West Town, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Kinzie Corridor, Humboldt Park

West Town

Wisconsin

IL • MI • IN

West Loop, Fulton Market, East Garfield Park

West Loop and West Side

Evanston, The North Shore, Northern, Western and Southern Suburbs

Suburbs

Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Roscoe Village, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Uptown, Edgewater, Andersonville, Rogers Park

North Side

Michigan Avenue, Streeterville, The Gold Coast, The Loop, and South Loop

Michigan Avenue

Pilsen, Bridgeport, Chinatown, plus Hyde Park, Jackson Park/Dorchester, and Bronzeville

South Side

Superior and Franklin streets, West Chicago Ave, and down to Merchandise Mart and the River

River North

Industrial Design Senior Show, University of Illinois, Urbana - Champaign

Chicago Photography Student CompetitionLatinx

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mooneyfoundation.org/latest" target="_blank">Details</a> to come

Lennart Anderson: A Retrospective

Marcus Kennedy's mural opens in less than two weeks at Facility! <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://artsoflife.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=676dcf6750de4694fd657fca1&amp;id=88e1e7de3b&amp;e=ed6a12e728" target="_blank">Marcus Kennedy</a>&nbsp;will be installing his first public mural on the facade of Facility! Join us for the opening reception in conjunction with&nbsp;Lucy Slivinski, Bonne Journée! In the Land of Love!

Open hours with the guest curators

In Gallery I and II, Goldfinch proudly presents&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://goldfinchgallery.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=857fcb5b671b71824107951c2&amp;id=90d13260c4&amp;e=eea4831c04" target="_blank">We Are Our People/Listen to This</a>,&nbsp;a two-part solo exhibition of new mixed-media works from Chicago-based artist Damon Locks.&nbsp;We Are Our People/Listen to This&nbsp;marks Locks' third solo exhibition at Goldfinch. In Gallery I,&nbsp;We Are Our People&nbsp;showcases a series of mixed-media works where Locks uses a blend of ink, pencil, and collage elements on wood panels to create intricate, layered narratives. Each piece emphasizes the individuality of its subjects, drawing attention to how each portrait interacts within the collective. "The hand remains distinctly present in the gesture of the mark-making," Locks notes, while the&nbsp;dynamic interplay of heavy marks and collaged materials invokes a sense of movement--like a poem that reveals more with each recitation--prompting viewers to consider how connections between forms allow for expression and weight. The exhibition's title derives from a piece of writing (shared below) that Locks began performing during music shows in late 2024, as&nbsp;politics, death, and hatred took on a more tsunami-like presence in the United States. In Gallery II,&nbsp;Listen to This&nbsp;features hand-drawn collages that emerged from the comic and graphic novel-making classes Locks taught at Stateville Correctional Center.&nbsp;This body of work transcends traditional comic forms, encouraging viewers to explore fractured narratives and abstract expressions. "These pieces became visual analogs to my sonic adventures, hence the title," Locks shares, illustrating how his artistic practice merges visual and auditory elements. The collages are rich with layered meanings, mirroring the complexity of the stories he encountered while teaching.&nbsp; ﻿A limited edition 7" record featuring two exclusive tracks created for this event will also be available.Damon Locks: We Are Our People/Listen to This&nbsp;runs March 23 through May 3, 2025. The exhibition's opening reception takes place on Sunday, March 23 from 2-5pm. Stay tuned for information and dates of exhibition related public programs. Artist's BioDamon Locks is a Chicago-based visual artist, educator, and vocalist/musician. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA in fine arts. Since 2014 he has been working with the Prisons and Neighborhood Arts Project at Stateville Correctional Center teaching art. He is a 2025 recipient of the Creative Capital Award. In 2017 he became a Soros Justice Media Fellow. He received the Helen Coburn Meier and Tim Meier Achievement Award in the Arts in 2015. In 2019, he became a 3Arts Awardee. Locks spent four years as an artist in residence as a part of the MCA Chicago's SPACE Program, introducing civically engaged art into the curriculum at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy High School. He teaches Improvisation in the Sound Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Damon Locks leads the Black Monument Ensemble, is a member of New Future City Radio, Exploding Star Orchestra and co-founded the band The Eternals.

Damon Locks: We Are Our People / Listen To This

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com/_t/c/A1020005-18332C357BDDAF0E-918824F4?l=AADJS8kMn5yC1ATtKLL7jsbI4DhOq8Bde1HY%2FxlOn4XuKBNOE91ReQIZsIb3Ijw8MgHJUjgoKhEq8zm1rm%2Fscz9P5HGNs%2BPSKqWnyrXZqVS3dVODrfqgY52YVhaItTkgVA8MzCJ5k9v0CBeGwIYFlkb4khp65VGJ2Dh2cejzjC1LHqv0gpBNU89mDbyDBnXcfkWcIZ5qVt26OpPFzdjd2pkXMTSdtNptB8GDMvfMdVWL8uP3b%2FjX7jgQ0qVEFKVSKClXyLKhnnNX5Eruszwl73XUlg0kKHcIgta3lvkCMWZZ%2BJgzvhJb6djtlAXXTY%2Fp6s3j%2FV8jibC0uMYGdPhtaowUpYpLPJg03Zcnmypx38C%2BKcZsR3%2BhaRr1snGfrZ%2FA6yRuXPwueWNyEogSgceur43bjY0taIdBlFUMB%2BPEgK%2BongFlL%2Fvry6noAsceOcSUB4IPDrtR9HTjrJmWw%2BLZxR1yc68R74yVAEtlf551AClDGezl%2Foip3IEF58PygWgf50HrSMgyBw0UJDXoVNsQsRuNFnk9F9o54xYyh%2FTY4zLMA3lIqDmbPNvLQkPcfWqqPw67AY2h%2Fu%2BOAzN0%2F9NPiIAxIfZEw1R2QNzb3sIxKXUyAZd0hzJNYM%2BOqMzTcm9RS6okZVubn76LPuwQqrQzR4m45O3FJULwAu458xn8y8wYD8CBe2ASUKO79lMz3tXHVtiNqnkSb6zdf1lz6B8bbXqjAc1tAxtBYZbk9zpghaq1TUXqFsK9ASu5NBuT4rzh0EQGeywQGIdhmBCkRRKwZIcUzS8mF8dModjtxjKf1UaYzhGaEHns%2BOU%2FAfgX6ymuis790lxCoHHQAdM%2BfczkNeYskYcX6%2BzZBRv%2FH9YOawh1mYZqWCYG2TYeLL48DXnqLwt4GaJkjfcRZU0i&amp;c=AAD%2BieRETgZPT9O7zkEG0EXMiHQUMOG1jFd%2BUhN%2Fq8q9mHsst5l8BBpdv4Ol7H9w0fvQpDE8n6LT8TKYVz6ndPxB0I9kkmkqqb7lFYjxJp%2FGYBthQidevC43N5N2CNOwFU2SSoqOraEZhtuFR%2BT1%2FkAyjOH8jxAI7IgBsdyM6cdVo5gx%2FGpk7aIDFS1pO2UraIau0PDgS7%2FgNsC81mRNPv6TmQivp6yVL9v5mQ7s22ihTORtIiIW0AssjqalhoXcizrJcTfUwCT2ltX3b1UNz17RAe0zHTPxgWEwFaEToe%2BmEu%2B1Aiqkrgl8HRL5Jc7O8H09RksuU35mqz6AjDwHvOMQzwc%2Bm66SOfKB%2FihXTcmWgr1ZSbxuwP0cwtTt5C14%2F9tzV5F9%2FG69f9uTHlVC675qynxuaIBTy0kl3Goqeul9c%2BRtr8Vh6cQ8h9RMw%2BxQugVPiuQiFYRuWGzpQ7%2BkaSGZyBSN%2BqN51iWp%2FSfL36J6tYtbdcxRE3BgWGraLttjpRRSdAWATiPhf5UCpUUCRL8CujMdkAAuuNfUqgo1G3WWICB%2FiKaIsgFy0DDWSOrwDjT6IOAvF52XplTooXIqGfljycY8X3OiLvEzvNYjJoIzMx3EfKQJ8BjH2hK8ixFUBF4aIFiMrn5gzcjRgR7%2F%2F83dtSY6XMDzKMJS9LXn5PhVro%2BsKUf%2BXZ4ShMwrdVAEqA%3D%3D" target="_blank">@jennyhiser</a>&nbsp;is a Chicago-based artist whose dynamic work blends aerosol, acrylics, silkscreen, and 3D elements into a vibrant celebration of color and creativity. Inspired by urban and street art, Jenny’s work is a paws-itively stunning mix of detail and artistic freedom with a pop art twist.&nbsp; Her second solo show at Chicago Truborn, "Rescue Me", is a fur-tastic tribute to the world’s most beloved famous dogs (and cats!), reimagined in her bold &amp; signature style. She's also debuting her brand new line of dog collars and leashes. We'll have S, M, &amp; L collars and three different leashes with Jenny's art so even your dog can Become a Collector!! But this show isn’t just about featuring and fetching great art—it’s about making a real impact. In partnership with&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com/_t/c/A1020005-18332C357BDDAF0E-918824F4?l=AAD9fuBYMdOdudG1v1fH%2BDjeE%2BtJoX53d8KwdDd%2FEKno5AChvKf5%2Bss%2Fxs8SSXrUXZ7RzP9b8v%2BzoNbkuFXwp%2BApQEsctRVGtuZbpMY6VoU140RZgVXfu4Db%2FJjJsUS3c37N3RdHat5Pno2ivXavULrMn9u5cPXMOZhpjk1MlDk8BUpOYeAwnaRkqeYhiWUyeQGk8TP%2Be6oGB6%2FpPuH2yR0F95i%2F%2BvIsfrVT8zQNvU8yMy2mX9pngZ9QJMLlsBmqcKl44ZbzJx2zHUKT%2BS%2FWQQ2ZsSS08b71k1o3ijlX98%2FTP5lZiX%2FoGO%2BF2ZoCOTAdgT6SjEYdKtYkkq447evVSM0%2FlGC%2F4%2F1TxiPKl9RCv69FcjhgGpJLjgDidCHlseBBry63Yx4wjf1yD0scw5PE2xdDOdh4zjfCsbKrXuqYvbhcibFJyBcNl0geqqdOWQkLjOh2DmBbrIpUCqOO9R51a0jZED8ECG23oCNZxewjlXPRsRA7kEGoKkGa6cfFn5lGLB6C%2F4AFk09N5z4Qa261iYv0OHVpucqtD7pm4YuYzBhGauMNfP7vs4oIV8zYxmvGODGiG31u0jlqKbbW3AhXomyCtmfuD18aWMCeXI8kGZNWlxmR5oG8uScw9TVU18%2FPfXt4kVil2Moak5n6FziGkPCKaha7Gnxan0KL05Io0V5qUpYtthPLI7MxW%2BrGjPOzWCqLGeAfRq4SOqhfJZcqVZp8niUzKjdP%2FY5YRIWMm0e8HZyzfazl94zQgWQhXzu%2B%2B6KXgzfAbiOBX9peN%2FrMMfH71p4zbQ0vqlmaG%2FC0EuM%2FV26rilEXdfN5HtYtjky2IDzuMiJEpFzQ01Sfgq7rympC600die%2Ftn6a%2FdSFUTVjhvpAr%2FzC6crJMCjcpIon5CdLtIeGg5sM%2BtgCw42PetQ%3D%3D&amp;c=AADpeONDlXuigm9nSWklhBn7CniC%2BaoNqbGcpIhhnZA%2B4NPlPSZW3iwAhdz26UBsm1ugo%2B%2FCvlAD8wpYlPt9LcBYLxWLk12%2BJB5zu6hgawxXBppxMFPYe7YcDMxSjVW1QAPL9YCHaHkOFzKr43YRmpnTbHXh9Pddrt6c6t5fEGbM2fGXJPrDFxqXd4la3VVwWk6jq2ZP48bbCiDZ1mPtP0gn3R746wuev26qmqf3E9s9R%2FSkSfGtT4JaxzJHD9tT%2FsdPfTqe36iUbgjnWrmlwbAt17xQEiJUkt%2BI3FGysQEel91TEfP5jka0zlxooqgg3THr5%2BUsZTzl1j8ZrGKyeCttA8VZ7CxoIAOfsraPOsaScd84sjYhkk%2Fg4i8cdfgxdHD4cBqWzOTmjW9459bHvKeKhgZYHxjyigOeflSctqh%2BR6aJuknEQ0JLnKQhq1sIiaT2JM9HoYc0IN07EKnZ8iBZJlHry7Zx8DWWiERS%2BMn7jMupGHl27Mwxy%2Bp05qfzS8MKIoyjVzs%2Fq59s8JUTQW3IrOXJoB94hAWS5tiV2%2BVHqZYLifvWwoSr%2FFPzO21k5JJfhlYu7C5THJwdpyBx3qkpiYwCHuyBmtXFAxbNE8yoov%2Bx2ROkhUI4tQ3lvLoybgv%2F%2F1n46mewUbHNEovZLBO9b7icz5sWRHpnDN%2FNKMqMfjzWs1EZZQkv5EjgHAkUUQ%3D%3D" target="_blank">@onetailatatime</a>&nbsp;, we’re hosting a&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(225, 5, 5);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com/_t/c/A1020005-18332C357BDDAF0E-918824F4?l=AAC19sjO6nPmvMd9gTIWHE4a3dzdekTAqZXLEsZc%2F1WTZy4cpJJJaVkJWXE9ObctvKKf4J9X96NOgx9XhFF21CHQ1pkBzIewRCodjHcPn0Ywk2i6u5dmCR5%2BGTTEWlczxO5m%2FJ7nVoUEd5bFRTDNPYZh3nYvQGGGA1HeYMkB%2BVQkOcN8xChJ&amp;c=AAAfb8UkJBiWt6IFQjQQGnQr23hLHEGIdJsMbUuzPGGLCa2MW9tjNQw%2BHibWT%2BO0ADknRvM9BegW7dSKILK6SOAqymq5wpFRC2T2Oo5NIQGYwwdWcsySL1AthYoKTUn2M9f12ohPEd2N2Sj0%2BI%2BchGA34y0beybm%2FU3iA%2FFCpA9N22PgokxvrebUaBxPslPq6AjkybNExXzf9QPIgsZYZFh6zHUQ458i17Ma7MhTjmACbKiP95jaohXcohhtkz9Kelw3mCqd8QIdnXnX3%2BKoNuawz2NMVZccOf0N35yfZ0n%2FMXGK5Hqz10Kt6Y6e9srqlk2DK%2FSsgW2uvr0Q%2Fkji2TnwyGoKWMgEtCWZiI%2BTWX9NbEVOZwfya7RKnmbHqXVZaN1POLE9Jbyy8%2B9obrjoKVpZlpEXxNQT%2FjH8EzeKiSjArBGWR3kdH1WSnimsyAMUlrB2%2FMLtl%2FV%2BTex7EOkb63y%2BLRqYwGGHkFKpUsq0AxxdkruaQWTFFoeheUcl7isn9cZdp89VbXay39htoHwSPvMkJwC3In7YrnsUlOcdvv8pXeDrbYjBaqUTUzZJdo40vDJ7lzLcBQV9FPtfDtZYWHvVJuGfO5W58G6dBtzWkDJhf35eVJtzj%2BPS7IZmp8Yfi9rx3uzDzfzyA2qV75fGkvhYwqYFvBNhUu%2BVvC%2Bw1wg8uMTNRPXJSo38kMJrCde3Mg%3D%3D" target="_blank">two-week raffle&nbsp;</a>with kick ass neighborhood offerings to support OTAT’s incredible mission of fostering and finding forever homes for pets in need. 100% of the raffle will go to OTAT.&nbsp; AND...SAVE THE DATE - Saturday, 4/19, two weeks into this show, OTAT will be here live in the gallery for our first ever on site adoption event!!! The raffle winners will also be announced at this time : Two events, one place to find it all

