Last Thursday (4/14), guests, board members, supporters, students and parents were all in attendance for the sold out, 5th annual Kerfuffle! fundraising benefit for Chicago High School For The Arts, ChiArts.
This year’s event, co-chaired by Lori Gray Faversham, Elissa Hamid Efroymson and Pam Strobel, was held at the Chicago History Museum, switching up the format throughout the evening.
Rick Eddington, Linda Johnson Rice, Neal Zucker, Marko Iglendza
Upon arrival, guests were treated to the sounds of the ChiArts jazz combo during the cocktail reception before heading into the Robert McCormick Theater for a film presentation of “We Are ChiArts,” a short film that showcased ChiArts students as well as hearing firsthand how they’ve benefitted from the opportunities in developing their artistic talent as well as what they hope to accomplish in the future.
Chicago High School for the Arts Director Jose Ochao made some brief remarks before student Ravyn Washington, who goes by the stage name Ravyn Lenae, treated us to one of her songs, fresh from her stint performing at SXSW.
They were then ushered upstairs to dinner and the pop up student performances that were scheduled throughout the night that included everything from dancing, singing and the awesome group chorus which was reminiscent of Fame or for the millennial crowd, a scene from “High School Musical.”
In addition to SociaLifeChicago being the fundraiser’s media sponsor, Northern Trust, Pam & Russ Strobel, David Herro and Jay Franke, Allstate, Neal S. Zucker, Elissa Hamid Efroymson and Adnaan Hamid, William Blair, John Hart and Carol Pins, Anne Kaplan, Lori Gray Faversham, Deloitte were some of the sponsors of the night.
Herb Zarov, Russ Strobel
Who’s who of Chicago that were spotted on the scene included Kavi Gupta gallery’s Kavi Gupta with wife Jessica Moss, Corporate Cleaning Services CEO Neal Zucker, Johnson Publishing chairman Linda Johnson Rice, former Nicor CEO Russ Strobel, Dia Weil, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co.’s John Hart with Carol Prins, Terminal Getaway Spa founder Marko Iglendza, Mayer Brown LLP’s Herb Zarov to name a few.
Evan Plummer, Pedro Soto, Bill Jones, Anthony Hardy
Abbey Cullen, Brett Leibsker
Jami deGraff, Truman Faversham, Cara Pollard
Elissa Hamid Efroymson, Adnaan Hamid, Guest
Nandini Mansharamani, Puneet Mansh, Priya Tirumalasetty, Rajeev Uppalapati
ChiArts, in 2009, opened its doors in the Bronzeville area to its first class of students as Chicago’s only public school for the arts. In 2014, the school relocated to its permanent location in West Town/Humboldt Park. The mission of ChiArts to provide artistically gifted, diverse Chicago high school students intensive pre-professional training in the arts, combined with a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum. To learn more or get involved visit HERE.
photos: Daniel Delgado/SociaLifeChicago
