Chicago Gallery News relocated to a bright new office at the end of 2012, and since then, we have been packing, unpacking, hanging loads of covers and art, organizing and reorganizing – dealing with all the necessary evils of moving.  With each cover and artwork that went up on our walls, we felt more at home, and we’re happy with our new space.  Recently, our last empty wall was adorned with perhaps our final decorative touch (for now anyway…) when artist Elizabeth Burke-Dain completed her latest installation.
 
When we left our old office space, we unfortunately also had to leave the large blue-threaded installation that Elizabeth installed for us back in 2011.  These unique installations are comprised of a series of plotted shapes, set nails and colored thread that ultimately end up forming meticulous geometric wall weavings.  I enjoyed seeing this piece come to life over the span of three days – from the initial circular markings, to the nail settings (our neighbors did not enjoy that as much), to the final weaving that brought the whole thing together.

"I see these wall weaving installations as existing in the 'design-as-art' realm," says Burke-Dain about her work. "I have a number of different wall treatments using thread and I'm anxious to get started on another project".
 
The new installation stretches nearly fifteen feet across and nearly three feet high.  The bright yellow thread sharply contrasts the grey paint behind it and appears to almost bounce off the wall.  This work, like the older blue piece, is formed from a series of intersecting thread lines that stem from the circular shapes and nail anchors that the thread is wrapped around.  The weaving causes a dense overlapping of thread in some areas, creating the ‘X’ shapes and more saturated fields of color.
 
Elizabeth enjoys curating art exhibitions, creating PR strategies for art organizations and making things. She has a background in the humanities, arts, and art administration, and has been creating installations like these for several years.  CGN’s is the most recent addition to her repertoire, but she’s also installed her work in businesses including an advertising agency office, as well as in several other homes and residences.
 
Elizabeth would love to make many of these installations so solicitations and commissions for custom installations are welcome. These wall weavings are a great addition to business offices, design showrooms, restaurants, salons, boutiques, personal homes, etc.
 
Email Elizabeth with inquiries about a custom installation for your space, and to learn more about her work and see other samples, visit her Facebook page.

   Krisanne Johnson  

Glass Curtain Gallery presents Black Gossamer, a group exhibition opening November 17^th where several artists are exploring black identity.

Glass Curtain Gallery comments, “An anxiousness exists among people of color because there is still an expectation to "perform," explain and react to one's Blackness in society, maybe even make excuses for it, both within and outside "black" culture. One outlet utilized to express this dichotomy is through dress.”

“This exhibition showcases the work of black contemporary artists who use and draw inspiration from clothing, fashion, textiles and fabrications to explore and uncover recent revolutions in black identity.” (Class Curtain Gallery)  

 Wangechi Mutu 

Black Gossamer exhibits an impressive collection of work from several artists, including New York based Kenyan artist, Wangechi Mutu. Mutu’s work has been shown in venues such as: the Tate Modern, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, MOMA, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, and at the Royal Academy in London.

Other artists include: Aisha Bell, Sheila Bridges, Myra Greene, Marlon Griffith, Krisanne Johnson, Kalup Linzy, Ebony G. Patterson (colum.edu/Student_Life/DEPS/)

Black Gossamer will include multiple opportunities to attend gallery talks and hear from some of the artists as well as curator, Camille Morgan. See below for a list of corresponding events.

Marlon Griffith, LOUIS (from the Powder Box School Girl series), 2009 

Located at 1104 S. Wabash on the 1^st floor of the historic Ludington building at Columbia College, Glass Curtain Gallery exhibits emerging and mid career artists. By presenting museum-quality exhibitions, workshops, and visiting artist lectures, Glass Curtain acts as a catalyst in the dialogue for students in the arts. 

Ebony G. Patterson 

For more information about the exhibition click here 

Exhibition Programming

November 17: Opening Reception 5:00-8:00pm

November 18 : "Taboo Fashion and Chameleon Identities" Gallery Artist Talk with Artists Aisha Bell and Ebony G. Patterson, 11-12:30pm

November 22: Critical Encounters Cafe Society discussion with artist Myra Greene and Curator, 4-6pm

February 1: Closing Reception - African American Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration, 5:30 - 7:30pm

Friday, November 18^th at 7pm, the National Museum of Mexican Art will be hosting a world book premiere for Chicanas of 18^th Street, a collection of testimonies from six Pilsen-based female activists. Meet the authors and take this opportunity to gain access to lessons learned from this movement and what it means for today’s Latino community. 

“Women discuss how education, immigration, religion, identity, and acculturation affected the Chicano movement (University of Illinois Press).”

Through in-depth interviews with the activists we get a look at the unique movements for social reform that took root and grew in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood.

“Highlighting the women's motivations, initiatives, and experiences in politics during the 1960s and 1970s, these rich personal accounts reveal the complexity of the Chicana Movement, conflicts within the Movement, and the importance of teatro and cultural expressions to the movement. Also detailed are vital interactions between members of the Chicana Movement with leftist and nationalist community members and the influence of other activists groups such as African Americans and Marxists (University of Illinois Press).”

Mary S. Prado, author of, Mexican American Women Activists: Identity and Resistance in Two Los Angeles Communities comments, “The personal testimonies allow readers to see the dynamics that transform community members into activists. This engaging study appeals to students and scholars of women’s studies, political science, sociology, and Latina studies.”

