The Oak Park Area Arts Council is pleased to award $60,000 in ArtsFunds for 2003 to 35 organizations.  We are delighted to be able to help organizations in the Oak Park area initiate new ventures and support quality programming and services. 

The organizations are: 

Applied Arts Organizations - The Art House, Oak Park Art League, Expressions Graphics, Harrison Street Cooperative
Choral Societies – Chicago a cappella, Heritage Chorale, Oak Park Concert Chorale, Oak Park & River Forest Children’s Chorus, Vox Caelestis Theatre Groups – Circle Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Open Door Repertory Company, Sense of Urgency Productions
Architectural Foundations – Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, Pleasant Home Foundation

Musical Organizations – Chicago Sinfonietta, First United Methodist Church of Oak Park, Handel Week, Steckman Studio of Music, Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest, Unity Temple Concert Series, Windy City String Ensemble

Dance – MOMENTA

Community Enhancement Thru the Arts – Chicago West Community Music Center, Community Support Services, Historical Society of Oak Park & River Forest, Maywood Fine Arts Association, PING!, Senior Citizens’ Center of Oak Park & River Forest, Soweto West Press
Literary Organizations – Ernest Hemingway Foundation, River Oak Arts 
School Programs – Oak Park Education Foundation/Art Start, CAST, B.R.A.V.O!

Special recognition awards went to:  MOMENTA: Best In Class – Best Programming, Sense of Urgency: Best In Class – Best Community Engagement, Soweto West Press: Best In Class – Best New Project.

The Oak Park Area Arts Council also awarded 2003 Business Leadership Awards for Support of the Tri-Village Arts Community.  The Leadership Awards went to: Community Bank of Oak Park and River Forest, Pieritz Brothers, and Val’s Hall, Inc.  These awards were given for outstanding service to arts organizations.

The Oak Park Area Arts Council (OPAAC), is a not-for-profit community arts organization that promotes, develops and supports the performing, visual and literary arts in Oak Park and neighboring suburban communities.  It is partially funded by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest