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

Wrightwood 659 hosts two installations by distinguished artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah whose work investigates memory, post-colonialism, temporality, and the experiences of migrant diasporas globally.Four Nocturnes is a three-screen video installation which explores the complex relationship between humanity’s destruction of the natural world and its self-destruction. Using Africa’s declining elephant populations as its narrative spine, Four Nocturnes is a meditation on mortality, loss, fragmented identity, mythology, and memory through poetic visuals that survey the landscape of African cultural heritage. Four Nocturnes&nbsp;was commissioned for the inaugural Ghana Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019. Also on view at Wrightwood 659 will be Toxic Cloud, an installation comprising hundreds of plastic jugs suspended overhead, capturing the sense of our polluted atmosphere.Akomfrah (b. 1957) lives and works in London and is a founding member of the influential Black Audio Film Collective (1982–1998) and its offshoot, the film and television production company Smoking Dogs Films (1998–present). His work has been shown in museums and exhibitions around the world including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the New Museum, New York; the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Serpentine Gallery, London; Tate Britain, London; Bildmuseet Umeå, Sweden; and the 56th Venice Biennale, among others. He has also been featured in many international film festivals, including Sundance Film Festival, Utah, US (2013 and 2011) and Toronto International Film Festival, Canada (2012). He was awarded the Artes Mundi Prize in 2017 and a Knighthood for services to the Arts in 2023.&nbsp;In 2024 Akomfrah presented a new body of work entitled&nbsp;Listening All Night to the Rain&nbsp;in the British Pavilion in Venice, commissioned by the British Council for the 60th Venice Biennale.

John Akomfrah: Four Nocturnes

Join us from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21 for the opening reception of the College of Visual and Performing Arts' Faculty Biennial in the Art Museum Galleries. Shown every two years, this invitational exhibition will not only feature artwork and scholarship of current full-time and part-time faculty and teaching staff from the School of Art and Design, but work from the School of Music and School of Theatre and Dance as well.&nbsp;Refreshments will be provided.&nbsp;The exhibitions and programs of the NIU Art Museum are sponsored in part by the Friends of the NIU Art Museum; the NIU Art and Culture Fee and the College of Visual and Performing Arts Season Presenting Sponsor Shaw Media and WNIJ/WNIU.&nbsp;

Biennial Faculty Show of NIU School of Art and Design and NIU School of Theatre and Dance 

The Glass Trap is an exhibition of recent paintings and drawings by the artist<a style="color: rgb(13, 13, 13);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kimstoragegallery.us22.list-manage.com/track/click?u=63eb3ae92ac5ae9371f4d5ed0&amp;id=69110f4490&amp;e=0feabe6389" target="_blank"> </a><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kimstoragegallery.us22.list-manage.com/track/click?u=63eb3ae92ac5ae9371f4d5ed0&amp;id=69110f4490&amp;e=0feabe6389" target="_blank">Hector Acuna</a> made from direct observation in his studio and outdoors en plein air. What began as a recurring motif in the field, reflections from public mirrors and windows, evolved into a new practice of staging found mirrors and handmade reflective objects as his process and subject. The latest handmade object in his growing collection of homemade props is a custom wooden cube he decorated with hand cut mirrors. How light and space become skewed and fragmented on glass inspires his approach because it holds a tension between what appears familiar yet unfamiliar.&nbsp;The ephemeral quality of light held his primary interest when painting outdoors as he observed successive moments in time. In his studio, his focus shifted towards close and careful observations of mirrored objects against large fields of atmospheric color. Hector explored the elemental role of shape and uncovered opportunities to simplify his subjects into a visual language of sharp and often opaque shapes. He aimed to transform common and everyday subjects with hopes of finding something unexpected. Glass has become an exciting material where themes of scale, interior/exterior space, perception, and self can be explored and where visual combinations seem endless.

