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 a recovery post-Covid, 2023 really embraced (for the most part) a return to normal. Theaters were crowded, several new spots to social dance came about, and some biennial shows returned in-person. Not only did we have a great showing at some of the yearly events including Boneyard Arts Festival, Ebertfest, and the various arts fairs including Crystal Lake and West Side Arts, but a number of new arts initiatives made their debut. We also saw the latest installment from our Artist of the Decade, and local theater surprised and delighted. The options for BEST were plentiful, but the following twelve were exceptional, memorable, and are worth celebrating as something special in our rich C-U art scene.
— Serenity Stanton Orengo, Arts Editor
BEST collaboration: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the Virginia
Dance at Illinois Downtown was my very first event as arts editor, and what a way to come on board. While events at KCPA are always a great way to spend an evening, there’s something very classic about the Virginia Theatre. Sinking into the red velvet chairs, surrounded by the balcony and gorgeous woodwork is a bit magical. While Dance at Illinois was the first event for this new collaboration, Virginia Theatre also hosted City of Angels in April, and the recent production of Rent. Although the collaboration is the result of renovations at KCPA, we’re hoping this partnership will continue and inspire innovation and new ways of presenting the arts. (SSO)
BEST theme: Empathy at Ebertfest
This year marked ten years since Roger Ebert’s death, and to note the loss, Ebertfest’s theme was empathy. According to festival director Nate Kohn, Ebert “viewed movies as empathy machines.” Seeing yourself reflected on screen is critical, and seeing your experiences reflected on screen in characters and actors who don’t look or sound like you is essential for understanding the human experience, for finding your place in a global society. This year’s theme was a beautiful way to honor Roger Ebert, and we look forward to sitting in empathy with others next year. (JH)
BEST wall update: Jose Vazquez’s mural at CUPHD
The new mural at Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) created quite a buzz when it first debuted, and for good reason. The 62-foot mural — that required 70 cans of spray paint and nearly 20 gallons of paint — has incredible detail. Set against a blue backdrop, the mural has realistic renderings of various people paired with massive monarch butterflies. Artist Jose Vazquez wanted to highlight the diversity of the C-U community, including our local immigrant community. The mural took Vazquez nearly a month to complete. The vibrant masterpiece is well worth a trip to CUPHD just to see it up close and in-person. (SSO)
BEST artistic call to action for climate change: CETACEAN
It’s been more than two months since I saw CETACEAN, the latest installment in Deke Weaver’s lifelong project The Unreliable Bestiary, and I still think about the last act almost daily. I had the pleasure of interviewing co-directors Weaver and Jennifer Allen ahead of the performance, but it still couldn’t prepare me for the impact of seeing this performance in person. The show was both funny and moving. As I wrote in my original review, “Weaver is a talented storyteller. You think you are being set up for the punchline of a joke, only to have the rug pulled out from under you with a devastating comment on the state of the world.” When a ridiculous dolphin figure makes his way to the bottom of the ocean, you expect him to find something magical; what he instead finds is garbage discarded by humans (the audience members included). While the show is firstly performance art, it absolutely succeeds in conveying the urgency of the climate crisis and inspiring you to want to do something about it. (SSO)
BEST poetry collection: Caleb Curtiss’ Age of Forgiveness
There was a lot of great poetry this year; so much so that I originally didn’t plan on choosing any for BEST. And then I read Age of Forgiveness by Champaign-native Caleb Curtiss. The debut full-length collection explores childhood trauma, nostalgia, religion, and primarily, grappling with an unexpected death. Curtiss’ poetry is sometimes quiet and easy, sometimes bold and experimental, and often a bit devastating, but always beautiful. It’s a powerful collection that I will revisit in years to come. (SSO)
BEST place to dust off your dance shoes: Lindy Hop at Hamilton Walkers
There are tons of great opportunities for social dancing in Champaign-Urbana, especially for tango and salsa dancing. Lindy Hoppers at Hamilton Walkers is probably my favorite C-U discovery of the entire year though. When I attended one of their gatherings over the summer, I fully expected to scope it out for an hour for my article. I ended up staying for the full duration and had a blast dancing, chatting, and enjoying drinks at the bar. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I returned the following month with my husband and some friends. This monthly event is a good time. If you don’t swing dance already, that’s okay. Both times I went people were helping newcomers on the side, but there were plenty of spectators as well. The Illini Swing Society, which hosts the event, also offers classes and workshops throughout the year if you want to learn in a more structured setting. (SSO)
BEST theatrical plot twist: My Little Titus Andronicus
Spoiler alert!
