Beginning this January, some Illinoisans may be spared the trek to far off museums, concert halls or theaters.

Instead, the arts may be coming to them.

Illinois Arts Treasures on Tour, a program of the Illinois Arts Council, will target communities that lack arts institution of their own and offer them exhibits and performances in the fields of theater, music, dance, literary arts, media arts and visual arts. Marketing Director Ann Ridge says the tour realizes the council's goal "to allow every county and community in the state to have access to some kind of art."

Twenty-four arts institutions have submitted exhibit packages for the tour, and the council has combined them to form a diverse program.

The Chinese Music Society of North America, for example, is offering performances of Chinese music on traditional Chinese instruments. Other institutions offering exhibits include the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Review of Contemporary Fiction and the Ravinia Festival Association. Along with the exhibits and performances, artists will offer educational activities or workshops. To help defray the cost of exhibit fees, communities may apply to the Arts Council for matching funds grants.

The Arts Treasures on Tour is made possible, in part, by a $3.4 million increase to the arts council's budget for fiscal year 1999. Gov. Jim Edgar touted the increase in February as a way to help smaller communities "offer the arts programming and education opportunities that every Illinoisan deserves."

The council earmarked $600,000 for the tour in 1999 and 2000, though the council's Eliud Hernandez says the agency hopes to continue the program indefinitely.

Rosalie Warren

Mexico, by Brett Weston, is one of 42 photographs selected from the Rock ford Art Museum's photographic collection for the museum's Arts Treasures on Tour. The exhibit was put together by three Illinois photographers and is titled "Parallel Views: Selected Images / Fresh Interpretations."
Courtesy of the Rockford Art Museum

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH Time, arts and the web As 1998 winds down, the new millennium is but a year away (if you accept the "round number" definition). So you may want to ruminate on Time. The Illinois Humanities Council has already done that and made it available on their web site at www.prairie.org. From the council's home page, click on the "Detours" icon to go to the fall '98 edition of the online magazine. There you will find essays on the concept of time, from the Big Bang to the history of clocks. But that is just the beginning of this pathway to — and for — thinkers. From the main page, the "Road Scholars" icon takes you to an extensive list of speakers who are available to make presentations on such topics as women in farming, Illinois authors, the Underground Railroad and prehistoric rock art in Illinois. The site also has an online bookstore, "Ex Libris," that highlights books about Illinois and by Illinoisans. Users can order selections directly through Barnes and Noble online, and their purchases will benefit the Illinois Humanities Council. The "Grants Program" icon points to information about federal- and state-funded grants for the humanities, plus application forms. Harder to find, but well worth the hunt, are the council's links to other humanities organizations. Look for "Site Map" then click on "Links." There are also links to Illinois state agencies, museums, libraries, education and media sites, and the state's colleges and universities. Five links go to sites dedicated to Lincoln. The Programs and Events Calendar sections are a bit outdated, but will be current with the next calendar year. As Longfellow said, "Art is long, and Time is fleeting," so take a side trip to learn what's happening in the humanities. Beverley Scobell

10 / December 1998 Illinois Issues

CHICAGO VOTES ON IDEOLOGY
As with any election, the story isn't that Chicago voted Democratic, the story is how Democratic Chicago voted, Statewide, Republicans George Ryan won the governorship and Peter Fitzgerald took a U.S. Senate seat, each with 51 percent of the vote based on 98.8 percent of the precincts reporting. Election-night returns show that

Democratic U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Glenn Poshard took Chicago, but their support seemed to ebb and flow more along socio-political than partisan grounds.

Moseley-Braun's support broke slightly along racial lines. Black wards supported her with 96 percent of their vote, while her support in white wards fell to 62 percent. Poshard's support broke along the same lines with black and Hispanic wards giving him stronger support than the white wards. But among all race-based demographics, Moseley-Braun drew more support than Poshard,who got only 53 percent in white wards. The numbers suggest that political ideology was more of a factor for voters than race. In the liberal-leaning lake front wards on the city's North Side, for example, Democrats turned away from Poshard's conservatism. In fact, Ryan beat Poshard in six of eight North Side and Lake front wards. The more liberal Moseley-Braun carried all eight of these wards.

The Chicago vote for U.S. Senate
Wards	'Fitzgerald	Moseley-Braun	Plurality	Moseley-Braun %
African American (20 wards)	12,214	299,454	Dem. 287,240	96
Hispanic (7 wards)	7,859	32,179	Dem. 24,320	80
White (23 wards)	117,893	190,216	Dem. 72,323	62
Total	137,966	521,849	Dem. 383,883	79
Note: This table is based on unofficial returns as compiled by The Associated Press on election night and does not reflect ballots cast for third-party candidates.

The Chicago vote for governor
Wards	Ryan	Poshard	Plurality	Poshard %
African American (20 wards)	47,997	238,923	Dem. 190,926	83
Hispanic (7 wards)	11,630	26,623	Dem. 14,993	70
While (23 wards)	141,479	158,950	Dem. 17,471	53
Total	201,106	424,496	Dem. 223,390	68
Note: This table is based on unofficial returns as compiled by The Associated Press on election night and does not reflect ballots cast for third-party candidates.

