Todd Snyder is our March Artist of the Month. He is a nationally recognized fine artist from East Peoria and has worked as a professional oil painter since 1986. Snyder earned an associate degree in commercial art from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver, Colorado and has since lived in central Illinois.

The multitude of paintings Snyder produced throughout his career depict local urban landscapes and architecture in magical realist style reminiscent of the German New Objectivity painters of the early 20^th century. He combines elements of surrealism with his subject matter to fashion his own style of “industrial surrealism” in all of his work.

According to Snyder, his paintings are synthesized productions of his imagination, which include a combination of heavy industrial machinery, cityscapes and images of his immediate surroundings. He aims to create ambiguity and tension in his illustrations in order to reflect the surreal nature of our world and leave the viewer with a fragmented, unresolved story about what they are seeing.

Springtime in Illinois brings longer days and warmer temperatures, but most importantly, nature begins to bloom and the state transforms, bringing with it mesmerizing sights.

In honor of the first day of spring, here are a few butterfly and botanical gardens to welcome the new season:

Kim St. John Butterfly Habitat
Constructed in 2013 through a partnership between Wildlife Prairie Park and the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners, the butterfly enclosure is the largest native habitat in downstate Illinois. It contains pollinator and host plants for native Illinois butterflies to make the habitat their home. Some notable butterflies include Monarch, Viceroy, Pipevine, Swallowtail and more.

Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens
In Rockford, the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens is the third largest conservatory in Illinois, bringing the tropics to the Midwest year-round. Starting March 23, visit the conservatory to experience the Secret Life of Butterflies and get an up-close look at the butterfly lifecycle.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Operated by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a natural history museum featuring various exhibits and play spaces for young children. Their Butterfly Haven is a 2,700 square-foot greenhouse where visitors can bask amongst flowers and tropical trees while witnessing 1,000 free-flying butterflies from over 40 different species.

Happy spring!

Music in our schools day happens every year on March 6. Music is an important part of a well-rounded education. High school students who take part in music courses are more likely to have higher GPAs and attendance rates than students who do not participate in music education.

The arts are essential to a complete and competitive education for all students. Through the arts, students learn critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration and creative problem solving. Music education has also been linked to better emotional regularity and an increase in verbal memory.

Illinois’ public schools have a lot to offer on the music education front, and one of the ways to support music in schools is attending one of your local schools’ concerts. The Illinois Music Education Association is a big supporter of music in schools. They have yearly band, orchestra, jazz and choral performances where students from all high schools in Illinois come together for one performance. Another way they help encourage music in schools is by pairing music teachers with current job openings. Celebrate Music in our Schools day by supporting your local school music concert and events. 

It’s Chicago Theatre Week and you can celebrate by attending a show for $30 or less. Originally launched in 2000, the annual Chicago Theatre Week serves up value priced tickets for productions at dozens of theaters across the city.

Last year’s CTW hit record ticket sales as more than 20,000 tickets sold with more than 500 performances displayed by 78 participating productions. Sponsored by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago, more than 50 theatres will participate this year during CTW. The goal is to increase and represent theatre as a vital industry throughout Chicago.

Be sure to visit and attend theatrical showings this week at theatres such as The Chicago Theatre, which is known to be the first large lavish movie palace in America and was the prototype for all others. Opened on Oct. 26, 1921, this beautiful movie palace was constructed for $4 million and built in French baroque style. This seven-story building has 3,600 seats and is more than one half of a city block wide and consists of a vertical sign that displays “C-H-I-C-A-G-O” at about six stories tall. Throughout it’s time, The Chicago Theatre presented the best live and film entertainment with an array of the world’s brightest stars and greatest productions that have graced the stage, which includes Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Kelly Clarkson, Harry Connick Jr. and others.

For those seeking to make Theatre Week purchases, each theatre’s own ticket offers and ticketing system/box office details will be listed on the Chicago Theatre Week website at chicagotheatreweek.com.

Just in time for Black History Month, a new Illinois radio station has begun broadcasting. “Illinois Soul” is dedicated to the reflection of the Black experience throughout the state.

The station is produced by Illinois Public Media from Urbana, with the station located on the University of Illinois campus. With support and input from leaders within the Black community, the new station’s goal is to transform the media landscape.

Illinois Public Media sought input from many people, with the aim being to understand their preferences for a local Black media service. Illinois Public Media has attended community events with surveys in order to find out what topics the community wanted to hear about. The feedback revealed a need to amplify Black voices and stories, connect communities, and celebrate Black excellence.

As a part of its programming, the station will also introduce a new weekly local affairs program, focusing on issues that are important to black adults in Central Illinois.

You can listen to “Illinois Soul” over the air in Champaign-Urbana at 101.1 FM, or stream the station live from anywhere on IllinoisSoul.org.