Andi Crist: Live Laugh Labor

Thoughts on usefulness and other myths

Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) presents the first solo museum exhibition by multi-disciplinary artist Andi Crist, titled "Live, Laugh, Labor: Thoughts on Usefulness and Other Myths,” Oct.16, 2025 – Jan. 11, 2026. An opening reception will take place from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16 with remarks from the artist. 

Recently named one of Newcity’s 2025 Breakout Artists, Crist now presents her first major museum exhibition. The show features sculptures, drawings, and ceramic works from the past five years that explore the artist’s role as an arts worker. 

In this upcoming exhibition, Crist’s work prompts broader questions about labor, authenticity, and the shifting recognition of human effort in society today. Drawing inspiration from her career as a professional art handler and fabricator, this exhibit navigates the boundaries and relationships between work, play, and practice. 

“Andi Crist’s playful and humorous work challenges us to consider pressing cultural questions: What is the worth of human labor in an era of cheap goods and artificial intelligence, and what does it mean to ‘make’ in a world where so much work is hidden?” — Justin Witte, Director and Curator of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art

In this solo exhibition, Crist utilizes various media, including woodworking, ceramics, leather craft, and mold-making/casting. These pieces showcase Crist’s technical skill and wit, while offering a playful perspective on the roles and representations of an artist as a worker. 

In Crist’s work “Ladder” the artist has hand-crafted an a-frame ladder appears at first familiar. The work has conventional ladder rungs on one side, but the other side is abruptly shortened and terminates in two handholds carved to fit Crist’s own hands. The piece only functions when Crist physically intervenes: she straps herself to one side, holding the structure steady above her head so another person can climb. That literal dependence makes the work a wry interrogation of the “ladder” as a metaphor for upward mobility and hierarchical progress. Crist transforms a ubiquitous image of success, rungs, ranks, reaching the top, into a staged dependency: she is simultaneously the wall the ladder leans on, the support that enables advancement, and a laborer charging for her service. The work folds wordplay and labor politics together, asking who holds us up and what we pay for that support. 

Andi Crist is a Chicago-based artist whose practice explores the intersections of urban environments, community and transformation. Known for her innovative use of found materials and construction techniques, Crist reimagines everyday objects and spaces, often incorporating elements of sustainability and reuse in her work. Her installations are immersive, encouraging viewers to reconsider the world around them and engage with their surroundings in new ways. Through both solo projects and collaborations with other artists, Crist’s work highlights the beauty and resilience of urban life, while challenging viewers to reflect on issues of ecology, community and collective responsibility. 

Her pieces have been featured in Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago, Roots & Culture, and the Chicago Athletic Association. Recently, Crist was named as Newcity’s 2025 Breakout Artist’s issue. Crist graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she gained her wood and fabrication knowledge while also freelancing as an art handler. In 2010, Crist founded Autotelic, a non-profit arts organization that serves artists on the northwest side of Chicago by creating affordable workspaces and exhibitions. 

“Live, Laugh, Labor: Thoughts on Usefulness and Other Myths” is curated by Justin Witte, Director and Curator of the CCMA. The exhibition will be on view Oct. 16, 2025 - Jan. 11, 2026. Admission is free. CCMA is open Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and one hour prior to MAC Performance Series concerts. For more information, visit TheCCMA.org  and follow along at @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt

For expert insight into the exhibition’s themes, tune in to CleveCast, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art’s new podcast, where Justin Witte hosts conversations with special guests including curators, artists, and scholars for behind-the-scenes stories and deep dives into the museum’s exhibitions. His interview with Crist can be found on the CCMA website at theccma.org/clevecast

Related Exhibition Events and Programming

---Opening reception Thursday, Oct. 16, 5 – 7 p.m. Remarks from the artist. Light refreshments and cash bar. This event is free and open to the public.

---CCMA Chief Curator Justin Witte will give a curator talk and tour of the exhibition Saturday, Oct. 18, 6:30 – 7 p.m. The event is free. Advance registration is not required