DAY IN THE LIFE: KAMILA GLOWACKI

EDUCATOR/ARTIST/MUSICIAN KAMILA GLOWACKI THRIVES IN HER TRIO OF FIELDS

How Kamila Glowacki found the time to Field questions from Country, we’ll never know. The super-busy, impossibly industrious, 33-year-old serves the Krannert Art Museum (KAM) in Champaign as its assistant curator of community learning and engagement; creates all kinds of artwork (drawings, paintings, posters, prints, sculptures, comics, album covers); and performs as a singer/ guitarist for the indie punk band Nectar.

She educates; she crafts; she warbles.

A graduate of John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Glowacki was a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when her parents, Kai and Lidia, moved to Barrington. We asked her to navigate us through a day in her life as she tackles each profession.

6 a.m.: Sometimes 6:30 a.m. Kamila wakes up and comes face to whiskers with long-haired cats Addy and Marnie. “They let me know it’s time for breakfast. Addy is white with brownish-gray spots and is the sweetest cat, almost puppy-like. Loves to be held. Marnie is tiny, black, puffy. She hides around strangers and loves to hunt for toys.”

7-7:30 a.m.: Kamila mounts her exercise bike and obeys instructions from an encouraging guide via an app.

8:45 a.m.: Kamila’s commute to KAM takes 10 minutes. “Unless it’s nice outside and I ride by bike.”

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Kamila welcomes 50 fifth-graders at the museum and co-spearheads a field trip. “Most think a curator is a designer of exhibitions. My assistant curator position is a flexible one in that I design learning programs and form outreach partnerships. After each field trip, I decompress with my co-workers and look back at the day, going over the ‘roses’ (positives), the ‘thorns’ (negatives), and the ‘buds’ (future opportunities).”

Mid-to-late afternoon: Kamila whips out her iPad and sketches and/or works on projects (designing album covers and T-shirts) for her friends in the music industry. Her artwork has been shown at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago. “I’ve been expressing myself through visual arts for as long as I can remember. When I was 3, I’d draw dogs, and my mom would put those drawings and others in a binder.”

6:30 p.m.: Time to gear up for the night’s band gig, one of 25 or so annually in the U.S. and Canada. Nectar has dropped two albums, the latest, NoShadow, in 2022. “My favorite place to eat dinner, if we’re performing locally, is at Esquire in Champaign. They serve the best vegan dumplings.”

11 p.m.: Back home, finally. Her cats’ meows holler, “It’s about time!” Kamila decompresses again, this time by disconnecting from screens and reflecting. “What I love most is my work with children, because it’s rewarding. I’m motivated to teach them, to inspire them. I’m finding more ways to educate kids at the museum through my interests in art and music. But my successes and milestones aren’t just about me; they’re all about collaborations with teachers and band members. I also appreciate the ongoing support I’ve received from my family and friends. Community is so important to me. That’s why my dream is to open an all-age music venue where community is valued.”

For more on Glowacki and her art and music, visit kamilaglowacki.com.