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

An exhibition of mixed media collages created collaboratively between artists Jason Ruhl, who is also one of Tandem Press's printmakers, and Suzanne Caporael, a long-time Tandem Press artist.

In Tandem: Ruhl & Caporael

Gut Symmetry, an exhibition of paintings and prints by Chicago artist Catherine Sollman, opens at OS Projects on August 9, 2025. The exhibition continues through October 11, 2025. OS Projects will host a reception for the artist from 1 – 3 pm on Saturday, August 9. Catherine Sollman uses basic shapes to create abstract forms that refer to the human body or environment, both natural and built. Her work is characterized by precision as well as unconventional color combinations that she often pushes toward garishness in pursuit of a particular vibrational quality. Gut Symmetry comprises two bodies of work: small gouache paintings and monotypes, which are one-of-a-kind prints. The paintings are predicated on a limited set of rules and tools—straightedge, compass, pencil and gouache—and have evolved to occupy an important place in Sollman’s practice. They are an investigation of form, color and relationships as well as an attempt to trigger pulsations between color and shape. Sollman describes them as “a quest for sensation.” While the gouache paintings are created directly and intuitively, the monotypes incorporate an element of chance using ghost prints, migrating motifs and the reuse and reconfiguration of the printed surface or matrix. Their imagery hints at bodily structures, the exchange of matter and the tension between exuberant impulse and the need to withhold. They reflect Sollman’s ongoing interest in exploring print’s capacity to accommodate abstraction, chance, mood and iteration while allowing for formality and humor. Both the gouache paintings and monotype prints in Gut Symmetry function as loci of experimentation for the artist. They are also a meditation on antiquated notions of femininity, impropriety, rightness and order. Within each, Sollman strives to facilitate a type of presence—a small escape, a work that soothes and surprises, a portal to somewhere else. About the Artist Born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, Catherine Sollman is a printmaker and teaching artist whose practice consists of small-scale abstract works on paper that emphasize geometry and color play. She earned her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and continued her studies with Karen Kunc, Terry James Conrad, Katie Baldwin and other notable printmakers. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across the U.S. including the Highpoint Center for Printmaking (Minneapolis, MN), Mixografia (Los Angeles, CA), Print Austin (Austin, TX) and Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago, IL). She was a 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Weir Farm National Historic Park (Wilton, CT) and will be a 2026 Artist-in-Residence at Peninsula School of Art (Fish Creek, WI). Sollman lives and works on Chicago’s West Side. Image: Nicole, Augusta Street by Catherine Sollman, 2025.&nbsp;

Catherine Sollman: Gut Symmetry

What does the work mean? There is some mystery, some beauty, some drama, some surprise, and a little wit. There is much about being human and being part of or apart from the natural world. There is a lot about the passage of time and the persistence of the past. There is a great deal about celebrating the joy of seeing. That said, the content remains nearly as open for me as it does for you, the viewer.&nbsp;—Ron IsaacsMost of Ron Isaacs’s work—a combination of two-dimensional imagery and cut and sawn wood—operates in an in-between space. Isaacs identifies his work as “trompe l’oeil&nbsp;painted constructions.” He further goes on to state, “I never actually made it to three dimensions; I seem to have stalled at two and a half.”This exhibition debuts a new-to-RAM archive of works created by Isaacs between 1968 and 2020. This grouping—the scope of which is unmatched at any other organization—includes early acrylic on canvas paintings, a drawing, art jewelry, and over 20 painted wood constructions.

Collection Focus: Ron Isaacs

Kim Storage Gallery is pleased to announce, "New Work," a solo exhibition by Madison-based artist&nbsp;Paul Krainak. His newest work includes a series of acrylic abstractions on canvas that are diagrammatic and chromatic filters applied to the memory of nature in rural and suburban environments. The Edith Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois has been an occasional conceptual template. Previous works structure that was more oblique architectural signs, are now compressed to a gridded and tiled format.&nbsp;Artists’ Reception: Friday, October 17 from 5 to 8PM (Gallery Night MKE)

Paul Krainak: New Work

Michael Banning’s new paintings of window views and garden walls represent a departure from his recent work that focused on faithfully depicting the interior spaces of his home. Although some of these small paintings are loosely based on windows within the artist’s house, the spaces outside the windows are derived from his travels in the United States and Europe. These constructed images represent both the solace of home and the longing for another place and time. In each of the paintings, doors and windows reveal glimpses of the natural world just outside. The views are partial, framed and fragmented by the structures that surround them, serving as metaphors for both the archetypal garden and the forest of the unconscious.&nbsp;Artists' Reception: Friday, October 17 from 5 to 8PM (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gallerynightmke.com/" target="_blank">Gallery Night MKE</a>) Artist Meet &amp; Greet: Saturday, October 18 from 1 to 3PM Location: 207 E Buffalo St, Suite 404, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (Marshall Building, 4th floor)