 Hector Acuna: The Glass Trap

In 2024, high school students from South Shore College Prep, Lincoln Park High School, and Prosser Career Academy worked with artists Dawit L. Petros Regina Agu, and Jonathan Castillo. Students created photographic portraits and oral history records to capture stories from members of their communities about how people relocated their lives to Chicago. View the&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=27d202e5a8&amp;e=62775191de" target="_blank">digital exhibition</a>&nbsp;&amp; listen to the&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=9c0ae5e226&amp;e=62775191de" target="_blank">oral history interviews</a> Image: S. Urgiles, Prosser Career Academy, 2024

Art, Activism, Policy, Power Exhibition

SO NICE, we did it THRICE!! This fan favorite exhibition was so beloved, we absolutely HAD to bring it back again - but this time it's bigger and bolder than ever before. If you loved the last two rounds, get ready—because what’s old is new (again). History Repeats Itself! "Home Sweet Home: Nostalgia...ish 3" dives deeper into reimagined vintage, thrifted, and found objects. This time, it’s more expansive, more playful, and filled with even more unforgettable creations. Where does restoration end and reinvention begin? Are we reviving memories or rewriting them altogether? You decide, as all your favorite artists are tasked with creating original work on top of thrifted and vintage items.Curated in collaboration with&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com/_t/c/A1020005-181AABD36B30D5C2-B9F9EAD4?l=AADCZBfIPhE6e89BtGbNGJc%2Bb1yHgdSMRpCI0PvUjssA0eUiC0T%2FtHo%2BwpOlTKtpD3vYryTFG%2B6HYygpN1EXv5P85Pb78rxgMbqzTqiwCFkWKQBM5RAK9qOtGJhjkJEW6VLKtYqat88%2Bi966wz6rWp0T8ce7FDGk1DsQDR3AxxssphR6A557RvVa2M84nD3W5iPepLvq7gvRBj1aRN6L5U340jB7kddPdZ26XWJq%2BewEKsBUIqwaXOsqxyfdwBfSNcYW7EUmyeKm0hfVWTbHrAuFisaqpZT%2BogYBH87j6EAxtpkVfKOA6CIkBo1%2BcdQ2YXgl6gcxFnRnbQSrCQ%3D%3D&amp;c=AAB562l4%2FUKZLPRPZVAEwRUR2BsX%2FCeBrwQxLVBBbda2jhNIPLZiBX61oJRuqoSRoGBum1M%2B372UNMT0PgKTMOK%2BwhgryZf7sv8fe6mfWtCSFHgtnzZc%2FwUu1HPng1AUXK9jU7YP4YleO4LWfBmXhs8a6%2BWlo9DmY5vHLsdVKKGeF06BMPfrd%2B7%2FpJQ2W2GjsuReFGcBIkSY8EACRa7t4lnF4lt5%2BquJfUWFybtb%2F81mav3lXXiTo8hom3TwslqwRTRylBaTIuZ%2B1vJYz8UAutB8xCH8sDYd97JJff8At2CEAakuzil3h1dkR5EmnYD8JKDMTZ26XGJM8czGcC81nuxIks%2B3mLiRIAatUhSkEbfDDlU5ihi8%2B2zNFBSESlDA7dOqQ2VI%2F5D1%2FiF2z%2BqTeCYF%2FdoRj%2FzflNhS1kWko1VhtA%2F2iIdALLGwNiEFI%2FhjDtfwwe6kZMZH%2BseqkgRUhsymgSbl5XbgsbRkzm5OqUyONAcnt7eR8AOneUg6rSf7a%2F%2BxirQ0UDohM0bCIKIQ1XCS9dH9AG0t3UqefsvY31QbmeDCURsivdlT5rn%2BNrzgTfjTXQM%2FM5w7Uci%2B1OwdrloBG%2Btt3WEU9X%2F56Q%3D%3D" target="_blank">@sub_urban_warrior</a>, this exhibit showcases the largest artist roster yet—including many making their Chicago Truborn debut. Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 18th, and join us for a nostalgic(…ish) celebration of the familiar, the forgotten, and everything in between. As always, admission is free, and all are welcome! <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1737002495/noxb28lokjh2pk7v93zr.jpg">

Home Sweet Home: Nostalgia...ish 3

The&nbsp;Bridge Program&nbsp;fosters generative dialogue among a select group of artists (10 artists max), in a seminar-style course designed to push your art practice into new realms.&nbsp; Artists:&nbsp;John BolinJenny ChernanskyBethany CorderoRose CunninghamLarissa FardelosMeg FordRichard GessertDana ParisiMarina Ross Program Curator:&nbsp;Yoonshin Park

this is not an exhibition.

