Calendar

Join us for a conversation with local playwright and winner of the 2024 Mayor’s Award for the Arts—Individual Performing Artist, Tim Crawford. Learn how he progressed from the blank page to the upcoming performances of his play this summer in the Hoogland Center for the Arts’ Peggy Rider Theatre (supported by funding from both a grant from the Springfield Area Arts Council, through city funds, and by the Springfield NAACP). Discover the current state of organized playwriting collaborative efforts in Central Illinois, and engage with Tim as Carly Shank, Artistic Programs Director for UIS Performing Arts Center, prompts revealing responses to the questions she has crafted before yielding the floor to questions from the audience.

Every summer, the Springfield Area Arts Council presents Artist in the Park, a free, outdoor performance series in downtown Springfield. For 10 weeks, enjoy live music, dance, poetry, and more alongside local food trucks serving lunch for Food Truck Fridays. This family-friendly, accessible, and sensory-friendly event is presented in partnership with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

For as long as our species has walked the earth, we have been storytellers and art makers. These ancient human traditions not only tie us to each other but also to our homes and our greater ecological communities. In a world that is rapidly changing, it is important, now more than ever, that we learn to recognize the names and stories of those we share our spaces with. In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to explore the intersections of art, storytelling, and conservation, and practice connecting with their ecological neighborhood through the art making process. Kai Tomalin is an artist, conservationist, and storyteller whose work explores the role of the stories we tell about our homes, and the beings we share them with, can play in the preservation of those spaces. His work has taken him around the world, where field observation of wildlife shapes his practice. These aren’t just encounters, they are observations that carry forward the threads of the stories Kai weaves into his art.

The community is invited to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Mary Bryant Home for the Blind and Visually Impaired during an open house, “A Legacy of Light — 80 Years of Independence,” on June 26, 2026, from 3–7 p.m. Guests can enjoy appetizers, cocktails, and entertainment by Robert Sampson, along with a brief program. Tours will be available, offering insight into the home’s history and mission of serving individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The event highlights eight decades of promoting independence and compassionate care.

Art @ the Market provides a free weekly, make-it, take-it art/craft activity to the public each week. Our activity booth will be at the Bloomington Farmers' Market (near the intersection of Jefferson and Center Streets). This activity is for youth to the young-at-heart adult. Our volunteers will be there to help with the activity which will take about 15 minutes. Drop by during the scheduled time to participate. If the weather is poor, the activity will be held in the lobby just outside our gallery in the Monroe Center.

Come join us as we come together on this National Day of Action - Marches, Rallies, and Protests!

All of U.S. 250 in Resistance for Justice, Equality and Liberation for all.

🗓 June 27, 2026

State Capitol Building
📍Lincoln Statue @ 401 S. 2nd St
12:00 PM Gather/Walk The Tables
12:30 - 1:30 PM Rally / Protest

Why: Create an affirmative, positive counternarrative by inviting communities of all stripes to come together in support of a country that would live up to its ideals, reckons with our whole history, and embraces the mosaic of all who call it home.

Learn our history: https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/

Support Springfield Call for Mutual Aid: Intricate Minds
619 North Grand Ave East, Springfield IL 62702

New, unused, unexpired items to donate at RALLY:
Individually wrapped snack
bars, instant oatmeal, cereals, condiments, creamers, Sugar-Free Powdered Drink Mix, Water Bottles, Gatorade, Paper plates, cups, ind. wrapped disp. silverware, Mens and Womens underwear & socks, Hygiene products

Learn about actions we can take from our speakers.
Join an organization there.
Sign the petitions.
Donate time, food, $ to Intricate Minds : Cultural / Harm Reduction Center

Food Not Bombs Springfield, IL is sharing free produce at the picnic tables on the northeast corner of Union Square Park. Bring your grocery bags or use ones on site.

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Springfield Theatre Centre 2026 Preview party! Be among the first to experience exciting sneak peeks of our upcoming season, featuring exclusive show introductions from our directors, live entertainment, and a vibrant celebration of the arts.
Cocktail hour: 6-7PM
Performances and show previews: 7-9PM
Appetizers by Bloom
Cash bar by Fluid
Dress code: Dress to impress

North America’s largest award-winning interactive true crime murder mystery dinner show invites you into a night of laughter, mystery, and audience-driven intrigue. Enjoy a full dinner while a hilarious crime unfolds around you—but stay alert. The culprit is hiding in plain sight, and before the night is over, you could find yourself named a Prime Suspect.

Now playing at Maldaner’s in Springfield, IL, this murder mystery dinner experience is unlike traditional dinner theater. Our professional actors are not in costume and are secretly planted among the guests, creating a modern, social, and highly interactive evening. Each ticket includes our signature live murder mystery show, a complete dinner, waitstaff gratuity, and plenty of unexpected twists. Reserve your tickets now and crack the case before it’s too late.

Planning a group celebration or private event in Springfield? We specialize in custom private shows for companies, parties, and organizations of nearly any size—hosted at our public venue or brought directly to your location. Perfect for team outings, corporate events, and unforgettable celebrations.

Clean comedy with some of the best local and regional standup comedians. Located in the store mezzanine. Accessible by elevator.