SUMMER 2001

A GIFT FROM OMRON

The Northwest Cultural Council is pleased to announce receiving a grant in excess of $50,000 from OMRON Foundation in Schaumburg.

OMRON Corporation, a $5 billion Japanese company, is active in a large number of fields. Its business revolves mainly around factory automation systems, control components, and other industrial automation businesses; it also encompasses social automation business, and health and medical equipment. The globally active Omron Group consists of 128 firms and employs some 25,000 people, 10,000 of them outside of Japan.

This most generous grant will be used to bring the Council's "Kids Meet Art"™ program to each of the 27 schools in Schaumburg School District #54. NWCC artists will present 81 programs during the 2001/2002 school year.

"KIDS MEET ART"^TM is an innovative, three day arts education program, that brings professional artists into elementary, junior and high schools, to introduce students to the various art forms. "KMA"™ offers hands-on, one-on-one training in art, music, theater, writing, and dance.

NWCC's program aims to encourage self-esteem, creative expression and independent thought processing. Students gain new skills, a deeper respect for other cultures, and a sense of pride in accomplishment .... all of which foster the development of responsible adult values.

KU

Concert in the Gallery By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau

Even on one of the first balmy days of the season, NWCC's Chamber Concert at Roosevelt University was able to draw a crowd to hear Dale Clevenger, principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The audience was treated to a performance that included last-minute program additions-extra pieces, Clevenger's son and wife accompanying him, and a quick lesson on the history of the horn-as well as a chance to get to know the musician in a casual setting. Seeing one of the country's premier musicians close up was a rare gift.

We're grateful to Roosevelt University for sponsoring and hosting the concert and for its continuing commitment to supporting the arts and local professional artists through its participation in the Council's Corporate Gallery Program.

Meet Connie Heavey and Karen Larson by Sherrie Kirmse

The Northwest Cultural Council states its mission is to weave the arts into the fabric of the community. What better way to do that than to join forces with a dynamic teacher? And wouldn't two be even better?

Seven years ago retired District 15 Language Arts teacher Kay Freidrich introduced Connie Heavey and Karen Larson to the Council. That was the beginning of a vital and productive relationship between the two art teachers from Plum Grove Junior High in Rolling Meadows and the Council. It has grown from "Kids Meet Art"™ visits to Plum Grove to the extraordinary interdisciplinary exercise which was developed around the Mayan exhibit.

With 18 years apiece in the classroom, the ladies took similar paths to Plum Grove. Each began teaching right after college, took a few years off to be a full-time mom and then went back to work as a sub until the right position came their way. Karen began teaching at Plum Grove 15 years ago. Thirteen years ago Connie joined her. They quickly became fast friends and a dynamic and creative team, each bringing her own strengths to the task of developing a challenging program at the junior high.

Each lady has set a high goal as her own teaching standard. Karen tries to expose her students to as many facets of the arts as possible in the hope of igniting a spark in each youngster that will blossom into a life-long interest. Connie aims to show her students how the arts can be used as an outlet for personal statement and help them develop the kind of problem-solving skills learned best by studying artistic concepts. Both teachers concur that they must make art relevant to real life experience.

They are justifiably proud of an event called Kaleidoscope Day. On this day each year all of the Plum Grove art classes work with guest artists who represent a wide variety of media. A team of teachers and students from Fremd High School visits and demonstrates the kinds of art projects the students can expect to experience in high school. Len Upin, head of the art department at Fremd, has collaborated with them on this project and always tries to bring some of their former students on this day.

Their commitment to excellence led them to undertake studies for their masters degrees at Columbia College. For two years they made the trek into the Loop three nights a week, eating dinner in the car while going over their notes. Now that they have completed their degrees in Interdisciplinary Arts, they team teach at Columbia, teaching other teachers to develop programs and curricula in the arts.

The program began in the seventies to combat cut-backs in the arts. The aim then was to prepare regular classroom teachers to incorporate the arts into their lesson plans when the arts were being deleted from schools across the country. Now that the importance of these subjects in forming young minds has come to the fore, more and more art teachers are in the program to learn how to integrate their subject with other areas of the curriculum. This is definitely an area where the ladies from Plum Grove excel.

They spent the last year preparing to sit for the national board certification for teachers to earn the designation of Master Teacher. The rigorous year-long process requires candidates to undertake an in-depth analysis of their teaching careers. They assessed their lessons both in making and interpreting art and their students work and growth, with detailed documentation including videotapes of their classes. They were also required to discuss their collaboration within their professional community and their outreach to the community at large.