<html><head></head><body><a href="https://www.theccma.org/insert-coin">Details</a>October 26, 2024 - February 16th, 2025Insert Coin features 15 playable arcade games that help tell the story of Midway allowing visitors to learn about this iconic company while enjoying some of their most celebrated creations.In 1983, the video game market crashed and the first era of meteoric video game arcade popularity, defined by Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Defender, was over. The Chicago-based manufacturers of coin-operated entertainment that had packed arcades with hits during the 1970s and 1980s, would also usher in the arcade’s renaissance in the 1990s. Known for innovative hits like Defender, Joust, and Robotron, Williams Electronics purchased the maker of Ms. Pac-Man, Tron, and Rampage – Bally Midway – in 1988 renamed its video game division Midway Manufacturing after their more recognizable former competitor. An arcade renaissance ensued. Midway became the architect of the arcade’s resurrection after the crash with a golden string of game releases such as NARC, Smash TV, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam., Terminator 2, and Cruis’N USA.This exhibition chronicles the stories behind these games and features behind-the-scenes video, art and ephemera from the making of these games, interviews with former Midway game designers, and the playable games themselves. Notable Williams, Bally Midway, and Midway artists and developers whose work is featured in the exhibition includes Bill Adams, Ed Boon, Brian Colin, Warren Davis, Larry DeMar, Sal Divita, George Gomez, Eugene Jarvis, Jack Haeger, George Petro, Jeff Nauman, John Newcomer, John Tobias, and Mark Turmell. Insert Coin is named after the acclaimed eponymous 2020 documentary by filmmaker and Director of Innovation at DePaul University Joshua Tsui.&nbsp;This project is organized by Jonathan Kinkley, Owner and Curator, Chicago Gamespace, and Joshua Tsui in partnership with The Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage, with curatorial assistance by Ethan Johnson.&nbsp;&nbsp;HOURS:&nbsp; 10/26/2024 - 02/16/2025 Tuesday - Saturday: 12 pm - 6 pm Closed: 11/28 - 11/29, 12/24-01/02&nbsp; TICKETS (On sale 08/21/2024): General Admission: $12 Students, Seniors and Military: $10 COD Students: Free, Tuesday - Thursday, 12 pm -3 pmTickets allow visitors access to the museum and unlimited gameplay on the games in the exhibition. Reentry not allowed. COD students must show a valid ID for free entry.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092749/cv1ylop90ofignqijpmu.png"></figure></body></html>

Insert Coin

Members Preview • 5–6 PM&nbsp;• Main Galleries MMoCA Members are invited to preview the exhibition&nbsp;Broken Spectre&nbsp;before it opens to the public. Be one of the first to explore the Main Galleries and experience the film, and photographs documenting the unseen&nbsp;devastation of the Amazon river basin.&nbsp;Richard Mosse Artist Talk • 6–7 PM&nbsp;• Lecture Hall Artist Richard Mosse will be on site to share insight and inspiration for his artistic practice including the process for filming,&nbsp;Broken Spectre, on view in the Main Galleries.&nbsp;Reception • 7–8 PM&nbsp;• Museum Lobby Grab a drink from the cash bar, listen to music by Emili Earhart, and mingle with friends and fellow art lovers. Or, explore the current exhibitions in the Museum including&nbsp;Line to Form: Richard Hunts Prints and Sculptures&nbsp;and&nbsp;I did not tell you what I saw, but only what I dreamt&nbsp;by Shilpa Gupta.&nbsp;

Richard Mosse: Broken Spectre

Opening: Saturday, Jan 11, 2025 5–9pm 619 Grove Street, Evanston, IL, 60201&nbsp;•&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.grovegallery.shop/" target="_blank">www.grovegallery.shop</a> The paintings in the Elemental Exhibition are made by artists who respond deeply to forces of nature. Immerse yourself in their interpretations of the elements. Reflect on water in its various transformations, as it melts down from ice and snow. The theme focuses on dualities: fire and ice; water and earth. The artists’ resilience during the winter months is evident in their work: they buckle down and push paint around. Some of them they load it up and apply it in a thick impasto, painting fiery scenes. Others work more methodically with transparent glazes, creating surreal allegorical figures who make us question reality. Regardless of their approach, they are committed to the medium of painting, making their magic with its alchemical qualities. Artists: Jennifer Cronin, James Deeb, Marjorie Davidson, John Fleck, Nicole Gordon, Ellen Holzblatt, Lynne Miller-Jones, Fran Joy, Sarah Kaiser-Amaral, Louise LeBourgeois, Randall Mattheis, Jennifer Presant, Eleanor Speiss-Ferris, and Nina Weiss

