The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is one of the most valuable medical resources in the region, as a national leader in rehabilitation care.  RIC provides high-quality patient care, research and education and strives for the fullest assimilation and acceptance of the physically disabled. Each summer the RIC Associate Board teams up with artists around the country to raise money to benefit RIC's unique Art Therapy programs - services that help healing patients benefit from creative expression.

Art Futura means many things. It's an opportunitiy for artists to show their work to an young, engaged, philanthropic audience. It's a change for RIC patients to be creative, and it's an opportunity for the public to learn about art as well as art therapy.  Artists are invited to submit art work for consideration, and if selected they will be asked to submit work to be exhibited in the show, which will feature a splashy opening night celebration where artists, patients, Associate Board memebers and RIC supporters all mingle to enjoy the party and bid on the colorful works on display. Well-known artists and local emerging talents from around the country all display work, such as paintings, collage, drawings, photographs and more. 

One of the most unique, endlessly surprising parts of Art Futura is that RIC patient artists also have their own exhibition section within the show.  Meeting the patient artists on opening night is a special experience, as you can hear first hand how RIC has helped so many people personally.

With the generous support of ArtFutura donors, RIC's Therapeutic Recreation team implemented the following in 2011:

• Resident Art Therapist on site 24 hours-a-week
• More than 100 patients received individual art therapy treatment
• Over 700 hours of art therapy services were provided, to both individuals and groups of patients

Artists interested in submitting their art work must meet the following criteria and conditions:

• Artwork should have been completed within the last 2 years
• Artwork should relate to the theme “Motion”
• Each artist may submit up to 3 images at a $30 entry fee
To submit artwork for ArtFutura: Art in Motion, download the application form.

• Materials must be received by: APRIL 2, 2012

Finalists will be notified of their selection in late-April and will receive more information about attending the Opening Night and Awards Party on Thursday, May 31, 2012. Artists’ awards will be announced and granted at this event.

To attend the opening night party, stay tuned to CGN for details and updates. More info, as well as a link to tickets, may be found here.

Art Futura: Art in Motion
Exhibition: May 31-June 7, 2012
Opening Reception and Awards: May 31, 2012 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Ryan Family Atrium of the Lurie Center, 303 E. Superior St. Chicago, IL

ArtFutura: Art in Motion is a fundraiser and juried art exhibition that brings the art community and philanthropy community of Chicago together to support the cause of Art Therapy. James Rondeau, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, selects exhibition participants and awards the most outstanding works submitted by hundreds of artists from around the country. The general public can purchase tickets to the opening night and the exhibition is open to the public for seven days. All the professional & patient artwork is for sale with half the proceeds benefiting the RIC Art Therapy program.

The annual Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival takes place July 29-31 in Logan Square. Explore curated art and pop-up gallery spaces in storefronts along Milwaukee Ave. between California + Kimball streets, and enjoy film screenings, multiple energetic musical line-ups, family activities, and food and drinks from area vendors. The festival starts Friday July 29, 4-11pm, and continues Saturday and Sunday from noon-11pm.

The festival shows off many sides of Logan Square, and you’ll want wristband access to the gallery spaces, music stages, performances, art activities and trolley rides, as well as special promotions and discounts at local establishments. For a detailed list of participants please visit the festival website (link),

3-day wristbands will be sold online (link- http://www.milwaukeeavenueartsfestival.org/wristband.php).

I actually have a close friend who is involved with festival. Drew Noble my previous studio mate, is curating a show for the Nicole Villeneuve Gallery titled, Histories/Memories: a show about three artists’ ideas of homes.

(Drew Noble, Curator at Nicole Villeneuve Gallery)

The unusual show includes work by Kunyoung Chang, a Korean artist attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for her BFA. Her work is composed of a complex process of physical labor using household objects such as, fabric sheets, toilet paper, and coffee filters. Her conceptual practice delves into the question of cultural identity, displacement, longing, and how our senses, when exposed to familiar objects, set off neural impulses of memory.  I highly recommend stopping by, Kunyoung Chang’s work is really something to experience in person. Other participants of the show include Flounder Lee and Nora Nieves.

(Kunyoung Chang)

Flounder Lee, a photo professor from the Herron School of Art in Indiana, will be showcasing photographs dealing with maps and landscapes of populated areas.  Lee reconfigures them through splicing and re-assemblage to create his own vision of landscape.

