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Visual art studios grow, welcome patronage

Lest anyone think that there are art studios in Peoria is a fairly recently thing, Marianne Bibo-Russell begs to differ. To a point, anyway.

She opened a studio nearly 50 years ago and, though it has been closed almost two years, it wasn't exactly the only one in town. But there weren't many others and the public perception of such studios was, well, a misperception.

"This was a corn-fed, ultra-conservative community. People thought fine art was only for the rich," she said recently. "I'm glad people now know art takes many forms and that it is for everybody. But you know, people still don't really understand what an artist has to do to get ahead, to make a living."

Bibo-Russell was one of Peoria's chief arts angels. She served 18 years on the board of the Peoria Arts Center, was the founder of the Fine Art Fair that is celebrating its 50th year in September and chaired the event for more than 10 years. She was a founding member of the Peoria Ballet and helped launch the career of arguable Peoria's best-known artist, Preston Jackson.

Bibo-Russell founded Bibo Galleries in 1963 and started doing monthly art shows almost immediately. In 1965, she said, Jackson asked her to give him a show; he'd been turned away by many other places "because it was difficult for a black artist to get anywhere back then."

But that wasn't why she gave Jackson his own art show then and several times after. "I did it for one simple reason; he was and is a great artist. He's a genius," she said.

She said she helped others get started, as well, and that is what she is most proud of. "I've loved art since I was a little girl. I'm talking all the arts. I love the creativity that goes with it and artists are the most fascinating people you can meet because they appreciate seeing the world come alive," she said.

"We're very fortunate here to have the kind of talent we do, people who are willing to give of themselves and of their talent and creativity. You can live in Peoria, Illinois and be internationally known. I've been blessed personally to watch how it has grown," Bibo-Russell said.

While the public support of the arts has led to its growth in more recent times, she said, there is still room for more growth. "There are still a lot of people who don't really know what is happening here in our community. When they do find out they love it, but we've got to do an even better job of getting the word out," she said.

Those efforts are growing with the number of studios in Peoria. While the Peoria Art Guild has struggled financially in recent years, it has been able to host frequent art shows. The Contemporary Art Center has as well, with a new show opening on a regularly basis. And the Murray Center has shows, too, along with many private studios.

All those are located within a few blocks of each other, but that isn't always the case. There are many other studios now, but more spread out.

Where are they? The best way to learn that is CIAO; that's the Central Illinois Artists Organization that was formed in February 2011 by eight local artists whose sole purpose was to promote artists and arts organizations in the region.

Membership in CIAO now numbers more than 40 artists and the group's signature event, First Fridays Studio Tour — whereby member studios open to the public on the first Friday of every month — has done much to increase the public's awareness of the local visual arts community.

On the tour people can see a large variety of arts media, from paint to sculture to ceramics to glassblowing to woodworking and pretty much everything in between.

In October CIAO will get a nice boost when some of its members' works will be displayed when the new Peoria Riverfront Museum opens. It's a joint project between CIAO and the museum. Submissions have been made for consideration but the choices have not yet been announced.

A list of CIAO members and the studios, including a map of where the Studio Tour can take you, is on the organization's website at www.ciaopeoria.com.

Could more be done? Absolutely, believe people like Bibo-Russell and William Butler, an artist and the executive director of the Contemporary Art Center.

"I think there is room for improvement in communicating what we have. But it's difficult to promote it as individuals because as artists we're pretty strapped and most of us have to have day jobs," Butler said. He suggested a collaboration with community organizations such as the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote the local arts to the tourism industry would help.

"We have to treat it like a business if we're going to make it worthwhile," he said.

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