<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418339/fbsw91z0ffsyqc9cxpuj.jpg"><figcaption>Yvette Mayorga, Portrait of the Artist’s Parents (After Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter Francois Boucher, c. 1760) 2020, acrylic piping on canvas, 48” x 60,” diptych &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By ALISON REILLYTreating paint like frosting on a cake, artist Yvette Mayorga pipes saccharine landscapes onto canvases. Littered with pink cars, empty Cheeto bags, smiley faces, and references to ICE and Homeland Security, her paintings tell a truth that may be hard to stomach: the American dream is making us sick. Mayorga has been working with these motifs for several years, but the ongoing pandemic confirms what she has hinted at all along—that the promise of a better life in the United States may come with a number of severe consequences. Mayorga’s paintings, featuring fluorescent colors and soft textures juxtaposed with military figurines and blurred faces, are jarring portraits of America in 2020.&nbsp;Over the past few months Mayorga has been preparing for a number of exhibitions including LatinXAmerican at Depaul Art Museum, which opens in January 2021 and ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21 at Museo Del Barrio in New York. She was recently selected as a finalist for the 2020 Artadia Chicago Awards.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418340/vpbefdfwagadtbenlwuu.jpg"><figcaption>Yvette Mayorga in her studio. Photo by William Camargo</figcaption></figure>CGN: First, how have you been doing these past several months, and where are you working from?Yvette Mayorga: It’s been difficult to see my community and family members be put at a higher risk due to COVID-19. I had the privilege of shutting down my studio at MANA and being able to work from home for most of quarantine, but of course many essential workers didn’t have that choice and continue to be put at risk. Once the guidelines were lifted a bit in July, I returned to my studio while practicing social distancing and safety guidelines. It’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs and check ins with friends and family to make sure everyone is holding up and remembering we are strong as a community.CGN: How has your practice changed since March when the stay-at-home orders were put into effect?YM: Quarantine has affirmed what some of us have already known—that there is still work to be done in rewriting Art History due to COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on people of color and immigrant communities. I plan to continue to share the untold stories in my work with frosting through my feminist perspective.CGN: What is a typical day in your studio like?&nbsp;YM: A typical day in my studio includes an iced coffee, playing some Buscabulla, and beginning by catching up on some art admin emails/inventory/contracts for the first hour, then I do any research/source image printing related to the work I’m working on, and then I begin mixing my colors for piping. Some days my order of doing things changes, but usually it’s in that order, because it makes me get emails out of the way so I can focus on my favorite part, which is the creating.CGN: When did you know that you wanted to be an artist?YM: It’s something that my intuition has always told me to follow, although during high school I did consider different creative career paths, such as fashion design or interior design, but I was always pulled towards painting. I definitely think growing up with siblings who were great at drawing and were always being creative around our house made me think there was a possibility in art. It also helped that my high school art teacher gave me advice and tools to think about art as a career, because I didn’t know anyone who was an artist—and that’s really integral to seeing yourself in a field—if you don’t know anyone doing your dream job, it takes more of a risk to follow it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418341/ddjbbqos0kmwsybl915i.jpg"><figcaption>American Urn, (After Madame Victoire vases at Château de Versailles,) 2019, acrylic piping on canvas, 48”x 60” &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>CGN: I read that you initially used baking frosting in many of your paintings and sculptures but have since changed to acrylic to ensure the longevity of your work. How have other aspects of your practice changed over the past several years (conceptually or physically)?YM: I used to source frosting from bakeries who had buckets of leftover frosting that was going to be discarded. I really enjoyed seeing all the different colors and decorations mixed in the tubs that gave me small glimpses of maybe who those cakes were being made for that weekend. Most of my “Monuments” series are made with real frosting, and, of course, frosting decomposes after a certain amount of time, so I went back to paint but with a more sculptural approach, where I used traditional baking tools to do the painting. That was more exciting to me than traditional painting—I think it’s the sculpturally-inclined part of me that loves to see texture and relief on any substrate.&nbsp;Conceptually my work continues to naturally evolve as one research topic leads me to another and another and so on. The content is all pertaining to one grand idea, but the idea is so complex and has so many layers I still am barely touching it—that, to me, is exciting.&nbsp;CGN: How did you decide to incorporate confections, cake decorating, and pastillage into your work?YM: I first wanted to address the decadence attributed to the American dream and consumerism, while referencing my mother’s labor – in the ‘70s she worked decorating cakes at Marshall Field’s. I began using real frosting to reference both themes, and now I am also incorporating references to the Rococo style—everything is tied to ideas of labor, gender, architecture, and colonialism under the big umbrella of American idealism that is placed on immigrants.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418342/beomtzzfbxurmc7vckvc.jpg"><figcaption>Vase of the Century</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Tell me about your experience growing up in Moline, Illinois? How has that informed your work?&nbsp;YM: My experience growing up in Moline was mostly great. It’s a small city where everyone you go to kindergarten with you also go to high school with. I grew up surrounded by my family and a tight knit community. I also felt like I partially grew up in Zacatecas and Jalisco, Mexico where my family and I would travel to every summer until I was about 18 years old to visit my grandmothers. I think the experience of being in two countries as a child really gave me a transnational perspective that allowed me to understand my parents’ stories of growing up in Mexico and to shape my understanding of my identity. I am grateful for my parents to have given my siblings and me that experience, because it has made me who I am today.CGN: What impact has Chicago had on your formation as an artist? What is your relationship to the city?YM: Chicago was where we would visit my aunt as a child and also a place filled with memories of my parents’ time here in the seventies, as it was one of the first cities they immigrated to. There is a lot of my familial labor history embedded in the South Side of Chicago that reminds me of what it must’ve been like for my parents to begin their life here. As an artist, it’s where my community is.CGN: I was looking at your Instagram and saw an adorable little puppy. Can you tell me about your dog?YM: Roco (Rococo) is our new family member, she is a Victorian Bulldog. My partner and I decided it was time for a happy addition during quarantine, and she’s really brought us light during difficult times.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418342/amv2ny6qgmckyf0m9wtd.jpg"><figcaption>High Maintenance, 2019, Installation, 41’ x 25’ x 10’ Tube Factory, Indanapolis, IN</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418343/tajxbnk7aylh070xhriq.jpg"><figcaption>Monochromatic Dreams, installation</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418344/cnusmofqjcu25kz8cdwn.jpg"><figcaption>Detail of shoes in installation</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;This interview is featured in the fall 2020 issue of CGN. To receive a print copy, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/print-subscriptions">please subscribe</a> for $20/year!&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418345/rpgttrqhgn5epcd0lyb6.png"></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

Yvette Mayorga: Artistic Confections Add New Layers to Art History

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417634/ztcr9ndhyabqf1a5ei6v.png"><figcaption>May's Heroes for Heroes design by David Lee Csicsko</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEADavid Lee Csicsko, an internationally recognized and celebrated designer and artist currently living and working in Chicago, has engaged in a wide variety of projects at nearly every scale during his 30 year career; from small privately commissioned prints to to his more recent explorations of the possibilities inherent in working with stained glass and mosaics at large scales. These monumental projects have included work for hospitals, universities, elementary schools, churches, and various private homes. He was even one of the artists who designed the Obama White House for Christmas in 2012.&nbsp;This weekend his artistic touch is about to be all over another special event, the first-ever virtual Scottish Highland Games to benefit the oldest nonprofit in Illinois, the <a href="https://www.chicagoscots.org">Chicago Scots</a>. And for the past few unusual months, he's been making his distinctively colorful, graphic portraits available to the public in the name of a good cause through the sale of specially editioned, and hotly anticipated, history-themed t-shirts, masks, and more.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417635/ryeurs0dv0r1owqu9naq.jpg"></figure>Csicsko has been working with the Chicago Scots since the spring to support staff and residents of the organization's Caledonia Senior Living in suburban North Riverside, a noble effort considering how severely senior care facilities have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic.&nbsp;In March in the early weeks of lockdown, while working on a design for the Chicago Scots to celebrate Tartan Day, which was coming up on April 6, Csicsko asked friend and Chicago Scots president Gus Noble, what/whom he thought Csicsko should feature in the design. Noble suggested featuring Scottish King Robert the Bruce (remember Bravehart?), since 2020 marked the 700th anniversary of Robert's signing of the Declaration of Arbroath (asserting Scottish independence from the English on April 6, 1320). When Csicsko asked how things were going at Caledonia Senior Living because of the virus, Noble responded that the campus was in an advanced state of lockdown, but that residents and staff were holding up very well due to the work of Caledonia's incredible staff. "They are heroes," Noble said. To recognize that heroism in the face of COVID-19’s challenges, Chicago Scots had begun to raise much needed funds to buy PPE, as well as to give each member of the team hero pay, meals, treats, and groceries to save trips to the store – anything to support these frontline workers and to encourage them for the lives they were protecting, especially when many of the elderly residents were cut off from visiting family members.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417636/qzzvyzhg3kigil6ndbv2.jpg"></figure>Csicsko has designed popular t-shirts and products for Chicago's Fine Art and Classical radio WFMT's fundraisers in the past, so Csicsko and Noble decided to team up to expand the ways in which funds could be raised for Caledonia's staff, they decided to call it “Heroes for Heroes”, incorporating the Tartan Day design for t-shirts, face masks, mugs and other items featuring Robert the Bruce to support Caledonia's heroes. The campaign expanded to do limited releases each month and to add new designs as well as celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Chicago Scots this year. Now Chicago Scots features a different Scottish Hero each month. April’s hero was the Bruce, May’s was Mary Queen of Scots and, like his Red Red Rose that’s “newly sprung in June,” June's hero was the bard Robert Burns. July's hero was Neil Armstrong (in keeping with the society's mission that all they welcome everyone who is Scottish by birth, by heritage or simply by inclination, as Armstrong was American with Scottish heritage.) August is yet to be revealed.&nbsp;Noble says they have some terrific Scottish heroes waiting in the wings to make their appearance in the months ahead, and fans of Csicsko's work as well as the Chicago Scots have indeed been collecting the eagerly awaited new releases each month as well as guessing which ones will be next.&nbsp;Csicsko says he likes to work in a&nbsp;series, "I love when I can dig in and explore the subjects, from composer portraits,&nbsp;architect&nbsp;portraits, people in science and now important historical figures from Scotland. I love doing visual research, and adding accessible&nbsp;symbols to help tell more of the story."&nbsp;To begin he says he first does a quick pencil sketch and then draws on the computer. For him, "It's very satisfying&nbsp;to take a historic figure and make them become relevant&nbsp;to today's audience. With all the Scottish Heroes, it's fun to add a tartan when ever&nbsp;possible. I mean, why not?"<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417637/cjwog72rgtroay4anjpt.png"><figcaption>Csicsko in his studio</figcaption></figure>Csicsko's designs are helping to make tartan go beyond its standard association with Christmas time and tourists. Csicsko's aesthetic and striking use of color and pattern is distinctive, and each project he engages in is entirely unique. Through his work, Csicsko celebrates the diversity and richness of the human imagination, and expresses the joys of life through his dynamic use of color, bold graphics and playful patterns. Lending his talents to this latest project is just one more way, among many, he supports a greater need in a way that spreads joy and color through art.The&nbsp;COVID-19 challenges are significant but Csicsko has stayed busy, and he is thinking of others as well as new ventures. On Facebook&nbsp;he is currently making new free, shareable coloring pages. As of July he had over 150 original new pages.And he's also designing a line of smart looking masks.In addition to his fine art, David's projects include creating the mosaics at the Belmont 'L' station, designing the Obama White House for Christmas, illustrating the much loved children's book 'The Skin You Live In'. &nbsp;His designs for the fun, reusable shopping bags for Mariano's have become collected and spotted around&nbsp;the world. &nbsp;He has had exhibits&nbsp;LUMA Loyola's Museum of Art, and the&nbsp;Alliance Française de Chicago. His output ranges from the Chapel stained glass windows at the Robert and Anne Lurie Chicago Children's Hospital, to windows for colleges&nbsp;and churches. Mr Csicsko has as&nbsp;volunteer created graphics for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial&nbsp;Concerts and Groceryland a Charity Food Source for the needy.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417638/p2eixhgghfjaugj8isot.jpg"></figure>To purchase an item to support Caledonia House <a href="https://chicagoscots.itemorder.com/sale">click here</a> (deadline: July 31 for July's Hero)To learn about Chicago Scots click <a href="https://www.chicagoscots.org">here</a>To learn about David Lee Csicsko click <a href="https://csicsko.com">here</a> or follow him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.csicsko">Facebook</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417638/lvnh2yljmf9qkkdjgnsg.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417639/ptptk1ug3odzbvq9bv61.png"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Artist David Lee Csicsko Lends Graphic Talents to Benefit Healthcare Heroes

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417668/waotohsf9xnhvlja4mea.jpg"><figcaption>Homo-entanglement, installation view, by Miller &amp; Shellabarger, February 28 until the gallery had to close to the public due to COVID-19.</figcaption></figure>Name of gallery: <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/western-exhibitions">Western Exhibitions</a>Number of years in business: 16How did you begin your career?I was an artist working a stultifying day job, working for the admissions office of an art school. I’d be on the road 5 days of week (at least!) from fall into the early spring, and when I’d get home I had no desire to coop myself up in the studio. I needed to be around people, especially other artists, leading me to meet up with them in their studios or in bars, discussing their work and the art issues of the day.&nbsp; This day job also led me to pack as much as I could into a day off. When I lived in New York, a day off might be a Tuesday or a Wednesday, and I’d spend the entire day in a different gallery district, going to see everything.&nbsp; What inspired you to open a gallery?Looking back at both the gallery hopping and studio visiting, I can see now I was developing my eye and my empathy for artists’ needs, while at the same time growing less and less interested in my own artistic practice. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Chicago had a robust apartment gallery scene and I watched my artist friends exhaust their opportunities at all these spaces without getting a sniff from commercial galleries, so eventually I thought I’d open a space to show their work, despite the fact that I ZERO experience with galleries.&nbsp;I never showed with a commercial space, never interned nor worked for one, I didn’t have an art history or arts administration degree, nor did I have a wealthy benefactor. But I did have an eye. And being an artist myself, I knew of their travails, needs and concerns. So when I was offered a raw space to open a bricks-and-mortar gallery (after putting on shows nomadically for two years) for $350 a month, I thought “I don’t have $350 extra a month, but there is no way to get a space for cheaper than this.” I took the leap in 2004.Is there a unifying element in your program or artist representation?Personal narratives, unique cosmologies and world views; LGBTQ artists and issues; Feminist art/fighting the patriarchy; pattern, decoration and surface concerns; works on paper (especially drawing); and artist books.How are you connecting with collectors and artists right now? Have you added to or increased your digital outreach?Shelter-in-place has been a sensitive time, and most people have had bigger concerns that buying art. That said, we do have rent and bills to pay and payroll to meet! So if collectors and curators do reach out to me (and thank God a few have), they will have my full attention. We updated our Artsy page, hoping to attract those eyeballs, and have amped up our content on Instagram, offering in-depth stories each day about individual art works in our Miller &amp; Shellabarger show. Upcoming shows will be featured too.Which exhibitions did you have to postpone or adjust due to COVID-19?We pushed back two shows:<a href="https://westernexhibitions.com/exhibition/visionaries-voices/">Visionaries + Voices at Western Exhibitions</a> was rescheduled for June 6–July 11, 2020, online and by appt. in the gallery.&nbsp;<a href="https://westernexhibitions.com/exhibition/downtown-nyc-1980s-selections-from-the-barry-blinderman-archive/">New York in the 80s: Selections from the Barry Blinderman Collection</a> has been pushed back to January 8, 2021.What percentage of your sales have previously been online vs in person (including art fairs)?&nbsp;50/50&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/western-exhibitions">Western Exhibitions&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art Dealer Q & A: Scott Speh, Western Exhibitions

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAStuart Dyer is an old soul, who has had an eye for hunting treasure for as long as she can remember. More than 10 years ago she turned her personal passion into a full time profession when she founded Ladybug Vintage. She shared some of her own secrets of sourcing and collecting with CGN.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418782/ykq8n0hhb3p14nsnxuoh.jpg"><figcaption>Stuart Dyer at home. Photo by Frank Ishman</figcaption></figure>Please tell me how you came to do what you do? What were some of your earliest creative inspirations and influences?I started Ladybug Vintage in 2009. It is a vintage jewelry and accessories business which focuses mostly on the international glamour and country club chic eras of the 1960s and 1970s. From as far back as I can remember, I have been an avid fan of vintage. My interest started when I would spend time with my grandmother on Sundays. She had a huge jewelry box filled with vintage costume and real jewelry pieces, and I would spend hours trying everything on. I never got tired of it! I also loved watching old movies with her from the 1940s through the 1960s, and I quickly became obsessed with the clothing and jewelry featured in the films. My interest in vintage expanded further when I would accompany my mother to flea markets and antique shows where she would look for British antiques and Chinese export pieces. I wanted to collect something too, so I would look for things I could afford with my allowance. No one really wanted Vintage clothing and costume jewelry then.After college, I moved to New York City, took night classes at Parsons School of Design and then worked as a clothing designer. During this time, I started acquiring vintage pieces to use as design inspiration. After working&nbsp; in fashion for 15 years and moving to Chicago, I decided to turn my passion for vintage into a business and started Ladybug Vintage.We have talked to a lot of art collectors over the years for CGN – often it’s a long time before they even realize they have a collection. Please talk about what it means to buy things that you love with an eye for selling them to someone else.I have always bought what I love, whether its vintage jewelry, vintage clothing, art or antiques – now I continue to do the same thing on a bigger scale. I find if I stay true to what I love, the pieces I acquire work together even if from different eras, creating a cohesive collection that appeals to my buyers.Are there any secrets to finding a vintage treasure among a lot of...junk? Do you have favorite sources or sites?I think the secret is experience. I have been acquiring vintage for so long I can usually rather quickly spot what I am looking for. When I arrive at a booth at a flea market, I’ll scan the space to get a sense of what is there, and then focus. Since I mostly look for jewelry and accessories, I start where smaller pieces are kept.My favorite sources always change. It is a game of chance. One time I could go to a thrift shop and find a treasure trove, and the next time I go back find nothing. The same can be said about the other places where I like to search, such as auctions (both live and on-line), flea markets and antique malls. I look for vintage wherever I happen to be, even when travelling.I know you have an art history background and I read that you are also a life-long lover of antiques.I am! I have many collections. In addition to vintage jewelry and accessories, I collect mid-century modern furniture, vintage Limoges dishes, antique botanical prints, colorful 1960s and 1970s graphic art, Murano glass and paperweights.Are there certain designers or categories you recommend new collectors, or anyone with a level of interest in vintage clothing and jewelry, should look to collect?&nbsp;I recommend that people collect what speaks to them and what they find beautiful or interesting, because the value of things comes and goes. I suggest you do research to develop an eye for what you like and become familiar with signature pieces, designer’s marks, etc. That being said, high-end designer pieces from Hermes, Chanel, Dior and Gucci, tend to hold their value.What are some challenges to being a professional ‘collector’?The biggest challenge is to not become a hoarder – ha! Besides that, I find that it can be a challenge to buy things that are only in good condition, are of high quality, and to truly stick to pieces that I love. I have learned the hard way not to buy something just because it is a bargain.&nbsp;</body></html>

