The Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame was initiated in 1994 by Illinois’ General Assembly to commemorate the achievements and contributions of citizens aged sixty-five and older. Inductees are selected through a statewide nomination and judging process of their positive contributions in one of four categories: community service, education, work force, and the graphic and performing arts.
At the age of eighty-six, Mr. Podmajersky's long-standing positive contributions to the graphic and performing arts--most notably, his support of the Chicago Arts District and involvement in establishing the annual Pilsen East Artists’ Open House--made him an ideal candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame.
In 1970, a group consisting of Mr. Podmajersky, his wife Annelies Podmajersky, and several local artists founded the annual Pilsen East Artist’s Open House, which in its thirty-eighth year has become the largest and most reputable event of its kind. Continuing in this tradition, at the age of seventy-nine, Mr. Podmajersky worked with members of his family and local artists to create the Chicago Arts District. An ambitious, burgeoning grass-roots organization that seeks to promote the work of the hundreds of artists who reside or work in the area surrounding Halsted and 18th Streets, the Chicago Arts District hosts monthly gallery walks (2nd Fridays Gallery Nights), which typically draw six- to twelve-hundred attendees, as well as the annual Pilsen East Artist’s Open House, which in its thirty-eight year attracted more than three thousand attendees.
In addition to the thousands of graphic artists who have lived and worked in Pilsen East, Mr. Podmajersky has also facilitated the work of hundreds of performing artists. He attracted the Palace Theater and Blue Rider Theater to Pilsen East, which showcased the Joseph Holmes Dance Troupe, Interplay Theater Company, Econo-Art Theater Company, and Windy City Theater Company.
In recognition and veneration of his contributions to the graphic and performing arts, in August of 2008, Chicago Alderman Danny Solis nominated John Podmajersky II for induction into the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame.
The Chicago Arts District would like to congratulate Mr. Podmajersky on his selection for the 2008 Senior Hall of Fame and thank Alderman Danny Solis for proposing his nomination. We also would like to thank for Mr. Podmajersky for his steadfast commitment to and support of the arts—in Chicago, and beyond.
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