An 83-year-old lifelong learner is keeping her skills sharp while sculpting women's rights messages in her art. Her work was displayed for the first time during a recent exhibit at McHenry County College.
Elaine Kadakia started taking art class in high school, but the fun didn’t stop there. She took a Saturday class at the Art Institute of Chicago and after high school graduation, she attended the school full time.
“And then when I graduated, I got a Eurail pass. At that time a train pass would take you all over Europe for a very nominal fee,” she explained. “Of course, this was 60 years ago, you know, a long time ago.”
Kadakia came back home and married her husband, Jayant. He is from India. She said they traveled there often, and those trips influenced most of her work.
They lived in Springfield where she and her husband raised their two daughters. While there she joined the American Association of University Women.
“And so, I found that belonging to an organization, it really helped me -- it broadened my scope about women's rights.”
Kadakia said her art is a way for her to support this cause.
When her husband retired, the couple moved to Huntley, which is not far from where her sister lives.
About 18 years ago, Kadakia decided to continue her education at McHenry County College. She needed a challenge. This was around the time women in burkas were all over the news.
“I felt really strong about this. I felt women in these burkas, they they have no identity. They're just someone in blue walking around,” she said. “So, I have to say that one of the first things I made was a three-piece sculpture out of clay.”
That piece was called “Hidden Women.”
So that was one thing - then I really admired the suffragettes and the women that started the movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and other women,” she said.
Kadakia created another sculpture paying homage to these women by using extruded clay. She credits McHenry County College instructor Tom Vician for introducing her to different ways to work with clay.
Vician has been her instructor for 13 years. He said he loves how Kadakia incorporates women’s rights into her works and calls her a risk taker. Vician was instrumental in getting her work showcased.
“And what's nice about the show is that it shows not only like her body of work, but everything that I've brought into the curriculum over the years.”
These include decals, 3-D printing, underglazes, and multi-level firings.
The ceramic class is diverse. Ages range from 18 years of age through the 80s. Vician said the retirees add a different layer of learning to the class because they help the younger artists.
“If they have a question, or they're struggling with something, or they need, you know, ‘where does this go? How do you do this? How do you do this? They kind of swoop in, and they'll help those students,” he said.
Kadakia took time to show her display. She points to one that highlights Lilly Ledbetter.
“She was working for a very big company,” she explains. “And she found out someone else was doing the same work as she was, but she was getting paid a whole lot less.”
Her actions gave way to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the first bill signed into law by President Obama.
Kadakia’s 86-year-old friend Jean Sekera stopped by the exhibit. Sekera went to the Art Institute with Kadakia and is currently attending ceramic classes at McHenry County College.
“I think her pieces are very nice. I mean, look at some of the details she goes into. I mean, that is that is not me. I don't go into detail,” she said.
Kadakia is excited about her exhibit and never thought anything like this would happen. She said she’s not sure about having another exhibit but is open to the idea.
And Vician is working on making this happen. He is communicating with an instructor at Rockford University.
“We've been emailing back and forth that they have a new gallery curator. And so maybe we'll be able to pack up the show and take it on the road.”
The exhibit at McHenry ended last week but Kadakia will continue to take classes there and use what she’s learning to create art that supports women’s rights.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
