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Gallery Hours Closed Mondays,
New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New
Year's Eve Day
The Bicentennial Art Center & Museum (Art
Center) is
located at 132 South Central Avenue in Paris, Illinois, one block south of the
Courthouse square on Illinois Highway 1 South. Paris, in the heart of the
Illinois prairie, is the county seat of Edgar County in east central Illinois,
25 miles from the Illinois/Indiana border.
On the map, Paris is located on Illinois State
Highway 1 from the north and south, Highway 150 from the east and Highways 16
and 133 from the west. See Map which
may take a few seconds to load.
The Art Center, a non-profit organization, offers a full range of art activities and programs to the residents and artists of the region including exhibitions, classes and workshops, tours to other art centers and events, community outreach programs, and, scholarships for talented youth. The Art Center maintains a permanent collection, the nucleus of which are the paintings by Alice Baber, a native of Edgar County, who achieved international recognition in 1960's and 70's. Other collection pieces include paintings, drawings, prints, and three-dimensional pieces by artists with national and regional reputations.
All programs, activities and memberships are
open to the public regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability.
There is no admission charge to view the exhibitions. Memberships are
available at varying levels of support and are renewable annually.
Exhibitions: The Art Center's five
galleries feature changing exhibitions throughout the year of work by artists
with international, national, regional and area recognition. Among the
exhibitions are Annual Shows that are judged competitions calling for entries
from artists throughout the mid-west.
Classes and Workshops: A full line of
classes and workshops are offered throughout the year for individuals whose
interest and skill levels vary from beginners to advanced and whose ages range
from children age 4 on up through adults.
Community Outreach Program: The Art Center joined forces with the Paris Community School District, area businesses,
organizations and individuals to establish the "Partners In Education" - art
enrichment program. The program provides art education experiences related to
classroom learning for 1,000 elementary and middle school students who would
otherwise have no exposure to the visual arts.
Scholarships: Each spring scholarships
are awarded to talented graduating high school seniors or college/university
students working toward a career in the visual or performing arts.
Applications are available upon request from the Art Center. Persons applying
are requested to fill out an application and submit that along with a
portfolio and/or video/cassette of their work. Scholarships are awarded at
the discretion of a qualified judge with art education experience.
Membership: Membership in the Art
Center is open to the public at varying levels of support and is renewable
annually. Members receive the Center's newsletter covering scheduled programs
and activities; discounts on class and workshop registrations and exhibition
entry fees: and early notification of social events and tours.
Tours: The Art Center arranges group tours
to outstanding exhibitions at other art centers and museums throughout the
mid-west.
The mission of the Art Center is to generate enthusiastic participation in and support of the arts and to provide opportunities that increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of and participation in the arts. Program and activities are funded through memberships, businesses, patrons, and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
If you would like to be receive a periodic e-mail
on activities then
Subscribe to
our mailing list
Contact Art Center Director Susan Stafford at Susans@ParisArtCenter.com |