The Winco Project

05/07/2026

We are on the move! I took these beauties to the Scott County Court House to be hung today! The Winco Project is about to be popping up all over town. Thank you so much to Mark Ford for asking to hang my work! The Courthouse has held good days and bad for me, I have laughed, cried, fought, and been set straight upstairs. I have been tolerated and humored in the records office, I have dug for treasure with a flashlight in the basement. I have found mysteries, and solved mysteries, I have cried tears over transcripts written by my great grandfather. Today I left something of myself in that building that wasn’t a speeding ticket or likewise embarrassing record of my existence in this place.

04/23/2026

Haskell’s Stars & Haskell’s Moon

04/21/2026

If photographing all the churches of Scott County didn’t bring me closer to God, it did bring me closer to law enforcement. While taking this one at Christ Lutheran on Jefferson, I had a lovely chat with our local police officer, who was responding to a call of suspicious behavior in the church parking lot…🤷🏼‍♀️

04/20/2026

Series One is ready and I can’t wait to share it with you! I am breaking The Winco Project down into several mini exhibits and the first one is Sunday School, an exhibit of all the churches in Scott County. This will open in May, dates and hours TBA soon!

04/15/2026

It took basically 42 years, but I finished a triptych. There are a lot of beautiful places in Scott County, and ultimately this project has been about me finding the things to love about this place. After many years of searching, I have found some great things to love, even in places that aren’t so beautiful anymore. Last summer I lived downtown, and I spent a lot of time walking Molly. I spent a lot of time eating ice cream in the park. I spent too much time counting windows and parking places. I spent too much time looking at the old Brant’s building, where I purchased my very first Beanie Baby. It is where we would turn in Tootsie Pop wrappers with the Indian and the Star and get a free Tootsie Pop, it might be an urban myth, but here it was real. It’s been a slow roll watching this building serve as a museum to happy birthday mugs and copy paper. I anticipate additions to this piece.

Brant’s $1 Bag of Candy
1. Bra*ts Rebellion: A protracted lesson on The Broken Windows Theory
2. Dime Store Drive By
3. Brant’s Dog Park or B&R Backdoor Gift Shop
$150

04/15/2026

There’s a new exhibit at the Jaxy Jacksonville Area Museum!

OPEN NOW!

A new exhibit highlighting the courageous stories of freedom seekers and the multi-racial conductors who assisted them on the Underground Railroad in Illinois are featured in a new exhibit, Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad, which will be open to to the public through August 1, 2026.

The exhibit tells selected stories of freedom seekers, conductors and communities in Illinois that were part of the journey to freedom on the Illinois Underground Railroad. Using photos, videos, maps, personal stories, and illustrations created specifically for the exhibit, visitors will learn the about the people and communities who took part in this hidden history. In addition, the Jacksonville Area Museum will feature local stories to enhance the exhibit.

In conjunction, the Jacksonville Area Museum will also offer several free public programs:

- Re-enactor Kathryn Harris will be portraying Underground Railroad conductor Priscilla Baltimore on May 9 at 6 pm, hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church.

- A roundtable discussion featuring Dr. Brian Mitchell on June 19. Look for more information soon.

“Walk with Heroes” Cemetery tour of UGRR Conductors with Chad Boehlke will be held on July 11 at 6 pm at Diamond Grove Cemetery in Jacksonville. Mr Boehlke will offer a guided walking tour of the final resting place of the many Underground Railroad Conductors of Jacksonville.

Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad is presented in arrangement by The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, also known as Looking for Lincoln.
The exhibit will be open during regular museum hours: Wed & Sat 10-4, and Sundays 1-4.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged.

04/14/2026

How can there be so many churches in this tiny county. I thought for sure it would take me “a couple days” to finish this series up, but apparently I have like 9 left…

04/13/2026

Can you believe I only drilled 12 holes during this project?

04/06/2026

I did not go to church yesterday,
but I did go to churches.

02/27/2026

Caught the view from the other side this week.