EVANSTON, IL – Mayor Stephen Hagerty has named Evanston Made and artist Fran Joy as the 2019 recipients of the “Mayor’s Award for the Arts.” Every year, Mayor Hagerty presents this award to both an Evanston arts organization and an individual for their contributions to the community through art. Recipients were selected from nominations submitted by the public.

The awards were presented at the annual “A Bright Night for the Arts” event on Thursday, December 5, 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., at The Block Museum, 40 Arts Circle Drive.

Evanston Made
Founded in 2012, Evanston Made has worked to create platforms and programs for hundreds of artists to share their work with the public. Founded by arts advocate Lisa Degliantoni, this organization has grown to include an active board, volunteers and community partners in the civic, business, non-profit and private sectors. Most notably, Evanston Made has more than 220 member artists living or working in Evanston. The year 2020 will be a pivotal year for Evanston Made with plans that include 501(c)(3) status, a fund for awarding seed money for projects, and the Art for the Earth citywide celebration in April.  

Fran Joy
Fran Joy is a proud mom and grandmother, an artist, a designer, and a life coach. Fran served on the Evanston Art Council for two terms and on the board of Young Evanston Artists Foundation (YEA!) for five years. She is currently serving on the Evanston Public Art Committee and the Exhibition Committee of the Evanston Art Center. Fran completed an artist-in-residence program including four exhibitions at the Garrett Theological Seminary on Northwestern’s campus regarding the themes of social justice and nonviolence. She has also curated and produced a show at the Noyes Cultural Art Center for the “Justice for Peace” exhibit.