For all of his life, John Cain has loved art as well as the artists who brought their works to the public eye. As the Executive Director of both the South Shore Arts Center for Visual and Performing Arts (20 years) and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra (5 years), Cain has dedicated his time to help those in his community get more involved with various forms of expression.
“Since I was a child, I was good at visual art. I also took piano and violin lessons in addition to singing in high school and college. As an adult, I owned an antique shop and art gallery for a number of years. After that experience, I became the Executive Director of the South Shore Arts Center in 1993,” Cain said.
The South Shore Arts Centers—located in Munster, Hammond, and Crown Point— have special exhibitions and various art classes throughout the year. The centers also conduct an educational outreach program called the Everykid Program that is found in community schools, social agencies, libraries, and other municipalities.
“Our Everykid Programs are free and backed by the generous grants we receive from our community members. Though this program alone, we have served over 28,000 kids in two years,” Cain said. “Our art appreciation program for all ages, called Art in Focus, is offered each fall in Munster as well.”
As a Regional Arts Partner of the Indiana Art Commission, the South Shore Arts team gives grants to their innovations through funds from the state of Indiana.
Taking on a management role as an Arts Administrator has definitely changed Cain’s life in many ways.
“I never thought that I would be involved in an organization such as the South Shore Arts Center. I just wanted to be an actor when I was in college. I didn’t know anything about business, but oddly enough, I was always a great fundraiser because I was not shy around others,” Cain said. “I was hired because of my drive and overall passion for promoting the arts.”
His involvement with fundraising then lead him to an interest in financing which he uses each day on the job as well. Financial statements and the like no longer scare him and that is a great self-confidence booster for him.
In 2008, Cain was approached to possibly manage the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. The main concern of this marketing management role was to keep overall expenses under control and raise money to support the ensemble by fundraising and promotion.
“I think that my growth in the business aspect of my job has really helped me appreciate art even more. Becoming a Regional Arts Partner has opened up a whole range of services that we can provide for our communities. We became more of an Arts Council that distributes and supports other art organizations with funding, promotion, technical support, and more,” Cain said.
As soon as the partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission became available to the South Shore Arts Center, the arts team became involved with One Region (formally known as the Quality of Life Council) by representing and promoting the arts throughout the community.
The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana named Cain as one of their Innovators of the month in July. Deborah Owen of the NIPSCOMobile Website Team was highlighted as well.
This fall, South Shore Arts has their annual Salon Show (70th celebration) opening on September 15 and ending in late October. In 1936, this program first got South Shore Arts started by exhibiting and promoting local artists’ artworks.
In fact, Cain’s first day of work highlighted the fiftieth anniversary of this wonderful show.
On September 20, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra will be playing their opening concert of the fall. They will be featuring a group of past artists called Cirque de la Symphonie at the Star Plaza Theatre. Prior to the concert, there will be a gala at the Radisson Hotel.
“Art is very important to me because I enjoy self expression and creativity. I love music and I love looking at beautiful things. My idea of art is maybe a little broader because I have a lot of exposure when it comes to what I do at my work,” Cain said. “There are so many different kinds of art that art to me is beyond enjoyment—it has the power to make lives better and communities better.”