Artists from around the world have performed in Galva, Cambridge and Bishop Hill, Ill., in recent years. Now the world is coming to Henry County for its expertise and experience.
The Galva Arts Council has been selected again for the Music Policy Resilience Network (MPRN), beginning a new phase of work to turn the region’s success with live music into lasting cultural, educational and economic opportunity. Focusing on mainly small communities, Galva and the region are among 30 worldwide in MPRN, including 16 American towns, in 10 states (there are no others in Illinois or Iowa).
The network says it is a “landmark transnational collaboration designing and implementing pro‑music and culture policies that foster resilience in small to mid‑sized communities.”
The project will be a collective effort involving the Galva Arts Council, Crossroads Cultural Connections, and a growing network of organizations, businesses, schools, artists, volunteers and residents. Rooted in Galva but regional in scope, the research will examine an interconnected music ecosystem reaching Cambridge, Bishop Hill, and surrounding communities
Convened by the Center for Music Ecosystems, the international network helps small, rural and geographically isolated communities use music to advance economic development, tourism, education and civic life. Galva will receive dedicated research, expert feedback and knowledge from participating communities while contributing lessons from rural Illinois to the global network.
This network is in its third year, “as the program continues to develop and demonstrate its relevance to participating towns, cities, and communities, as well as providing broader benefits to those able to gain from the findings and recommendations presented in this report and the accompanying reports for all participating cities,” the group website says.
The project builds upon Galva’s previous MPRN research (completed early this year), which found that accessible live music has strengthened social connections, renewed volunteerism and helped establish the area as a destination for touring performers.
The work’s influence can be seen in the transformation of Wiley Park, the permanent Doss Memorial Stage in Galva (which hosts an eight-year-old free summer concert series), a second community stage in Cambridge, visiting-artist programs in area schools and growing partnerships across Henry County.
“The local music scene is alive and well in Galva,” Levitt AMP Galva volunteer Carlin Follis said during the earlier research.
Independent promoter and music supporter Jerry Kolb described the larger opportunity as helping local residents “believe it is possible” and become active in their community.
“People often describe rural communities in terms of what they lack. Our experience shows what becomes possible when people focus instead on what they can build together,” said John Taylor, president of the Levitt AMP Galva Music Series and Crossroads Cultural Connections.
“Year-round, world-class artists come to our rural communities to perform in intimate settings where there is little separation between artist and audience,” he said. “International musicians stay in our homes, share meals at our tables and leave as friends. Students meet these artists who have built lives around creativity and begin to see possibilities for themselves that may never before have seemed within reach. This is not simply a vision for someday. It is the life we are already creating together.”
The impact is felt most strongly locally, but it travels much farther. Artists who visit Henry County continue performing across the country and around the world, carrying with them the hospitality, relationships and sense of community they experienced here.
“Every artist brings part of the world to us—their music, culture and perspective,” Taylor said. “In return, we send something back with them: the experience of being welcomed, cared for and treated as part of a community. The influence of those experiences may travel farther and have greater impact than we can ever measure.”
Galva’s recently adopted slogan, “Galva: Where Music Lives,” was proposed by local residents Michael and Jane Martin and approved by the city council. The new research will help define how that identity can support Galva while contributing to a larger regional mission.
“Galva can be an anchor without being the boundary,” Taylor said. “Cambridge, Bishop Hill and neighboring communities each have their own histories, identities and strengths. Connecting those assets can create opportunities none of us could sustain alone and make the entire region a better place to live, work and visit.”
Previous research also identified vulnerabilities, including dependence on a small number of organizers, the need for sustainable funding, limited rural transportation and visitor infrastructure, and opportunities to expand education, leadership development and regional cooperation.
Over the next year, the Center for Music Ecosystems will conduct interviews, surveys, focus groups, data analysis and international case-study research. The resulting public report will recommend practical ways to develop future leaders, strengthen financial sustainability, connect venues and communities, expand artist engagement and integrate music into tourism and community development.
Local representatives will also participate in six online masterclasses with international experts. Galva will learn from communities that have used MPRN research to support venue investment, accessibility, creative-economy planning and artist-focused policies.
The research will need perspectives from musicians, students, educators, businesses, venue operators, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, volunteers and residents throughout Henry County.
“The improbable is already happening here,” Taylor said. “Our opportunity now is to make it enduring—to build institutions from this momentum, develop volunteers into leaders, grow programs into traditions, and turn remarkable moments into opportunities future generations can inherit.
"This work will not reach its full potential by asking a few people to do more. It will happen when more people recognize that they have something valuable to offer and choose to help shape what comes next.”
