July 2025 Newsletter
Image credit: Stella Moon, Nanxi Jin, Natia Ser, Rial Rye, Lulu Luyao Chang, and Jose Trejo-Maya
Announcing the 2025-2026 CSI Inclusion Fellowship Recipients
Chicago Sculpture International is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025–2026 Inclusion Fellowship, a program created by CSI member Kara Cobb Johnson to promote greater equity and representation within the sculptural arts. This initiative welcomes six AALANA- or BIPOC-identifying artists into our organization through yearlong fellowships that support emerging talent and expand the diversity of voices shaping our community.
Each fellow receives a complimentary one-year membership to Chicago Sculpture International, along with access to opportunities including exhibition participation, teaching artist roles, and committee or board involvement. There will be a special exhibit in March of 2026 at CSI Project Space featuring the work of these artists. Fellows are also featured in the CSI Member Directory and receive monthly news and artist calls via the CSI Newsletter.
2025–2026 Inclusion Fellows:
Lulu Luyao Chang
Nanxi Jin
Stella Moon
Rial Rye
Natia Ser
Jose Trejo-Maya
These artists bring exceptional promise and vision to the field, and CSI looks forward to spotlighting their contributions throughout the year.
To our new fellows: Welcome to CSI! We're honored to share this journey with you.
Current Exhibitions
Image credits: Robin Carlson, Tactile Projection: Pair of Herons
Chimera
at CSI Project Space Gallery
CSI Project Space, 1912 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL
At the corner of Cortland and Damen Avenues in the Bucktown neighborhood. Click here for directions.
Gallery hours:
Fri. 2-6PM*
Sat. 12-8PM
Sun. 1-5PM
or by appointment
*Open until 8PM on the 1st of every month for West Town’s First Fridays
Chimeras are hybrid creatures combining different animals into one creature, some examples which are combined with humans are a centaur (half horse, half human), a mermaid (half human, half fish), Anubis (half human, half jackal). Ganesha (half elephant, half human). Then there are creatures combining different animal parts, like Akhekh - A creature from Egyptian mythology with the body of an oryx and the wings and snout of a bird, and Hieracosphinx – A type of Sphinx that had a hawk head.
We are expanding the definition of Chimera for this exhibition to include anyd combining two of more of inanimate or biological objects, such as household objects, machinery, animal, botanical, fungal, or microscopic organisms that normally do not go together, but when combined become a hybrid.
This also has a reference to Dada and Surrealism, described very well with the famous line from Les Chants de Maldoror by the Comte de Lautréamont/Isidore Ducasse: “beautiful as a chance encounter on a dissecting table of a sewing-machine and an umbrella."
Exhibiting Artists: Lilly Allan | Nicole Beck | Sharon Bladhom | Robin Carlson | Helen Dannelly | Doug DeWitt | Ted Sitting Crow Garner | Set Gozo | Carol Hammerman | Yvette Kaiser Smith | Fred Klingelhofer | John Kurman | Kim Laurel | Beatriz Ledesma | Gina Lee Robbins | Micki LeMieux | Norbert Marszalek | Angela McElwain | Howard Russo | Dominic Sansone | Krissy Schwartz | Marvin Shafer | Rich Stewart | Yi Sun | Cheuk Yan Cherry Tung | Roberta Ulrich-de Oliveira | John T. Upchurch | Nancy Van Kanegan | Bruce Webber | Lillian Wilkie-Jones | Shencheng Xu
Curator - Victoria Fuller
For more information: projectspace@chicagosculpture.org
Micki LeMieux, Gallery Director
Artist Spotlight Exhibit
Works by Jyl Bonaguro, Darlys Ewoldt, and Stephanie Sailer
CSI Project Space Gallery
Exhibition Dates: July 26 - August 15, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 26, from 6-9pm
CSI Project Space Gallery
1912 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL
At the corner of Cortland and Damen Avenues in the Bucktown neighborhood.
Click here for directions.
Gallery hours: Fri. 2-6PM, Sat. 12-8PM, Sun. 1-5PM, or by appointment
*On “First Fridays”, the gallery is open until 8pm
Call for Entries
Image credits: Allison Ford - Spider and Baba Paska
By Degrees IV
CSI Annual Student Group Exhibition
Submission Deadline: Friday, August 15, 2025
Notification will be sent via email by August 24
Exhibition Dates: September 13 - October 3, 2025
Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) is calling for artists who are enrolled, or recently graduated from a degree-seeking program, to submit works of sculpture, installation, and media work to be featured in the juried group exhibition "By Degrees IV" at the CSI Project Space Gallery in Chicago.
