Skokie

Evanston Architect Selected for Donor Wall Installation at Lieberman Center

This September, CJE SeniorLife will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of its Lieberman Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Skokie, which has been home to thousands of older adults over the past three decades. To honor the occasion, CJE commissioned a unique work of art to be sited at the skilled nursing center. After receiving 14 proposals for the project, CJE has selected award-winning architect and exhibit designer Amy Reichert of Evanston, as its installation artist.

A renowned designer of Judaica, Reichert has been creating Jewish ritual objects unique in their interpretive depth and beauty since 1995. Since 1996, when she won second place in the Philip and Sylvia Spertus Judaica Prize for her seder plate that now is in the permanent collection of the Jewish Museum in New York City, she has participated in invited juried exhibitions in museums around the world.

Reichert’s inspiration for the Lieberman commission, “Deeds of Giving Are the Very Foundations of the World,” comes from the first divinely commanded building project, the tabernacle in the desert.

“I had just finished reading in Exodus 25:1 about the building of the mishkan and what struck me was the generosity and enthusiasm of the original donors,” said Reichert.

Built from donations from the entire people of Israel, the mishkan was a project that defined and symbolized the community’s coherence. In the same way, the names of those with a heartfelt and enduring connection to CJE SeniorLife will be seamlessly integrated into Reichert’s artwork.

The materials Reichert chose—gold, silver, bronze and acacia wood—echo the primary materials of the mishkan as described in the Torah. A panel of translucent cloth recalls the textile donations that were also an essential part of the or

iginalmishkan and evokes a tallis, spread out to embrace the community.

“While there is no longer a mishkan,” said Reichert, “places like Lieberman Center play that essential role in Jewish life today.”

The art installation will include 613 naming opportunities, one for each of the seeds in a pomegranate, which is CJE’s logo. According to Jewish tradition, the fruit’s 613 seeds represent the number of mitzvot, or good deeds, in each individual.

“We wanted something that was more than just a list of names,” said Allyson Marks Greenfield, CJE’s Director of Development, who along with a panel of judges that included CJE Board members and leadership, selected Reichert’s proposal. “Amy’s interpretation deftly captures CJE’s spirit of community, its mission of enhancing the lives of older adults and the significance of the Jewish values underlying all that we do.”

Reichert holds a B.A. and M.A. from Yale University. She combines her studio work with teaching in college art and art history departments, including as Professor of Arts Administration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The project is scheduled to be installed at CJE’s Lieberman Center in Skokie in September. For more information on how to include your name, or the name of a loved one by purchasing a “plaque,” contact CJE’s Development Department at773/508-1025.

CJE SeniorLife is an innovative provider of community-based and residential programs, and services for older adults throughout the Chicago area. Over the past 40 years, CJE’s wide range of services has grown to include assisted living, counseling and care management, long-term skilled nursing, Alzheimer’s care, home health, wellness programs and much more. CJE is a partner in serving the community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation. For more information about CJE services, call 773/508-1000 or visit www.cje.net.

Illinois Leads In Tech Employment, While Business Development Lags

July 12, 2011 By Ann Meyer

The Illinois General Assembly’s passage of SB 107, which creates a Technology Development Account II using money from the state Treasurer’s investment pool to support technology companies, might be a step in the right direction. But Illinois has a lot of catching up to do, experts said.

While Illinois is one of the nation’s 10 “leading technology states,” based on employment in technology sectors, the state lags in venture capital and seed-stage funding for technology firms. The funding is crucial to business development and job growth, experts said.

“If you look at the habits on the coasts, there is a very great degree of public segment investment and local venture investment partcularly through the pension funds,” said state Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston). ”It creates a whole ecosystem that feeds on itself,” Biss said. Biss was a strong supporter of the Illinois legislation, which awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s expected signature.

Among the leading technology states, Illinois was last in the amount of seed capital in 2009, with $1.6 million in seed-stage funds compared with $737 million in California, according to a report from Biss’ office. Excluding seed funding, Illinois received $235.7 million in venture capital in 2009, compared with $8.5 billion in California, which led both lists.

Biss called the Illinois legislation “a piece of the puzzle” that will start the ball rolling for technology funding and hopefully reverse the trend of startups exiting the state. When the startups leave for greener pastures, they take with them talent often was educated at Illinois dissertation editing

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The tide might be starting to turn in Illinois, said Ed Longanecker, executive director of Naperville-based TechAmerica. He cited the recent passage of an angel investment tax credit as well as development of the Illinois Innovation Council, the Illinois Innovation Network and the Illinois Technology Coalition. “To me, this means we have a lot of momentum,” Longanecker said.

Biss said he didn’t have a particular answer in mind when he examined the situation facing technology companies in Illinois. But he knew the potential of technology innovation from his previous experience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a doctorate before teaching math.

Biss used the data to make a compelling case to fellow legislators on the importance of technology funding. Once the bill has been signed by Gov. Pat Quinn, which Biss expects to occur soon, the state Treasurer will initiate the new fund-of-funds. “It may well take several years before the dollars end up in the hands of entrepreneurs,” he said.

The legislation will add 2 percent of the Treasurer’s investment dollars to the existing 1 percent in the Technology Development Account 1 funding, for an expected total of more than $200 million earmarked for high-growth technology companies, Biss said. Currently, about $31 million of the state’s $75 million investment in the Technology Development Account I has been deployed, leaving more than $40 million that has been committed but not yet invested in technology firms, Biss said.

In addition, the recent legislation stipulates that venture funds receiving investment dollars from the Treasurer’s portfolio need to invest twice the dollar amount in Illinois companies. “This two-to-one rule is as aggressive as any in the country,” Biss said. “No one goes beyond that.”