Council helps you map future with area arts scene

If you are an artist or writer new to town, you might want to get on the radar of 40 North 88 West Champaign County Arts, Culture and Entertainment Council.

The council acts as a resource for artists and information clearinghouse on the arts in Champaign County, and offers artists special benefits if they join.

The annual membership fee for artists is $40 and for students, $20. Membership benefits include:

– A link to the artist member's Web site from the 40 North Web site.

– Listing in an online artist registry that includes biographical information and digital image artwork.

– Discounts on 40 North workshops.

– Invitations to 40 North member-only events.

– Early-bird notice of special events and opportunities.

– A subscription to 40 North's Newsletter.

On its Web site (www.40north.org) and in other ways, 40 North 88 West helps give artists exposure and helps them make connections. It also offers, from time to time and in collaboration with others, workshops geared toward artists that are related to marketing, savvy investing and intellectual property.

In collaboration with Krannert Art Museum, 40 North also helps visual, performing and literary artists by hosting a monthly open critique called "A Call to Arts." Moderated by artist and reporter Jenny Southlynn, the open and free critiques allow people to test their work before a supportive and gentle, not to mention knowledgeable, audience.

The council also started First Friday and Final Friday gatherings, where artists and 40 North members may network and bring up issues of concern. The events are at 7:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month at a coffeehouse and 5 p.m. the last Friday of the month at a local bar.

40 North also helped create SPEAK Cafe, a monthly event at Krannert Art Museum at which anyone may take the microphone and perform or recite poetry. Participation is open and free.

The arts council also has helped continue the annual Boneyard Arts Festival, founded several years ago as a gallery walk by Southlynn, and helped create the Boneyard Late Night spACE, featuring live music and art installations, curated by musician/composer Jason Finkelman, a former New Yorker.

As part of the Boneyard festival, artists are matched to venues such as restaurants, coffeehouses and other venues, where they display their work during the festival.

40 North 88 West, a reference to the latitude and longitude of Champaign County, was formed in 2002 by a group that included downtown Champaign developer Jon "Cody" Sokolski and Krannert director Mike Ross.

At least one local arts council had existed before, from 1975 to roughly 1985. It was known as the Champaign County Arts and Humanities Council and then, after reorganizing, as the Arts Council of Champaign County.

The first director of 40 North 88 West was Megan Wolf and the second Jennifer Armstrong. After three years in the position, Armstrong left in June to take a position with the Illinois Arts Council as director of community arts development. 40 North 88 West was to launch a national search for a successor.

A primary purpose for forming 40 North was to promote the area as a cultural oasis. The council has also helped convince local politicians that the arts are a valuable tool in recruiting not only tourists but also new business – and that the arts have an economic impact on the community.

One way the council did that has been through a print campaign called "Art Lives Here."

The effort received two state awards in early 2007 for best of show and best advertising and/or public relations campaign.

40 North also helped bring statewide attention to Champaign-Urbana in May by hosting the 2007 Illinois Arts Alliance conference at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts – considered the crown jewel of the arts in Champaign County, with an excellent reputation among world-class performing artists.

It also published in 2007 the Champaign County Culture Guide, a new brochure that accompanies its updated Web site.

The guide is distributed to tourists at six visitor centers in the state and is available at the 40 North office and other sites in the county.

40 North also has helped make the arts more visible by establishing, two years ago, the ACE Awards, which recognize arts advocates and raises awareness of the role of the arts in the community. The awards are usually given out each October.