Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello is currently seeking outdoor light sculptures for their Holiday GLOW program. This upcoming season will mark the seventh year for the exhibit. Holiday GLOW is an approximately one …
Posts by Serenity Stanton Orengo:
Five things in arts: July 2023
We may already be fully into the month of July, but there is still plenty to do in the remaining weeks when it comes to the arts. Whether you want to embrace the heat in …
Possessing a fleeting moment with the art of Hua Nian
Those involved in the Champaign-Urbana art world are likely already familiar with the work of Hua Nian. This summer alone she was the featured Artist of the Corridor at the Urbana Free Library, where she …
U of I Assistant Professor Corey Van Landingham has a poem in the newest The New Yorker
University of Illinois Assistant Professor of English Corey Van Landingham has a poem in the newest issue of The New Yorker. The poem is entitled “Adult Swim,” and is from her upcoming poetry collection Reader, …
Seeing florals in a new light with painter Faith Gabel
In my short term as Arts Editor so far, I have already mentioned Faith Gabel’s paintings on a number of occasions. I first encountered her work at Boneyard Arts Festival, and I recently saw one …
Cinnamon Trammel can teach you to dance salsa, swing, country, and more
As a competitive ballroom dancer myself, I grew up social dancing. For ballroom dancing, these are typically weekly held events at dance studios (Regent Ballroom in Savoy offers these type of events, often on Fridays). …
Drag Race royalty Alaska 5000 and Monét X Change are performing at PYGMALION
PYGMALION has just announced that RuPaul’s Drag Race winners Alaska 5000 and Monét X Change will be performing the first day of the festival, Thursday September 21st. When I say Alaska and Monét are Drag …
Urbana’s own Sasha Velour is on the cover of The New Yorker
I’m a big fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race and an even bigger fan of drag superstar Sasha Velour — former Urbana-resident and the winner of the ninth season of the show. I regularly pull up …
Art Around the Block highlights the diversity and talent of the C-U art scene
The call for entries for Art Around the Block IV: Artists From Our Neighborhood was my very first post as Art Editor for Smile Politely, so I was especially excited to check out the exhibit …
Marilynn Dean Cleveland showcases Black American life in My Soul Doesn’t Cast a Shadow
During her 82 years of life so far, Marilynn Dean Cleveland has created more than 1700 pieces of art. When I learned her choice of media included popcorn and bottle caps, I was intrigued, to …