Kerfuffle! 2023 Event Program

LETTER FROM THE CHIARTS FOUNDATION PRESIDENT

Welcome to Kerfuffle! On behalf of this year’s co-chairs and the Foundation Board of Directors, I thank you for joining us as we celebrate access to arts education in Chicago.

We believe novice talent should have access to the opportunity and training necessary to thrive, no matter their previous exposure to arts education or income. With support from Chicago’s philanthropic community, ChiArts remains a catalyst for change and a creative home for hundreds of diverse emerging artists. It is a place where aspiring dancers, writers, actors, musicians, and visual artists uncover their potential as creative opportunities ignite passion, inspire self-discovery, and illuminate possibilities.

Your support makes it possible for ChiArts to provide tuitionfree, pre-professional arts training to over 600 students every year. You also help ChiArts provide professional development to students, post-secondary planning programs, and meaningful professional and creative opportunities for ChiArts alums.

This evening you will experience presentations by talented scholar-artists and alums from ChiArts’ Creative Writing, Dance, Theatre, Music, and Visual Arts conservatories. Tonight we are also honored to pay tribute to ChiArts founding board member, Susan McKeever, for her dedication and commitment to dance and arts education.

Thank you again for taking part in our mission to provide access to arts education and professional development opportunities for current, future, and former students of The Chicago High School for the Arts. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Performances

- Mirja Spooner Haffner, ChiArts Foundation Board Chair

- José Ochoa, ChiArts Foundation Board President & ChiArts Alums

- Tribute to Susan McKeever

8:45 Post-dinner Celebration & Dessert

10:00 Bars Close

Thank you for joining us!

Bok Choy & Jasmine Rice, with Fried Lotus Root Garnish

Roasted Cauliflower Steak (v)

Roasted Fennel, Apple, Cilantro & Spicy Romesco

Petite Mushroom Charlotte & Grilled Vegetable Batons

Passed Wines

Block Nine Cabernet Sauvignon

Koha Suavignon Blanc

Please enjoy specialty dessert stations, cocktails, and coffee and tea after dinner in the Concrete Bar and Staircase Lobby.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 SPONSORS

PRESENTER ($50,000)

Jim & Kay Mabie Family

DIRECTOR ($10,000)

Betsy & Arthur Holden

Gary Metzner & Scott Johnson

Denis & Martha Pierce

Amisha Rigia & Adam Caplan

The Collens Family

Peter Fidler & Kate Grossman

Mirja Spooner Haffner

John Hart & Carol Prins

PATRON ($2,500)

J.R. & Katie Berger

Marc Brooks and Liza Cruzat

Robert Cook

Clayco

Lois & Steve Eisen

Helyn Goldenberg & Michael Alper

Susan Feibus & Tom Geoghegan

Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

Chardai & Rashod Johnson

Anne Kaplan

Sponsors as of 4.21.23

ARTISTIC VISIONARY ($25,000)

Elissa Hamid Efroymson & Adnaan Hamid

Klaff Family Foundation

Tim Schwertfeger & Gail Waller

STAR

Bluhm Family Charitable Foudation

Deloitte

Arnett & Greg Faulkner

Lori Gray Faversham

Christine & Greg Gallagher

William & Anne Goldstein

Ron & Marilynn Grais

Sandra & Jack Guthman

Loop Capital

Robin & Eric Maddix

Sylvia Neil & Dan Fischel

Peoples Gas Community Fund

Trice Construction

Neal Zucker & Marko Iglendza

Mesirow

Michael Perlow

Jonathan & Robin Plotkin

SHVO

Lisa Simmons & John Street

WVON 1690AM

Susan & Bob Wislow

CHIARTS FOUNDATION MISSION

ChiArts Foundation was established in January 2021 to support arts education opportunities for, and inspire and nurture current, future, and former students of The Chicago High School for the Arts. The Foundation’s key objectives are

EVERY STUDENT - GRADUATES WITH -

2,500 HOURS OF ARTS TRAINING

2022-2023 HIGHLIGHTS

Read about how scholar-artists from ChiArts’ five conservatories have made the most of their arts classes, performing opportunities, and community partnerships!

VISUAL ARTS

Led by the Visual Arts Curatorial Fellows and Visual Arts Student Reps Board, Visual Arts now has opportunities to specialize in curation and zine production.

MUSIC, INSTRUMENTAL

Scholar-artists, Jacob Cornejo, Gio Ibarra, Ben Lopez, Fabrizio Milcent, Leo Milano, and Sofia Villanueva represented ChiArts at Illinois Music Education Conference (IMEC) also known as “All-State.”

DANCE

The conservatory premiered new productions such as: A Not So Nutcracker, Nutcracker, Moving Voices (a cross-conservatory collaboration), and shared their production of ROOTED with local elementary schools.

MUSIC, VOCAL

This year, ChiArts vocalists performed for Michelle Obama, were featured in Millennium Park’s Holiday Sing-Along, and scholar-artists placed at Chicago’s National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition.