Michael Banning: My Window is a Garden Gate

At RAM’s Wustum Museum Contemporary art jewelry often investigates cultural, social, personal, and environmental topics. Distinguished by a vocabulary of diverse media from precious metals to recycled objects, it also reflects artists’ interests in material exploration and notions of wearability. RAM’s holdings in art jewelry—with examples from artists from across the globe at varying stages in their careers—have grown rapidly. Artistic self-consciousness often drives those who make work considered “art jewelry,” though this is just part of a much larger conversation. Makers explore a wide variety of issues, materials, and themes, while utilizing media—both precious and non-precious—that encourage the exploration of jewelry and its history. In this selection of seven artists of color from RAM’s collection, the emphasis is on materials not traditionally anticipated for use in jewelry, such as polymer, safety pins, and silicone. While there are theoretically no limitations to the materials any artist can use, there have historically been barriers to some artists of color in the United States—indirect or otherwise—to access tools, materials, or studio spaces. At this moment, more and more efforts are being made to support and encourage the work of artists of color while drawing attention to existing work.Following the&nbsp;<a style="color: var(--link_color);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ramart.org/exhibit/nicole-acosta-hoops/" target="_blank">solo exhibition of Nicole Acosta</a>, which featured photographs of people of the global majority wearing hoop earrings, this exhibition emphasizes an idea that RAM often explores: how adornment can go beyond decoration to become a symbolic and layered space for meaning. While some of the work in this exhibition has been shown in the galleries at RAM, all of these pieces are making their debut at Wustum. Image: Lorena AnguloMilagro Heart Tree of Life, 2022Bronze, coral and turquoise beads, brass wire, and stainless steel wire4 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 3/4 inchesRacine Art Museum, Windgate Foundation Contemporary Craft Acquisition GrantPhotography: Jon Bolton

RAM Showcase: Focus on Adornment

An exhibition of relief and screen prints that Derrick Adams created in the Tandem Press studio since 2019.

Silver Lining: The Prints of Derrick Adams

Steve Williams

Whether or not something is real or fabricated has become a compelling conversation in a contemporary context as technology allows for the simulation of reality on multiple levels. Artists have been interested in exploring the dynamics of representation and authenticity for many years, but what that actually looks like depends on the artist’s interests as well as what is happening in society at that time. For example, trompe l’oeil&nbsp;(French for fool or deceive the eye) artwork has been an artistic pursuit for centuries. The art form has been historically associated with two-dimensional imagery that appears as three-dimensional space or objects, but can also be applied to three-dimensional objects that, to put it simply, are deceptive in one context or another. Using clay and enamel on copper, respectively, Canadian artists and married couple Karen Dahl and James Doran explore these concepts through their well-known&nbsp;trompe l’oeil&nbsp;sculptures. The two are not collaborators, but their work is rooted in similar subject matter and a desire to explore what still life means in the modern era. A recent gift of 27 works by Dahl and Doran joined three pieces by Dahl already in RAM’s collection—establishing archive holdings for each artist. Shown intermingled in this exhibition, the works of Dahl and Doran encourage extended viewing and consideration of art history, object meaning, and process. James DoranEntomological Doodle, 1989Enamel on copper11 1/2 x 9 1/4 inchesRacine Art Museum, Gift of Holly Hotchner and Franklin SilverstonePhotography: Jarvis Lawson