Stuart Dyer’s Game of Chance

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418223/borw3cejnunsc96qxfbr.gif"><figcaption>Carl and Marilynn Thoma with Robert Wilson’s 2013 digital animation LADY GAGA: Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere and Andrés Solano’s 1776 oil on canvas painting Portrait of Ana Josepha de Castañeda y de la Requere, 2019. Courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, photo by Tira Howard.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By ANNA DOBROWOLSKITucked away in a warehouse in the heart of the West Loop, the Orange Door hosts a mélange of Japanese woven bamboo baskets, 17th century Spanish colonial art, a sonar-activated windmill and a mirrored infinity chamber. It can take some effort to gain access to an eclectic art collection in the best of times: like an art speakeasy, the Orange Door, an exhibition space operated by the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, is typically open to educational groups, curators, and art aficionados by appointment only. Luckily, in the middle of a pandemic, the barriers separating us from the collection just got lifted.In early March I was able to connect with Marilynn and Carl Thoma to discuss how they first got into art collecting. Since graduating Stanford business school in the 70s, the duo has amassed over 1,400 works of art, making them a fashionable power couple for whom art is not just business but a lifestyle. Carl Thoma heads Thoma Bravo LLC, a private equity firm he cofounded in the 1980s; and Marilynn Thoma actively serves on the boards of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Together in 2014 they established the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, which is dedicated to visual arts and philanthropic pursuits. Today they fund research into art scholarship, novel educational programs, and conservation.Orange Door first opened in Chicago out of necessity, as the Thomas needed a home base from which to make art loans nationally and internationally. Currently, some of the art they have collected is on loan at the MCA, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, with another 17 across the Midwest. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, they also run a separate facility called Art House, which houses one of the largest digital collections open to the public year-round.Each year the Thomas utilize Orange Door’s space to curate an exhibition featuring new Digital Art acquisitions and select artworks from across their collections. In September 2019 they hosted “Infinity Clock: Artworks on Time” and “The Algorists: Historic Computer Art.” The latter highlighted software-assisted work (namely, computer drawings on paper) created by artists such as Peter Beyls, Jean-Pierre Hébert, Manfred Mohr, Vera Molnar, Frieder Nake, Roman Verostko, Harold Cohen, and Mark Wilson. It is quite a treat to interact with these digital installations in person: however, when galleries are shut down to the public and exhibitions are either postponed or cancelled, we turn to our screens to access and engage their work.How do we experience and collect art today? In this interview, the Thomas discuss their journey into the world of art collecting in the digital age.&nbsp;Anna Dobrowolski: What set off the spark in 1975? What was the first piece that started the Thoma collection before it became a foundation in 2014?Carl Thoma: Marilynn and I were both just out of graduate school when we began to collect art. Our interest was heavily centered around California Impressionism and the Taos Society of Artists, leading us to purchase paintings by artists including Redmond Granville, Joseph Henry Sharp, and E. Martin Hennings. Today we continue to collect artwork from across the American Southwest—both historic and contemporary.AD: When you aren’t splitting time between Santa Fe and Chicago, do you have any favorite places or galleries you love to visit?CT: It is hard to narrow down the list, but three art destinations we love to visit are Currents New Media festival in Santa Fe, Art Basel Miami, and the Prado Museum in Madrid.AD: What do you look for when considering a work of art to add to your collection?CT: At first it was a subjective decision—we buy what we like to look at. As we became more knowledgeable, we went deeper into a given period or movement and discovered ever more movements and artists. Because we make loans to museums, we also consider what a piece contributes to the history of art in general and how it might relate to other artworks.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418224/xxxman2zfshtu7mhqisb.gif"><figcaption>Marina Zurkow, Mesocosm (Wink, TX), 2012,real-time generative software animation on monitor.© Marina Zurkow, courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, rendering still by bitforms.</figcaption></figure>AD: How has your taste changed or solidified over the years?CT: We have always been decisive, and we have learned a great deal from a handful of seasoned advisors. Over the years, we have been increasingly drawn to works that embody color, strong compositional design, mastery of the medium, and historical importance. Through the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, we have also become increasingly dedicated to expanding scholarship and collection conservation.AD: Can you tell us more about those initiatives and collections? How do they challenge or shape our perspectives?CT: We support initiatives and collect works of art that encourage reflection, demonstrate innovation, and encourage deeper questions. For example, in 2019 the Foundation’s inaugural Bold Initiatives grant was given to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago to support their OPEN HOUSE initiative. They are taking bold steps to enable greater visitor engagement. This includes making the museum accessible to all facets of the community—not just those who live nearby, who have visited a museum before, or who feel comfortable in such a space. We are helping to fund an onsite educator whose job centers around visitors: understanding their needs, asking questions, helping them to grow and learn in a conducive environment. This commitment to making art more accessible is mirrored in our public exhibition space Art House in Santa Fe, which presents highlights from our collection of Digital Art to a community with deep and rich cultural and artistic histories. We aim to bridge the gap between something familiar, like landscape painting, and something new. And we encourage visitors to ask questions about the art and dive deeper into how these connections across time and place affect them.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418225/xrxnrd7elcnsoebnkx6m.gif"><figcaption>Installation view: Earth Algorithms:Landscapes of the Digital Age featuring art works by Lee Nam Lee, SyōruHonda, and Elias Sime. Installed at ArtHouse, Santa Fe, 2019. Courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma ArtFoundation, photo by Eric Swanson.</figcaption></figure>AD: Many of the digital works in your collection incorporate some kind of interactive element. I’m intrigued by some featured pieces such as Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Please Empty Your Pockets, Jennifer Steinkamp’s Bouquet 1, Guillermo Galindo’s American Dream Flag / Bandera del sueño americano, or Lynn Harshman Leeson’s Deep Contact. In these examples the viewer is engaging with the subject through a screen, which seems to be one of our primary options when looking at art lately. What makes these installations significant today?CT: These pieces are all very different, but what unites them is that each artist pursues an innovative technological idea to completion. In some of the examples you cite, the artists are at the forefront of digital art. Never before have such complex programmed works been viewable within art galleries. This represents a major shift in the experience of art, including interactivity.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418227/rn0ul8zq55sn7zdnlcwe.gif"><figcaption>James Turrell, Ursa Minor, MediumElliptical Glass, 2019, LED light, etched glass, shallow space. © James Turrell, courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, photo by Pace Gallery</figcaption></figure>AD: How does your digital and electronic art collection speak to the idea of art making in a time where everything seems so readily accessible? Can you talk a bit about the shift into collecting Digital and Electronic Art?CT: My business is rooted in investing in new technologies, so collecting digital and electronic art came naturally. Our Digital Art collection mirrors my interest in systematic approaches, scientific thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology that shifts the trajectory of human experience. Over the years, I’ve found myself considering the role that new technologies play in the evolution of artistic creation and how the artworks we collect inspire an expansion in our understanding of media in contemporary culture.AD: Which piece is your most recent addition? How does it connect to the others?CT: Our most recent acquisition is James Turrell’s Ursa Minor, Medium Elliptical Glass from 2019. He is a key figure in the Light and Space movement. It never seemed practical to own one of his seminal works from the 1960s, which are complicated to re-create. The piece that we acquired uses LEDs with a computer program to simulate the effects of the artist’s enchanting Skyspaces. &nbsp;Art Collecting: A Family AffairAD: From your perspective, how has the practice of art collecting changed?CT: Over the past five decades, collectors have seen an increase in the number of opportunities to purchase. Almost daily, we receive digital images of pieces that are on the market. This increase in opportunity to purchase is especially true with digital artwork, which, like prints, may come in multiple editions.AD: According to a 2017 interview in Albuquerque Journal, your daughter, Margo, is an art professional. What have you learned from her in terms of art and business?CT: Margo has taught us a great deal about modern and contemporary art and Japanese bamboo sculpture. She works closely with some of the foremost scholars and advisors in the field of Japanese bamboo, whose research has informed the scope and shape of our collection. As a gallery director, she has also provided a view into the inner workings of the art market.AD: Do you notice a shift between people wanting to own art and people wanting to experience it? How do you think millennials and younger generations will go about art collecting?CT: Yes—and this is due in part to the fact that it is not necessary to own a work of art to connect with it and explore it from the comfort of your home. While nothing compares to experiencing an artwork in person, it is easier than ever to research and access art through online sources. More artworks are available to be seen as pieces in museum storage become uploaded and shared.Today, artistic masterpieces have the power to impact broad audiences: scholars advancing study of the field, casual observers perusing our collections online, emerging collectors looking for inspiration. Collecting art and sharing it with the world ensures its preservation for future generations to enjoy. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418227/lk1gfyerzkya5tne4uz1.gif"><figcaption>Installation view: The Algorists: Historic Computer Art installed at Orange Door, Chicago, 2019. Courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, photo</figcaption></figure> &nbsp;</body></html>

Behind The Orange Door: The Thoma Art Foundation Builds a Collection to Share With the World

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418768/gzadqe35cw2uonxjmeaz.gif"><figcaption>Nathan has made many artist friends throughout her life, one of them was The Rev Howard Finster. Here Nathan is pictured with him on a visit to his Georgia studio.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAWhen I first started working for Chicago Gallery News in 2002, my daily errand visits to galleries near our River North office offered insights into the fabric of the city’s art community as well as one on one encounters with those who had played key roles in shaping its history. At the time, not all information was relayed digitally; hand deliveries of everything from magazines to maps to ad files were necessary tasks. Natalie van Straaten, CGN’s founder and my boss at the time, would ask me, after my visits, whom I had seen, and what impressions they had made on me: Who was kind and welcoming? Who may have been prickly or brusque? Many of my encounters had been shared by previous employees and interns.&nbsp;A telling factor as to the character of a dealer was often how they would treat the lowest person on the totem pole (me).One of the most welcoming figures was Ann Nathan. By 2002 Ann had been in the art business for many years, having opened her gallery in the 1980s, growing and expanding despite major challenges. Though she could have dismissed me as a young person who knew little about art or the area, she showed curiosity and was gracious with me. I found her to be a little bit of a mystery, but she was as intriguing and inviting as her expansive loft space on West Superior Street.Ann Nathan Gallery closed in late 2016, but Ann has not stopped working. Last fall I called her daughter Betsy, also a dealer in art and antiques at PAGODA RED in Lincoln Park, to ask if I could visit Ann at home. I was invited to join Ann and two of her daughters – Susan as well as Betsy – in October. Though Ann did not know me as well as she once did, we ended up spending the better part of an afternoon revisiting her many stories while touring her vast, eclectic collection of art. Sitting together in her living room, overlooking Lake Michigan, it’s clear that art, in particular the way it connects Ann to creative people, has always kept her going and continues to today.*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418769/usaycny6kkgqwngxebx9.gif"><figcaption>Nathan’s living room displays an eclectic mix of contemporary art, antiques and furniture.pictured Above: Ed Paschke; Center wall: Sangram Majumdar; right side: Enrique Santana</figcaption></figure>Soon after I arrive for our meeting Ann draws my attention to a coffee table, a low, large, heavy piece. As we sip ginger tea, Ann points out that the table is all hand crafted, encouraging me to reach out and touch the top – made partially of concrete or cement and ceramic tiles, as well as the bottom – composed of wood. Measuring 4’ by 4’, Ann and her husband Walter commissioned the table from artist Michael Gross. It was the first table he ever made, and one of many works that the couple would collect, adding a functional piece to their home while also directly supporting an artist. “I liked it because it’s beautiful, and it works,” explains Ann. As Betsy looks over the table, she reminds her mom, “It has a date. You will see our dog at the time – Willy Smith –&nbsp;and see here, it says Walter and Ann.”Ann’s aesthetic preferences as well as practical criteria are evident in many of her home’s works of art and unique objects. When I ask how she began collecting art, together with her late husband, Walter, she remembers, “I loved it. We both did.” Their shared creative pursuit complemented a busy life managing dual careers as well as raising four children: Susan, Richard, Nina and Betsy.In the employment agency business for over 27 years, eventually running multiple agencies, Ann tired of that work. It was the ceramicist Ruth Duckworth who encouraged her to try her skills elsewhere when she suggested she move into a 200-square foot Ravenswood studio in the artist’s pickle factory. Ann opened Objects around 1986. It sounds like it was purely by chance that Ann’s gallery career came to be. Ruth mentioned to Ann, “You know what, I have a little room up at the top of the stairs that I don’t know what to do with. Why don’t you do something with it?”Though the space was tiny, Ann’s own eclectic taste – even now her home is filled with a distinctly personal mix of handmade furniture from Africa alongside contemporary art, antiques and folk art – was well suited to a gallery program. She showed jewelry and ceramics – small, functional objects, and she had to be creative with every inch of space, including pedestals that opened up and doubled as storage space.Eventually, a friend of Ann’s, Chicago real estate developer David C. Ruttenberg, encouraged Ann to relocate from the north side to River North, nearer to downtown. She made the move and remained there until the River North fire in 1989 forced her to close briefly. She reopened in a large ground floor space on Superior Street as Ann Nathan Gallery. Around the same time Ann and Walter also moved from suburban Glencoe to downtown. She summarizes, “We were ready for a change.”*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418770/jj4yfhfoxn8d1x1u68cg.gif"><figcaption>Nathan’s office tells the story of some of her earliest collecting</figcaption></figure>In order to fully understand the origins of what set Ann on her art journey, we get up to go into Ann’s home office. Betsy hints, “It will bring it to life when you’re in that room. You will really be immersed in that moment from the beginning.”As we prepare to move rooms, Ann directs that I should take my ginger tea. She warns that the office could be a mess. It is not. In fact, it strikes me as amazing and transportive – a space that reveres her past and the artists who have been a part of it. At the center of it all is the art of Howard Finster, the Southern&nbsp;Baptist&nbsp;minister from&nbsp;Georgia whose own&nbsp;folk art&nbsp;sculpture garden&nbsp;contained over 46,000 pieces of art. One wall of the office is dedicated to Finster’s art, and hanging in the middle is&nbsp;a photograph from the 1980s of Ann with the artist, in Finster’s famous garden.Susan explains, “This is really where it all began.” Up on the shelves are many carved, wooden, black figures, sometimes called Dancing Dans, that were collected one by one in junk stores. Ann interjects that they were not popular or even collected at the time, but they were considered primitive art, made by totally unknown artists. When I ask if these would be considered Outsider art, Betsy corrects me. “The Outsiders, even though they’re untrained, actually develop their own names in the world, they become known. And these artists are totally unknown.” Ann was taken with these innate efforts at expression, and they set her on a path of seeking out figurative art long before she would start her gallery.As we identify the art on the shelves and walls in the office and end up back at the Finster wall, I get more of the story of how Ann first went down to find the eccentric artist. Ann first travelled to Georgia with Susan – probably in the early ‘80s – in a rented station wagon, which they filled with art and drove back to Chicago. “We had to [drive],” Says Susan. “How else were we going to get all the stuff back?” Ann would take her children with her on many subsequent visits – Finster used to say, affectionately, “Sister Annie’s here,” making her sound like a nun but perceiving her as a kind of angel, drawn to his created world. He believed his garden to be a holy place, with folk art as a medium to communicate God’s word. Ann was a divine visitor.Before the gallery Ann had many art adventures with artists as well as her family. The beginning of it all seems to spring from her perpetual search for figures, like the ones lining the office shelves today. She also sought out tramp art – works made by travelers out of cigar boxes and other things on hand. All over, says Betsy, they would hunt for objects that cost just 50 cents to two dollars. If she heard something could be found, she would go to that junk store and buy it, all along making connections with local sellers.*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418771/ahhm3wea2bna2q9dxxgi.gif"><figcaption>Works shown include a work on paper by Ed Paschke, a painting by Red Grooms, and a silhouette by Kara Walker</figcaption></figure>Ann forged partnerships with many artists over the decades, such as Jim Rose, another Wisconsin-based furniture artist, and she also came to showcase work by Outsider and self-taught artists like Lee Godie. A focus of the work in Ann’s home is on figurative art from many different periods as well as styles.Wandering through the other rooms of Ann’s apartment, it feels like I’m along on a visit with old friends. Some of the most eye-catching pieces are also large in scale, filling the wide, high walls with colorful people and scenes. A distinctive painting of a crowded street at rush hour by Red Grooms from 1964 was the first major piece Ann and Walter purchased. Nearby is also a work by Jacob Lawrence, as well as a more recent silhouette piece by Kara Walker. Adding to the depth of the collection is a trove of African objects, figures and masks as well as various pieces from Asia, revealing how global Ann’s taste is, spanning genres, mediums, time periods and cultures.As we move from wall to wall Ann recalls a story of the time when she came across a pair of unusual, older tables during one of her excursions. Her first thought was that she should put them on hold and come back with Walter before deciding to buy them. “Well, there they were,” she recalls, “I went to a junk store and I saw them there and they were for sale and I said, ‘Would you hold these for me? My husband would have to see them.’ So I left, and on the way home I thought to myself, he’ll never go there. He’ll never go to look at them. So I turned the car around and I went back and bought them.” Since she had two of her children with her in her station wagon, she told them they’d have to make room for the new cargo. Susan adds, “We somehow or other had both tables in the car and we had to drive home with the back open, holding on.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418772/gd2gf0ruzlb4k5jzaigg.gif"><figcaption>Artifacts and figurines from Africa and Asia are displayed throughout Nathan's home</figcaption></figure>Years of acquiring such furniture as well as art has meant&nbsp; Ann developed a savvy habit of using clever storage – I notice that she has few tables. Instead she favors 19th century Chinese and Tibetan trunks, scattered wherever they are needed. In addition to complementing the eclectic art, they double as attractive hide-aways. I sense each piece of furniture and work of art has a purpose as well as a story behind it - discovered by Ann along the way through life and brought back home to live among a new family. A variety of scales, materials and periods all blend to comprise a warm home filled with characters who keep Ann company every day. In the dining room is a table made by ceramicist Arnold Zimmerman. Ann’s kitchen cabinets are lined with a collection of moonshine face jugs from Georgia made by the Meaders family of potters. Additional folk art pieces hold many special glasses and dishes, and shelves display a collection of fish and bird decoys.*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418773/onfsjmzjp1fqbsgul9mq.gif"><figcaption>The Nathans photographed in the ‘50s by Art Shay for LIFE magazine</figcaption></figure>When we move into what was once Walter’s office, my attention turns to a couple of black and white photographs hung above one another on the wall. They are from a photo shoot with LIFE magazine in the late 1950s. Pictured are Ann and Walter with their three children – Susan, Nina and Richard (Betsy was not yet born). The photographer was Art Shay. Shay had been dispatched to cover a story about mothers who worked. “She was an anomaly,” explains Betsy, “because women at that time did not work. And nobody could believe that a married Jewish woman was working, with three children at home.” Though they sent Shay to do the shoot, LIFE never actually ran the story.Ann and Shay managed to reunite nearly 50 years later in Chicago, and Shay personally found the original photos of the Nathans and gave them to Ann. With the reconnection came a show of Shay’s work at Ann’s gallery. Ann remembers thinking, “Let’s do it. Let’s have a show.” By then Shay was in his 90s, but he was equally excited to work together again. The two were friends until Shay passed away in 2018 at 96.It’s been several years since Ann closed her space in River North, but she continues to be active with the art closest to her every day. Though her children visit frequently they comment that on nearly every visit they notice that the art and furniture has been moved around within the apartment. Ann enjoys exercising her curatorial skills each day in order to see things from a different perspective. Much like when she was in the gallery, things are taken out and put away, or they are displayed in new locations. Nothing has to remain the same. Just like in the ‘50s Ann is a woman who never stops working. She loves to observe and enjoy the art around her every single day.&nbsp;</body></html>

