August 2023 Newsletter
Chicago Sculpture International Annual Picnic
August 19, 2023
Chicago Sculpture International Membership Picnic at The Chicago Riverfront (with a rain date of August 20th). We will meet at Veteran’s Park Ledges between Wabash and Wacker on the South Shore of the river and picnic from 11-12PM at his spot and may venture out after that. The Air and Water show will also be taking place downtown so please plan to take public transportation or reserve parking through Spothero app. Light lunch and refreshments will be available.
Kindly RSVP to karajohnson@chicagosculpture.org if you plan to attend. If there is a large bunch of people attending, we can set up a potluck-type bring dish to share picnic. I am looking forward to hosting this event that is open to all members!
News from Outdoor Exhibition Committee
Ragdale Tree Project Residency: Diversity of Birds
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Application Deadline: Monday, October, 2, 2023, 11:59PM
Chicago Sculpture International, in collaboration with the Ragdale Foundation, is seeking experienced artists and artist teams to give a fifth season to a grand elm on the Ragdale Campus in Lake Forest, IL, by turning it into a sculpture. We are looking for a variety of beautiful, original, unique artistic approaches that will celebrate the diversity of birds in the area and become a distinguishing feature on the Ragdale Foundation’s campus.
Each of the five artists chosen will be working on one of the five large branches of the tree and collaborating on carving the designed wings on the west side of the tree. The approach to the branch sculptures can be additive and/or subtractive. The branches are approximately 8-15 ft. tall. To get an idea of the variety of ways to create a tree sculpture, please visit the Chicago Tree Project’s site www.chicagotreeproject.org.
For this proposal, each artist should submit qualifications that address projects of similar scale. We are looking for evidence that the artist is comfortable working with the appropriate equipment and at heights required for this project. Selected artists must follow safety criteria and are encouraged to complete an OSHA scaffolding certification course.
This RFP is open to professional artists or artist teams 18 years of age or older. Artists whose proposals are accepted, if they are not already CSI members, will be asked to join. There are many membership benefits, including exhibition and networking opportunities, a presence on our website and access to valuable professional information. See what we’re all about at: www.chicagosculpture.org.
Compensation/Stipend:
A two-week Ragdale Residency and $800 paid on completion of the a branch.
The artists are responsible for providing their own materials.
About the residency
Ragdale is one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages, cultures, experiences, and mediums, for a diverse and vibrant community.
In the session at Ragdale, artists-in-residence will enjoy uninterrupted time for work and creativity, a supportive environment, dynamic artist exchanges, 50 acres of idyllic prairie, a 7- acre historically significant campus, and a family-style dinner each evening. See more about us at Ragdale.
The two-week residency will take place between May 20 and June 7, 2024.
Click here for more information and to download an application.
News from Indoor Exhibition Committee
ALMA Annual Spring Exhibition
2024 Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibition at ALMA Art and Interiors
April 12 - September 1, 2024
3636 S. Iron St, Chicago, IL
Entry Deadline: August 18, 2023
Both Indoor and Outdoor Sculptors are invited to enter up to three works for the Annual Spring Exhibition at ALMA Art and Interiors in Chicago, IL. The exhibition will coincide with Expo Chicago, International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, April 11- 24, 2024 Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois. Alma Art and Interiors, established 2021, is a contemporary fine art gallery in the historic Bridgeport Arts Corridor featuring over 80 artists in 10,000 sq. ft.
This exhibition will be juried and curated by Kimberly Oliva and Gosia Korsakowski.
If selected for the exhibition, artists must be a current CSI member or sign-up for membership here. An artist statement will be required for the accepted piece.
Calendar:
Entry deadline: August 18, 2023
Email notification of acceptance: September 4, 2023.
Delivery of Accepted Work: Work to be received by March 1, 2024.
Exhibition dates: April 12, 2024 – September 1, 2024.
Opening Reception: Friday, April 12, 2024, 5 to 9 pm on opening weekend, Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14, 12 to 5 pm.
Look HERE for application details.
