January 13, 2010 4:44 PM :: Events :: No Comments

New Arts Forum Meeting - February 23

6:00 - 8:00pm
Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP
225 W Wacker Drive, 30th flr Conf. Room, Chicago

OPEN TO: New Arts Forum (NAF) Members
                 Young Professionals Interested in Joining NAF

The New Arts Forum(NAF) is a group of Chicago-area young business professionals dedicated to promoting and supporting Urban Gateways' efforts to provide arts education to all children, despite race or economic class.

This full member meeting will feature a presentation by Chicago artist and Urban Gateways teaching artist James “Casper” Jankowiak entitled “Chatter - Artist Connectivity”.  Wine and light appetizers will be provided. Current NAF members are encouraged to bring colleagues interested in joining.

Attendees MUST RSVP by Friday, February 19th as the meeting is being held in a secure building. All visitors must be added to the list and show ID upon arrival.

To RSVP, email Urban Gateways Development Manager Kristy Conway>>

Urban Gateways Artist James “Casper” Jankowiak

Visit http://www.jamesjankowiak.com/index.html to see Casper’s work!

Casper was born and raised in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Although his early forays in the Chicago graffiti scene proved to be influential upon several generations of spray can artists, he always took risks with his art and continues to evolve as a painter and installation artist. As a teaching artist/activist, James looks back to his teenage years as a young graffiti artist, and remembers when he was given the opportunity to take part in art programs offered in the Pilsen community: “I was kind of on the edge, either I was going to make it a s an artist or I was going to succumb to the pressures of my environment…it really mattered that there were teaching artists who saw the good inside of us as young people, and made us believe we had something to offer. I realized how important they were instantly, and decided that I’d like the chance to be a mentor for other communities that needed them. Some kids may never get that chance, not only to participate in a program, but discover a new way of seeing, and sometimes they may find out that they too may have something to offer artistically.”

His work has been exhibited at several notable institutions such as the MCA, Northwestern University and the SAIC’s Roger Brown Gallery, and has been commissioned to paint murals for such entities as the Chicago White Sox, Leo Burnett and Nintendo.