TOAD-ally Awesome Art

01/02/2026

Happy New Year!

Thank you so much for supporting our artists and events. You can save the date for our next event scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2026 at the .imc! Too soon? That's only 11 months left. 😄

Please keep supporting our weirdo artists by following them. You can find their info on our website.
Link in profile.

12/16/2025

Our Recap Part 2 video should have included these images of Katie Khau's awesome illustrations. We uploaded the wrong one. 😣

Please check out her work and follow her if you don't already. https://www.instagram.com/comicentral92/ 😍❤️

📸 by Hooey Batiks

12/13/2025

All set up at the Yuletide Market at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts! Come see me if you can, get your photo with Santa or Krampus, and support local artists! Stay safe!

12/13/2025

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Shared via Fabrikate :

The Parade of Lights was cancelled, but why not move our portion of the party indoors? Come join us for the first ever Fabrikatefest. Dress Mardi Gras, we will parade around the indoor comfort of Lincoln Square Mall. Come get your picture taken with Gertie, my 25 foot dragon. Wear your Mardi Gras garb or any wacky costume would like. Wear your fabrikate bags! There will be a trophy and $50 fabrikate gift card for best costume! Please RSVP to confirm you will be there, we need to make sure we have enough peeps.💜💚

Mystic Krewe of Fabrikate Indoor Festivities and Costume Contest
Satruday, December 20th, 5pm
Lincoln Square Urbana Urbana, IL

Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/17Ypp2xXUS/

12/12/2025

12/11/2025

Make the YuleTOAD Gay: Holiday Art Market - Recap Part 3

This year’s event was made even more special by our Special Guests. We featured our very first Toad Santa on stage, a collaboration between uber-talented artist Kim Caisse (Kim Caisse Art) and Jeremy Wood (). Kim made the amazing, giant toad mask. Jeremy came decked out in his green disco ball suit with all the trimmings! The Toad Santa brought both joy and fright to our visitors who took photos with him and made special memories. Please give them a huge applause - to Kim for spending many hours building the toad head and to Jeremy for enduring the costumes for most of the event and being such a great sport.

We also had Poet James Escher on stage with his typewriter who wrote personalized poems on the spot to take home for visitors willing to share their stories. We are huge fans of Poet James for his generosity. Jim is an empath who can absorb your feelings through his typewriter and translate them into beautiful words.

Shout-out to Ty, Liz, Teklli, and DJBJ from Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center for all their help with making this a smooth ride! ❤️🙏

Last but not least, we had guests of PostMark Urbana from 40 North and Urbana Arts and Culture Program to fill our space with beautiful sights and sounds. Expressions Body Art & Design provided free face-painting for willing visitors who provided their faces as canvas. We also had the Urbana High School Choir Boosters on stage singing carols with our emotive Toad Santa as a backdrop.

Thank you all for making our event extra special! We hope to be back next December with just as much magic and fun as we did this year. Please continue to support local artists by following their profiles. Happy holidays to you all!

🐸❤️
TOADally Awesome Artists

View Part 1 and 2 in our previous videos.

Videos & Photos Credits:

We Love Urbana
Teri McCarthy
Analog_Roam
P.S - PadgetStudio
Hooey Batiks
Fabrikate
Crass Stitching
Steampunk Grub

Send a message to learn more

12/11/2025

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Make the YuleTOAD Gay: Holiday Art Market - Recap Part 2

This year, we expanded the event to the entire IMC’s event space. Here are some recap from the Sun Room with our beautiful and talented artists. Our Signature Artist who created the YuleToad for our poster design, Liza Wynette (a.k.a. .bestiary), featured her YuleToad print. Read more about Liza on our website and follow her on IG. Link in profile.

View Part 1 in our previous video. Stay tuned for the third and final video from the event featuring our Special Guests. You don't want to miss it!

Photos Credits:
Hooey Batiks

Art by Allie Janae
Analog_Roam

Send a message to learn more

12/10/2025

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Make the YuleTOAD Gay: Holiday Art Market: Recap Part 1

Thank you all for coming out to the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center last weekend! We are grateful for your support for the Champaign-Urbana artist community. A big thanks to the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center for the co-sponsorship! We also would like to thank 40 North and Urbana Arts and Culture Program for hosting the PostMark Urbana at the IMC and for bringing your guests and activities to share.

It is our talented and supportive artists who made the event possible - Artists from Champaign-Urbana as well as from the region - Chicago, Springfield, Peoria, and Missouri. We feel very fortunate.

Stay tuned for more photos and videos from the event. You don't want to miss them.

Photos Credit:
Hooey Batiks
We Love Urbana
Art by Allie Janae
Teri McCarthy
Analog_Roam

Send a message to learn more

12/10/2025

Many of our TOADally Awesome Artists will be participating at various holiday markets this coming weekend. Please support local artists this holiday season.

Yuletide Market
The Painted Wraith Curiosity Shoppe
Saturday, December 13th, 10am - 5pm
Bllomington Center for the Performing Arts
https://www.facebook.com/share/1H3P63cizL/
- Crass Stitching
- Piper Pottery + Crafts
- Eli Brown

Mistletoe Market
Saturday, December 13th, 9am - 4pm
at Lincoln Square Urbana
https://www.facebook.com/share/177WJP2uk2/
- Jill’s De-LIX-cious Treats

Chicago Art Girls Holiday Pop Up Shop
Bell Elementary: 3730 N. Oakley, Chicago
Saturday & Sunday, December 13 & 14
11 am to 5 pm
https://www.facebook.com/share/18VuJjXHCZ/
- Amy "hinged jewelry" Taylor
- Fabrikate
- Deana Rose Jewelry
- Kim Caisse Art
- Hooey Batiks
- Veronica Riley Martens Designs