PIGMENT GOES TO SPRINGFIELD

Top left - Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Pigment International, Claire Rice, Executive Director Arts Alliance Illinois, Nora Daley, Board Chair Illinois Arts Council, Vicki Heyman, Board Member Illinois Arts Council, Joshua Davis-Ruptero ED Illinois Arts Council. Top Middle - Antoinette Simmons, the Urban Ark Media Arts Center, State Representative Kimberly du Buclet, Middle Row Jen Tremblay Chambers, and Alison Cochran, Hyde Park Art Center, Middle Right - Erin Eveland, The Hub, Gabe Lyons, Illinois Humanities; Bottom Left - Dr. Delishia Kinney, Creative Artist Alliance (CAA) and Tara Levy, Liberated Arts Movement; Bottom right Will Burns and Kiela Smith, Artists Design the Future.

Pigment International joined nearly 200 arts organizations at Arts Alliance Illinois Capitol Day to advocate for restored funding and a stronger creative future for Illinois



On April 15th, Pigment International traveled to Springfield as part of Arts Alliance Illinois' annual Capitol Day — joining nearly 200 arts organizations from across the state to make the case for the artists, educators, and communities we serve. The Alliance’s platform advocates for the Creative Cycle of Opportunity - how arts and culture contribute to opportunity, economic vitality, and quality of life across the lifespan of individuals and communities.

The two-day convening opened with a reception at the Illinois State Museum, where the backdrop couldn't have been more fitting: Indigenous Beadwork of the Great Lakes, a rarely exhibited collection of works by Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Haudenosaunee artists that speaks to art's power as an act of resilience and identity. Surrounded by those textiles, the room felt like more than a gathering — it felt like a reminder of what's at stake when culture goes unfunded.

The evening's speakers set a clear and urgent tone. Illinois Arts Council Executive Director Joshua Davis-Ruperto, Arts Alliance Illinois Executive Director Claire Rice, Illinois State Museum Director Jennifer Edginton, Representative Kimberly du Buclet, chair of the Illinois House’s Museums Arts Culture and Entertainment Committee (MACE);  Illinois Humanities Executive Director Gabrielle Lyon, and Illinois Arts Council Board Chair Nora Daley each spoke to the value of sustained public investment in the arts. Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte offered a poem that anchored the room in something larger than policy — the lived, human need for creative expression.

On Thursday, groups from our South Side community met directly with the offices of Illinois General Assembly members Curtis J. Tarver, Robert Peters, and Kam Buckner. The ask was specific: a 20% increase to the Illinois Arts Council — approximately $5 million — to complete the recovery from years of disinvestment that has left funding still below 2007 levels when adjusted for inflation. Critically, this increase requires no new funding mechanism; it draws from the same General Fund already supporting the IAC.