It was in this last area that their association with the Council presented a great deal of material for their portfolio. Executive Director Kathy Umlauf has high praise for their work with the NWCC. They have been extremely generous with their time and talent. When the Council mounted the Fine Art and Craft Fair at Northwest Community Hospital, Karen and Connie set up the children's program using NWCC artists to present a series of projects on a variety of art forms that kept the children entertained for hours. And their nomination secured for the Council the prestigious Illinois Art Alliance Award.

The lessons they planned around the Mayan exhibit were also part of their documentation for Master Teacher. They not only worked with faculty members in other disciplines at Plum Grove, they also met with Council artist Paula Fisher and poet Deborah Rosen to brainstorm the project.

After all of the preparatory lessons at school, the students were taken to the Council gallery where Deborah led them through a poetry exercise based on the Mayan exhibit and Paula helped them develop a personal design based on the Mayan number system. The kids were able to take these back to school and pull them together into a finished piece with their computer skills. These were exhibited later at our gallery. It's hard to imagine that many of this year's teacher candidates could have had a better example of interdisciplinary learning in their portfolio.

To talk to these ladies is to hear excitement. Eighteen years in the classroom has not jaded them a bit. They are still brimming with enthusiasm and dedicated to their mission. The NWCC could not ask for better envoys to carry our message to the community we serve.

Kudos and Applause for Friends of the Northwest Cultural Council

Welcome to our Board, Jeff Butterfield

Jeffrey D. Butterfield, President and CEO of Harris Bank Palatine and the Harris Community Banking, North Region joins our Board of Directors in June, 2001.

Bonnie Peterson, NWCC Artist

Bonnie Peterson was recently an artist in residence at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The residency program will result in an art exhibit celebrating the Centennial in 2002, of Crater Lake becoming a National Park. The exhibit will be at the Schneider Museum in Ashland, Oregon. Bonnie also received a juror award from the Yosemite Renaissance XVI exhibit currently at the Yosemite Museum Gallery in Yosemite National Park, California.

Lynne Railsback, NWCC Artist

Lynne Railsback was included in "You Gotta Have Art 2001" at the Evanston Art Center, this past May. The event included a benefit art auction. Lynne has also been invited to exhibit in Winter 2002 at Fermilab, in Wilson Hall.

Ingrid Neuhofer Dohm, NWCC Artist

Ingrid Dohm was the featured artist in the September, 2000 issue of The Artists' Magazine. She was also a finalist in the Illinois Chapter of the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., 2000 Millennium Show and was chosen as an artist for the 2000 Easter Seals campaign.

Deborah Rosen, Poet

In August of 2000, Deborah Rosen received the "Best of the Best" Poets and Patrons Poetry Award. There were 20 categories in the contest. After the best poem in each category received an award, the best of the 20 receives this additional award.

Bert Coons, NWCC Artist

Herbert Coons, received the Studs Terkel Humanitarian Award from the Illinois Humanities Council in November, 2000 for his innovative work in the medium of sculpting. In addition to his contributions to the arts Bert is a devoted volunteer at the Shriners' Children's Hospital.

Deanna Goldberg, NWCC Artist

The Indian Trails Public Library commissioned three original hand-colored black and white photographs from Deanna Goldberg in October 2000. The purchase resulted from a grant received by the library to acquire art for its permanent collection. The photographs are of historical buildings in the library district, and can be seen in the children's section of the library.

NWCC's Friend Karen Larson, Commissioner of the Buffalo Grove Park District

Karen was recognized in April, 2001 for 20 years of volunteer service as an elected official on the Buffalo Grove Park District Board of Park Commissioners. During her tenure, Karen has been instrumental in bringing the visual arts to the community. Recently, she worked with the Northwest Cultural Council on the creation of a gallery at the Buffalo Grove Fitness Center.

Comments

"I wish to commend the Northwest Cultural Council on the works you exhibit at Roosevelt University. The faculty, staff, and students truly enjoy the art displayed. Your artists' works have quickly become a major part of our campus life. While all of the past exhibits have been wonderful, I wanted to particularly praise you for the current show (Ingrid Neuhofer Dohm and Jean Devaud). Both the quality and diversity of artistic styles are exceptional, and have been the object of many positive comments (and debate - after all, we are a University where everything is fodder for academic discussion). I want to thank you, and your artists, for your continuing efforts to enrich the quality of our campus life."

Thomas Head, Ph.D., Associate Dean

Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration, Roosevelt University