Fool Me Once: The Trompe L’oeil Sculpture of Karen Dahl and James Doran

The first mid-career survey of the artist’s work,&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jmkac.org/exhibition/ashwini-bhat-reverberating-self/?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Ui-15B_CcQknU9GEDGXMjBqDrNc-DTSKdHoyu63GuASVBzt71GYE_-e31PGV6S0Mplqp9YfAjLuTlga8VG8STj3QakJsCm2tjyDUB9eTtkUkzkDY&amp;_hsmi=343424237&amp;utm_content=343424237&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Ashwini Bhat: Reverberating Self</a> contains artworks made over the past decade alongside newly made work that has never been shown. The exhibition illustrates her journey since moving to California—creating a new home and securing a sense of belonging through communion with her environment and art making. The artworks evidence Bhat’s technical skill and intuitive approach to diverse materials and techniques, including cast bronze, hand-built ceramics, video works, and an artist-led collaborative community installation. All works on view are part of&nbsp;Assembling California,&nbsp;the artist’s ongoing project of place and self. The series concentrates on natural phenomena including post-fire forests, climate change, large-scale forces, mapping, and relationships. As an immigrant from southern India, Bhat works to find a sense of belonging and self in her home in California. She does this through walking, hiking, and spending time with local ecologists. Bhat’s past is infused into the present and imaginings of possible futures. She weaves time and experience through her sculptures by naming a body of her works depicting California flora after nature spirits, or Yakshis, entities that are part of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious practices. Bhat firmly roots her practice in recognizing humankind’s interconnectedness with all living beings and places—through contact, communion, and witnessing. She creates sculptures to share moments of her journey—of seeking self within her ecologies and invites viewers to relate to their environments by building relationships and spending time with other beings, human and nonhuman alike. Image: Ashwini Bhat. Photo: John Janca, courtesy of the artist and Shoshana Wayne Gallery.

Ashwini Bhat: Reverberating Self

In 2022, RAM organized a landmark exhibition for its street-facing Windows on Fifth Gallery. With artworks chosen from RAM’s collection,&nbsp;<a style="color: var(--link_color);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ramart.org/exhibit/on-fire-women-glass/" target="_blank">On Fire: Surveying Women in Glass in the Late-Twentieth Century</a>&nbsp;offered a cursory look at how women were shaping glass as an art material in the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition title alludes to certain techniques of physically working with glass as well as the idea that some artists were innovating and making names for themselves—that they were “on fire” in their art world trajectory. This exhibition, an expanded version of the 2022 show, offers a deeper dive into this vital period in contemporary craft by outlining the concerns of artists who explore the sculptural, visual, metaphorical, and creative potential of glass. Seen through the eyes of women, it reflects developments with the medium as an art material two and three decades after studio glass concepts were being implemented into university programs and contemporary practices. Notably, a portion of the gallery is dedicated to supporting materials, such as images, articles, and books, which offer a broader context for understanding the artists, medium, and field.Glass does not have a single history as it has been used in many different ways. Its usage in a decorative context still exists, but the twentieth century also saw the academic establishment of it as a viable art-making material. This exhibition includes various examples of work produced within the studio glass framework—as self-consciously made art reflecting artistic investigations of materials, processes, and ideas. Artists represented include Sonja Blomdahl, Kimiake Higuchi, Concetta Mason, Flo Perkins, Kari Russell-Pool, Ginny Ruffner, Acquaetta Williams, Ann Wolff, and Toots Zynsky. Expanding on the 2022 exhibition, this iteration also features examples from collaborative teams, such as John Littleton and Kate Vogel and Benjamin Edols and Kathy Elliott. These artists explore numerous topics, including identity, beauty, color, pattern, nature, abstraction, form, the figure, metaphor, process, and the properties and abilities of glass as a material. There is also a range of techniques represented, including blowing, lampworking, casting, fusing, carving, polishing, pâte de verre, assembling, and various surface treatments. In essence, the exhibition summarizes the experimental nature of the artists and studio glass in general. A critic of another recent all-female glass exhibition lamented about needing to draw attention to the fact that all of the artists were women—are they artists first or women first? These conversations can also be limiting as they sidestep more fluid gender dynamics. Yet, in this particular moment in time, it is indeed important to draw attention to components beyond the objects themselves. Who the makers are and how they move through the world influences the work even if it is not the identifiable subject matter. Image: Ginny RuffnerTempest in a Spoon&nbsp;from the&nbsp;Structuring Beauty Series, 1999Glass and enamel paintRacine Art Museum, Gift of Stanley and Evelyn AsraelPhotography: Jarvis Lawson

On Fire Part II: Surveying Women in Glass in the Late-Twentieth Century

"Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary" is the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work since her death in 2018, presenting 33 works created in the final years of her career. The exhibition’s title is drawn from a poem in Gertrude Stein’s "Tender Buttons" (1914), a text that remained a pivotal source of inspiration for Ott throughout her life. Employing materials such as polystyrene and spray foam, Ott transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary, constructing works of art that are at once imaginative and dreamlike. For Ott, art offered a space of transformation, a means of turning trauma inside out and reshaping it into forms of play and wonder. This exhibition highlights the depth of her experimental practice and affirms her enduring legacy as an artist who expanded the possibilities of material and meaning.

Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary

Opening at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) on March 12, 2025,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(247, 143, 57);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK-2FjDPvzcE-2F0N1PM-2BTx4Y3zd7FZ-2Bd1Ua-2FLcgXQzE0mtRbw-3D-3D_2Re_a1zzESVdmgLIQ4rlql6kbXT9QXaGGWYBxHAPtO1QqWO5GLp4idxebnEhHBD62PapFGhVibvX636tV4VNXI9Yc1fC3t6I93nvs128KylNuVSG4w8b6TD-2BSQhnOlpvnvnpFtzUMvSCikhZbhybTpfD-2B0ndfu50xgxCFjZQzQqK1fOcTlhX-2BRrO0O4nAgDPUkTGaehksClVOLINAXSjtnUzXR8ZKWwGh0QTjvG3iPLVYcP1XK0LCRdt1sQ26HiP09DlJp7-2BEeaYHrmf0yLvpEVBeX27-2Bo4o3I15g1nbUfpCnnAFVTVTkMvPT9eRTmr7HrsmEnIs7xUu4UKb0NikvQZYBcM7YnX8adZ3hMT5S-2FGRV2eXnUDwiTvGWMtJfSk2gec7x5dVdBaKQpeUrJDHQPJFhg-3D-3D" target="_blank">RAM Showcase: Bodies</a>&nbsp;features works created from clay or washi paper that explore the human body as form and content. This exhibition will remain on display through February 21, 2026.The human figure is often used to tell stories, symbolize existence, and represent the human condition. Featuring works from RAM’s collection,&nbsp;RAM Showcase: Bodies&nbsp;reflects people’s desire to study, analyze, and respond to the notion of the human body, with pieces on display that underscore the enduring artistic interest in the body as subject. The&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(247, 143, 57);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK9KXaQ6SLoxPqPiJ1ykV514-2B1mdaYq5n3BVmc6w-2B-2FQgWQ-3D-3Df65z_a1zzESVdmgLIQ4rlql6kbXT9QXaGGWYBxHAPtO1QqWO5GLp4idxebnEhHBD62PapFGhVibvX636tV4VNXI9Yc1fC3t6I93nvs128KylNuVSG4w8b6TD-2BSQhnOlpvnvnpFtzUMvSCikhZbhybTpfD-2B0ndfu50xgxCFjZQzQqK1fOcTlhX-2BRrO0O4nAgDPUkTGaehksClVOLINAXSjtnUzXR8ZKWwGh0QTjvG3iPLVYcODwwQL4fAtoF-2Fq7rWfMz4fjDbJH6uf8-2BsEl7BV4h2Gv7UTGoLpb8LGW7ObuWGLPZzA2KwFMqauzqimyjGEyNVrI-2Bb9eBa6z-2B5RT5h4d-2Bqaysd-2Bh1Dnn72ToJnaCvH1mJcLs6EAPT-2BTclF92v-2BlNnPF0uVT7slnEOdQZbLt-2BmZVvA-3D-3D" target="_blank">RAM Showcase&nbsp;exhibition series</a>&nbsp;at RAM and its second campus, RAM’s Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, focuses entirely on the work of contemporary artists of color. The fact that all of the works in&nbsp;RAM Showcase: Bodies&nbsp;were made by artists of color is a significant additional layer to the subject matter and ways it is depicted. This distinction is critical for some contemporary artists of color, as their work adds narratives to art histories that generally marginalized or excluded them.Individually, the artists represented in this exhibition explore a wide range of issues, including social and cultural dynamics, the sensual body, emotions, the connection between human beings and animals, history, and relationships between duality and otherness. Sometimes self-portraits, sometimes not, the subjects portrayed are envisioned or recorded through flat, drawn images or sculpted forms and reflect vibrant voices and engaging perspectives. Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum are made possible by:&nbsp;Platinum Partners—The Estate of Karen Johnson Boyd, David Charak, Judith and David Flegel Fund, Ron and Judith Isaacs, Racine Community Foundation, United Way of Racine County, Windgate Foundation;&nbsp;Diamond Partners—Ruffo Family Foundation, Ruth Arts Foundation, Diane Zebell;&nbsp;Gold Partners—Anonymous, A. C. Buhler Family, Robert E. Kohler Jr. Fund, Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Reliance Controls, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, W.T. Walker Group, Inc., Wisconsin Arts Board;&nbsp;Silver Partners—Anonymous, Sandy and Gus Antonneau, Baird, Lucy G. Feller, Ben and Dawn Flegel, Sharon and Tom Harty, Dave and Judy Hecker, Paula Kalke, Horizon Retail Construction, Inc., Johnson Financial Group, Lang Family Foundation, Dorothy MacVicar, Jan Serr &amp; John Shannon, Sandra Shove, Willard and Mary Walker;&nbsp;Bronze Partners—Carol Baylon, Rose and Peter Christensen, Dave’s Wine Garage, Educators Credit Union, Patricia and Richard Ehlert, Express Employment Professionals, Deborah Ganaway, Carol Griseto, Hitter’s Baseball, SC Johnson, Bill and Debbie Keland, Nancy and Nick Kurten, Susan Manalli, Norbell Foundation, JoAnna Poehlman, Rasmussen Diamonds, Harold and Lois Solberg, Kathy Stanghellini, Tito's, Twin Disc, Janna Waldeck, Barbara Waldman;&nbsp;Media Sponsor—Radio Milwaukee. The two campuses of the Racine Art Museum—RAM in downtown Racine at 441 Main Street and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum) at 2519 Northwestern Avenue—are located in Racine, Wisconsin, a historic community on the shores of Lake Michigan. RAM is home to the largest contemporary craft collection in North America and has a reputation for its award-winning architecture and nationally recognized exhibition program. Wustum is home to the organization's diverse, award-winning art education programs and has presented significant art exhibitions since 1941. Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum are currently open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission rates are $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors (62+), and veterans; and free for RAM members, children under 12, active military personnel, and NARM, ROAM, and AAM members.

