David M. Sokol, Professor Emeritus of Art History at University of Illinois at Chicago, the founder and long time director of the UIC Museum Studies Program, was appointed to the Board of the Illinois State Museum and confirmed by the State Senate on April 26th. Sokol was the first curator of the Terra Museum of American Art and served as Acting Director both of the Terra Museum and Spertus Museum. He has guest curated many exhibitions, and is the author of books, exhibition catalogs, and articles.
A forty-year resident of Oak Park and a former Village Trustee, Sokol currently chairs the Oak Park Public Art Advisory Commission and is an elected member of the Library Board.
The Illinois State Museum consists of the Museum in Springfield, the Chicago and Lockport Galleries, two artisans’ centers, and the Dixon Mounds.