Documenting music’s value
Taylor is a tremendously busy concert organizer – in addition to the 10-week Sunday night summer series in Galva (May to August), he presents a jaw-dropping variety of artists from around the world at his Cambridge home (about 40 a year) as well as Bishop Hill Creative Commons (up to 50 a year).
He doesn’t need to use the new global network to attract more artists, but he’s working with a variety of civic and tourism leaders to spread the word about music’s value to the area.
“Having conversations around just making policy based around music and just kind of making that part of the plan,” Taylor said Monday, Sept. 28. “That's really what a lot of this has led to and is leading to. I think a lot of it is just proving to people that it is worthwhile.
“This legitimizes that in a way that I think some of those people who may not really have this on their radar, they can understand,” he said of the new research. “That's really how I've used this, at least at this point. I think it's just going to continue, as we go on. I think that it's gonna become more important.”
He can’t remember who nominated Galva to be part of MPRN, but “they contacted me and they told me what the requirements were going to be in terms of time commitment. And originally I told them no. It was quite a bit,” Taylor recalled.
“And then I thought about it a little bit more and I said, you know what, let's do it. I'll figure out a way to make it work.”
Taylor has been very impressed by the process, and honored the region is part of the global network.
“We're still continuing it now, in a different capacity too,” he said Monday. “We're also kind of shifting gears now that like the initial report and study is done. We're working now more with some other cities and just kind of collectively talking about ideas and doing more research. But yeah, it's a pretty involved thing.”
“We've already tackled some of the short-term stuff, and we're working towards the long-term stuff,” Taylor said, noting there were 11 short-term recommendations (to be done within a year) alone. “Some of it's easier than others, obviously.
“I mean, it's pretty comprehensive, and it's pretty ambitious too,” he said. “In the short term, we're just trying to work towards making what we're doing sustainable, and taking the little steps required to make that possible. There's just a bunch of little things that kind of have to happen in order for all of this to just be sustainable.”
A four-page year-end 2025 Crossroads report said:
“Participation in MPRN places Crossroads alongside prominent forward-thinking arts organizations who are shaping the future of equitable music access, cultural policy, and community-based arts infrastructure.
“Through this program, we’ve gained access to research, mentorship, and best practices that strengthen our ability to serve our area, support touring artists, and expand opportunities for youth engagement,” the report says. “Being chosen for MPRN is not only an honor—it’s a recognition of the meaningful work happening in our region and a catalyst that will help us continue building a thriving local music ecosystem for years to come.”
The MPRN report was done in early 2026, and Crossroads compiled their own year-end 2025 report earlier this year.
2025 highlights
The local report noted that 2025 was an extraordinary year for Crossroads Cultural Connections. “What we are building together is more than a concert series. It’s a movement — one rooted in hospitality, cultural curiosity, community pride, and the belief that art has the power to shrink the distance between people.”
Of activities last year, there were:
• 93 concerts - 12,390 attendees (including in Galva, Cambridge and Bishop Hill)
• 22 school programs - 4,681 students/faculty reached
• 352 total events since 2022 - 51,270 attendees and 15,381 students served.
At the end of 2024, Crossroads Cultural Connections took over ownership and management of the Bishop Hill Creative Commons, an artist cooperative dedicated to the promotion of community and creativity. “Not only is it a place for local artists to show and sell their creations and hold classes and workshops, but it also serves as our indoor music venue and community event space,” the report says, noting the Prairie Queen Quilt Club holds their monthly meetings here and the Champagne Academy of Irish Dance teaches weekly classes as well.
The Bishop Hill Creative Commons underwent significant improvements last year to better support artists and audiences alike. Renovations included:
• New siding, front walkway, new potluck counter, and new back deck
• Green room renovations
• Electrical upgrades
• Landscaping and gutter work
• A new sound mixer and numerous gear upgrades
The report makes an appeal about why this work matters, now more than ever.
“At a time when the world feels divided, we are creating spaces that remind people of what unites us,” it says. “Artists travel from country to country and stage to stage — and they carry the stories of this area with them. Every show here becomes part of their narrative about who we are: a community that is welcoming, curious, generous, and culturally alive. This is the legacy we’re building together. And it is worth sustaining.”
One of many 2025 highlights was hosting Grammy winner Brandy Clark in a free concert at Wiley Park on Oct. 12, 2025. She’s one of the most acclaimed songwriters in modern country music, known for her sharp wit, emotional depth, and authentic storytelling. A 12-time Grammy nominee, Clark won Best Americana Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards for her hauntingly beautiful song “Dear Insecurity,” featuring Brandi Carlile.