Call for Entries:
Elemental Impact
Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibitions at the Epiphany Center for the Arts
Extended Entry Deadline: September 9, 2023
Show Runs: Nov. 17, 2023 - Jan. 13, 2024
Email notification of acceptance: October 15, 2023
Delivery of Accepted Work: Nov. 11, Noon - 5PM or Nov. 14, Noon - 5PM
Opening Reception: Nov. 17. 6 - 9PM
Pick-up of work: Jan. 16 - 18, 11AM - 3PM
This exhibition takes interest in the parts that make up the whole and how a single element can impact the world at large. Much like a single choice in material or form can change an entire piece, each work in a collective can change and impact the whole by proximity.
The works chosen for this exhibition will have a strong sense of material choice and presence that is both able to stand on its own while also engaging with its environment and the works around it in a way that fundamentally changes the experience of the space.
If selected for the exhibition, artists must be a current CSI member or sign-up for membership. An artist statement will be required for the accepted piece.
Find more information here.
Epiphany Center for the Arts
201 S. Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL
(312) 421-4600
Color / Form
Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibition at the College of Lake County
Exhibition dates:
June 22 - August 9, 2023
Richard T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, CLC, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake, IL
Gallery Hours: Mon - Thurs: 8AM - 9PM, Fri: 8AM - 6PM, Sat: 9AM - 3PM, Sun: Closed
No other element impacts aesthetics so directly and urgently as color. Artists who combine color with structure understand the boundless and captivating energy of this synthesis. Using color to evoke a mood is essential in their practice and message. Color/Form’s purpose is to compile creations that celebrate color and form interpreted in three dimensions.
Exhibiting Artists: Mike Baur, Nicole Beck, Michael D. Brown, Kara Cobb Johnson, Deirdre Colgan Jones, Robert Craig, Ei Cullina, Darlys Ewoldt, Lynn Floriano, Victoria Fuller, Shelley Gilchrist, John Hatlestad, Azadeh Hussaini, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Stacee Kalmonovsky, Thom Kapheim, Terry Karpowicz, Youngse Kim, Jill King-Wynn, Fred Klingelhofer, Ginny Krueger, Gina Lee Robbins, Mike Litewski, Nancy Lu Rosenheim, Ellen Lustig, Scott Mossman, Lisa Nelson Raabe, Katherine Nemanich, Janelle O'Malley, Ludvig Peres, Thomas Plum, Marci Rubin, Paul Somers, Diane Tang, Rabia Tayyabi, Michele Thrane, Kyle Triplett, Alexia Trzyna, and Nancy VanKanegan.
News from CSI Project Space
By Degrees II (2023)
13 Contemporary Emerging Artists
Join us at Saturday's opening reception to experience work by and get to visit with some of CSI's newest members!!
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 5 from 6-9PM
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, August 5 - Saturday, September 16, 2023
Often an artist’s most groundbreaking work comes from being immersed in a culture of study and intellectual pursuit. Chicago, home to some of the most globally revered academic arts institutions, could be considered a sort of proving ground for tomorrow’s most promising contemporary emerging artists.
Exhibiting Artists: Tallulah Cartalucca, Noah Greene-Lowe, Ariana Hocking, Maddy Lee, Stella Moon, Kate Morrick, Fiona Murphy, Greta Olson, Janelle O’Malley , Anna Reed, Kristina Rogers, Check Yan Cherry Tung, and Teagan Walters
By Degrees II Exhibition Committee: Gina Lee Robbins, Nicole Beck, Victoria Fuller, Carol Hammerman and Olya Salimova
Gallery Hours: Friday-Saturday 2-8pm & Sunday 1-6pm.
CSI Project Space: 1912 N Damen, Chicago, IL
Image: Work by Janelle O'Malley, Cheuk Yan Cherry Tung, and Anna Reed
News from the Education Committee
Messy, messy clay fun!
This is what occurred on July 26 at the Boys and Girls Club of America. Member Julia Paloma shared a colorful educational art workshop with clay, beads and feathers.