Art Dealer Ann Nathan: The Perpetual Collector

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418768/jiyjenxhbad0hvyqylki.gif"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson . . . while the dew is still on theroses . . . , Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, February – July 2020. © Ebony G. Patterson. All work courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By ALISON REILLY“Be kind to yourself,” Ebony G. Patterson tells me as we end our conservation, “I have so many friends who are teachers, and when I talk to them, they feel like they’re working more now than they were before the moment of COVID-19. So much more seems to be asked of them. I was saying to a friend of mine yesterday that those days of absolutely nothing are very important. Take them when you feel them. Be kind to yourself.”<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418769/iuahfbjmsbtuz4fwysgc.gif"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson, ...three kings weep..., 2018 (still), edition of 3, three-channel digital color video projection with sound, 8 minutes 34seconds. Courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.</figcaption></figure>Patterson, an artist who has become known for her large-scale, multi-layered, intricate installations, admits that she also needs to dedicate time to the act of self-care. Before the stay-at-home order was in place in Chicago, she was working towards two upcoming exhibitions, one as part of the 2020 Liverpool Biennial and the other at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, which was scheduled to open in May.“I’m somebody who moves a lot,” Patterson says, “and in moving a lot, what happens when you’re asked to remain still? In a capitalistic system, we’re so used to doing that the act of not doing makes us feel guilty. There is value in recognizing that it is okay for you to just be. You don’t have to somehow find some kind of activity. You don’t have to behave as if everything is normal, because it’s not normal. There’s nothing normal about this moment.”Early in March, as her scheduled exhibitions were postponed, she was still able to work in her studio. “I was going every day. I would get there about 10:30, I’d work all day until about 9:00, 10:00, and then I’d come home. My assistant, who comes a couple days in the week, we’d check in with each other. We both agreed that we were fine and that when the stay-at-home order came down that’s when we would shift gears and start working from home. Up until then, I was in the studio figuring out problems. I would listen to Jamaican radio in the morning, listen to a book, watch some Judge Mathis, and then go home.”While many artists, galleries, and museums are searching for new ways to stay connected online, for Patterson, it was important to take a break from social media. “I found it to be incredibly triggering,” she admits. In a conversation about the difficulty she was having in shifting from working in the studio to working at home (and staying productive), a friend encouraged her to lean into the way that she felt. “I’ve been trying to listen to myself, my body, my mind, rather than fighting it all. The first thing I did when I decided to lean into it was to just get off social media. I found it a lot easier to cope. But still, there are tough days, and I have to find ways to lean into those moments. That’s the honest-to-God truth.”Patterson splits her time between Chicago and Jamaica, where she was born and maintains close ties with friends and family. “I live in a dual experience. While I’m watching what’s happening on the ground in the U.S., I’m also watching what’s happening in Jamaica. The differences in terms of the leadership, here nationally versus what was happening in this tiny but mighty country of mine, it was like night and day.” But she has serious fears about the economic fallout of her home country, because of its dependence on outside resources, including the tourist industry, “Watching the shift in terms of&nbsp;borders shut down had me worried, and in many ways, it flashed me back to 2008.”<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418770/cpiktiwei7e6rxhbf2ck.gif"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson, ...buried againto carry on growing...(detail),Museum of Arts and Design, NewYork, 2015-16. Photo by ButcherWalsh. Courtesy the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.</figcaption></figure>Her recent exhibition, …while the dew is still on the roses… opened in late February at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, and while it is now closed to the public, she was able to attend the opening. In it, Patterson built an immersive environment for viewers by installing fabric wallpaper as a backdrop for her tapestries, sculptures, and portraits. Visitors walk through an enveloping garden-like space with poisonous silk flowers hanging from the walls and ceilings.Patterson has been exploring the relationship between death and gardens for many years, notably in her 2015 exhibition Dead Treez. At that time, she notes, “I was thinking about bodies that were deceased—that had died violently. I was looking a lot at images that were circulating through social media, images of violence that were shared continuously. And I was thinking about the spaces that these bodies were often dumped, that somehow the land became a way of concealing the secret of some act of violence. Quite often the body was a person of color, a working-class person.”<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418771/zz4mexs2fssdnwh2sg9y.gif"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson . . . while the dew is still on the roses . . . , Speed Art Museum, June 21, 2019 – January 5, 2020. © Ebony G. Patterson. All work courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago. Photo by Sarah Lyon</figcaption></figure>The interaction that Patterson develops with her audience is crucial to her work. For Dead Treez, she exposed viewers to a contained but dangerous landscape by creating poisonous gardens within several large vitrines, but for …while the dew is still on the roses… she wondered, “What if I could get the audience to walk through the grave? The garden as the grave—how could I present that experience within the show but also as a way of anchoring all the works within the exhibition? The larger work is the installation of the garden and then there are 13 individual works that rest within that.”Visual appeal is key to the success of Patterson’s work. Her shiny, glittery, decorated surfaces attract the attention of the viewer. “I recognize that we’re visual creatures first,” she says. “We like to look at pretty things. The prettier the flower, the more likely it will attract the bee.&nbsp;But what’s inside is what ends up holding the viewer. In many ways, the effectiveness of the surface and its tactility become a ploy to visually trap the viewer.”Beneath the superficiality of the exterior, Patterson embeds macabre objects, like a dismembered manicured hand or a lone high-heeled shoe. “Is it still beautiful? Is it?” she asks, “I never say it’s so simple. I’m still working on it.”Recently, given the abrupt change of pace in her schedule, Patterson has been reflecting on her own work habits.“The last two days, I kept saying to myself, you need to give yourself the same care you give to your work.&nbsp;You must learn to give yourself the same care. At the end of the day, what does it matter if you’re making all this stuff and the thing that makes the work happen is in total disrepair? I’ve been trying to learn that care.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418772/ifuzsjt0e1sgenkefaum.gif"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson, Swag Swag Krew from the Out and Bad series (2011-2015), Dead Treez, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Nov 10 – Apr 3, 2016.&nbsp; Courtesy the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago. Photo by Butcher Walsh.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

Ebony G. Patterson: The Interactivity of Visual Appeal

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418761/rtbebdd2zjzcfn1o1qml.png"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEADealer Patrick Hull, like so many of his colleagues, had been preparing for an upcoming exhibition for months. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/vertical-gallery">Vertical Gallery’s</a> 7th anniversary exhibition was set to open Saturday, April 4. By mid-March it was becoming very clear that plans would have to be suspended or changed significantly.&nbsp;The gallery’s Saturday night openings on Western Ave. are consistently popular – in COVID-19 terms, they’re crowded. So Hull made a decision to come up with a 3D virtual exhibition in 48 hours and launch a digital preview for his collectors. He told me, “I feel like I missed two days of my life, but during these difficult times I’m trying to find new ways for collectors to experience our gallery, especially for our anniversary!” Hull got it done. He sent the collector preview on April 1 and within two days, he says, he had sold over half the show before releasing it on the gallery’s website for the April 4 “opening” as planned. I asked Hull to share insights on how he put together his digital plan and how he thinks it will continue to be useful to the gallery and its artists long term.&nbsp;Please share some background on what prompted you to dive into launching a digital preview and virtual opening for your latest anniversary show?We’ve published work for sale on our website since we opened seven years ago, so launching digital previews with the ability to purchase artwork online was not new for us. We tried virtual walkthroughs twice before, in 2016, but it did not work out quite the way I wanted. I’ve always kept it in the back of my mind to try again: we have collectors around the world, and I wanted to give them another way to view work. But there were issues with the overall 3D quality, and it takes a lot of extra planning to get it done in time for an opening.When the quarantine went into effect in Chicago [in March], I knew people would not be able to visit the gallery for a while, but I still wanted them to see our 7-Year Anniversary Show, so I called my friend with the 3D camera and asked him to come over and try what we did years before again. We’d learned quite a bit about the best way to use the 3D technology the first time around — such as spacing of the camera photos; gallery lighting — so we had a great starting point. I am really pleased by how this new walkthrough turned out. You can see it on verticalgallery.com&nbsp;What were your primary goals for approaching this new frontier?<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418762/qsu4ekpjigq51uzv3mwa.png"></figure>Purchasing artwork online can be a difficult decision. Our primary goal was to give collectors the closest experience to seeing a show in person — i.e., the ability to walk around and look at artwork from various angles, just as you would in the gallery. We still have conventional static images on our website, but the 3D walkthrough offers a more interactive viewing experience and a more accurate feel of what a piece looks like in person. It really helps to understand the scale of the work.We also wanted to show our artists that we are still working hard on their behalf. Many of them have seen projects and commissions postponed or cancelled, and we wanted to maximize this exhibit’s potential to help them sell their work.&nbsp;Do you think you’ll use this approach even after the public can return to the gallery some day?Yes! The response has been great. We’re already planning a walkthrough for our next show in June, featuring Chicago artist Joseph Renda Jr. We will evaluate it on a show-by-show basis moving forward.&nbsp;What has surprised you the most?Maintaining both the physical space and the virtual space is definitely keeping me busier than expected! In the days since the physical space closed, phone and email inquiries have doubled. We also have had many more inquiries from outside the Chicago area, and we’ve been asked for more detailed images on specific works as a result of the 3D view. We’re learning about other new technologies as well, and will be trying some new video projects in the future.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418763/vcqyu36htq6wcyp7bztp.png"></figure>&nbsp;I think you’ve set a standard for how local galleries can approach this time and maintain a global reach, but I also think you’re giving the public as well as artists dynamic new means of engaging with art. Can you share some collector as well as artist responses to what you’ve done?Thank you! I appreciate that. It’s a challenging time for everyone.Our artists have been very supportive and pleased with our approach. Many of our artists are showing in Chicago — and some in the USA — for the first time. In fact, when we planned this exhibit, many agreed to show with us because we could introduce their work to a new market. It’s unfortunate that people cannot experience the show in person, but I feel that we’ve given artists and collectors the next best option. We are very excited to re-open and have people back in again, and we sincerely appreciate everyone’s support during this time.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Vertical Gallery's Digital Embrace:  How Patrick Hull Sees Art Online Long Term

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418736/ipnvvaoyr1c9ef5dfooa.jpg"><figcaption>Kimberly Oliva, gallerist and curator (left) and Pinar Aral, art handler and installer (right).&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>During this time of Covid-19 social distancing, we figured this would be as good of a time as any to reach out to gallerists and ask them a few questions about their thoughts on the current times, best business practice, and career history. If you have followed CGN for a while then this will come to you as a follow up from our Q&amp;A series from 2017. &nbsp;We hope you enjoy!&nbsp;Number of years in business: 4&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418737/ckx2jo9akuvd8um1mi6c.jpg"></figure>How did you begin your career?&nbsp;I began as an antiques dealer in the Aughts. I always loved preserving the past and finding clients for vast art, jewelry, lighting and sculptural objects I would source. In 2016 I opened an arts gallery in Logan Square to feature fine contemporary Chicago artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;What inspired you to open a gallery?I have been exhibiting at Randolph Street Market for 15 years. The art gallery was an extension of my knowledge of pop ups, event planning and client sourcing. I wanted a building with a ground level exhibition space for Chicago artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;Is there a unifying element in your program or artist representation?Local artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;Which exhibitions have you had to postpone or adjust due to COVID-19?We have had to adapt our March and April season to the new virtual advertising of exhibitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;What percentage of your sales have previously been online vs in person (including art fairs)? &nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418738/izop5qupdbllr1pmtzk3.jpg"></figure>I have always sold online (from the early eBay days).&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you want to share any silver linings, insights or anything else with readers, collectors and fellow dealers?I have a very grassroots organization and exhibition schedule. Community continues to still be key. Support your artists and they will support your gallery.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/oliva-gallery">Oliva Gallery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art Dealer Q & A: Kimberly Oliva of Oliva Gallery

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Art Dealer Q & A: Emily Rapport of Eat Paint Studio TEST2

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417720/p3ecaczcfwhmsjuz7cx6.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;During this time of Covid-19 social distancing, we figured this would be as good of a time as any to reach out to gallerists and ask them a few questions about their thoughts on the current times, best business practice, and career history. If you have followed CGN for a while then this will come to you as a follow up from our Q&amp;A series from 2017. &nbsp;We hope you enjoy!&nbsp;Number of years in business: 7How did you begin your career?My career was totally self started. I had zero gallery experience and knew very little of the professional art world. My only experience at that point was having felt unwelcome and unable to afford anything in the galleries I had visited in NYC, LA, Miami etc.&nbsp;An art opening wasn't something I thought I would ever be invited to, let alone produce.&nbsp;What inspired you to open a gallery?&nbsp;I became increasingly interested in what I saw on the streets, I found myself stopping to watch murals being painted. Day by day I was making connections with the artists painting in public and getting to know them on a first name basis. Naturally, I started asking them how/where I could buy their work. Their answer was always the same... "Umm, Nowhere really". I sensed that we were on the brink of a big change.&nbsp;The way people my age appreciate art, the way we discover art, the possibility of us affording art and, of course, the glaring omission of this type of artwork in galleries. I felt the desire to provide a legitimate and respected platform for the artists deemed "street" or "graffiti" that perhaps wouldn't be found in a "traditional gallery". I felt connected to the art I saw on the streets, which in turn connected me to the city, the neighborhood, the artists themselves...The natural progression seemed to be how to take a piece of that feeling home, inside. It was all so simple yet it hadn't been done.&nbsp;Is there a unifying element in your program or artist representation?&nbsp;We absolutely are characterized by showcasing artwork from "street/graffiti" artists in a non intimidating atmosphere. Where, not only can you ask questions and take pictures but, you can actually afford the art! With price points starting at $20 - we offer a range of items from prints and pins to originals and everything in between. Our motto is BECOME A COLLECTOR.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417720/ozdf43oxqtr2y6nyrdii.png"></figure>&nbsp;How are you connecting with collectors and artists right now? Have you added to or increased your digital outreach?&nbsp;We pride ourselves on our connection to our collector base. We are very active and accessible on social media @ChicagoTruborn. Our entire collection can be viewed online at <a href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com">shop.chicagotruborn.com</a> and we post multiple pieces daily on instagram and facebook that can be purchased directly from the post!&nbsp;We have always offered complimentary in store (curb side) pickup and nationwide delivery and will continue offering that during the self distancing quarantine.&nbsp; Also, we'd like to note that our artists are still hard at work. This is their full time job - this is our full time job - the show must go on. We've received a number of new works that have been listed online as a response to keeping the local economy and small businesses like ours afloat. We are all feverishly trying to support the businesses we know and love. That being said -- we are NOT asking for donations. Rather, if you are willing and able to shop with us, you can take solace knowing you did your part to support this woman owned small business and you get a beautiful painting in return!!&nbsp;Which exhibitions have you had to postpone or adjust due to COVID-19?&nbsp;Our next scheduled opening April 4, "All Possible Outcomes" features the amazing Karl Jahnke and we've made the decision to stick to the schedule. While our audience may not be able to attend the opening at the gallery - we will be hanging the show and offering virtual tours. Karl has been painting for months and his work deserves to be seen and honored. All work will be available for purchase online!<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417721/p9r0fombsvxl0enubbrd.jpg"></figure>What percentage of your sales have previously been online vs in person (including art fairs)?&nbsp;We maintain a healthy balance of online/instore purchases. We're 50/50 but have always been dedicated to providing a smooth and easy online experience. Our website is very up to date and we will continue to ship out artwork throughout this time.&nbsp;Do you want to share any silver linings, insights or anything else with readers, collectors and fellow dealers?&nbsp; If there's one silver lining about #staying home, it's that an entire creative renaissance is on the horizon. Artists are hard at work drawing inspiration from current events. The work coming out of this period will forever stand as a Mile marker in history. We rely on artists century after to century to depict contemporary life... We've already listed and sold work from many artists who have been painting and expressing themselves while in quarantine.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417722/ihowv2fgzaqadpud4pfj.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art Dealer Q & A: Sara Dulkin of Chicago Truborn

