Introducing… Courtney and Rick from the North Shore Studio

This spring, the North Shore studio welcomed two new staff members to the studio community. Courtney Mackedanz joined us as Studio Coordinator and Rick Sindt took our brand new Volunteer Coordinator position. They’ve quickly become irreplaceable parts of our team! We’re excited to introduce them to you through the interviews below, conducted by artists Alicia Porter and Josh Stern. First up… Courtney Mackedanz!Alicia Porter: How did you hear about Arts of Life?Courtney Mackedanz: A friend told me you were looking for a Studio Coordinator, so I researched a little about the studio and got excited because I’m interested in art and artist collectives. I’d never worked with people with disabilities inside an artist collective, which sounded really cool. I have a little past experience working with people with disabilities and working in collectives, so The Arts of Life is a place where all of it can come together. AMP: That’s good! What kind of work do you do at the studio?CM: As Studio Coordinator, my job is to help things run smoothly and help artist develop their practice as professionals, which I’m excited about. And maybe also to cultivate community.AMP: What’s your favorite task here?CM: Definitely arts facilitation because it’s different every day. Facilitation is when I get to learn new things about art and the artists in the studio community. I was painting last night and realized I’m learning from you guys a lot. I see you guys work everyday and it helps me think of new ways to work on my own stuff.AMP: Tell us about your arts practice.CM: It started for me when I was 16. I went to an arts high school. At that time, I was a drawer and painter. While I was at school, I got interested in dance and started making dance work. In college, I was interested in a little of everything. Now, I make performances. I choreograph dance, make costumes, paint and build set pieces, write scripts… Everything. I also keep personal sketchbook everyday to draw and write my ideas. I stay very, very busy.AMP: Who’s your favorite famous artist?CM: That’s hard. Do you have a favorite?AMP: I really have five. Vincent Van Gogh is probably my favorite artist in the way he paints and his colors. Georgia O’Keefe is my favorite female artist. When I was in junior high, we learned about all male artists, so I chose Georgia O’Keefe as my favorite female artist.CM: It’s hard to pick just one. Lately, I don’t think I have a favorite, but I’m really interested in the way Pina Bausch, a choreographer from Germany, makes performances that incorporate dance, music, fashion and amazing sets. I like that.AMP: What do you do when you’re not at The Arts of Life?CM: That’s a great question. On a typical night, I go to dance rehearsal and do drawing and painting of my own. I talk to people about exhibitions or performances I’m trying to put together. I clean a lot to get into a creative mindset with a clear space. I’m still involved with an artist collective, too. I also like to cook. I’m busy and it’s great.  And now for the details on Rick Sindt!Josh Stern: How did you hear about Arts of Life?Rick Sindt: Through my friend Molly Gapp, a former artist mentor at the North Shore studio.  JS: What kind of work do you do at the studio?RS: I’m the Volunteer Coordinator, so I make sure we have volunteers and interns here to help. I also help the artists with art making if you need anything. That’s my favorite thing, the arts facilitation.JS: You did Art Talk last Wednesday. I went after my art projects. In the café.RS: You’re right, I did do an Art Talk. That was fun! We got to hang out and talk about Picasso and draw like cubist artists.JS: What do you like most about the studio?RS: I really like the culture of the studio. Everyone gets to have a say in what happens. We all work together to make The Arts of Life a better place. There’s a collective aspect to it. JS: Are you an artist?RS: I am. I mostly work on oil paintings. For a while I did a lot of paintings of waterscapes. Now I’m moving back to subject matter that interested me in the past. I’m using figurative painting to show interactions. I like to paint people a lot right now.JS: Who’s your favorite famous artist?RS: I have two right now. Henrik Uldalen lives in Europe and does oil paintings of people. He makes a painting and then swipes a paintbrush through while it’s wet to mess up how the painting looks. Alyssa Monks lives in New York and does hyper realistic paintings of people with water streaming down their faces. Very intimate work and very intricate to look at.JS: What do you do when you’re not at The Arts of Life?RS: I spend a lot of time at home with my cat. I also help run an art gallery in Logan Square called Comfort Station, where I work to develop programming that engages other arts communities in Chicago. And I’m part of a collective of painters that meets every other week to talk about art and put shows together. Many thanks to all members of the studio community who participated in the hiring of Courtney and Rick. The Human Relations Committee (artists Amanda Gantner, Montell Payne, Nikole Heusman and Ted Gram-Boarini) did an excellent job of interviewing candidates. Numerous other artists partnered with candidates on art facilitation trials and graded candidates based on skill. The hiring process was a fine example of collective decision making and living out the core values of The Arts of Life. Everyone’s efforts are greatly appreciated!