Arts and Culture

Destihl’s TourBus Concert Series continues Saturday with the Twin City debut of Nashville singer-songwriter Phoebe Hunt. Hunt tracks her journey from classical violinist to mystical indie folk band leader.

Illinois State University will host a country music concert next week to help aspiring broadcasters follow their dreams. The concert Tuesday night at Braden Auditorium is a fundraiser for Camp Broadcast.

Community Players' black-tie gala was no ordinary fundraiser for the troupe, who turned out dressed to the nines for a roaring ‘20s-themed evening of dining, drinking and dancing to celebrate the theater’s centennial. But this party was not only about looking backward at the 100-year history of Community Players. It also was about the future.

Matt Jagitsch draws lifelike portraits and wildlife using white-on-black technique called reverse drawing. Rick Decorie takes his camera to Midwest junk yards in search of old cars and architectural artifacts. Both spent decades in different fields. Their concurrent solo shows at their McLean County Art Center prove any time is the right time to kick-start an art career.

History connects people through time. And learning how the past links to the present is basic to understanding the human condition. In our series on transplants to the Twin Cities, WGLT has found history matters to several people who have moved to central Illinois.

Director Tom Dzurison debuts "The Lifespan of a Fact" at Heartland Theatre Company on Feb. 2. The play, based on a 2012 book of the same name, is about an overzealous "essayist" and the fact-checker of a struggling publication assigned to review his not-quite-true article.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Jesse Ray and the Carolina Catfish contains two members. But with their big, bluesy-rock sound, you'd guess there were at least four members.

Curator Troy Sherman is rounding the bend on his first year at University Galleries, and the first show he’s curated opens next week. The show is called “simplenothingsimplesomething” — all one word — and features a multimedia installation by Portland-based artist Avantika Bawa.

WGLT asked student producer Samantha Hill to make a Highway 309 playlist of her own — featuring songs inspired by and coming out of the civil rights movement.

Central Illinois mainstay Edward David Anderson will play a solo set in Destihl’s Barrel Room on Saturday, Jan. 14. That’s not unusual, but there’s a lot that makes the evening unique: Anderson kicks off a four-part series curated by his company, Black Dirt Music, and introducing three Americana heavy hitters to Bloomington-Normal. Plus, there's a new brew exclusively for concertgoers.

In an ultimate example of students going above and beyond, WGLT profiles two Normal Community High School students in January and February who transformed a sociology project into arts events at the Coffeehouse for all to enjoy. The catch? It’s got to make an impact.