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417598/pzmzfzlypaejpq2xtmmh.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;During this time of Covid-19 social distancing, we figured this would be as good of a time as any to reach out to gallerists and ask them a few questions about their thoughts on the current times, best business practice, and career history. If you have followed CGN for a while then this will come to you as a follow up from our Q&amp;A series from 2017. &nbsp;We hope you enjoy!&nbsp;Number of years in business: 49<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417599/etifucn3ifkjfphdcfrn.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;How did you begin your career?&nbsp;Graduating from University of Kansas in 1971 with a printmaking degree I had become obsessed with antiques collecting and old stuff in general. I landed a job with a dealer in old master, modern and contemporary prints, The Lakeside Studio, based in Lakeside, Michigan (John Wilson, the studio owner, later started the Chicago Art Expo.) They did not have a gallery location but rather did one-day presentations on college campuses from coast to coast, and my territory was everything east of the Rocky Mountains. I drove over 84,000 miles in 18 months and visited what seemed like every college and university campus there was. I also had appointments at major museums along the way such as MoMA, the Whitney Museum and the Library of Congress. Everywhere I went people were kind and open, interested and eager to see our inventory of 16th to 20th century prints. I wrote hundreds of invoices and collected hundreds of checks, all of which had to be mailed each evening back to Lakeside. I also started collecting 19th century prints. After my second year on the road I couldn't face another motel room and I quit to go get my MFA, (and begin selling off my collection). That job was the only one I ever had and it set my sail for the rest of my life as a dealer.What inspired you to open a gallery?I always dealt privately from home and at fairs, but I never really wanted a gallery. It seemed like too much responsibility, but I still always mused about it. When I turned 50 my wife, Janis Kanter, said: "Get a gallery or don't get a gallery, but stop talking about it!"Is there a unifying element in your program or artist representation?I have to like the work, like the artist, and feel a fighting chance of selling it.How are you connecting with collectors and artists right now? Have you added to or increased your digital outreach?Over the past two decades, as the gallery scene in Chicago has shrunk we have certainly seen an uptick in our online on out-of-state sales. I still really value the local collectors and consultants we work with, but one can't stay in business just dealing locally.Which exhibitions have you had to postpone or adjust due to COVID-19?John Santoro, new paintings.Janice Biala, paintings from 1952-1962.What percentage of your sales have previously been online vs in person (including art fairs)?&nbsp;I can't name an exact number, but I have always felt that well over 50% of our business is to people who do not reside in the Chicago area.Do you want to share any silver linings, insights or anything else with readers, collectors and fellow dealers?My personal silver lining is just having been in the ball game for so long. One builds a reputation and inventory along with far flung relationships and a degree of financial security with the passage of so many years in business.&nbsp;My other advice might be to always make people happy they shopped at your place.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/mccormick-gallery">McCormick Gallery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art Dealer Q & A: Tom McCormick, McCormick Gallery

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/nystzkkupop8izuqxrll.gif"><figcaption>Brown utilizes Instagram as a tool for collecting tableaus for clients and followers</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAJenny Brown once had the most glamorous internship you could have, back in the late 1990s: a stint at Sotheby’s in Chicago. Every day, she remembers took the train downtown from Lake Forest, looked forward to her sushi lunch break, and she didn’t get paid.&nbsp;For some today the lack of pay might cause a millennial mutiny, but at the time, something more scandalous, and worthy of a top secret all-company meeting – including interns – was the corporate announcement that Sotheby’s would soon launch a website.Brown remembers, “Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God! That’s so tacky! Sotheby’s needs a website? Really?’”With an art history major and a minor in classics, she relished the chance to be in the city every day. Working in the different auction departments, writing catalogue descriptions, and just being around an endless array of beautiful things was a creatively fulfilling proximity Brown has managed to string out and develop for 20 years. Today she has her own interior design firm, <a href="https://jennybrown.com/">Jenny Brown Designs</a>, based in Chicago.Though her time in the auction world was brief, it was the first of several steps that helped Brown hone a multifaceted professional role in a creative world.The summer after interning at Sotheby’s, Brown worked for art dealer Robert Henry Adams in his eponymous &nbsp;River North gallery on Franklin Street. She recalls “That was a different experience, since they weren’t dealing with contemporary art and they were focused on Chicago artists and mostly art from the early 19 century. He was just such a lovely person, and working for him gave me exposure to the art world and being in that neighborhood. I would run all over as the errand girl, and I lived for it.”Two decades later, Brown regularly exposes her own two young boys to art in Chicago and during family travels. The effort continues, to an extent, where her design projects are concerned. “I encourage clients to look at art that’s original and that they like, and I love to do it together. Since I know it’s personal, sometimes the art comes after a project is finished, when the client is on their own. There’s an old saying that you don’t want to match your art to your curtains.” Ultimately art in a home can work best when it’s not part of a check list for a design project.*Brown says she’s always been interested in precious objects as well as art, and each of those summer jobs opened up the world a little more for her, carrying her from hobbies to a profession. “I have always loved bring creative – I would spend all my money as a kid on crafts, for instance. Then I would go around to garage sales and street fairs when I was a little older. And even now I still stash all sorts of things, until I know where they will go, though I hesitate to amass inventory.”From lingering in random stores to driving around and pulling over for used furniture, developing an eye by looking for surprises has always been fulfilling, Brown admits. Behind-the-scenes access to livable spaces, as well as a desire to fine tune personal surroundings, inspire Brown’s treasure hunts.Thinking about her earliest jobs, Brown says, “Growing up I loved babysitting, because I liked kids, making money and going around to see houses. I loved seeing how people live and visiting new places. You never know what is going to stay with you.”&nbsp;While she was studying art history in college, as well as living abroad, in each place she was rearranging her bedroom. “I would put the desk here, and the sofa here, and I’d go out and get a tapestry from Urban Outfitters.” She enjoyed figuring out a space. “I had all these sketches back to when I would set up my dorm room, so I started to realize this is what I could do.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/zmjx15oxv6kuftxrpcy2.gif"><figcaption>While she doesn’t advocate art matching the curtains, Brown often cleverly coordinates her own outfits to interiors and houses in her Instagram posts</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Brown’s professional ah-ha moment came when her mother rented an apartment in Chicago. Able to spend more time in the city, she recalls, “I’d go on gallery walks, or I’d pop into these little home stores – there were so many then – and I remember buying these marble coasters and thinking how good they looked with a certain table.”Her former co-workers had sneered at decorators. “It was like they were the devil. People would say they didn’t appreciate the art, or that they just wanted it to match something,” she explains. Brown was not discouraged, as she began to realize that because she loved bringing objects and spaces together, it could be her profession.In high school Brown read that Bill Gates started subscribing to Forbes when he was 15, so she sent away for Architectural Digest. When she wanted to move to San Francisco after college, she flipped through the pages of an issue of AD, sent her resume to the California firms listed in the back and landed a job.&nbsp;Her first day of work was September 10, 2001. Two years later a round of layoffs left Brown with an opportunity to return home, where she would encounter her next major break: the chance to work for designer Alessandra Branca’s firm in Chicago. Coming from the West Coast, where many major companies were run by men, entering Branca’s 100% women-run, black and white toile covered office excited Brown. The initial disappointment of leaving San Francisco gave way to the joy of a new life in Chicago.After more than six years working for Branca, where Brown gained invaluable exposure working for such a highly respected name in design, she was ready for another step after her first son was born in 2010. “It was too much to go back to work right away, but in the back of my mind I was always thinking this would be a good job to do on my own. If you have the experience and are a self starter, there are so many benefits. It’s been very rewarding.”&nbsp;As for what’s next Brown says, “I like keeping my business small. Right now my boys are still little, so let’s see where it goes. 10 years from now, who knows?”Follow Brown on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jennybrowndesigns/">@JennyBrownDesigns</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Designer Jenny Brown's Creative Discernment 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/zdtjn2ht2dpv4gsvev3b.gif"><figcaption>The top floor of Bob Buford’s home is devoted to art. Pictured from left to right are works by Martin Kippenberger, Laura Owens, Peter Halley, and Marc Camille Chaimowicz.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAWhen I took the elevator to collector Bob Buford’s apartment, I thought it was to the top of the building, since that’s where the floor numbers stopped. I soon learned that a series of opportunities over nearly ten years gave Mr. Buford access to several units above as well as next to the main one, ultimately creating a four story home in the sky, with 360° views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.Housed throughout this spacious urban refuge is a top tier art collection. After my arrival, I expected to start talking about how Bob first became interested in art and when he began to actively collect it, but as we walked through the apartment, passing dozens of paintings, through a library, by a wine cellar, into an office, we were distracted by what could be described as a “Lollapalooza Study Center.” The four-day music festival had just ended a few days prior, and Bob was at the center of all of it.Headphones still on the table, Bob admits, “I listened to nearly a thousand cuts before I went, plotting out each day of the event.” Bob’s methodical approach to navigating a sweltering, jammed music festival quickly revealed to me how he approaches something he is passionate about, filtering through a copious amount of information in order to explore more deeply what he likes. In the case of Lollapalooza, Bob made a loose plan that allowed for him to have fun putting himself into the world of the typical Lolla fan while learning as much as possible.Grabbing a binder filled with program sheets in plastic sleeves, Bob showed me the band line-ups for all four days, as well as the worksheets, heavily marked up in pencil, he spent 50 hours creating, indicating all the bands and the songs he listened to. He would assign a pre-grade to each band before attending the festival, and then an updated, final rating after he saw them perform.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/zwqacnvailbmdialxptp.gif"><figcaption>Buford is pictured in front of a framed triptych by Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992), Parasol, 1977, Oil on canvas, in 3 parts. Purchased through Sotheby's.</figcaption></figure>Whether it’s Lollapalooza, wine, or art Bob relies on extensive, personally conducted research to inform a sort of predictive analysis of his interests. By investing time and attention up front, he confidently lays out a plan. At Lollapalooza, his pre-grades determine which bands he will see and the route he needs to take to efficiently get there. To follow up, his summary of the event informs his music library and future concert attendance.When I asked if he applies this approach to art buying, he takes me to a closet lined with auction catalogs, each of which is flagged with dozens of page markers to indicate where his notes are.“When the auctions come up, especially during the big weeks, I’ll have several catalogs spread out in the kitchen.” Bob explains that, much like his pre-concert strategy, he always has an auction game plan: “I make a worksheet that will have a list of estimated values, preferences, and little notes.” Then he documents which auctions take place in the morning, afternoon and evening and at which houses (Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, for instance) so if he’s able to attend in person, he is prepared as the auctions unfold. On top of that, he plots which works of art he’s interested in. Eventually he records which pieces he purchased on the bottom of a summary sheet.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/ga1st0rkbooplq4padc8.gif"><figcaption>Bob’s library displays a trove of art books and catalogues related to the art in his collection. paintings pictured from left to right: Sam Gilliam, Fernand Léger, and Hans Hofmann</figcaption></figure>The first painting Bob ever bought at auction, in 1998, was by French artist Edouard Cortès, a Post–impressionist painter who painted European street scenes in the rain and at night. As he began to live with art, his knowledge of and appreciation for it grew.Over the next couple of years, Bob’s interest in art continued to grow, as he acquired additional 19th Century European and American paintings. From there he embraced Post–Impressionists, like Henri Lebasque and Henri Martin, as well as Fauve and Neo Impressionist works. He acquired art by German Expressionists, like Erich Heckel, and by Cubists, such as Jean Metzinger. In each area he was drawn to color, texture and vibrant presentationsAs we move more quickly through the apartment, the list of artists who are part of Bob’s collection grows more impressive and more modern. Everywhere there is color – in paintings by Kenneth Noland, and Larry Poons; on a large canvas by Helen Frankenthaler; and a vibrant Fauve by Kees van Dongen. The 1988, 12-part series entitled AIDS, by the activist Canadian trio General Idea, hangs in a row facing a brilliantly blue Lake Michigan. On another level is a print by Andy Warhol, with another Ellsworth Kelly print nearby. We stop to admire a stunning blue, geometric woodcut by Richard Diebenkorn, which Bob says his ex-wife, Tish, encouraged him to purchase in 2000 at Art Chicago, the predecessor to EXPO CHICAGO. He says while he was drawn to the blue palette, Tish saw much more in the work, which ultimately piqued Bob’s interest in more contemporary art.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/xz0xnly6z5n2i0dr3at8.gif"><figcaption>From left: Adolph Gottlieb, Beverly Fishman, Thomas Houseago, and Kennth Noland</figcaption></figure>Moving upwards through the floors, we see a few more sculptures. In a room with a pool table, a series of glazed, ceramic bottles by Michael Kaysen, purchased from 65Grand Gallery on North Avenue, are placed just a couple of feet from a striking round closed pot by Toshiko Takaezu. Tucked into an alcove is a pair of red and green, port-and-starboard-like vertical rectangles by Anne Truitt.As Bob rattles off more names of artists and galleries, he refers to professional-looking gallery labels placed next to each work, sometimes pausing to tell me a story about the art, such as the time a chunk of thick oil paint fell off of a Hans Hofmann, and it required attention from a conservator. There is so much to see and appreciate, it feels a little like dashing through a museum before closing time.The art in Bob’s home seems imbued with life, so much so that just because something is put away or moved to another location does not mean it’s forgotten. Much like the wines in his expansive cellar, the art in Bob’s collection continues to mature. The prospect of a new phase is part of the fun. Says Bob, “To make sure you catch it all, the process involves awareness, education and motivation.”The depth and significance of Bob’s collection today hides the fact that, as he says, the art world once passed him by, without anything more than a peripheral awareness. 30 years ago, he recalls, he used to feel as if he was an outsider among people speaking a different language.However, once Bob purchased a few of pieces of art and lived with them, he recalls, “The door opened a little bit, I was allowed to come in. And it wasn’t so dangerous, though the learning curve was steep, and never ending.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/knhwt4b776g2dcpdbsaa.gif"><figcaption>Edouard Cortès, Boulevard Montmartre</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Bob’s “Art 101” was 19th century European art, but his art buying continues to span a mix of periods, artists and mediums, eluding classification as a whole. For him, “It’s just opened up more rooms. I open up the door and go, ‘Whoa, this is nice. I want to know more.’”His curiosity piqued, he doesn’t hesitate to look for help understanding what is new for him. As Bob started to immerse himself in contemporary art, just a few years ago, he learned more and added to his collection. As new art continued to come home, he bought reference books to accompany the works and kept flagging the pages of auction catalogues. Constant communication with his friends in the art world has helped him learn holistically.With a growing knowledge and education, his earlier focus shifted forward in history into American post-war and contemporary art. As Bob’s awareness grew, so did his confidence and his exposure to a wider range of art.When I ask Bob how much of his collection has been acquired at auction, he says the majority. “The specialists at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, and Leslie Hindman have all been so informative and helpful. That’s how I learned. They’ve each become as much a partner and a consultant as salesman.”As Bob got his feet wet at auctions, he credits a few key friends, including his ex-wife Tish, Bill Gross of 65Grand Gallery, and associates at local museums, with advising him about acquiring work and helping him test drive an expanding body of knowledge.Bob is drawn to auctions because there’s a clear market history, and, as he puts it, the option to work with the houses on the buy side as well as on the sell side, should the need arise. “If you buy auctionable wines and you decide you don’t care for a particular region of the world of wine any more – for instance, you’re done with Bordeaux – you could consign it with Hart Davis Hart [a Chicago-based wine auction and company], sell it and even receive a return on your initial investment.” Bob’s experience with wine collecting made him realize the same could be true for art.Bob says he hasn’t reached the point where he’s outgrown a work of art and wanted to sell it. Instead, he relocates and rehangs art as needed, or whenever a new piece arrives at home. Often a newcomer alters the dynamic that familiar works create with one another. Sounding as if he’s talking about children he says, “It’s almost like they’re competing with one another for space on the wall. When art gets put in storage, you can hear whether it’s upset or not. It can’t stay there too long.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/btw2omd8o48lgsgwzwmr.gif"><figcaption>A trio of prints by Francis Bacon hang near a 12-part series entitled AIDS, by the Canadian artist collective General Idea</figcaption></figure>–I started to think about Billy Beane, who scouted for and managed the Oakland Athletics baseball team in the late 90s and became the inspiration for Michael Lewis’s book Moneyball and the follow-up film. Beane avidly mined statistics to identify undervalued ball players and ended up finding value others didn’t see. To me, while Bob is clear he’s not looking to profit from art collecting, his serious study of works coming up for&nbsp; auction is representative that, in addition to listening to the advice of friends and art colleagues, by assembling much of a star collection on the secondary art market, not only is some risk mitigated, but there is a corresponding resale market that helps Bob find and preserve value on his own terms.–Living with art is also social for Bob. His love of wine, and the space and versatility of his home, means he entertains often. With nearly floor to ceiling windows, two levels even have temporary or pivoting walls that allow for flexible exhibition space as needed.Whether it’s art, wine, food, music or travel, people from all walks of life can be connected. “All of a sudden, the door opens again, and a conversation begins. Art transcends all the professions,” says Bob. “It can fit in with people of every political persuasion, business background and age. No one’s excluded. Remember I mentioned I was afraid to walk in a room because I wouldn’t belong? It’s just the opposite, this is the most welcoming room you’ll ever get into.”&nbsp;</body></html>