Elemental Exhibition

Volume Gallery is proud to announce This is Not a Plate, an exhibition of the subversive and humorous plates by the late Howard Kottler, opening January 10, 2025, from 5-8 pm at 1709 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622. Born in 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio, Howard Kottler would go on to complete a Master of Fine Arts degree at Michigan’s historic Cranbrook Academy of Art under Maija Grotell and a Doctorate in ceramics from Ohio State University. Following a Fulbright grant to study in Finland at the Arabia ceramic factory, Kottler pivoted to embrace readymades and photocollage, techniques favored by Dada and Surrealism. Wielding his unique sense of humor, Kottler found his voice creating visual double entendres on mass-produced porcelain blanks, collaged with rearrangements of clichéd imagery. The artist focused on decal plates from 1966 through the 1980s, producing a limited body of about 250 works, the majority of which are unique.&nbsp; Kottler was an influential teacher at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1964 until his passing in 1989. He frequently visited the Bay Area and was profoundly influenced by the thriving counterculture of 1960s San Francisco. As a gay man at a time when much of gay culture was still driven underground, he was inspired by the counterculture’s rejection of mainstream society to express his sexuality and sarcastic wit through his work with visual codes and signals. The craft culture on the West Coast at the time was dominated by expressionism and Funk, as exemplified by Peter Voulkos and Robert Arneson. Approaches so far afield from the wry cultural commentary of artists like Warhol—whom he greatly admired—that it propelled Kottler to invent an entirely new visual language to contain his humor, becoming a notably rare artist using the clean, repetitive, and seemingly impersonal sensibilities of Pop within a ceramic context at the time, rankling the studio ceramics community. Kottler began collaging with commercially available decals onto blank plates in 1966, reinterpreting iconoclastic imagery to take on nationalism, religion, the Western art historical canon, heteronormativity, identity, and desire. He used famous images to create puns and innuendos with astounding wit and visual literacy. Whether cutting away sections, interchanging or repeating parts of the same image, or combining different images, his versions layered meaning and offered coded suggestions. Under the guise of innocuous dinnerware, Kottler’s decal plates are rife with anti-establishment sentiments.&nbsp;&nbsp;An image Kottler used in many permutations was Sir Thomas Gainsborough’s eminently recognizable The Blue Boy (1770). Often linked with Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie (1794), as an iconic heterosexual pairing (him in blue, her in pink) Kottler sought to remix this famous duo. He would sometimes pair or double the boys as an image of same-sex partnership, and sometimes emphasize the titular text, “blue,” to draw attention to its additional meanings. Howard Kottler’s plates toy with familiar visual signs, shifting the meaning of pervasive images with minor alterations. Trafficking in the language of glossy collectibles, but imbued with humor and narratives of liberation, in many ways, Kottler’s decal plates were ahead of their time.&nbsp; This is Not a Plate will be on view at Volume Gallery through February 22, 2025. Howard Kottler (1930-1989) was one of the West Coast ceramicists who helped to redefine the entire field of contemporary American ceramic art. Born in Cleveland, Kottler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences in 1952, a Master of Arts in ceramics in 1956, and a Doctorate degree in ceramics in 1964, all at Ohio State University. He studied with Maija Grotell at the Cranbrook Academy of Art., where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in 1957. That same year, he was awarded a Fulbright grant for study in Finland. Before moving west in 1964 to teach at the University of Washington in Seattle, Kottler created traditional ceramic work. Exposure to California funk-a new movement that rejected established art theories-gave Kottler license to use his art to satirize American culture. In his subsequent work, Kottler applied glazes and decals to ready-made ceramic objects, rarely modeling and casting his clay.His work is included in important public collections including Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, New York, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, Michigan, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York,&nbsp;The Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred, Alfred, New York, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, Renwick Gallery, Washington D.C., Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York. Image: Howard Kottler,&nbsp;For&nbsp;the&nbsp;Record, 1981. Photo: PD Rearick, Courtesy Paul Kotula Projects

Howard Kottler: This is Not a Plate

Artist Talk: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 2pm "Overlooking Possibilities: A Naturalist's Dream" is a series of environmental observations portrayed in a colorful, whimsical way. I use scientific research as inspiration, allowing me to dream of the what-ifs and current possibilities. The good and the bad of Climate Change and humanity's role in it.

