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Artists and the people who make it possible for them to pursue the creative process will be honored at the Beverly Arts Center Anniversary Gala, Sat., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. at the Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago. The evening features the presentation of Richard I. Polanek Award, four Partnership Awards. Featured entertainment is the debut performance of an all new show by Chicago Style StandUps and Latin jazz by the Jose Valdes Trio.
Richard I. Polanek Award will be presented to Hetty Ghali of Burr Ridge. Ghali, a longtime resident of Beverly/Morgan Park, has been generous with her skills and her support of the Beverly Arts Center for many years. Using expertise from her degree in horticulture and her job as floral designer for Hilton Hotels, she has led the Garden Club of Morgan Park/Beverly Hills in their plan, maintenance and ongoing improvements to the gardens and landscape at the BAC.
“Her visionary approach to tending the Beverly Arts Center garden keeps nudging all of us as we refine and improve the garden,” said Norine Beirne of the Garden Club. “Hetty’s community spirit is matched by her foresight and wisdom as she, by example, increases our dedication to community service.” In the past, Ghali has also donated her exceptional skill as a caterer to provide dinners benefiting the Center.
Carol and Jim Lett of Chicago (Beverly/Morgan Park) will receive the Volunteer Partnership Award. The Letts have been active supporters of the BAC for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of areas, including working on special event committees, helping to improve and maintain the facility, and ushering during programs. Carol Lett, a member of the BAC Board of Directors for 16 years, works on the annual Benefit Auction, supervises the A la Arte gift shop, and recently volunteered to set up a new BAC auxiliary board. Since the new Center opened in 2002, Carol has arranged for all painting that has been done in the building, and arranged to have all the paint donated by Calumet Paints in Blue Island. In addition to working on events, Jim Lett has helped with countless chores at the BAC, from hanging signs to helping to build the orchestra pit.
The Teaching Partnership Award will go to Tom Hill of Worth, head of the BAC’s new ceramics studio and BAC School of the Arts ceramics instructor. Hill is a skilled ceramicist and artist with a background in arts education and performance. In addition to his work at the BAC, Hill currently teaches ceramics and is a studio artist at the Lillstreet Art Center, and exhibits his award-winning work in shows from New York to California.
Hill was instrumental in the design and construction of the new BAC ceramic studio opened last year. The studio has a separate area for kilns and glazes, plus room for students to learn pottery-making and glazing techniques from hand building to expert firing. “Tom’s hard work, talent as an artist and skill as a teacher have really built what started as a few ceramics classes into an exceptional art program in just one year,” said BAC Executive Director Mike Nix.
The BAC Artistic Partnership Award will be presented to Paul Kelly of Chicago (Beverly/Morgan Park) and the Chicago Style StandUps, who will also debut an all new show at the Gala.
“Paul not only brings a great show to the Arts Center, he’s an outstanding supporter. He and the Chicago Style StandUps have donated their time to fund raising events like the Benefit Auction, and spreading the word about our place as a great space to put on and see a show,” Nix said. Kelly has been in comedy for nearly 30 years and got his start in local venues such as the old Lamp coffeehouse at 109th and Western and Reilly’s Daughter and Senese’s Comedy Club. He developed his skill peforming six night a week at Zanies, where he and the Chicago Style StandUps still perform every Monday.
The StandUps, a group of veteran Chicago comedians, came together in 2003 to create an all-new experience in the delivery of stand-up comedy. Following one after another to the microphone, they shoot off hilarious original material at a fast and furious tempo, covering topics from sports to politics to parenting – and nothing is sacred.
Members of the Chicago Style StandUps performing at the Gala with Kelly are: James Wesley Jackson, who has appeared on Comedy Central, Comedy Tonight and HBO’s Chris Rock Show; writer, stage actor and award-winning storyteller Bill Gorgo; Jim McHugh, who has performed on HBO, MTV and ESPN2; and former Second City performer Scot Wickmann, who has appeared on A&E, Comedy on the Road, and Comedy Central.
First American Bank, 11821 S. Western, Chicago, will receive the BAC Business Partnership Award for extraordinary ongoing support, most recently the matching grant to provide the Center with a new electronic sign. First American Bank will be represented at the Gala by Vice President and Director of Marketing Sally Smith and Regional Manager Roman V. Strzelczyk.
First American Bank is an Illinois-chartered, full-service bank with 39 Chicago area locations and more than $2 billion in assets. Founded in solid relationships with the communities it serves, First American is privately held and 80% owned by officers, directors and family members. Their strength and stability comes from a consistent, diversified earnings stream, strong internal equity generation, sound asset quality, and a liquid and conservative balance sheet.
The Beverly Arts Center is a not-for-profit regional center dedicated to providing fine arts programming and education and funded through memberships, donations, gifts and grants. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Gala tickets are $75 per person and include an innovative hors d’oeuvres buffet catered by Alvin Green, executive chef of Dish, cocktails and live entertainment. After-five attire is suggested. For tickets and information, call the BAC box office 773-445-3838 or go online to www.beverlyartcenter.org.
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