In a blending of exhibitions and education, 4833 serves as a gathering place, resource archive, and program space at the new Hyde Park Art Center. This 1,600 square foot resource center embodies the Hyde Park Art Center’s vision for itself as a place that not only exhibits and teaches art, but stimulates creativity at all levels. 4833 builds on our history of collaborations with cultural institutions to facilitate creative interactions between students, artists, educators, and people from across the city.
Chuck and Bruce will be talking about the Close Encounters project on Radio New Zealand this weekend! There’s a description on the Radio New Zealand website here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/nr/programmes/artsonsunday
Even better, the recordings are added to the Radio New Zealand website a day or so after airing, so check out the this section on Radio New Zealand’s website on Sunday or Monday Chicago time to listen to the interview yourself!
Naomi Davis and Martha Boyd from the group C/CURE (Chicago/Calumet Underground Railroad Effort) shared their thoughts on Monday about historical preservation, sustainability and urban development. C/CURE’s mission is to aid the development of the Riverdale area (located at the southernmost city limit on the Calumet River) by using a historical Underground Railroad site, the John Ton farm, as a basis for boosting tourism initiatives and economic growth. The organization wants to develop the area holistically with consideration for the area’s social and cultural diversity while keeping in mind sustainability and green initiatives. These initiatives require a great deal of support, both politically and financially, and C/CURE is in the process of spreading the word to both politicians and the general population. Great conversation arose from the talk, and centered on development trends in the city of Chicago and the importance Underground Railroad heritage. Naomi and Martha are not artists per se, but their work has great cultural significance. In the end the question arose “How can artists play a part in this effort?”
Image: Wayne Youle, 12 Shades of bullshit, 2003, laser cut acrylic and spray paint, 23 × 55 inches
If you encounter any people wandering around Hyde Park looking lost and talking with strange accents, introduce yourself - they might be the New Zealanders from the Hyde Park Art Center!
The Hyde Park Art Center is playing host to 6 New Zealanders: 4 artists and 2 Maori representatives, who will be arriving in the next week for Close Encounters, a project that will result in a 2009-10 exhibition at the Center. The New Zealanders will be joined by 4 US artists who are also involved in the project.
The group are converging for a hui (traditional Maori meeting) that will be held at the Maori meeting house at the Field Museum. They will be discussing some big issues - race relations, development of communities, and the relationships in social groups.
Bruce E. Phillips, who is co-curating the project with HPAC director Chuck Thurow, arrived in April with his partner Fiona Moorhead. Bruce may be familiar to HPAC regulars - he had a curatorial residency here last year. Bruce and Fiona have been busy organizing the upcoming events.
Wayne Youle, one of the New Zealand artists, arrived on Tuesday night. He’s busy soaking up Chicago atmosphere and is looking forward to going to a baseball game on Friday night!
Have a look here at the HPAC exhibition page for a description of the project and more information about the artists. We’ve also started a blog (http://closeencountershui.wordpress.com) that will be added to from 15 May onwards with updates on the project.
That’s right. The staff members here at HPAC are still trying to catch up on sleep and sanity after 24 hours of art, performances and fun this past weekend. Creative Move 3 was a big success and hundreds of people of all ages came out to celebrate and get in touch with their creative sides. Highlights include performances by Synapse Arts Collective, Darrell Jones, Spot and Rocco, installations by Kally Kaszynski and Rebecca Keller, lots of exciting projects and workshops, and a gigantic cake shaped like a mountain! The video below features Japanese drummers, JASC Tsukasa Taiko, and Kaszynski’s installation, ‘Olympus Manger,’ Scene II.
We started at 8pm, but if you missed last night, never fear! We’re still rolling! With a free brunch, musical performances, and workshops galore, there’s still plenty to do. And stop in to help us ‘Move Mountains” by checking out the show Olympus Manger.
Istria is here and they’re open!
Stop in for some coffee, or perhaps a little gelato? Whatever you’re in the mood for, come on down! Today is opening day, and they’ll be open during all of Creative Move, and at 6:30am every morning until 10:00 pm.
And now, the Art Center is complete (until we think of something else to add)