Daydreaming

I recently attended the opening reception as well as the artist talk for Jennifer Cronin's newest exhibition "Daydreaming."  The opening reception was a huge success with a great turnout coming to check out Jen's work.  It was a ton of fun checking out her painting's in a great West Loop studio.

I went back the next day to attend the artist talk.  Jen went through each painting to explain her process for making the paintings.  It was a very intimate setting that allowed me to further understand her thoughts that went into the painting, as well as learning a few of her techniques of how she paints.

“Daydreaming” showcases a wide spectrum of Cronin’s work spanning over the past 5 years. These daydreams are not light and fluffy, but laden with the heaviness of an unsettled mind that is searching for something. Some are external, like a hidden door, or internal, taking place only within the self. The paintings are exploratory escapes from everyday life.

You can check out Jen's paintings on her website here, www.jennifercronin.com.  Also, keep checking the website for updated painting and upcoming events of hers.

Here are some photos from the reception and artist talk:

The Good Night Ladies

"The Good Night Ladies is a collective committed to empowering female artist by producing outstanding works by women in a variety of media."

The Good Night Ladies was formed by my good friend Eve Rydberg and Jessica Marks.  They just recently had an all female arts showcase called VAGINA.  It was an amazing show that I would recommend to anyone.  They also just premiered their short film titled "Sunday Morning".  The Good Night Ladies are in the process of putting together summer play readings.  They are also in the midst of putting together an all-out production within the year, as well as smaller gallery screenings, screenings and music events.

Through The Good Night Ladies, the women are hoping to encourage other women to create their own work and cultivate their own creative identities.

I would highly recommend checking out any and all events that these ladies are putting together.  You can get more info on The Good Night Ladies on the Facebook page here or you can check out the blog with a full list of past and upcoming events here.

A Year at Columbia

Nck DrNaso, A Visit from the Parents

A Year at Columbia is a collaboration between New Student Programs, students from the Art and Design department and the Department of Exhibition and Performance Spaces (DEPS). Eight Columbia College illustration students designed and painted large-scale murals depicting signature campus-wide events of the academic year.  Beginning with Weeks of Welcome and culminating in Manifest, the murals create a vibrant timeline of what new students coming to Columbia can expect to experience during their first year. The murals are also examples of the creativity, talent and ambition of Columbia College students. This exhibition was organized by Emily Easton and Justin Witte.


A Year at Columbia is currently showing at the Glass Curtain Gallery located on the first level of 1104 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60605.  It will be up in the gallery through August 1, 2012.  The murals were created by David Alvarado, Kevin Budnik, Peter Clodelter, Nick DrNaso, Erik Lundquist, Solange Henson and Yael Orellana.

Survival Techniques: Narratives of Resistance

Survival Techniques: Narratives of Resistance is currently up at the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MOCP) through July 1st.  Currator Davide Quadrio thought of this exhibition while in Thailand from 2008 through 2010.  He was able to experience the termoil in the country, but was able to see the civil resistance that went on by demonstrations, rallies and marches to express dissatisfaction with the authoritarian regimes.

In this show there is work by Yto Barrada, Raphael Dallaporta, Rainer Ganahl, Phillippe Laleu, Sigalit Landau, Dario Menozzi, Li Mu, MRK Palash, Uriel Orlow, Navin Rawanchaikul, Julika Rudelius, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tintin Wulia, Zhang Peili, and Artur Zmijewski.

Each of these artists attempt to document circumstance in a certain territory.  They can span a lot of time and be all over the world, but every work seems to connect to one another in some aspect.  This exhibition is more than just surviving, but adapting and changing as our era tries to find its place in human history.

Morbid Curiosity

For months now the Chicago Cultural Center has been my go-to place to discover new art in Chicago.


From its free music, to free dance and theater events- the art exhibitions I have seen have been unforgettable.


Maybe it's the beautiful, sophisticated architecture of the building. Or the wide, spacious walls that allow my thoughts to ponder back and forth.
Whatever it may be, it has kept me coming back for more. 

