- Will you consider this?

The Feast of All Souls, Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is being kept alive in a big way in Central Illinois.

I'm Christine Zak-Edmonds.

Stay right here for more.

(bright upbeat music) It's a Mexican tradition celebrated around the world on November 2nd, but technically, it's a three-day event from October 31st to November 2nd.

According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31st, and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours.

Now, the spirits of adults can do the same, but on November 2nd.

However, in Peoria this year, a prelude to DDLM, Dia de los Muertos, will be ushered in the holiday on October 15th at ART Inc.

Co-founder, Nikki Romain, joins me to give us the details of Dia de los Muertos, but first, everybody needs to know a little bit more about ART Inc. - Ah, well, thanks for having me.

- I'm glad you're here.

- So ART Inc, which is short for Artists ReEnvisioning Tomorrow.

Our mission is to inspire and empower the community through arts, education, and culture, and we do that through our programming.

So we offer programming all year round to coincide with the school year.

We have the kids come in with homework help, and then they break off and do all types of arts activities.

And we serve ages, or grades, first through 12th.

And then we also have a component called the Youth Leadership Teachers where it's a paid internship for students 16 to 24, and they get help with mentoring to help them.

They also get help with their studies.

And then leadership skills, and then they help the little ones with their homework and also help with teaching.

So that happens year round.

In addition to that, we have day camps.

So this year, Peoria public schools is having a Fall Break and a Spring Break, and we'll be in session during those breaks.

And then we also do a Summer Camp.

And we do field trips for other organizations like PALS.

We do the YMCA, other organizations, Carver Center, they come over because what we really wanna push is that we are the arts component to all organizations.

So if you don't have arts, you do sports, then come on over here and we'll do arts with you and we'll even send our kids over there to do some programming since we don't do sports.

So, that is our mission.

We wanna keep kids off the streets, come in to a safe place where they can grow and learn in a really safe and fun environment.

- And how many kids do you generally have in any of your classes?

Because you have all kinds of classes.

- Yeah so, well for Summer Camp, we had about 90 students enrolled, and we typically keep our class size to about 10 to 12 students.

So we are growing.

I would say our first Summer Camp, which was in 2019, when we bought the Greeley School, we had our ribbon cutting on a Friday, and then that Monday, we opened our doors for the first Summer Camp, and that was 65 students.

So we've grown pretty rapidly since then.

And we're excited.

We love having the kids in there.

We have kids that have been with us since that very first Summer Camp and are growing with us, which is really nice.

So yeah, in addition to that, we also have adult programs.

So we just had a very awesome event called That's What She Said that amplifies women's voices.

We have women, local women, coming to share their stories.

It's an amazing event that will happen yearly.

And then we just did our first theatrical production, that was an adult production as well, called "Smart People."

And it was my first time directing.

That's my background, Performing Arts.

- Okay.

- So I was super excited, even though I was doing 15 hour days.

(both laugh) I was just super excited.

- So what else is new, right?

- Right, I was super excited to put my creative hat on and I look forward to doing more productions.

We'll be doing a children's production coming up as well.

- Oh, well now what will that one be called?

- It will be "Once On This Island" and we're partnering with Nitsch Theatre Arts for that one.

- All right.

- Yeah.

- Well, so some of the programs that you're offering, now I did a tour of the building not too long ago.

- Yes.

- And you've got all the arts, including sewing.

- Sewing, yes.

- And boys get to take sewing, too.

- Let me tell you, the boys love sewing a little bit more than the girls.

- Interesting.

- So our program director will come up and bring students up, 'cause they get so excited.

They're like, "I wanna show Miss Nikki and Mr.

Romain."

And they make pajama pants.

And so over the summer, one of our themes for Summer Camp was The World's Your Stage.

And so they learned about Japan and so they made kimonos and they learned about Zimbabwe and they did dashikis.

I mean, those kids are doing all kinds of stuff.

And then for creation station, our final week, they actually did a fashion show and did all kinds of clothes.

- How fun.

- So they love it.

They love it.

- And you have videography and photography and painting then watercolors and you have.

- Ceramics.

- Ceramics.

- Is that what you were thinking of?

- Yeah, yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I couldn't think of the word.

That clay stuff.

- Ceramics, yeah.

- What else?

- Woodworking.

- Woodworking.

- Theater.

Music.

We have a violin teacher that comes in from Bradley.

We have guitar.

Well, we have the guitars.

We need a guitar teacher.

