John P. Zilewicz Jr. is an Artist, Art Educator and advocate for the Visual Arts. Zilewicz works out of his home studio in Arlington Heights. His artwork ranges from works on paper to found object assemblage. He is a full time  Art Educator and has been teaching visual art for the past 19 years.  Zilewicz is currently teaching at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois where he has been working since 2005. In 2014, Zilewicz  and a group of 4 art teachers developed one of the largest high school art exhibits in the state of Illinois called the Illinois High School Art Exhibition. The show has gained national recognition around the country from top art schools, colleges and universities. Zilewicz is currently serving as the Illinois Art Education Association's Northeast Council Vice-President. He frequently conducts artist workshops around the state of Illinois for teachers and students. Zilewicz was the recipient of the Illinois Art Education Associations, Art Educator of the Year 2016.

The IHSAE is a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is the advancement of visual arts education through exhibition. The organization maintains its guiding principle of a show developed by teachers, for students. The entire organization is run by full-time art educators who collaborate with corporate sponsors, art schools/colleges/universities, and participating high schools to celebrate the artistic talents of Illinois high school art students on a grand scale.

Since 2014, the IHSAE has been responsible for awarding high school art students more than $30,000 in cash and prizes, facilitating 150 early college program scholarships, and connecting over 600 high school seniors to tuition scholarship offers totalling more than $50 million. Each year the IHSAE continues to improve its ability to connect our participating high school students to future post-secondary opportunities in the arts.