James P. Schadt

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. In 1853 the founders purchased a 379-acre tract of land on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago. They established a campus and developed the land near it, naming the surrounding town Evanston in honor of one of the University's founders, John Evans. After completing its first building, its first building in 1855, Northwestern began classes that fall with two faculty members and 10 students. Northwestern has three campuses and a total of 12 Schools and Colleges (one of which is located in South Florida. Two campuses are located on Lake Michigan, a 240-acre campus in Evanston, the first suburb north of Chicago, and a 25-acre campus in Chicago. One campus is located in Doha, Qatar. Northwestern University combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries. It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth in a setting enhanced by the richness of Chicago.

Trusted Media Brands is a global media and direct marketing company that educates, entertains and connects consumers around the world with products and services from trusted brands. For more than 90 years, flagship brand Reader's Digest, the world's largest circulation magazine, has simplified and enriched consumers lives by discovering and expertly selecting the most interesting ideas, stories, experiences and products in health, home, family, food, finance and humor. Taste of Home is the world's largest circulation food publication and is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking and entertaining. Other brands include The Family Handyman, Birds & Blooms, Country, and many other enthusiast titles in the U.S. and internationally. The company provides content in print; online; via digital download on iPad, mobile apps, Kindle, KindleFire, Nook, Sony Reader and Zinio; books and home entertainment products; Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.

In 1931, Mrs. Lorenzo E. Woodhouse dedicated Guild Hall as a cultural center for the community. Since then our primary focus has been to inform, inspire, and enrich our diverse audiences by presenting programs in collaboration with artists on the eastern end of Long Island and by also providing a meeting place. Each year over 40,000 visitors take advantage of the hundreds of events offered by our three departments. The John Drew Theater stage provides dramatic, comedic and musical entertainment, as well as films, lectures, literary series, and staged readings, all featuring prominent artists and writers with ties to the community. The Guild Hall Museum features world-class art exhibitions of internationally renowned visual artists and emerging regional artists. The Museum also encourages local talent with community art exhibitions. One of the directives of the Museum is to collect, preserve and present the works of accomplished East End artists. We have a significant permanent collection and archive approximately 2,100 works of art. Our Education program is devoted to serving the needs of the community and the local schools by integrating arts education into those programs that lend themselves to creative learning. We conduct master classes, studio workshops and outreach in the East Hampton School District. While Guild Hall is proud of our heritage, we remain committed to shaping a future that nurtures creativity and inspires innovation.