So if anyone out there plays guitar.

- Hear that, is anybody hearing it.

- And we also have keyboards.

We need a piano teacher as well.

So we're looking for instructors to teach these specific things that we have.

We also have a drum line.

So we have a student that comes in, one of our YLTs, our youth leadership teachers, her and one of our program assistants actually teach the drum class and the boys love it.

The girls aren't that much into it, but the boys, they're loving it.

They come in, every showcase that we have, they're doing the drum line when they walk in and you can just see the pride and joy that they have.

- Right, well, it just gets you pumping.

- Absolutely.

- You get a lot of pride out of it, too.

You have a lot of it.

- Oh, absolutely.

- That's fun.

- I'm like a big old kid.

So yeah, I love it.

- Well, the Greeley school, the old Greeley school, now named ART Inc, sat, well, it had a couple of different things going on.

- Yeah, it sat vacant for seven years before we took it on and it was.

- Kind of a mess.

- Whew, yes it was.

(laughs) It was a mess and we have transformed it.

And like you said, you did a tour, there's still a lot of work to be done, but we've done a lot with pennies, right?

- [Christine] Well, yeah, and that's what you have to do.

- Yeah.

- All right, so, and it's on the near north side.

- It is North Valley.

- And the neighborhood is greatly Hispanic.

- Yes it is.

- And you were looking for ways to raise money.

- Yes, so our area is predominantly Black and Brown community.

And I thought about, well, I've lived in all big cities and I've traveled a lot and we are the Romain Arts and Culture Center.

So I wanted to do something that was centered around culture.

And so I just started thinking and I said, wouldn't it be a great way to honor the life of a Peorian every year that's contributed greatly to this beautiful city?

And then I just started running my, wrapping my little head about things that I've been to.

And I went to a Dia de los Muertos event in Chicago at the Mexican Cultural Center.

And I was like, "That's it, this is it."

- It's gonna work.

- And so I put it together and the first year we honored Glen Barton and Polly Barton was completely on board and just really loved what we were doing.

So yeah, so therein lies Dia de los Muertos: Love Never Dies.

So each year we honor the life of a Peorian.

This year is Lydia Moss Bradley.

Our hosts are Stephen and Vivian Standifird, the president of Bradley and his wife.

And it is gonna be a spectacular event.

I think each year it just gets better and better.

People that get VIP tickets this year, it's just sponsorships only, so when you get a sponsorship, you get VIP entrance.

They get their makeup done.

And they get- - And their makeup includes, let me see, I think we have a picture of that, Paul, somebody with their face on.

- Oh, here.

- Here's a good one down here on the bottom of this.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

Some of that crazy makeup.

- And people absolutely love to get made up.

We also have a best dressed costume contest.

But the night is really about honoring the life of the Peorian.

And then also talking about ART Inc and the work that we do and the culture.

But it's a great, it's such a vibrant and festive holiday, and it's a great way to bring in also the Hispanic community.

We give an award each year called a Community Leader Award.

We just started that last year.

That was Chayo Miranda.

And this year, it's a secret, but we will have another honoree this year.

And this is one of my favorite events that we do, and I love that it shines a spotlight on the great work that people do and that when people pass, they live on through us and through our memories of them.

And I just think this holiday is just so special.

- And that's part of the history of the holiday.

- Exactly.

- So explain that for people who don't know, I was reading up on it and I had no idea it was a 3,000 year holiday.

- Yeah, so it originated in Mexico, but a lot of Latin countries also celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

And it's, like you said, it's a three day event, but it's basically the love, like I say with the event - Love never dies.

- And our tag is love never dies.

And a lot of times here in America, we mourn and we cry and that's okay, but just to know that this soul lives on.

And so we have the ofrenda, which is the altar, and we have a picture of the person that has passed.

And we put in their favorite foods and in the culture, it's like the spirit comes, they want their favorite food and their favorite things to eat.

- And they can revisit family.

- And they can revisit family.

- Be part of it.

Well, and the movie, "Coco."

- Yes!

- Not too long ago kind of explains part of that.

- It explains it really well, yeah.

- Right.

- And so a lot of people, when they ask, "Go watch Coco."

(both laugh) You'll get the gist of it.

- That's right, that's right.

- Mm hmm, mm hmm.

- Well, how fun.

So you went up to the celebration in Chicago and you decided to do it here.

