Cultural Enrichment in the Omogenia
From Working to Preserve Our Heritage: The Incredible Legacy of Greek-American Community Services:
The GACS cultural program, under Elaine’s direction, resulted in a plethora of groundbreaking programs within Chicago’s Greek American community. In addition to the Fabric Arts of Greece project that was ongoing and funded by the city, GACS organized several cultural programs each year through funding that was received from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council. These grants included:
“Greeks in America: A Celebration of Films” (1986), (City Arts); Greek Music and Dance (1987), (City Arts); The Greek-American Experience Through Multi-Disciplinary Arts (1987), (Illinois Arts Council); Cultural Enrichment Program for Greek Elderly (1988), (City Arts); Greek-American Poets and Musicians (1989-1990), (City Arts); Greek Dance (1991), (Illinois Arts Council); GACS Music Program (1992), (City Arts) and Arts Therapy with ADC Participants (1995), (City Arts).
GACS received funding through Department of Cultural Affairs Community Arts Assistance Program grants to establish the Cultural & Arts Program Advisory Board (1987), and to create a GACS Cultural & Arts Program video (1988).
The CAP Advisory Board was led by Sonia Arvanitis and Toni Panos as co-chairs. Members included: Alice Buzanis, Tessie Cantos, Steve Frangos, Polyzoes Gavaris, Helen Georges, Elaine Kollintzas, Antigone Lambros, Fotios Litsas, Very Rev. Nikitas Lulias, Renata Maresia, Alexander Makedon, Peter Maroutsos, Evangeline Mistaras, Georgia Mitchell, John Psiharis, John Rassogianis, and Elaine Thomopoulos. The board met quarterly to review and monitor GACS cultural programs, recommend future programming, and consider grant opportunities.
Beginning in 1986, Tessie Cantos, as an individual artist, received annual Neighborhood Arts Program grants for at least six years, to administer the Fabric Arts Program. The program transitioned to CDBG funding in the mid-1990s and continued through 2002.
Details on some of these programs include:
The 1987 Greek Music and Dance Program, funded through grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the Chicago Office of Fine Arts, featured well-known musicians such as James Stoynoff, music historian Neni Panourgia, and Nick Pappas and the Hellas Children’s Dance Troupe. It was held at DePaul University.
The 1988 Cultural Enrichment Program for Older Adults, funded through the Chicago Office of Fine Arts, offered more than 80 elderly participants such diverse programs as Greek Shadow Puppetry (Karagiozis) with Demetra Manzara, a lecture on Greek iconography by Shirley Kontos, and multi-cultural enrichment experiences that included a field trip to the Oriental Institute and a performance by the Korean Senior Citizens Farm Band.
The Greek-American Poets and Musicians program in 1989-1990, funded by grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the Chicago Office of Fine Arts, allowed GACS to present six literary arts events featuring poets, writers, and historians. Included were readings by Theano Papazoglou Margaris, Harry Mark Petrakis, and Ioannis Dalapas.
The 1991 Greek Dance program, funded by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Illinois Arts Council grants, included a Greek Dance Demonstration and Workshop with over 200 in attendance and a series of weekly dance classes that introduced the rudiments of Greek dance to participants.
The 1992 Greek Music Program included an April 12 afternoon of classical music entitled “Contemporary Musical Trends as Emerged Out of Byzantine and Macedonian Sounds” in the Waldorf Room of the Chicago Hilton and Towers. The event was organized by KRIKOS and co-sponsored by GACS. A lecture hosted by the Hellenic Professional Society of Illinois followed.
A 1994 City Arts-funded program focused on Greek Rembetika music (urban folk music especially popular with the poor ranging from the late 19th century to the 1950s) included performances by well-known Chicago performer Vasilios Gaitanos and the Deni’s Den Orchestra, featuring the first public performance of musical compositions by Thanassis Zervas and was held at Deni’s Den.
In 1995, GACS received a City Arts grant of $2,500 to enhance arts programming with ADC participants. Janet Lewis, who had a master’s degree in gerontology and specialized in art therapy with older adults, provided twice-per-week projects with small groups of ADC clients. The creative and expressive art techniques utilized included mosaics, painting, sewing, looming, and ornament making.
Elaine recalls: “I remember the dance troupe at DePaul. We realized that the dance troupe could not fit on the stage we had booked. We hastily moved it to the adjacent auditorium.”
Additionally, GACS received funding from the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) in support of various programs that addressed Greek American cultural issues in the context of the humanities. Elaine recalls that we had a 100 percent track record in obtaining grants from the IHC. Each cycle, GACS received the maximum grant amount of $10,000, and each program saw an increase in attendance compared to the prior year. In addition to covering organizing costs, the grants provided publicity expenses, travel costs, and nominal honorariums for the speakers.
These programs were “Strains on Ethnic Pride: Conflicts Between the New and Old Immigrants in the Greek and Assyrian Communities” (1987), “Greek Americans in the Workplace, 1888-1988” (1988), “Ethnic Identity and Leadership Development: The Greeks in Illinois” (1990-1991), and “O Cosmos: The Private Lives and Public Celebrations of the Greeks in Illinois” (1994-1997).
The GACS Cultural and Arts Program often invited speakers from other ethnic communities to foster opportunities for greater cultural understanding, dialog, and cooperation. Years later, Steve Frangos believes that the multi-ethnic focus of these programs was key to GACS’s track record in obtaining grants since it was more difficult for the state to turn down a proposal involving several ethnic communities working together. Most lectures featured one or more speakers who spoke in the Chicago area as well as in another part of the state. The idea was that the lectures would not only occur in Chicago where there were ample opportunities to attend Greek American events but would also be presented at venues in other parts of the state where cultural activities were minimal at best.
GACS cultural programs spanned the state with lectures or other events being held in Aurora, Berwyn, Bloomington, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago, DeKalb, Des Plaines, East Moline, Elgin, Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenview, Homer Glen, Kankakee, Libertyville, Lombard, Orland Park, Palatine, Rockford, Springfield, Stone Park, University Park, and Wauconda. Co-sponsoring organizations for these programs included: the American Jewish Committee, Apollo Dance Troupe, Assyrian National Council of Illinois, Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation, Chinese American Service League, Copernicus Foundation, Greek Women’s University Club, Hellenic Cultural Organization, Hellenic Link-Midwest, Hellenic Professional Society of Illinois, American Hellenic Society of Berwyn, Hellenic Society of DePaul University, Illinois Ethnic Consultation, Italian Cultural Center, KRIKOS, Lincoln Land Community College, Northern Illinois University, and Southeast Asia Center.
The success and depth of the Cultural & Arts Program led GACS to pursue funding from the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. GACS requested CDBG funding from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to support the hiring of a part-time Cultural & Arts Program Director. Given the number of cultural activities offered by GACS and the coordination and organizing that was required for each one, this position was much needed. We also transitioned the Fabric Arts Program to CDBG funding.
The Hellas Dance Group performs during a GACS event. DePaul University. November 15, 1987. John Psiharis collection.
GACS Cultural & Arts Program Advisory Board meeting in the adult day care center at Alvernia Place. Pictured (L-R): Demetra Makris, Diana Harris, John Psiharis, unknown, Dr. Fotios Litsas. Circa 1991. John Psiharis collection.