In case you missed it, our first Leadership Council Workshop of the year on February 18 was a great success! Representative from IFF came to talk with Members about the importance of making a space work for your organization, phases of a facilities project, fundraising, and sources of funding/resources for cultural organizations.
The Arts and Culture Loan Fund is a program designed to help small- and medium-sized arts and culture organizations in Chicago to manage uneven cash flows and strengthen financial capacity. The program includes the opportunity to access an operating line of credit, as well as financial management workshops, customized coaching, technical assistance on financial projects, and conversation on incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into your organization’s operations.
The program is funded by the MacArthur Foundation and administered by IFF in partnership with BDO FMA LLC (formerly Fiscal Management Associates).
What’s included in the program — and how do I apply?
To be eligible for the Arts and Culture Loan Fund, organizations must be current MacArthur Arts & Culture grantee, either directly or through one of the MacArthur Funds at the Prince Charitable Trusts or the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Additionally, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization in Chicago with a budget size between $250,000 and $5 million.
Eligible participants have the option of tapping into one, some, or all of the program’s components depending on their organizations’ specific needs. If you are interested in the program but would like support in identifying which components are the best fit for your organization, please fill out the following interest form and a member of our team will reach out to you.
The Program Includes:
1. Operating Line of Credit
2. Free Financial Management Workshop Series & Customized Coaching
3. Free Technical Assistance
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Support
How to Apply
Complete this form to get started or email fmaloanfund@bdo.com.
Deadline is MARCH 9 to participate in the Financial Management Workshop Series.
For those of you who already returned your Membership renewal forms and/or your Member dues, thank you!
For those of you who haven’t, a reminder that these due dates are coming up!
Please submit your renewal form as soon as possible, as the February 11 deadline has already passed. All that is required is contact info and self-reporting your organization’s budget. SUBMIT FORM HERE
After we receive your form, Sydney will email you with an invoice for your Member dues, which must be paid by February 28.
Thank you for being part of the Alliance! We rely on you to maintain this organization, and we look forward to working with all of you again this year!
Please join us in welcoming the newest Core Member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, South Asia Institute! Core Members are first-voice, community-driven organizations that preserve a specific cultural perspective, experience, and living history through programs, exhibits, or collections work.
South Asia Institute joins an active alliance of 45 other cultural heritage institutions spanning over 25 Chicago neighborhoods and 9 suburbs and representing more than 30 cultures from around the world. Let’s learn more about SAI!
The main gallery at South Asia Institute. Photo courtesy of South Asia Institute.
South Asia Institute’s History and Mission
SAI’s Mission: South Asia Institute cultivates the art and culture of South Asia and its diaspora through curated exhibitions, innovative programs and educational initiatives. We collaborate locally and globally to engage diverse communities in enriching creative experiences, support artistic production by emerging and established artists and foster cultural appreciation for the South Asian diaspora.
SAI grew out of the love of its founders, Shireen & Afzal Ahmad, for collecting South Asian art. After 50+ years of collecting, they had one of the largest collections of South Asian art in America and wanted to share it with the community. They established South Asia Institute in a landmark building in the Motor Row district of the South Loop and lovingly restored it. (pictured at left, photo courtesy of South Asia Institute)
SAI has grown to share not only art, but also music, films, book readings, and all aspects of the culture of South Asia.
The main gallery at South Asia Institute. Photo courtesy of South Asia Institute.
Visit SAI!
Their beautiful space hosts a gallery with rotating exhibitions that you can visit. Through March 5, 2022, the gallery is hosting the exhibition “Ravi Shankar: Ragamala to Rockstar: A Retrospective of The Maestro’s Life in Music.”
You can also check out their schedule of events for ongoing cultural programming!
Upcoming events:
Online Talk: Oliver Craske Discusses “Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar” Saturday, February 19, 2022 4:00 PM-6:00 PM
We’re so excited to welcome the newest Core Member of the Alliance and looking forward to working with them in the coming years! Check out South Asia Institute’s programming and gallery.
