IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Notice of Rescheduling | Due to Unforeseen Circumstances, AMAZE is Being Rescheduled. Please Stay Tuned for Details Coming Soon.
Thank you to everyone for your interest in this year's AMAZE Conference. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have made the decision to postpone the event until later this year. While we’re disappointed to wait, we are already working behind the scenes to make this shift. Stay tuned—more details and a new date will be shared soon. We can’t wait to bring everyone together for a day of networking and celebrating the cultural arts!
If you purchased tickets, you will be contacted directly. For additional questions, please contact Carolyn Deane at connect@artspacesouthernillinois.org
What Makes This Event Special
This regional conference is a chance for creatives, educators, artists, performers, advocates, cultural arts organizations, and anyone who believes in the role of the cultural arts in our communities to come together for a day that celebrates creativity through engaging conversation, hands‑on exploration, practical ideas, and the kind of connection that grows through shared experiences—all with a focus on strengthening our community.
What you can expect
Check out our full schedule of curated sessions and presenters offering a wide variety of timely information and takeaways.
Engaging Sessions and Discussions
Throughout the day, you’ll have a chance to enjoy panel discussions, interactive workshops, and informative presentations—find a space to be curious, network with like-minded others, and gain new insights.
Why join us
Real-world learnings from creative peers and experts
Explore what resiliency looks like, sustaining this work through challenging and shifting conditions
New strategies and idea-sparking networking
A chance to compare notes with other creatives
Exposure to educators and creatives from across the region
Connections that lead to collaborations, shared resources, and future projects
Access to processes and perspectives you may not encounter in your day-to-day.
A space to ask questions, be curious, push ideas, and rethink assumptions
Keynote
Beth Lo—Internationally recognized ceramicist, illustrator, educator, and musician
Hear from a passionate, thoughtful, and expansive creative talent—sharing her insights from a career that crosses mediums, cultures, and creative disciplines. View more about the artist and her work on her website.
“What is art?”
“They don’t know a definition of it. But everybody knows what an aesthetic response is, so if you go out in the mountains and you see something, you have that feeling of being uplifted...a feeling of awe or inspiration, of motivation...I think that art does the same thing, only it's made by humans.”
~ Beth Lo
Watch her video to learn more about Beth Lo, her passions, and her work here.
Artspace Southern Illinois is proud to present the 2026 Arts + Humanities AMAZE Conference made possible through the partnership of these amazing organizational collaborators!