Arts

Three artists. Three locations. Three new murals that bring color, energy, and vitality to Urbana. 

Debra chats with writer and director Tania Arazi Coambs about Stoplight, which premieres at the Station Theatre on August 11th.

Debra recaps her visit to the 2022 Crystal Lake Park Art Fair. 

Paul reviews the latest Carnivale Debauche show, Nerdlesque. 

Debra shares five August art experiences you won't want to miss.

Amy captures the magic of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and encounters some familiar C-U thespians along the way.

Katie Koca Polite of Krannert Art Museum attributed Stringfellow's combined use of collage and watercolor to his understanding that “the fullness and complexity of the African American experience could not be adequately captured in one medium.”

Watching Bad Jews is like sitting at a restaurant while the family four tables down argues. You definitely shouldn’t be watching, but gosh darn it, how could you not?  

Debra shares her thoughts on Beneath a Summer Sky: Watercolors by Carol Carter, on display at Parkland's Giertz Gallery through July 28.

Jess speaks with U of I professor and author Brett Ashley Kaplan about her debut novel.

Debra shares her must-see arts experiences for the month.

For Katie Snyder of The Museum of the Grand Prairie, the Healing Hearts Community Collage project will show future museum staff and guests “what the people of Champaign County really experienced during the multiple pandemics of recent years.

 Jacob talks with award-winning director, producer, and co-founder of Shatterglass Studios, Luke Boyce about the new Central Illinois Film & TV Production Training Course

Among the silver gelatin prints of businesses like Fannie Mae and Jerry’s IGA, OLD NEWS: The Archives boasts a photo of John F. Kennedy speaking at the University of Illinois' Foellinger Auditorium.

Debra shares her list of must-see arts experiences for the month.

Prism Studios presents Reclaim: Clarity in Community, an exhibition of “eclectic visual artworks in a variety of mediums.”

Jeanette Watts' new historical novel, My Dearest Miss Fairfax, tells the story behind the story of the secret engagement between Emma's Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill. 

Virtual readings provide an intimate space for poetry.

Debra recaps the 2022 School of Art & Design BFA exhibition. 

Andrei Kureichik, currently a Visiting Artist at the University of Illinois, created a play using the real words of Belarusians caught in the struggle for democracy. 

Sacred/Supernatural, which closes its run at Krannert Art Museum this weekend, explores mark making as a vehicle for mythological and religious meaning making.

Debra recaps some Instagram-worthy moments from Re-Fashioned 2022.

With lively characters and impressive dance, CU Ballet's The Little Mermaid made a splash at the Virginia Theatre.

The Station Theatre’s production of Borderline shows the importance of the stories we tell each other to keep the darkness at bay.

Debra talks with two of Re-Fashioned 2022's student designers. 

Allerton Park Artists-in-Residence Nicole Anderson-Cobb and Latrelle Bright are researching the history of the park and Monticello in the 19th century.

Debra shares her list of must-see arts experiences for the month of May.

Get your Broadway fix right here at home with Parkland Theatre's The Spongebob Musical.

The Smile Politely writers and editors share their 2022 Ebertfest experiences.

Latrelle Bright’s impeccable visionary work on Lynn Nottage's Sweat is a practice in empathy.

Paul shares his guide to Ebertfest 2022.

Danyla Nash uses spoken word for social justice and creating community.

Debra explores the work of the 2022 Art + Design MFA candidates, which is on display at Krannert Art Museum through April 23rd. 

Debra talks with Neverland director Madeline Sayet about her revolutionary reimaginging of a problematic classic.

Debra shares her list of must-see art experiences for the month.

Smile Politely editors and writers share their Boneyard 2022 experiences in words and images.

Debra talks with Anna Gutsch of NORDEN Design, Pipapo, and now, this year's Boneyard Art Market (BÄM!).

Debra shares a recap of 8 to Create's return to an in-person event format, held at the Link Gallery on Saturday, March 26th.

Debra talks with Phillip Kalantzis-Cope about new Boneyard Arts Festival venue Immaterial Gallery. 

Meet Boneyard Arts Festival artist Clara de la Fuente who will be exhibiting work in a new medium at a new venue.

In her new book Love Letter to Who Owns the Heavens, author Corey Van Landingham immerses readers into the complexities of their own humanity and their closeness to an ever-changing history and technological society.

Get to know Kim Curtis, the artist behind Boneyard's 2022 signature image. 

Champaign Urbana Theatre Company's Tempest dispels our darkness with sprites and magic.

“The most profound skill that I’ll be taking with me is being able to direct something that I’ve written,” says writer, and now, filmmaker, Madeline Blair.

Debra shares her list of March must-see arts experiences 

Benjamin Gailey’s 10 out of 12 exposed the nerve-wracking beast that is the theater tech rehearsal.

Colorful apocalypse meets quiet form in Steven Hudson’s exhibit, Better Angels.

For Ashanti Files, poetry is a call to action, a medication for ailments, and an essential form of expression.