Via PR

Twyler Jenkins and Phillip M Gant, Co-Presidents of the Board of Directors announced the appointment of Monique Brinkman-Hill as Executive Director.

Following the strong leadership of Masequa Meyers, the South Side Community Art Center is poised for its next chapter having recently been named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

In addition, the Center is slated to receive two million dollars as part of the State of Illinois capital bill to revitalize and expand the Center so it can meet the needs of youth, artists and the community long into the future.

Following a three-month search led by Phillip M. Gant, the search committee and Board are pleased that fellow Board member and Interim Executive Director Monique Brinkman-Hill has agreed to serve as the next Executive Director of the South Side Community Art Center.  

“While we were fortunate to have a number of strong candidates, as a strategic visionary, our next Executive Director Monique will provide strong leadership for the Center as we build on our artist driven exhibition and education programs, prepare to make major physical improvements to the Center with the support of the City, State, and other key funders and celebrate our 80th Anniversary,” said Gant.  

A SSCAC board member since 2018, Monique is the Founder and Owner of MBH Coaching and Consulting LLC, an Executive Coaching Firm. Monique brings more than two decades of financial services experience and leadership, most recently as a Senior Vice President and Managing Director with Northern Trust.  In addition to her membership on the SSCAC Board, Monique sits on the advisory board of Dymund, Inc. and has previously served on the board of the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Anti-Defamation League's Women of Achievement Committee.  Passionate about art and an avid collector Monique is excited to lead the South Side Community Art Center into the future.

“I am honored to work with the terrific Staff at the SSCAC, our Volunteers, Artists, Curators and my fellow Board members to advance the South Side Community Art Center's forward momentum.  I am also super excited to work within an incredible art community as we carry the baton forward and embark on this next chapter for the Center,” said Brinkman-Hill.  "I welcome the opportunity to create, collaborate and honor our history while at the same time forging new paths that will help to ensure that our programming continues to celebrate the rich cultural history of Bronzeville, the African American Artist, and the City of Chicago while inspiring and showcasing the next generation of great artists."

“Among Monique’s many strengths is her history of organizational leadership including extensive financial, facilities and staff management as well as her strong project management and coaching experience,” said Jenkins. “We are excited that she is bringing these talents as well as her passion for art and artists and clear understanding of the impact that the South Side Community Art Center, its programs, archive, and collection can have in Chicago and beyond to her new role as Executive Director.”

The South Side Community Art Center Board will be hosting a reception to welcome Monique in her new role on Thursday, January 23, 2019 from 5:30 – 8 pm at the South Side Community Art Center, 3831 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653.  All are welcome.

ABOUT THE SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY ART CENTER 

A pillar of excellence in African American art and culture, the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) preserves, conserves and promotes the legacy and future of African American art and artists while educating the community on the value of art and culture.  As the oldest independently owned African American art center in the United States, the SSCAC takes pride in its past and present contributions to the development and showcasing of emerging and established artists.  An established resource for the art community locally, nationally and abroad, the SSCAC seeks out and educates young artists; exhibits the work of emerging and international recognized artists; presents and hosts a variety of cultural and educational programs and serves as a repository for African American artists, scholars, collectors and the community.

The South Side Community Art Center has been instrumental in the careers of many nationally and internationally established African American artists - from the WPA era to the present. Poet Gwendolyn Brooks wrote and taught at the Center; photographer Gordon Parks had his first darkroom in the Center’s basement and Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett shared what they learned from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with other artists who could not afford the tuition. These names are just a few of the many artists who have contributed to the Center’s rich legacy.