Performing, visual arts showcased during ColorFest

Unity Through the Arts is showcasing Union County’s many performing and visual artists in a publication that will be distributed during ColorFest weekend in October.

A map showing the locations of galleries, art centers, studios and businesses that feature local art will be available both in print and online to the area’s visitors and residents.

More than a dozen venues and events will be featured, including an exhibit by the students in Ellen Spalt’s painting classes at the First Presbyterian Church in Cobden, the World War II play, “Canteen,” at the Anna Arts Center, “The Kings of Egypt,” a literary reading by the Blue Billies at The Old Feed Store in Cobden, the annual Pumpkin Town display at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, and a performance by the Southern Illinois West African Drumming Ensemble at the Yellow Moon Café in Cobden.

One of the goals of the Unity Through the Arts program is to promote the cultural and creative industries of the region.

Unity Through the Arts is a collaborative endeavor involving the Anna Arts Center, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Imagining Geographies at SIU, the River-to-River Visual Arts Association, the SIU Office of Economic and Regional Development, Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau, the Union County Economic Development and the Union County Museum, is to promote the cultural and creative industries of the region.