Rescue Me: Jenny Hiser Solo Show

Epiphany Center for the Arts | Guild Room201 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago&nbsp;60607In a group exhibition focused on care, COME AS YOU ARE&nbsp;addresses how we care for ourselves and each other and asks:&nbsp;In what ways can the creative process be an act of healing for our communities and ourselves?&nbsp;What conversations can be created through collaborative making?&nbsp;Through this exhibition, artists utilize a diversity of fiber/textile media to illustrate their visions of collective care. The participating artists originally connected through their intersecting community and artistic practices.&nbsp;There was a shared desire to “do more,” whether that meant exploring new media, participating in liberatory work, or simply having the time to hang out together. This exhibition is a point of reset. In the way it presented the artists an opportunity to re-examine their relationships with their mediums, viewers are invited to&nbsp;come as you are, reflect on one’s needs and “to-do” lists, and just&nbsp;be&nbsp;in the space together.&nbsp;Curated by Abby Linatoc Mendoza. Participating artists include Michael Baja Anderson, Abby Linatoc Mendoza, Ash Nañoz, Abbey Poniente MonsaludFor more information, go to: www.epiphanychi.comPhoto Credit: Epiphany Center for the Arts

Come as You Are: On Care, For Ourselves and Each Other

Hilton Contemporary is proud to announce sponsorship of GENRE, the newest gallery at the Morgan Arts Complex, focused on bringing an array of artistic and musical works (ROCK n ROLL)&nbsp;for all to view in one unique space.&nbsp;&nbsp;GENRE&nbsp;will connect the different eras of rock music into a space where people of all ages can experience the best the art world has to offer.&nbsp;&nbsp;GENRE&nbsp;begins its journey with an exclusive exhibition by Oscar Winner&nbsp;Bernie Taupin,&nbsp;one of the most acclaimed and successful lyricists of all time. On display will be Bernie’s limited edition collection celebrating his, and Sir Elton John’s, 50 year partnership.&nbsp; Saturday, April 5th&nbsp;6:00 pm - 9:00 pm hors d'oeuvres, wine and&nbsp;music, MORGAN ARTS COMPLEX3622 S Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60609 <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1744057530/ccfyhnjeku0t96np0f42.jpg">

Genre

Please join us for an Artist's Talk and Closing ReceptionWe are pleased to present a conversation between Artists Damon Locks and Andres L.&nbsp;HernandezA&nbsp;Closing Reception&nbsp;for Damon Locks' Exhibition "We Are Our People / Listen To This" will follow until 4pmNo RSVP necessary - We look forward to seeing you!<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://goldfinchgallery.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=857fcb5b671b71824107951c2&amp;id=acb8191a95&amp;e=eea4831c04" target="_blank">Andres L. Hernandez</a>&nbsp;is a conceptual artist and educator who explores models for imagining and existing otherwise. Inspired by the cultural, knowledge, and spatial production of African-descent peoples, his practice encompasses collaborative, socially-engaged, and independent artmaking.⁠⁠Hernandez’s projects include individual and collaborative commissions for Threewalls, University of Arizona, Venice Architecture Biennale, and Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Washington University in St. Louis. With Dark Adaptive, he co-developed performances for The Drawing Center, Graham Foundation, MoMA, Sharjah Biennial, and Performa.⁠Hernandez’s residencies include MCA Chicago’s SPACE program at Curie High School and University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative, and he has received awards from 3Arts and Efroymson Family Fund. He is an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.⁠<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://goldfinchgallery.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=857fcb5b671b71824107951c2&amp;id=262496dfaf&amp;e=eea4831c04" target="_blank">Damon Locks</a>&nbsp;is a Chicago-based visual artist, educator, vocalist/musician. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA in fine arts. Since 2014 he has been working with the Prisons and Neighborhood Arts Project at Stateville Correctional Center teaching art. He is a 2025 recipient of the Creative Capital Award. In 2017 he became a Soros Justice Media Fellow. He received the Helen Coburn Meier and Tim Meier Achievement Award in the Arts in 2015. In 2019, he became a 3Arts Awardee. He spent 4 years as an artist in residence as a part of the Museum of Contemporary Arts’ SPACE Program, introducing civically engaged art into the curriculum at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy High School. He teaches Improvisation in the Sound Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As well as being a solo musician, Damon leads the Black Monument Ensemble, is a member of New Future City Radio, Exploding Star Orchestra and co-founded the band The Eternals.⁠⁠Damon Locks photo credit: zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://goldfinchgallery.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=857fcb5b671b71824107951c2&amp;id=478fa8a5f3&amp;e=eea4831c04" target="_blank">For additional exhibition views and information about "We Are Our People/Listen to This," please visit our website.</a>

