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Most artists, said local painter Kate Friedman in a recent Chicago Tribune article, “hunger for serious dialogue about art.” The Hyde Park Art Center gave three artists a chance for just that dialogue this Thursday, February 25, at our monthly Open Crit event.
Artists Anne Hayden Stevens, Derek Haverland, and James Jankowiak bravely agreed to participate in a public critique of their works and works-in-progress.
Lori Waxman, special reporter to the Chicago Tribune, talks with artists and organizers about the value of programs like Open Crit, which focuses on developing a critical dialogue for emerging and mid-career artists.
Lori writes:
“Forget the stereotype of the lone genius artist who toils away in complete isolation in his drafty garret for years only finally to be discovered, exhibited and celebrated. It didn’t work that way a hundred years ago, it doesn’t work that way today, and it’s never going to work that way.
Or does it? Scrap the drama from this romantic cliche and at least one truth emerges: Most artists work in relative solitude, practicing their craft in spare bedrooms, basements and studios with few opportunities to share their art with others.
Sure, some artists exhibit their work in galleries, and some even get a review, and once in a while that review turns out to contain a nugget of insight. But such are the exceptions. Most artists, said local painter Kate Friedman, “hunger for serious dialogue about art.” So she and dozens of others have started participating in a free experimental program taking place every few months at the Hyde Park Art Center called Open Crits…”
You can read the full article here
There was a lot to celebrate this Sunday at the Hyde, with Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year coinciding with five, count ‘em five, exhibition openings! As part of the festivities, teaching artists Aurora and Shoshanna taught us how to make pop-up cards and Buddhist-inspired prayer flags!
Pure Genius
That’s what it said below our picture on a New York Times newsstand I found in a downtown Starbucks.
As some of you may know, the famed New York paper has begun a new locally focused news coverage, including expanded coverage of the Chicago art scene. Naturally, they chose an image of the Hyde Park Art Center as a symbol of our fair city’s creative community. Or, perhaps it was the fact we have the word “art” written two stories high across the south side of our building. Either, or.
If you spot any of these stands with the Hyde Park Art Center’s image, let us know. Email them to me at cpernell[at]hydeparkart.org and you may get a mention in our weekly email newsletter.
Update us on where you are
Well right now, as of yesterday I’ve actually begun to attach it to the space. So I’ve just been out cutting the foam and pretty much setting up the scenery that the characters will hang out in. And this is the part where I tend to take longer than I need to, but luckily I’ve got really simple plans for this. But I just really enjoy cutting foam. So I’ve been spending all this time just sculpting everything out. But I don’t have too many complex plans for how the foam going to stack on top of each other or wrap around things. It’s pretty straight forward since it’s all in a straight line. But I am bringing in a few new things where like the high ones kinda float off the ground; everything doesn’t have to touch the bottom. Putting in shelving. It’s sort of expanding what the foam is, sort of what the landscape can be. Rather than just being all hills I’ve got sculpture mixed in. Different built man-made structures. I guess I’m replacing technical complexity with variety of what the setting could be.