Collector Robert Buford: Embracing the Connectivity of Art

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/aypu3heubjoue7njcomg.gif"></figure>&nbsp;By ALISON REILLYPhyllis Bramson is a veteran of the Chicago art scene, an accomplished arts educator, and a damn good painter. A self-described child of the 1940s and 50s, Bramson’s parents were avid collectors of Asian and erotic art, which greatly influenced her aesthetic vocabulary. This September, she has three exhibitions opening respectively at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Elmhurst Art Museum, and The Suburban, which speaks to the depth of her connections to the city and her continued influence on contemporary art. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask her about her studio practice, her definition of Chicago Imagism, and her painting techniques. Bramson also reflected on her relationship with the late Jim Yood, the beloved Chicago art critic and writer. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation. &nbsp;Chicago Gallery News: What is your studio like?&nbsp;&nbsp;Phyllis Bramson: My studio is located in Greektown in Chicago, where I live during the week. &nbsp;It is not far away from downtown. I love urban life, access to galleries, and the School of the Art Institute (where I now advise graduate students). Before that, I&nbsp;taught for 23 years at the University of Illinois, Chicago, in their studio arts program. When I was there I&nbsp;just walked through an alley, because the building I taught in butted up&nbsp;against the building I still live in! CGN: How would you describe the pace that you work at in your studio? What is a typical day&nbsp;like?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I am essentially in my studio six days a week.&nbsp;A typical day is not a typical day. I&nbsp;don’t often know what is going to happen in a given day. A certain email, for example, can change everything, and that has been happening lately. Right now I have a lot to do, so I feel like&nbsp;I am constantly trying to play catch up with my work, and most important, there is a&nbsp;personal demand that I constantly&nbsp;progress with my practice.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/d4dscyqkaog1nqv2lo6g.gif"><figcaption>We All Share the Same Breath (Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs), 50" x 60", Mixed Media and Collage on Canvas, 2019&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: You have organized an exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum called&nbsp;What Came After&nbsp;that opens this September. In addition to your own work, the exhibition will include Nicolas Africano, Susanne Doremus, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Richard Hull, Michiko Itatani, Paul Lamantia, Robert Lostutter, Jim Lutes, Tony Phillips, David Sharpe, Hollis Sigler, Ken Warneke, Margaret Wharton, and Mary Lou Zelazny. As an artist, why is this exhibition important to you, and what do you hope to achieve by bringing this large group of painters together?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: The idea for this exhibition started when I began to notice that the Hairy Who, as a group, was getting a lot of well-deserved notice.&nbsp;Attention then spread to the Imagists, because in some articles and exhibitions, I would be mentioned as an Imagist, along with artists such as Robert Lostutter, Richard Hull and Paul Lamantia. However, while there was this intermingling of terms, which I willingly accept, there was another group of artists from essentially 1978–1998, sometimes&nbsp;referenced as the&nbsp;“Chicago School”&nbsp;that was part of the Chicago art scene as well. One of their main champions was the art writer and critic James Yood. He loved the figure and all of its modifications, making him an advocate of this period.&nbsp;When I decided to organize this exhibition, I immediately called Yood asking if he would co-curate and write an essay for the program guide and catalog. It was very sad for me when he passed away [in April 2018], because I will always wonder what the show would have looked like if he had been a part of it.&nbsp;Thus, the exhibition, program guide and&nbsp;catalog are in memory of Yood.&nbsp;The purpose of the show is not to downplay the importance of the Hairy Who or the Imagists (some of the artists in this exhibition take on the mantle of Imagist), but rather to point out that there was a group of artists that made up an informal collective of like-minded painters. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/gw8h6wqrke1hh6vcoccd.gif"><figcaption>Hollis Sigler's painting, Comes the Day of Reckoning, is part of the exhibition Bramson curated for Elmurst Art Museum</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How did your friend and colleague Jim Yood influence your art practice?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: He was a friend, but more so he was an ally who&nbsp;completely supported my work.&nbsp;He wrote articles that helped me place language with what I was painting.I wasn’t the only one he supported. During the eighties and nineties, he was a big supporter of many others who worked&nbsp;figuratively,&nbsp;particularly in the Midwest. That admiration was manifested in exhibitions that he curated, reviews he wrote for national publications and in his public lectures. He genuinely loved the eccentric figure and a kind of iconographic irreverence.&nbsp;CGN: How would you define Chicago Imagism?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I think Chicago Imagism carried on the&nbsp;tradition of the marriage between fantasy, funk and surrealism—a desire to delve&nbsp;into a unique narrative style using intense color and stage like&nbsp;theatrical representations and quirkiness.The problem, it seems to me, is that there are the original Imagists, but now that label can often apply to anyone using the figure in an eccentric and&nbsp;constructed narrative manner. I have often joked with others, “Imagism, the term that ate&nbsp;Chicago art!” &nbsp;CGN: Can you tell me about your upcoming exhibitions at both Zolla/Lieberman Gallery and The Suburban?&nbsp;PB: The Zolla/Lieberman exhibition is the result of the show that I have organized at Elmhurst Art Museum. I hope the Elmhurst show has some sort of impact on public awareness of my art and its context from another time. It made sense to simultaneously have a show of newer work at Zolla/Lieberman, since they represent me; even though the paintings in that exhibition have gone through significant changes since the Elmhurst Art Museum exhibition.Then Michelle Grabner asked if I wanted to show at The Suburban in Milwaukee, with Matt Morris. It was a total surprise, because my work is quite different from art one might see there. While Matt’s and my work is visually very different, I can see why we were&nbsp;put together. We both deal with an eccentric view of romanticism and high kitsch. It’s amazing all three&nbsp;exhibitions are opening this September!&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/k7kjbdwujdip2smolzzc.gif"><figcaption>Decoys, 84” x 72”, o/c, 1989, Courtesy of Zolla/Lieberman and Phyllis Bramson</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Many different kinds of characters appear in your paintings. Do you work with a cast of characters, or do you invent new personalities for each painting?PB: It often does feel like I have a cast of characters, but I&nbsp;don’t&nbsp;always look at it that&nbsp;way. Recently during a studio&nbsp;visit a curator mentioned that all of my figures’ faces looked alike, they all shared the same smile. What&nbsp;I should have mentioned to her is that I am very interested in older&nbsp;Chinese propaganda posters where everyone – the farmworkers, the&nbsp;peasants – shares the same smile. It is a false face, as their lives were so conflicted. In my paintings the smiles are presented in the same way. There is such difficulty in the world, and my figures represent that same smile as the painted figures in the posters, implying that all is well and good…when it isn’t!&nbsp;CGN: You have called yourself a tourist, but would you go further and define yourself as a voyeur?PB: The term voyeur is probably more appropriate&nbsp;because I am that&nbsp;way in life. I look and look and look at people. I try to figure out what&nbsp;they are thinking, and when they are with another person, what is that relationship about? I find myself constructing&nbsp;narratives about their lives, it is almost as if I am spying on people and placing an invented narrative onto them. Sometimes the strangeness of all those bodies honestly&nbsp;frightens&nbsp;me. &nbsp;CGN: You use various techniques like collage, painting, and assemblage in your work. Which one are you most interested in at the moment?&nbsp;PB: At the moment, I would like to reduce the&nbsp;amount of collage and concentrate more on paint, how it looks, and how it can be manipulated.&nbsp;I say that as I start a new body of work, but collaging might annoyingly push itself forward once again. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/evkhthbvzgmh4sdnpuqo.gif"><figcaption>'Won't You Love ME?', 36 x 36 in, mixed media and collage on canvas, 2019 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How do you define success as an artist?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: That’s so complicated.&nbsp;First of all, I&nbsp;want my work to mean something to myself and those around me. I want to be good – beyond good. I think no matter what an artist states, most would want at least a taste of a high-end career. How many&nbsp;artists get such status? In the long run, you probably shouldn’t base your career on much more than the love of a studio practice and most importantly the grit of it all, because you will eventually&nbsp;either give up or become a very bitter artist. &nbsp;CGN: Do you have a favorite gallery or museum in Chicago?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I am not going to answer that. But&nbsp;I will tell you that one of my favorite artists in Chicago was the late Henry Darger. And I will&nbsp;mention galleries that no longer exist but had a strong influence on me when I was younger. They were Frumkin Gallery, Dart Gallery (which represented me) and the Phyllis Kind Gallery (who also represented me). To their credit, there are many, many galleries existing today in Chicago that show artists whose work makes me envious as hell! Seeing such an exhibition sends me sulking back to my studio…I better get&nbsp;better!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phyllisbramson.com/">phyllisbramson.com</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Phyllis Bramson: Reimagining Imagism's Chicago Legacy

<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418403/m8nenqfaftvcnmdtmh4p.gif"><figcaption>Hull’s 2018 exhibition at Western Exhibitions featured his newer constructions alongside two-dimensional paintings</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEARichard Hull is not from Chicago, but his art distinctly is.Encouraged by a professor while attending the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1970s, he moved to Chicago in 1978 to study for his MFA at the School of the Art Institute. First drawn to the Imagists, a Chicago-based group of artists that had been active more than a decade before his arrival, Hull found his own niche quickly and enjoyed a string of good professional and artistic fortune before he even graduated from SAIC.Many artists have come to the city on their way elsewhere, but Hull stayed. “I’ve been here over 40 years now,” he says on a sunny afternoon seated in his new West Town studio. Asked what has kept him here for four decades, instead of just one, he explains, “I wasn’t going to come here but my teacher convinced me I had to. One of the reasons I stayed was because so many good things happened quickly for me, while I was still in school. Within one year I was busy selling paintings and showing with Phyllis Kind [Gallery]. I was not planning for anything like that.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418404/iat67gmrtdqdw2jaxlcv.gif"><figcaption>Hull keeps boxes filled with hundreds of Crayola crayons close by as he works on crayon drawings in his new studio</figcaption></figure>Hull considers himself fortunate that life was easy enough to keep afloat. At the time, “Things were going well, and it was kind of easy where I was living. It was cheap.” But there were other determining factors: the high-profile art dealer Phyllis Kind, who had a presence in Chicago as well as New York, admired the young artist’s work. Her art world connections led to interactions with people in other disciplines in Chicago, such as theater. Exposure to a broader cultural world of musicians, actors and writers nurtured something in Hull, and he was inspired. “It just sort of helped me,” Hull recalls, “You know, the art world is small here. You could get really ground down by it. I had access to a lot of other people and ideas.Hull almost ventured to New York in the early ‘80s, at Kind’s behest, since he was exhibiting as much there as he was in Chicago, but it was a dream never realized. “She thought it’d be good if I moved there, and I really thought about it for a while, but it just kind of slipped away. That’s what happens.”Hull’s artistic life could have advanced anywhere. “It’s funny,” he says, “I’ve been here a long time, so people think I really love Chicago, and there are things I do like, but I’m not in love with Chicago.”The art world can be its own strange universe, says Hull. “I don’t have any real complaints about Chicago, except the weather, maybe, but any complaints about the art world I won’t get into – it can be idiotic. But just leave if you really don’t like it, right?”When I ask if many of Hull’s peers in the ‘80s left for New York, he admits that a lot of people did, but certainly not everyone. Now he suspects that many artists hang around Chicago a few years longer before moving to New York. “Chicago is a lot easier. New York is hard now. Really hard. It wasn’t so hard before.”When asked by his own students, decades later, what’s the right move after graduate school, Hull says he would tell them, “Get all your shit, put it in your car and move to New York. Just go.” But he admits now he has reservations when giving such advice. “I really don’t like people leaving. I want to be around good people here, but the opportunity can be much greater there.”He confesses, “I even still think about leaving. Just because.”–<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418405/xobr9v1byl5wvtbeuy7g.gif"><figcaption>An older work by Hull from the 1980s (left) next to a newer painting (right)</figcaption></figure>It didn’t take 40 years for Chicago to make an impression on Hull. While in Kansas City, Hull says he was heavily influenced by west coast, Bay Area funk artists, such as William Wiley, Roy De Forest, Robert Hudson and others teaching at [University of California] Davis, but when considering graduate school, he ultimately chose Chicago, largely because of the Hairy Who, a group of artists that had held a series of exhibitions while at SAIC in the 1960s, more than a decade before Hull arrived in 1978.“I didn’t know much about the Imagists,” Hull says, “What I’d seen, I liked, but it wasn’t as if I felt like I was going to be overwhelmingly influenced when I came to Chicago. I enjoyed the artwork, but I thought it was very different from mine. That was one of the draws – I respected the work a lot, but I didn’t feel the influence.”The colorful effects of the art produced by the Imagists did not fade; once Hull was in Chicago, he ended up exhibiting alongside members of the Hairy Who right away and reconsidering his own approach to painting.“I wasn’t trying to be like them,” says Hull, “But then after showing with them, and even owning some works, walking by a Karl Wirsum everyday will make you think differently about shapes and images. Jim Nutt, Gladys Nilsson, Miyoko Ito&nbsp; – it sort of infiltrates your thinking.”Hull’s earliest work follows a linear, architectural structure, but the Imagist reverence for form, shape and color is unmistakeable now. There is three dimensionality even in Hull’s 2-D works. With so much time between his years alongside his Hairy Who peers and now, Hull says he thinks his work, particularly the pieces focused on loops that resemble expanding water balloons, is the most like the Imagists it’s ever been.Even though Hull got on with the Imagists quickly, he says he had a lot to learn technically, as well as aesthetically. He recalls, “When I was first showing things, I sold a work of art to someone, and I thought I was being really careful with my paintings – like really neat, and I didn’t have any brush marks. Then somebody hung it next to a Roger Brown, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a fucking mess,’ because Roger’s work is so pristine. I realized that I was still pretty different from those guys just by that.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418406/e6txoh4lwfv7pwqmf5im.gif"><figcaption>Richard Hull, Dedication, 2018, oil and wax on linen, 78” H x 96” W</figcaption></figure>About a decade ago Hull once again referenced the Imagists when he began a series of works that call to mind abstract portraits, such as the busts depicted by Jim Nutt and Barbara Rossi. His mysterious figures, featuring facial outlines that emerge from the abstract in pieces and sometimes in profile, were a refutation of his reputation as an abstract painter. “People think that I’m an abstract painter and I don’t think I’m abstract in any way, if you think about the way paintings are made,” explains Hull. To him, there are also elements that are undeniably real.“I wrote a statement once (I hardly do it),” he says, “I just said, everything in these paintings is real – the paint, the materials, the shapes. They’re all real things.”Hull’s figures, while not realistic, are recognizable and deliberate. “It has to make sense to me,” he explains, “for the placement of shapes or where things go in terms of the way a head would be, or the way things are in the world, rather than just on a flat surface. I was moving towards a totally unrepresentative moment, and I wanted to pull back from that.”Building on the head paintings and drawings from a decade ago, 3-D structures continue to evolve as Hull has begun to explore sculptures and shapes in space.“I started those because I was doing the head shapes, and I was making a sort of a frame for them inside the painting. I think of them like mirrors, and I was having trouble every time I got to the end of the painting, so I would just leave the edges empty because I wanted to deal with the middle parts, the forms, and it would take me forever to get the right color and whatever activity would be happening around it, and I thought, ‘This is a pain in the ass. Maybe I should get rid of that.’ So I just cut the edges off the paintings.”Now Hull collaborates with a former student to put a drawing on medium-density fibreboard (MDF) in any shape he wants, and the cut off edges are no longer a creative end point.–<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418407/z4q384ifjcquma7sokbj.gif"><figcaption>Two recent works on MDF</figcaption></figure>Color is a consistently dominant element in Hull’s work, one that he persistently examines and adjusts. “My only color theory is you decide on a color to start with, and then you find a color that makes that better. It’s about the relationship to the color within the piece. If I add a violet next to a red, does that make the red better or does it distract from or make the red look bad? It’s color, next color. Color, next color. And I’m always kind of surprised how colorful my things are, because I never thought of myself as a very good colorist.”The colors in Hull’s paintings must have a mutually&nbsp; beneficial relationship, and the shapes, appearing over and over, layer upon layer, used in his work must be part of a harmonious composition. “It’s a kind of rhythm, really. And rhythms get interrupted. It might be my interest in music – that’s just a maybe. I don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m making musical paintings.’ It’d be idiotic. No, you just get started on it, and it feels right.”Together these colorful figures, formed from repeating shapes, resemble elaborate, retro hairdos methodically constructed in a way that holds them together as well as presents a pleasing arrangement. Vibrant depictions of individual efforts to layer and shape transform the everyday into something remarkable.“I was thinking of them as hairdos more than anything really,” Hull notes, though he says it’s funny, because he’s definitely not all that fascinated with hair.–When I ask Hull what he is working on now, he points to a handful of works in progress, placed around the studio. He’s taken a break for a few weeks, as his new space has been built out, and now, in a suitably light, fresh workspace, he’s tinkering with some crayon drawings as well as finessing some underpainting, which he says he’d never done until a couple of years ago. “I put the colors under it on the canvas and then I paint color on top of it,” he explains. “It’s really gives another kind of vibrancy to the painting, and it’s related to the crayon drawing, where I put color down and it will scratch through.”Hull has used a variation of the technique going back to his older paintings, but it can be tedious. “I kind of hate doing it,” he admits, “because I’d rather be making the painting, not preparing the thing. But I haven’t been&nbsp; disciplined in doing that. Here [pointing to a work on the floor] if you get up close, you can see how the color comes through. So these are the things I’m working on now.”Though Hull says he has not been disciplined in the preparation of individual paintings, he is methodical in his experimentation overall. He says he’s considering creating more sculptures like the ones that were part of his 2018 exhibition, perhaps working on a much larger scale, though that could mean a piece that measures eight feet tall might weigh 150 lbs. Hull suspects it would just be too much, but it’s in the back of his mind.To get ready to install a solo booth with art dealer Scott Speh and his gallery, Western Exhibitions, at EXPO CHICAGO in September, Hull has been considering the various works he will exhibit, including many from the mid 1990s, juxtaposed with a few newer works, such as the crayon drawings. Despite having had a very busy year – his most recent show was at Western Exhibitions in April 2018, and he moved his home and his studio in 2019 – Hull emphasizes that, no matter what is going on, he is never one to turn down an opportunity.“That’s the advice I give my students. They say ‘How should I go about a career?’ And I say just be ready. Don’t ever tell anybody ‘No.’ They’re going to forget about you and move on.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418408/eiggb3ft6icuzqhjaxuk.gif"><figcaption>Hull’s west side studio is filled with materials and works in progress</figcaption></figure>Hull has been an adjunct professor of painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for 15 years, typically with five graduate students every semester and around 30 undergraduates. While his students undoubtedly learn invaluable lessons from Hull if they listen, “Actually, he says, some of the good ones don’t, and they may be the best,” he emphasizes that education is a two way street.Is his wisdom today drastically different from what he would have dispensed more than a decade ago? “I don’t know if I’ve evolved that much,” he says.If the advice is constant, the artist is not. “Well, maybe I’ve just become more confident and able to talk now. I didn’t talk hardly at all before I started teaching. Now, I talk too much. That’s what teaching will do to you. It makes you organize your thoughts. It’s been good for me.”Hull says SAIC is an amazing place to teach. He’s long admired how much the faculty cares about students and how they are always assessing how to be helpful and supportive. The school has come to embody an ideal role in the art world, where students and teachers try and examine what others are working on and consciously be constructive, in order to continue to all push art to the next level. “It always feels good for all of us [at SAIC] when somebody does well, and a lot of people do.”Thinking about the professor who encouraged him to move to Chicago 40 years ago, Hull explains, “His name was Ron Slowinski. He had gone to school with [artist and mentor to the Imagists] Ray Yoshida in the ‘50s, and he was friends with [art critic] Dennis Adrian too, who ended up buying a couple of paintings of mine and introducing me to all kinds of people. Because of that I owe Ron a great deal for making me come here.”In a similar position now, Hull still resists the comparison to his old teacher, “I don’t think I’m quite as powerful as that,” he says. Considering what it means that someone took the time to care and give encouragement to him, and he’s now able to pass along the same gift to students now, Hull admits, “It is fun to try to help somebody. It’s really gratifying.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Richard Hull: Chicago's Lasting Impression on an Artist

