Which local arts magazine, published from 1996 to 2005, was the precursor to Art & Society? While many readers will likely remember, others weren’t living here nine years ago, or have only begun reading our magazines recently. This issue marks our ninth anniversary, and we are thrilled to continue our mission of highlighting the arts, culture and social scene of Greater Peoria. Many thanks to our readers, advertisers, and arts and cultural leaders throughout the region for helping us thrive.
Have you attended a trivia night in Peoria recently? Not only are there a dozen or so regular trivia nights at locations around town, many nonprofits have latched onto the concept as a fun way to bring people together to raise funds. We visited a few of Peoria’s trivia nights and tell you about it in this issue.
As I read about the people using drones for aerial photography, I recalled an incident from a few years back. Seeking to highlight some of the area’s new luxury homes, we had published a photograph of a home in a new Peoria subdivision. There were no people in the photo, no house number or any other specific identifiers included; it could have been a stock photo from Anywhere, USA. But after publication, the homeowner called us, quite upset that it had been published without her permission. Despite our sincere apologies, she wanted financial compensation. We quickly checked with legal counsel, who assured us we were within our rights to publish the photo.
Today, privacy remains a huge concern, but that incident seems quaint. Last month, while upgrading my iPhone, I couldn’t help but notice the many varieties of drones available for anyone to purchase. With their increasing affordability, they’re now everywhere—including the White House lawn! Yet when it comes to the legal issues, it’s like the wild, wild west—no one really knows. Modern technology continues to move faster than our laws can keep up.
As in so many other areas, the more technology creeps into our lives, the less privacy we seem to have. I was reminded of this just the other day, when would-be thieves attempted to rob our congressman’s home just a day after news stories surfaced describing the property as “usually vacant.” While the free flow of information on the Internet is generally considered a good thing, we witness the very real downsides in cases such as this.
Life in 2015 is a whirlwind of change, like it or not. We do hope you enjoy this issue! And the answer to my question? Arts Alive! magazine.