Closing Reception for Damon Locks' Exhibition

A project by Mariane Ibrahim in collaboration with FUMI On view APRIL 22 - MAY 3, 2025 Wednesday, April 23: 6 PM I Conversation with Gallery FUMI5 - 7 PM I Reception (rsvp only) Friday, April 25After hours: Gallery opening until 8 PM GALLERY FUMI PRESENTS:JEREMY ANDERSONSAELIA APARICIOJAMESPLUMBMAX LAMBSAM ORLANDO MILLEREELKO MOORERJOHANNES NAGELSHINTA NAKAJIMAKUSTAA SAKSILUKAS WEGWERTH MARIANE IBRAHIM ARTISTS:PETER UKADARRYL RICHARDSON <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:collect@marianeibrahim.com?subject=Ad%20Libitum%20I%20Request%20Preview" target="_blank">REQUEST PREVIEW</a> On the occasion of Expo Art week, we are pleased to announce&nbsp;Ad Libitum, a project by Mariane Ibrahim. Featuring the work of artists and designers exploring the themes of improvisation, and materiality, and on view from April 22 – May 3, 2025, the exhibition connects the works of Nigerian painter Peter Uka, special guests Mexico City-based photographer Darryl Richardson and London’s Gallery FUMI.&nbsp;Ad Libitum, or "at one's pleasure", will create a space of material experimentation. "Ad Libitum," meaning both “at one’s pleasure” and a musical call to improvisation, serves as a metaphor for the convergence of artists, designers, and friends of the gallery. The presentation unveils a celebration of friendship, collective spirit, craftmanship and cultural multiplicity.&nbsp; Gallery FUMI marks its Chicago debut by presenting a curated selection of works from its designers and artists.&nbsp; <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://website-marianeibrahimgallery.artlogic.net/viewing-room/115/?_preview_uid=b52911138919469db6c53b432f8d3cfd&amp;version=ece1ba" target="_blank">EXHIBITION VIEWING ROOM</a>

Ad Libitum

2842 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622An exploration of how art and the self transform through an intuitive artistic process The Chicago Grand Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Echo Mutation, featuring the compelling works of Michelle Stone, Jeff Crisman, and David Hauptschein. This exhibition invites audiences to engage with art that is as much about the process as the final creation. Through their distinct yet interconnected approaches, these three artists explore intuitive art-making—embracing spontaneity, chance, and the subconscious in their work. This exhibition is an invitation to pause, look, and truly experience. What do you see? Art is often framed within the constraints of branding and self-promotion, yet Stone, Crisman, and Hauptschein break free from these boundaries, allowing their artistic journeys to unfold organically. Their work is a testament to the power of relinquishing control and trusting the process. Each artist approaches transformation uniquely, yet all share a common thread of reinterpreting form and perspective:<ul><li>Jeff Crisman navigates the forest through his lens, capturing the interplay of light and shape. His photographs uncover hidden images within trees, engaging the viewer’s mind through pareidolia—the phenomenon of perceiving familiar patterns in randomness.</li><li>Michelle Stone works in a loop, reworking objects, photographs, and sculptures into new creations. Through an ongoing dialogue with her materials, she allows one medium to inspire the next, creating a fluid evolution of form and meaning.</li><li>David Hauptschein employs artificial intelligence as a tool for subconscious exploration. His digital manipulations transform original images beyond recognition, revealing the ways artificial intelligence interprets human creativity. His work embraces absurdity, pushing the boundaries of representation and perception.</li></ul> The works displayed are more than just static pieces—they are moments captured in an ongoing conversation between the artist and the creation. Each transformation represents a reinvention—a self-portrait not in likeness, but in essence. Echo Mutation is a testament to the power of authentic artistic practice and an invitation to witness the ever-evolving relationship between form and self.Join us at the Chicago Grand Gallery for the opening reception of Echo Mutation on April 4th, 2025 6:00 PM&nbsp;to 10:00 PM. Experience firsthand the immersive and intuitive journey of these three exceptional artists.This exhibition was curated by Alicja Seledec in collaboration with Luna Prysiazhniuk.&nbsp; Contact:Chicago Grand Gallery(773) 502-6010chicagograndgallery@gmail.comhttps://www.chicagograndgallery.com/

Echo Mutation

For fifty years, the Arts/Industry residency program has given space for meaningful connections between the arts and industry. At the core of those moments are the Kohler Co. factory associates—mechanics, engineers, technicians, mold makers, and many more. They work side-by-side with the artists, giving time, sharing skills and knowledge, and often opening their homes and personal lives.Lunch Break: Arts/Industry in Between celebrates that powerful exchange between artist and associate through artwork made in the factory. It brings forward the conversations and relationships that happen as a result of making art.This exhibition focuses on artwork made by residency artists that celebrates the associates or that exemplifies the cooperative learning that takes place at the factory. The works on view are drawn primarily from the Arts/Industry collections of JMKAC and Kohler Co. Each artist gifts one work to each organization at the end of their residency,Art objects made by associates while on break from their duties or after hours are also shown. In addition, a selection of artist gifts to associates will be on display. It is not uncommon for artists to thank associates by giving them small works of art created during the residencies.The art made in the factory over the half century of the Arts/Industry program is special—but the kinship between artists and associates is what makes this residency extraordinary.Artists featured include Ann Agee, Michelle Grabner, Patrick Earl Hammie, Sarah Khan, Tom LaDousa, Jack Earl, Beth Lipman, Karen Massaro, Richard Notkin, Risa Puno, Nirmal Raja, David Ross Harper, Laurel Roth Hope, and Timea Tihanyi, among others.Image: Joe DiStefano, (from left) Saturday: It's Your Turn To Do The Dishes Ralph. Sure, Nadine, 1976; vitreous china, metal, and glaze; 20 5/8 x 25 1/4 x 15 1/8 in., Friday: Is That Lipstick On Your Collar, Ralph?, 1976; vitreous china, metal, and glaze; 20 5/8 x 25 1/4 x 15 1/8 in. John Michael Kohler Arts Center Collection, gift of the artist.