- Well, I mean, that had been many, many years ago that I'd attended that, and it just kind of jogged in my memory, something that we could do that was different and cultural here in Peoria.

Initially my husband was, he didn't tell me this till afterwards, but he kind of thought I was crazy.

He was like.

- Well you kind of thought he was crazy when he wanted to buy the school building, right?

(Nikki laughs) Okay, so you're even.

- Right, we're even.

- He was like, "What?

People are not gonna get that."

And I was like, "I think they will."

And they did.

And they came out and everyone comes and dressed up and they get it.

And a lot of people that maybe didn't get it, when they came that first time, they really understood and they learned a lot.

There's a lot to learn in regards to that culture.

And then just embracing other cultures and coming with an open heart and open mind, I think, is a huge part of this.

- Yeah.

Well, it's a fun celebration and you've been doing it now how many years?

- Oh gosh.

So this is gonna be year four?

'19, '20, '21.

Oh yep.

Year four.

- All right.

- We did a virtual one during COVID in 2020.

We honored the life of Jehan Gordon-Booth's mother, Annie Jo Gordon.

And then last year we did .

.

.

Oh Lord.

- Wait, let's see.

- Gilmore, Bob Gilmore!

- Bob Gilmore.

- Yes, was last year, and this year's Lydia Moss Bradley.

- And so you set up, the ofredo, is called the alter.

- Ofrenda, mm hmm.

- Ofrenda.

And you put candles and food and drink.

- Yeah, we put the candles, we put the food, we ask whoever is the speaker on behalf of the person that has passed away, we ask for their favorite foods, their drinks, and we put that on the ofrenda, making it really official to the tradition.

- Now, so what do you know about what Lydia Moss Bradley liked to eat and drink and favorite flower - Well, you'll have to come to the event.

- And all that stuff?

Well, I will.

I'm on the committee.

Let's be clear.

- Oh yes, yes.

- I'm on the committee and I was just saying to Nikki, I'm out of my mind because I said, "Oh, I'll do decorations."

And here we are with artists who know everything about decorations.

- But you've been doing a really good job and you're very engaged.

I love it.

- Well, I'll put flowers here and there.

And then we have these darling little sugar skulls.

- Yes.

- And that's kind of.

- The tradition as well.

- Yeah, and that'll be everywhere.

What is the tradition - Of the candy skulls?

- Or what's the story behind the candy skulls?

- Ooh, you would ask me that.

I can't remember.

- They're sugar skulls.

- Yes.

- I think they eat sugar candy.

- The sweet candy, mm hmm.

- Right.

- But I can't remember the full detail of it.

- Okay.

(Nikki laughs) Well we'll research that and we'll get back to them.

- Yeah, we'll research.

I have looked it up, but I just didn't retain in my mental Rolodex.

- Well, imagine that with 15 hour days, and then you're thinking about everything else and the programs for the kids at school.

Well, so what else needs to be done for this celebration?

- Well, I am so grateful this year, I have two co-chairs.

Darlene Violet, and Carolina Huser.

They are actually on our board and they are doing an amazing job.

I've been so consumed, as you said, with a lot of things.

So I often don't get started till later, but because of Darlene and Carolina, we have gotten the ball rolling.

We do sponsorships.

And like I said, this year, the sponsorships are all VIPs.

So they get the swag bag, they get the VIP drink.

- The makeup.

- The makeup, yes.

And then having a great committee, like with you helping, that really helps to carry the ball.

So each year we do a different committee.

Well, a lot of the same people come and stay, but we grow more people.

And that's how people learn about ART Inc as well.

- Many more ideas.

- Many more ideas.

- What is something new that will be happening this year?

I know that there's a couple of things in the hopper.

- Yes, so something new this year, we're doing a different caterer, and we're doing it a little more upscale type of event from what we've done before.

We also won't have- - So it's not just chips and salsa.

- (laughs) Not just.

Well, actually we will have chips and salsa.

- Okay, but not only.

- Patti Bash has has recommended a great salsa place.

So we are definitely going to do chips.

But it's gonna be a three course meal.

And we haven't done that before.

And so I'm really excited about that.

And then some of the other things, we'll have some different type of entertainment this year that I'm really excited about.

Some specific to the VIP, and then we'll have more mellow and kind of an operatic entertainment this year.

- All right.

- So that's nice.

And obviously each year it changes because of who we're honoring that year.

But yeah, there will be some different things going on this year that we're excited about.

- What went into the thought process for Lydia Moss Bradley?