CV Peterson: Overlooking Possibilities: A Naturalist's Dream 

Main Gallery, The Center for Visual and Performing Arts Join us in this exploration of how contemporary painters, draftspersons, and sculptors have carried on, challenged, furthered, and broken the tradition that American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) began with his approach to the human figure during the French Belle&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(29, 65, 160);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://v8jzk4ebb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MJb3AEmmmHi_i8nwfJBd4q8mmK3B1dazXvdUuPPRCvcBUGXo-2V0NnfSO5Yi5fBA7pFdo7C67RGz0rLJk5HqkCOJi6s48_LHDZL2zSySnYXidg09Uv6upF5J5Jl-0mQWHY3wh6eifhfp9Gfjw4E5fvLHMzOid8vMtJA-Pa0z9jdBhPE01xLCMnN-gIQ70EpZ&amp;c=rv2pCCwfPp5-ze3MsweMdK-NO81AczVNX6v_gU0-Ktgkd8Feyh1s0A==&amp;ch=ts7QJ5MBnXX3QedDPqEAPPlFdog6E8pwIgVOEGFaCxgxJOkeA5L-jQ==" target="_blank">Époque</a>&nbsp;(the Beautiful Era).Featuring the works of Alicia Dawn Criswell, Chelsea Lang, Clayton J. Beck III, Don Yang, Jessica Smit Mattingly, Mary Qian, Peter Lupkin, Tina Figarelli, and William Blake, this exhibit offers an opportunity to reflect on how Sargent's legacy carries on and changes.&nbsp;Peter Lupkin,&nbsp;Not Windmills but Giants, Oil on Canvas, 72" x 36", Courtesy of Gallery VICTOR&nbsp;&nbsp;

After Sargent

Feb 22 Consider the crucial role of publishing during this two-part screening and panel discussion.

Screening | Out of the Picture + Talk | Publishing Arts Criticism

DOCUMENT is pleased to present&nbsp;Exhibit B, a group exhibition featuring works by Julien Creuzet, Natani Notah, John Opera, Tom Schneider, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Kazuhito Tanaka, and Claude Viallat. Opening on Friday, January 10, the exhibition will remain on view through February 22, 2025. The exhibition builds upon and expands the themes of investigation explored in the&nbsp;Exhibit A&nbsp;group exhibition in 2024. Bending the limits of traditional media, repeating patterns and shapes, and referencing the history of art, literature, and cultures are some of the aspects which bring together the artists on view as well as DOCUMENT’s program at large. Julien Creuzet, Natani Notah, John Opera, Tom Schneider, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Kazuhito Tanaka, and Claude Viallat Image: Tom Schneider,&nbsp;Ohio Melon Heads, 2024 (detail). Acrylic on canvas; 54 x 72 in.

Exhibit B

Step into a vibrant world of color, movement, and emotion at our Grand Rapids gallery!&nbsp;"Express Yourself!"&nbsp;celebrates the power of abstraction, featuring works by Bassmi Ibrahim, Bob Ichter, Erik Smith, Federico Pinto Schmidt, and Charlotte Foust. Don’t miss this stunning showcase of creativity and self-expression—visit us to experience art that speaks to the soul. <a style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://u2842388.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.-2F-2BkPVqKsTo0j1QJY5u89KQUJoA7LR028JSAnq-2FE3segtK9Yu7HiS5FHc0gUbMTlfudab67TKz8oZC79GfRz-2BX-2BN3809-2B5Pcaptlda3DpmJ-2Fcp7rA6AwGVtnRd5x8E9Sv8f-2FF0-2FwbQxcXGg2EFm5G94boeF5-2F6oMEJtETIzpf9nyU9A9jVhGllh86ceElzRiz8aXJYL8eAvmsPkZsU7Q5ttVut16UXDoj9iOxJB-2Bo3NlF7flx1SOJiPr5HDFvxcD7JWBiOOdzZdInj64wF19aYg-3D-3DcaLw_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVXtRoiwfm-2FVmpr5VYpEk8j86A4tD4taWWdHAGEcLt9cVNA54EMAEJFUU-2B-2BSlkQfdi55A9yWQsVUBLZbq8JrZwGocLr1HG8UX13XOgJlBsIu1Bq6Eds4ha6d5yE-2BeZHe6hNtU2Qf6EOtU67nZ6xmseKSS0oCHDw-2BoVCPVbhGpwwfMqjCn0f2CKgSdnong67HwvxiX7n95MLGSH-2FvJBOaumKZcWTq6bWEXuh-2Fur2oayNEXPYPH7yrZdMD9FPCv7BtEO" target="_blank">View the show online</a> Image: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://waterstreetgallery.com/art/awareness-38-by-bassmi-ibrahim?utm_source=artcloud&amp;utm_medium=campaign&amp;utm_campaign=%5b36029%5d+January+9%3a+🎨+Express+Yo" target="_blank">BASSMI IBRAHIM</a>, Awareness 38, 2024, Oil on Panel, 36 x 48 in&nbsp;

