Get your kicks learning about Route 66
Vogt art center’s new director starts out with photo exhibit
Savannah Stiglic grew up across the street from the Vogt Visual Arts Center in Tinley Park. Now, as its new executive director, she’ll be organizing the exhibits that she once explored as a child.
“I’ve liked drawing and crafting my whole life,” Stiglic said. “So my mom said that I should go over there and see what’s there …. I got to know the gallery director, Julie Dekker, and I slowly started hanging out there more and more.”
So when Dekker left the position this summer, Stiglic saw the opportunity to get even more involved with the arts center.
“I’m a full-time artist who works from home,” she said. “It seemed like a great chance for me to get more involved in the community and get to work with other artists. It really seemed like the perfect fit.”
The Tinley Park-Park District agreed, and Stiglic took over the position of executive director this summer. Dekker had already planned for the exhibits for the remainder of the year, but Stiglic oversaw the installation of the September exhibit, “Take a Trip Down Route 66,” a photography display highlighting a journey along the road from Chicago to Los Angeles.
“It’s beautiful photography,” she said. “I’m happy with how it all came together.”
Stiglic graduated from Lincoln-Way North High School and the University of Illinois Chicago, where she majored in biology. She spent about six years working in that field before leaving to pursue her interest in art.
“I was emotionally burned out there,” she said. “And at the same time, I realized that what I loved was art, so I decided to try and give that a shot. It ended up working out well for me.”
When it comes to her own art, she focuses primarily in stained glass and illustrations, marketing her work through her website (hidden-houses. com).
“I’ve enjoyed stained glass,” she said. “I do a lot with animals and wild places. And there’s some
that focus more on fantasy, and I guess you’d say witchy stuff.”
The Vogt Visual Arts Center exhibitions are set for the remainder of the year, with a virtual photo exhibit following the Route 66 show in October, which won’t be in-person due to renovations in the facility that month.
November will bring the High School Students Show, followed by Trains and Miniatures in December and January. But moving forward into 2023, Stiglic will be determining the exhibitions, and while she has liked many of the previous efforts, she’s hoping to get more involvement from other local artists.
“I’ve always liked it when we have exhibits that are open for anyone to submit pieces,” she said. “I think that’s a great way to get the
community involved, and I’d like to do more of that in the future.
“But that said, I’ve always liked how the exhibits are a mix of different artists and mediums each year. I’d like to keep doing that, but put my own taste and spin on it.”
She’s also looking forward to getting more young people involved in the arts center, just as she did.
“I think there’s an opportunity to give young people a chance to show off what they’ve done and encourage others to get involved in art,” she said. “We can work with schools more closely, and they can take advantage of the resources here to get viewed by a wider audience.”