Judith A. Cizek, 65, Riverside Historical Commission chairwoman

Judith A. Cizek, 65, a resident of Riverside, died Dec. 17, 2013 at her home.

Ms. Cizek was born April 9, 1948. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in art history from Northern Illinois University and continued her studies in the doctoral program at the University of Iowa.

She carved out a career as a curator in several art museums throughout the country. She spent eight years as an intern, coordinator and then exhibition manager in the Department of 20th-Century Painting and Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago before moving on to a two-year stint as assistant curator of photography ay the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Ms. Cizek left that position to come back to the Chicago area, spending five-years as director/curator at Oakton Community College’s Koehnline Visual Arts Center. She then moved on to the East Coast, where she spent seven years as curator of 20^th Century/Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Del.

Prior to returning to the Chicago area and Riverside, Ms. Cizek spent a year as curator of exhibitions and associate professor of museum studies at the University of Delaware.

In 2009, she was named chairwoman of the Riverside Historical Commission, a title she held until her death.

Arrangements are pending.