Arlington arts commission names its Cultural Arts Award winner

The village of Arlington Heights Arts Commission honored local artist Jack Musich with its annual Cultural Arts Award, presented at the commission’s Artist Outreach event Friday, Nov. 2, at the village hall.

The award is given to a resident or former resident of Arlington Heights who has exhibited accomplished work in his or her field. Musich has created, over the years, a substantial collection of paintings depicting the early days of the village, in particular the downtown area.

Much of his work appears in the book “Chronicle of a Prairie Town,” which tells the history of Arlington Heights from the early 1800s.

The Artist Outreach event also featured a panel consisting of Denise Rippinger of Corporate Artworks, a company that places paintings and sculpture in business institutions; Dennis Quijano of Paper Crown Gallery, which opened recently on Algonquin Road; and Kathy Umlauf of the Northwest Cultural Council.

The group discussed some of the trends in today’s art world, including the challenge of pricing works and that artists should continue to pursue their passion in spite of difficulties.

“The challenge is to stay afloat,” Quijano said. “But there is a home for every piece of artwork.”

All three stressed the importance of the artist’s connection with the community and those who purchase their work.

Other entertainment included a performance by the Limelight Singers from the School of the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre and a talk by Jason Kuhl, the new executive director of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, who discussed the redesign of the library’s interior.

The evening ended with an opportunity for the audience to network with panel members. The next Artist Outreach event will be April, 2013.

Ÿ Send Your news to nbrcalendar@dailyherald.com.