The kids were thrilled with dirty hands and at what charming clay creatures they created.
News from the Membership Chair
Land Acknowledgment
To provide immediate assistance to Native American communities in Chicago, you can send donations to the city’s American Indian Center here.
The City of Chicago, and its surrounding areas, have always been, and always will be, home to numerous Native American communities. As a team dedicated to the uplifting of Indigenous People’s sovereignty everywhere, we recognize that each program and exhibition associated with this project is taking place on the traditional homelands of the Council of Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa—as well as the Menominee, Miami, and Ho-Chunk Nations. Further, we acknowledge that Chicago is home to one of the largest urban Native American communities in the US.
Land acknowledgments are not rhetorical gestures, but rather calls to action. We therefore invite each of our non-Indigenous colleagues to learn more about the forced removal of many of the communities listed above from the state of Illinois and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into their line of work. We also encourage everyone to ask themselves how they may benefit from the continuation of settler colonialism, militarism, and warfare. Confronting these realities allows us to break down our privileges and adopt anti-colonial practices that can one day help us in creating a more equitable society.
Member News
Members are welcome to submit news regarding exhibitions and professional development achievements to info@chicagosculpture.org
We would love to see what you are doing!!
Also, please share your open studio events and any news about new work on our facebook and instagram pages.
Chicago Sculpture Facebook Group
Instagram: @chicagosculptureinternational
Photo: Nicole Beck with Michelle Weddige, Sr. Director, Business Strategy, NASCAR - when Nicole delivered the finished trophy.
NASCAR Street Races trophy by Nicole Beck
CSI Member and Gallery Committee Member, Nicole Beck was commissioned by Nascar Racing to produce a trophy for the Inaugural Chicago July 1 Xfinity Series Race and was awarded to Cole Custer. Nicole subcontracted Vector Custom Fabricating to produce the top spiral element as specified and Nicole fabricated the stainless base and handprinted the trophy in her studio. Beck received overwhelming press about her trophy on national and local news outlets, as well as an article in the SAIC Alumni News.
Check the following news articles: WGN9, NEWSNATION, and SAIC.
Image: artwork by Marie Magnetic
Exhibition by Marie Magnetic
Member Marie Magnetic will be exhibiting her work in ArtSpace’s Annual Abstract Exhibition located in the Logan Square neighborhood.
Exhibition dates: August 4, 2023-August 25, 2023
Opening reception: Friday, August 4th, from 6-9pm
(Refreshments will be served)
Closing reception on Friday, August 25th from 6-9pm
ArtSpace Chicago
3418 W Armitage Ave,
Chicago, IL 60647
Hours: Tu-Sa: 12-9pm; Su: 9-5pm; Closed Mondays
For more information: (773) 562-9760
Click here to learn more about ArtSpace Chicago
Image: Relief sculpture by Michael Litewski
The Medium is Technology
CSI member Michael Litewski will be in two upcoming group exhibits at College of Lake County (with Christina Chopalli and Teahoon Kim) and Caroline S. Mark Gallery
Caroline S. Mark Gallery/Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, Wisconsin presents The Medium is Technology. This group exhibit runs from August 18th to October 28th, 2023. The opening reception is Friday, September 15th at 5pm.
“Technology as a creative medium has a long rich partnership with the visual arts. As technology continues to change so does the definition of technology as a medium. This constant state of change pushes and pulls at the boundaries of art. This show seeks to highlight artwork that is made using ‘technology’ as a tool or medium for the artwork. This includes but is not limited to graphic design, digital photography, 3D printers, NFTs, video art, CNC cut or laser cut materials, web content, and much more.”
Caroline S. Mark Gallery
427 North Fourth Street
Wausau, WI 54403
(715) 842-4545
Gallery Hours: Wed-Fri: 10am-4pm; Sa: 12-4pm, Closed Sunday and Tuesday
For general information: info@cvawausau.org
Michael Litewski in College of Lake County Group Exhibit
The exhibit at College of Lake County’s Robert T. Wright Gallery runs from August 25th to September 21st and the opening reception is Friday, August 25th at 5pm.
