LINES ON PAPER Artist Bio - Joe Chiappetta
Joe Chiappetta was named after his grandfather, the late Union Teamster Representative, Joe Chiappetta, AKA "Papa Joe." Joe Chiappetta (the younger) has been a life long resident of the near west Chicago suburbs (North Riverside). He is a Bible discussion group leader, former chess champion, wrestler, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member, and Xeric Award winner for the Silly Daddy independent comic book series. His friends call him Joeychips. Joe Chiappetta graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1989 with a BFA in Visual Art. He began seriously painting in 1984, and seriously making comic books and zines in 1988. His two decades as an entrepreneur and fine artist in the comic book publishing industry have fully prepared him for his fulfilling day job of helping job seekers with disabilities, since both arenas are relatively foreign to the rest of society (even though about 1 in 5 people have a disability). He is also one of the founding members of EmployAlliance WSCCI, which is a statewide Illinois job developers' network that helps people with disabilities find jobs. This workforce development experience landed him a job at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. There, he is one of the rare breed leading the charge in helping businesses understand the benefits of hiring workers with disabilities, under the disabilityworks Initiative (The unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 70%). The 2004 Silly Daddy graphic novel would have been considered his life's work, but of course more stuff will happen to him! Since 1998 Chiappetta has been a Christian. As a member of the Chicago International Christian Church, Joe currently leads a Bible discussion group (Thursdays at 7:30 PM). Joe Chiappetta and his wife Denise raise three children: Maria, Luke, and Anna. Besides spending his time being a "Silly Daddy," he also enjoys preaching, bike riding, science fiction, Bible study, and digging deeper into the meaning of life. <-- Back to Artist's Card