Tim Samuelson Talk
Kalo sponsors talk on Margaret Iannelli
Margaret
Iannelli, an influential
graphic
artist and illustrator whose talents contributed to the growth of
Progressive design, was the subject of a talk by
Tim
Samuelson,
cultural historian for the City of Chicago,
Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. at Community Church, 100 Courtland Ave., Park Ridge.
Sponsored by the Kalo Foundation of Park
Ridge, Samue
lson’s talk, entitled “Fragile Flower,” focused on Margaret
Iannelli, wife of Alfonso Iannelli, one of the 20th century’s
most prolific designers. The couple lived and worked at the studio at Elm
and Northwest Highway in Park Ridge which became known as “the place where
Chicago’s creative architecture found its art between 1920 and 1965.”
Samuelson has volunteered his time to work on the restoration of such landmark structures as Union Station, Chess Records, and the Pilgrim Baptist Church. He is currently working with the Save Iannelli Studios preservation group to save the building that many in Park Ridge would come to recognize as Audrey’s Calico and Old Lace Flower and Gift shop until is closed a few years ago.
Since the initiative to Save Iannelli
Studios began in earnest at the first of the year, the Kalo Foundation,
which is dedicated to preserving the rich
artistic legacy of the city
through education, advocacy, and preservation, has raised almost $40,000
toward the effort, according to, Betsy Foxwell, president of the Kalo
Foundation which is serving as the clearinghouse
for
contributions. “When
we count the matching gift from an anonymous donor who has promised to give
us $1 for every $2 that we raise, that brings our total to more than
$60,000,” said Foxwell, who added that once the building is purchased, the
group has access to a rich
archive of photos, drawings, and original blueprints which will be used to
restore the building to what it once was.
“Once restored, Iannelli Studios could be to Park Ridge what the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is to Oak Park bringing people from all over the world who are interested in the roots of American Modernism to our town to spend their time and money,” she said. “It will serve as a focal point to tell not only story of Alfonso Iannelli, and his wife Margaret, but the larger narrative of the artists’ colony that flourished at the turn of the 20th Century and beyond.”
Contributions may be sent to: Kalo Foundation; P.O. Box 791, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068. For further information, call 847-823-5314.
To read the excellent article in the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate click on this link: http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/news/3082380,park-ridge-iannelli-022411-s1.article
The Kalo Foundation of Park Ridge
P.O. Box 791
Park Ridge, IL 60068