Bicentennial Speaker Series: “The Culture and Heritage of Illinoisans” on Sept. 16 and Oct. 21 at Illinois State Museum

ISM Location: Springfield

For Immediate Release:

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The special Illinois Bicentennial Speaker Series – “The Culture and Heritage of Illinoisans” – continues on Sunday afternoon, September 16 and will wrap up on October 21.  The series is presented by the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield in collaboration with the Illinois State Museum and is supported in part by Illinois Humanities. The Illinois State Museum is at 502 S. Spring St. in downtown Springfield. The programs are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Illinois in Art and Literature, 1818-2017

On September 16 at 2 p.m., art historian and educator Laura Mueller will offer a wide-ranging, slide-illustrated presentation surveying depictions of Illinois and its people in art and literature. It will include examples representing many points in time between 1818 and the present, indicating the countless ways in which Illinois has been represented artistically throughout its history as a state. The presentation will emphasize works of visual and literary art by Illinoisans and will also incorporate works by artists and authors from elsewhere that illuminate significant aspects of life in our state.

Laura E. Mueller is a teacher and artist who completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and pursued graduate study in comparative literature at the University of Chicago. For 29 years, she worked as a lecturer and later as a drawing teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, while she has also taught the humanities and English literature at various colleges. She looks forward to giving her presentation, which integrates two disciplines that she loves.

The final presentation of the series will feature musician Phil Passen with “From Prairie to Farm to City: Music to Commemorate Illinois’ Bicentennial” on October 21 at 2 p.m.

For more information, call the Illinois State Museum at 217-782-0979 or the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lincoln Land Community College at 217-786-2477.

Contact Person: Karen Everingham

Contact Email: karen.everingham@illinois.gov

Contact Phone: 217-782-5949

Release File (pdf): ism-speaker-sept18.pdf

Release File (doc): ism-speaker-sept18.docx