The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to announce a new exhibit, Prairie Voices, on view from June 27th through November 9, 2024. The exhibit brings together a variety of voices from the region to raise awareness of the history and transformation of the distinct prairie landscape of west-central Illinois. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.
Illinois, with its 35.8 million acres of land, is known as the Prairie State. In 1820 the state documented 22 million acres of prairie land but less than 0.01% of that remains today. The Prairie Voices exhibit uses art, history, science, and even sound to offer an experience of the Illinois prairie. For example, visitors gain an appreciation of the diverse wildlife found in our local prairie by listening to an audio recording that offers a surprising symphony of sound. Actual specimens of plants, as well as representations created by local artists, provide a sense of the changing seasons and diverse plant life, giving visitors a new perspective on the prairie.
To understand the environmental importance of native plants found in prairies, a ten-foot Compass Plant root hangs as the centerpiece of the exhibit. The root is on loan from the University of Northern Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center, which has also shared information about their work and the often unseen role prairie plants play in the prairie ecosystem.
Ben Petropoulos, a Land Conservation Specialist for the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center based out of the USDA office in Macomb, shares his experiences on the importance of habitat corridors and their role in maintaining essential ecological processes.
Ross Braun, a teacher-naturalist who worked as a conservationist with the USDA in the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shares in the exhibit the role soil plays in supporting healthy food and plant life. Drawing from his experience, he explains how lawns and flower gardens can benefit from native prairie plants which require much less water and fertilizer, sequester carbon, increase insect and bird diversity, and generally improve the environment.
McDonough County has several individuals who have restored their land to prairie. Oral histories are being conducted to learn how and why they have undertaken this restoration process. Their voices will be shared throughout the exhibit, shedding light on different approaches and outcomes of their work. Featured recordings include Margaret Ovitt in August, Cindy Owsley in September, and Gerald White in October.
The topic of land stewardship in west central Illinois is shared by Prairie Land Conservancy, a local organization dedicated to protecting, restoring, and enhancing woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. Their contribution to the exhibit focuses on ensuring long-lasting ecosystems for wildlife to have a safe place to call home. During the exhibit, they will provide pressed prairie plants to illustrate how plant life changes with the seasons.
The Prairie Voices exhibit takes a community-focused approach to look at what our west central Illinois residents and organizations are doing to understand and be good stewards of the land. The exhibit offers shared knowledge and examples to consider for determining how we want to cultivate this place we live.
About the Tallgrass Prairie Center
The Tallgrass Prairie Center empowers people to value and restore resilient, diverse tallgrass prairie. Center program goals are accomplished through partnerships with the University of Northern Iowa Biology Department, non-governmental organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies. University of Northern Iowa undergraduate and graduate student employees, interns, and AmeriCorps members engage in high-impact, real-world learning experiences by helping staff implement our programs. The Center primarily serves the Upper Midwest tallgrass prairie region and is a model for similar efforts nationally and internationally.
Learn more about the TPC’s prairie roots project, and find related resources at: tallgrassprairiecenter.org/prairie-roots-project.
About the Plein Air Painters
Macomb’s Plein Air group began as the “Road Drawers” over twenty years ago. The group meets on Tuesday mornings around 10:00 am at different local sites including members’ gardens, the Macomb Square, public parks, lakes, farms, and recently Illinois prairies. The group has traveled to sites as far away as Quincy Park, the Mississippi River and bridge, the Warsaw area, Lewistown, Keokuk, and even Galena and sometimes a road trip will find them painting in museums and galleries. Several of the Plein Air Members have shown their artwork in local galleries as well as in New York and foreign countries.
The Plein Air Painters use their time outdoors to create smaller-size studies that capture a location’s quality of light and atmosphere. Members share techniques, critique and give suggestions if asked, try to improve their artwork, and above all else, remain true to their artistic individualities.
The exhibit includes 45 works of art created by Caroline Bailey, Pat Hobbs, Nancy John, Lisa Morrow, Margaret Ovitt, Linda Peters, Janice Rockwell, and Ginny Samuelson.
About Prairie Land Conservancy
The mission of Prairie Land Conservancy is to protect wildlife habitat, open spaces, natural areas, and sustainable agriculture within west central Illinois. With over 2,400 acres of land in our care, the Prairie Land Conservancy works to protect, restore, and enhance woodlands, prairies, and wetlands to ensure long-lasting ecosystems for wildlife to have a safe place to call home.
Continued protection and restoration of our prairies requires commitment from every one of our dedicated members and volunteers. To learn more about our work or volunteering, visit prairielandconservancy.org or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
About Ross Braun
Ross Braun is a teacher-naturalist who worked at Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis Science Center, and the Smithsonian Natural History on the Soil & Water Conservation Society board and for over 27 years, he worked as a conservationist with the USDA in the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He is also a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and served on the Board of Trustees for PATH International, an organization providing services for people with disabilities through equine experiences. Ross also served on the Soil & Water Conservation Society board and for over 27 years, he worked as a conservationist with the USDA in the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
About Ben Petropoulo
Ben Petropoulos is a Land Conservation Specialist for the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center based out of the USDA office in Macomb. His primary duties include helping USDA implement its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and monitoring wetland easements. This work entails conducting detailed ecological assessments, identifying natural resource concerns, developing conservation plans, and working with local landowners to navigate the best available land management practices. Promoting native habitats for wildlife and helping landowners improve local ecological conditions is the most rewarding part of his job. The days he gets to spend outside enjoying all the wonderful sights, sounds, and scents of nature are easily his favorite.