Taylor says the brief impact report has been mailed to supporters and there are copies at Bishop Hill Creative Commons (309 N. Bishop Hill St.) that visitors can pick up. He’s also included it as supporting documentation for several grants.
Costs covered by foundation
For MPRN, there was a cost for communities to participate in the in-depth interviews, research, and recommendations, but it was covered by the Levitt Family Foundation, which supports the annual Levitt AMP summer live music series at Wiley Park.
“When this happened, I reached out to them and I said, hey, would you be interested in helping with this because that was the other piece?” Taylor recalled. “The time commitment was really the biggest piece that was kind of holding me back. I talked to the Levitt Foundation and I said, hey, would you be willing to do this? And actually, they ended up coming on and they actually sponsor several different Levitt sites.
“It was actually a good match because, it really kind of lines up with what the Levitt Foundation has been doing anyway,” he noted.
The Levitt Family Foundation says it “leverages the power of free, live music to strengthen the social fabric of communities, creating places people love while amplifying local pride, activating underused public spaces, and fostering more healthy, equitable, and thriving communities one city, and one concert, at a time.”
“It was kind of humbling. I would have never imagined,” Taylor said of Galva being chosen by MPRN. “It is kind of strange to me, but I'll take it. I do think it's a good thing, just to kind of collect these types of stories and that way, other people can see what others have done and maybe get some ideas of their own and that sort of thing.”
The summer music series launched in 2018 (it’s got funding now through 2028), and they average 7,000 attendees for the free events each year, Taylor said.
“The Levitt concerts have become transformative events—social glue that paves the way for greater inclusivity, interconnection, and shared identity,” the MPRN site says. “John has extended these cultural interventions into educational contexts by bringing artists into local schools, thereby embedding immersive cultural experiences into young people’s formative years. With these youth viewing such cultural vibrancy as normative, it is John’s intention that this intervention seeds long-term cultural continuity and community resilience, with individuals who will champion artistic participation and community cohesion in adulthood.”
Carlin Follis, a volunteer with Levitt AMP Galva Concert Series, is quoted in the study:
“John’s concert series and organisation is a real achievement. Within the last six to eight years, there has been a noticeable shift in the involvement of people in this area, whereas previously there was a decline, where businesses were going away – people were very noticeably working and shopping in other areas -- I think there has been a slight shift back to people making an effort to be involved in the community – and we have to think a lot of it is due to the music program – it has brought a lot of people together.”
Galva Arts Council launched an artists-in-schools program in 2022, and so far, this year, they’ve presented 32 school programs this year, in northwest Illinois, more in rural areas, including Orion, and Bureau and Stark counties.
“We keep increasing that because we just, we're getting more schools and more artists interested in doing it,” Taylor said, noting he’s filling some of the need since Quad City Arts scaled back its Visiting Artist Series in recent years. He has discussed coordinating this with QC Arts Executive Director Ben Gougeon.
“It seems like there's a need. Like I said, they've cut back on what they've been doing,” Taylor said. “I do think I'll probably be doing more in the Quad Cities as we go forward, but we'll see.”
Galva is a small rural town of approximately 2,500 residents, rooted in a predominantly agricultural landscape characterized by expansive corn and soybean fields in northwest Illinois, the MPRN report says. Over the past three to four decades, Galva, like many comparable rural communities, has faced profound economic and social shifts.
Originally buoyed by local manufacturing and commerce, the town has witnessed the erosion of vital social infrastructures that once enabled community cohesion and pride. These shifts have compounded the town’s challenges across multiple domains: social fabric, local businesses, education, healthcare, and transportation, necessitating thoughtful, sustained interventions to reweave the community’s social and cultural fabric.
Among long-term recommendations (3-5 years) are to adopt a cultural policy or strategic plan, and position Galva as a regional cultural destination.
“Position the concert series and wider music ecosystem as a key cultural attraction drawing visitors from the region and beyond,” the report says. “With the tourist board of Henry County, develop strong tourism partnerships that integrate live music with local heritage, hospitality, and retail to boost economic impact.”
A harmony-rich, roots-driven concert will be at Taylor’s Ca d'Zan House Concerts in Cambridge this Sunday, Oct. 4 when The Burney Sisters with Grace Theisen, Jilian Linklater and Carolyn Koebel of The Rebel Eves will perform. As usual, the night starts with a 6 p.m. potluck; bring a dish to share if participating, followed by the 7 p.m. concert. The suggested donation is $20–$30.
You can see the network study on Galva HERE. Anyone interested in participating in MPRN or receiving research updates may contact John Taylor at john@xroadscc.org.
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