Category: News

Building updates and announcements and media coverage of the building and building residents.

Cornelia Arts Building Spring Open House, Friday, May 13

Post date Posted May 5, 2011

The Annual CAB Spring Open House & Group Exhibition is here.

Explore working studios and meet the local artists who contribute to Chicago’s diverse cultural landscape. Painting, photography, jewelry and metalwork, sculpture, ceramics, fabric arts, printmaking and much more await you during our casual, family-friendly Open House! View details and artwork on ArtSlant.

Featuring artwork by:

Doug Birkenheuer, Anthony Bowers, Jeff Bryner, Nancy Charak, Kelsi Crivaro, Tor Dettwiler, Doug Frohman, Lauren Harlowe, Beth Kamhi, Jeremiah Ketner, Reed Kirst, Alley Maranto, Teresa Matchett, Jason Messinger, Alisa Miller, Greg Milne, Ahavani Mullen, Matt Nichols, James Parenti, Emily Rapport, Judy Schumacher, Susanne Siegel, Scott Simons, Eric Steele, Kevin Swallow, Eric Weinstein, Joey Wozniak + musical guest North Branch

Visit www.CorneliaArtsBuilding.com for more information.

Poster design by Eat Paint Studio. Featured artist on the CAB postcard is Kevin Swallow.

Eric Weinstein – painting the inner landscape

Post date Posted April 19, 2011

About his work Eric says, “As an artist, I am primarily interested in ideas and feelings that occur within the inner landscape of my mind. Historically I have been a person of few words and limited avenues to express myself until I discovered pen, paper and paints. As I have grown older and matured I do not feel as stuck as I had been in the past, but in terms of expressing my self via art, it has become a regular and necessary part of me as a person.”

Trembling Twig, Curated by: Arno Mayorga at 2ND FLR Gallery

903 W 19th Street 2nd Flr., Chicago, IL 60608

on exhibit through April 30th

Visit Eric in studio #201 at our next open house, Friday, May 13th, from 6-10pm or check out his show this month at the 2nd Floor Gallery. Get in touch with the artist here »

Jason Messinger – Center on Halsted Gallery exhibit and benefit

Post date Posted March 21, 2011

Jason Messinger exhibits Ink Paintings at Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, Chicago

LanguagOfGrass — Language of Grass, © Jason Messinger

Opening Reception & Fundraiser
Friday, April 1, 7 – 9:30 pm
$5 suggested donation – Cash bar

Show Runs April 1 – May 17, 2011

The Center On Halsted invites you to an Art Opening Reception and Fundraiser showcasing artwork by guest artists Jason Messinger and Armando Pedroso.

Jason Messinger will be showcasing over one dozen of his ink and watercolor paintings in the Third Floor Gallery of the Center. Inspired by Japanese Sumi-ink traditions and the caligraphic line, painted on cold-pressed heavy-weight watercolor paper, and framed behind glass, most paintings are 24″ x 32″ in size.

A portion all artwork sales goes to help support continuing cultural programming at the Center on Halsted. Priced to appeal to both beginning collectors, and the savvy seasoned art collector, Jason Messinger’s artwork has been reduced from the artist’s internationally listed prices on his web site, to encourage support for the Center.

The Center on Halsted is a community center for youth and adults in Chicago’s LGBT communities. The Center’s mission is to serves as a catalyst for the LGBT community that links and provides community resources, and enriches life experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.

Dual receptions for both Messinger and Pedroso will take place on both the Second and Third Floor Galleries. There is a suggested $5 donation to help support the Center On Halsted’s programming, and a cash bar.

Beth Kamhi: Duality of materials, life and art explored

Post date Posted March 1, 2011

My work centers around the use of molten heat on natural materials such as glass, metals and clay. Offering me the opportunity to explore its reaction and energy. Creating a malleable and rigid yet fragile medium that enables the spontaneity of my design.

The juxtaposition of feminine and masculine, surrealism and realistic, ridged and mobile – intrigues and inspires me. Whether the concept of the art is contemporary, abstract, kinetic or static — this juxtaposition is the cornerstone of my art.

The size of my art is purposeful; created as tabletop, wall sculpture, or landscape, the scale and medium has the ability to draw the eye, mind and heart into a conversation.

‘Secret Life of … Travel,’ 22″h x 6″w x 6″d, ceramic branch, custom decal, forged steel branch. © 2009 Beth Kamhi

Beth Kahmi - Twirl — ‘Twirl,’ steel and copper, 2011 28″h x 18″d x 8″d. © Beth Kamhi

‘Why,’ 32″L x 24″W x 24″H, ceramic and forged steel, © 2008 Beth Kamhi

The Power of Flowers, created for the ComEd Fine Art Fridges display in downtown Chicago

Visit www.bethkamhi.com for Artistic Information.

Beth Kamhi is represented by:

Gibson ID
7350 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Studio B Gallery
114 N. Elm Street, Michigan
at the Three Oaks Arts Center

Interview with Tor Dettwiler, Sculptor

Post date Posted February 6, 2011

Protracting-40-(open-drawer) — Protracting 40 (open-drawer)

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you began to develop as a sculptor.

Tor Dettwiler: My background in art began as a kid making comic books which led to art school as a teen. In art school I fell in love with photography, eventually supplanting it for my drawing/painting/sculpture pursuits. My photos relied heavily on found textures from the environment, and after many years of experimenting I felt they needed to become three dimensional. It was at that point I began to make found-object sculptures partially infused with, or exhibited along side of, my photographs. At some point I ceased the photography all together and focused only on the sculpture. I still appreciate the two-dimensional arena and hope to reconnect more with it, in my sculpture and separate from it, in the future.

Q: Your work is conceptually and visually “heavy” – incorporating layers of meaning to create a personal mythology. Do the levels of understanding for art or expectations of an audience factor into your work?

TD: Having been inundated as a young person with the language and expectations of fine art it is now automatic that my expressions reflect that teaching. By utilizing some aspects of conventional representation, I hope to reach a “general” demographic and leave the industry references inherent in the work as possible in-jokes for the art world audience. Much of the personal messaging in the work is purposefully crypticidez to protect my privacy from day job scrutiny. It’s my intention for the audience to get a sense there is a struggle being dramatized, but the specifics of that battle, they are welcome to inject from their own personal experiences.

Lusting-for-Latitude-XLII-open-cabinet-installed — Lusting for Latitude XLII (open cabinet)

Q: Where do you go for inspiration (visual or other)?

TD: I draw my inspiration primarily from my life experience. The sculptures I have made since turning 40, four years ago, are all reflections of my take on that transition. They are as much physiological expressions of aging as they are emotional/experiential. I get alot of folks connecting my work with hollywood science fiction aesthetics…this influence is perhaps more the cart than the horse in my case. I was raised in a home of science-minded people, but magnetted towards mechanically motioned types, so the amalgam of the two had alot to do with how I appreciate things visually. If anything, I have resisted the urge to emulate what I see in the movies. I recall being impressed in art school by the science-like process of art making made famous by the old masters during the renaissance. But in general I feel its best not to get too close to a powerful influence(from an existing art-related industry)or one might get swallowed up by it and lose ones own individual voice.

Q: With a full-time job, how do you balance your studio practice with life demands and how important is maintaining a studio space to your development as an artist?

LuringAchilles_inprogress — Luring Achilles (in progress)

TD: My personal production has always been the mistress to my full-time job, and that type of conflictual angst fuels much of the content of my art. I chose to teach for the “time-off” it provides to make art. But to do a decent job teaching, that flex time is often absorbed preparing for the classroom. It’s not the ideal arrangement, but the steady paycheck funds the experimentation essential for my art. Maintaining a studio space is necessary for sculpture for obvious reasons. Recently, I’ve found it more accessible to produce in the confines of my home, and use the Cornelia Arts Building as an exhibition facility and to interview prospective collectors, though I feel that is a temporary/transitional arrangement.

Q: What are you working on right now?

TD: My most current sculpture was put on hold this late fall when I suffered a hernia. Since my work can be not only conceptually and visually “heavy” but physically heavy as well, I have had to let the studio dust collect on it mid-way through. Instead I am experimenting more with smaller, relief-type pieces using some of the forms from my larger works. I hope to be healed enough by spring to resume all the arduous lifting, sawing, sanding, etc. needed to finish my reconfiguration of Luring Achilles.

All images © Tor Dettwiler.

Tor Dettwiler is a sculptor at the Cornelia Arts Building, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and went on to receive his Masters of Art in Sculpture from Governors State University in Illinois. Mr. Dettwiler is currently an art teacher and maintains his private art practice at the Cornelia Arts Building. Visit his website at: www.tordettwiler.com

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions:

The National Art Premiere 2011, Elmhurst Art Museum, Guild Gallery
February 19 – March 30

An awards ceremony will be help on February 25th from 7-9pm

40th Anniversary Retrospective, The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art

Tor Dettwiler is one of 40 artists selected to represent the best of UMA’s exhibitions over the years. Opening reception, April 15th from 5 – 9pm.

“You Are Beauty,” Valentine Show – Cornelia Arts Building, February 5th

Post date Posted January 22, 2011

You Are Beauty – a Valentine-themed group show at Cornelia Arts Building, Saturday, February 5th, noon – 4 pm.

[slideshow]

Local Chicago Artists exhibit original Jewelry, Textiles, Paintings, Photography, Prints, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Erotica in one of Chicago’s major artist studio buildings.

Featuring:

Goddess Paintings by Melinda Gordon, Erotic Paintings by Joey Wozniak, ’52 Pick Up’ Erotic Collages and Watercolor Valentines by Jason Messinger, Tor Dettwiler, Judy Lichtenstein, Beth Kahmi, Sandy Stannez, Sharon Burns, Alley Maranto, Judy Shumacher, Emily Rapport, James Parenti, Eric Weinstein, Reed Kirst, Kelsi Crivaro, and more!

The perfect place to find or commission a unique gift for the object of your affection.

Visit ArtSlant Listing to read more about each artist and see the Chicago listing.

EAC Faculty Exhibition features CAB artists

Post date Posted January 9, 2011

EAC Faculty Exhibition, January 16 -February 6, 2011
Opening Reception, Sunday, January 16, 1 – 3:30 pm

Where: 2603 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201
Info: (847) 475-5300

An exhibition showcasing the work of Evanston Art Center faculty members in ceramics, digital arts, drawing, painting, fiber, figure sculpture, jewelry, metal sculpture, mosaics, photography, and printmaking. This exhibition is free and open to the public.

Artists: Jerome Acks, Iris Allen, Sandra Blanc, Andrew Breen, Peter Cardone, Akemi Nakano Cohn, Julian Cox, Kathy Cunningham, Paula Danoff, Kevin Foy, Linny Freeman, Aviva Ginzburg, David Gista, Barbara Goldsmith, Lisa Harris, Vincent Hawkins, Katherine Hilden, Ruyell Ho, Bob Horn, Michael Jackson, Margo Jankiewiczj, Christy Karpinski, Bonnie Katz, Jeremiah Ketner, Jill King, Michelle Kogan, Judy Koon, Deborah Kugler, Randee Ladden, Gavin Lupinski, Donna Lurie-Semmerling, Patrick Miceli, Roberta Miles, Ken Minami, John Minkoff, Bruce Noel Mortenson, Didier Nolet, Lindsay Obermeyer, Sheila Oettinger, Les Orenstein, Leslie Perrino, Janis Pozzi-Johnson, Darrell Roberts, Virgil Robinson, Heidi Ross, Matt Runfola, Christopher Schneberger, Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler Flo Singer, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Cheryl Steiger, Sandra Stone, Luke Strosnider, Jill Sutton, Kay Thomas, Jeremy Tinder, David Todd Trost, Tom Walther Maggie Weiss, Nina Weiss, Cathy Westphal, Shencheng Xu, Noël Yovovich

Basia Krol “Plants and Scapes” at Wishbone

Post date Posted January 9, 2011

Join artist Basia Krol for art, conversation, wine, and southern appetizers at the opening reception for her solo show this Wednesday, January 12th, from 6:30-9pm at Wishbone Restaurant, 3300 N. Lincoln Ave.