Lunch Break: Arts/Industry in Between

The Chicagoland non-profit&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://artsoflife.org/" target="_blank">Arts of Life</a>&nbsp;continues celebrating its&nbsp;25thAnniversary&nbsp;year with its upcoming&nbsp;Circle Contemporary&nbsp;exhibition titled&nbsp;What they said. Circle Contemporary is a rotating exhibition gallery space housed in the Arts of Life Chicago studio (2010 W Carroll Ave.), featuring recent works from Arts of Life artists and guest contemporary artists.&nbsp;What they said&nbsp;is guest curated by&nbsp;acclaimed artists&nbsp;Nick Cave&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bob Faust&nbsp;and opens with a public reception with the artists on Friday,&nbsp;March 28 from 5-9pm. With locations in Chicago (West Town and Woodlawn) and North Shore (Glenview), Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their independence.&nbsp;Circle Contemporary is an extension of the Arts of Life studios' efforts to strengthen its creative community, aiming to provide a space and outlet for artistic inspiration and exploration. Featured artists in&nbsp;What they said&nbsp;include:&nbsp;John Bateman, Shenequa Brooks, Saumitra Chandratreya, Joel Ebner, Dan Gamble, Ted Gram-Boarini, Ted Hamel, David Krueger, Lawrence M., Tim Stone, James Schenck, Lisa Solar, Oly Trindl, Maria Vanik, Frank Vega&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jean Wilson. “We are overjoyed to be working with Bob and Nick on&nbsp;What they said,” shares Arts of Life Co-Founder and Executive Director&nbsp;Denny Fisher.&nbsp;“For 25 years, Arts of Life has worked to support the careers of our artists with disabilities. Collaborating with internationally recognized artists like Bob and Nick plays an essential role in increasing our artists’ opportunities for professional development and increased visibility.” Prolific artist and designer&nbsp;Bob Faust&nbsp;was inspired by the formal qualities of Arts of Life artists’ recent work. Faust&nbsp;said, “For&nbsp;What they said, Nick and I are making artwork selections based on the feelings that come up when we experience them. Whether it's a clash of color, build-up of material or an intensity coming through repetitive mark-making, each has a way of getting under the skin."&nbsp; Throughout its 25th anniversary year, Arts of Life looks back at its history, celebrates its impact, and casts eyes toward its future.&nbsp;What they said&nbsp;follows the recent launch of a new artwork-filled hardcover book,&nbsp;2wenty 5ive – Arts of Life 2000-2025, a&nbsp;retrospective highlighting the organization’s history of supporting artists with disabilities. After the book’s national launch at the&nbsp;Outsider Art Fair&nbsp;(February 27-March 2, 2025), the 25th&nbsp;anniversary year continues with&nbsp;a dedicated exhibition at the&nbsp;Design Museum of&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;(August 11-September 30, 2025)&nbsp;and correlating&nbsp;Art on theMART&nbsp;feature projection (September 11-October 6, 2025); and the&nbsp;Arts of Life annual Benefit Art Auction&nbsp;(October 3, 2025). More information on Arts of Life and current and upcoming galleries and programming can be found at <a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://artsoflife.org/" target="_blank">artsoflife.org</a> About the CuratorsArtist and designer&nbsp;Bob Faust&nbsp;(b. 1967, Chicago, IL; lives and works in Chicago, IL)&nbsp;crafts work with typography at its core and viscerality on its surface. Faust has also been the principle and creative director of Faust, a cultural branding studio, for over 30 years. He makes his work with purpose first—to inform, empower, and/or instigate in the service and celebration of human difference.&nbsp;His conceptual art practice defies categorization and genre, with text, patterns, and the ideas of surprise and discovery emerging as throughlines.&nbsp;In addition,&nbsp;Faust is the professional and personal partner of artist Nick Cave. Together they founded&nbsp;Facility: a non-profit multi-use creative space in Chicago that seeks to build community and change the world through art and design. Nick Cave&nbsp;(b. 1959, Fulton, MO; lives and works in Chicago, IL) is an artist, educator and foremost a messenger, working between the visual and performing arts through a wide range of mediums including sculpture, installation, video, sound and performance. Cave is well known for his Soundsuits, sculptural forms based on the scale of his body, initially created in direct response to the police beating of Rodney King in 1991. Soundsuits camouflage the body, masking and creating a second skin that conceals race, gender and class, forcing the viewer to look without judgment. They serve as a visual embodiment of social justice that represent both brutality and empowerment. About Arts of LifeArts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership. Arts of Life is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in January 2000 with a shared vision: to create a working, person-centric, artistic community while providing a work environment of equality in Chicago. Motivated by founding artist Veronica Cuculich along with two co-founders Arts of Life brought nine other individuals with developmental disabilities to create the organization. Their shared vision grew from a passion for artistic expression and a need for an alternative system.For artists at Arts of Life, a career in the visual arts is an opportunity for meaningful employment. Each artist has their own studio space and works independently from individualized project plans or receives one on one visual arts facilitation to increase their artistic skill set. Artists also receive 60% of art sales. Today, Arts of Life has two professional art studios and represent over 80 artists with varying levels of physical and intellectual disabilities. Each studio is 6,000 square feet and includes a community gallery that is open to the public. For more information on Arts of Life and its programs, visit&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://artsoflife.org/" target="_blank">artsoflife.org</a>. Connect with Arts of Life on<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://facebook.com/artsoflife" target="_blank">Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://instagram.com/the_arts_of_life" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://youtube.com/artsoflife" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.