- Well, that's interesting.

So the play that I just directed, "Smart People," had Vivian in it, the president's wife.

- Okay.

- And she and I met when I was trying to pull her in to do the "Smart People" play.

And she was talking about Lydia Moss Bradley and some initiatives that she wanted to do.

And it just hit me right there with her.

I was like, "Oh my gosh, we should do this."

And she said, "Yeah, let's do it."

So it was very organic and spontaneous.

And I think it's actually really great.

I mean, new energy at Bradley.

And I just, sometimes I may not plan out the whole year, things kind of happen organically of who we want to honor the next year and this was one of those.

- Right, well, - Yeah.

- And that's kind of the beauty of creativity.

- Yes.

- And Lydia Moss Bradley, she was a trailblazer.

- Oh my gosh.

Yes.

Such a philanthropist, paving the way for women.

She was really, that's the other thing, this year, Stephen will really speak to her mission and all the things that she did.

She was amazing.

And I think about some of the things that we do at ART Inc, and kind of parallel to her life and how she would just cook for the families and the neighborhood and things like that.

She is an amazing person and that, I get giddy about that kind of thing of people that really were trailblazers and really poured into this community.

And she's definitely one of them.

- Well, her stamp is on just about everything.

- Everything, right?

- Really is.

And she was widowed at a fairly young age, but she didn't let that stop her.

- She had a lot of suffering, a lot of things that happened in her life, but she just poured into the community and poured into her work.

And I'm sure that's what helped her get through all of that.

- And she was interested in the arts, so that's one of your coincidences.

- Yes.

Mm hmm, the ties.

- And what else do you think inspired her or that you've learned so far?

- Hmm.

- How would she feel about ART Inc do you think?

- Oh my gosh.

Well, I hope that she would love it, but I do think that she would, especially with it being something that people, you know, my husband and I started here, I think that would really resonate with her.

But definitely with the art as well.

I definitely think that she would be smiling, I think she's smiling down upon us and proud of what we're doing.

- Well, so for decorations, again, I'm helping with decorations.

You'll have some of the kids' creations there too, right?

- Absolutely, yes.

- On display or for sale?

- So a little bit of both.

So we always, in the silent auction, we always put a piece or something that the kids did.

And so we'll have that, maybe even a live auction, not sure yet.

And then we'll have, one of the cultures that we studied for Summer Camp was Spain.

And we did a lot of sugar skulls.

So we'll put those out.

We may even put them on the tables for the guests, but there will be a lot of treats that the kids did and a lot of artwork that the kids did at the event this year, which is actually different from before, because we were so new in our programming, we didn't always have the time to do the projects with the kids specific to an event.

- Correct.

- So this will be something new this year that the kids will be creating something specifically for Dia de los Muertos.

- And they get really excited about those kinds of things.

- Oh my gosh, absolutely.

And the other thing is we wanna teach them.

We'll show them the movie "Coco," we've done that before, and teach them about this culture as well.

- Mm hmm, and what have you learned from some of the children whose families may already celebrate Dia de los Muertos, if anything.

- Yeah, we haven't learned, we learned that some people really celebrate this a lot.

Some families actually go to Mexico and celebrate this.

but each year we've had Chayo Miranda, who's the one that we honored last year, she has a group called the Peoria Folklore Ballet, and they come and perform and all those kids are of Mexican descent and she speaks to what it means for her and her kids.

So that's some of the things we've learned.

She actually shares at the fundraiser about some of the things and how it resonates with her and her community.

- Well, how inspiring is that?

- Yeah, it's very inspiring, mm hmm.

- So what, you'll have some tickets on sale.

- Absolutely.

- And maybe, I mean, by the time this airs, you may have some tickets on sale.

- May have, yeah.

- And then what is the price of those, and then, well, we'll get to that and then, might have to talk next year.

- Yeah, so the price of the tickets are $150 and it starts at 6:30, and you come in and you get all, you get the dinner, you get the whole show that we have there, and it's on October 15th this year.

- Okay.

- And you can get your tickets at artincpeoria.org.

- All right.

What else do we need to know about things that you're doing there?

- Well, let's see, I did speak about our upcoming children's musical.

- Correct.

- And we will be doing That's What She Said annually.

- And when is that?

- That will be, I believe, March 4th is the Saturday, the first Saturday in March.

I wanna keep it in March because I want it to be a part of Women's History Month, and that's celebration of women's voices.

