Here's your chance to vote for the nci ARTworks 2025 Queen of the arts!

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Vote for ONE of them or ALL of them---the return on investment of your donation is a thriving arts culture in the Illinois Valley. 

Julia Mautino Messina

I have always loved art and literature and music--all of the beautiful things that enrich peoples' lives, so it is my great pleasure and honor to be able to share these things with the community I grew up in. As the Executive Director of NCI ARTworks, I am constantly surrounded by creative people and beautiful or thought-provoking art. It makes me incredibly happy to be able to showcase local, regional, and national talent to the residents and students in the Illinois Valley.

Whether it is facilitating major public art installations like the Ray Paseka murals in Cherry, Mendota, Streator, and Seneca or the Susan Burton mosaics in Princeton, or hosting monthly art exhibitions at the ARTworks Gallery in the Westclox building the 2nd Friday of each month and providing world-class music programs to Illinois Valley residents and schools, every single ounce of skill and expense necessary to provide the Illinois Valley with top-level arts and culture is worth it--and I am asking for you to support the arts in the Illinois Valley by donating to our Queen of the Arts campaign.

​Vote for one of us or all of us--the return on investment of your donation is a thriving arts culture in the Illinois Valley. 

​JAIMIE LONDON

I'm Jaimie London from 99.3 WAJK and 96.5 The Wolf. Not only do I talk about arts all the time, I participate as well. I started playing instruments when I was in Junior High, and I didn't stop. As I get older, I paint and draw a little more.

​One of my favorite things to talk about on the radio is when a country artist donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools for instruments. 

One of my favorite things to do is follow Lucy Schmidt around and have her teach me how to paint. A couple of weeks ago I painted a Christmas Highland Cow. It's adorable. Tuba Christmas and Tuba Summerfest in the Illinois Valley, hosted by Music Suite 408 and sponsored by NCI ARTworks, is at the top of the favorite-things-to-do list as well.

Art does a body good. Milk does too, but art feeds the mind and soul as well. Kids in school need art to thrive...art in whatever form it may take.
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The arts are alive and well in the Illinois Valley and we need to keep it that way. We are so lucky to live where we do. The singers and the musicians and the artists are so talented here. I have lived other places, and there's nothing like the Arts in the Illinois Valley.

Peggy ARTER

Peggy Arter was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and has lived in the Illinois Valley with her family for 36 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Salem State University, and a Master of Social Work degree from St. Louis University.

She is certified as a School Social worker with the State of IL – LaSalle County Board of Education. Peggy worked in the field of Child Welfare for over thirty years, and her experience includes Inner City work in St. Louis, Pediatric Social Work at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Administrative Social Work with Specialized Foster Care and Group Homes in Bloomington, IL.

She was employed as Director of Self-Reliance Programs with CampFire USA Ottawa Council for eighteen years, and conducted Prevention/Self-Esteem Programs for students in Grades K-6 throughout LaSalle and Bureau Counties. She continued to present programs to schools on a private contractual basis, after that Council closed in 2013.

Peggy was also a Mental Health Consultant for twenty years, to Head Start Classrooms throughout North Central Illinois. She also holds a certificate from the Zengar Institute, which specifically qualifies her as a practitioner of Neuroptimal Neurofeedback.

Peggy is a former Board Member of the IL Valley Youth Symphony, a member of the Advisory Board to NCI ArtWorks, volunteers with Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, and is a general supporter of the Arts in our Community. She also considers herself to be her musician daughter, Sarah Arter’s, main “roadie” and fan club president!
DANICA SCOMA
My name is Danica Scoma, I am an artist and an advocate of the arts, as well as a student, athlete, and peer mentor at IVCC. I’ve been creating art here and there ever since I could hold a paint brush. I’m on an exciting path to become an art therapist, as I truly believe my purpose in life is to help others. And what better way to do it than with my talent and passion?

Beyond my artistic appreciation, I have been playing soccer since the age of 5. I was named News Tribune Women’s Soccer Player of the Year two years in a row, and now am captain of the IVCC women’s soccer team. I am also honored to be a part of a new program at IVCC, getting to work closely with Transformative Growth Counseling as a Peer Mentor.

Along with learning to plan, market, and host events for other students, my main goal is to offer them a safe space to share their feelings and help them connect with others.

I really love experiencing firsthand, how the arts uplift members of the community--from the festivals downtown to the lovely art shows at NCI ARTworks in the historic Westclox building. It’s inspiring to witness the connections that people form with their shared love of art, in any form.

I have painted several murals around the community, alongside my wonderful mentor Julie Jenkins, who was a founding member of NCI ARTworks and who is the current Queen of the Arts. I have also just recently started volunteering at Dalzell Grade school, bringing an art program to their school as a volunteer art teacher. I think it is so important to be exposed to the arts at a young age. It provides such an amazing outlet for self-expression as well as an effective mood booster! In a world that is constantly advancing with technology, I think the tangibility of the arts is a necessity.

I have participated in various NCI artwork shows throughout the years, my last submission being awarded best in show. I wholeheartedly love the art atmosphere in our community, which is why I am so excited to be a candidate for this year’s queen. We need to keep the arts alive and thriving in the Illinois Valley.