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418595/jjzrqdooarhgave2dy3t.gif"><figcaption>Mariane Ibrahim. Photo: Philip Newton.</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAThis past February word spread that another gallery would open in West Town later in the year. A continuation of the westward expansion, as it’s become known, in Chicago’s art community was not a surprise, but the news that a young, acclaimed gallery was moving to Chicago, after seven years based in Seattle, caught the attention of many in the city and well beyond.&nbsp;Known for her show-stopping booth installations at international art fairs, Mariane Ibrahim has brought her eponymous gallery, as well as her vision, to Chicago. The gallery opens its doors with a grand opening on September 20 during EXPO Art Week and the start of the third Chicago Architecture Biennial.When I walked by the gallery’s future home on North Paulina this summer, adjacent to Monique Meloche’s own still-new space, a battered front door gave no clues to the work being done behind the scenes, but a bright green plant and a posted black minimalist sign announced the gallery’s new location and hinted at the vibrancy of what is to come.CGN had the opportunity to ask Ibrahim a few questions in the midst of a busy move and renovation, while she prepares for an inaugural exhibition featuring new work by artist Ayana V. Jackson. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418596/zwdlmdqzjnartkfbhucu.gif"><figcaption>A work in progress as of July 2019.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: When did you first open your gallery? What led you to the art business?Mariane Ibrahim: The gallery was founded in 2012 in Pioneer Square, Seattle, where we launched a selection of renowned and emerging African descent artists.I was led to the art business because I noticed a lack of representation for emerging African artists, at that time, particularly in Seattle, but of course this was also true on a global scale. I launched the space with a vision to juxtapose a selection of diverse emerging artists.&nbsp;CGN: What drives the gallery’s program now? Many of your artists haven’t been widely exhibited yet.MI: Our program is driven by our commitment to our artists, and that is reinforced by our curatorial program, which is focused on furthering the development of rising artists such as Amoako Boafo and Clotilde Jiménez, whose work we displayed at EXPO CHICAGO in 2018 in a solo presentation, as well as Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi, whose paintings we exhibited at Frieze this past spring. Artist Lina Iris Viktor will have her first institutional solo show in London this September, at the Autograph space.Over the years, we have worked to establish relationships with major institutions in the United States and Europe, and we are eager to continue developing opportunities for our represented artists, in addition to our global selection of art fairs where we exhibit annually. CGN: You’ve just moved your gallery from Seattle to Chicago. What are some of the biggest draws for making the move here?MI: Our decision to move the gallery to Chicago stemmed from our interest in the city’s diverse artistic community and creatives. All roads lead to Chicago. Chicago is a city rooted in its rich historical and cultural landscape, one whose authenticity is a rarity in the United States. As we continue to reflect our vision, to serve as a catalyst for our artists’ commentary on social, economic and racial disparities, we embrace societal factors present in all metropolitan cities, particularly in Chicago.&nbsp;CGN: Can you describe some of your biggest challenges as a dealer to date, as well as any successes?MI: The art market is unpredictable. There are various factors that intervene. As a gallerist, you constantly have to watch, research and adapt to every change. Our biggest challenges and biggest successes are intertwined in our risk taking. Every challenge is a learning experience, and success is an opportunity to re-assess. We deal with passion and commitment, independent of results.&nbsp;CGN: You are one of just a few Black female gallerists showing at an international level. Undoubtedly there is a high interest right now in art by African and African American artists, and by extension a young dealer who grew up in Africa. Can you talk about what that kind of scrutiny and expectation that creates for you?MI: Sadly, being one of the few is not comforting, but there were those before me, and there will be more. Karen Jenkins-Johnson has been operating for 20 years in the art world, and young gallerist Rakeb Sile from Addis Fine Art has taken her gallery to a global stage, while still operating in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.Diversity in the art world does not only apply to artists but to curators, gallerists, collectors, art critics and scholars as well. There is a growing interest in Black artists, however the choice for anyone to work with a dealer should not be defined by race, gender or religion. It must be a great fit and a mutually beneficial relationship. I certainly hope the artists we represent do not choose me for my ethnicity but because of the work I perform on their behalf. We highly serve the expectations of our artists.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418598/gs7pezjxqbyenobsrioq.gif"><figcaption>Ayana V. Jackson, Double Goddess ... A Sighting in the Abyss, 2019. Courtesy of Mariane IBrahim Gallery &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>CGN: What do you have planned to inaugurate the gallery in Chicago in September? What you will you show at EXPO?MI: To inaugurate our new space, we are pleased to present Take Me to the Water, a solo exhibition of never before seen, large scale new works works by Ayana V. Jackson. The exhibition presents a holistic survey of Jackson’s work to date, a culmination of varied discursive elements present in her career.For our second participation at EXPO, we will present a group exhibition. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418598/kqtjvssnkchedwombdpb.gif"><figcaption>Ayana V. Jackson, Sea Lion, 2019. Courtesy of Mariane IBrahim Gallery</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: What’s your favorite pursuit outside the art world?MI: I’ve always dreamed of becoming a florist. &nbsp;<a href="https://marianeibrahim.com/">Mariane Ibrahim Gallery </a>opens its inaugural exhibition on Friday, September 20, 2019 at 437 N. Paulina in West Town.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Mariane Ibrahim: A West Coast Gallery Moves to Chicago For Its Authenticity

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417600/hwaxe6wde5skqnb6lmih.gif"><figcaption>Patrick Rouiller at work creatinga uniquely inspired mural panels to be installed in a client’s home.</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAThe tradition of murals as public art is quite familiar, in fact going back to ancient times when people lived in caves instead of condos, but what might not be as well known is the modern murals that fill walls and spaces of private homes, at once telling personal stories and displaying unique art in one particular place. Residential murals make a very permanent statement and they also must work with spatial and architectural details, making a dramatic, one of a kind contribution to a home.&nbsp;Patrick Rouillier, a highly respected name in design–savy circles, got his start creating such murals almost 30 years ago, right after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His first full time employment was with a chicago lamp company, doing design and production and developing business skills. Though he learned a great deal, the job meant he was removed from relationships&nbsp; with clients, and he found the repetition of production painting unfulfilling. He resolved to seek work where each project would be important to the specific client.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417601/w2jev2epc9onzt7da2vq.gif"><figcaption>Sketches for a client's project must take into account the overall design and palette as well as any architectural elements.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;It was studying scientific illustration at SAIC that fostered Rouillier’s critical eye for looking at objects as well as different periods and painting techniques. He learned to listen to what his professor, and eventually client, wanted to convey through the technical artistic outcome. “It provided me with an employable skill set from the beginning,” he says, “So I began working for and collaborating with designers and clients, listening and translating information objectively into the process of how the materials work, and then executing the artistic expression.”Beyond the meticulousness required to create personal, time consuming works that are often larger in scale and even executed on site, relationships are part of each project. “I enjoy sharing with the people I work with,” admits Rouillier, “comparing the techniques and the history of the materials, such as gilding, or explaining the steps in creating a painting.” He also savors what he says is the natural process of work and a certain amount of experimentation, or twisting a tradition’s technique.“I have been fortunate to be educated by the diverse influences of my peers and the people who have employed me over the years. I enjoy being challenged by those various relationships to consider a new way of looking at design or art I may have undervalued or been ignorant of. Every day is a chance to learn something new.”</body></html>

Patrick Rouillier: Creative Collaborator

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417520/uix5vltyjdipmgs8qmoz.gif"><figcaption>Lee and vicki caught the art bug in the 1980s when they needed something to go above their sofa. Today they have art over every piece of furniture and on every wall, including works by Roger Brown, Ed Paschke, Andy Warhol, Hollis Sigler, Morgan Blair and Cindy Sherman</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAOne late February morning I found myself driving to a sleepy part of Chicago and realized how much it would be transformed soon, once baseball season started in a few weeks. I was on my way to visit collectors Lee Wesley and Vicki Granacki, where the classic graystone exterior of the couple’s Wrigleyville home similarly revealed no hint as to the creative energy that I would soon discover inside.I’d never met Vicki or Lee, but as soon as they welcomed me in, they seemed somehow familiar. Their home is first and foremost a place to live – as comfortable for the couple as well as the volume of art it contains. The antithesis of a stark white or glass cube, all angles and sharp edges, it’s distinctly old Chicago, framed inside by warm wood trim, lots of doorways and natural light. That this historic residence houses so much locally significant contemporary art makes perfect sense when I learn that Vicki runs a Chicago-based historic preservation firm, Granacki Historic Consultants, and she serves on the Emeritus Board of Landmarks Illinois and the Board of Directors of the Polish Museum of America. Lee is President of the Dr. Newton K. Wesley foundation Fund, continuing the legacy of his father’s pioneering work in contact lenses.A minute after passing through the front door and taking off my coat, I was sitting on the sofa, which is essentially where the couple’s art collecting journey began.&nbsp;It all started in the 1980s in a practical way, when the couple needed something to hang over their couch, which happened to be pink and velvet brocade. The pair had bought this distinctive piece of furniture in London at Harrod’s, the famous department store, and they had it shipped home to Chicago after their honeymoon.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417521/nk6hdrcyl2ctgoiekdvp.gif"><figcaption>Vicki still has a photo of the sofa that launched an art collection, pictured here with the couple's first purchase: Gladys Nilsson's Duplicate and Triplicate.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Vicki and Lee had long been interested in the Hairy Who –&nbsp; an artistic group formed in Chicago in the 1960s by graduates of the School of the Art Institute. Vicki says, “When our son was just over a year old we started hanging out in Chicago’s River North galleries on Saturday mornings. Our first purchase, in 1981 from Phyllis Kind Gallery, was a pinkish pastel watercolor, Duplicate and Triplicate by Gladys Nilsson, a member of the Hairy Who, whose mice-like figures could hold their own against our flowered suite.”More than 38 years and over 125 works of art later they’ve had plenty of time to carefully build a significant collection that includes other Hairy Who members and associates, such as Ray Yoshida, Don Baum, Jim Nutt, Karl Wirsum, and Suellen Rocca. In addition, the collection includes pieces by Imagists such as Ed Paschke and Roger Brown, and Monster Roster member Seymour Rosofsky, not to mention dozens of other contemporary figurative artists – Phyllis Bramson, Joanne Carson, Robert Lostutter, Jim Lutes, and Hollis Sigler – who followed in their creative footsteps. To wander through Vicki and Lee’s home is to understand that their pursuit of art is serious and unending. Together they each have an eye for what may stand the test of time and trends.Vicki’s childhood was filled with art, in part because her father was a commercial as well as amateur artist – many of his personal watercolor landscapes are hung throughout the house. Similarly, Lee was inspired by his father, whose creativity saved himself from blindness when he invented the first commercially successful contact lens. Lee’s own research team extended that tradition with development of the soft lens. Once Vicki and Lee became parents, they worked to make art a part of their children’s lives through hands-on art projects for each developmental stage, until adulthood. Among the many works of art hung on the walls of their home, several by their son and daughter fit in nicely alongside pieces by famous artists.•<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417522/dqrgo3hmzzwslthiw3lw.gif"><figcaption>An eclectic mixture of two and three dimensional work from a range of periods is placed throughout Vicki and Lee’s main living areas. Featured here: &nbsp;two works by Phyllis Bramson: A Gender Bending Melodrama,&nbsp;(above the piano) and Lovemaking at the End of Springtime (female) (on pedestal), Yinka Shonibare’s Toy Painting 10, 2003 (above center), and Joanne Carson’s The Rope Trick Serenade (above sofa)</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;It’s not uncommmon for collectors, who may have been actively buying art for decades, to reach a natural stopping point. Vicki and Lee are not at that juncture. When we met just before March, they were preparing to head to New York to attend the spring art fairs, as they have for years. An important part of collecting for them is to continue to discover and support living artists.Lee shared a story of when they were last at The Art Show in 2017, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) at the Park Avenue Armory. It was there that they encountered the powerful works of artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, who happened to grow up in Chicago and was exhibiting with David Nolan Gallery. When the couple met the artist in the booth, they hit it off. As Lee remembers, “We just enjoyed being around him. And he has an incredible story to tell.” Lee recalled a backstory about Quinn, that after his mother Mary had died, he returned home from boarding school to the public housing apartment in Chicago where his family lived and found it empty. They had moved out while he was gone.According to Lee, “We didn’t buy a work in New York, but later we visited Rhona Hoffman Gallery here [in Chicago] for a show of Quinn’s work and when we walked in and saw each other, it was like we were old friends. When we told him we had not been able to get a work of his yet, he said he wanted us to have a cherished portrait of his mother that was hanging in the gallery.”Quinn’s narrative-driven portraits occupy a unique place on the art history timeline of Vicki and Lee’s collection, but they are also representative of the pair’s focus on contemporary figurative work that is rooted in Chicago’s artistic tradition.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417523/nx7amemy4mvymh6fdtbk.gif"><figcaption>Figurative paintings dominate Vicki and Lee’s collection. Highlights, often prime examples from an artist, span styles and decades and often reference art history. Pictured from left to right: Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Bring Yo Big Teeth Ass Here!, 2017; Jim Lutes, Dr. E. Victor (detail), 1989; Fabrizio Arrieta, 1947 (detail), 2018</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;The abundance of faces and figures throughout the couple’s home imbues each room with an energy that seems to come from not only on but also within the walls. Even in quiet moments, instead of solitude, it feels like action is happening somewhere; the collective energy made evident through color, complex narratives and examinations inspires a kind of continuous search for artistic themes and messages.Explains Vicki, “Although our Chicago collection is the strongest and most coherent, we’ve taken side trips into realism and pop art. Besides painting and drawing, there are sculptures and photography in the mix. But above all the theme remains figuration, from the real and recognizable to the stylized, illustrative, and even truly weird.”Lee adds that figurative art speaks volumes about that inspired spark found both in technology and art where human beings continually reinvent themselves.&nbsp;•Vicki and Lee frequent galleries, but as they strive to add to their collection they enjoy the hunt for rarer pieces, which are sometimes acquired at auction. The couple has maintained their interest in the Hairy Who ever since they first began buying art, but renewed interest nationally, most notably when the Art Institute of Chicago hosted an exhibition of the Hairy Who’s work in 2018, means increased competition for anything related to shows that took place during the 1960s. Yet sitting on a glass coffee table in the living room, next to a Don Baum house with a cutting board for a foundation, are the newest additions to the couple’s collection, won just last year at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers: a pair of comic books, and a flyer, published to accompany the first Hairy Who exhibitions held between 1966 and 1968, illustrated and autographed by member artist Karl Wirsum. There is also a cloth covered catalog, Who Chicago? An exhibition of contemporary Imagists, published in 1980 and packaged with an etching by Jim Nutt.Looking at this table filled with precious, temptingly touchable pieces of history and works of art, I asked if they had brought these objects out for me, or if they’re regularly so accessible. Vicki says, referring to their young grandchildren, who live locally and come over often, “We leave these out and encourage our grandchildren to touch the art. These are things they enjoy.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417525/a1lpiosfots6rohhpbcw.gif"><figcaption>Art in Vicki and Lee’s home is not off limits to anyone, even their grandchildren. Shown here: Hairy Who comic books signed by Karl Wirsum, one of Don Baum’s constructed houses, Kiki van Patton, 1988, and Keith Haring dominos and playing cards.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Despite having actively collected for so long Vicki and Lee have kept their passion mostly to themselves. Their daughter, Monica, married a man also passionate about art, and he has encouraged them to enjoy their collection through sharing it. The most significant step so far towards celebrating the assembling of these 125 plus works may is a private project to catalog each piece, noting relevant details on each work – artist, title, date, dimensions, acquisiton and so on – as well as artistic groupings. The resulting booklet, which continues to be updated and is sometimes brought along to art fairs and galleries, provides a tidy, personal summary of the works that comprise this unique collection.Before I ended my morning on the Northside, Vicki took me into one last room upstairs in their home, where, tucked away were items not officially part of the couple’s collection: watercolors, maps, and journals created by Vicki’s father, Leon Granacki, during his four years spent serving in the US Army 132nd Infantry Regiment in the South Pacific during WWII, from 1941–1945. Explains Vicki, “He rose from private to Master Sergeant, and while attached to the G-2 Intelligence Section, prepared original maps and target photos used by both ground and air troops.” Today she’s using her professional experience in historic preservation to capture and save what’s so beautiful and important about her father’s work. She says, “His small but historic contribution was to a cause larger than himself.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417526/mdsnot3sio3p7y2dxyhs.gif"><figcaption>One of the maps created by Vicki's father Leon Granacki while serving in the US Army in WWII</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;This effort, along with Lee’s work finding a home for his father’s collection of artifacts tracing the innovative history of contact lenses, also informs how they think about their art collection. Though Vicki and Lee have spent decades learning about, acquiring and living with art, ultimately they believe that they are just caretakers.&nbsp;“I’ve always thought especially about being a steward of the historic buildings that we live, work, and worship in," says Vicki. "They were built by our ancestors, and if we care for them kindly and properly, will be enjoyed by our descendants. That’s what my career in historic preservation was about. As part of our work we were always doing research – looking for maps, plans, sketches, photos and journals that identified who came before us and what they created. We would be so excited to find records kept by ordinary people of the world around them. I have this idea that someday someone else may be looking for something that I’ve taken care to collect and put in a public archive or museum and they will be just as excited to find my treasure.”&nbsp;Additional images from the collection:&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417527/axr3ehwzr3kejnna9810.gif"><figcaption>Watercolors by Leon Granacki</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417528/iorl1sywrhttanszv5vu.gif"><figcaption>Keys rest next to Outsider artist Mr Imagination's Siamese Head Portrait, Michael Nakoneczny's Untitled (baseball), and a Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417529/ssdwgik7e6bxdbhyq1wx.gif"><figcaption>Pepe Mar's Envy Headed, Mixed media collage sculpture in acrylic box; and Alison Zuckerman's Palatial Respite, 2018</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417530/btko5mogguyrmfqq3bp0.gif"><figcaption>Shown here, starting from the upper left by the door frame: &nbsp;Tony Oursler, Robert Lostutter; first row to right of door, descending: Joel Peter Witkin, Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Seymour Rosofsky; second row, descending: Michael Nakoneczny, Ed Paschke, and Andy Warhol.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Stewards of Art and History: The Expansive Collection of Lee Wesley and Vicki Granacki

