One State in the Arts & Humanities
presented by the Illinois Arts Council and Illinois Humanities
One State in the Arts & Humanities is the largest statewide convening of arts, culture, and humanities professionals in Illinois. The 2025 Conference theme, Meeting the Moment, invited all of us to explore what this moment asks of us — and what we can build together through the humanities and the arts.
In early November 2025, One State in the Arts & Humanities gathered 307 arts and humanities professionals from across Illinois in Champaign-Urbana for three days of dynamic programming designed to Meet the Moment, including 39 hands-on breakout sessions from 110 presenters. This diverse network of organizations from across the state gathered for a convening created to help participants make connections, develop skills, spark new ideas, and catalyze a vibrant, resilient vision for Illinois’ arts and humanities ecosystem by:
- Sharing best practices and emerging local and national trends
- Deepening our understanding of arts and culture work in different parts of the state
- Supporting skill-sharing, collaboration, and peer learning
- Increasing access to professional development and skill-building workshops
In the News
"Illinois artists and humanists just mapped the future together right here in C-U," November 10, 2025, Smile Politely
Last week’s One State in the Arts & Humanities event kicked off at Carmon’s in downtown Champaign; the vibe felt intentionally urban with soft brick, warm light, and the energetic charge of people who actively build cultural life in this state.
Artists stood beside archivists; development specialists chatted with theatre-makers; humanities educators slipped into conversations with municipal arts staff and independent creatives.
Representatives from Krannert Art Museum, Krannert Center, Urbana Arts & Culture, the Urbana and Champaign Park Districts, 40 North, Parkland’s Giertz Gallery and others were out in full force. If you wanted a snapshot of Illinois’ arts and humanities ecosystem, Carmon’s offered the wide-angle view.
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"McLean County's culture sector moves through a tricky moment with solidarity and collaboration," November 12, 2025, WGLT.org
The state's chief arts and humanities councils gathered cultural leaders from across Illinois last week to discuss successes and challenges in an evolving landscape for the sector.
A delegation from the Twin Cities represented the Town of Normal, McLean County Arts Center and Museum of History and Envisioning Justice, the latter a statewide program challenging mass incarceration through the arts with one of its hubs in Bloomington-Normal.
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2025 One State Planning Committee
Illinois Arts Council and Illinois Humanities extend immense gratitude to the statewide planning committee for their invaluable guidance and thoughtful collaboration in shaping this year’s gathering. Thank you for your vision, time, and deep care for our state’s arts and culture community.
- Bella Szabo, Springfield Area Arts Council
- Breawna Austin, Legacy Training, Inc
- Camille Wilson White, Oak Park Area Arts Council
- Carolyn Randolph-Kato, College of Fine & Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Cat Tager, 3Arts
- Chuck Benya, Artspace 304
- Douglas Johnson, McLean County Arts Center
- Erin Eveland, The HUB - Arts & Cultural Center
- Fairouz AbuGhazaleh, Illinois Humanities
- Gabrielle H. Lyon, Illinois Humanities
- Jane Beachy, Illinois Humanities
- Jessica Modica, Freeport Art Museum
- Joseph Gackstetter, Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum
- Joshua Davis-Ruperto, Illinois Arts Council
- Kacie Smith, Arts Alliance Illinois
- Kelly White, 40 North
- Lynne Chambers, Esq., Legacy Training, Inc.
- Mae Gilliland Wright, Arts Partners of Central Illinois
- Marcella Cloud, Macoupin Art Collective- The MAC
- Martin Matsuyuki Krause, Illinois Humanities
- Mónica Félix, Chicago Cultural Alliance
- Rachel Storm, Krannert Art Museum
- Samuel Smith, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
- Sue Scott, Western Illinois Museum
- Susan Dickson, Illinois Arts Council
- Teresa Davis, Illinois Arts Council
- Vanessa Harris, Strategy for Access Foundation
Contact Us
One State in the Arts & Humanities
Contact
Suite 650, 125 South Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60603
312.422.5580 312.374.6787 Fax
Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Illinois Humanities respects the privacy of its audiences and will at no time sell or distribute personal information to any party not directly affiliated with Illinois Humanities and its programs.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by speakers, program participants, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH, Illinois Humanities, our partnering organizations, or our funders.
© Copyright 2025 Illinois Humanities