Artists can submit up to 2 works for consideration. Other media work can be shared via URLs to a hosting site. Accepted artwork must be able to fit through a normal-sized single-door storefront. Cost for shipping work to the gallery, as well as return shipping of unsold work, is the responsibility of the artist. Applicants must be currently enrolled in or have recently (2024 or later) completed a degree-seeking program. Accepted artists who are not CSI members will be granted a one-year non-transferable student membership to CSI.
No submission fee. This call is not limited to students and graduates of Chicago-area institutions, but accepted artists will be required to gallery sit for at least one 4-hour shift during the run of the exhibition.
Learn more about requirements and submit your entry HERE.
Drop off artwork: Sat/Sun, September 6-7 from 1-5 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, from 6-9 pm
Exhibit Dates: September 13 – October 3, 2025
Image credit: Chris Wubbena
Sculpture & Film
Group exhibition at CSI Project Space
Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) members are invited to submit sculptural artwork in consideration for the upcoming Sculpture & Film exhibition within the CSI Project Space located at 1912 N. Damen in Chicago, IL. It has often been said that the art of filmmaking is sculptural, with its use of sculptural skills needed to build sets, the spatial compositions and movements of actors in a scene, or even the construction of films in the editing process. This exhibition will feature a wide range of sculptural artwork that explores the interconnection of sculpture and film, whether it displays film imagery, stills, objects, or material within a singular form; presents film spatially through projection or video monitor display; or emerges as a collaborative endeavor between two or more individuals to explore the parallels of cinematic and sculptural space.
The goal of Sculpture & Film is to provide an exhibition space that celebrates the use and inspiration of film within the world of sculpture, allowing for an expanse of traditional to experimental art-making processes, opening up diverse worlds of expression within CSI’s s Project Space. Artists and artist teams are encouraged to submit work that can be displayed on the wall, floor, or pedestal. Installation proposals are encouraged, however space may be limited. Sculpture & Film will be on view at the same time the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, showcasing and celebrating filmmakers and sculptors during the months of October and November.
Please Note: We are requesting exhibiting artists to cover one gallery sitting shift during the duration of this show.
The submission form can be filled out here:
https://forms.gle/fMgs9NeM4bAJvsiS6
Submission Deadline: September 1, 2025
Notification: September 10
Drop off Work: October 4-5 (other arrangements to be made for shipped work)
Exhibition Reception: October 18
Exhibition Dates: October 18 - November 21, 2025
Pick Up Work: November 22 - 23
Image credit: Chris Wubbena
Materiality in Sculpture: A Dialogue Between Substance and Form
Chicago Sculpture International 2025 Biennale
This exhibition explores the interplay of materials in the realm of sculpture, showcasing works that challenge, celebrate, and redefine our understanding of material substance. To connect your own work to this theme, consider how your choice of medium and subject matter can simultaneously reflect the physical and conceptual aspects. Formats include freestanding, wall hung, interactive, installation & video. Open interpretations of the exhibit theme are welcomed.
About the Juror
Debra Favre is an artist who has exhibited in the Washington, DC and the Chicago areas. She is the past Chair of the Board of the Evanston Art Center and has been a juror on the Evanston Art Center’s Exhibitions Committee for the last 14 years. She studied Fine Arts at McDaniel College in Maryland and at the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, DC.
If selected for the exhibition, artists must be CSI members or sign-up for membership: www.chicagosculpture.org/become-a-member
Exhibition Location:
Evanston Art Center
1717 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201
Learn more and submit your entry HERE
Questions? Contact info@chicagosculptors.com
Member Opportunity
Virtual Residency Opportunity
Member opportunity: Virtual residency with peers from ArtOmi, Jerome Foundation, NEW INC, and more
Deadline: July 15th!
Led by friends of Caroline Woolard and Or Zubalsky, Pollinator.coop extends the residency experience by matching you with a cohort of aligned peers. Members of select programs can use this opportunity to work on a project, vision statement, application, commission, new website, or other time-bound goal in good company.
The goal of Pollinator is to strengthen our shared cultural ecosystems through focused cross-pollination.
CSI will be participating in the pilot of this service. There is no cost to participate in the Fall session.