19^th street mural

Joe Allen, Pilsen resident, and author of People Wasn’t Made to Burn says, “Pilsen is a neighborhood that is aware of its own history, where the past is adored on the walls of the buildings and the viaducts that crisscross the neighborhood, but it doesn’t do it like a museum does to celebrate the past. [Rather, it is to] remember what has to be done today and the future.” 

Part of the Barrett Park mural on Cermak road  

Activism isn’t new to the historically revolutionary neighborhood and this book provides insights that have inspired and paved the way for future community members’ fight. 

Come a little early and check out the current exhibitions at the National Museum of Mexican Art, Dia de Muertos XXV (Day of the Dead), Neptuno, and Claro y Obscuro.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is located at: 

1852 W. 19^th Street, Chicago 60608

Normal hours are: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm

Visits are always free

Call for more info: 312-369-9294

One of the great advantages to living in our culturally rich city is the number of colleges and universities we have here. These institutions offer an abundance of resources to those who attend, as well as to those who do not (most of us). A significant portion of Chicago’s creative vibrancy is due to its academic communities.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s terrific lecture series is one that any member of the public can take advantage of - for free!

Stay up to date on who will be speaking by visiting here 

Expect to see more than just the name of respected artists on the line up – SAIC’s visiting artist program brings scholars, professors, professionals, designers, and artists together on a regular basis. Some recent guest speakers have included director of the Star Wars films, George Lucas, Berry Mcgee, Richard Tuttle, Wangechi Mutu, Terry Eagleton - one of the world's leading literary critics, and Homi K. Bhabha, director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University.

Wednesday November 2 at 6pm SAIC will welcome Professor Jenni Sorkin, professor of Critical Theory, Media, and Design at the University of Houston, as part of their Distinguished Scholars lecture series. Sorkin’s lecture is titled Ancient Modernisms. She has written several catalog essays on feminist art and material culture topics, which have appeared in sources such as Art Journal, Art Monthly, Freize, and Third Text. She has lectured at a number of institutions including CalArts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami; Textile Museum of Canada and School of Visual Arts, New York.

Sorkin’s lecture is sure to bring good discussion in the follow-up Q&A.

2 weeks later on November 16 SAIC is hosting two events for filmmaker Amar Kanwar.

You can also catch his lecture at 6pm on 11/16. On 11/17 there will be a screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center at 164 N State Street.

         Q&A at the Gene Siskel Film Center

 Amar Kanwar’s “films explore the politics of power, violence, sexuality, and justice.

His multi-layered installations originate in narratives often drawn from zones of conflict and are characterized by a distinctly poetic approach to the social and political. In retracing history through images, ritual objects, literature, poetry, and song, Kanwar creates lyrical, meditative film essays that do not aim to represent trauma or political situations as much as to find ways through them. Kanwar's work looks deeply into the causes and effects and how they are translated into everyday life and cultural forms (saic.edu/art_design/vap/).”

Remember that at chicagogallerynews.com we have a calendar page where we post events including other institutional events such as the Block museum, Smart museum, Columbia College, University Chicago, SAIC, and more.

All lectures are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and lectures begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. All seating is first come, first served. Reservations may be accepted for groups of 10 or more made at least two weeks prior to the event.

Sign up here to join the mailing list to receive info on more SAIC public events! 

Artist Kay Rosen’s message to Chicago..?  GO DO GOOD.  Rosen was in the city this morning along with the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) crew to unveil and announce Chicago’s newest summer-long public art installation.

State Street light posts are donned with bright yellow banners displaying vertical text with Rosen’s slogan.  A huge painted mural of the text appears on the side of a building at State and Washington (above Old Navy).  The message also appears on select CTA stops, on mounted information boards, and is stretched horizontally above the width of State Street on the train platform at State / Lake.  Passersby are surrounded by the mantra of doing good deeds – like a direct marketing scheme, minus the subtext of buying.

A follow up to last year’s Tony Tasset Eye & Cardinal display, the CLA describes this second annual installation and the process of interpreting it in three stages – seeing, reading, and performance.  At first glance, the broken up characters (G, D, O) look very similar and sometimes are not immediately readable.  Once the viewer recognizes and reads the full phrase, “Go Do Good”, the final phase of the experience can happen when the viewer takes that message with them and acts upon it.  Rosen hopes “the message will encourage good deeds and gestures, large and small, public and private, and that viewers will act out these words on a daily basis.”

The Go Do Good movement aims to connect art to action and will focus on three areas of quality education over the summer including reading, health, and school preparation.  An initiative of the CLA and in association with United Way of Metro Chicago, this project was created to prepare Chicago’s kids to succeed in school and encourage youth to contribute to their communities and workforce, and to foster support and outreach.  Visit GoDoGoodChicago.com for donation information, sponsor partnerships and a tally of good deeds.  (Also check out the city’s progress at the good deeds barometer between Madison & Washington on State Street!)

A midwest-based artist from Texas, Kay Rosen has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is known for her text-heavy paintings, drawings, collages and installations that play on the connection between language and imagery.  

Left: Ty Tabing, Executive Director, Chicago Loop Alliance.  Right: Kay Rosen