Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present 'Between the Seams,' an exhibition with work by 35 artists who explore the concept of cloth through broad definition and use of materials. Juried by Nnenna Okore, 'Between the Seams' is WMG's first exhibition in 2018 and the third group show at our new location in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, at 2150 S. Canalport.

Included in the exhibition are intricate works in a variety of media from cotton, wool and bark cloth, jacquard weaving, steel and woven fiber to soft sculpture by artists from across the US and from overseas: Enee Abelman; Beizar Aradini; Chellis Baird; Emily Bennett; Hannah Bennett; Jenna Boyles; Chanel Chronicles; Yuling Chuang; Ashley Colbert; Gabe Duggan; Beatriz Herce-Hagiwara; Emily Hoxworth; Ann Johnson; Noel Kassewitz; Ruth Keitz; Neah Kelly; LaVerne Kemp, lialia Kuchma; Dorrie Lane; Jiachen Liu; Luis Mejico; Anne Mondro, Laura Mongiovi; Abena Motaboli; Sheila Nakitende; Christine Palamidessi; Elizabeth Rhoads Read; Gina Robbins; Priscilla Roggenkamp; Julie Sirek; Hope Wang, Juliann Wang, Jade Williams; Alex Younger and Luba Zygarewicz.

Juror: Nnenna Okore

Nnenna Okore is an artist who works both in Nigeria and the United States. Her largely abstract sculptures are inspired by textures, colors and forms within her immediate milieu. Finding reusable value in discarded materials, Okore enriches her work with layers of meaning through familiar and painstaking processes. She sometimes relies on the use of flotsam or discarded objects, which are transformed into intricate sculpture and installations through repetitive and labor-intensive techniques. Some of her processes including weaving, sewing, rolling, twisting and dyeing were learned by watching local Nigerians perform daily tasks. Most of Okore's works explore detailed surfaces and biomorphic formations.

Okore is a Professor of Art at North Park University, Chicago, where she teaches Sculpture. She earned her BA degree in Painting from the University of Nigeria in 1999, and an MA and MFA in Sculpture from the University of Iowa in 2004 and 2005. She has received several national and international awards and been shown in numerous prestigious galleries and museums within and outside the United States. She was a 2012/13 recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award, which resulted in a year-long project in Nigeria.