Last month, the park district of Deerfield took first place in the Helen Doria Arts in the Park awards from the IAPD.
The Illinois Association of Park Districts gives out the award to organizations that promote art, and supports the community by working with artists and organizations in the arts. The Arts Alliance for Illinois made the award decision for this year's nominations. Doria, who the award is named after, worked to make the arts prominent in area parks.
Deerfield Parks have hosted a diverse array of community art programs for all ages over the past half a century. These include pottery, youth ceramics, multimedia, general art, and painting classes at the community center in Jewett Park. Last year, nearly 1,400 residents were in the programs, and 3,300 residents went to concerts and shows.
The Sarah Hall Theater Company works with the parks to put on shows and host community theater. Deerfield Family Theater's yearly musical, which has an average of 50 cast members, includes professional tech crews. Each year, a total of around 2,000 tickets are sold for the big autumn event. Finally, there are dance, music, and voice courses for everyone from toddlers to seniors, with six concerts in the summer.
Theater events, shows, and recitals need playbills to list the performers and people behind the scenes. They are made in a similar way to brochure printing.
