The Elgin Group Local Artist Showcase
October 23 - 25
Watch 3 brand new, truly thoughtful shows, made for people and performance art by 14 local artists happening at the Elgin Art Showcase! This show if free and open to the public.
All local artists are being paid a $100 stipend for a 20 - 25 minute performance slot. You can help support their projects by paying each artist in cash directly or through their preferred electronic payment method. Learn more about our local artist below.
RSVPs will get a commemorative Cadi bracelet by local artist Kandi Krow's Nest.
(Available while supplies last)
TEG Featured Artists 2026
Nina Walker
Friday and Saturday at 7 pm
Get excited for Femenancy’s Earth Pad, a NEW drag show by Nina Walker!
Nina Walker is the human vessel behind Femmenancy - an intergalactic drag prophet and ringleader who conjures joy from the ruins of everything the world keeps trying to bury her under. Part stand-up comedy, part ritual, and part intergalactic therapy session, Femmenancy is Walker’s answer to grief, widowhood, life under fascism, and the lifelong project of reclaiming a self. One that was never really lost, just temporarily force-fed someone else’s world view. Over the past year, she has performed drag and stand-up across the Chicago area, and Femmenancy’s Earth Pad marks her debut full-length solo show.
Alexis Radhakrishnan
Friday and Sunday at 6 pm.
Experience the highs and lows of love and loss with NEW music by Alexis Radhakrishnan!
Alexis Radhakrishnan was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. She started playing the ukulele at a school called The Sphinx Academy when she was 14 years old. Alexis wrote her first song that same year. She began performing original songs at local open mics while continuing ukulele lessons with her teacher, and friend, Mick Jeffries. Three years later she self recorded and produced a short collection of songs called “Sunflower” which is available on Sound Cloud. Alexis has recently begun experimenting with backing tracks with the help of sound engineer, and friend, Nick Fogle. She is working on another short album called “I didn’t Mean to Make You Cry” which will be available this fall.
Ramya Ravi
Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 7 pm.
Learn the dance language of B squared - Bharatanatyam with ballet in Ramya Ravi’s NEW show.
A story of migration, motherhood, identity, belonging, and the blending of cultures across generations. This work explores the journey of a migrant woman as she builds a life in a new continent—navigating unfamiliar cultural landscapes while shaping her career, identity, and family. Alongside her story unfolds that of her first-generation daughter, who grapples with the complexities of belonging, caught between the heritage of her parents’ homeland and the realities of her own upbringing. Through a dynamic interplay of Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam, and elements of ballet (B²), the piece examines the tensions and harmonies of dual identity. The narrative culminates in a nuanced resolution—embracing both cultural inheritances while affirming an individual sense of self.
Featured Local Artists
Axl Chupungco, Areysi Nunez, Matt Gilleran, osmin, Spectra, Dave 'Nasty' Swanson, Candace Green, Claire Goodman, Juwan Lockhart, Kenzie Jean, and Adrian Mesino.
Our 3 featured artists for 2026 have been chosen. Thank you to all of our applicants. Visit our community partner Current Cloud for more opportunities for artists.
Everyone deserves to feel like a star.
About The Elgin Group (TEG) - A loose collective of performing artists from and around the Elgin Area, working together to produce independent performance art, offering their community thoughtful live content.
Funding provided in part by Elevating Equity, a grant making program in Elgin IL, supporting racial equity and justice for marginalized people.
Original shows; Truly thoughtful arttists!
Great performance art can come from artists of any background. Each artist has a unique combination of skills that make their show possible. These original shows help us understand the importance of local performance art and how it can provide therapeutic outlets to artists and audiences at any stage of their lives.
Qualifications - Artists of any age, skill level and background are welcome. Must live within 30 miles of Downtown Elgin. Priority will be given to artists who reside in the City of Elgin. Because of the nature of this program to promote diverse voices and elevate marginalized people, artists who are BIPOC, Queer, or disabled/of different abilities, are encouraged to apply and will be prioritized.
Outcomes - Artists will produce an original 30 - 45 minute show they will perform at the October Artist Showcase. The artist will have created a marketing package, helped with ticket sales to help make the showcase a success. Digital recordings of those performances will be filmed and uploaded to an online archive of TEG shows.
About the Coordinator - Adrian Mesino is an artist / illustrator from Elgin, IL Mesino collaborates with a variety of artists in the Chicagoland area, producing low resource art and performance exhibitions for his community.
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