Location: Illinois

Lifelong residents of East St. Louis saw some of the world’s greatest entertainers hone their craft on their hometown stages.

The city’s venues provided respite from the grind of industrial life—embracing the joy of music, dancing, and community.

If selected, they would be one of four Midwesterners to receive this early career recognition since the category’s inception in 2000.

Pachas’s traditional dances pass down indigenous values through stories about bridge building, Mother Earth, and even Lake Michigan.

In 1912, in Chicago’s industrial hub by Lake Michigan, marionette mermaids performed Shakespeare’s works. 100 years later, puppets are still being made and performing there.

Terrain Exhibitions organizes hundreds of artworks in front yards around the world.

Amid a “loneliness epidemic,” Crema Shop has become a hub of creative community life on Chicago’s north side.

At this year’s day-long Sonido Fest, artists performed indie, alternative, electronic and contemporary music at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.

A writer, historian, and an artist from the Midwest are among the 2024 MacArthur Fellows. They will each receive an $800,000 grant, with no strings attached.

The New Soul Food Movement satisfies the palates of a generation that prefers lighter, more elevated preparations, yet still enjoys soul food’s classic flavor profiles.