RAM Showcase: Bodies

<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3DrDWG_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iP-2BPGr0H6PvTvjVGhVJNKfGtNDPbavuE8bnyAogeomoNlnsYTa5SsoMvxvMqQ7JceljQp4sQ4UnA8oE659YoY-2F-2B9NyCYC3qx41foND8EiD9xmT8oA3bL8-2F1HZEEroCpMLEkNlyaB2WuePtkTT6hb4q7csh9U55niPVSACtiVelAng-3D-3D" target="_blank">Monumental: Larger than Life-Size</a>—a new exhibition that invites viewers to explore “oversized” artwork from the museum’s permanent collection—opens at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) on August 1, 2025. This exhibition relates to the question of why human beings are fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size. Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, the works on display in&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;encourage viewers to consider how size affects expectations and opinions of art. RAM Director of Exhibitions and Collections Lena Vigna believes that, depending on a viewer’s perspective, this exhibition could be considered serious, playful, or both:“Oversize fruit, such as the bronze pear and the glass plum, encourages viewers to contemplate complex issues such<s>&nbsp;as</s>&nbsp;the relationship between consumerism, health, and safety. Are bigger and better products good for the environment or our health?” questions Vigna. “At the same time, large ceramic feet and heads are fantastical, calling to mind fairy tales and legends. Reflecting the concerns of contemporary artists who use traditional materials in unexpected ways, the works on display reflect things that are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar as they blur the boundaries between reality and mystery.”Why are human beings fascinated by “real life” things that are rendered larger or smaller than life-size? Throughout art history, there are many examples of everyday objects that became mysterious or more compelling because of a shift in scale. From oversized body parts and clay vessels to an abnormally large bronze pear, these works from RAM’s collection encourage viewers to consider how size affects their expectations and opinions. On display in RAM’s street-facing Windows on Fifth Gallery,&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;will be available for continual, free public viewing—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Further information about&nbsp;Monumental&nbsp;is available on RAM’s website,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(237, 125, 49);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.lVpDCVeqdBsS0YynwBNnWsI6uzjI-2B9jc-2BcioV3sOeK8yW-2BXyw5UQYrM55ZmS7mjePlRYQZlyaKPtMRp0luyHNesq46Np7sE-2F-2FPT2ta0hzX4-3D68Mw_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLQij9mq4AdTVgAgcfJX-2F-2FPTu332zUjMMqljcxl9w9r3NoRmsXeaDJt17yw0Bwdc3Xwn40iqTGYQf4nKFTgHyvqC1JX7YVIcYK01LpLq2CgQ-2FdzxHBkxuepSll1dN5U2zjwahWMisDGxBM-2B2Va361iPqPfxW42d4UX-2BEcYUi3JwvltYehZmIc-2BNM5oNTkLrlKdneP79LTAo8eQqYKhBe7ApfubFH63l5xIreTpq4X2-2FLM2OwP2AuroQc26AsyY9i2WBh4Eb25XVgINlB2oaWsOzs2A2G0RTkQXQj35S1rogNT47TPMqCW6apD2KYgQ0yaA-3D-3D" target="_blank">ramart.org</a>.&nbsp;

