Elizabeth Szymczak is a first generation American born to Polish immigrants in search of the "American Dream" post World War II communistic Poland. She is a natural developer in the fine and performing arts. Her first memories of leadership can actually take her back to her days at Mundelein High School, where she worked closely with her first painting instructor and role model, Mr. John Mayer. Together they presented to the board of education to acknowledge college credit for advanced placement art students. The results of this collaboration enabled Szymczak and others to bypass introductory classes and take higher level art courses as collegiate underclassmen.
Szymczak attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to study studio art, education, and dance. She ended up graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Art Education and a Dance minor. Szymczak received several scholarships and awards, her favorite being a Purchase Award from UW-W because her work is now part of the university’s permanent collection. She is one of the founding officers of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Dance Company (UWWDC), an official university organization dedicated to raising funds for more learning opportunities as students of dance. Inside the company, Elizabeth was the founding director of the Emerging Choreographer’s Concert (ECC), an additional opportunity for dancers, choreographers, and guest artists to showcase their work. Both initiatives started over a decade ago and still exist to date.
Upon graduation, Elizabeth’s strength as a visual communicator and extensive training in all fine art media landed her a job as a middle school technological literacy instructor. During that time, she was on the Technology Standards Review Committee, working with a team to update curriculum standards to reflect 21st Century best practices, the work was presented and approved by the board of education. She was also awarded a Technology grant for an animation unit she authored. A year later, she was teaching art for a K-8 school district, where she provided an incredible amount of enrichment opportunities for her students and community. For example, she spearheaded an annual district-wide exhibition by partnering with the local library for Youth Art Month, a collaboration that awarded the library a generous grant from the Illinois Library Association in 2013.
From 2009-2012, Elizabeth Szymczak attended the Academy of Art University San Francisco where she received an MFA in Representational Drawing & Painting. In the summer of 2010, she studied landscape painting en plein air in the "green heart" of Italy.
After graduate school, Szymczak continued painting, exhibiting, directing, performing and choreographing along with teaching full time. She grew increasingly interested in arts advocacy initiatives. For instance, she designed the Illinois Art Education Association member’s online gallery, which celebrates the artist-teacher and serves to inspire other art educators and students. Elizabeth was awarded Best of Show at the Libertyville Fine Arts Festival 2012, which landed her a position teaching adult oil painting at the David Adler Music & Arts Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Since then, Elizabeth transitioned her focus into teaching higher education, arts administration and spending more of her studio time on her own paintings. In Chicago, she was predominantly represented by Poets & Artists Magazine through the Zhou B Art Center.
Towards the end of 2013, Szymczak was commissioned by the College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois, in collaboration with Valerie Alpert Dance Company of Chicago, where she incorporated video and live painting performance into her creative repertoire.
In April of 2014, Szymczak moved to Los Angeles and maintained a steady exhibition record as a professional artist as well as teaching full time. She is was predominantly represented by TAG Gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.
During the summer of 2017, Elizabeth moved back the the midwest to be closer to family. She currently resides in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area of Minnesota where she continues to be a teaching artist.
Szymczak attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to study studio art, education, and dance. She ended up graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Art Education and a Dance minor. Szymczak received several scholarships and awards, her favorite being a Purchase Award from UW-W because her work is now part of the university’s permanent collection. She is one of the founding officers of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Dance Company (UWWDC), an official university organization dedicated to raising funds for more learning opportunities as students of dance. Inside the company, Elizabeth was the founding director of the Emerging Choreographer’s Concert (ECC), an additional opportunity for dancers, choreographers, and guest artists to showcase their work. Both initiatives started over a decade ago and still exist to date.
Upon graduation, Elizabeth’s strength as a visual communicator and extensive training in all fine art media landed her a job as a middle school technological literacy instructor. During that time, she was on the Technology Standards Review Committee, working with a team to update curriculum standards to reflect 21st Century best practices, the work was presented and approved by the board of education. She was also awarded a Technology grant for an animation unit she authored. A year later, she was teaching art for a K-8 school district, where she provided an incredible amount of enrichment opportunities for her students and community. For example, she spearheaded an annual district-wide exhibition by partnering with the local library for Youth Art Month, a collaboration that awarded the library a generous grant from the Illinois Library Association in 2013.
From 2009-2012, Elizabeth Szymczak attended the Academy of Art University San Francisco where she received an MFA in Representational Drawing & Painting. In the summer of 2010, she studied landscape painting en plein air in the "green heart" of Italy.
After graduate school, Szymczak continued painting, exhibiting, directing, performing and choreographing along with teaching full time. She grew increasingly interested in arts advocacy initiatives. For instance, she designed the Illinois Art Education Association member’s online gallery, which celebrates the artist-teacher and serves to inspire other art educators and students. Elizabeth was awarded Best of Show at the Libertyville Fine Arts Festival 2012, which landed her a position teaching adult oil painting at the David Adler Music & Arts Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Since then, Elizabeth transitioned her focus into teaching higher education, arts administration and spending more of her studio time on her own paintings. In Chicago, she was predominantly represented by Poets & Artists Magazine through the Zhou B Art Center.
Towards the end of 2013, Szymczak was commissioned by the College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois, in collaboration with Valerie Alpert Dance Company of Chicago, where she incorporated video and live painting performance into her creative repertoire.
In April of 2014, Szymczak moved to Los Angeles and maintained a steady exhibition record as a professional artist as well as teaching full time. She is was predominantly represented by TAG Gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.
During the summer of 2017, Elizabeth moved back the the midwest to be closer to family. She currently resides in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area of Minnesota where she continues to be a teaching artist.
