Chicago artist Claire Ashley’s work – forms floating between image and text, concept and corporeality, is also about reconfiguring space. She is recognized by challenging the didacticism and vanity of mainstream sculpture, along with attendant traditions of welding and stone…
MUSIC July 1: Peoria Municipal Band. 7 p.m. Glen Oak Park. 691-3318. July 2: “God Bless America: A Patriotic GospelFest” concert by GospelFest Ministries. 7 p.m. Five Points Washington. 444-8222. July 3 and each Tuesday: John Miller and Preston Jackson.…
“Yes, Peoria!” We love living in this big city that acts like a small town. One example of this is the access to local government. Peoria is small enough that average residents have fairly easy access to elected leaders and…
The day and event is fast approaching when West Peoria showcases itself to thousands of people on the Fourth of July. This patriotic event is the longest running parade and ceremony in central Illinois, and this is our 48th annual…
Two federal worker unions sue Trump over anti-worker executive order. Two of the nation’s largest unions for federal workers, the Government Employees (AFGE) and Treasury Employees (NTEU), have sued the Trump administration, demanding the courts throw out one of his…
(Excerpted from the commencement address Ray LaHood delivered to the graduating class at Illinois Central College May 19.) It is a great privilege to deliver a few remarks this morning. By the way, you might be interested to know that…
Frank and Suzanne are fiscally cautious and savvy, yet they somehow managed to fall victim to a young man with a track record of scamming seniors in central Illinois over home repair work. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s web site…
Time can offer perspective – if you have the time. When Gary Dreibelbis was Bradley University’s forensics director, he was on the road for 20 weekends a year – busy Friday afternoons and evenings, all day Saturdays, and getting back…
Seth Higgins measures, mixes, folds, observes and tastes the differences between dead flour and living flour. “This flour is alive,” he said as he removed two bags made with Glenn hard red spring wheat from his walk-in refrigerator. “I’ve fallen…
Whenever a new executive comes on the scene, whether in business or government, there’s always a period of time when everyone is supportive. Some refer to that period as a “honeymoon.” Criticism is muffled in order to create a positive…
Cynics or snobs listening to “The Return of the Slinkenwolf” may hear a banshee wielding a buzzsaw, but such types might also prefer humpback whales’ mating calls or think Up With People really was. However, the raw, industrial-strength style displayed…
Amnesty International gave Colin Kaepernick its 2018 Ambassador of Conscience Award for his nonviolent protest against police violence against black people. The N.F.L. quarterback did not stand for the National Anthem but knelt to protest racial inequality and police brutality.…
In his May 2018 article titled “Inland Art | Collecting Contemporary Art,” Paul Krainak so thoughtfully reminds us that by taking the time to embrace and inform ourselves with art we reap the benefits of a significant carry over when…
BY Eliida Lakota It is amazing to me the extent government officials will go to deny innocent people their constitutional rights –– people who are protecting their land and water. I attended the protest at Standing Rock and saw law…
By Marianne Huebner A few years further back than I like to admit, I went to a mile-marker class reunion. It was there where my career as an art therapist took center stage like a bearded lady at a carnival.…
While my column is generally about art in the Midwest, this month’s notes on Barry Blinderman’s retirement from Illinois State University speak to a germane link between coastal and inland art. In the 1980s, Barry was the director and co-owner…
Upon walking into a class at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP), you will usually find me and my classmates debating the next step in managing a patient’s case. But at other times, you may see…
June is the month when several species of milkweed come into bloom. This is Butterfly Milkweed, above, with distinct orange flowers. Native milkweeds are important nectar sources for many species of insects. They are also crucial nurse species for Monarch…
I sat in a popular fast food chain and observed a woman talk and respond to herself and write down circles as if she was journaling the best novel that ever existed and I wondered to myself, how was I…
Turning 70 is not without challenges. When the age category is asked on questionnaires, it means moving one more down the list to mark an X or circle. Not a big deal to some, but definitely a visual reminder that…
In Denmark, people use about four, single-use plastic bags a year. By contrast, Americans use an average of one single-use plastic bag a day. Stores in Denmark do not provide free plastic bags. In 1993, Denmark implemented a tax on…
Announcements were made in the Journal Star and the Rockford Register Star regarding reorganization within GateHouse Media. Paul Gaier was named president and publisher of the Journal Star. However, readers of the Rockford paper were informed Gaier continues as publisher…
