South Shore Poster Arts Management, which is a partnership between the Northwest Indiana Forum and South Shore Arts, unveiled the newest piece in the South Shore Poster Series Thursday evening at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster. The poster, titled “Let’s Go Hawks!”, is an oil on canvas by Mitch Markovitz that features Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews from the 2015 Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks.
Andy Arnold, President and CEO of Precision Control Systems, is on the Board of South Shore Arts and sponsored the poster. Arnold engaged the Chicago Blackhawks organization to pay tribute to all their fans along the South Shore.
Click here to see more photos from the South Shore Poster Unveiling.
“A strong arts organization is so important to any local community and to society in general,” Arnold said. “It was great to work with Mitch on the project. We’re huge Blackhawks fans and corporate sponsors so we were able to pull our hobby together with the arts. The Hawks were very interested in doing the project as well. We went down to sell them the idea and they were already on board before we even got there.”
In 1997, the Northwest Indiana Forum rejuvenated the Poster Series originally established in 1925 by Samuel Insull who launched a campaign of colorful, artistic posters which attracted many from Illinois to the sand dunes and steel mills of Northwest Indiana. Through building upon the original 1920’s concept the Forum partnered with South Shore Arts to establish South Shore Poster Arts Management that captures the spirit of the region and serves as a way to reach the Chicagoland area for both economic development and recreational opportunities.
“We’re very fortunate at the Forum that we’ve been able to manage the South Shore Poster Series since 1997,” said Heather Ennis, President of the NWI Forum. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the beauty and the excitement that the South Shore brings to this area. It’s been a really great partnership with South Shore Arts. We’ve been really lucky to have it as an opportunity to promote economic development and showcasing our assets here. Everyone has enjoyed the series and it’s become so iconic.”
“We decided at the Forum side that we needed the help of South Shore Arts and so the partnership was formed,” said Jim Jorgensen, Chairman of the South Shore Poster Arts Management. “It unites the quality of life represented by the arts and the economic development because they definitely go hand-in-hand. The posters celebrate the strength and vitality of Northwest Indiana and its physical beauty as well as posters that have focused on our ties to Chicago because we’re very dependent on the city.”
“It’s our love of Chicago, our love of excellence, our love of sport and competition,” Jorgensen said. “It all falls into one place in one poster and that’s why it’s so exciting.”
In speaking about the diversity of the posters in the series, Managing Director of South Shore Poster Arts Management, Karen Lauerman spoke about the nature of the pieces and how they are a celebration of the great things happening in the region.
“What we try and do is celebrate anniversaries, milestones, natural beauty, landmarks and celebrate the completion of major, large scale projects, which we’ve done for BP and Porter Hospital in the past,” Lauerman said. “In La Porte County, years ago, it was the Lighthouse in Michigan City which has been reprinted because of how iconic it was. The series really envelopes everything that is great about Northwest Indiana.
Posters can be purchased at the South Shore Arts Gift Shop in The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster and also at www.southshoreartsonline.org.