Cultural Arts Programs
Concerts and Events
The Champaign Park District's arts programs include numerous cultural
events that serve an average of 48,000 community members per year.
Concert offerings include the Bach's Lunch Concert Series, Summer Concerts, and Gospel/Fest.
The Division also provides juried exhibition opportunities to local
artists through the Springer Cultural Center Art Exhibition Series,
Town and Country Amateur Art Show, and the Taste of Champaign-Urbana
Arts and Crafts Festival which draws on an averag 50,000 participants
on it's own.
Springer Cultural Center
Program offerings include over 120 individual classes for all ages and backgrounds in music, theatre, dance and visual arts. These programs are based at the Springer Cultural Center, a 26 room multi-purpose facility which features an informal performance space, exhibit space, dance studio, ceramics studio, studio space and rehearsal space. Interdisciplinary arts programs for youth range from the Art Smart Kids Preschool Program to Creative Kids Day Camp and Champaign Dance Arts Program. Springer Cultural Center Information
Virginia Theatre
As a part of an ongoing effort to expand its services in the arts, the District acquired the 1525 seat historic Virginia Theatre in January 2000 and has begun the process of renovating the facility. The Virginia Theatre is dedicated to creating an environment conducive to education in the performing arts; fostering creativity in the production and presentation of performing arts; and establishing the Virginia Theatre as a civic-use meeting space and center for performing arts and entertainment for Champaign-Urbana and its visitors. The Theatre also serves as a home to the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company, a not-for-profit organization. The Virginia Theatre serves approximately 150,000 individuals per year. Click for The Virginia Theatre page
Champaign County Cultural Consortium
In addition, the District founded the Champaign County Cultural
Consortium in 1996. The Cultural Consortium is a network of 40 cultural
resource providers and educational organizations who collaborate
in the creation, coordination, and promotion of cultural resource
programs for Champaign County Schools. In a new partnership with
the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation, the Consortium cosponsored
TeacherLink, a network forum for the community and schools. As a
part of this event, over 150 teachers attended a grantwriting workshop
to learn about funding opportunities in the arts. The
Consortium Page.
Pursuit of Excellence
In 1995, the Champaign Park District formalized its cultural arts division to provide a broader scope of arts and humanities services to the community. Due to its expanded services and pursuit of excellence, the District was recognized in 1997 as the recipient of the National Parks and Recreation Association's Dottie Mullen Arts and Humanities Award. Additionally, the Champaign County Cultural Consortium received a Recognition Award for Public and Community Service in 2001 from the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education to honor its outstanding contributions to arts education for Illinois school children. Most recently, the District's Symphony at Sunset event was the beneficiary of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association's 2002 Outstanding Program Award. The Champaign Park District's arts programs and facilities are sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
For
more information about the Champaign Park District's cultural arts
programs, please contact the Springer Cultural Center. |
