About ArtConnectED
Our Mission Statement
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Art ConnectED believes the visual arts are a powerful force in culture and education, enriching the lives and endeavors of humankind. Our mission is to advance art education for young people by providing art exhibition and education opportunities that celebrate students' artistic achievement, promote mastery and ingenuity in learning, and facilitate post-secondary opportunities.
Our 5 Major Pillars
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We enhance the creative educational landscape, giving student and teacher artists agency to succeed through:
Amplify Student Artwork:
We expose and celebrate the creativity, beauty, expression, and technical mastery of student artists on a platform beyond expectation. We seek opportunities and connections to enable continued student growth and excitement through creation.
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The Art of Recruitment:
We work with dozens of Illinois high schools and universities across the country to connect thousands of seniors and underclassmen to hundreds of millions in tuition scholarship offers-- including many who were not previously college bound.
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Advocacy Through Exhibitions:
We go beyond recognizing talent in Illinois through exhibition by providing professional development to teachers
and advocating for the importance of art programs as an integral part of student education and futures.
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Building Creative Capital:
We forge connections to the industry and outside organizations
in order to support meaningful student learning opportunities and internships that promote creative futures.
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Teacher/Curricular Inspiration:
Whether it be through our Educator Exhibition or innovative program support,
we invigorate teachers and practice across Illinois while supporting their programs and curriculum.
Our history and Future
Since its inception in 2013, Art ConnectED has facilitated over $400 MILLION in tuition scholarship offers to senior artists from colleges nationwide. These opportunities never existed before! Many of these recipients include students and parents who did not think college was a possibility for their family situation. Started by a few teachers in 2013, the IHSAE has grown to include over 13 teacher directors and 20+ regular volunteers implementing programming that has impacted 150 high school visual art programs, and over 1,200 students annually. Demographics bridge city, suburban, public, and private schools across the Chicagoland area and all of Illinois.
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Actualizing our 5-year plan in 3 with minimal supports and teachers donating much of their time to our work, we have since become uniquely positioned and staffed to support educational programming and creation from a multifaceted approach. The IHSAE continues to grow, and we now support teachers with innovative projects, offer workshops for teachers, arts organization leaders, and national post-secondary institutions, provide venues for teacher creation and curation, host advocacy exhibitions for policy leaders, developed various art-making competitions, are working to generate community art projects, and are committed to supporting the visual arts in new and innovative ways.
Meet our team
executive directors
Director of Communication & Exhibition
Chris Sykora
Deerfield HS
Director of Recruitment & Sponsorships
John Zilewicz
Niles West HS
Director of Finance
Nick Hostert
Palatine HS
Data Coordinator & Mini Portfolio Day Director
Deanna Sortino
Niles West HS
visual communications team
Director of Visual Communications/Webmaster
Luke Jenner
JB Conant HS
Digital Gallery Director
Anna Reed
East Leyden HS
Graphic Designer
Ian Stong
East Leyden HS
Graphic Designer
Wendy Guss
Cary-Grove HS
senior scholarship exhibition team
Senior Scholarship Exhibition Director
Kevin Shifley
Mundelein HS
Senior Scholarship Assistant Director
Dan Lobraco
Lake Park HS
Senior Scholarship Exhibition Team
Stefan Pfautz
Antioch HS
Northern regional exhibition team
Northern Regional Exhibition Director
Jonathan Pruc
Mundelein HS
Northern Regional Exhibition Asst. Director
Erin Garrity-Duffey
JB Conant HS
Northern Regional Exhibition Team
Ryan Hennebry
Lemont HS
central regional exhibition team
Central Regional Exhibition Director
Carol-Lynn Comparetto
Champaign Central HS
Central Regional Exhibition Team
Emma Long-Ingram
Lexington CUSD#7
Central Regional Exhibition Team
Michaela Gomez
Danville HS
Central Regional Exhibition Team
Tara Starling
Springfield HS
Art throwdown team
Art Throwdown Director
Randy Sweitzer
Grayslake North HS
Art Throwdown Team
Kelly Bott
Grayslake North HS
Art Throwdown Team
Michelle Adams
Lakes HS
Awards Coordinator
Katherine O'Truk
Downers Grove South HS
Judging Coordinator
Eryn Blaser
Meadow Ridge School
Events Director
Eleni Sianis
Willowbrook HS
Digital Gallery Asst. Director
Renee Kuharchuk
York Community HS
Grant Writer
Ann Ossey
Wauconda HS
awards & galleries team
Media and Press Materials
Press Contacts:
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Executive Assistant Director: Chris Sykora c.sykora@ihsae.org
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Communications Coordinator: Luke Jenner l.jenner@ihsae.org
ArtConnectED featured on Good Day Chicago on Fox32
Accessibility
​​We partner with our venues to ensure accessibility for all of our programs. All exhibitions are accessible for visitors with limited mobility, and exhibition materials are available in large type / closed captioning. Please contact us directly if you have additional concerns.
