The worlds of art and nature constellate on the cover of this issue of Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine.
The artist, photographer Chris Young, captured for posterity the Comet Hale-Bopp's recent visit, illuminating the historic event with a park scene.
Inside this issue, we also bring together art and the field of parks and recreation.
Football and arts festivals. Outdoor sculpture. Cemeteries walking tours.
These are just a few examples of the cultural arts opportunities found at local park districts and forest preserves and featured in the magazine.
Art and nature make culture what it is in our communities. And both are often funding underdogs.
Like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) faces extinction in Washington, D.C.
Stateside, we are fortunate to have funding available for parks and the arts.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources' grant programs (e.g., OSLAD and Bicycle Path) help many local governments preserve land and develop parks (see page 55).
The Illinois Arts Council received a modest budget increase this year and offers several grants and resources for local governments (see page 27).
"Every child is an artist," said Pablo Picasso.
Watching my 10-month-old's adventures in chocolate pudding finger painting, I have to agree. Using as his canvas the counter-top (and floor and high chair), he created a messy masterpiece, which was, of course, captured for posterity on home video.
For any age, art is an opportunity to discover and record our world.
ANN LONDRIGAN
Editor
4/ Illinois Parks and Recreation