WHAT: The Artist in Residence (AIR) program at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon will debut original works inspired by the Emiquon Preserve during “Fall Projects Unveiled.” The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 2

WHERE: UIS Therkildsen Field Station, 11316 N. Prairie Road, Lewistown, Illinois

DETAILS: Visitors will experience a variety of original works inspired by the Emiquon Preserve, including a painting and sticker series by Kevin Veara and ceramics by Therin Bradshaw. The event will also include a live pottery demonstration.

Veara and Bradshaw will present their work and discuss how the landscape influenced their creative process. Veara’s painting draws on his four-day stay at the field station, where he explored the preserve by foot, bike and boat, identifying 86 bird species and noting prairie plant diversity, insects, wetland plants and mussels. Bradshaw’s ceramic work was made using wild wetland clay with his equipment set up lakeside in the Emiquon Preserve.

The AIR program connects science and art at Emiquon, one of the Midwest’s largest floodplain restoration projects and a designated Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The program is supported by the UIS Visionary Giving Circle.

Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather, as parts of the event may take place outdoors.