Fine Arts Commission

March 9, 2022 Skokie Fine Arts Commission Meeting Summary I. Call to Order – at 7:01 p.m. by Chairperson Pam Garbarini; those present in conference rooms D/E at Skokie Village Hall included Vice President Jeff Rhodes, Commissioners Mira Chander, Debra Hatchett, Judy Levan, Doris Liberman, Sonya Osseny, Pamela Sloan, Mitch Thomas, Vassi Vasevski, Sharon Vicker and Ellen Waxberg. Trustee Ralph Klein, staff liaison Ann Tennes and guest speaker Kyle Dougan also attended. II. Guest Speaker – Kyle Dougan, Producing Artistic Director, Music Theater Works – Dougan provided an overview of the five musicals that comprise the Music Theater Works (MTW) 2022/23 season at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. He said that the Skokie community has given MTW a warm welcome and that, “MTW feels at home in Skokie.” He described the strong partnerships that MTW is forging in the community to support the ancillary human-interest, issues-based programming that MTW develops to support the themes of each musical production. He thanked the commission for the invitation to speak, and again expressed thanks for the support received from both the commission, the Village and other Skokie community partners. III. Program Recap – Garbarini provided a brief overview of the December 20, 2021 presentation of the commission’s Artistic Excellence Awards to retired educator/jazz musician Richard Lichtenstein and Anatomically Correct, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local artists founded by Commissioner Debra Hatchett. The commission also discussed the Students Outstanding Artists Recognition (SOAR) exhibition on display at Oakton Community College through March. Garbarini thanked commissioners who assisted with set up and numerous commissioners volunteered to assist with take down on April 5. IV. Upcoming Projects – the commission discussed plans for a spring/summer 2022 Skokie Through the Lens call for community photos. It was agreed that the online exhibit would be launched in early April and continue through late July. Several theme/name ideas were suggested, and commissioners were invited to send names to Tennes by March 15. The commission then discussed launching a story telling initiative, possibly at Sketchbook Brewing company or Take Flight Spirits in late summer or early fall 2022. The commission would put out a call for stories up to a certain word count that the commissioners would review and then conduct auditions either in person or via Zoom, with the final curated story collection taking place one night at one of the possible venues. Tennes agreed to develop a project plan and approach principals at Sketchbook about a possible partnership. V. Open Discussion – Hatchett thanked everyone for supporting Anatomically Correct’s recent exhibitions, one of which featured works by Commissioners Sloan and Vasevski. She also asked about possibly displaying art in the empty first-floor commercial space at 8000 North, and Klein agreed to speak to the project developer on the matter. VI. Adjournment – the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Upcoming meetings: April 13 and May 11, 2022; conference rooms D/E at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie, Illinois 60077.