The Cultural Center

Question

Why the Chicago Cultural Center?

Answer

Cate never met her grandmother JoAnn. She passed away when Carrie (Cate’s mom) was nineteen, twelve years before Cate was born. But her presence has always been felt. JoAnn was a lifelong lover of the arts: an avid reader, amateur oil painter, a dedicated theatre and museum patron – passions that Carrie carefully handed down to Cate and Noah. Perri’s parents fostered similar values in them from an early age: curiosity and a love of learning, evident in Perri’s many hobbies, and an appreciation for the arts and theatre, nurtured by Auntie Pam and Grandma Betty. These shared values became a natural cornerstone of Cate and Perri’s relationship, celebrated at our monthly “museum date days,” one of which was the setting for Perri's proposal. In the mid-1960s, JoAnn completed her masters degree in Library Sciences while raising four young children. She began her career as a fine arts librarian (and later, as a children’s librarian) for the City of Chicago, checking out works of art from the River Forest Library to hang above the piano in Carrie’s childhood home. She spent years working at the Chicago Cultural Center, the city’s first public library established in 1897. Known as “The People’s Palace,” the building was formally established as the nation’s first free municipal cultural venue in 1991, providing hundreds of free events annually where the public can enjoy and learn about the arts. We can’t imagine a more meaningful place to celebrate our wedding, honoring JoAnn and the generations of incredible family members who shaped us, reflecting our shared love of culture and community.