Artists Support Community Vaccination Efforts

June 15, 2021

Artists from Decatur and across Illinois are contributing their talents to help communities get vaccinated.

As restrictions are lifted, the arts and culture sector in Illinois recognizes that continuing to get their audiences and communities vaccinated is important for safely getting back to in-person arts activities. Artists in 24 regions across Illinois are creating more than 72 pro-vaccination projects this summer as vaccines are now widely available.

“We’re excited to be working with three talents local artists as they create unique art projects to inspire and encourage people in Decatur to get a COVID vaccination,” says Jerry Johnson, Executive Director of the Decatur Area Arts Council. “With the help of local businesses, organizations, and agencies, these works of art will soon brighten every corner of our community and help us all become more comfortable with being creatively social again.”

  1. Musician and arts educator Kaream Williams, who is also a recording artist and producer under the name TaQsem, will be create an original song along with a music video.
  2. Musician and entertainment promoter Mike Wilcott will develop a series of videos based around the theme, “Because of you, I can play”… music, sports, or on the playground.
  3. Shani Goss, artist and designer, will create a painting featuring the theme “Lust for Life” along with a variety of social media visuals to promote all three projects as a single campaign.

Getting vaccinated this summer is especially important to our local creative sector. Even as the state entered into Phase 5 on June 11, lifting restrictions on restaurants and businesses, many cultural centers and venues remain closed and are still dealing with capacity-limits and project decreased revenue due to continued social-distancing requirements.

These projects are made possible by a collaboration between Arts Alliance Illinois and the Decatur Area Arts Council.

Participating regions include: Aurora, Bloomington, Carbondale, Centralia, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, DuPage County, East St. Louis, Elgin, Evanston, Galena, Galesburg, Joliet, Lake County, Mattoon, McHenry County, Oak Park, Peoria, Quad Cities, Quincy, Rockford, South East Suburban Chicago (Dolton, Calumet City, Lansing), South Suburban Chicago and Springfield.

About Arts Alliance Illinois

Arts Alliance Illinois fights for arts resources and policies that benefit our members and all Illinois residents. With 25,000 active subscribers and hundreds of members, we connect the people and ideas that are shaping the future of the creative sector. As the only multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture across the state, the Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can fight alone. Our work in civic engagement, arts education, and cultural equity positively impacts every community across the state. Visit artsalliance.org to learn more.

For more information, call 217-423-3189, or email arts4all@decaturarts.org.


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