Monumental: Larger than Life-Size

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jmkac.org/exhibition/familiar-texture/?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--3ltRN229IYW6amwf9BwlVoynj9P-wWQnCqcp7iqRNGTlfMqSkuurGL0gvDRvyto79NLfEDi-NC3vxrvl6oHLkgUth4KUD_YekpyhDAXRiMjpD1io&amp;_hsmi=343424237&amp;utm_content=343424237&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Details</a> Childhood memories of home are reconstructed in the form of textiles and fibers by artists Hangama Amiri, Keith Jackson, Yvette Mayorga, Tressa Prisbrey, and Dalila Sanabria. Each artist presents interior settings such as a bedroom inspired by fantasies, a living room of communal gatherings, or a storage space that marked the passage of time. Each of these sites memorialize social and environmental influences that shaped the future of an individual. The use of or reference to textiles and fibers, such as clothing, blankets, boxes, carpet, or upholstery, imbues memories and feelings with a tactile quality found in the rooms re-created by each artist. Importantly, they do not depict themselves or others in these scenes. This anonymity encourages imagined conversations, interactions, sounds, or scents of homeland to emerge from a variety of perspectives. By relying on textures—both literally and figuratively—the exhibition provides context for domestic spaces where an origin story is found, and a familiar emotional weight is recognized. Together, the works celebrate the right to choose from narratives of the past and how these stories inform and enrich the fiber of one’s being. Image: Yvette Mayorga, Bedroom After 15th (detail), 2022; acrylic piping on Disney TV, purses, shoes, lotion, wooden shelves, lamp, ceramic, bookbag, sneakers, Hello Kitty bubble blower, clock, faux books, mirrors, wood, pillows, wall paintings, nightstand, acrylic piping on bike, acrylic piping on canvas, and video; 9 x 9 x 10 ft. Courtesy of the artist.

Familiar Texture: The Fibers of Childhood and Home

<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jmkac.org/exhibition/a-beautiful-experience/?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_TAgiwr9CcUCqp8PARBnetZDmy4oA4M6rKVEblEJGj0fYaKmL0n8Naot67z_PVofiAcW7Sb0wnbX5AHJQODsWXa0U2UYeyKUnYSDhaHXxDMn2lHxQ&amp;_hsmi=343424237&amp;utm_content=343424237&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Details</a> A Beautiful Experience: The Midwest Grotto Tradition&nbsp;takes its title from a slogan found on years of brochures, maps, and swag from the Dickeyville Grotto in Wisconsin. It is one of several grottoes found throughout the region. These sites began to inspire pilgrimage, tourism, reflection, and community gathering during the 1910s. This exhibition looks at their continuing influence on artists and visitors alike. Materially, midwestern grottoes often reflect local industries, decorative trends, and an area’s geological makeup. Grotto architecture mainly comprises concrete embellished with objects including shells, marbles, colored glass, toys, figurines, fossils, and geodes. This accumulation, as well as the objects incorporated, creates a documentation of the maker’s life, faith, and home. Madeline Buol is one of the few known women grotto builders. The materials she utilized include figurines and stones gathered during her travels. She had a special affinity for shells of all shapes and sizes. The exhibition is the first public showing of Buol’s monumental thirteen-piece grotto since it was saved from the artist’s yard in 2011 by the Kohler Foundation, Inc. It was then gifted to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. In addition to Buol’s grotto,&nbsp;A Beautiful Experience&nbsp;includes objects related to the Midwest grottoes that directly inspired her, such as the Dickeyville Grotto, Jacob Baker’s “dream houses,” the Rudolph Grotto, and the Wegner Grotto. The exhibition illustrates the material histories of these grottoes and strategies for their conservation. Visitors are offered opportunities to learn about the legacy and care of Midwest grotto sites. A Beautiful Experience&nbsp;also includes new work by Stephanie Shih and E. Saffronia Downing, each responding to the grotto tradition. Shih presents a work inspired by Jacob Baker and Chinese immigration in the U.S. Downing shares her explorations of clay and material foraging throughout the Midwest, providing insight into material studies for the concrete and construction materials often invented and improvised upon by grotto builders. Image: Madeline Buol, Buol Grotto and Sculptures (site view, n.d.), Dubuque, IA, 1946–c. 1960. Photo courtesy of Pam Mendenhall.

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