Peoria's Hidden Treasures Podcast

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - October 29, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:44:40 +0000

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This week, we’re looking at works of art on Water Street in downtown Peoria.

On the wall above the Water Street Café is a mural depicting New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parade. Revelers include a court jester, a centaur and a bull and a mermaid. A few blocks away is a sculpture called “Peoria Portal.” Consisting of a column of raw granite, a column of bronze, and a modern arch, the piece encapsulates a history of architectural ideas. Across from Contemporary Art Center stands a sculpture, “Flight of the Cakewalkers,” by Peoria’s Preston Jackson.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - October 22, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:05:14 +0000

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This week, we’re at the studios of WTVP public television, at the Corner of State Street and Water Street, looking at some works of art on display there. The building features a mural by Thomas Hardin, recounting the history of the plot of land on which the building sits. A portrait called “Owl Man” by Ken Hoffman, depicting a bird-like man, hangs nearby. And a painting by Suzette Boulais, done with paint left over from the building’s construction, adorns the office of station President Chet Tomczyk.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - October 15, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:10:49 +0000

This week, we’re back at the Peoria Historical Society, looking at painting and prints in their conference room. Among the Peoria residents depicted there is Dr. George Zeller. He was director of the Bartonville State Mental Hospital. He believed patients there should be treated like they were sick, not criminals, and initiated many reforms in patient care there. The portrait was painted in 1938, the year Zeller died. Nearby, just above a portrait of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, is a painting by of the Palm House at Glen Oak Park, which was the predecessor building to Luthy Botanical Garden.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - October 8, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:27:47 +0000

This week, we’re looking at two more artifacts on display at the Peoria Historical Society. One is a banner dating to Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 Presidential campaign. It was given by the women in Peoria, to the “Wideawakes,” a nationalist group which acted as political police, maintaining order at political rallies and holding marches on behalf of candidate. It depicts Lincoln atop a hill, overlooking the White House and a field of rolling hills.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - October 1, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:09:13 +0000

We’re at the offices of the Peoria Historical Society, looking at some works of art in their collection. Some of their artwork and artifacts are now on display, including a photograph of a 1920s diner, located at the corner of Jefferson and Hamilton streets in downtown Peoria. The diner’s window advertised daily specials: Pork loin and spring chicken sandwiches. A print of the city’s 1872 post office is hung nearby.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - May 14, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:50:44 +0000

Our look at public art in Galesburg concludes with two murals painted during the 1930s. "Breaking the Prairie – Log City" is an example of American Regionalism; it tells the story of Galesburg’s settlement. It’s on display in the post office on Main Street. Another mural depicts the 1858 debate between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - May 7, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:51:06 +0000

This week, we’re looking at the work of two Knox College alumni, on display in the college’s Seymour Library. Keith Achepohl donated nearly fifty prints to the College; many of them draw on his travels to Egypt and Turkey. Printmaker Clare Smith graduated from Knox at the age of 64. Her works apply the technique known as viscosity printing to images of the American Southwest.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - April 23, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:45:32 +0000

The Seymour Library at Knox College is home to two narrative paintings. One, by August Wenderoth, depicts events during the Battle of Gettysburg, in which Confederate General Robert E. Lee lost up to one-third of his soldiers. Another painting is by African-American artist Clementine Hunter. She never learned to read or write, but took up painting in her fifties, and lived to the age of 101.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - April 16, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:09:33 +0000

This week, a look at a sculpture of a Civil War era nurse Mary Bickerdyke. During the war, she collected food and supplies for soldiers from Knox County; she went on to organize several hundred hospitals, and earned the nickname “The Cyclone in Calico.” In 1906, her work was honored with a statue on the lawn of the Knox County Courthouse. The bronze statue was created by Boston artist Theodora Kitson.

Peoria's Hidden Treasures - April 9, 2012

Nathan Irwin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:00:20 +0000

In 1858, 20,000 people gathered in front of the Old Main building at Knox College for debate between Senate candidates Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. A century later, that debate was commemorated with two bronze portraits of the debaters by Avard Fairbanks. The two plaques are on display at the entrance to Old Main. Another sculpture – depicting Mother Goose and two reading children – is installed outside the Galesburg Public Library.