Southern Arts Fund
The Southern Arts Fund (SAF) encourages arts programming and education by distributing grants to artists and community organizations throughout Southern Illinois. Individual artists, nonprofits, governmental organizations, and educational institutions are invited to submit project proposals that demonstrate a strong public service or community outreach component.
The 2023 Southern Arts Fund is made possible by funding from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, and regional donors.
THE MISSION
The Southern Arts Fund aims to address the following:
- Expand access to and availability of public art projects and arts funding in the region
- Encourage sustainable arts and cultural programming by community organizations and public outreach initiatives by artists throughout Southern Illinois
- Promote regional collaboration between artists, organizations, and communities
2023 SAF Grantees
This year, SAF distributed more than $40,000 to artists and organizations throughout Southern Illinois, with projects in more than 7 counties.
2023 SAF RECIPIENTS
- A Gift of Love Charity
Mindful Art for Children - Black Chamber of Commerce of Southern Illinois
Juneteenth Block Party - Bret Gowin
It Takes a Village – Tamms Mural - Cade Bursell
All Species Puppet Parade - Carbondale United
Exploring the History of Racial Justice - Henry Dieters
Standard Issue - Legacy Training, Inc.
Summer Dance Workshop Series
- Lisa Marie Malloy
Cairo Youth Media Arts Workshop - Megan Smith
Camp Create - Robert Ketchens
Black Female Leaders – A Painted History - Shawnee Hills Arts Council
Youth Drama Camp - SI CABE (Southern Illinois Culture and Art in Bilingual Education)
Latin Summer Nights - Southern Illinois Irish Festival
Irish Music Festival and Celtic Fair - Stone Soup Shakespeare Theater Company
Stone Soup Sharkespeare 13th Tour - Village of Alto Pass
Cinco De Mayo
Juneteenth Block Party
Juneteenth Block Party is Friday, June 16 from 5-9pm on Jackson Street in Carbondale, from Marion Street to Gum Street. The theme for Juneteenth this year is Getting to Know Your Roots. There will be a Juneteenth Themed Paint Party, arts, food vendors, and entertainment.
Latin Summer Nights
SI CABE presents Los Condenados Huastecos on July 29th at 6pm. Juan Rivera & his Trio will play an outdoor, community concert in downtown Carbondale at the Town Square Pavilion, with an ethnomusicological educational component.
Cairo Youth Media Arts Workshop
This summer workshop will focus on training Cairo youth in the tools of media-making and video production with hands-on learning. The aim is to connect children, ages 10-12 years old, with local history through recording interviews with Cairo community members.
Camp Create
Camp Create is five one-week summer camps for ages 5-12, focusing on art and community engagement. Each camp will have a different theme including: Interior Design, Sewing, Mythical Creatures, Comic Book Creation, and Cardboard Communities. Camp Create will be hosted by Wander Community Art Studio in Du Quoin.
All Species Puppet Parade
The Beloved Puppetistas hosted the ninth All Species Puppet Parade on April 22 in Attucks Park. Three community workshops were held in Carbondale to make puppets from recycled materials prior to the parade. At the Earth Day celebration, attendees were able to make masks, enjoy the parade, and listen to live music. Photo by the Beloved Puppetistas
Irish Music Festival and Celtic Fair
The Irish Music Festival and Celtic Fair took place Lenus Turley Park on April 29. This free music festival showcased traditional Irish music with an exhibition of bagpipes from all over the world provided by Sean Folsom. Local vendors will also provide arts, crafts, food, and drinks.
Stone Soup Sharkespeare 13th Tour
Stone Soup Shakespeare will tour Pericles in communities in Southern Illinois and throughout the Midwest for free from September 5 – October 8, schedule coming soon. Stone Soup Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre, invites the entire audience to travel on the sea with Pericles as he finds love, danger, family, and home. Our cast of five take on all the characters that Pericles comes across, using puppets, music, and movement to offer a story of adventure as epic as Game of Thrones with a slightly more consistent ending.
Cinco de Mayo Festival
This Cinco de Mayo Festival took place in Alto Pass on Saturday, May 6 with music, dance, food, entertainment, and kids activities.
It Takes A Village, Tamms Mural
This mural will depict a plat map of Tamms, IL in the early 1800’s when the Village was known as Idlewild. The map will be surrounded by the faces of past and present residents of Tamms that made great contributions to the Village. Located on Front Street, this mural is a collaboration by Bret Gowin and the Village of Tamms.
Summer Dance Workshop Series
Led by Legacy Training, this project will provide dance training to 15-20 students, ages 8-12, that attend Meridian School District 21st Century Community Learning Center’s STEM program, on August 5 from 10am – 2pm, 2023, to make STEAM.
Mindful Art for Children
Mindful Art for Children Workshops’ mission is to help adolescents ages 8 – 12 use art as a tool to develop insight into their emotional development.
Youth Drama Camp
This two-week free Youth Drama Camp will be held at Anna Arts Center. Campers will work on acting exercises, improvisation and use of their imagination to bring stories to life. They will learn set design, lights, sound, make new friends, and develop self-esteem.
Black Female Leaders, A Painted History
This mural will honor the accomplishments of African American female leaders, located on the exterior wall of the African American Museum in Mounds, IL.
Standard Issue: One Each, An Original Military-themed Musical
This workshop is to perform the original musical Standard Issue: One Each at Marion Cultural and Civic Center. The production with live vocals and acting on stage will be open for public feedback by veterans, mental health and arts professionals.
Exploring the History of Racial Justice
This is a trip to the Equal Justice Institute in Montgomery, Alabama for At-Risk Youth led by Carbondale United. The Equal Justice Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to ending mass incarceration and challenging racial and economic injustice.
2022 SAF RECIPIENTS
- African American Museum of Southern Illinois
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration - Art for All
Marion Summer Art Program - Cade Bursell
All Species Puppet Parade - Cairo Historical Preservation Project
Spirit of Ward Chapel at AME Church - Carbondale Main Street
Brown Bag Concerts - Carbondale Park District
Jazz in the Park - Carbondale United
Chicago Mass Choir Performance at the Cairo Heritage Gospel and Blues Festival - Cobden High School – ESL Club
Ballet Folclorico Dance Team - DeSande R
The Door of No Return & The Struggle Before Greatness - Douglass School Art Place
Hands in Bridgewood - Legacy Training, Inc.
Just a Vocalist: The Art of the Music Business
- Madeline Deiters
Kre8ive Fine Arts Ground and Wall Mural - Michael Faris
A History of Racism - Phillip Carrier
Sculptural Bridges at Touch of Nature Trails - Project Human X
Project Human X Art Festival - Robert Ketchens
A Painted History Mural - Sandra Pfeifer
39 Counties: Save Democracy Tour - Shawnee Hills Arts Council
Hansel & Gretel Revisited - Southern Illinois Artist Collective on Race, Equity, and Unity
A Response to the Legacy of Racial Terrorism in America: A Fine Art Show - Southern Illinois Culture and Art in Bilingual Education (SI CABE)
Latin Summer Nights - Stone Soup Shakespeare Theater Company
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Tour
SAF Partners
The Southern Arts Fund (SAF) is made possible through the Illinois Arts Council Agency’s Community Arts Access program. The SAF is administered by Artspace 304, with significant funding support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, and regional donors.