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Celebrating 60 Years
SMU DataArts Names Illinois Sixth Most Vibrant Arts State
Arts Impact in Illinois
$36.1B
of our state's gross domestic product was contributed by arts and culture in 2022 - Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Dept of Commerce
216,227
Illinois jobs were in arts and culture (2022)
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce
22
grants totaling $862,855 were directed to Illinois school districts in developing arts and foreign language curricula in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education (FY2024)
$29.1B
in revenues to state and local government are delivered by Illinois arts nonprofits in 2022 - Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6)
29
local arts councils partnered with IAC through its Local Arts Network to support statewide arts programming (FY2024)
100%
of all legislative districts throughout Illinois receive free access to local and regional news, public affairs and arts programming through IAC support for Illinois Public Radio and Television (FY2024)
Featured Fellowship Recipient
Reggio “The Hoofer” McLaughlin is the Windy City’s most revered master of tap dancing. Born on Chicago’s South Side, McLaughlin developed a fondness for tap dancing while watching a performance in second grade. With few professional opportunities and little knowledge of the dance scene, McLaughlin began his career dancing in the subways to earn money to eat. Later he joined the roster of Urban Gateways, a nonprofit dedicated to providing arts experiences for Chicago’s underserved youth, and presented programs at schools, libraries, museums, and park facilities that combined performance, historical commentary, and demonstration. With a professional track record, McLaughlin left the subway behind, securing bookings as part of dance team programs and as a workshop leader across the city. Recently, McLaughlin worked closely with ragtime pianist Reginald Robinson and the Carolina Chocolate Drops on the musical production Keep A Song in Your Soul: The Black Roots of Vaudeville, which garnered support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation’s MAP Fund, and the Joyce Foundation. In 2014, McLaughlin received New York City’s prestigious Flo-Bert Award. In 2015, the Old Town School of Folk Music honored “The Hoofer” with its Distinguished Teaching Artist Award, and in 2020, named a dance studio in honor of Reggio. In 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts honored McLaughlin with the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts: the National Heritage Fellowship. In 2022, the City of Chicago gave him the Esteemed Artist Award, and, in 2023, the American Tap Dance Foundation presented him with the prestigious Hoofer Award.
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