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Celebrating 60 Years
SMU DataArts Names Illinois Sixth Most Vibrant Arts State
Arts Impact in Illinois
$37.39B
of our state's gross domestic product was contributed by arts and culture in 2023 - Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Dept of Commerce
226,407
Illinois jobs were in arts and culture (2023)
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce
22
grants totaling $862,855 were directed to Illinois school districts in developing arts and foreign language curricula in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education (FY2024)
$478M
in revenues to state and local government were delivered by Illinois arts nonprofits in 2024 - Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6)
29
local arts councils partnered with IAC through its Local Arts Network to support statewide arts programming (FY2024)
100%
of all legislative districts throughout Illinois receive free access to local and regional news, public affairs and arts programming through IAC support for Illinois Public Radio and Television (FY2025)
Illinois Artist Spotlight
Scott Wolniak, is a multidisciplinary artist, educator and occasional curator. The primary focus of his work is the creation of experimental pattern-based paintings. Since 2018, Wolniak has been developing a methodology for creating paintings at wide-ranging scales through layers of abstract drawing, additive textures, color staining, and rhythmic mark-making. Based on motifs of the natural world, as well as tropes of consciousness, the paintings are intended to function as immersive energy fields that invite slow looking. Wolniak received an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is represented by Goldfinch Gallery, with whom he has had three solo exhibitions since 2020.
Since the mid-90's, Scott has been active in the Chicago art scene, consistently exhibiting as well as organizing and curating shows. He ran the influential alternative project space, Suitable, in his Humboldt Park garage between 1999 and 2004 and has recently curated shows at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Logan Center for the Arts. His work belongs to numerous permanent collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Cleve Carney Art Museum. He has been teaching in the University of Chicago’s Department of Visual Arts since 2007 and is currently working on a book about the practice and philosophy of drawing.
Says Scott, "Receiving the Creative Accelerator award means so much to me—as an affirmation of my many years making work and for the financial freedom it provides for new and ongoing projects. Immediately, this supports my practice with supplies and studio rent. It also gives me the ability to embark on a couple of long-term back-burner projects, including a video piece and a drawing book. I’m incredibly grateful for the recognition and financial support from the Illinois Arts Council, especially at this time when so many funding streams are being cut."
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