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418300/z5p5gsuvdvpowlxqgart.gif"><figcaption>Edra Soto, Open 24 Hours, 2018. Photo: James Prinz</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By ALISON REILLYEdra Soto’s warmth, generosity, and kindness are apparent (and contagious). She speaks candidly about her work, her influences, and her upbringing in Cupey, Puerto Rico. Her motivations, her life experiences, and her perspectives push her audience to more closely examine their own neighborhoods, sidewalks, fences, and homes. In a contemporary art world that can often reject the participation of the audience, Soto takes the hands of her viewers and looks them in the eye. She acknowledges their bodies, their physical presence, and their memories. Her artistic and personal lives are bound together, which some might consider a great risk. However, her exceptional body of work demonstrates the opportunity for shared growth by revealing vulnerabilities. Below is an edited version of our recent conversation about her move to Chicago, her ongoing series GRAFT, and her upcoming projects. Chicago Gallery News: Can you tell me about how you grew up? Which part of Puerto Rico are you from?Edra Soto: I grew up in a middle class family in Cupey, Puerto Rico. Cupey is the biggest and most populated barrio in the metropolitan area of San Juan. Both my parents worked hard for my brother and me. My father worked for an insurance company and for the military through the air force. He traveled a lot. My mom stayed with us at home and did many jobs. She had a home nursery; she ran a commercial ceramic business with my dad at home; and she was a baker. She made amazing wedding, quinceañera, and birthday cakes. I have childhood memories of chewing hard sugar flowers and looking at my reflection in the immense mirrors she made by pouring sugar in order to create a fake pond. Perhaps that was the beginning of my appreciation for installation work.CGN: What did it feel like to move from Puerto Rico (via Paris) to Chicago?ES: I felt fortunate to have parents that had faith in me and who could help me make the move. But I also thought that I was not going to make it outside of Puerto Rico. I became a commercial artist very early in my life. During my last year at Escuela de Artes Plásticas&nbsp;de Puerto Rico I won a few awards at my bachelor’s graduation and sold out two shows at a commercial gallery in San Juan. My parents were impressed and motivated to help me transition into higher education.It took me awhile to get used to Chicago’s weather. I even did an installation, titled I Love Chicago Project, dedicated to my relationship with Chicago, the School of the Art Institute, and the weather. I created an alter ego in the form of a lion tamer to symbolically build self-empowerment. This was my first time bringing people together to activate a project. I invited artists I met at the school, my roommate, my boyfriend (now my husband), and whoever wanted to be a part of this project. I made posters to promote the events and opened my semi-private studio for visitors.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418301/nzejtkvkckblcrqklijw.gif"><figcaption>Portrait of the artist Edra Soto. Photo: Dan Sullivan</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: You mentioned your commercial success as an artist in Puerto Rico, but you have now moved away from the gallery/artist relationship model. How do you support yourself?ES: After grad school, I supported myself by working at a Chicago public school. Some years later, I worked at a charter school. I dedicated ten years of my life to teach high school. It was hard work, but I learned a lot from the experiences. I met wonderful students who brought great joy and pride to my life. After those ten years, I built enough confidence to teach at the college level. I’ve been a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for the past five years and just recently started to teach an Introduction to Social Engagement course at the University of Illinois in Chicago. As my visibility as an artist increased, I started to get approached by colleges and universities to lecture and do exhibitions. These opportunities increased to the point where I could become a freelancer.CGN: Do you encourage other artists to follow your example?ES: Perhaps following my path is not even practical for me. I tend to live in the moment and my planning is mostly work-related, not life-related. My life works because my art works, and I try to keep that way. It is not a predictable or financially stable situation. At this precise moment I don’t feel great financial support, but I am creating projects that might bring financial support in the future. So, I’m still gambling.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418302/heuiotrjbba4qp49ml4k.gif"><figcaption>Edra Soto, GRAFT (detail), 2019.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How has your experience as an art teacher in Chicago public schools shaped your practice as an artist?ES: Many of the methods and materials I used with my high school students became a part of my artistic practice. Structure doesn’t manifest naturally on me. When I’m telling a story, I have to make a conscious effort to keep it on track to build a natural progression. Becoming a high school teacher forced me to work with a type of structure that allowed me to keep order. To be an administrator, you have to be organized. It turns out that so much of the work I do, as an artist, is administrative. If I’m not efficient at keeping track of what needs to get done, I will miss deadlines, opportunities, and even relationships.CGN: What is your studio like?ES: My studio looks like a warehouse! My process is very embedded in my daily life. I’m less of a craftsperson and more of project manager, designer, and researcher.CGN: In 2017-2018 you presented Open 24 Hours at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA). In an interview you stated, “Putting the bottles in other people’s hands is putting the responsibility of littering in their hands, which was my initial motivation for picking up the bottle.” Can you talk about your relationship with the viewer (or participant)? Why is it important for you to put the responsibility of littering in their hands and how does that relate to your motivations as an artist?ES: I consider the action of picking up garbage my civic duty. I learned this when I was in ninth grade. I forget a lot of things, but that lesson I never forget. A teacher took a group of students and me to a hallway and told us, “Even if it’s not your garbage, you pick it up, and place it in the trashcan.” The action of picking up garbage became a sign of education.This is the same model brought to life in Open 24 Hours. The work is about respect for the land, appreciation for the place you live, and the people living in it. Cleaning can become a conversation on values, from self-value, to value of a place, to others’ values.At the MCA, all the refuse that I collected in 2017 was on display to evidence what I witness daily. I designed a transactional procedure between the museum visitor and me. I created a contract that they had to sign if they wanted to acquire, or “adopt” as the museum described it, a glass bottle that I had found in my neighborhood, picked up, and cleaned. In the contract, I describe the bottle as “a piece of American history” to instigate intrigue in the meaning behind the bottles. The procedure was a strategy to elevate the desire and value of these objects. They taught me about a history that I was not aware of, so I couldn’t simply offer them for free. Through the procedure, I also asked people for their time. Perhaps time is one of the things we all value the most.CGN: You started your ongoing work GRAFT in 2013. What does the title mean?ES: GRAFT is an imaginary migration. Citing structures known as quiebrasoles and rejas found prominently in Puerto Rico, GRAFT physically interconnects existing architecture to a site-specific place while conceptually representing an imaginary transplant or migratory gesture.&nbsp;CGN: Do you keep an inventory of quiebrasoles and rejas patterns? Are the patterns in your work based on ones you have seen, or do you create new patterns?ES: I source all the patterns for GRAFT. My visits to Puerto Rico have been steadily increasing since my father passed in the summer of 2017. But I’ve been documenting quiebrasoles and rejas patterns for many years, even before I started the project.I used to make drawings of the patterns, but at the time I didn’t see great value in the gesture. Living a greater part of my life surrounded by these patterns makes me sensitive to the role they play in visual culture. Presenting them through architectural interventions becomes a way of reinstating them rather than reproducing them. The history that this project unveils explains why it is so easy to “borrow” their beauty without thinking about their greater cultural significance.CGN: Do the materials of quiebrasoles (concrete) and rejas (wrought iron) resonate with you?ES: The purpose of concrete and wrought iron to the casa criolla (common house) in the Caribbean was for protection and ventilation. These are familiar, raw, nostalgic, and even seductive materials to me, but I wouldn’t appropriate them and take them out of their original function and context.CGN: How does it feel to present GRAFT in different settings? For example, in 2013 you installed it at Terrain Exhibitions in Chicago and recently in 2018 at the Untitled Art Fair in Miami.ES: At both of these spaces the architectural interventions were remarkable in terms of visibility and audience responses. They both motivated creative thinking and negotiation of space. At Terrain it was the first architectural intervention I’ve made. At Untitled I took the opportunity to introduce photo documentation as a new element. I embedded small viewfinders in the circular spaces of the structure. By peering through the viewfinders, the audience is met with an image documenting my everyday life during visits to Puerto Rico. Photos of my childhood home, scenes from various neighborhoods, and destruction from Hurricane Maria are just some of the images viewers see. The act itself is akin to peering through the quiebrasoles and rejas surrounding a Puerto Rican home to glimpse the house behind the walls.CGN: Have you presented GRAFT in Puerto Rico?ES: Not as an architectural intervention; it would be redundant. At the Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, documentation of GRAFT was included as part of an exhibition titled Ida y Vuelta curated by Dr. Laura Bravo. I recently donated these prints to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico for their permanent collection.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418304/yfohbylnma9wwxevjohi.jpg"><figcaption>Edra Soto, Manual Graft, 2019. Architectural intervention at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. photo credit EG Schempf.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: For each iteration of GRAFT you include a literary component. Why is that important to you?ES: GRAFT allows me to expand the multidisciplinary aspects of the project and explore visibility by providing a format that can be disseminated beyond the gallery experience. The literary component creates an accessible history of Puerto Rican vernacular architecture. While quiebrasoles and rejas are popularly recognized in Puerto Rican’s visual culture, there is little exploration or research on the origin of these patterns. Contrary to the familiarity of colonial architecture, vernacular architecture has yet to be included as an exploratory subject in primary and secondary education in the Caribbean. Writers from disciplines of art history, art, architecture, and politics are invited to reflect on rejas in the contexts of their individual fields of expertise. The content is published in both English and Spanish and is available to the public.CGN: Some iterations of GRAFT include a shelter that resembles a bus stop. Why is this type of structure significant to you?ES: The elements of GRAFT are specific to each space, and sometimes I include a shelter, reminiscent of a bus stop, that serves as a bench for visitors to sit and read the accompanying publication. Bus shelters in Puerto Rico may be made of concrete, wood, and aluminum. I’ve seen a few made in concrete that integrate quiebrasoles in their design.CGN: What are your upcoming projects for this year?ES: Currently, my work is on view until June 2, 2019 at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art as part of an exhibition curated by Risa Puleo titled Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly.Another group exhibition I’m part of, Art of the Neighborhood, is currently at the Willis Tower through the summer, curated by CNL Projects and Chicago Artists Coalition.I’m involved in three MacArthur Foundation cultural exchanges! One is currently at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan. The second, an exchange with Cuba, will have its Chicago presentation at the Smart Museum in summer 2019 and in Cuba in 2020. The third, an exchange with Brazil curated by Jordan Martins, will take place in 2020. A long overdue commission for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line Western station is on its way as well.This summer I was invited to create work with a client from the Light &amp; Salt Coalition, a grassroots movement that mobilizes individuals and organizations to heal, educate, and empower youth and women in the fight against slavery. My donation will be auctioned at their summer gala.More information about and works by Edra Soto may be found at &nbsp;<a href="https://edrasoto.com/home.html">www.edrasoto.com</a>Publisher's note: In April 2019 Edra Soto was awarded the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) 2019 Artist Fellowship Award. Non-matching Fellowships in fixed amounts of $15,000 are awarded to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts.</body></html>

