Prairie Fire: Season 3 - Episode 6 - March 2026
This month on Prairie Fire, Chicago-based artist Brian Dettmer reimagines the printed word. Carefully carving into vintage encyclopedias, dictionaries, and printed references and revealing hidden layers of text and images, Dettmer’s work is a meditation on memory, knowledge, and information in a changing digital age.
In Macomb, 95-year-old quilter Millie Sorrells proves that creativity has no age limit. From a farmer’s wife to a nationally recognized artist, Millie’s quilts celebrate a life shaped by passion and curiosity.
We also sit down with Mother Nature, the women-led hip-hop duo, Klevah and Truth. From meeting on the University of Illinois campus to carving out a legacy of self-discovery and defiance, they share their story—and treat us to a live performance of “Sequoia Treez” at Fire Doll Studio.
Finally, we visit Sola Gratia Farm, where fresh, organic food and community partnerships are helping expand access to healthy meals across the region.
Brian Dettmer
Are books really “dead”? Artist Brian Dettmer has built a career exploring this question and the implications of a shifting information age, from physical to digital media. In his Chicago studio, Dettmer seals the edges of vintage books and carefully carves inward, removing layers page by page and revealing hidden images, phrases, and illustrations buried within the text. As encyclopedias, dictionaries, and printed references become remnants of the past, Dettmer’s sculptures are a meditation on memory, knowledge, and an unstable digital landscape.
A farmer’s wife turned celebrated quilt artist, Millie Sorrells defies expectations with every stitch. With over 40 years of quilting experience, Sorrells has built a body of work that spans national museums, competitions, and classrooms. At 95 years old, Millie’s story is a celebration of how passion, persistence, and a love of learning can shape a person’s “second act.”
Mother Nature is the women-led hip-hop force of Klevah and Truth—emcees devoted to building a legacy founded on defiance and self-discovery. During a visit to Champaign for their performance at the “Toast to Taylor Street” (May 2024), we got the chance to sit down with the duo and learn all about how they got started—including their early days meeting on the University of Illinois campus, to the journey that led them where they are today. We were also treated to a very special performance of “Sequoia Treez”, from the Fire Doll Studio in Champaign, Illinois.
Founded in 2012, Sola Gratia Farm aims to make healthy, organic food accessible, to get people excited about trying new vegetables, and to support local food access organizations such as Eastern Illinois Food Bank, Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and Jubilee Café at the Community United Church of Christ.
