Arlene Sorkin Honored for Impact on Arts Community

By Danielle Wiseman, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

Arlene Sorkin, President and CEO of IlluminArt Productions, makes it her personal mission to impact others through art.

Originally from Philadelphia, Sorkin spent much of her adult life moving from state to state. After meeting her soon-to-be husband, David, at Penn State University, Arlene transferred to Temple University alongside David to be closer to family. At Temple University, Sorkin majored in Business Administration with a focus in accounting, all the while working a part-time job and starting a family.

Upon graduating from Temple, Sorkin went on to work at various financial institutions for the next ten years before coming to the realization that finance was not her passion and pivoting to social work. In 1989, Sorkin began attending the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College, where she obtained her Master of Social Service. Sorkin's love for social work deepened when she was placed at the Medical Center of Delaware in the maternal child unit, covering neo-natal intensive care, maternity, labor and delivery, and high-risk OB/GYN patients.

"Working in the maternal child unit was both intense and heartbreaking," reminisces Sorkin. "I had a beeper on me at all times and never knew what my day was going to look like; I was dealing with teenage girls with HIV, parents of babies born at 24 weeks, mothers who had tested positive for drugs. I really loved working there, but when a supervisor there asked me to join her clinical private practice, I jumped at the opportunity." There, she worked with women who have experienced pregnancy loss, domestic violence, and eating disorders.

Just one year after joining the practice, Sorkin and her family relocated to Detroit, where David had just been offered the position of Executive Director at the Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit, one of the largest JCCs in the United States. Sorkin continued to practice psychotherapy in Michigan for a short time before moving to work with a community organization.

A longtime lover of the arts, Sorkin began working with the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition as a Program Director, advocating for the LGBTQ community and producing several fundraising shows for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, effectively combining her passions for theater and social impact. As a member of the Festival Dancers at the JCC of Metro Detroit, Sorkin met Patty Ceresnie, an actor, singer, dancer, and director, who then collaborated with Sorkin on the benefit concerts for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Inspired by the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, the biggest theater for social change in the Midwest, Sorkin and Ceresnie created IlluminArt Productions, a nonprofit organization that aims to utilize theatre as a tool to illuminate critical social issues, creating conversations for positive social change. IlluminArt officially launched in Michigan in 2002.

"Patty and I said to each other, 'We could put together social work and theater in some way,'" adds Sorkin. "Illusion Theater gave us the model to do that, so we used their framework called Project TRUST, Teaching and Reaching Using Students and Theater, and licensed two plays that were performed by high schoolers for elementary and middle schoolers around the district. Our first two plays were called Peace Up and What Goes Around, and they focused on helping children identify their emotions and find solutions to their experiences."

In 2005, the Sorkins relocated to Staten Island, where David had been asked to run the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC. Ceresnie continued leading IlluminArt in Michigan as Sorkin gained her bearings in New York, immersing herself in art by becoming the Director of the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, a weeklong summer arts experience for Jewish teens run by the JCC Association of North America. After four years serving as Director of the ArtsFest, Sorkin recognized a need for IlluminArt on Staten Island, and she officially began operations for IlluminArt Productions on Staten Island in 2009.

IlluminArt grew rapidly in its first few years as more and more schools on Staten Island began having IlluminArt produce Peace Up and What Goes Around. The productions became so frequent and successful that IlluminArt created its own professional Touring Company, which currently performs shows in IlluminArt's repertory at elementary, intermediate, and high schools, as well as senior centers and beyond. Since the creation of the Touring Company, IlluminArt has written and produced several more plays, each of which deals with a unique traumatic experience like bullying, grief and loss, and intimate partner violence.

In addition to its more than 80 Touring Company performances annually, IlluminArt also hosts over 150 arts residencies across schools, community organizations, and senior centers throughout New York City. The programs offered vary in length from 12 to 20 weeks in a range of performing and visual arts activities, including playwriting, mural making, comedy/improv, drawing and painting, and even a Senior Boomers Ensemble. IlluminArt also heads up a substance use prevention program called Arts Empowerment, using a trauma-informed approach to help students cope through art.

In recent years, IlluminArt has introduced Theatre for Young Audiences, public performances for children ages PreK-12. This year's performance, "Pinkalicious," will run from March 22-April 6 2025. Theatre for Young Audiences truly embodies IlluminArt's mission of "empowerment through the arts," fostering creativity, imagination, and a lifelong appreciation of the arts. In addition, IlluminArt hosts a summer touring company that visits camps across the five boroughs and Westchester, including Catapult Learning campsites, and performs uplifting, relatable, and kid-friendly shows.

"The whole idea is that the students learn from whatever experience we're providing, whether that's through our Touring Company, one of our arts residencies, or any of our programs," emphasizes Sorkin. "We want all of our participants to be able to learn and grow, even if they don't realize it."

For her accomplishments, Arlene Sorkin is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award, which she will receive in the Not-for-Profit Businessperson category. The awards, which are presented by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance, honor the memory of Louis R. Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a community leader.

In addition to her work with IlluminArt, Sorkin is also incredibly active in the Staten Island community. Sorkin has received numerous awards, including the Community Service Award through the National Alliance on Mental Health-Staten Island, the JCC's L'Dor V'Dor First Generation Leadership Award, the Borough Based Council Annual Woman of Distinction Award, and the Borough President's Staten Island Community Health Hero Award. This year marks Sorkin's 12th year on the Board of Directors at Nonprofit Staten Island. Sorkin is also a member of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and serves on the TYSA Steering Committee of the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness.

Current occupation AND title: President & CEO, IlluminArt Productions.

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Past occupation/s and titles: Accountant, Banker, Hospital Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Nonprofit Program Director, Youth Arts Festival Director.

Community involvement: Nonprofit Staten Island Board member (12 years) and co-chair of annual Community Service Awards, Soroptimist of Staten Island member, Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness TYSA Steering Committee.

Some of my life goals include: Spending as much time with family as possible, inspiring everyone to find their inner artist.

The best part of my job: Working with an incredibly creative and passionate team.

My life philosophy: Don't ask IF you can make it happen, ask HOW you can make it happen.

I am most proud of: My family.

Something that no one knows about me: I was raised by deaf parents.

The quality I like best about myself: Perseverance.

Personal interests and hobbies: Theater, theater & theater, cooking & baking, and reading when I have time. Did I mention theater?

I laugh at: My husband's dad jokes.

I am really good at: Gluten-free baking.

I admire: People who help make the world a better place.

This story is part of our 2025 Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Awards. To register for the event, secure sponsorship, purchase a journal ad, or read the other honoree stories, click here.