And we'll also be doing another adult theatrical production.

I haven't figured out what that is yet.

- But you're ready to put your director's hat on.

- We're ready.

- Sit in the director's chair.

- No, I will not be directing.

- Oh.

- Next time.

(laughs) - Okay.

It was too much.

- Well, I just can't do everything, right?

(laughs) So I wanna bring in more people that have a love of directing, but we will also always have a very diverse cast.

That's something that's very important to me to just amplify the diversity and people of color's voices.

So we will definitely be doing that and, you know, just doing really great programming for kids, that's where our passion is, and that's what we'll continue to do.

- How about during the holidays?

So while we're talking about Dia de los Muertos, so that's November, technically.

- Technically, yeah.

- What do you do in December leading into your March production?

- So we do photos with Santa.

We have a big thing, and if you've ever seen how we decorate, it's really huge, so.

- I've seen it.

- We do a very big photos with Santa celebration and that's free to everyone in the community.

And then we do a holiday concert.

So this past year we did Maestro J, the Blazin' violinist.

And this year we are partnering with Peoria Symphony Orchestra to put on a production of, oh goodness, "Too Hot To Handel: Handel's Messiah."

- Okay.

- Yeah.

So we're partnering with them and that'll be our Christmas concert.

So every year we'll do something festive in relation to Christmas, could be a play, could be partnering with another organization, just something really festive for the community for the holidays.

- And you have been connecting with the arts throughout the community.

- Absolutely, we partner with Big Picture Peoria, as I said, Heartland Festival.

Well, I didn't say Heartland Festival Orchestra, but Peoria Symphony Orchestra we had, and Heartland Festival Orchestra.

This year in May, we were their community partner and they had a Black female violinist that came out and she did a master class with our violin students.

And we also brought in Youth Music Illinois, their students, their Suzuki program.

And we had a master class, parents and family and friends came out.

It was really great.

And then everyone was invited to attend the concert as well.

- Are you amazed at all of the collaboration?

- Oh my gosh.

I'm amazed by it.

I love it.

It's like collaboration is our middle name.

We know that we can't and don't want to do it all, right?

And there are so many great organizations doing great things, why not partner to help our community?

So I love it.

- Move all those things forward.

- Yeah.

- And you're not surprised at all.

- Not surprised, no.

Peoria is a very generous and really helpful community.

We really come together.

So I'm not surprised, and most of the time, if I reach out to someone they're like, "Oh, I was waiting for the phone call.

Let's do this!"

You know?

- What brought you here?

We don't have very much time, so how did you get here?

- Yeah.

Love.

- Okay, love.

- Love brought me here.

- All right, love is good.

- I have never, I'm a very, very independent person.

I have lived lots of places.

LA, Chicago.

I went to school in Vegas.

I never thought of myself doing something like that.

But Jonathon Romain, he is one heck of a guy.

And because of him, I'm here, yeah.

- That's just amazing.

What fun.

- Yeah, it is amazing.

- So for people to know all of the events and everything that you have, they need to go to your website and can you repeat that for me?

- Which is artincpeoria.org.

And all of our social media handles are ART Inc Peoria.

- Okay.

- So if you just look up ART Inc Peoria on Facebook, Instagram, we even have a TikTok page.

We do TikToks with our kids.

That's how you'll find us.

And definitely artincpeoria.org regarding our events, if you wanna volunteer, we also are always hiring for teaching artists because we're also inside of eight Peoria public schools.

So the same thing that we do in the center, we do it take the in schools - You take it on the road.

- As well, yeah.

- Okay.

Just fascinating.

(Nikki laughs) Just fascinating.

Well, Nikki Collaboration Romain, (Nikki laughs) thank you so much for joining me.

- Thank you for having me.

And also thank you for being on the committee this year, I really appreciate all that you're doing.

- Well, that Darlene Violet, and Patti Bash.

- Can't say no to Darlene.

- Or Patti Bash.

- Or Patti Bash, exactly.

- So thank you very much.

And I hope you all learned a little more about ART Inc.

It really is a great place and you give tours, too, so.

- We do give tours.

Absolutely.

And we do brunches and things like that for people that are interested in ART Inc and donors.

So we like to constantly keep people engaged and keep updated on what we're doing, 'cause we're doing a lot.

- You are doing a lot.

Okay.

Again, thank you for being here.

- Thank you.

- Thank you for joining us.

You stay safe and healthy and hold happiness.

(bright upbeat music)