Bill Seipel is a software developer by trade. But when an opportunity to create a new space in his community dedicated to the arts and humanities came along last year, he couldn't pass it up.
"Myself and a couple other people in Elmwood started this nonprofit to promote art, cinema, music, and literature, and further the education of the arts in and around the Elmwood area," he said.
The 501(c)3 nonprofit Elmwood Center for the Humanities will be based at 120 W. Main St. in Elmwood, next door to the historic Palace Theater. The building is currently undergoing remodeling. Seipel hopes to have it open sometime this spring.
Seipel said the Elmwood Center for the Humanities can provide more exposure to the arts with its multi-purpose classroom for education in art, music, cinema, and the other humanities. That includes things that might be a bit off the beaten path.
"If you want to learn about something a little more obscure, like Gouache painting, you might be able to go to the center and pick that up," he said. "So I think it fills a gap in the art education curriculum that you might not be able to get in the smaller community."
Seipel said there will also be an art gallery for local and regional artists to exhibit their work, and a full service coffee shop.
The center is already putting on some programming in Elmwood in partnership with the Palace Theater. That included a screening of the surrealist 1968 cult classic The Swimmer starring Burt Lancaster back in October.
Five-minute local history documentaries called "Prairie Tales" are also shown at the theater, Seipel said. A grant from ArtsPartners of Central Illinois will fund the production of more of those short films.
"Please visit Elmwood if you have the means to," said Seipel. "It's only 30 minutes southwest of Peoria and there's a lot to offer."
To learn more about the Elmwood Center for the Humanities, visit their website.
