The Luminarts Cultural Foundation cultivates Chicago’s vibrant arts community by supporting exemplary young artists through its competitive programs that offer financial awards, artistic opportunities, and mentoring that bridge the gap between education and career.

A Message to our Gala Supporters:

We hope you are well and continue to stay healthy in this difficult time. Since March, our community has experienced a lot of change. We have come up against unforeseen circumstances that have caused us to rethink and reimagine our role in the world around us. We stand firm in our commitment of supporting young, exemplary artists and thank our steadfast community of supporters for continuing to being in and support our mission.

At this time, we are happy to share that our spring gala will be wrapped into our fall event, Next begins Now, on Saturday, October 10th at 6 p.m. In an effort to prioritize the health and safety of our dedicated artists and patrons, the event will take place on a virtual platform, details for which will be shared closer to the event. We thank all of our sponsors, ticket holders, and donors for transferring their support to Next begins Now, for which adjusted acknowledgement letters will be sent soon. Any questions or inquiries are welcome and may be sent to our Development Director at marley@luminarts.org.

We acknowledge the immense leadership, support, and flexibility of our Board, Co-Chairs, Host Committee, and supporters and thank them for their loyal involvement in this unprecedented time. In addition, we thank you for standing by us as we continue to navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you for your continued support of Luminarts. We look forward to having a fantastic event and celebrating our incredible Fellows with you this fall.

Warmly,

Jason Kalajainen
Executive Director

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Join us for Next begins Now, Luminarts’ signature fall celebration and fundraiser, on Saturday, October 10, 2020! This event will take place virtually and feature our outstanding Fellows and ways to support Luminarts’ mission of cultivating the next generation of world-class artists and Chicago’s vibrant arts community. We look forward to sharing details on how to attend soon!

EVENT CHAIRS
Kylie A. Krizek, Wintrust Commercial Banking
Matt R. Olaveson and Adam G. Vitale, Luminarts Board of Directors

HOST COMMITTEE
Mark and Lynne Arizmendi | Peggy Boyer and Reed Parker | Mike and Cheryl Del Campo
Marilyn B. Dresser | Mary and Lionel Go | L. Jessica Jagielnik | Karen and Bob Jones | Myrna W. Kaplan
Gerould and Jewell Kern | Lindsay and Kyle Mackey | John and Carol McKinnon
Dr. Sally Metzler and George Dunea, MD | Emily F. Moreno | Hunt Tackbary and Mackenzie Madsen
Ken Norgan | Chris Taylor | Brian and Robin Velo | Doug Walker | Lucas Wood

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Thank you to our 2020 Next begins Now sponsors!

PRESENTING SPONSOR

INNOVATION SPONSOR
Doug Walker

CREATIVITY SPONSORS
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
BMO Private Bank
Mary and Lionel Go
Dr. Sally Metzler and George Dunea, MD
Cherilyn G. Murer
Matt R. Olaveson and Adam G. Vitale
Brian and Robin Velo

IMPACT SPONSORS
Mark Arizmendi and Northwestern Capital Partners
Scott Fortman – Gibbons, Fortman & Associates
Pat Gleason and William Blair
Ken Norgan
William Richards and North Star Family Office
Thompson Coburn LLP

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It’s Not Too Late

Interested in sponsoring Next begins Now?
Contact Marlena Dzis, Development Director, at marley@luminarts.org or (312) 692-2379, or click below to download the Next begins Now Sponsorship Form.

2020 Next begins Now Sponsorship Form

Luminarts welcomes talented young artists of all social, economic and cultural backgrounds. As a young visual artist, musician, vocalist, or writer from the Chicago area, we invite and encourage you to compete for grants, creative opportunities, and to become Luminarts Fellows.

Luminarts Fellowship Opportunities

The Luminarts Fellowship includes programs in Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Classical Music, and Jazz. In order to be eligible to apply for the Fellowship Program applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30, live or reside within 150 miles of the Chicago Loop, and be currently enrolled in, or graduated from, a degree program, conservatory, or other professional artist development program.

Luminarts also offers extensive opportunities for Luminarts Fellows through Fellow Project Grants to support special residency opportunities, lectures, workshops, mentorship, and facilitated conversations that provide valuable insights into building a successful career in the arts and strengthening our community of participating artists.

Fellow Project Grants

Luminarts Fellows are eligible to apply for Fellow Project Grants; available only to Luminarts Fellows to support career development opportunities, such as residencies, master classes, exhibition and performance expenses, material costs, publishing projects, professional travel, and more.

