‘The beauty of life’: Tonality Brewing Company in Mundelein to host fundraiser for public art

This weekend, Tonality Brewing Company in Mundelein will honor the history of the property the business sits on while supporting public art.

Beginning 6 p.m. on Friday and continuing through Sunday, Tonality Brewing will host an “Arts and Ales” event with live music and a weekend-long raffle of donated artwork to raise money for the Kracklauer Fund for Public Art.

In 1947 and 1951, Aloysius C. Kracklauer and Violet W. Kracklauer donated to the Mundelein-Countryside Fire Department the land that Tonality Brewing now sits on. The land was transferred to the village of Mundelein in 1959, under the condition that it never be privately owned or used.

In 2020, the surviving Kracklauer children agreed the clause could be removed if a fund was created in the family name that would honor the Kracklauer legacy and funnel contributions to Mundelein. Thus, the Kracklauer Fund for Public Art was born — and a path opened for Tonality Brewing to set up shop on the property.

The brewing company opened in November 2023 and has been supporting and platforming local artists and musicians since then. But according to Tonality co-founder Zach Gelfand, they only discovered the land’s connection to the Kracklauer Fund a few weeks ago, when they reached out to the Mundelein Arts Commission about collaborating for an event.

When commission members brought the fund to Gelfand’s attention, he called it “the easiest yes” he’d ever said in his life.

“It’s probably the biggest no-brainer event that has ever occurred in the history of business,” Gelfand said.

The event — the brainchild of Gelfand and arts commission member Chris Woodard — will feature short live sets by five local musicians from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. Fourteen artists from the Mundelein area have donated work of different mediums to be raffled off, including acrylic paintings, photographs and ceramics.

Proceeds from the raffle will go to the fund. In addition, Tonality will match 20% of any donation to the fund with a gift card to the business, up to $25.

“We are really hopeful that we’ll be able to raise a ton of money,” Gelfand said.

Tonality Brewing’s commitment to public art is part of a larger trend in Mundelein. The brewing company and the Mundelein Arts Commission share a similar goal — to provide support and opportunities for local artists.

“When the arts commission started dipping their toes into art events and art galleries, they got such a positive response from the community,” said Colleen Malec, senior village planner for Mundelein and staff liaison to the arts commission. “There is a hunger for more art, more events … it’s something that we want to encourage and that the community is really embracing.”

According to Gelfand, Tonality plans to hold and support many more art events in the future. The brewing company regularly hosts comedians, musicians and art demonstrations, and every month, recognizes a different artist as “artist of the month.”

“Art is the beauty of life, and without it, life is boring,” Gelfand said. “It’s a big part of what we want to do.”