I BUY ART, a grassroots campaign started by Peoria-based textile company Collecture, is the central theme of this year’s Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair, Sept. 28-30. I BUY ART was launched to reinforce a philosophy that the best way to support the arts is to buy art. Buttons will be given to every fair patron who purchases artwork in an effort to advocate and emphasize the importance of buying original art.

STATE

Peoria artist to commemorate role nuns played after historic race riot

The healing role that Roman Catholic nuns played in the aftermath of the 1908 Springfield race riot will be the subject of a painting by Peoria resident Preston Jackson. The painting will be displayed in the lobby of the HSHS St. John’s Hospital Women’s and Children’s Clinic, currently being constructed in Springfield and expected to open in December.

Jackson’s acrylic-on-canvas painting will be at least 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Jackson is one of Illinois’ most-renowned artists. His work will honor the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, who run the hospital. Members of the order provided care and offered refuge to injured blacks and whites the evening of Aug. 14, 1908.

One of the sisters to be included in the artwork is Sister Magdalene Wiedlocher, who was working in the St. John’s emergency room and spent hours caring for victims of the race riot.

The riot resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and led to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Two black men, including an 80-year-old acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln, were lynched in the riot, and more than 100 people — black and white — were injured.

Jackson’s work already is on display in Springfield. He created a two-section bronze sculpture recalling the riot that stands in Union Square Park near the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

PEORIA

Dates announced for November election’s early voting

Early voting for the Nov. 6 general election will begin Sept. 27, and end Nov. 5 in the Peoria County Election Commission Office, and Oct. 22th through Nov. 4 at off-site locations.

The commission’s new website, peoriaelections.org, provides detailed information on the election, how to register to vote and early voting locations.

Voters do not need to present a government issued photo ID to vote. The voter’s identity will be verified using a signature match just like on Election Day.

Early voting was created to allow voters the opportunity to cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide a reason or an excuse for wanting to vote early. Votes cast early are not counted until after the polls close on Election Day.

The Peoria County Election Commission office has moved to 4422 Brandywine Drive. Its new phone number is 309-324-2300. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact Tom Bride, election commission director, at 309- 494-8683 or email tbride@peoriacounty.org.

Art guild to hold its annual fair

The 56^th annual Peoria Art Guild Fine Art Fair will showcase more than 150 juried artists from around the world on the Peoria Riverfront, Sept. 28-Sept. 30.

Original works of art will include jewelry, painting, ceramics, photography, digital art, printmaking, mixed media, metal, glass, wood, sculpture, fiber, leather and wearable fiber.

I BUY ART, a grassroots campaign started by Peoria-based textile company Collecture, is the central theme of this year’s fair. I BUY ART was launched to reinforce a philosophy that the best way to support the arts is to buy art. I BUY ART buttons will be given to fair patrons who purchases artwork in an effort to advocate and emphasize the importance of buying original art. 

At the fair, the public may participate in an interactive community mural and experience wheel-throwing clay at the mobile pottery studio. The Kid’s Art Festival will give children an opportunity to create their own masterpieces.

Hours are 6-10 p.m. Sept. 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 29 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 30. Daily admission is $5. A weekend pass is $7. Children under 12 will be admitted free. The art fair will be held in Riverfront Festival Park, 200 NE Water St., Peoria.

Illinois National Guard assisting hurricane relief

Area Illinois Army National Guard crews based in Peoria are in North Carolina to aid in Hurricane Florence relief work. One flight crew and a CH-47F Chinook helicopter from the Illinois Army National Guard Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, joined an air crew from 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment, based in Kankakee and flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. The two crews were scheduled to remain for 10 days but those orders could be extended if there is a need. The costs of the deployment will be covered by North Carolina.

Requests for assistance are coordinated through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement that allows states to request assistance from other states during emergencies.

Agency honors those who help adults with disabilities

Community Workshop Training Center, Inc., a central Illinois organization, recently presented its CWTC Pathway Awards at its annual banquet at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria. The festivities paid tribute to the people who help the agency. CWTC provides programs and services to adults with disabilities, enriching their quality of life, promoting social change and optimizing their potential for independence. 

This year’s awards and winners include: 

• Advocacy Award – Blue Ridge Community Farm,
• Ralph B. Fairchild Volunteer Award – Anthony Lees,
• Business Partnership Award – Karla Kane, Camp Big Sky & Jody Tockes, The Hive,
• Employer of the Year – Planet Fitness,
• Nancy Fine Volunteer Award – Jeanette Kosier, and
• Community Partner – Adams Outdoor Advertising & IT360.

CWTC will hold its second annual Make A Scarecrow – Make A Difference Sept. 29. The event will be held in the CWTC parking lot, 3215 N. University St., Peoria beginning at 11 a.m.

The group will sell scarecrow-making kits. The kit costs $20, and includes everything needed to build a scarecrow, including straw, wood and clothes. The event will also feature family activities and food.

–Peoria County News Briefs–