Fine Arts Commission

May 11, 2022 Skokie Fine Arts Commission Meeting Summary I. Call to Order – at 7 p.m. by Chairperson Pam Garbarini; those present in conference rooms D/E at Skokie Village Hall included Trustee Liaison Ralph Klein as well as Commissioners Judy Levan, Doris Liberman, Sonya Osseny, Pamela Sloan, Mitch Thomas, Vassi Vasevski and Ellen Waxberg. Village staff liaisons Ann Tennes and Enkhnasan Taylor also attended. II. Program Update – Tennes thanked Liberman, Thomas and Vasevski for serving as jurors for the Skokie Summer Scenes community photo exhibit. She reported that photos are coming in slowly and that the exhibit will be added to the website in coming weeks when more photos are submitted. III. Upcoming Projects – Tennes reported that despite repeated email messages and a recent phone conversation, she had yet to receive a possible date or time frame from Sketchbook Brewing staff for the commission’s future storytelling program. The group discussed other possible locations, including Oakton Community College, Zhivago, Take Flight Spirits as well as the new antique and art gallery space on Lincoln Avenue that is expected to open in coming months. Tennes promised to provide updates when available. The 2022 Artistic Excellence Awards were mentioned as an upcoming fall project, too. Tennes advised that NewSkokie was transitioning to a quarterly publication schedule and the awards would be included in the fall edition that arrives in homes in late August. Garbarini confirmed that the 2023 SOAR exhibition will be held at Oakton Community College, and that she hopes the commission can organize a reception of some sort, even on a smaller scale than the prior events at the North Shore Center. IV. Open Discussion – The possibility of restoring the commission’s former grant program was discussed. Tennes said that currently, the Village budget cannot support restoring the grants. She suggested that limited funds could be available in coming years, but most likely just for grants to non-profit community arts agencies/organizations, and not to schools. Garbarini expressed support for this, noting that schools have numerous other funding options. The commission then discussed possible arts-related organizations and businesses in the community that they could visit over the summer, individually or in pairs/small groups, to bring information back to the commission when meetings resume in the fall. The following list was developed: • A+C Architects/Gallery, 4840 Main Street (note: subscribe to newsletters via website to receive exhibition/opening notifications) • Aw Yeah Comics, 7925 Lincoln Avenue • The Douglas Center, 3445 Howard Street • Jay Ryan/The Bird Machine, 4823 Main Street • Juneteenth exhibit at Devonshire Cultural Center curated by Commissioner Debra Hatchett; note that opening reception is on Saturday, June 18, 2 to 4 p.m. • Midwest Clay Guild, 8124 Lawndale Avenue • Seman Violins, 4447 Oakton Street Page Two May 11, 2022 Fine Arts Commission Meeting Summary The new gallery/antique space under construction on Lincoln Avenue also was mentioned, and Tennes promised to send information to the commission when the space was open in coming months. Commission members were encouraged to take photos of themselves at the various businesses and send them to her for posting in Village outreach to promote both the commission and business. Sloan mentioned her May 28, 2022 exhibition opening at the Insect Asylum, 2870 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, and invited all commissioners to attend. V. Adjournment – the meeting adjourned at 7:43 p.m. Upcoming meeting: September 17, October 12 and December 14, 2022; conference rooms D/E at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie, Illinois 60077.