The Four Cultural Arts

Visual Artist: Sonata Kazimieraitiene At the end of November visual artist Sonata Kazimieraitiene came to Ridgewood High School to begin work on a project that will culminate in a wall of art at Ridgewood, and a permanent mural that will be hung in the entryway of the new Eisenhower Public Library. Ms Kazimieraitiene is working on this project with funds from the LSTA grant, The Four Cultural Arts, from the office of the Illinois Secretary of State. The grant is a joint project between Ridgewood High School and Eisenhower Public Library which will also bring Orchestra de Samba to the communities of Norridge and Harwood Heights to showcase percussion and samba. Other programs include Stockyards Theater and author Blake Nelson. All presenters will work with Ridgewood students and will also present related community programs at the new Eisenhower Public Library. Ms Kazimieraitiene's project is based on an aerial view of Norridge and Harwood Heights. Students and community members, in separate workshops, created clay squares matching sections of an aerial map of the area. They were taken back to Ms. Kazimieraitiene's studio to be fired, and, in some cases, colored and glazed. The white, fired pieces will be on display in Ridgewood's library while the colored pieces will be put into the mural for Eisenhower Public Library.

Last Updated by Jennette Gonzalez on December 21, 2007

Library, high school map arts projects

In November 2007, visual artist Sonata Kazimieraitiene visited Ridgewood High School, in Norridge, and the Eisenhower Public Library, in Harwood Heights. She began work on a project financed by a grant from the Illinois State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, with funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library services under the federal Library Services and Technology Act. The $24,700 grant is in the LINCC Libraries: Innovate, Create, Collaborate category. Visitors to Eisenhower Library and Ridgewood High School will be able to view these reassembled views of the library district's two villages, which will be mounted at each of the buildings. Can you find your house? The Four Cultural Arts grant will give residents an opportunity to view and participate in the visual arts, music, theater and writing. A cooperative art project between Ridgewood High School and Eisenhower Library challenged young artists to start with aerial maps of Norridge and Harwood Heights and translate the images onto ceramic tiles. Kazimieraitiene worked with Ridgewood students to create pieces for an installation at the high school and with residents to create a mural for the new Eisenhower Library at 4613 North Oketo Avenue, in Harwood Heights. The students and the residents were each given a clay brick and a portion of an aerial map of the two villages. They created abstract versions of the map pieces them in clay. Then, Kazmieraitiene took their work back to her studio. She'll color some of the clay tiles and fire them all. Then, she'll assemble the pieces into an installation for Ridgewood and a mural for the entrance to the new library. Residents will be able to see the library's mural during the new building's grand opening at 1:00 PM on January 27, 2008. In January, the Orquestra de Samba will tackle the music portion of the grant, working with students on percussion and samba. The students will then present a show at Ridgewood and another show for the community. In February, Lori Howard, of Stockyards Theatre Project, will bring theater to the community. She'll work with students in Ridgewood's Drama Department and present a short performance for the high school and, later, for the community. In April, Blake Nelson -- author of "Rock Star," "Superstar" and "Paranoid Park" will work with Ridgewood's English classes and appear at the Eisenhower Library. His book, "Paranoid Park," has been made into a film by Gus VanZant. It will open in Chicago in spring 2008. Multiple copies of the book will be available in Harwood Heights and Norridge beginning in January. Article written by Staff Writer Wynn Koebel Foster in the Thursday, January 3, 2008 and Wednesday, January 9, 2008 issues of the Pioneer Press Norridge and Harwood Heights News and online at http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/news/722765,no-iketiles-010308-s1.article. Used with permission.

Last Updated by Kevin Szaflik on January 03, 2008