It was a recent weekday afternoon in Springfield when Erin Washington was hanging crystal prisms from a neon-pink geodesic dome. The dome is outside of Springfield Art Association (SAA) in the Enos Park neighborhood.
Washington's work is part of this year's Terrain Biennial, an effort to make art more accessible to the general public and create community-based conversation and celebration. Every two years, artists partner with residents in neighborhoods and create artwork that can be seen outdoors.
This is the third year Terrain has taken root in Springfield. Co-organizers and curators, Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson, are artists themselves who often collaborate on projects.
On Oct. 2, about 100 people braved the rainy weather to take part in the opening of Terrain in Enos Park. The sites, on display through mid-November, are located between Fourth and Eighth Streets in the blocks near but south of North Grand Avenue.
Hasani Cannon toured the neighborhood with a group of friends during the opening. The University of Illinois Springfield student helped put together one of the installations, which was curated by professor Shane Harris and executed by students. The exhibition is titled "The Ornaments of Material" and the students created pieces with unconventional items purchased at a dollar store.
This story appeared in the Illinois Times on Oct. 14, 2021.