 What they said

Teralyn Brown: MFA Thesis Exhibition

Epiphany Center for the Arts | Sacristy Gallery201 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago&nbsp;60607The word ‘thread’ is often used to represent continuity -&nbsp;of an idea, a theme, a life.&nbsp;The simple repetitive action of interlocking threads and joining pieces to create something that is handed down among generations, chronicles the continuum of life. For Louise Pappageorge, her proclaimed “obsessive relationship” with the making of cloth and lace structures blossomed in her childhood through skills she learned from her grandmother and mother. Pappageorge states:&nbsp;“The drawing of threads connects me across shared generational labors to the greater multigenerational consciousness of womankind, whose structures have preserved humanity through the creation of magnificent cloths.” In&nbsp;Feral Laces and Off the Wall Doilies, Pappageorge’s works of found and newly created lace and crochet structures initiate a visual rebellion, as she&nbsp;investigates the realms of feminism through artistic exploration that dismantles preconceived boundaries while challenging the traditional demarcation between craft and fine art. In a gender-biased society, craft-based work often tied to women is dismissed as merely functional or decorative, while ‘fine art’ disproportionately celebrates creations by white male artists.Combining lace, knitted, and crocheted materials with gleaming metal leaf and patinated finishes, Pappageorge’s artwork suggests fine sculptural works, as if created from cast metal. In their final form her sculpture departs from the ethereal and fragile nature of lace structures, delicately born from the hands of women throughout time. Instead, they become dynamic expressions of contradiction and embody the multifaceted nature of “women’s work” and artistic creation. With architecture as a backdrop, these fabrics break free from the constraints of tradition, turn feral and transcend conventional boundaries. Viewers are invited into an unfamiliar dimension where the intricacies of lace and crochet unfold, while straying from the stigma that often relegates utilitarian creations to the periphery. In this merger of materials, these undomesticated laces become seductive adorations of long held traditions and the labors of women over the millennia.For more information, go to: www.epiphanychi.comPhoto credit: Louise Pappageorge

Louise Pappageorge: Feral Laces And Off the Wall Doilies

Epiphany Center for the Arts | Slemmons Gallery201 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago&nbsp;60607&nbsp;Through fantastical reimagining of scientific subjects,&nbsp;SYMBIOSIS&nbsp;examines what unites all living beings outside of strict hierarchies and binary definitions.&nbsp;For billions of years, life on earth has existed in a multiplicity of forms. Through both process and materials, Mats Dahlberg explores the interdependence of disparate organisms, the beauty and violence of nature and regeneration, and the lessons we can learn from it. Contrary to the belief that Queer identities are a modern concept, humans have exhibited behaviors now attributed to queerness since ancient times. Nature, with its vast diversity, shows that restrictive definitions are based on fear, not truth. Queerness, Dahlberg states:&nbsp;“Is as deep as fungal mycelium networks, as powerful as the constant toil of tectonic movements, and as intricate as the dance of worker bees through the hive.” Inspired by drag nightlife performance, Dahlberg uses bold colors, intricate designs, and avant-garde creations to defy fashion norms in their costume design. They blend fine art and traditional craft techniques, adorning doilies from their Great Grandmother with beads and rhinestones to honor those of marginalized genders who cultivated craft practices like embroidery and crochet. Their costume work challenges viewers to imagine life forms beyond the human self and explore the possibilities of the noncorporeal, trans body.For more information, go to: www.epiphanychi.comPhoto credit:&nbsp;Mats Dahlberg

Mats Dahlberg: Symbiosis

Eric Lebofsky is a visual artist, writer, and musician who lives in the suburbs of Chicago. Lebofsky received an undergraduate degree in visual art from Columbia University, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Previous solo and group exhibitions include Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, Chicago; Sears Peyton Gallery, New York and Los Angeles; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Adam Baumgold Gallery, New York; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; and Western Exhibitions, Chicago. Image: Eric Lebofsky - "Presence", 2025, acrylic / colored pencil / graphite / pine / canvas, 20½ x 16½ in.

Eric Lebofsky: Liminality Blue

Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present&nbsp;Under All is the Land, a group exhibition featuring 37 works by 23 artists. The exhibition explores the deep, complex relationships individuals and communities have with land. Juried by Donna R. Charging, the exhibition considers land as both a physical space and a symbol of continuity—connecting generations through memory, legacy, and identity.The phrase “Under All is the Land” originates from the preamble of the&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=776feb38f1&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">Code of Ethics</a>&nbsp;by the National Association of REALTORS®, emphasizing land as a foundation for life and human connection.About the Juror:&nbsp;Donna R. Charging&nbsp;is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara). Her mother is Eastern Shoshone. Donna grew up on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming and lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She has a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has an MFA in Studio Art and Design at the University of Louisville. Donna is a Visiting Lecturer of Drawing and Painting at the University of Pittsburgh. For more information visit Donna’s website:&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=42f3abd8c2&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">https://www.donnacharging.com/</a>

Under All is the Land

﻿ENGAGE Projects is pleased to announce Cameron Gainer’s solo Chicago debut with our upcoming exhibition “Temporal Dispersions.” Using the open desert as his studio space, this new photo-based work elucidates enduring themes in Gainer’s art, addressing the ineffable nature of time and the mysteries of perception—recurrent themes that span his artistic career. Over the last two decades, Gainer has combined scientific and artistic inquiry in his expansive practice. His past works include using the world’s most light-sensitive camera to capture bioluminescence, casting time out of 4-billion-year-old meteorites, and painting photo-realistic canvases based on satellite images of impact craters named for notable artists, scientists, and thinkers. A conceptual landscape artist at heart, this recent work, the Temporal Dispersions, pushes the limits of photography in what Gainer calls “an interrogation of the photographic process and the representation of landscape at the edge of form.” Working in the arroyos (seasonal riverbeds) of the Sonoran desert, Gainer begins creating these works by marking a section of land the size of the photographic material. He carefully removes the desert topsoil, which consists of insects, bones, plant material, scat, and primarily silica—the raw material from which photographic lenses are made. He then places this material in a temporary container and lays the photographic substrate onto the prepared ground. The artist then acts as a human hourglass, letting time pass as he methodically pours the removed soil onto the surface of the paper or fabric. This durational element allows the light-sensitive material underneath to slowly record the time it takes for the displaced landscape to settle and be “exposed” by the elements of gravity, wind, time, and light. The earth acts as the camera, the raw silica the lens, and the desert functions as the focal point. For the work’s final stages, Gainer removes the photographic material from the soil and returns the land to its original condition, removing any trace of a human presence. The resultant images are vibrant blue materially direct abstractions, the color of the sky and the ocean—the earth’s counterparts. Simultaneously evoking the most advanced imagery of deep space and a birds-eye view of the melting arctic ice, these meditations resonate with our contemporary ecological condition. For Gainer, the process remains a point of emphasis: he establishes the photographic conditions for an image to be formed, but the results are created by the elements and the landscape itself. Cameron Gainer is the founder of The Third Rail, an internationally distributed publication devoted to a discussion of modern and contemporary art, politics, philosophy, and culture. He has had solo museum exhibitions at The New Temporary Contemporary at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, and the Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Group exhibitions include “Spectators, Rendered and Regulated” at Koenig and Clinton Gallery New York, New York; “Midnight Party” at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; “The Paranoia of Time” at Carter &amp; Citizen Gallery, Los Angeles; “The Moon is a Lantern” at Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix; and “Portal” at McClain Gallery, Houston. Awards and fellowships include a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, Pollock-Krasner grant, James L. McKnight Fellowship, and a Jerome Foundation grant for research. Image: Cameron Gainer, Temporal Dispersion: Sonoran Landscape #10, 2023, Cyanotype on cotton, trace elements of, silica, plant materials, bone, scat, 60 x 88 inches mounted