Marie Rowley, Marketing and Communications Manager
The DCASE Cultural Grants team is excited to offer a series of virtual webinars for all 2022 CityArts applicants. The webinars will cover updates to CityArts grant program guidelines and application review criteria plus provide tips and guidance to help applicants prepare the strongest application possible. Applicants are not required to attend a workshop to apply, however all applicants, regardless of having previously applied for or received a DCASE CityArts Grant, are encouraged to attend. Please see below to register.
If you need assistance in another language and/or if you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to apply, please contact culturalgrantmaking@cityofchicago.org for assistance.
Rob Fojtik is Vice President for Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and convention promotion bureau. In this capacity, Rob oversees efforts to promote and support Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to visitors from near and far. Programs include the award-winning Neighborhood Content Creator program that leverages resident-made digital content, and Chicago Alfresco, a $2.5 million placemaking initiative created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to transform public spaces into community plazas for outdoor enjoyment.
Before coming to Choose Chicago, Rob was a Senior Advisor to Mayor Lightfoot on economic development and international relations at City Hall, as well as LGTBQ+ affairs and the expanded outdoor dining program. In this role, he also worked to recommend and place over 150 civic leaders and residents onto City boards and commissions. Prior to government service in the Lightfoot administration, Rob ran her winning campaign in the crowded 2019 Chicago mayoral race as Chief of Staff. In past lives, Rob has worked as a public affairs manager for a Fortune 500 company downtown; had misadventures in management consulting, art sales, and personal cheffing; and spent time in Washington DC working for former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Rob also served a one-year appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as a policy advisor on Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, he was part of the NSC’s interagency process to develop a comprehensive sanctions regime on Russia as a consequence of its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.
After receiving his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature at Northwestern University, Rob lived and worked in the Czech Republic teaching English and tending bar before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). He enjoys cooking, learning foreign languages, hiking with his partner and their dog, and visiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods.
Paul Durica
Board Member
Dr. Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museums and worked in a similar capacity at The Newberry Library. From 2015-2020, he served as the Director of Programs and Exhibitions with Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Prior to that he drew upon his work as a writer, researcher, and teacher to produce a series of free and interactive talks, walks, and reenactments focused on narratives from Chicago’s past that resonate with its present.
These public history programs led to collaborations with cultural institutions in the city such as the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago History Museum, Newberry Library, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among others.
Each program made use of both his original research and the skills of the arts organizations, community groups, local businesses, and publications that acted as my partners. Some of these programs, such as the full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket Affair in 2011, involved recruiting and directing over 300 volunteers and 1,000 participants.
To produce these programs successfully, he wrote grants; managed budgets; generated web content; worked closely with program partners of varying sizes and resources; and identified, engaged, and sustained a diverse multi-generational audience.
Lynessa Rico
Board Member
Dr. Lynessa M. Rico is the Associate Chair of the Business Psychology Department at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago campus. She is also a business mentor at 1871.
Lynessa is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives by identifying and aligning business growth opportunities with strategic direction of culturally diverse organizations. By leveraging her strategic experience in identifying and impacting business growth opportunities and maximizing profits in retail firms and higher education institutions, Lynessa leads workshops focused on the creative mindset, women’s entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her services also include consulting with and educating leadership on emotional intelligence, the power of design thinking and the creative mindset, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces. She has presented to leadership and innovation teams in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies.
Lynessa received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Management from Wichita State University. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wichita State University with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After earning her master’s degree, Lynessa received her doctorate in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she successfully completed her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Personality Types and Color Preference for Color Combinations.” Her current research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, design thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship self-efficacy.
Outside of work and research, Lynessa enjoys mentoring start-ups and judging pitch competitions. Lynessa currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her four cats. She is an avid long-distance runner, having completed 5 full marathons (and counting), and enjoys watching musical theater.
Briana Thomas
Board Member
Briana Thomas is the Museum Associate at the Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance). She wears many hats including developing exhibition content, facilitating community programs (children and adults), liaising with visitor artists, and other responsibilities. Her previous experience in the nonprofit space includes her tenure as the Financial Empowerment Coordinator at AMERICORPS Sharing Life Center as well as engaging with the public at the Dallas Arboretum. Her past professional experience has remained rooted in marginalized communities. It is their needs,discourse and histories that she has routinely been tasked with protecting and showcasing in the face of poor infrastructure, and willing ignorance. Creating safe spaces is an ancestral practice she has inherited.