Fall 2007

Executive Director’s Report

Dear Friends,

It is always hard to say “Good-bye” to long time friends and supporters. So there is a sense of sadness as we reflect on five wonderful people as they retire from the NWCC Board of Directors. Each of these men and women have given generously of their time and talents to build the NWCC we have today.

JoAnn Peterson, Vice-President of Human Resources at Kimball Hill Homes, Inc., has been a part of NWCC since we moved to our first space in this Kimball Hill Stonehill Square complex. She started as volunteer bookkeeper and joined the Board as secretary in 1994. JoAnn has been Board President since 2001. It is difficult to imagine the NWCC board without the generous, caring presence of JoAnn Peterson.

Paula Fisher, sculptor and gifted art teacher, has exhibited in NWCC corporate galleries and participated enthusiastically in the "Kids Meet Art"TM program as a teacher. To all these roles Paula brought her love of people and joy in learning. Her wit and wisdom will be greatly missed. Paula is an irreplaceable friend to the Council.

Mike Springer, graphic artist at Zurich US, did the design and lay out for SPOTLIGHTS for sixteen years. Under his guidance the publication grew from a single folded page to a sixteen page magazine complete with color photos and dramatic cover design. In addition he served as juror for new NWCC corporate gallery artists. An outstanding talent, Mike will be sorely missed.

Eric Johnson, retired executive at Northrop Corporation, was highly supportive of Northrop¡¦s role in printing SPOTLIGHTS and funding "Kids Meet Art"TM. We are most grateful for these efforts. We wish him well in his new travel planning business.

Marg Duer, retired teacher at Fremd High School in Palatine, supported "Kids Meet Art"TM programs at that school. She was instrumental in selecting Jeff Dionestes as juror for the NWCC 2005 Annual Photography Exhibition.

Betty Morley, an NWCC Corporate Gallery artists has fulfilled her term as co-chair of the Corporate Gallery Program. Each year two of the three co-chairs are replaced by a different Corporate Gallery artist. Fortunately for the Council Betty is not only a fine artist but an excellent writer and she uses her writing skills for SPOTLIGHTS and many of our press releases throughout the year. We appreciate the efficient and professional talents Betty shares with NWCC.

As we bid farewell to these board members who have contributed so much to NWCC, we are pleased to welcome a new member to the board.

Robert J. (Bob) Ryan, Senior Vice President-People of Kimball Hill Homes, is new to the council, having moved to Illinois just recently. He has served on several boards including the Racine Art Museum, Racine Zoological Society, Workforce Development Board of Racine County and the Racine County Economic Development Committee. We welcome Bob’s multifaceted skills to assist our endeavors.

The Leadership Team of the Council’s Board of Directors for the coming year are:

President: Mark Lusson of Northwest Community Healthcare
Vice President: Mary Jo Willis, Community Volunteer
Secretary: Suzanne Sana, Community Volunteer
Treasurer: Ann Ryan, Community Volunteer
Kathy Umlauf: Executive Director

The fundraising committee will be co-chaired by board members Jack Lloyd of Harris Bank, and Diane Hill of Kimball Hill Homes, Inc.  

A special thank-you to Mount Prospect National Bank for their donation to the supply fund of the Council’s “Kids Meet Art”™ program. It allowed us to purchase enough brushes for an entire classroom to work on our new Chinese calligraphy project.

In this issue of SPOTLIGHTS I am pleased to welcome eleven new Corporate Corporate Gallery artists.

Corporate Gallery artists will have the opportunity to exhibit their work at an additional gallery, the Marriott Eventcom International office, beginning in October 2007. It’s a contemporary office filled with young creative people with visitors from around the world planning their events at Marriott hotels.

We are always looking for new sites “…to make art an everyday part of people’s lives.” Call us if you know of a new building under construction or can introduce the Council to someone who would like to enhance their corporate space with beautiful artwork.

Please take a look at our website at northwestculturalcouncil.org and view the Corporate Gallery artists' works and information about our other activities.

I've had a lot of information to share with you this quarter. Thanks for your time; and we welcome your visits to our galleries.

Warm Regards,

Kathy

Paula Fisher in her own words

Dear Kathy,

It'¦s been a great run! "KMA"TM has been one of the Great Delights of my professional life and I am grateful to you and NWCC for giving me the opportunity to create art with so many terrific kids. Kudos to the teachers and principals who were so welcoming and made us feel like VIPs when we entered their schools. Now it's time for a "sabbatical." I appreciate the support of all the "schedulers" who gave their time to call, send contracts and maps, confirm dates; all so important to the success of this memorable, outstanding program. And to the visionary funders who understand the importance of art in the lives of children, a sincere and heartfelt thank you.

Love,

Paula

CRAB TREE FARM TRIP

The Council’s first trip to a cultural site took place Friday, May 18, 2007. Our thanks to NWCC Corporate Gallery artists John Stanicek and his wife Sandy who recommended this wonderful museum for our first trip, and to three NWCC Board Members who underwrote most of the expenses: JoAnn Peterson, Kimball Hill Homes; Don Torisky, Century Solutions LLC; and Tom MacCarthy, Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Company.

Here’s some of the comments of people who took the trip:

The NWCC trip to Crab Tree Farm was absolutely spectacular.

The day began at the Council Gallery where, surrounded by a dazzling fabric art display, we were served an incredible continental breakfast. The fabric artist, Joan Ladendorf, acted as docent for her own work, answering questions and explaining her work processes.

A luxury motorcoach delivered us to Crab Tree Farm in Lake Bluff for a visit which one had to experience to believe. The exquisite farm buildings have been renovated to house a vast collection of Stickley and other Arts & Craft masterpieces. Each building has been meticulously restored and redesigned to show off households of furniture complete with period fabrics, pottery and artwork. Attention to detail is amazing, right down to the hairpins and jewelry set out in the bedrooms. The farm is not open to the public – one can only be amazed at the generosity of the family who owns and uses the farm to share it with selected groups. We spent nearly three hours exploring the buildings and grounds with our guide who was able to answer and discuss our every inquiry. This young man lives on the grounds and is knowledgeable about every piece in the collection.

Following our visit to the farm, we enjoyed a gourmet luncheon at Exmoor Country Club in an elegant setting reminiscent of a movie set. It was as though we had been on a luxury vacation which we did not want to end. If you missed this special outing, be sure to mark your calendars when the Council plans another trip! NWCC Artist Nancy Rayborn

“ A fabulous event . . .you surpassed even yourself with that trip . . . lunch was divine and we had the most delightful table companions from Chicago and Naperville.” Sharon F. Kirmse

“ It was a perfect field trip filled with goodness, beauty and fine company.. . . Crab Tree Farm filled up my spirit with its integrity and artistry.” Gale Jung Kuffel

“Our docent, Tom, appeared to have all the answers. …. wonderful, balanced, interesting table conversation at lunch with people I’d never met before. Judi Stephens

“Well timed and put together…Beautifully orchestrated …Enjoyed hearing the artist talking about the quilt show during the lovely breakfast… Crab Tree Farm is a goldmine of items from the Arts and Crafts era done in a very beautiful setting.” Coral Cerny