Returns for selected Chicago wards
Lakefront/ North Side	Ryan	Poshard	Plurality	Poshard %	Moseley-Braun Plurality %
32nd-NS	6,043	5,709	Rep. 334	49	4,454	68
42nd-L	10,383	6,791	Rep. 3,592	40	3,620	60
43rd-L	9,186	5,391	Rep. 3,795	37	3,270	61
44th-L	7,968	5,264	Rep. 2,704	40	5,696	70
46th-L	5,432	4,844	Rep. 588	47	6,364	78
47th-NS	6,216	6,039	Rep. 177	49	5,098	72
48th-L	4,708	6,274	Dem. 1,566	57	6,945	79
49th-L	2,834	5,301	Dem. 2,467	65	5,983	84
Note: This table is based on unofficial returns as compiled by The Associated Press on election night and does not reflect ballots cast for third-party candidates.

Illinois Issues December 1998 / 11

BRIEFLY

War horses
RARE EQUINE TRAINING VOLUME IS U OF I'S NINE MILLIONTH BOOK

When a library has millions of books, finding one not already on the shelves can be a challenge. But since 1935, the University of Illinois Library, the largest public university library in the world, has added a rare book to its collection to celebrate each time it reaches another million texts. The newest rare book is a 1616 German Baroque treatise — two volumes bound as one with 64 detailed engravings — on the breaking and training of royal cavalry horses and on the fitting of their bits and bridles. It is the nine- millionth book in the university's library.

The book was written by Christophorus Lieb, an officer in charge of the royal horses of Christian II of Saxony, and his brother Johann Georg I. Lieb. The rare text — Practica Et Arte di Cavalleria (Practice and Art of Riding), part one, and Gebissbuch (Bit Book), part two — is actually a 17th century version of the Pentagon Papers. According to Mara Wade, a University of Illinois professor of German literature and culture, the book shows that the shift in weaponry and warfare called for horses trained to use speed, mobility and quick reflexes to take advantage of riders' new lighter- weight pistols and swords. The training exercises — illustrated in the book by tiny horseshoe "prints," much like notations for ballet dancers — constitute a form of "war secrets" that was available "only to the courts of reliable allies," says Wade. That is why there were perhaps as few as 50 copies of the book published.

The engraved title page of Practica Et Arte di Cavalleria, published in 1616.

These hoof prints illustrate one of the training exercises found in Practica Et Arte di Cavalleria.

12 / December 1998 Illinois Issues

Illinois lags behind the national trend
FINANCE REFORM FINDS FAVOR WITH VOTERS IN OTHER STATES

Supporters call it a trend. When ever voters get the opportunity to have their say, campaign finance reform initiatives win.

On November 3, the traditionally conservative Arizona electorate and the generally more progressive Massachusetts voters approved "clean elections" laws. The new laws change the way elections are financed in those states by providing public money for candidates who agree to abide by spending limits, demonstrate voter support by collecting qualifying contributions from voters in their district and accept limited private donations. The Massachusetts law eliminates unlimited "soft money" transfers from national parties to state parties. The Arizona law limits the amount of personal money a candidate can spend on a campaign. Maine and Vermont passed similar legislation in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Maine's law was enacted through a ballot initiative. Vermont's through a vote in the state legislature. Meanwhile, Florida voters on November 3 made their existing public campaign financing law part of their state constitution.

The victories in this election have energized grass-roots organizations working to put similar propositions on the ballot in other states. According to Public Campaign, a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working for campaign finance reform. New Mexico will introduce reform legislation in January and Missouri is slated to put the issue to its voters in 2000.

Illinois is in the "evolutionary stage" of the reform movement, according to Cynthia Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Last spring, the

Illinois legislature passed the first reform measure in 25 years to address the way candidates raise and spend money for state office (see Illinois Issues, July/August, page 7). The new rules put some restrictions on candidates who convert campaign contributions to cash for personal use, ban certain gifts, establish new disclosure requirements and provide for ethics commissions. But, Illinois still has some of the least restrictive laws in the country: no limits on spending, few restrictions on fund raising and no plan for public financing of elections. Because Illinois' constitution does not provide for the type of citizen initiative used in Arizona, Massachusetts and other states, says Canary, any further campaign finance reform would have to be accomplished by the legislature.

Beverley Scobell

Hispanics are a growing political force in Illinois
Over the next 25 years, the Hispanic population in Illinois will increase by 80 percent and may become a potent political influence on state politics. These are the findings of a report from the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute.

The increase in the Hispanic population outdistances a projected 15 percent increase in population among African Americans and a decrease of 900,000 among the white population, according to the report. The Hispanic population in Illinois currently exceeds one million and is projected to double to 2.3 million by 2025.

