Introducing Electricite

A Juried Exhibition Celebrating Contemporary Woman Artists

Électricité: Illuminating Perspectives is the Peoria Women’s Club’s annual juried exhibition showcasing original 2D and 3D works by contemporary women artists from Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties.

Presented each March in conjunction with Women’s History Month, the exhibition honors women’s creative voices and continues the Club’s long-standing tradition of supporting arts, culture, and community.

BE PART OF THE EXHIBIT

Call for Entries

We are now accepting entries for this exhibition. All entries are due by Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 11:59pm. The official Prospectus and Submission Guidelines are available for download through the links below.

VIEW PROSPECTUS

DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES

About the Exhibit

Bringing Together Women Artists

The exhibition’s title comes from Électricité, a 1931 experimental photography portfolio created in Paris by Man Ray in collaboration with artist Lee Miller. Using innovative photographic techniques, the project sought to visualize invisible energy through light and shadow. Although Miller played a major role in shaping its visual language, her contributions were long minimized in historical accounts.
For PWC, Électricité functions as both reference and metaphor—symbolizing the creative force of women whose work has often powered artistic innovation without full recognition. The title also echoes PWC founder Clara Parsons Bourland’s formative experiences in Paris, linking the Club’s past to a contemporary call to illuminate women’s artistic perspectives.
The Illinois Women Artists Project (IWAP) is a statewide research and educational initiative dedicated to recognizing and documenting the work and experiences of Illinois women artists active from 1818 to the present.
Focusing on art, history, women, and Illinois, IWAP offers a public database, online exhibitions, essays, and teaching resources for both amateur and professional historians.
PWC partners with IWAP because both organizations are committed to visibility, scholarship, and equity in the arts—connecting Illinois women of today with their artistic heritage while building a more accurate and inclusive history of art in Illinois.

View Exhibition Events

Celebrating Contemporary Women Artists from The Tri-County Area

Why the PWC Hosts a Women’s Art Exhibition

OUR MISSION

Hosting a women’s art exhibition is central to the Peoria Women’s Club’s origins and mission. In 1878, local women founded the Ladies Art Society—Peoria’s first organized arts group—sponsoring exhibitions, lectures, and the city’s first formal art classes.

As the Society’s cultural and civic work expanded, it evolved into the Peoria Women’s Club in 1886, broadening its focus to advance women through culture, education, and civic leadership.

As Peoria’s arts community grew, the art-focused work that originated within the Peoria Women’s Club eventually spun off and merged with the Saturday Men’s Sketch Club, a small group of male artists meeting to draw and exchange ideas. In 1904, these efforts formally came together to form what is now the Peoria Art Guild (then the Peoria Art League).

Électricité: Illuminating Perspectives carries this legacy forward by providing contemporary women artists with a respected platform for visibility, recognition, and professional opportunity—continuing a tradition of women-led arts leadership that helped shape Peoria’s cultural foundation.