Cameron Gainer: Temporal Dispersions

Zolla/Lieberman Gallery is pleased to present&nbsp;Behind Blue Eyes, a solo exhibition by artist René Romero Schuler. On view from April 4 to May 10, 2025, the exhibition showcases Schuler’s continued exploration of the abstract feminine form through painting and sculpture. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 4, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.Schuler is best known for her textured oil paintings, where feminine figures emerge from rich, tactile surfaces in monochromatic tones. Blending abstraction and figuration, her work examines themes of imperfection, interpretation, and intimacy while challenging societal expectations, particularly those placed on women.The title&nbsp;Behind Blue Eyes&nbsp;nods to a defining moment in Schuler’s career—her first Chicago exhibition over two decades ago. Drawing inspiration from The Who’s song of the same name, the title encapsulates her ongoing investigation of identity beneath surface appearances. This theme resonates throughout her work, where indistinct yet expressive figures serve as enduring symbols of resilience and empowerment.Featuring over 15 new paintings and sculptures,&nbsp;Behind Blue Eyes&nbsp;presents works that Schuler describes as more “curious and contemplative” than her earlier pieces. The exhibition also features a series of smaller circular paintings that emphasize the subtle, introspective quality of Schuler’s latest work. About René Romero SchulerRené Romero Schuler is an American painter and sculptor who creates powerful images that speak to the complexities of the human condition and the spirit that connects all human beings.Feminine figures are a constant in Schuler’s art, which she claims is equal parts self-portraiture and depictions of the range of emotions she has experienced. Her challenging childhood imbues her work with an appreciation for the universal yet essentially intimate struggles and triumphs of human existence. In her quest for a feeling of connection, Schuler speaks to global and societal issues that impact us all.Schuler’s paintings and sculptures are purposely semi-abstract and textured, rendering them open to interpretation by the viewer. Their power lies in the layers of applied materials scraped, carved and incised by hand and the elusive quality of the figures – wholistically beautiful but symbolic of the scars and flaws that shape individuals.Currently represented by galleries across the U.S., Canada and Europe, Schuler has had major exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, and has work included in the permanent collections of numerous museums and institutions.Schuler’s art and selected essays and poetry are collected into published works:&nbsp;René Romero Schuler: Life and Works, 2013;&nbsp;René Romero Schuler, 2016 and&nbsp;René Romero Schuler, 2019, now available in its second edition. A fourth book,&nbsp;Ladies, was published in 2023.Website:&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(30, 115, 190);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.reneromeroschuler.com/" target="_blank">https://www.reneromeroschuler.com</a>Instagram:&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(30, 115, 190);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/reneromeroschuler/" target="_blank">@reneromeroschuler</a> ﻿About&nbsp;Zolla/Lieberman GalleryZolla/Lieberman Gallery was established in 1976 by Roberta Lieberman and Robert Zolla within a then-desolate industrial neighborhood now known as the River North Gallery District. They transformed a vacant industrial space into a hub for contemporary art, laying the foundation for the thriving art community that the area is today.Now located at 325 W Huron St, William Lieberman continues to uphold the legacy of quality and professionalism established since the gallery’s founding. Z/L represents a diverse range of artists and genres that offer a dynamic view of contemporary art in Chicago. They are dedicated to providing personal attention to both beginning and established collectors, as well as other art professionals.Website:&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(30, 115, 190);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.zollaliebermangallery.com/" target="_blank">https://www.zollaliebermangallery.com</a>Instagram:&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(30, 115, 190);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/zlgallery/?hl=en" target="_blank">@zlgallery</a> Image: René Romero Schuler,&nbsp;Leona, oil on canvas, 54 x 54 in

Behind Blue Eyes

CMC's Spring Exhibition: Urbs in Myco April 11-May 10

Urbs in Myco

Windows to the Subconscious: A national juried exhibition about dreams and nightmaresSurrealist Classics from the Museum CollectionPhantasmagraphica: The Early Psychedelic Work of British Artist Douglas Binder&nbsp;or&nbsp;Nightmares of alienation in post-industrial EnglandA Deb Sokolow Sampler: 20 Years of Speculative Drawing

