What keeps an artist going? — daydreaming, writing, dancing, cooking, gardening, family, love, determination in the face of adversity, prayer, poetry, art and music. And hope.
Support the work of JAMIE OREILLY, an artist with heart and vision!
Jamie O’Reilly’s Resilience Project expands to a second year. Adding to the concerts, recordings, salons, inspirational blogs and enewsletters, will be an audio/visual stage. Jamie will develop presentations as a living history project, bringing her myriad skills and talent to a public thirsting for hope and connection. Contribute to this important work!
The Resilience Project, launched during J. O’Reilly Productions 2022 Programming Season, is entering its second year. The project is the brainchild of singer/writer/activist Jamie O’Reilly whose concerts, recordings, and essays have inspired the Chicago cultural arts community, and beyond, for over four decades. As an arts coach, speaker and teacher Jamie developed a singular approach to self-production in the Arts with guidance on story-gathering, promotion, high caliber production values, for established educational and cultural institutions and organizations including Columbia College and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.
in 2021/2022 Jamie brought twelve concerts and salons, through the pandemic, to venues and outdoor spaces in Chicago and the suburbs. Her stories and songs with a small ensemble brought joy, tears and standing ovations from an audience thirsting for positivity in these trying times.
The 2023 stage of the Resilience Project moves the intimate concerts to a living history project, with the development of audio recording, image acquisition for presentations, historical documentation and high profile performances.
MORE BACKGROUND
In fall of 2022, Jamie developed Gramma Jamie’s Children’s Storytime for the Sweden Shop, and an autumnal soiree indoors at Tre Kronor Restaurant. In late October, Jamie and ensemble returned to Chief O’Neill’s Pub with an revised version of In Old Chicago.
In a recent presentation for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring Rick Kogan, Jamie spoke of her family’s work for over 100 years in journalism and the arts.
“Singer Jamie O’Reilly is hosting a children’s story time this weekend — but the real story has been her life.”
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune Oct. 11, 2022
What did 2022 Support?
Our 2022 programming expanded under the umbrella name of Jamie O’Reilly’s Resilience Series, a fundraising effort supporting Jamie’s work: performances, rehearsals, hiring musicians, technicians and visual artists. Patron contributions and ticket sales contributed to development, production costs and marketing of: Roots in the Garden, Tough Broads & Tender Lasses: Songs of Resilience, In Old Chicago, Harvest Home: An Autumnal Salon, Gramma Jamie’s Storytime, Jamie’s SongNotes blog and e-newsletters. All programs include significant community outreach.
What does the next stage support?
Working with archival photos of Chicago, family albums and private collections Jamie will create an audio/visual project to serve as a model for creatives seeking inspiration for their own stories.
Among the 2023 plan is a series of talks and workshops about researching and creating a personal legacy.
CONTRIBUTE BELOW!
“Jamie O’Reilly brought such lilting beauty to our Bloomsday Chicago at Chief O’Neill’s, her captivating voice perfectly capturing mood and tone throughout our evening. Her voice was as lambent light across and even through the very words of our play, a gift of whimsy and romance, a reflection on love and loss, a perfect complement to our take on James Joyce’s grand story.”
JR Sullivan, Director 2022 Bloomsday Chicago
Contribute here to next stage of the Resilience Project via PayPal button. Zelle or check.
(OR) Zelle Jamie: 773-203-7661.
(OR)
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Sample program
July 2022, saw SUMMERTIME! Tough Broads & Tender Lasses, a program of songs to lift the spirit; a cosmopolitan mix of folksongs, World War II blitz-ballads, torch songs, lullabies, anthems, humor, and novelty tunes to Tre Kronor’s garden in Chicago’s North Park neighborhood.
Jamie honored the 20th century chanteuse — women who met adversity and struggle with tenacity and vigor — leaving behind classic songs and stories. These are women who weathered the stormy entertainment world with determination and vivacity, surviving world wars, poverty, and personal loss.
J. O’Reilly Productions is a small, woman-owned business, established in 1997.
Jamie has produced, researched, written, directed, recorded and performed in hundreds of programs and events, at the finest venues, universities, theaters, in festivals and recording studios. Her Roots Salon, hosted in her home and on the road, revives a family tradition dating back to the turn of the 20th century.
Current Programs
Gramma Jamie’s Children’s Story Hour
In Old Chicago tells the family story and features songs of the era and beyond
Roots in the Garden, brings outdoor concerts to area gardens and yard
SongNotes Blog is Jamie’s series offering the recordings and their stories
SongBirds Series. Tough Broads & Tender Lasses: Songs of Resilience, created during the pandemic
READ MORE ABOUT JAMIE’S PROGRAMS
SAMPLE DONOR FORM
