About 100 Evanston residents gathered Sunday at an Evanston restaurant to raise funds for Oakton Elementary School’s Artist-In-Residence program.

Because the ten-week program does not get any money from District 65, which recently cut back on arts funding, donations from parents are necessary to keep the program alive.

“We’re hoping to raise $6,000 from tonight’s events,” said Martin Ythe, an Oakton parent and organizer of Sunday’s fund-raiser. “We’re also hoping to get a $4,000 grant from the Illinois Arts Council.”

The program already has a $1,000 grant from the Women’s Club of Evanston, Ythe said.

To make additional money, the fund-raiser at The Firehouse Grill, 750 Chicago Ave., auctioned prizes, including family passes to the Art Institute of Chicago and tickets to a Northwestern football game in the fall. Tickets to the event were priced at $20.

The money will be used mostly to pay the artist and to purchase supplies, he said.

In the aftermath of cuts in funding to arts programs at District 65 schools, most parents agreed upon the increased need for the independent arts programs.

“Kids really enjoy the program,” said parent Ann Covode, who came up with the idea for the Artist-in-Residence program.

It also helped children with behavioral problems to focus and pay attention in schools, Covode said.

“The program helps the children’s self-esteem,” Ythe said. “In the arts, everybody is on the same playing field.”

The program is especially important at Oakton School, raised money for the ten-week residency program at Oakton School, 436 Ridge Ave., where there are many low-income, high-risk kids, he said.

“They don’t have the opportunities that some families can provide,” Ferguson said. “They don’t have as many experiences.”

People will begin to see a difference because of the budget cuts, Ferguson said. Since the budget cuts, Oakton School has lost its drama teacher and classroom sizes have increased.

“(That’s why) it’s great that the people at Oakton are being creative, even if the school district isn’t funding this,” said Oakton School parent.

Brian Gephart, also a Northwestern employee, performed at the event with his band, the Gephart Long Quartet, to help raise money for the Artist-In-Residence program.

Artist Kate Sheehy, who specializes in developing characters through the interdisciplinary use of puppetry, writing, music and video, will conduct the program in the fall.

She will work with third graders each day for three hours and offer workshops for fourth and fifth graders.

“I plan to create a whole neighborhood of characters, and build relations through story-telling,” Sheehy said.

Next year’s program will integrate folk tales and lessons from the children’s social studies class, said Tom Ferguson, Oakton’s sole art teacher. It will be the third year the residency has been offered.

This year’s artist, Michael Montenegro, used puppets to introduce literature and plays to the children.

At the end of the residency, the children presented their work in two productions, Oakton Principal Q. T. Carter said.