Mysterious Dream Suite

<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/" target="_blank">Jackson Junge Gallery</a>&nbsp;is proud to present&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry,”</a>&nbsp;a solo exhibition by Chicago photographer,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Clifton Henri</a>. This series features eight photographs representing the experience of being Black in America. So often Black Americans are told to “wait” for change. However, waiting holds “weight” and that weight is heavy. The weight and heaviness that Black people have been carrying for 100’s of years continue to pass on, essentially passing the weight/wait on to the next generation.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry”</a>&nbsp;is a collection that has now become&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri’s</a>&nbsp;most well-known and vulnerable body of work to date. <a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry”</a>&nbsp;is a series that began in 2020, a year of social unrest, racial inequities, national news stories of police brutality, and personal changes in&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri’s</a>&nbsp;life; all during a worldwide pandemic. This was a time in&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri’s</a>&nbsp;life and career where he felt it was time to get more vulnerable with his work, and create a series as a form of expression, representation, and activism. “The murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protests, the isolation of the pandemic – it was all so heavy. But I kept coming back to this idea of waiting. How we, as Black people have been told to wait for justice, for equality, for things to change. And then I started thinking about the weight of that waiting – how we carry it, how it gets passed down. That’s when I knew I had to create&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry.”</a> <a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry”</a>&nbsp;combines multiple elements of&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri’s</a>&nbsp;existing photography style as well as new additions collectors have not seen in previous works. Each photograph in this series layers texture, color, and narrative to create an entirely new concept for this series. Behind the subject of each photograph shows a textured background, most of which came from locations in Chicago, New Orleans, Ghana, and Cuba. The subject matter is the center of each photograph; all of which are children, a very intentional detail. “I feel like our children take on the burden of the inequities in our society. We do our best to protect them as they trek through life but also pass on to them a heaviness a child shouldn’t have to wear.”&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;also incorporates color and typography to not only draw the viewer in, but to additionally nod towards his background and interest in graphic design. All these elements create a new style of photography for&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>, which helps emphasize the shift in the conceptual themes for this collection.&nbsp; When creating the title piece for this series,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;wanted to translate the heaviness most Black parents feel of passing on trauma and struggle to their children.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/the-wait-we-carry" target="_blank">“The Wait We Carry”</a>&nbsp;shows a young boy looking tired and defeated while carrying a large duffle bag. Military symbolism in this piece conveys the burden passed down through generations. “War is a battle fought by those who didn’t start it. Our children walk into a world that’s already stacked against them, and we try to protect them, but we also pass on the knowledge of survival, the weight of history. The helmet in the piece is armor, but it’s also a reminder that these battles shouldn’t be theirs to fight. The duffle bag is both a literal and figurative weight – what we carry, what we inherit.”&nbsp; Another piece in this series that conveys struggle and fight is&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/heavy-wait-champ" target="_blank">“Heavy Weight Champ,”</a>&nbsp;which depicts a young boy in boxing headgear. “Boxing is survival. It’s strategy, endurance, knowing when to hit, and when to take a hit. Being Black in America is the same.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/heavy-wait-champ" target="_blank">‘Heavy Weight Champ’</a>&nbsp;is about the exhaustion of constant fighting. The headgear, the stance – it’s preparation, but it’s also fatigue.” The boy’s headgear shows the branding “Everlast”, a detail that takes a whole new meaning. “The word ‘Everlast’ hit me hard. Because the fight isn’t new. It’s everlasting. But we don’t have the luxury of sitting it out. We have to keep swinging, even when the gloves feel too heavy.” Horrific news stories of police brutality and violence against Black people in America is not a new occurrence, but in recent years has been getting more attention and awareness due to the Black Lives Matter movement and social media.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;took inspiration from some of these news stories to create pieces that touch on the alarming rate of violence against Black Americans and the real names and stories behind the victims involved. In his piece titled,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/now-i-lay" target="_blank">"Now I Lay,"</a>&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;memorializes Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old medical worker who was killed by police in her home. "Breonna Taylor was asleep in her own home. That fact alone is terrifying. When I created&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/now-i-lay" target="_blank">'Now I Lay'</a>&nbsp;I wanted to bridge the innocence of a bedtime prayer with the horror of her reality. Writing directly on the helmet was my way of making her memory inescapable. Breonna's murder is part of a cycle of sanctioned violence against Black women that this country often ignores. We can't let her name fade. We must say it over and over." Another piece in this series with a specific victim in mind is&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/artists/clifton-henri/point-shoot" target="_blank">"Point and Shoot,"</a>&nbsp;which touches on the murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old who was fatally shot in 2012. Trayvon Martin's life was taken due to racial profiling, a topic that&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;highlights in this piece. "I wanted to make it plain - Black people are being targeted. The hoodie references Trayvon Martin, and the arrows point to the intentionality of this violence. America has demonstrated restraint when it wants to - there are mass shooters who walk away unharmed - but when the suspect is Black, it feels like there's no hesitation. The very act of being Black in public can be a death sentence."&nbsp; Since its creation,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">"The Wait We Carry"</a>&nbsp;has traveled across the country with&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;and received a variety of responses from viewers. Overall&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>reflects on the emotion that people feel when viewing this series. Tears are often a common response, but not always out of sadness and rather for being seen. He notices the response from parents and how this series relates to their feelings of parenthood. Children are also drawn to this series due to the bright colors and seeing themselves in the children subjects.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;specifically points out the response from non-black parents and hearing how they talk to their children about the series. “Many parents create carefully crafted responses; some are bland and sugarcoated while others are much deeper.” Overall, emotion and feeling are something that&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Henri</a>&nbsp;wants viewers to receive from this series. "I want people to see themselves in these images. To feel the weight. To recognize the patience and resilience but also the frustration and fatigue. But more than anything, I want people to understand that we can't just wait. Change doesn't happen in stillness - it happens in movement, in action. We've been carrying this weight for centuries. It's time we start putting some of it down."&nbsp; See&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/clifton-henri" target="_blank">Clifton Henri's</a>&nbsp;award-winning series&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming" target="_blank">"The Wait We Carry"</a>&nbsp;on view at&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/" target="_blank">Jackson Junge Gallery</a>&nbsp;April 7th&nbsp;- May 11th, 2025. The gallery will be celebrating this exhibition's opening reception on Friday, April 25th, coinciding with EXPO Chicago Art After Hours from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.&nbsp;This exhibition is curated by Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller and Gallery Assistant Marisa Taravella.

The Wait We Carry

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago today announced the upcoming exhibition <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=ae8c249f6c&amp;e=4ba592fe2a" target="_blank">Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection</a>. Opening on June 1, 2024, and running through March 2, 2025 in the Neil and Fischel Galleries on the museum’s second floor, the exhibition pulls from the MCA collection, which holds one of the largest collections of Jafa’s work, to create a survey of his artistic practice over roughly the last ten years.This immersive exhibit features four video works, linked together by connecting corridors, that envelope the viewer in the broad range of Jafa’s references, subjects, and themes. The exhibition explores Jafa’s use of found imagery, music, and artistic techniques such as montage and collage to construct videos, sculptures, and photographic works that are layered and arranged in ways that reveal the diverse and complex realities of Black being. Jafa’s multidisciplinary work seeks to encompass what he describes as “the full complexity, specificity, beauty, and potentiality of what Black folks have made and continue to make out of the bleak existential circumstance we’ve attended to over the past several hundred years.”Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection contains a selection of artworks held in the MCA’s collection, including the videos APEX (2013), Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death (2016)—last seen in the MCA’s 2019 exhibition <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=0c8f6347ff&amp;e=4ba592fe2a" target="_blank">Prisoner of Love</a>— The White Album (2018), and Akingdoncomethas (2018). Accompanying the videos are key sculptural and photographic works that further underscore Jafa’s unique approach to visual culture and image making, in which the lines between popular and high culture blur and the personal collides with the political.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=7ad2ef8de3&amp;e=4ba592fe2a" target="_blank">Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection</a> is organized by René Morales, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, and Jack Schneider, Assistant Curator.Lead support is provided by the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, Zell Family Foundation, and Cari and Michael Sacks.Arthur Jafa (b. 1960, Tupelo, MS; lives in Los Angeles, CA) is an artist and filmmaker. Jafa’s films have garnered acclaim at the Los Angeles, New York, and Black Star Film Festivals, and his artwork is represented in celebrated collections worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the High Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Luma Foundation, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others.Image: Arthur Jafa, Mickey Mouse was a Scorpio, 2017. Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum; 52 × 83 in. (132.1 × 210.8 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Marilyn and Larry Fields, 2023.61. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen.

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