While these grants can be used for a broad array of career development opportunities. Applicants must demonstrate how the funding will support this development, and how the funded experience will in turn benefit the Chicago community. Applicant requests for funding may not exceed $2,500 and the total request must be no more than 50 percent of the total expenditure. Project Grants will be reviewed twice per year. Deadlines to apply are October 15 and March 15. Fellows will be notified about the status of their proposal within four weeks of the application deadline. The next deadline to apply is October 15, 2019.

For questions about project grants and eligibility click below or contact the Foundation at info@luminarts.org or call (312) 435-5961.

Frequently Asked Questions

Apply Now

Introducing the Chicago area’s most talented, emerging young artists. Join us in celebrating their exceptional creativity and work.

FELLOWS BY YEAR

The Luminarts Cultural Foundation cultivates Chicago’s vibrant arts community by supporting exemplary young artists through its competitive programs that offer financial awards, artistic opportunities, and mentoring that bridge the gap between education and career.

Interested in making a gift to Luminarts?

• To make an online contribution via credit card, please click here.
• To make a gift over the phone, please call Marlena Dziz, Development Director, at (312) 692-2379.
• To make a gift via check, please send your check, made out to “Luminarts Cultural Foundation” to:

Attn: Marlena Dzis
Development Director, Luminarts Cultural Foundation
65 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3598

Did you know? By contributing $150 or more you become a Member of the Foundation and will be invited to participate in the Foundation’s Annual Meeting and special events throughout the year. See below for a complete list of Membership Levels and Benefits!

Are you a member of the Union League Club of Chicago? If you are a Union League Club of Chicago Member and would like to use your ULC Member Number to make a contribution please contact Luminarts at (312) 435-5961 or info@luminarts.org to provide your ULC Member Number and contribution amount.

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Membership Levels and Benefits

$15,000 Classical Voice Sponsor

Your contribution of $15,000 sponsors a Luminarts Fellow in the Classical Music Voice genre. Your gift at this level will make a significant impact on the career of an emerging artist.

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Fellow Sponsor, plus:

• Opportunity to announce Classical Voice Fellow at Next Begins Now and Luminarts’ Spring Gala
• Opportunity for a VIP post-Classical Music Voice Finals reception
• Complimentary access to all Luminarts Live performances
  

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$5,000 Fellow Sponsor

Your contribution of $5,000 sponsors a Luminarts Fellow in a genre of your choosing (Classical Music, Jazz, Creative Writing, and Visual Arts). Your gift at this level will make a significant impact on the career of an emerging artist.

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Project Grant Sponsor, plus:

• The choice of a Fellowship genre to underwrite (Creative Writing, Visual Arts, Classical Music, or Jazz)
• Invitation to the Annual Fellows and Fellow Sponsors Luncheon
• Personal communication from and about the recipient of this sponsorship
• Opportunity for private recital by a Luminarts Fellow
• Personal meetings and conversations
  

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$2,500 Project Grant Sponsor

Your contribution of $2,500 helps further support the outstanding work of our Luminarts Fellows by providing them with the opportunity to cover the costs of residencies, master classes, exhibition and performance expenses, material costs, publishing projects, professional travel, and more to further enhance their career development.

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Patron, plus:

• Personal letter from a project grant recipient about their project and experience
• Recognition in the Next Begins Now and Spring Gala Program
• Feature in a Luminarts e-news flash
  

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$1,000 Patron

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Supporter, plus:

• A limited edition piece (signed and numbered) by a Luminarts Fellow in Visual Arts
• Acknowledgement on the Luminarts website
  

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$500 Supporter

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Member, plus:

• Invitation to a complimentary VIP reception preceding the Visual Arts reception featuring Luminarts Fellows
  

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$250 Advocate

All of the benefits of a Luminarts Member, plus:

• Reserved seating at the Jazz Finals at Buddy Guy’s and the Classical Voice Finals at the Union League Club
  

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$150 Luminarts Member

• Invitation to participate in the Foundation’s Annual Meeting
• Invitation to all Foundation programming
• Invitation to Next Begins Now
• Invitation to Luminarts’ Spring Gala

• Recognition as a Member of the Luminarts annual Honor Roll

Questions or comments? Please contact Marlena Dzis, Development Director at marley@luminarts.org or (312) 692-2379.

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Thank You to Our 2019 Donors

This list reflects gifts made between January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. Luminarts sincerely apologizes for any omissions or spelling errors. Please contact Marlena Dzis, Development Director, at 312-692-2379 or marley@luminarts.org with any corrections.

$10,000+

$5,000 – 9,999

$2,500 – 4,999

$1,000 – 2,499

$500 – 999

$250 – 499

$150 – 249