Express Yourself

David SharpeWorks on PaperImage: David Sharpe, Untitled, 2024, Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches

David Sharpe  – Works on Paper

Fiber art, as a self-conscious artistic practice, often develops parallel to (or sometimes intersects with) more traditional modes of textile production, such as industry and hobby-oriented handcraft. Since the 1970s, Łódź, Poland—the historical site of a significant textile industry—has been the home to a triennial exhibition of fiber-related work by almost 150 artists from over 50 countries. This survey of innovative fiber from across the globe significantly impacts both the artists of the host country and those further afield. Polish artists interested in working with fiber are directly presented with new modes of production and a wide range of ideas.This Collection Focus exhibition featuring fiber works from Polish artists builds on the 2015 debut of pieces gifted by Camille and Alex Cook. Since then, more works from a similar period—1980s to mid-2000s—have been added to this area of RAM’s collection. This emphasis is unique to craft-focused institutions in North America and complements an organization situated in a community with large Polish populations in the surrounding cities of Milwaukee and Chicago. With over 35 pieces included, the exhibition highlights Polish fiber art in both a microscopic and macroscopic way—showcasing the efforts of artists from a certain area of the world who, in turn, also reflect global interests.This exhibition is funded in large part by&nbsp;the Walter S. Smolenski, Jr. and Sr. Polish History and Culture Fund within the Racine Community Foundation.Artists in the ExhibitionGrażyna Brylewska-Pędziałek, Maria Teresa Chojnacka, Włodzimierz Cygan, Emilia Cecylia Domańska, Barbara Falkowska, Kazimiera Frymark-Błaszczyk, Barbara Gałan, Anna Goebel, Margaret Handwerker, Bozena Kaluga, Janusz Kozikowski, Lilla Kulka, Aleksandra Mańczak, Jolanta Owidzka, Andrzej Rajch, Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak, Antoni Starczewski, and Boleslaw Tomaszkiewicz

Collection Focus: Polish Fiber

Included with museum admission, recommended for ages 10+ In this hands-on, sensory workshop with soil scientist and ecologist Nance Klehm of&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://socialecologies.net/About" target="_blank">Social Ecologies</a>, participants can touch, smell, examine, and learn to ‘read’ many different soils, sands, and clays gathered from many places in the Midwest. This collective reading will dig into themes from the museum’s current exhibition&nbsp;Sustenance &amp; Land&nbsp;and offer expanded appreciation and insight into the soil beneath our feet.

Soil Reading with Ecologist Nance Klehm

<a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://artsoflife.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=676dcf6750de4694fd657fca1&amp;id=e814538e44&amp;e=ed6a12e728" target="_blank">TICKETS NOW ON SALE!</a> Come raise a glass, meet the artists, eat some cake, and be part of a celebration dedicated to art and community. Here's to the next 25 years! Join us as we mark a milestone—our 25th anniversary of championing creativity, vision, and the arts. Longtime supporter and Guest of Honor&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://artsoflife.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=676dcf6750de4694fd657fca1&amp;id=bb20c9c8dd&amp;e=ed6a12e728" target="_blank">Cindy Shanker</a>&nbsp;will join us to commemorate this special occasion. Not only that - the event will mark the official launch of our debut publication&nbsp;- a book to celebrate the remarkable history of Arts of Life,&nbsp;Circle Contemporary, and the many artists we have supported.&nbsp;It commemorates our first quarter century as an artist collective and working gallery and highlights a select group of artists that exemplify our core values.

