Join us on Thursday, July 10 at 5:00 – 8:00 pm for an informal gathering with the artists and project curators of Not Or, But And to celebrate, share ideas, ask questions, and hear more about the projects on view!

Not Or, But And showcases a pair of curatorial projects that look at the fluid, and at times oppositional, relationship between figurative and abstract practices. With “Figurative VS Abstract,” Melody Saraniti underscores the inevitable conversation between both camps by inviting painters whose work exists mainly on one side or the other, and then asking those artists to invite their inspirations from across the aisle. The result is pairings that belie imagined antagonisms. Diane Ponder’s project, “Figuratively Speaking,” pulls together artists whose works sprout from a place of abstraction but ultimately take a turn toward figuration.

Participating artists include: Larissa Setareh Borteh, Dana DeGiulio, Robin Dluzen, Judith Geichman, Anne Harris, Cameron Harvey, Sarah Hicks, Sarah Hicks, Amanda Joseph, Mike Nudelman, Maria Vergara; and Steve Coenen, Marcelo Eli, Astrid Fuller, Christine LaRue, Sandra Perlow, Judy Petacque, Susan Redeker.

Not Or, But And is part of the curatorial laboratory Fast Forward : Rewind : Play, a playful and experimental format for an exhibition in which participants involved in the Art Center’s Oakman Clinton School & Studios engage the traditional “white cube” gallery as a learning space while highlighting connections among Art Center faculty, students, and the broader Chicago arts community.