The Western Illinois Museum in downtown Macomb already has a board and an advisory council. But museum leadership wanted to bring new voices to conversations about its events and activities.
That led to the formation of a Youth Advisory Council.
“It’s a chance for young people age 16 to 24 to come and give their voice to the museum and to be represented here,” said Carter Myers, who’s the museum’s Engagement Coordinator and a senior at Western Illinois University.
“We want to hear your voice. We want to see, what do you want from the museum?”
Myers felt there was a lack of places for young people to hang out communally and learn to be themselves. He said the council can provide that space and allow young people to provide ideas for shaping the museum.
“One of the main ideas behind this new Youth Advisory Council was: What are the board and what are the advisory council of museum missing? What’s the elephant in the room that the Youth Advisory Council can point out?” Myers said.
The Western Illinois Museum started the Youth Advisory Council two months ago. Myers said they have four members and are looking for more.
The first idea the group came up with is an art exhibit of pieces that reflect how young people see McDonough County. It will be displayed on the walls of the museum’s art gallery hallways.
“Young people, age 16 to 24, can submit art in any form that will fit on these walls, whether it’s a standard portrait, it can be a piece of music that’s pasted on the wall, it can be poetry,” Myers said.
The museum is accepting submissions through Nov. 21.
“We’d love to see and hear your opinions on McDonough County. We’d love to see what kind of art you can produce, and we’re very excited to launch this,” Myers said.
The exhibit, Seeing McDonough County: A View of 2026, will be on display for two months starting Nov. 28.
They’re still formulating ideas for other new events.
Myers enjoys the events and exhibits currently hosted by the museum, but said others might feel differently.
“Someone else might not love that. And if they don’t, we want to hear from them, and we want to hear what you would love instead. How do we represent you? How do we represent your voice?” Myers said.
“That’s something we would love to work with. We would love to hear from you and we would love to make you feel welcome in this space.”
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