SAA Collective

in downtown Springfield and a professional hub for artists based in Springfield and Central Illinois. SAA Collective began as the Prairie Art Alliance in 1979 as an artists' support group called the Women's Art Alliance. Its purpose was to encourage and promote local women artists by providing exhibition opportunities, workshops, and artistic development. The Alliance incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1985 and changed its name in 1995 to reflect the admission of male artists. Beginning in 1996, it opened a gallery and classroom on the grounds of the Springfield Art Association, just north of downtown. In 2004, the PAA moved to downtown Springfield in the newly established Hoogland Center for the Arts. In January 2016, the Prairie Art Alliance merged with the Springfield Art Association. This merger between Springfield's two largest visual arts organizations has inspire a new era of collaboration and fosters a unified spirit among the artists of Springfield. In October 2020, the SAA Collective moved into a multilevel new space inside of the Broadwell Pharmacy building on the corner of Washington and 5th street. They are now back open after a long break due to the recent temporary closure to the Hoogland Center of the Arts in result of the COVID 19 pandemic.