meet artists, see their work, and make a purchase.
Rocky LaPorte at MAXAM this April 12
Rocky LaPorte, right, brings “everyday man” comedy style to The Waterhouse in the MAXAM Building on April 12. Edgar Sandoval, host of WEEK-TV’s “You Gotta Eat,” opens.
Peoria Zoo, Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, Peoria Riverfront Museum, and Wildlife Prairie Park members enjoy free admission to all four attractions during Membership Swap Weekend on April 12-14.
The ArtHAUS Home/Studio Tour returns April 20-21, with opportunities to meet seven world-renowned artists and a journey inside five homes on Moss Avenue.
The Sun Foundation’s 31st Clean Water Celebration takes place on April 22 at the Peoria Civic Center with keynotes, exhibits and more.

LITERATURE

Whisper & Shout: Open Mic Night for Poetry takes place at the Contemporary Art Center on April 4 and April 18.

MUSIC

On April 3, the High Hawks bring their eclectic musical stylings, from country to psychedelic rock to Kenny’s Westside Pub.
Audiences can sit among the musicians and experience Beethoven’s Fifth Surround Sound Immersed on April 6, presented by Heartland Festival Orchestra at Venue Chisca.
Jazz vocalist Stephanie Aaron performs songs by Duke Ellington, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and more at Live at the Five Spot on April 12 at the Contemporary Art Center.
Emily Antonacci of emily the band performs in the Singer Songwriter Series at Tres Rojas Winery in Washington on April 19.
Peoria Symphony Orchestra presents “Voyage” at the Peoria Civic Center Theater on April 20, featuring pieces by Mozart, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.

THEATER

The Chillicothe Players Theatre presents “Suicide, Incorporated” at Shore Acres Clubhouse on April 11-14.
At 50 years and counting, “Jesus Christ Superstar” will be at the Peoria Civic Center Theater April 16 -17.
The live musical “Rocky Horror Show” will be presented at the ICC Performing Arts Center on April 18.

DANCE

Salsa at the CAC takes place at the Con-temporary Art Center on April 19.

CLASSES AND LECTURES

Lawyers for the Creative Arts presents the Nonprofit Compliance Series: “IRS Compliance for Nonprofits” on April 2 and the “Bill and Gale Rattner Nonprofit Start Up” workshop on April 11.
Ruth Inman Art will host the “Mixed Media in the City” workshop on April 8.
The Fine Arts Society of Peoria presents “It Started with a Paperweight: Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass” on April 11.

— Compiled by Arts Partners. For more information and details, check out artspartners.net.

SCREENS

April 3 — “A Brief History of the Future” (PBS) is ambitious speculation about how our tomorrows could be affected by today’s decisions, based on science and history. Hosted by Ari Wallach, the six-part series features U.S Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, French President Emmanuel Macron and dozens of other voices.
April 4 — “Ripley” (Netflix) is an eight-episode thriller based on the 1955 novel and 1999 film, here starring Andrew Scot and Dakota Fanning in a yarn about fraud and, ultimately, murder.
April 7 — Country Music Television’s Music Awards (CBS), country music’s only awards exclusively voted on by fans, will be televised from Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
April 4 — The NCAA men’s basketball championship game (TBS) will air from Glendale, Ariz.
April 12 — “Civil War” (in cineplexes), from writer/director Alex Garland, imagines near-future chaos as witnessed by military-embedded journalists traveling across a war-torn America due to a despotic U.S. President and polarized politics.
April 12 — “Franklin” (Apple TV) is an eight-episode historical drama starring Michael Douglas as the dynamic Founder during his time as the Continental Congress’ ambassador to France, whose aid the American Revolution needed to fight the British Empire. It’s based on Stacy Schiff’s 2005 book.
April 14 — “The Sympathizer” (HBO) is a dark comedy based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a North Vietnamese infiltrator who’s forced to come to America as the Vietnam War winds down — continuing to spy. The seven-episode series stars Hoa Xuande and features Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr.
April 19 — “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” (in cineplexes) is an action comedy based on a real-life British Special Operations group secretly established by Winston Churchill to fight Nazis. Henry Cavill and Eiza Gonzalez star, with Cary Elwes and (as Ian Fleming) Freddie Fox.
April 20 — The first round of the NBA playoffs start (ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV).