Jen Delos Reyes, in residence between June 11 – August 8, 2013, is an Assistant Professor at Portland State University where she co-directs the Art and Social Practice MFA program. She is also founder and director of Open Engagement, an annual conference based in Portland that focuses on developments in the field of social practice. Socially engaged practices are characterized by some type of interaction among people, and the term considers a work’s value as art as well as its civic value equally. Delos Reyes’ art practice combines academic research and instruction with collaborative projects involving artists and institutions, public interventions, and critical writing.

While in residence at Hyde Park Art Center, Delos Reyes will have the opportunity to expand her existing research concerning socially engaged practice to include Chicago’s particular role as an incubator for this type of work. “I am looking forward to my time in Chicago to see if I can get a sense of what about the city and the people who live [in it] has made it the one of the centers for these kinds of practices. Temporary Services, InCUBATE, and HaHa have been foundational for my thinking through socially engaged art,” says Delos Reyes.

While in residence, Delos Reyes plans to explore the notion of life practice as art practice and will visit a Shaker community to conduct research. Opportunities to engage with the artist during her residency include Speed Ideating & Service Media on June 27, 7-8pm and an Open Studio on July 27, 2-4pm, both at the Art Center.