The report also points out that voter registration in Chicago, where the majority of Hispanics live, has increased 98 percent since 1982. An estimated 65 percent of eligible Hispanics, or 162,000 people, are currently registered. That number will increase to 200,000 by the presidential election in 2000. The report, "Hispanics in Illinois: Somos El Future," credits redistricting lawsuits, as well as state and federal legislation reducing voter registration restrictions for the increase in numbers of Hispanic voters since 1984.
Beverley Scobell

Hispanic voter registration in Chicago 1982-2000

Illinois Issues December 1998 / 13

BRIEFLY

It's a government job
SETTING THE STAGE AT THE ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM

What do theater design and museum exhibits have in common?

Plenty, according to Joe Hennessy, who designs displays for the State Museum and the Department of Natural Resources.

Hennessy begins by drawing, in his words, "renderings of what a museum could look like." And he's currently working on models and documentation for the museum's first floor renovation project. After conferring with researchers and scientists about the items to be showcased, Hennessy sketches possible displays, then sends those sketches to a firm in St. Louis, where they are made into models.

He's also involved with a Department of Natural Resources' initiative to improve visitor centers around the state. And that work takes him to sites across

Illinois. In conjunction with geologists and other experts, Hennessy writes and reviews scripts for interpretive video presentations, then helps edit the videos.

Recently, Hennessy was at Giant City making a film about the disputed origins of its rock formations. He has also researched what a visitor center at the Cache River State

Natural Area might look like. If all goes as planned, a visitor center proposal will go before the state legislature. Meanwhile, Hennessy has already completed visitor center projects at Pere Marquette, Kickapoo and Moraine Hills.

To prepare to become the window dresser of the state's natural history, Hennessy got a bachelor's degree in fine arts, majoring in stage design at the

Goodman School of Theatre in Chicago — an educational path that might at first seem incongruous with museum work. But Lothar Witteborg, former director of the Field Museum, advised Hennessy to take that degree. At that time, Hennessy says, "There wasn't any other way to get into museum design. People were just beginning to realize that museum exhibits could be three dimensional environments."
Rosalie Warren

This is the Hennessy-designed exhibit at Pere Marquette State Park.

Joe Hennessy's sketch of a proposed visitor center at the Cache River in southern Illinois.

14 / December 1998 Illinois Issues

Pass the bowl
COMMISSION MOVES TO END LUCK.OF-THE.DRAW REDISTRICTING

Gov.-elect George Ryan could break the infamous crystal bowl, or at least use it for punch. In January, a legislative redistricting commission may give him the chance.

In 1991, after Gov. Jim Thompson vetoed the Democratic legislature's redistricting map and the constitutionally mandated eight-member Legislative Redistricting Commission (composed of four Democrats and four Republicans) failed to produce a compromise, Secretary of State George Ryan pulled Republican Al Jourdan's name from the crystal bowl, making the state party chairman the tie-breaking vote on the commission that mapped out the state's current legislative districts. Shortly after the bowl was put away, Ryan, in response to criticism about "government by lottery," appointed a commission to find a better way to redraw the state's legislative districts.

Now, with the decennial redistricting process drawing near, the Ryan- appointed Redistricting Process Review Commission is drawing up a set of proposals to present to the legislature.

The 28 members are trying to find a way to "avoid long, expensive court battles" that have historically followed redistricting and "restore the electorate's respect for the process," says Jeffrey Ladd, chairman of the commission. Among the suggestions the commission is considering are:

• Returning to cumulative voting and three-member districts in the Illinois House, which would make districts more difficult to change and put potentially fewer members at political risk.

• Taking the governor out of the process, so that once the legislature has reached a compromise, the legislative district map could not be undone by a veto.

• Taking coterminous districts — that is, matching the boundaries of two house districts with each senate district — out of the mix, so that one legislative chamber does not have to worry about the other's map.

• Using the Iowa model of drawing district maps by a computer that ignores incumbents and where they reside, if the legislature fails to draw a map.

Proponents of change believe that the current system encourages partisan entrenchment because history suggests that the party that draws the legislative map gains a decade-long political advantage. Ladd says the bottom line is that the state needs a process that will provide the legislature with a greater incentive for compromise. And the person who asked the commission to find a better process is now governor.
Beverley Scobell

High-tech What makes Champaign-Urbana hot?
With 70 high-tech firms, Champaign-Urbana made Newsweek's list of 10 world cities that are challenging Silicon Valley for the lure of entrepreneurs, great jobs and new wealth in the Information Age.

I The magazine cited the work of Larry Smarr, an astrophysicist, in setting up the National Center for Super-computing Applications at the University of Illinois in the mid-1980s. The U I of I now has more supercomputing power than any other university in the country. The area is perfect, Newsweek says, "for researchers and programmers who are interested in serious computing." I The other cities listed were Austin;

Bangalore, India; Boise; Boston; Cambridge, England; Salt Lake City; Seattle; Tel Aviv; and Washington, D.C. The story, "The Hottest Tech Cities" by Steven Levy, appeared in the November 9 issue of the newsweekly.
Ed Wojcicki

Illinois Issues December 1998 / 15