ChiArts to Celebrate 6th Annual Kerfuffle! Benefit
And release a children’s book to celebrate the “past, present, and future” of ChiArts
Chicago, IL, March 7, 2017 – The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), along with the school’s Board of Directors and event co-chairs John Hart, Pam Strobel, and Neal Zucker, will host its 6th annual Kerfuffle! benefit from 6-9:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark.
About Kerfuffle!
Kerfuffle!, ChiArts’ spring gala and presentation, welcomes supporters, arts partners, and civic leaders. The evening will include a welcome cocktail reception, student performance “exhibits,” a short performance in the theater, dinner buffet by Jewell Catering, and entertainment throughout the museum’s second floor. Guests will be able to interact with students representing each of ChiArts’ five arts conservatories: Creative Writing, Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts. The Chicago History Museum’s spacious ballroom will be furnished elegantly by Kehoe Designs and guests will enjoy wine generously provided by Hart Davis Hart Wine Company. Funds raised at Kerfuffle! are integral to the operations of ChiArts’ tuition-free arts programs, which serve 600 students each year.
“This year’s Kerfuffle! will celebrate the past, present, and future of ChiArts,” says Executive and Artistic Director José Ochoa. “With the recent launch of ChiArts’ first summer camp and the school’s first class of freshmen scheduled to graduate from four-year universities this spring, the event will celebrate the arc of development ChiArts offers to young, talented, and diverse artists from all of Chicago’s fifty wards.”
This year’s Kerfuffle! will feature the release of an original children’s book sponsored by State Farm Insurance. Anita’s Drum tells the story of diverse, creative children in Chicago seeking a place to learn and practice their art. ChiArts has commissioned Visual Arts alumnus Alan Cortes and current Creative Writing major Ysobel Gallo to provide illustrations and narrative for the book, which will be featured in a presentation during the event.
About ChiArts
ChiArts is Chicago’s first and only public high school for the arts, providing each student with a pre-professional arts training program paired with a high-quality college-preparatory curriculum. Ranked in the top 6% of high schools by US News and World Report and listed as a 1+ school by the CPS School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP), ChiArts is a citywide institution that aims to reflect the racial, socio-economic, geographic, and artistic diversity of Chicago. For more information, please visit www.chiarts.org.