I had a lot to say about this witty and hilarious play that combined the gruesome Shakespeare classic Titus Andronicus with the children’s toy My Little Pony. The actors dressed as ponies, they had glitter and tails and hooves. It was bizarre and wild and amazing. I still tell people about it. When I first published my review, I wanted to avoid outright spoilers since the show was still on-going. Now that it’s done, and I’m awarding this best plot twist, I think it’s fair to divulge what happened. This is a play within a play, in which ponies are going to act out Titus Andronicus for a friend’s birthday. The main pony, Pixie Poo, is particularly upset by the content of the play since (if you don’t know) at the play’s conclusion, Titus serves a mother her two murdered sons baked in a pie. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the play inspired Arya’s revenge against the Freys in Game of Thrones. In the final minute of the pony version, the adorable Pixie Poo reveals a pie with an evil smile, and proudly announces that they were playing the “long-game” and were the “bad guy all along.” Yes, you should see it coming, but the play convinces you it’s something else entirely until that last minute. It’s brilliant. (SSO)
BEST year for Shakespeare adaptations
This was an especially great year for Shakespeare adaptations. While I may be a bit biased as a former English major, I was delighted with all of the Shakespeare coverage, especially since many of the performances gave the classic plays new life with clever twists and staging. This year, we had the more traditional staging of Coriolanus at KCPA; my pick for BEST theatrical plot twist: My Little Titus Andronicus; an outdoor performance of Julius Caesar that was accompanied with a stage combat workshop; and Mac Beth, another play within a play that was mostly faithful to the Shakespeare original until a gruesome murder in the play’s final turn. Here’s hoping for more surprising and clever takes on classic theater. (SSO)
BEST use of scrap metal: Andy White’s birds
I first discovered Andy White’s scrap metal sculptures at Boneyard Arts Festival when I was greeted by one of his massive animal sculptures. After the show, I decided to get in contact with White for an interview, and it was fascinating to learn about his creative process. While many of his sculptures lately are smaller in size than some of his better known (gigantic) pieces, they are no less impressive. My personal favorite from this year is a flying bird made from “scrap metal, leather, paper from a player piano roll and old comic book” (you can watch the video of the sculpture in action on his Instagram). (SSO)
BEST new programming initiative: Urbana Arts & Culture with 40 North
40 North is already responsible for tons of great arts programming in C-U. They are behind Boneyard Arts Festival, Crystal Lake Art Fair, West Side Arts, the Sky Gallery, and much more. This year, they joined forces with Urbana Arts & Culture to bring even more fantastic family-friendly arts and culture events to our community. Among them are the PostMark events and the Fall Fusion Festival. We can’t wait to see what else this collaboration brings to the arts scene moving forward. (SSO)
BEST post-pandemic return of an in-person show: Art Around the Block
Arts events during the summer are much rarer with campus emptied out, so it was nice to welcome back Art Around the Block — the biennial summer art exhibition held at Giertz Gallery at Parkland College. This year’s exhibition featured works by 63 artists selected from more than 100 entries. The 2021 exhibit was held virtually due to COVID, so it was great to see the exhibition being held in-person again. Art Around the Block IV showcased an impressive collection of diverse artwork. While there were many familiar names represented, the show also introduced me to some new artists from the area. What makes the exhibition even more special is that it also included a series of free lectures featuring some of the artists, a great way to help bridge the divide and make art a little more accessible. (SSO)
BEST supporters of new writers: C-U community
For being a pretty small college town, we have a lot of great arts events here. Sure, some are due to the university, but not all of them. One of the things that I most love about the C-U arts community is their support of new, local writers. This year in particular I was especially impressed with the programming at the Literary, which hosted new authors almost monthly (most recently, YA author Jessika Fleck). The Champaign Public Library has been hosting a series of writers’ workshops; of course there is PYGMALION and all of the lit events that come with that; Urbana has their own Poet Laureate (something, I assure you, many towns do not have). Overall, I think this has been a fantastic year for emerging writers in our community, and I’m excited about the continuing expansion of many of these initiatives and more. (SSO)
Jessica Hammie and Serenity Stanton Orengo contributed to this article.