Photo by Cheri Eisenberg

Purposefully aligned with EXPO Chicago, Chicago’s biggest art week of the year (April 9–12), Life is an Art: IAM the party is the most exciting way to celebrate Intuit’s 35th anniversary and the 1st birthday of the expanded Museum. Step out looking like a work of art, and join us in celebrating our shared belief that art is not a luxury—it is a human right.

Proceeds from this event go towards Intuit’s efforts to advocate for self-taught art and its power as a unique mirror to the world, a refuge for the spirit, and a force for connection and understanding.

At Life is an Art, we’re honored to celebrate the following

Jerry Stefl
Visionary Award recipient
Nick Cave and Bob Faust
Trendsetter Award recipients
IAM Catalyst Award
Surprise artist cash award to be announced that evening

Get excited for

Celebrating with the hottest connectors, artists and community builders from
Chicago and around the world
Open cocktail bar
Thoughtfully curated dinner by J&L Catering
Dancing and live DJ set
Fun, creative art activations to engage and inspire you
Late night snacks

Schedule

5 PM: Cocktail Hour
6:30 PM: Plated Dinner
8:30 PM-midnight: Art After Dark Dance Party

Art After Dark Dance Party is co-hosted by Intuit and Museum of House. Artists performing will be announced soon.

Tickets go on sale February 15. Please check back soon.

About the awardees

Jerry Stefl, Visionary Award

Jerry is a nationally-recognized educator and leader whose lifelong commitment to art education has shaped generations of artists, teachers and cultural leaders. IAM Education Committee Chair and a lead instructor for Intuit’s Teacher Fellowship for more than 30 years, Jerry devoted 33 years to teaching at Carl Sandburg High School and served for more than 48 years as an adjunct associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he is now Faculty Emeritus. His leadership has extended across the field through advisory and governance roles with Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, the Illinois Art Education Association, the College Board’s AP Studio Art program and the Illinois State Board of Education, and he is the recipient of the National Art Education Association lifetime achievement award. Jerry’s career exemplifies the values of innovation, mentorship and advocacy at the heart of Intuit’s Visionary Award.

Nick Cave and Bob Faust, Trendsetter Award

Nick and Bob are Chicago-based artists, collaborators and cultural leaders whose work has reshaped contemporary art and design through creativity, social engagement and bold experimentation. Nick, an internationally celebrated artist working across visual and performing arts, is best known for his Soundsuits—powerful sculptural forms that merge beauty, movement and social critique, challenging viewers to confront issues of race, violence and justice while holding space for hope and transformation.

Bob is an artist and designer whose work centers typography, pattern and purpose, creating visually powerful projects that inform, provoke and celebrate human difference. Founder and creative director of the cultural branding studio Faust, he brings a message-driven approach to art and design. For Intuit Art Museum’s renovated building, Faust designed a vibrant façade wrap using photographic assets from the Museum’s collection. Works by Chicago artists were remixed into evolving patterns that connect art and architecture. Bob and Nick together co-founded Facility, a nonprofit creative space dedicated to community and social change through art and design.