Our January artist of the month is Tony Abboreno, from Oak Park, IL. Abboreno is a retired Chicago Public Art teacher and his favorite medium to work in is acrylic paint.

How long have you been an Artist?  I have been artistic since preschool. My mother tolerated my experiments with color, melting crayons on the space heater in the dining room. The rich artistic exposure I had as a student in the Chicago Public Schools in the ’50’s and ’60’s sparked the desire to create art. When I went to Kindergarten at Hitch Elementary School, the room had floor-to-ceiling windows and easels set up for children to draw and paint. I remember painting pictures of bucking broncos, cowboys and cattle and seeing my paintings displayed on the walls of the school. From Kindergarten through my high school experience at Taft I saw the WPA murals and prints of famous artworks on the walls of classrooms and the hallways. I particularly remember “Blue Horses” by Franz Marc.  

Mac Blackout from Chicago is the December Artist of the Month. He works in various mediums, murals, music, painting on canvas, and drawing, which are all his favorite depending on what he is trying to achieve with a particular piece.

How long have you been an artist or when did you start?
I’ve been making art since I can remember. My mother, Liz McKenzie is also an artist and was an art teacher in Bedford, IN for 40 years. Needless to say I was exposed to art at an early age and my interest was encouraged as I grew into adulthood.

African-American activist Fred Hampton, who led the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, was born in 1948 and raised in the Chicago suburb of Maywood.

Hampton was a bright student who graduated from Proviso East High School in 1966. He attended the YMCA Community College in Chicago and enrolled in the pre-law program at Triton College.

While in college Hampton became in involved in the civil rights movement by joining the West Suburban branch of the NAACP. His skill set was so advanced the branch offered him the position of Youth Council president. As president, Hampton brought hundreds of young people together and made sure the city started catering to the needs of young African-Americans.

On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the nation’s 21st state. As we come to our state’s 200th birthday, we asked senators to talk about people or places in their districts that represent the best of Illinois’ rich past and how that is shown in local history, tourism, culture or community impact. 

Senator Toi Hutchinson chose to highlight the Kankakee County Courthouse in her district to mark Illinois’ Bicentennial. In the area of town now known as Courthouse Square, the building has served the community as its government home since 1912.

On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the nation’s 21st state. As we come to our state’s 200th birthday, we asked senators to talk about people or places in their districts that represent the best of Illinois’ rich past and how that is shown in local history, tourism, culture or community impact.

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial is a beautiful limestone building in downtown Aurora, founded for Civil War veterans 152 years ago.