The City of Carbondale and the entire Southern Illinois area have benefited greatly from Blanche Carlton Sloan's lifelong dedication to the arts, particularly her volunteer work with and financial backing of a variety of local and regional arts organizations, music programs, and museums. In the mid-1970's, Ms. Sloan and a colleague organized the first John A. Logan College (JALC) Art Committee which resulted in the establishment of the JALC Art Museum containing a notable collection of artworks. She served as Registrar of the museum for 15 years and subsequently established, with her husband, a JALC Foundation endowment to strengthen the College's art collection. She has also been a long-standing supporter of the University Museum at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and in 2003, Ms. Sloan and her husband became the founding co-chairs of the museum's Patrons Committee, which has since raised funds and increased museum activities. Ms. Sloan came up with the idea for and co-chaired the "A Community Collects" exhibition at the museum as well. She is also actively involved with Carbondale Community Arts, especially its educational programs "Art in the Schools" and "Tablescapes."
Select Illinois Humanities Council programs are now available for listening or download at Chicago Public Media (WBEZ) as a part of Chicago Amplified, a web-based audio library of diverse public events recorded throughout the Chicago region.
