About the EAC

Founded in 1929, the Evanston Art Center has become one of the largest community art centers in Illinois. Created through the efforts of 20 civic organizations, from 1929 to 1943 the Art Center was housed in the basement of the old Evanston Library. In 1942, the Art Center was incorporated as a nonprofit. In 1966 the City of Evanston offered to lease to the Art Center for a nominal fee the Harley Clarke House, a three-story Tudor mansion on the shore of Lake Michigan, just north of Grosse Point Lighthouse on Sheridan Road. Over the years, the interior of the building has been redesigned to maximize space for studio art classes and the exhibition program. It is a classic example of successful adaptive reuse in a historic building that is being preserved through this partnership between the City of Evanston and the Evanston Art Center. The Center also rents classroom space at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston.

Evanston Art Center Mission Statement

The Evanston Art Center is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the visual arts among the diverse audiences of the Greater Chicago/North Shore region. Through studio art classes, exhibitions, outreach activities, educational programs, and publications, all of which are designed to engage and enrich the individual and the community, the Art Center strives to encourage lifelong learning in the arts and to make the art of our time an accessible and integral part of our lives.


The Art Center is supported by generous contributions from the following:

National Endowment for the Arts
Illinois Arts Council
Evanston Arts Council
Francis Beidler Foundation
Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation
DeStefano Development
Endeavor Realty
Fifth Third Bank
First Bank & Trust of Evanston
The Giles Organization 		Good's of Evanston
Inverscot Fund
North End Mothers Club
North Shore Community Bank & Trust Company
Optima, Inc.
Playboy Enterprises
Roszak ADC
Rotary Club of Evanston Charitable Fund
Clayton Struve Family Foundation
Womens Club of Evanston
. . . and many individual donors


2008-2009 Board of Trustees
Officers
Harold Bauer, President
Karen Hunt, 1st Vice President
Beth Hart, 2nd Vice-President
Robert Sills, Treasurer
William Lampkin, Secretary

Trustees
George Accattato
Jane Buck
Susan Curry
Nancy Delman
Gregory DeStefano
Linda Kaufman
Theresa Lickerman
Bruce Rogers
Lorna Grothe Shawver
Eric Steele
Sherry Winger
Ex-Officio, Jane Chapman, Past President

Administrative Staff

Robert Sills, Interim Executive Director rsills@evanstonartcenter.org

Jyl Bonaguro, Graphics & Administrative Coordinator jbonaguro@evanstonartcenter.org
Larry Boswell, School Registrar & Facility Coordinator lboswell@evanstonartcenter.org
Paula Danoff, Director of Development & Communications pdanoff@evanstonartcenter.org
Elizabeth Dorsett, Receptionist receptionist@evanstonartcenter.org
Judith Fenton, Director of Education jfenton@evanstonartcenter.org
Mara Krumins, Youth Fine Art & Outreach Coordinator mkrumins@evanstonartcenter.org
Marcia Levy, Financial Administrator mslevy@evanstonartcenter.org
Joyce Sims, Receptionist receptionist@evanstonartcenter.org
Eryn Smith-Moeller, Receptionist receptionist@evanstonartcenter.org
Maudette Watley, Receptionist receptionist@evanstonartcenter.org