Celebrate 25 Years of Arts of Life

BOND CHAPEL | 1025 E 58TH ST TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://renaissancesociety.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=28258b64874e626df0979c0de&amp;id=dfecfa6586&amp;e=375d06b725" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;Making their US debut as a duo, Pat Thomas (piano and electronics) and Mariam Rezaei (turntables) are radical composers unbound by genre. Informed by jazz, free improvisation, dub, footwork, avant-garde electronics, noise and chamber music, they create a new kind of electro-acoustic music. One of the greatest pianists the UK has produced, Thomas is fluent in the languages of jazz, modern composition, funk, reggae and calypso. His style can range from thunderous clusters and angular vamps to radiant lyricism and delicate inside piano explorations. As an electronic musician, Thomas has fused drum ‘n bass with Webern and P-Funk (1997’s&nbsp;New Jazz Jungle: Remembering), crossed J Dilla with Morton Feldman (2024’s&nbsp;This Is Trick Step) and created a wildly inventive series of albums using IRCAM’s Time Stretch programme. Using specially prepared samples, Rezaei will employ a range of techniques, including free juggling, turntable sines (controlling sine waves using the pitch slider), needle dripping and needle weaving -&nbsp;—two new methods she debuted on&nbsp;her 2024 album&nbsp;FRACTURED. The former involves composing music made specifically for needle dropping on multiple decks at once. The latter is a way of using a digital vinyl system to loop music live using two decks, with nothing predetermined.Presented in partnership with the&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://renaissancesociety.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=28258b64874e626df0979c0de&amp;id=9e2c5155e4&amp;e=375d06b725" target="_blank">Frequency Festival</a>. <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://renaissancesociety.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=28258b64874e626df0979c0de&amp;id=a526ceab35&amp;e=375d06b725" target="_blank">Learn more</a>. Left: Mariam Rezaei. Right: Pat Thomas, photo by David Laskowski.

Mariam Rezaei & Pat Thomas

<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/" target="_blank">Jackson Junge Gallery</a>&nbsp;is excited to present their first solo exhibition of 2025,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions" target="_blank">DANGEROUSLY WHIMSICAL</a>, featuring the work of Nashville-based artist&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/about/artists/kate-harrold" target="_blank">Kate Harrold</a>. Her seamless digital collages depict fantastical worlds and fearless characters that inspire us to shape our own realities. Each piece is meant to transport you to a different place, whether it be into a stranger’s dreams or back to the freedom of childhood. The title&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions" target="_blank">DANGEROUSLY WHIMSICAL</a>&nbsp;is inspired by the elements of both light and dark found in Harrold’s work. “I want to create a balance between what's dark and scary and what's exciting and joyful. The viewer will notice that when there is a scary or dark element to an image, the subject of the piece is never afraid,” she says. This can be seen in her piece “<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/prints-reproductions/floral/wild-child" target="_blank">Wild Child</a>”, where a young girl is unbothered by the dark forest and wild animals that surround her. They join her as she lets out a fearsome howl and embraces the great unknown. This spirit of adventure and fearlessness can be seen often in Harrold’s work. The characters are the most important and inspirational element in Harrold’s collages. They manifest their own futures and realities, transporting you into a world seen through their eyes. In “<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/mediums/prints-and-reproductions/sweet-dreams" target="_blank">Sweet Dreams</a>” we experience the perspective of a woman who creates her own silver lining as she directs her house through a clouded sky toward the rising sun. She is accompanied by her animal companions, an orange cat and a flock of pigeons. We can only imagine what led her to this moment, but there is a feeling of hope and freedom to the piece. Harrold’s newest collage, “<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/store/mediums/digital/floaties" target="_blank">Floaties</a>,” reveals one of her greatest artistic inspirations- the endless imagination of children. The piece features a group of children facing great heights without a hint of fear as they play on a waterslide suspended in the sky. “Floaties” shows that the sky is quite literally the limit in the mind of a child, a perspective Harrold hopes her work will remind viewers to carry into their adult lives. “In some images I want viewers to feel nostalgic for their childhood and the freedom their hearts had before the seriousness of time and age took hold,” she says. Harrold’s body of work today is a result of her education and background in traditional studio art and photography. After spending some time in professional digital editing and photo retouching, she utilized the Photoshop skills she had learned and began exploring the medium of digital collage. Now, when taking photographs, she does so with the intention of using specific elements as building blocks into a new world. “I love working with photography because, by tradition, it is meant to document reality. I, instead, create my own,” she says. The reality Harrold creates is one filled with floating buildings, friendly beasts, and fantastical adventures – meant to reflect the uncertainty of the real world. A world that she believes we all have the power to challenge: “We are all strong enough to live beyond our circumstances and achieve more than we are expected to. At the same time, we are a part of our environment and this universe. We need to live with it and protect it. Hopefully my work has the power to inspire all these things in some way or another.” <a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions" target="_blank">DANGEROUSLY WHIMSICAL</a>&nbsp;is a challenge to all of us to connect with our inner child and face the world with an open and curious mind. By depicting people in impossible situations, Harrold hopes to convey that we have the strength and ability to achieve more than we may realize. She challenges us to face the unknown as fiercely as a child confronts a sea serpent while sailing the high seas in his pajamas.&nbsp; Join us Friday, January 17th 6pm - 9pm for an opening reception, which is sponsored by Shake Shack. Food and refreshments will be provided and is free to the public.&nbsp; The exhibition will be on view January 14th through February 23rd, 2025.<a style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://j2gallery.com/exhibitions" target="_blank">DANGEROUSLY&nbsp;WHIMSICAL</a>&nbsp;is curated by Gallery Director Kaitlyn Miller and Gallery Assistant Maddie Kirmse.