SCHOLAR-ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Tyra Outlaw, Dance ’24 has been named a YoungArts 2023 Merit Winner for Dance in the Modern/Contemporary category. YoungArts will support Tyra with creative and professional development opportunities throughout her artistic career!

PERFORMANCES & PRESENTATIONS

CREATIVE WRITING

Visit a typewriter station for ‘Poems While You Wait’ and receive an original work created by our brilliant creative writing scholar-artists. The dinner reception will also feature a poetry reading from Creative Writing Senior, Gael Granados.

MUSIC

The evening will showcase music from ChiArts’ Jazz Combo, guitarists, vocalists, and the ChiArts Wind Quintet. We will end the night with a dance party, hosted by ChiArts’ Afro-Caribbean Percussion Ensemble, “Ritmo di ChiArts.”

DANCE

Dancers will present a selection from their sold-out spring production ROOTED, a tribute to the origins and creativity of Black dance.

MEET ALUMS

We encourage you to engage with ChiArts alums at tonight’s event and learn about the impact of ChiArts and their current creative and professional endeavors.

THEATRE

Theatre scholar-artists will perform a show-stopping medley from ChiArts’ 2023 production, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.

VISUAL ARTS

Visual Artists will have select pieces on display to admire. Throughout the evening, the conservatory will also be creating one-of-a-kind “Mythical Portraits” for guests to receive as a keepsake.

TEXT-TO-DONATE “CHIARTS” TO 801801

CHIARTS’ FIVE ARTS CONSERVATORIES ARE 100% FUNDED BY THE CHIARTS FOUNDATION THROUGH INDIVIDUAL, CORPORATE, AND FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS. KERFUFFLE! IS A VITAL COMPONENT OF OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.

THE SUSAN MCKEEVER CHIARTS DANCE FUND

SUSAN MCKEEVER

ChiArts Founding Board Member

Dancer - Attorney - Philanthropist

The ChiArts Foundation is honored to pay tribute to Susan McKeever, in celebration of her remarkable commitment to dance, arts education, and The Chicago High School for the Arts. Susan is one of the school’s founding board members and a former professional dancer. In many ways, ChiArts students are a reflection of Susan and her journey in dance. She began seriously training in dance in college, which is considered late by all accounts, but persevered and became a professional dancer with esteemed companies such as Bill T. Jones and Urban Bush Women, which is a remarkable achievement.

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of ChiArts’ inaugural graduating class of 2013. We are so incredibly proud of all the accomplishments of our students and alumni. In 10 short years, ChiArts’ Dance alums have made a mark in the professional world as they performing with professional dance companies worldwide, including Alvin Ailey II, Dayton Contemporary, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, New Jersey Ballet, and Colorado Ballet, while others have been members of NBA dance teams. Alums have been seen on Legendary (HBO Max), Pose (FX), national commercials, and even this year's Super Bowl.

In honor of Susan’s incredible impact on ChiArts and Chicago’s young artists, we are honored to pay tribute to Susan and her incredible love and passion for the arts by establishing the Susan McKeever ChiArts Dance Fund. We hope that through this fund, we will be able to continue to ensure every dance student at ChiArts has access to all the opportunities that are important in a young artist’s life. Susan’s family has generously given a gift to help launch this fund, and we invite you to join them in supporting the next generation of dancers. Through her own personal journey, Susan McKeever shows us that with determination and opportunity, all is possible.

65% OF SCHOLAR-ART ISTS

COME TO CHIARTS AS NOVICES - WITH LITTLE TO NO TRAINING -

CHIARTS FOUNDATION BOARD

OF DIRECTORS

Mirja Spooner Haffner, Chair

Gary Metzner, Vice Chair

Erin Clifford, Secretary

Christina Huizar, Treasurer

Dana Berkowitz

Steven Collens

Elissa Hamid Efroymson

Arnett Faulkner

Lori Gray Faversham

Ronald B. Grais

Christine Gallagher*

Sandra Guthman

John Hart

Betsy Holden

Tom Hurvis

Pamela Johnson

Avril Klaff

Marshall Lindsey

Samera Ludwig

David Mabie

Michael McIntosh

Sylvia Neil

Jonathan Plotkin

Cynthia Plouché*

Amisha Rigia

John Yonover

Neal Zucker

*Ex-Officio Directors

CHIARTS SCHOOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Duffie Adelson, Interim Chair

Warren Chapman, Secretary

Christine Gallagher, Treasurer

Carlos Azcoitia

Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson

Inger Burnett-Zeigler

Janette Cortes-Duewel

Deirdra Donahue

Michelle Farid-Pierre*

Peter Fidler

Karen Fishman

Bill Gerstein

Angela Kiefer*

Kay Mabie

John McCambridge

Cynthia Plouché

*Parent Representatives and Ex-Officio Directors