Architects, broadcasters to join Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame
Wallace Cunningham was interested in different things than his eight brothers and sisters.
"While we were out playing hockey and football, he was inside, redesigning the 'Home of the Week' from the newspaper," said his brother, Byron Cunningham.
Architect Wallace, now of San Diego, was one of eight people announced Friday as members of the Class of 2010 Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame.
The others are Edward Cook of Batavia, an artist who paints miniatures; broadcaster Floyd Brown of Elgin; concert pianist Huntley Brown of Aurora; television producer and director J. Allison Binford Jr. of Aurora; landscape architect Susan Kay Weiler, who grew up in Aurora; and the late Herb and Martha Schingoethe of Aurora.
The induction ceremony is April 22 at Villa Olivia in Bartlett. For tickets, call (630) 605-4000.
Cook is a self-taught artist.
"I always had a penchant for detail," he said Friday, showing an intricate pen-and-ink wallet card he made in 1952 for his girlfriend (now wife) that she still carries.
For Christmas 1983, he made a miniature painting for a dollhouse she was furnishing; it was so small, it fit in a ring box. Then a friend told him about an art show for miniatures.
"I was hooked, because I found my niche," he said.
Cook's paintings, from about 3 inches long to no bigger than a postcard, sell for $2,000 to $3,000. They are in collections worldwide, but can also be seen in a limited-edition Christmas ornament series for Hoffman Estates, at the library in Schaumburg, and at the Batavia Government Center.
• Cunningham lived in Batavia, Aurora and Geneva while attending college and working for the Fox Valley Park District. He was curator of the Pioneer Park (now Blackberry Village) Americana Collection, and conceived and built an observation deck on the Fox River at Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora. He studied at Northern Illinois University, the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. In 2004 and 2007, Architectural Digest named him as one of the top 100 designers.
• Binford joined television station WTTW during its early years broadcasting out of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. He spent 28 years in public broadcasting, including hosting the "What's New" children's series that ran from 1962 to 1973 nationwide on PBS.
• Floyd Brown got his start in broadcasting at WRMN radio station in Elgin. In the 1960s, he moved to WMAQ radio, where he was the first black announcer to be hired by a major network, NBC. He moved to WGN radio and TV, working there from 1971 to 1999.
• Christian music performer Huntley Brown, who grew up in Jamaica, is a graduate of Judson College in Elgin. The concert pianist lives in Aurora, but performs worldwide.
• The Schingoethes were Aurora natives who became fascinated with American Indian culture during Herb's 30-year career as a ranch manager in Colorado, where they collected art and artifacts. In 1989, they established the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures at Aurora University, Herb's alma mater.
• Weiler grew up in Aurora, the fifth of seven children. She is a partner with the well-known Olin landscape architecture firm in Philadelphia, which does work all over the world. She's done work in London, and recent projects have included the Philadelphia Museum of Art Sculpture Garden and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.
The Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame is 10 years old. It inducts a class every other year. Plaques are displayed at the Paramount Theater in Aurora. Its purpose is to honor artists associated with or near the Fox Valley area, including western Cook and DuPage counties.
For details, visit foxvalleyarts.org.