As an artist I always explore and change. I paint various subjects in different styles. I go where art takes me. But wherever I go for inspiration I find myself always coming back to nature, to organic forms, landscapes, plants or cellular forms.

In alphabet 24 or so letters create the endless abundance of languages. In nature 5 or so patterns create everything we see, make blueprints for things to grow by. In the city it is easy to forget all about it. I treasure gardens and parks and weeds just as well.

For the show at wishbone I chose some of my nature paintings painted over past 5 years. All of them are oil paintings on canvas or linen. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Basia Krol creates paintings that are both beautiful and unsettling. Her artwork often deals with family issues, the magic world of childhood and intertwining paths of love, life and science.

Contact Information

www.barbarakrol.com
barbara@barbarakrol.com

Materal Syntax: Communication Between Media

Post date Posted December 9, 2010

MATERIAL SYNTAX : COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEDIA
DECEMBER 11, 2010 – JANUARY 4, 2011 at Robert Bills Contemporary with Veronica Bruce, Dan Giordan and Joe Baldwin. The reception is scheduled for December 11, from 5pm to 8pm at 222 North Des Plaines Street, Chicago, IL. The show will continue through January 4, 2011.

Robert Bills Contemporary’s group exhibition MATERIAL SYNTAX presents three artists with diverse yet overlapping interpretations of media relationships. From the traditional plastic art of painting to the new medium of digital photography, these artists employ their unique artistic methods to create images that represent the changing field of mixed media and reconsider traditional media limitations.

VERONICA BRUCE’s contemporary paintings examine traditional aspects of the medium of painting within an non-traditional framework of every-day material aesthetics. Using a variety of found materials such as cardboard, plaster, hinges, screws, Styrofoam, and wood, Bruce constructs pieces that have a profound physical presence as well as a rich painterly technique. Featuring a range of image types from inkjet photos to gestural strokes allows Bruce to juxtapose material aesthetics in endless combinations that simultaneously reinforce and deconstruct media boundaries.

DAN GIORDAN crafts paintings with many carefully considered layers of material. As opposed to the more direct side-by-side juxtaposition of media that takes place in Bruce’s work, Giordan relies heavily on layering to create paintings that seem to take on a more hybrid media form. Within his paintings photographic and painterly visual syntax do not just coexist, they mingle on the surface and coalesce in depth to create diverse textures and visual planes. Each work becomes a conversation between the communicating visual entities.

JOE BALDWIN interprets the theme of communication more literally, as he relies on technological filtering to construct images from digital material. His photographs radically reinterpret the concept of digital manipulation by using photographic data as a material as easily molded by the artist’s hand as paint or graphite.

Robert Bills Contemporary was named one of the top ten hottest galleries at Next 2010 by the Chicago Tribune. The gallery is located in Chicago’s West Loop at 650 West Lake Street on the lower level. Please enter at the corner of Lake and Des Plaines.

Jewelry Designer Alley Maranto featured in Chicago Magazine

Post date Posted November 20, 2010

Alley Maranto is a born and bred Chicago girl. She received both her B.F.A. and Teaching Certificate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After working primarily with found objects making one-of-a-kind pieces, she began incorporating pearls and precious metals into her work. Her current explorations with resin amulets originated by a gift of a Thai Buddha amulet from her best friend Josie. Alley also hosts jewelry making workshops at her Cornelia studio, for more information about workshops or to make a wholesale inquiry, contact Alley at: alleymaranto@aol.com.

View more of Alley’s work on her website: www.alleymaranto.com

Models shown are 5 finalists in the Mario Make Me a Model program sponsored by Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas. Photography by Matt Ferguson with photo assistants Phil McConville and Brian Gee. The shoot took place at The Elysian Hotel in Chicago.