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hplandmark.com life & Arts
the highland park landmark | November 15, 2018 | 19
Artists raise money for locals in need at art exhibition
Katie Copenhaver
Freelance Reporter
The Lake County Community
Foundation celebrated
its 15th anniversary
with a warehouse art
party, stART Something
Lake County Saturday,
Nov. 10 at Bernie’s Book
Bank in Lake Bluff. More
than a dozen local artists,
a number of Lake Countybased
businesses and several
hundred Lake County
Community Foundation
supporters attended the
event.
Proceeds from the evening’s
ticket and art sales
went to the organization’s
Robert F. Reusché Operating
Endowment, Lake
County’s Forever Fund.
Recruiting Lake Forest
resident Mark McMahon
as the lead artist was the
first step in organizing
the event. They commissioned
him to create a
large format map of Lake
County in his well-known
watercolor and acrylic
style. Signed, framed and
matted prints of it were
available for sale at the
party.
More artists signed on to
participate through Mark,
including his wife Carolyn
McMahon, who creates
wire metal images on
board, among other types
of 2D and 3D work. Additional
artists came through
local organizations, including
the Art Center of
Highland Park.
Jason Michael Bentley
and Ahmed Ibrahim
both teach at the Art Center
of Highland Park,
among other places, and
happily participated in
this art party.
Bentley, who works in
gouache watercolor, created
a landscape at the event
and had several others for
sale. He explained that he
is comfortable working on
site because of doing demos
as a teacher and for art
supply companies.
“This is a lovely event,”
he said. “I’ve met some
amazing people.”
He pointed to his silent
auction sheet and noted
he had two bidders competing
with each other
for his work, which was
fun to him.
Ibrahim creates mosaic
and stained glass pieces
and did most of his auction
item ahead of time
because it can take 60 to
80 hours to create an 8” x
10” mosaic. He completed
the outer rows of it on site
so people could see his
process of using tweezers
to lay small glass pieces
into mortar.
Event Co-chair Ann Reusché
spoke in honor of her
late father and his vision
as a founder of the Lake
County Community Foundation.
She mentioned that
he saw an unfulfilled need
for charitable giving in
Lake County.
“He saw tremendous
philanthropic resources
going downtown (Chicago),
which is good,
but he said, ‘We need to
look north,’” Reusché
explained.
“Homelessness and domestic
violence are not
going to go away,” she
continued. “We are here
to invest in the long-term
finances of this organization.
Art and philanthropy
Ahmed Ibrahim, who teaches at The Art Center in Highland
Park and the Stirling Hall Art Center in Lake Forest,
works on a one of a kind mosaic during the stART
Something Lake County Saturday, Nov. 10 at Bernie’s
Book Bank in Lake Bluff. Photos by Alex Newman/22nd
Century Media
– it all connects to make a
difference.”
Miah Armour, Lake
County Community Foundation
executive director,
spoke about the organization’s
mission, which is to
connect the generosity of
donors with community
needs by making grants
to organizations working
to improve the lives of the
most vulnerable residents
of Lake County.
“This gathering celebrates
the power of art
and philanthropy to build
vibrant communities,
right here in Lake County.
We’re inviting people to
reach beyond their respective
neighborhoods and zip
codes to create a uniquely
Lake County event,” she
said.
Armour explained that
the organization usually
presents smaller scale
educational events, such
as panel discussions, but
to celebrate their 15th anniversary,
“We wanted
to do something more
substantive.”
“It’s opened the community
to people who did
not know about us,” she
continued.
Several of the party attendees
were representatives
of organizations that
receive Lake County Community
Foundation grants.
James Socrates Rivers of
Youth Build Lake County
was among them. His organization
is a career development
and readiness
program for 17 to 24 year
olds who need assistance
getting their education and
work on track. He said his
group helps the youth earn
their high school diplomas,
get a certification in
construction and an education
at the College of Lake
County. Another thing
they do is build homes in
Lake County, which they
in turn sell to low-income
families.
Music was performed
by a jazz ensemble from
the Midwest Young Artists
Conservatory and the
White Stallions Band, a
group of Lake County musicians
who perform rock
and pop covers.
The art party was a
county-wide effort to benefit
Lake County, an example
of neighbors helping
neighbors.