Gabrielle Lyon, chair of the Illinois America 250 Commission and executive director of Illinois Humanities speaks about the commemoration plans at Navy Pier on Dec. 3. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Maggie Dougherty)
Article Summary
- The Illinois America 250 Commission is gearing up to organize programming across the state to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
- The initiative will seek to highlight local histories from across the state through archival projects, a youth art contest, a commemorative state “passport” and more.
- A $300,000 investment from the Illinois Arts Council will provide $15,000 grants to 20 public art installations across the state.
- The nonprofit Illinois Humanities will work with the American Indian Association of Illinois to bring stories of tribal contributions on the road across the state.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker joined the Illinois America 250 Commission at Navy Pier Wednesday to announce plans for commemorating the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.
Commission members include volunteers from civic, nonprofit, educational, arts and business spaces, as well as Native and tribal leaders.
“We’re showcasing the way Illinoisians have, even before we became a state and right up until now, made good on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence,” Gabrielle Lyon, chair of the commission and executive director of the nonprofit Illinois Humanities said, pulling out her pocket copy of the Declaration.
“Our country, we’ve come a long way, and we have a long way to go to make good on the promises in this little book,” Lyon added. “1776, 1976 left out a lot of voices. In 2026, Illinois America 250 is really working to invite everyone in.”
Uplifting local stories
The initiative will center programming on uplifting local stories across the state. It will include a youth art contest, an archival project to record residents’ reflections on the 250th anniversary in the Library of Congress, and a statewide engagement effort around volunteering, which will commence on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Lyon said the commission had seen lots of excitement about the programming, with 200 organizations signing up as partners and 68 counties involved in planning. Hundreds of museums, cultural institutions and historic sites are also hosting events tied to the anniversary, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The state’s tourism office has partnered with the Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Association of Museums to create a keepsake “passport” that will feature historic and culturally significant locations across the state.
Tribal recognition
Some of the focus will be on recognizing tribal histories and contributions that predate the Declaration. That effort will be led in part by commission member Dorene Wiese, a member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation and chief executive officer of the American Indian Association of Illinois.
Wiese announced she will be working with Illinois Humanities over the coming year to bring stories from her tribe’s history on the road to locations throughout the state.
“This period of time in history is a period where all of us have the opportunity to study the many different tribes that were in this country before the United States was formed,” Wiese said.
Wiese also highlighted the cultural contributions of present-day tribal members.
“We have such incredible artists and oral historians and writers and filmmakers, photographers,” Wiese said. “We would like people to discover them and also they would like to share their gifts with you.”
Tourism and art
The commission also hopes the programs will bring more tourism dollars into the state, continuing a trend from last year, in which nearly 113 million people visited Illinois, about a half a million more than the prior year. Those visitors spent a record $48.5 billion dollars, according to Catie Sheehan, deputy director of the Illinois Office of Tourism.
“That’s a lot of deep-dish pizza and Abe Lincoln souvenirs,” Sheehan said.
Read more: Growing number of visitors discovering southern Illinois as travel destination
Nora Daley, chair of the Illinois Arts Council and daughter of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, announced that the council would be investing $300,000 for 20 public art projects across the state. Each project is intended to honor the history of the state.
“These projects show how art can energize local communities and economies and deepen our sense of place across Illinois,” Daley said.
Those who want to get involved with Illinois America 250 events can find more information on the public calendar at www.il250.org/events.
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