Aligning the Loom

Earlier this month I spent a few days in Western Illinois, in the heart of "Forgottonia," a 16-county region in the "bulge" of the state that lies between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The name was forged out of frustration with the lack of state and federal investment in the area.

Why spend time in Western Illinois? 

Firstly, it's our mission. Our job is to ensure access to the humanities for all residents of Illinois, which we do through grants, public programs, and education. 

Humanities organizations in rural and small towns are disenfranchised from access to traditional funding due to their size, location, and capacity. During the peak of COVID-19, this fact was starkly illuminated, a fact we described in two reports. We came out of the pandemic with robust, multifaceted partnerships throughout Illinois, but particularly in Western Illinois.

Secondly, I was there because we have a lot to learn about how to do our job well and how to be a strong partner.

We are learning these things from the Western Illinois Museum in Macomb, which, under the leadership of Sue Scott, is putting the history and collections the museum houses into service on behalf of the community and the region. The space itself is a destination for visitors to the collection and volunteers who bring the collections to life. But the space is also designed as a place to gather. The programs that the museum creates, as well as the programs created by community members that the museum hosts - like "Crafternoon" -  serve as a loom that weaves civic fabric.

Crafternoon is organized by the Western Illinois Museum in partnership with a community nonprofit, "No Place Like Macomb", which organizes and supports activities that recognize, connect, and promote the abundance of Macomb. This arts and culture collaborative sees what I see when I visit Macomb, "A small community with rich industrial and agricultural roots, easily accessible by train, and home to Western Illinois University, Macomb is gifted with enormous intergenerational and intercultural assets."

We are also learning what it means to do our job well from Erin Eveland at the Hub Arts and Cultural Center in Rushville. The mission of the Hub "is to create and maintain a connection between the arts, rural culture, and our local communities through exhibitions and educational experiences." In practice, this means that Eveland has created a place where people can come and do things together creatively. Thanks to the Hub, regional artists have a world-class gallery space to show their work and have it be seen. And the Hub - like the Galesburg Community Arts Center - demonstrates what it looks like to be a community anchor that defies unfortunate stereotypes about what counts as "real art."

If you travel through Galesburg, Macomb, Rushville, and into Navuoo and Niota and Carthage, as I did, seeing Forgottonia through an asset-lens versus a deficit-lens makes a huge difference. 

It's easy to see the strain on the physical infrastructure, on the brick main streets, and in the empty buildings. It's just as easy to see bookstores, art and craft on display, and robust creativity and entrepreneurship.

The premiere of Road Scholar Chris Vallillo's multimedia production of Forgottonia, which welcomed a full house to the Hainline Theatre at Western Illinois University, epitomized this spirit.

We have a lot to learn about how alignment happens and how we can play a supporting role. 

I can clearly see that when local government, chambers of commerce, cultural organizations, and creative individuals are aligned and working together things change. Energy is created. People imagine what is possible and work towards what’s next. 

And when alignment happens, the benefit isn't only for a town itself. It has a ripple effect for - and with - ones nearby. I've seen it this year in my travels to Havana and Hillsboro, Illinois. I've seen the efforts in small but mighty Equality. And it’s happening in Forgottonia too.

Illinois Humanities has a vision of a state that is just, creative, and connected. 

We are committed to this vision. We work to strengthen the cultural ecosystem we're part of through grants, educational offerings, and public programs. Our programs are free. All are partner-centered. When we bring partners together, we don't have to agree on everything. We just have to share a belief that what we already have can be the foundation for what we want.

If you're looking for an excuse to take a trip, consider Macomb and Western Illinois. You can get there easily by train and rent a car on arrival. The 100th Anniversary of civil rights leader CT Vivian is going to be celebrated on July 30th. If you travel in September, be sure to check out the ribbon cutting at the William Thorpe Memorial Park. And be sure to post photos and tag us @ILHumanities.