09/01/2026
First Friday Group Art Show, September 4, 2026!
MAM Artworks Studio & Gallery alongside the Mason County Arts Council and Two Rivers Arts Council, will present a group showing of art by four local Havana artists on First Friday, September 4th from 4-8pm at the MAM Artworks Gallery / Paint Havana Studio located at 120 North Plum Street.
The show will feature four artists works, including MAM owner and founder, Monica Milligan. Monica is a large-scale muralist and painter. She moved to Havana from Portland Oregon in 2024 looking to expand her mural business throughout the Midwest. She specializes in spray paint and acrylic works of which many will be on display during the show. Monica has produced around sixteen vibrant and attractive murals in Havana and surrounding communities over the past several years. In addition to her mural work, Monica is an experienced art instructor and community arts organizer. Through Paint Havana, her art studio, she teaches classes, hosts events and creates opportunities for accessible art education. Her work is rooted in collaboration, regional identity and creating art that feels meaningful and connected to the places and people it represents. Recently Monica painted a special mussel sculpture to be placed at the Emiquon Preserve visitor use area in the Spoon River Region as part of the Spoon River Mussel Trail. Monica also serves on the Mason County Arts Council board and is very involved with the annual Riverfront Art & Music Festival.
Rick Noble, a lifelong resident of Havana, is a self-taught artist and has been creating art since the age of 7 years old. Rick is known for his unique and experimental art pieces. He works with bone, driftwood, aluminum foil and many other types of media. He also works in acrylic paint on paper in abstract images using a technique called sgraffito. The technique is accomplished by putting a colored layer on top of a base material of color, then scratching or sanding away parts of the top layer to expose the colors underneath. Rick is the President of the Mason County Arts council, the Treasurer for the Havana Museum and Cultural Center, and a board member on the Riverside Club Renovations and Restoration Committee. Mr. Noble was also a key individual in the establishing the historic 1889 Havana Water Tower its designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The tower was also designated as an American Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association in 1982.
Don Ross is a lifelong resident of Havana and is a self-taught artist in the realm of acrylic paint. In the past Don has stretched his own canvases and applied to board backings to paint on, as well as creating his own frames. Don works with many different types of subjects and compositions. He is known mainly for his abstract works in acrylic in which he uses vibrant and complementary colors to enhance the overall consistency of his works of art. He is well known around the Havana community as the artist that walks his newest creations around town, stopping along the way to present and speak with local residents and business owners about his work. Over the years, Don has presented and shown his works in many shows, on being the prestigious David Strawn Art Gallery, which is the home of the Jacksonville Illinois Art Association. Ross exhibited over 100 paintings during his shows last year.
Candace Cane is a also a lifelong Havana resident and is a new artist in the MAM Gallery this year. She discovered the Mason County Arts Council through their shows and events and became interested in getting involved and showing her own creations in a gallery setting. Candace paints in oil and acrylic as well as working in pastels, colored pencil and hand worked clay pottery and sculptures. Her ceramic works are whimsical and playful in design. Her paintings range from abstract to realistic images of children, nature, still lifes and much more. Stop in and see this new emerging artist’s works along with all of the other works in this fun and eclectic show!
Some of the artists will be present to speak about their art and interact with visitors at the collaborative First Friday show and many works will be for sale.
This event is sponsored by the MAM Artworks / Paint Havana Studio, in partnership with the Mason County Arts Council with additional support from the Two Rivers Arts Council, through grant funding from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.