Artist Edra Soto: Mining Personal History to Create Artistic Engagement

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418009/gkj3qim8lppidhepkyvi.gif"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAI’ve known artist Tony Fitzpatrick for about 10 years, and I usually see him in person to catch up over lunch somewhere or while taking a break at his studio on Western Ave.Recently my husband and I watched Tony on screen, where he portrays a formidable, brooding character, Jack Birdbath, who opens a surprising first scene of season 2 of Patriot, a quirky crime series on Amazon Prime. I know it is Tony in the scene before I even see him, because I can hear his low, tough guy voice struggling to explain a request to a French bank teller. In English he emphasizes that he needs a bunch of dimes. For what exactly, we find out soon enough.When I next saw Tony off screen, he explained to me that in his real (past) life, he had some first hand experience using dimes to defend himself, back when he had first had a gallery 30 years ago, called World Tattoo, in a dodgy area around 13th and Wabash in Chicago.After more than 30 years of making art, acting, and weathering a number of personal and professional challenges, at 60 years old Fitzpatrick says he is now blessed with a second act, and in part he has the City of Paris to thank for the gift of a new view and for the freedom to let things go.His current exhibition, The Absinthe Birds, on view at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-dime">The Dime</a>, an artist incubator space Fitzpatrick founded, features vivid collages of birds threaded with poetry and inspired by the sights, history, and influences of Paris. The pulsating and hallucinogenic green from the show's title also is reminiscent of Chicago's own river at a certain time of year. While Fitzpatrick's roots are always in Chicago, his mind and soul took flight in his temporary Parisian home for a few months.&nbsp;Following is an edited transcript of our conversation from late 2018.&nbsp;Ginny Van Alyea: Were the dimes [in Patriot] your idea, or was that just the script?Tony Fitzpatrick: Well, I was carrying hard objects around in a tube sock just to walk home, back when I had World Tattoo at 13th and Wabash. GV: What was World Tattoo? TF: It was a gallery –&nbsp;6,000 square feet. And back in 1988/89, that was a pretty shit crack neighborhood. More than once would cars damn near run me over. So with the [tube] sock, I would take their fucking tail light out. Then they'd get out of the car, and I would be holding the sock and say, 'Come on.' They don't like to drive around.GV: 30 years later it’s pretty good material on TV. TF: I mean, I'm 60 years-old now, and I have a second act. [Patriot] has put me through almost five months in Paris. I got to take a good long look at one of the cradles of Surrealism and drink all of that in –&nbsp;take into my bones what the essence of that city was.GV: What has the influence of that stay been on your art?TF: This next body of work, The Absinthe Birds, is about love, and beauty, and sex, as well as fraudulence and failure, and the pursuit of the invisible. GV: The series that you're working on for 2019 – are those the works on the wall in your studio? TF: Those are for my book that will be out in May.The show [here at the Dime] opened on December 7 and features 20 of the 24 pieces that will be in the book. The poems are written in English, but what we're doing is working with somebody from Orleans, France to make sure that they flow in French. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418010/xfa2ar7w57n3oms9zsns.jpg"><figcaption>Works in progress for Fitzpatrick's exhibitions as well as a forthcoming book.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;GV: I was just going to ask if you happened to be fluent in French. TF: I’m not. One of the hardest parts is making sure that everything reads right for sentences in French. When this show goes to Paris, I want the people of Paris to know, ‘I made this show for you. I love your city. It breathed new life in me as an artist.’GV: Your time in Paris affected you personally.TF: It got me away from Donald Trump's America for four silent months. I was able to shut out the noise, and that's been a big challenge for me – shutting out the grind and the filth of the absolute corrupt soul of what he has inculcated in this country. What he has awoken.GV: It's happening here, whether you’re at home or abroad. What was different about being in Paris? TF: I think I was able to take a very long view of how the way we live affects the rest of the world, and how frightening it is for other countries to see that this is a monkey driving a spaceship. This is a shaved ape. It's like they went to the zoo, found an albino gorilla, and they shaved it. Judging by what he says, they did not shave the smartest gorilla.GV: Were you in the left bank or right bank in Paris? TF: I was in the [The Place de la]&nbsp;République, right by Marianne, in the gut at the center of Paris. It's like being a poker player. You get to see the whole board –&nbsp;everybody you're playing with. I was amazed at the absolute participatory activism there was in Paris.GV: How did you find time in Paris to do your art at the same time you were filming for four months? TF: I did the ink work on a lot of [my collages]. Each one starts with a drawing. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418011/cpvzokzbtcn6ynpa2xuk.jpg"><figcaption>Tony Fitzpatrick, Sacre Coeur Pigeon, 2018</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;GV: Were you creating pieces there?TF: I had to do a lot of them in my room. I put more fucking ink stains on that carpet over there.But you know what? They love me. So I would say to the guy from housekeeping, ‘I fucked up. I dropped a spot of ink again. Here is a little etching. I'm so sorry.’&nbsp;The hotel framed up my etchings and put them in the lobby.GV: What was your day to day when you were there? TF: Work. We would go to set –&nbsp;it was all over Paris.We spent a couple of days shooting in Luxembourg Gardens, which I absolutely fell in love with. It's kind of a birder's paradise. A couple of times they had to come and get me. I’d wander off and be on a fucking nature walk. I saw kingfishers. I saw herons. I saw lapwings, which I've never seen. They're not over in America much. Plovers. Just incredible. GV: So it was a real refresh for you personally to go and be immersed in something else for so long. TF: When we came home, we'd also moved to a new house in East Humboldt Park. In fact, when we got to the airport, we had to call [my wife] Michelle and figure out where the hell we lived.&nbsp; So, yeah it was a refresh. It was nice.GV: What has changed for your artistic practice?TF: It also gave me some real perspective about going forward with my visual art career. I don't have to do anything I don't want to do anymore.I knew the night The Secret Birds opened at the De Paul Art Museum [in 2016] something would change. I looked around and my mom was so glad she was there. I thought to myself, ‘This is the last time this is ever going to happen. My mom got to see a big museum show. After this, I don't ever have to do this again.’Then I thought that way about doing gallery exhibitions too.What I'm really interested in now is making the work that I absolutely have to make and want to make. I don't give a fiddler's fuck if anybody buys it or not. I couldn't care less. But thankfully they do [buy it].GV: You’ve been doing more here at The Dime. TF: What we're building here, this room, it's kind of magical. It's not fancy. We have clamp lights. There's really no money to make this thing fancy, but people can come in here and they can look at art.Artists can sell art and they don't give up a dime, you know? This is an incubator. What we're building here isn't an art gallery. We're building a community. I keep telling all the other artists who show here, ‘The best asset that you have in the world is each other. Join together and support each other; act like a community and ignore the bullshit.’GV: Now there’s Jack Birdbath's scene with the dimes in Patriot, and here we are sitting in Chicago in The Dime. I've never asked where the name for this space came from. TF: It's an old circus trick. A Dime Museum –&nbsp;which was the original name, we thought –&nbsp;was where you paid at the circus to see the lady with the beard, or the seal boy, &nbsp;or the [vaudeville]. The freaks. GV: This is the freak show? TF: Not exactly. This was never supposed to be an open gallery. This was ... GV: Not really planned. TF: No. Not really. But we've given lots of artists their first show. It’s what I want to do.GV: You've tried to let go of a lot of things you used to worry about having to do. TF: You bet. Whenever I get an email or a query from an institution in an email, I don't even read that email. I just delete it. People who want to know where to find me? I don't give a shit. GV: It's interesting. You've had a long – TF: Career of being an asshole? Yeah!&nbsp; GV: I was going to say acting career. You've been on screen and on stage quite a bit. With two seasons of Patriot done, are you going to try to keep balancing film and art? &nbsp; TF: Patriot didn't stop me from making art. I just figured, ‘Okay, this is what’s going on now.’ My assistant Yulia&nbsp;[Kuznetsova] was here [at the studio] while I was away. When I came home, I had a bunch of works on paper started, and a lot of them became the Absinthe Birds. I just kept moving, you know? In large part we can also do that because my work's portable. GV: I'm still picturing ink on the carpet and how you and Max hauled up all of your crap up the Metro stairs. Did you just bring cases of paper, and materials, and ink? TF: I just did a lot of drawing – the paper and stuff I found there. Also, I found out half of the members of our [film] crew were artists. They pointed me around to stuff. There are good art supply stores of course. Plus I did some garbage digging. I’m sure they said, ‘Who's that large man digging through the French garbage? Why, that's Tony.’ GV: Did you get a sense of what the art scene is like in Paris? TF: Pretty cool. Street art is huge. I met a bunch of those people. We will get some of them here next year. Our show [at The Dime] on the 9th of February is an amazing husband and wife team: a Brazilian guy, Caetano Azevedo, who has lived in Paris for the last 30 years, and his wife Liza Moura, who's a French photographer. Together they have been following the refugee encampments in Paris.GV: Back to Patriot, I want to know more about the evolution of Jack Birdbath. You came up with the idea for the dimes in season two. Did you have more to do with his dialogue and character?&nbsp;TF: I think Steven Conrad obviously wrote the character with me in mind. We shot the pilot in 2015. When we went to series, when I saw the writing on the scripts for season one, I went, ‘Oh shit. They're not going to let me do this. They're going to give this to named actor.’ I knew it was a really good part. Those guys hung in there and dug in for me and said, ‘You are who we want to do it.’Everyone in the cast –&nbsp;Gil Bellows, Terry O'Quinn, Debra Winger, Mike Dorman, Michael Chernus – they're all so goddamn good. I mean I've always been a lousy employee. But I skip to work every day for Patriot. I couldn't wait to get there. I couldn't wait to be part of that mix.It was joyful, you know?Well, it's Paris. There isn't a goddamn thing wrong with Paris. I really fucking loved Paris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://youtu.be/kD24ytD3O0Q"></oembed></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

Tony Fitzpatrick on Paris and the Absinthe Birds

Tony Fitzpatrick's Second Act

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417849/oxndky8k8ysxc18xxnwy.gif"></figure>Hometown: Chicago &nbsp;Previous occupation:&nbsp;Grammar School &amp; Art Teacher &nbsp;FavoritesRestaurant: Fred’s CafeArt supply store:&nbsp;Blick &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sweater or Hoodie? HoodieCoffee or tea? Coffee&nbsp;Tell us a little about your training?BA (1968) from SAIC, painting and MFA from Northern (1978), photography. Both were worth doing.&nbsp; SAIC for the experiences and art introductions and the MFA was required for job applications.SAIC introduced me to the art world.&nbsp;There were many opportunities for experimentation in the classroom with equipment and teachers with knowledge on what was happening in the contemporary art scene at that time. The students were interesting to meet up with and from many different interesting backgrounds open to sharing ideas and techniques freely.Most of my present friends I met while I was a student: Barbara Grad, Miclelle Stone, Katheryn Kucera, Margaret Lanterman, Kieth Morrison, Johnny Shek, Mary Baber, Christine O’Connor, James Mesple, Eleanor Ferris, Ken Bowman, Linda Kramer.I joined Artemisia and that helped me to further my art education and broaden my views.I grew up in a hard working European family.&nbsp; Although my parents were unable to receive an education, they always valued learning. I was exposed to literature, music including the symphony and opera groups in Chicago.I was sent to Northwestern at 16 years old to be a math major.&nbsp; After two years I decided I did not want to continue studying. I left home at 18 and went to New Orleans. I loved the blues. Later on I enrolled at Chicago teachers college, knowing that I needed to earn a living and would not overstay for I always kept my commitments. I came back to Chicago at the beginning of classes for the summer session.&nbsp;What art has been particularly meaningful in your life?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charcoal, oil paint, oil sticks, photography and photo transfer.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417850/owogmqbordsafg9mqack.jpg"><figcaption>Portugal - Small Village, 18" x 20", oil on canvas</figcaption></figure>What was the first work of art to make a lasting impression on you?&nbsp;The Scream - although this may not have been the first work of art in my life, it did strike an early interest.&nbsp;Describe your studio.I need to start with cleared space or I feel like there are too many thoughts and ideas going through my head.&nbsp; I use my paints sparingly, trying not to waste. I need my radio or books on tape connections.&nbsp;How do you know when a piece is finished?&nbsp;When it looks visually complete to me and conveys the idea that I want it to relay.&nbsp;Any tricks for getting past a creative block?&nbsp;I try doing a still life or scene from my photos that I find interesting.&nbsp; Visit some art galleries or museums in town or connect with fellow artists and talk.&nbsp;You have three minutes in an art store to take whatever you want, what do you grab?&nbsp;A new set of GOOD paints and brushes (but there also would have been different choices at different times in my life).&nbsp;What&nbsp;should we expect to see from you next? &nbsp;Influences of street art in society and its connections to the areas found in and created.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jacquelinemoses.com/">http://www.jacquelinemoses.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417851/oq9azncfl7rhz1gr1wex.png"><figcaption>Movements in the 21st Century, 36" x 48", oil on canvas</figcaption></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417852/l7nc6dtpxxym7lilibjj.jpg"><figcaption>Portugal Wildfires #2, 32" x 48", oil on canvas</figcaption></figure></body></html>

Artist Insights: Jacqueline Moses

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417829/rxtsij1henqzfkifsir2.jpg"></figure>By CGN StaffFollowing a busy end-of-year crammed with deadlines and to-dos, we are pleased to be getting back to sharing news and features with CGN readers as we await the arrival of our 2019 CGN Arts Guide in the coming days.&nbsp;First up is the return of the Artist Insights series, in which we ask various artists &nbsp;a set of questions about their practice as well as local favorites. We recently spoke with James Mesplé, a charming figure in the Chicago art community, who has been a regular visitor to the CGN office for years, always taking time to stop in and share his own book, film and art show recommendations with us.&nbsp;Mesplé’s vibrant work features signature imagery that links to the past through figures from history and literature. &nbsp;Mesplé studied painting at the University of Missouri, and after graduation he moved to Chicago in 1968 and eventually graduated with honors from Northeastern Illinois University in 1970. He has taught art at various Chicago institutions over the years, including Francis W. Parker School, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.&nbsp;Mesplé lives and works in Chicago. His most recent show from November 2018, Arcadia, was the final exhibition to take place at Printworks Gallery. He also shows his art at Jackson Junge Gallery in Wicker Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tell us a little about your hometown? &nbsp;I come from the Missouri Ozarks, from a small town called Nevada near Neosho and Joplin Missouri.&nbsp;It's in the southwest part of the state where Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas meet.&nbsp;Previous occupations?&nbsp;&nbsp;My first job was a summer job with the Chicago Tribune, which was followed by ten years of teaching art at the Francis Parker School in Lincoln Park. And then at the Studios of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I also conducted various workshops in watercolor and egg tempera at the Oxbow Artists’ Retreat in Michigan, as well as at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.&nbsp;&nbsp;Favorite spot to spend time in the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;A toss-up between the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum&nbsp;Preferred art store.&nbsp;&nbsp;Artist and Craftsman Supply on South Wabash and Blick Art Materials on North Avenue. (I need both, since Pearl Art &amp; Craft Supplies left River North years ago.)&nbsp;Favorite Music?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I play woodwinds, so I often take a break from painting and pick up my flute to play Vivaldi, or if I want a longer break, I soak a reed and play Mozart or Beethoven on bassoon, etc.&nbsp; But while I’m working on a painting, I listen to classical music.&nbsp;In the summer, l like the free concerts at Millennium Park with the symphony or I go listen to the free string quartet at the Cultural Center.&nbsp;&nbsp;Coffee or tea?&nbsp;&nbsp;Coffee during the day, but at night, herbal tea – especially if I have detailed work to do and need control; chamomile tea is calming and makes the hand steady.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tell us a little about your training?I studied both music and art at the University of Missouri for two years (bassoon and painting).&nbsp; I transferred to Northeastern Illinois (Chicago) and finished my undergraduate degree there. I began teaching art at Francis Parker and attended SAIC at the same time, receiving a continuing education certificate while making my own art on weekends and having exhibitions of my art in theater lobbies, or wherever I could show it.&nbsp;What art has been particularly meaningful in your life?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have done printmaking, ceramic sculpture, and even jewelry making, but my first love has always been painting.&nbsp;Trips to Europe to see the world’s great collections of paintings were something I worked hard to make happen over and over.&nbsp; It was really a continuing part of my education. A painter must see paintings to learn from them. Trips to Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and Great Britain are a must for a painter – or get to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery in Washington if you can’t go to Europe.&nbsp;&nbsp;What was the first work of art to make a lasting impression on you?&nbsp;I attended Benton Grade School in Nevada, MO.&nbsp; In the front hall of the school was a large color reproduction of Thomas Hart Benton’s painting in the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. I passed it every day from first through sixth grade.&nbsp; My high school art class went on an all-day trip to see the Truman Library, and this is when I learned that the 36-inch color reproduction in Benton Grade School was nothing like the massive wall mural Benton had painted in the library. This was a revelation.&nbsp;Years later, at the University of Missouri, I got to meet Thomas Hart Benton and was exposed for the first time to the technique 'mixed' (which combines egg tempera and oil).&nbsp;Whenever I visit my sister, who lives in Independence, I try to visit his mural. Even after seeing many of the major art museums in Europe, the mural still fascinates me.&nbsp;Describe your studio.There are several easels, because I work on several paintings at the same time. I have a north light, a table to mix or grind pigments, a life-sized copy of Venus de Milo for inspiration, and a cabinet for my paints.&nbsp;&nbsp;How do you know when a piece is finished?&nbsp;I know it’s finished when it says to me “I’m alive.”&nbsp; If a work doesn’t sell right away, I often keep refining it, sometimes for years.&nbsp; I have also experienced seeing my sold works in someone’s home years later and I would have changed some small thing – unfortunately then it is no longer possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Any tricks for getting past a creative block?&nbsp;I’ve never had a creative block.&nbsp; If I did, I would immediately consult my sketch books, which have hundreds and hundreds of sketches with my “ideas” that I will never have enough time to develop into a painting.&nbsp; To do them all would take a dozen lifetimes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You have three minutes in an art store to take whatever you want, what do you grab?&nbsp;I would take a tube of genuine vermilion paint or a fine sable brush (which wouldn’t work well for me, because art stores keep both items locked up!)&nbsp;&nbsp;What&nbsp;should we expect to see from you next? &nbsp;After finishing Arcadia at Printworks Gallery, which was an exhibition of small works on paper, I am looking forward to working on a new series of large paintings on canvas and panel.&nbsp;They will continue my interest in Contemporary Classics and the world of mythology.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417829/i4pmfo7gsi0bumo4nbez.jpg"><figcaption>James Mesple, Pan's Garden: The Five Senses, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in, 2017</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417830/hwwahu0670rnwlikaj31.jpg"><figcaption>Mesple's recent exhibition, Arcadia, at Printworks Gallery in River North, November 2018</figcaption></figure></body></html>

Artist Insights: James Mesple

The fall art season in Chicago, and around the world, is underway, and as we close in on the end of September, we are especially looking forward to EXPO CHICAGO, once again at Navy Pier for its 7th edition. Once the hot new fair when it launched in 2012, EXPO has grown up, expanding its international gallery roster as well as its expansive and increasingly important public and professional arts programming.&nbsp;CGN will be covering several aspects of the fair in the coming weeks, but while we're all running around trying to prepare for this year's art frenzy, we wanted to check in with&nbsp;the man beind the green curtain, the great and powerful Oz (AKA Tony Karman), about what's new and how he does it all year after year.&nbsp;EXPO CHICAGO runs Sept 27–30, 2018 at Navy Pier.Details <a href="http://expochicago.com">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2974/original/tony-karman-photo-by-audia.jpg" alt=""></figure>CGN: What's the best thing about this year’s EXPO CHICAGO?Tony Karman:&nbsp;Easy answer –&nbsp;it is the artwork that will be shown by our 135 galleries from 27 countries and 63 international cities in this seventh edition of the fair. I look forward to seeing work that is provocative, current,&nbsp;beautiful,&nbsp;and challenging—I never tire of encountering a new artist, or the inevitable moment when a work simply stops me in my tracks. &nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What's been your biggest challenge so far this year?&nbsp;&nbsp;TK:&nbsp;Like every year, we must work to make&nbsp;sure that the world joins us in Chicago and that the participating exhibitors do well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2975/original/2018-crownhall-kasten-7.jpg" alt=""></figure>CGN: Breakdown an 'Interview Marathon' for me.&nbsp;TK: Hans Ulrich Obrist’s celebrated Marathon, entitled&nbsp;Creative Chicago, will be five hours of provocative interviews with artists, architects, donut makers, writers, actors, and activists from throughout the city. The marathon [taking place on site at the fair September 29 from 1–6pm]&nbsp;will capture the zeitgeist of Chicago, further defining what it means to live, work and create here.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN:&nbsp;How do you keep people coming back to Chicago for EXPO, now that the fair is maturing?&nbsp;&nbsp;TK: We travel&nbsp;around the world&nbsp;year-round to engage with&nbsp;collectors, curators, and arts professionals&nbsp;to join us each September, and everywhere we go, we hear how great Chicago is. We built EXPO CHICAGO on a storied tradition, and it is the collective of our renowned institutions, collectors, curators, artists, galleries, restaurants, architecture, and the people of this great city that the world is enthusiastically returning to or visiting for the first time.I do love this city.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Can you give me an elevator pitch for the case for art fairs today, amidst so much scrutiny and financial strain?&nbsp;TK: Galleries carry the burden for much of this industry, as they are funding their art fair participation, their artists work and exhibitions, staffing, rent, and daily operating expenses—we are ever mindful of this. However, there is something special about the convening moment of an art fair that brings collectors and curators and art enthusiasts together in one location to both experience and ultimately purchase artwork.Even with the current art fair overload, I believe if you do it right—gathering a great list of dealers and venue, a commitment to thoughtful and relevant programming, and layering the support of the cultural institutions and leaders of a city—then you have a perfect environment for galleries to succeed.&nbsp;EXPO CHICAGO benefits from all of the above, and although we cannot guarantee sales, we work hard to build a fair or exposition that hopefully does that and support the long term development of a gallery’s program. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: How many cups of coffee do you have a day during the fair?&nbsp;&nbsp;TK: I was a coffee drinker for most of my life but just changed to tea. Simple answer:&nbsp;lots. I will probably have a tea bag in my pocket at all times.&nbsp;CGN: What’s the first thing you will do when the fair wraps up?&nbsp;&nbsp;TK: Start on the next one.&nbsp;Top image: Justin Barbin, EXPO CHICAGO 2017 Vernissage.