Richard T. Wright Community Gallery of Art
College of Lake County
19351 W. Washington Street
Grayslake, IL 60030
Gallery Hours: Mon-Th: 8am-9pm; Fri: 8am- 6pm; Sa: 9am-3pm
Closed Sundays. Hours may vary during college breaks
For general information: arintz@clcillinois.edu
The following are not CSI sponsored projects, but may be of interest to our members.
International Sculpture Center Artist Exhibition
For the first time ever, you can now be a part of potentially three exhibitions - in Sculpture magazine (March/April ’24), on ISC Artsy Online Member Show (Fall ’24) and an in-person exhibition scheduled for 2024 as well. Preferred options for ISC chapter members.
Application deadline is September 15th. Applications will be accepted only from ISC members and chapters for the first month but the offer will be extended to the public after that.
Learn more: sculpture.org/page/ArtistExhibition for more details
Call for Outdoor Light Sculptures at GLOW Exhibit
Proposal Deadline: September 30
Installations must be completed by Friday, November 24
Allerton Park and Retreat Center in Monticello, Illinois seeks lighted outdoor sculptures for our annual holiday GLOW installation. Artists may submit proposals including photos of the work, fees, and installation requirements to our online submissions form: https://go.illinois.edu/GLOW2023
For questions please contact Felix Fuenty at fuenty2@illinois.edu or Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
A Covid-19 Monument Design
A contest to commemorate honor, remembrance, and resilience.
Submissions must be received by August 31 at midnight.
The winning artist will receive a cash prize of $20,000.
On this day, millions have died from COVID-19 and its variants, or have been infected. For those who have perished, for those who have lost a loved-one, for those who have recovered, and for those who courageously and selflessly served during the darkest and most uncertain days of the pandemic, we announce a competition to design a COVID-19 Monument of Honor, Remembrance, & Resilience sponsored by the Hektoen Institute of Medicine.
This Monument will be a physical sculpture or art installation that addresses and symbolizes the myriad issues and emotions encountered by citizens throughout the world as they navigate this powerful scourge and tragedy of our time. No other event in the past two centuries touched everyone as did the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether by death, illness, grief, or at best, lock-down, the pandemic left no one unscathed. This universal event respected no boundaries and did not discriminate by age, gender, religion, or nationality. As this pandemic excluded no one, our Monument is unequivocally inclusive and will embrace the sentiments of all citizens throughout the world.
Our hope is that we will conquer this virus, and the pandemic will be history—a distant memory. But lest we forget, it is critical that we come together to reflect, and to honor those who continue to fight on the front lines, those brave souls who ensured our survival. They are the nurses, doctors, health care workers, the public service sector employees, airline and banking personnel, those who rang up our groceries and medicines, delivered our packages, prepared our to-go meals, drove our buses, and many more. They all encountered significant risks dealing with an unknown illness. The Monument will honor these individuals and allow those who lost loved ones to mourn and know they are not alone. The monument design contest will bring forth ideas to educate and enlighten with the wisdom and experience we have shared.
Additionally, the Monument will celebrate resilience and victory. The discovery and distribution of the vaccine, engendered by multiple agencies, effectively saved millions of lives. This triumph of science in the COVID-19 vaccine and concomitant testing advances must be lauded and serve as a reminder of hope in the face of intense adversity and obstacles.
About the call FAQ's Submission Guidelines Submission Details
This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
While you're here...
Have any news to share? Shows, awards, residencies et al.? Send the particulars along to info@chicagosculpture.org, and we'll include them in an upcoming newsletter.
While you're at it, your profile and images on CSI’s website are important. When CSI applies for grants and upcoming shows, images are solely chosen from those you have uploaded to our website. Please take a minute to look over what you have posted and make sure you are presenting the best work. Member Shelley Gilchrist sgilchristart@gmail.com has volunteered to help you if you need it, so feel free to contact her.
