Prairie Arts Council

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The Curry men at breakfast. From left, Gregory O'Neill, Gary Talsky, Ethan Sundeen.

We hope to see you at the opening of our May exhibit featuring Jennifer Eustis. Reception is from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.

Prairie Arts Council Announces May Exhibit Featuring Artist Jennifer Eustis
Princeton, Illinois — The Prairie Arts Council has announced its May exhibit, featuring the work of mixed-media artist Jennifer Eustis. Located at 24 Park Ave E in Princeton, the gallery is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council and The Princeton Closet.
An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 1, from 6:00–7:30 PM, where guests are invited to enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and meet the artist. The gallery is also open to the public on weekends in May from 1:00–3:00 PMt.
Eustis, based in Peru, Illinois, is a mixed-media artist working across 2D and 3D sculpture, silversmithing, and textile arts. Often described as “Modern Folk,” her work brings new life to found objects and unconventional materials, blending them into pieces that feel both timeless and unexpected.
Her work draws heavily from archaic and historical influences, particularly Santos Cage Dolls. Rather than replicating traditional forms, Eustis reimagines them through a contemporary, intuitive lens. Her current explorations in copper etching continue this dialogue between old-world technique and modern expression.
Eustis’s artistic path began in childhood under the guidance of her mother, also an artist, and expanded during her time studying painting as a high school exchange student in Denmark. In the early 1990s, she transitioned into metal arts, developing her distinctive approach to form and material. She continues to explore felting and textile processes as an extension of her tactile, hands-on practice.
Her work has been exhibited throughout the Midwest and East Coast, including notable showings in the Metro East region of Illinois, Ottawa, Illinois, and Woodstock, New York. Her pieces are held in private collections across the United States and internationally, and are available through independent sales and select small retailers, often released in limited availability.
At its core, Eustis’s work celebrates curiosity, history, and transformation—turning the overlooked into something quietly extraordinary.

Registration is underway for the Annual Children’s Summer Drama Camp at the Prairie Arts Center for children entering 2nd-9th grades. Camp will run Monday-Friday, June 15-26, from 2-5 PM. The camp cost is $110 with special rates for siblings. Need-based scholarships are also available upon request for those who meet the criteria.

Drama Camp at the PAC culminates at 5:30 PM on June 26 in a performance of an original play written specifically for the campers and, to a large extent, tailored to the needs and abilities of the campers. Campers name their own production. Children get the hands-on experience of creating a show, from set and light work to costuming to performing. Past theater-learning topics have included theatrical accents, sets, Shakespeare, costuming, stage make-up, mime, choreography for the stage, stage lighting and design, musical theater, and opera. Camp activities also include theater and improvisational games like one might see on the television show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?".

Children’s theater programming at PAC has always been about more than just theater skills. We strive to offer a safe, wholesome environment in which children can learn, grow, and have fun. Over the many years that we have run the summer drama camps as well as other children’s drama programming, we have been privileged to witness the transformation of many of our children from ducklings to beautiful, talented swans. Fostering the growth of our community’s children is the greatest benefit of PAC children’s theater programming.
To register, contact camp director Rachel Gorenz-Johnson at:
815-876-6284
or
[email protected]

As space is limited, please make sure you communicate with the director prior to turning in registration materials to ensure there are still spots available. Payment is expected by June 1. Please make checks payable to Rachel Gorenz-Johnson. Checks and registration forms can be returned to:
Rachel Gorenz-Johnson,
3 South 5th Street
Princeton, IL 61356

Join us on Saturday, April 11, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM, for the Opening Reception of "Suite Dreams," a collaborative exhibit by Harry William Sidebotham II & Lyzz Lundberg Sidebotham.