EIU Media Relations

2015-16 Cultivating Creativity Children's Art Exhibition: Opening at Arcola First National Bank

Eastern Illinois University's Tarble Arts Center is pleased to announce that "Cultivating Creativity 2015-2016: Consolidated Communications Children’s Art Exhibition" is coming to the Arcola First National Bank, 127 South Oak St.  The exhibit will be on view March 12 through April 17 during normal business hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The Cultivating Creativity Children’s Art Exhibition displays the most outstanding art produced by school art programs throughout East-Central Illinois during the 2014-2015 school year. Underwritten by Consolidated Communications, the exhibition is presented annually each spring at the Tarble Arts Center. Each year, one student from every contributing school is selected to participate in the exhibition that circulates throughout the region during the next academic year. This year, the exhibit will travel to 14 area communities, from Assumption to Paris and from Tuscola to Effingham.

There are 48 student works on display, ranging in media from glazed clay to watercolor to metal relief to mixed media that represent the following schools:  Altamont Grade School, Altamont Jr. High School, Arcola Elementary School, Arcola High School, Arthur Grade School, Arthur Jr. High School, Ashmore Elementary School, Bond Elementary School, Carl Sandburg Elementary School, Carolyn Wenz Elementary School, Casey-Westfield High School, Casey-Westfield Jr. High School, Central A&M High School, Central A&M Middle School, Central Grade School, Charleston High School, Charleston Middle School, Chrisman Elementary School, Chrisman High School, Chrisman-Scottland Jr. High School, Gregory Intermediate School, Jefferson Elementary School, Kansas School, Lake Crest Elementary School, Lovington Grade School, Mark Twain Elementary School, Mattoon High School, Mattoon Middle School, Memorial Elementary School, Moulton Middle School, Neoga Elementary School, Neoga High School, Neoga Middle School, Oakland High School, Okaw Valley High School, Okaw Valley Middle School, Riddle Elementary School, Shelbyville High School, South Side Elementary School, St. Anthony Grade School, St. Mary’s School, Williams Elementary School, Windsor Elementary School and Windsor Jr.-Sr. High School.

Students from Arcola area schools represented in the exhibition are Kolten Petrie of Arcola Elementary School and Ixcell Vega of Arcola High School.  Under the instruction of Alex Lugo, Petrie created "Scary Crow" using watercolor and oil pastel as a kindergartener at Arcola Elementary School.  Also under the direction of Alex Lugo, Vega, as a sophomore at Arcola High School, created "Selfie #2" with tempera. 

Cultivating Creativity is a community engagement program created by the Tarble Arts Center to help raise awareness of the importance of including the arts as part of the regular school curriculum.  For more information about the Cultivating Creativity exhibit or other exhibitions and educational programming, please contact the Tarble Arts Center at 217-581-ARTS (-2787) or tarble@eiu.edu.

Sponsorship for exhibitions and programming at the Tarble Arts Center is generously provided by The Tarble Family Foundation, Consolidated Communications, First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust, EIU Art Department, the EIU Center for the Humanities and the Academy of Lifelong Learning.

The Tarble Arts  Center is a major arts resource for the people of Central Illinois and Eastern Illinois University that focuses primarily on the visual arts. Its mission is “taking the arts to the people.” The Tarble Arts Center is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. The Tarble is closed on Mondays and holidays. For more information, please visit us at www.eiu.edu/tarble  or www.facebook.com/TarbleArts.