Dangerously Whimsical A Solo Exhibition by Kate Harrold

<a href=https://mam.org/exhibitions/acceleration-of-history/>Details</a>Rising to prominence in the 1980s as a leading figure of the Pictures Generation, internationally acclaimed artist Robert Longo has long examined the effects of our image-saturated culture. The artist sources his subject matter from the media to create ambitiously scaled charcoal drawings that reflect on the construction of symbols of power and authority, including images of animals and nature as well as global conflicts and protest movements.Though based on images from various media sources, Longo’s meticulous drawings are not exact transcriptions. Instead, he combines elements from multiple source images with art historical archetypes and compositional elements in an effort to create what the artist considers “a perfect image.” Through their monumental scale and technical precision, the images he depicts invite viewers to slow down and reflect on the subject matter.The exhibition presents nearly 40 monumental drawings, sculptures, and videos created by the artist over the past decade, prominently featuring The Destroyer Cycle series that Longo began in 2014. It also includes drawings from his other bodies of work, such as the Hungry Ghosts and Gang of Cosmos series.The first solo presentation of the artist’s work in the Midwest in more than three decades, Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History was curated by Margaret Andera, senior curator of contemporary art at the Milwaukee Art Museum.Image: Robert Longo (American, b. 1953), Untitled (American Eagle 2017), 2017. Charcoal on mounted paper. 70 1/16 × 96 in. (177.96 × 243.84 cm). Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection

Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History

This group exhibition features works by artists who explore the potential of landscape&nbsp;&nbsp;in contemporary art to contribute to timely conversations about sites of history,&nbsp;belonging, and relationships of labor and land. Working in a diverse range of media,&nbsp;the artists in the exhibition curated by Mariela Acuña reinvent the traditional genre of&nbsp;landscape to explore its possibility to intervene in civic dialogs rooted in place and its histories. Artists include Lydia Cheshewalla, zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal, Norman Long, and Kelly Kristin Jones, Elsa Muñoz and Leticia Pardo.&nbsp;<a href=https://oq8cplyab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zwTxR2FYlkLKz86CjLm8OSE7GcJE9ViHqZUhI1s_jlZkLPgRZmbtNXOZYbKNxvq4Zr6ROOSUnTv6NV6e2Zmwz2Vlwj1ZL7ZBysLw17NH2qzseuRpoU4GZhYXnH4uOvJ6qEvkNkzCWspcvymI4-YRRqVWh-vn_jzC8TtQr9AfJLooEZ5mIqH7p8NhtYPFDEYUrs8H4zev8_1O_7OCju85eZQ8txuantYu&amp;c=JQfWUx7G8xkDue0miWjgj2dFI4iAPT56eQ-JgtOxLIWJOZwLRxRwEg==&amp;ch=BIeQA0gdNDvRjzsOKHZirh0b1ffQXUFGfUhUOiqkBBiLWzFMEHP__g==>Read More</a>&nbsp;Image:Elsa Muñoz, Controlled Burn 30, 2023, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Positions: New Landscapes

Photography by Jon Balke Image: Jon Balke, Morton Arboretum

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