(Flounder Lee)

Nora Nieves, a Puerto Rican artist, and MFA graduate from the Fiber and Material Studies program at SAIC, will present a piece that explores memories of her homeland in Puerto Rico, and her documentation process of her home through the creation of art pieces, which will address the topics of emotional attachment or repulsion to the living spaces she has once inhabited.

(Nora Nieves, Beyond Cinderella, 2009)

This display of artists will be located indoors at 2515 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival

July 29-31 2011

Friday 4-11pm

Sa & Su 12-11pm

Contact for more information:

(773)278-4257

info@iamlogansquare.com

milwaukeeavenueartsfestival.org

Details about ArtFutura and tickets are available here.  

This is it!  Summer is here, and the opening of ArtFutura is this Thursday evening from 5:30-9:30pm.  In the past, there has been a closing reception at the end of the exhibition run, but this year, things are being shaken up, since no one loves an opening more than art fans!  This is an evening to come out and support a great cause (not so secret: the tickets are really inexpensive, and they include your drinks, so you have plenty of extra cash to spend on art!)  ArtFutura has had a terrific turn-out from a large cast of artists submitting a ton or art work that was then ultimately selected by the Art Institute's James Rondeau.  Opening night is when the final group of chosen work will be unveiled, and you can mingle over a Thursday night cocktail (to take the edge off of coming back from the Memorial Day weekend break!)  Things take place over at Northwestern, in the Ryan Family Atrium (303 E. Superior) - a big, airy space great for putting up walls to show off art. When the party winds down, if you're not full from all the drinks and appetizers, you can hit up some of the fun Michigan Ave. spots for more drinks and dinner - a local rooftop like Affinia, or outdoor favorite, Coco Pazzo Cafe.

ArtFutura is run by a dynamic group of young Chicagoans who are social, professional, and fun. The opening party is a chance for the public, the artists, and RIC patients to mingle in the name of a good cause - art therapy.  The show supports RIC's program, allowing many patients to learn and create. Three artist prizes will be awarded, ranging from $1,000 to $500. All chosen finalists' work will be on display in the Ryan Family Atrium at 675 N. Saint Clair, in the Northwestern University Lurie Research Center.

The 9th annual ArtFutura: June 2-9

Opening Night Awards Party, Thursday, June 2 

303 East Superior (60611)

Ryan Family Atrium of Northwestern University Lurie Center

A juried art exhibition of more than 150 emerging and established artists benefitting the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Art Therapy program. All artwork is available for sale. Proceeds from this event allow the hospital to maintain an Art Therapist at the hospital to work with patients. Art Therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in the creation of art is healing and life-enhancing - making a difference in the lives of people with physical disabilities.

The City of Chicago recently announced upcoming public art project opportunities for artists. You may download information and an application here: http://bit.ly/g9KZZg

Many people in the art world bring up the Percent for Art Ordinance in Chicago from time to time, and the time to pay attention is now, when new projects and opportunities come up for artists. According to the City's website, "In 1978, the Chicago City Council unanimously approved the Percent for Art Ordinance, which stipulates that a 1.33% of the cost of constructing or renovating municipal buildings and public spaces be devoted to original artwork on the premises; it also stipulates that at least half of the commissions be awarded to Chicago area artists to provide opportunities to the local arts community. At that time, Chicago was one of the first municipalities, and the largest, to legislate the incorporation of public art into its official building program. Today, there are more than 200 similar programs throughout the United States, due in large part to the success of the Chicago ordinance."  It's an ordinance that's not perfect, but it's been a key part of our cultural development and a strong, beneficial link between the art and corporate worlds.  Together with the Chicago Public Art Program, the ordinance has brought more than 700 works of art to our city's public areas for all to enjoy.

Details about the latest opportunities may be found online. Contact the City for more info.  

A map of Chicago's Public Art may be found here. Let us know what some of your favorite public art works are.

Virginio Ferrari, Being Born, 1983, stainless steel, 25' x 25' x 20', Intersection of Ohio & Orleans Sts, City of Chicago Public Art Collection

For more info, visit the City's website or contact:

Benjamin Kelner
Communications Specialist
Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture
312-744-8948
www.ChicagoCulturalCenter.org