Arts Quincy is thrilled to announce the receipt of two substantial grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Partners in Excellence Grant and Community Arts Access Program. The grants total $74,000. These transformative funds will enable Arts Quincy to significantly broaden its scope and outreach, benefitting numerous students, including those in underserved rural areas. Additionally, the grants will facilitate the reinstatement of programs targeting veterans and senior populations which were temporarily suspended during the COVID crisis.
 
The generous grants from the Illinois Arts Council come as a boost to Arts Quincy’s mission of fostering creativity, arts education and community engagement throughout the region. The grants will play a pivotal role in expanding access to arts programs, enriching the lives of countless individuals and revitalizing the cultural landscape in Western Illinois.

​Arts Quincy invites the community to a free family arts event at Jackson-Lincoln Swimming Complex on Tuesday, July 11 from 6-8 pm! The headline entertainment is Okra Dance Company from Chicago.  A free barbeque dinner will be provided by Big Bros BBQ, through a sponsorship by Blessing Health System.
 
During the event families can visit arts organization booths for activities and to learn more about arts programming for kids. Participating organizations include the Quincy Children’s Museum, Quincy Public Library and The Art Center with a pottery wheel and air-dry clay. The evening’s opening act is The Beat Arts Academy at 6 pm, followed by the Okra Dance Company taking the stage at 6:30 pm. 

Do you have a passion for food and history? Flavor Tours is the perfect marriage of the two in a community overflowing with culinary and cultural wonders! Pave your way to five eateries in Quincy’s downtown District, alongside your personal Food Ambassador, sharing colorful insights into the city’s past. You will visit Electric Fountain Brewing, Krazy Cakes, On the Rail Sports Bar & Grill, The Patio Restraurant, Tiramisu, Quincy Brewing Co. and Wicked Thyme Charcuterie.

​Local chefs create seasonal brunch/lunch menus including house-made coffee, cocktails and beer. Your adventure includes a Farmers Market stroll in Washington Park and a stop at a boutique shop.

Freedom School through Bella Ease has been working on visual art projects to display during Quincy’s second annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 17, thanks to partnership funding from Arts Quincy. 
Students in the program learned about the significance and history of the holiday which honors the end to slavery in the US and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. In 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. 

Swimming Complex field to kick off summer with a celebration featuring art activities, a meal, health and sun safety information as well as a showing of Disney’s Encanto! The evening kicks off at 6 pm with Blessing Heath System serving free walking tacos and the movie starting at 6:30 pm.
While the movie plays, families can visit arts organization booths to make crafts and learn more about arts programming for kids. Participants include the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, Quincy Children’s Museum, Quincy Community Theatre, Quincy Public Library and The Art Center.

One of the most fascinating Underground Railroad sites in the United States is right here in Quincy. Now renamed as the Underground Railroad Museum, the home of Dr. Richard Eells and his wife Jane is open for tours on Saturdays now through November. The couple were active abolitionists who lived in this 1835 brick house in Quincy. In August of 1842, their lives changed forever when an escaped enslaved man named Charlie from nearby Lewis County, Missouri was brought to the house by a free Black man named Berryman Barnet.

Music educator, Dan Sherman, was awarded the 2023 George M. Irwin Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Music and Fine Arts. The presentation took place during the Quincy Park Band’s opening season concert in Madison Park. 
Dan Sherman is beloved by area residents as a music educator and his contributions to local music have had a positive impact throughout the tri-states. The award is in recognition of a lifetime of service and dedication to the entire arts and culture sector and excellence as a musician and educator throughout Quincy and the surrounding area.
“It’s our honor and privilege to acknowledge Mr. Sherman with our most prestigious honor, a George M. Irwin Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Arts Quincy Executive Director Laura Sievert “Dan has made an incredible mark on Quincy’s young musicians and has created a positive impact on students, the school and the community during his years employed in the Quincy Public Schools, working to develop performing arts programs in the parochial schools, performing with countless community choirs and instrumental ensembles and so much more. He’s a constant and enthusiastic supporter of all the arts and a joyful person to work with.”    
The George M. Irwin Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates decades-long commitment to the arts in any discipline. Individuals recognized are leaders, innovators and devoted artists and teachers. The award is sponsored by the business and individual members of Arts Quincy. 

Meet Jeffrey Seibert, a member of the Quincy Woodworkers Guild. Close to four years ago a friend in the guild invited him to a meeting and he has been attending ever since. Jeff enjoys the fellowship, seeing others’ projects and the sharing of knowledge and skills. Jeff enjoys volunteering with Woodcrafting Days at the Illinois Veteran’s Home.
Jeffrey Seibert is a retired pharmacist whose career spanned more than four decades. Woodworking has been a hobby of his for at least the past thirty years and nowadays he enjoys this hobby in a peaceful, woodsy setting in the Liberty area.

​Arts Quincy has sponsored and painted a new mural at Baldwin Elementary School. It is the 14th piece of public art installed by Arts Quincy in four years and the fourth partnership with the artist and program manager Jaycie Womack Spake.