ArtSpace project draws bead on downtown Waukegan vacancies
BY DAN MORAN dmoran@stmedianetwork.com December 7, 2011 6:34PM
Chairman of Waukegan Arts Council and Artspace Fundraising Taskforce Jane Waller of Waukegan addresses a reception and celebration for Artspace at Dandelion Gallery in Waukegan. | Thomas Delany Jr.~ Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 9, 2012 9:14AM
WAUKEGAN — They gathered in a South Genesee Street storefront that was vacant less than 10 months ago, one that affords a view to the west of the old Karcher Hotel, which has been vacant many times longer.
But the organizers and supporters of the Karcher’s renovation through Artspace Inc. were standing Tuesday in what is now Dandelion Gallery, raising a toast to what they hope is the looming rebirth not only of a building but also the downtown that surrounds it.
“Waukegan is going to be a better place because of this. It was a huge challenge, but I am very, very, very proud of my city,” said Jane Waller, who chairs the Waukegan Cultural Arts Steering Committee, which was charged with raising the final $500,000 of the $12.5 million Karcher redevelopment.
Waller added that a network of volunteers “worked and worked and worked, and failure was not an option. ... It really was a critical mass of people who saw a bright future for Waukegan centered on the arts.”
Crews from general contractor Pepper Construction began work last month on the estimated 10- to 12-month process of creating 36 live/work units for artists and their families. Tuesday’s event was dubbed “ArtStart Celebration,” a chance to thank individual and corporate donors that amounted to around 200 on a list displayed for the occasion.
“I’m humbled by how much work each of you has put in,” said Artspace President Kelley Lindquist to a crowd that filled the gallery to its walls. “All of you are the partners that made this possible.”
Seventh Ward Ald. Lisa May was among those making a point to credit former Waukegan Main Street Executive Director Teddy Anderson for kick-starting the bid to partner with Artspace in 2006.
“Thank you for being a visionary and a true advocate for downtown Waukegan,” May said, adding that the completed Karcher Artspace Lofts “will further define Waukegan as a culturally active and urban community. We’d like to thank Artspace for choosing Waukegan (and) bringing this to fruition.”
Among the regional dignitaries in attendance were County Board member Mary Ross Cunningham, County Board President David Stolman, and state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, who was praised by Waller for re-routing $500,000 in state funds to close the project’s final financial gap.
Dandelion Gallery co-founder Michelle Miscenic-Patch grew emotional in her brief remarks to the crowd, saying she feels the Karcher Artspace residents will indeed fuel the redevelopment of downtown.
“I was born and raised in Waukegan, and I’m really excited and proud that this is actually happening,” she said, adding that there is a widespread need for artist-friendly housing and related opportunities. “It’s not just Waukegan that we’re affecting — we’re affecting all of Lake County.”
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