Since January 28th of this year, Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection has been on display at the Chicago Cultural Center and will be till July 8th.

I had just visited this exhibit last week.


What took me so long to check it out? Well. Let's just say I get squeamish at the thought of death or anything dark-themed. Whether it's in movies, books, or in this case, art... I tend to look the other way sometimes.


However. I had finally mustered up the confidence to check out the exhibit with a friend of mine.






Shockingly, I didn't shut my eyes and run the other way. I was pleasantly surprised. 


Yes, I felt a little bit drowned by the large number of skulls and skeletons that surrounded me. But, I was more-so intrigued. 


Harris's collection explored several underlying themes-- not just death. Themes like vanity, war and the contrast between living and death popped out throughout the various sculptures, paintings, photographs and drawings of the collection. My favorite piece was a chandelier made out of hundreds of bones. 




A lady who was also exploring the exhibit and followed closely to my friend and me, helped shed a little light on the collection. She said, "Don't look at them [the skulls] as just a symbol of death. These have been used symbolically throughout centuries and across cultures. To one person it may mean one thing, but to another it could mean the opposite. Be creative."

There's about 5 weeks left to check out The Richard Harris Collection before it leaves Chicago. 


Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington Street


Oh! And admission is FREE.

Vinyl Records

Instead of chucking out those retro, out-of-date vinyl records in the trash or at a local garage sale, Ebony Leaks, a college student designer and stylist, used her creativity and put them to better use. 


Ebony uses old vinyl records to create jewelry-- and her specialty? Earrings. 


Ranging from colors like black, to yellow, to turquoise, to maroon with a hint of pink, Ebony says each piece is "named after a positive expression to show the uniqueness that it has." Each piece is hand-made to fit any style, from retro to modern.

Since the fall of 2011, these vinyl records have caught my eye. Since then, they have been sweeping the South Loop of Chicago. 

Whole or Half? 

"Vinyl Expressionz was first a way for Ebony to express herself stylistically, and as time progressed her desire became for everyone to take part in this expression that was developed through her love for creating jewelry," as explained on her website. 

To me, it's astonishing how deep people dive into their imagination and get lost in their creativity. And for some people, they don't even have to dive that deep. It comes naturally.  I never would have had the thought in a million years to take old records, cut them and craft them onto wires made to hang from earlobes. 


Let's take this piece of junk and transform it into something beautiful!


But hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure, right?


Amazing.


What would have been tossed out in my bag of "garbage" was instead carefully crafted into fun, colorful and unique jewelry. Earrings that have gotten me several compliments and double-takes. Now it's one of my favorite pieces of flare.  


AND! According to her website, she will have new Vinyl Record earrings in honor of Whitney Houston (my favorite...RIP) featured soon. 


To check out more of Ebony's "Vinyl Expressionz" and maybe order a pair for you or your friend, you can visit www.vinylexpressionz.com 


- gail

"Stranger Than Family"

I've recently checked out Matthew Avignone's body of work entitled "Stranger than Family." This series is currently up at the David Weinberg Photography gallery in the gallery district. Matt describes his work as a documentation of "a typical family who has gone through extraordinary circumstances."

Matt, along with his four other siblings, are all adopted by his parents; two from India, two from South Korea.  Matt present his work as "capturing that fleeting which is a spit second." Along with family portraits and photos, viewers are also presented with documents and snapshots from the family's past.  These include the adoption papers from himself and siblings.  Pictures of when the children first met their adoption parents are included, as well as family photos from years past.

Through "Stranger Than Fiction," Matt is able to provide a glimpse of how strangers can become a family, no matter the circumstances, with time, love and perseverance.

Matt is a recent graduate from Columbia College Chicago's photography program.  He has being recognized with many awards such as the 2012 Baum Award for Emerging American Photographer.  His handmade signature sewn book titled, "An Unfinished Body," is in the permanent collections at George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY and the International Center of Photography, New York, NY.

"Stranger Than Family" will be up through May 26th.

MatthewAvignone.com