Pollinator's pilot program launches in October of 2025. Use this link to join Pollinator's Pilot Program, or enter code SCULPTURE to participate.
Member News
Image (clockwise): Victoria Fuller, Deborah Newmark, and Spencer Gale
Entangle Expressions: Exploring the Labyrinth of Linearity
Featuring works by Victoria Fuller, Spencer Gale, and Deborah Newmark
July 12 - September 14, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 12, 12 - 4 p.m.
Artist Talk and Q&A: Saturday, August 16, 1 - 2 p.m.
The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art is honored to present a new exhibition titled Entanged Expressions: Exploring the Labyrinth of Linearity, which brings together the distinctive visions of CSI members Victoria Fuller and Spencer Gale, along with Chicago-based artist Deborah Newmark.
Entangled Expressions is an immersive journey into the realm of meandering and undulating lines, where art converges with the intricate patterns of nature, mathematics, and human expression. This exhibition features the captivating works of three visionary artists who navigate the complexities of lines, knots, and entanglements, each employing a unique medium to articulate their profound explorations.
Within this curated space, viewers encounter a myriad of forms and textures, woven together by the common thread of meandering lines. The interplay of light and shadow dances upon the surfaces, inviting contemplation and engagement.
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA)
2320 W Chicago Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
773 227-5522
Hours: Wednesday – Sunday
12:00PM – 4:00PM
$10 suggested donation
Eleanor Spiess-Ferris: Drinking the Moon
at Koehnline Museum of Art
Eleanor Spiess-Ferris: Drinking the Moon
at Koehnline Museum of Art
Exhibition Dates: July 10 - September 19, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 10, 5-8 PM
CSI member Eleanor Spiess-Ferris will have a one-person exhibit at Koehnline Museum Art. What is it like to create a visual language? Spiess-Ferris has, for five decades, done just that. She credits her New Mexican heritage as the root of her narrative, citing her fundamental interest in New Mexican folk art, Penitente death carts, and religious retablos. Since coming to Chicago in the early 1960s, Spiess-Ferris has honed her symbolic surrealism into a visual language using peccadillos, sea monsters, flora, and archetypal women—always accompanied by a variety of birds. Drinking the Moon tracks the artist’s narrative inventions from older oil paintings to her most current work in gouache. This exhibition explores how Spiess-Ferris creates a visual language through a myriad of compositions, becoming dark and brooding in some while being spirited and mirthful in others.
Exhibit runs through September 19, 2025
Nathan Harpaz, Ph.D., Manager and Curator
Gene Skala, Curatorial and exhibition consultant
Koehnline Museum of Art
Oakton College
1600 East Golf Road
Des Plaines, IL 60016
For more info:
nharpaz@oakton.edu
Hours: Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
June - August Hours: Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Visits can also be made by appointment: (847) 635-2633
Image credit: Guardians by Mike Baur
Mike Baur sculpture commemorates
Kane County Forest Preserve Centennial
CSI member Mike Baur’s sculpture Guardians has been installed in commemoration of Kane County Forest Preserve’s Centennial 1925-2025 and is located in Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve, Kane County, IL.
The two-part sculpture aims to commemorate the past while laying roots for the future. According to Baur, the design draws inspiration from the textures and forms of fallen branches and tree trunks, found throughout Midwestern woodlands. These natural elements are powerful symbols of both renewal and protection within the forest ecosystem. The sculpture is an abstract interpretation of the forest. Its horizontal orientation reflects the way seasonal winds bring down limbs and trunks—events that, while disruptive, give rise to new growth and provide shelter for wildlife. This natural cycle is a metaphor for guardianship and resilience.
Photo: Nicole Beck with NewsNation reporter Nick Mitrovich
Nicole Beck’s NASCAR Trophy goes to Shane van Gisbergen again
"SVG" won my custom designed trophy for the 2nd-yr in a row at the NASCAR Chicago Streetrace Xfinity Series on Saturday, July 5th. I didn’t get a photo op with him this year because of the heat as he had to leave early to get an IV! Grateful to NASCAR for this three year commission thanks to an introduction by DCASE. Props to #vectorcustomfabricating for the CADs, laser parts, tig welding and expert hand rolling by Derick Malkemus with production overseen by Seth Godard at Vector. Thanks to expert cgi collab on the initial design 3 years ago with childhood friend Rob Magiera, and to the superb aluminum base molding & casting by Lloyd Mandelaum/Chicago Crucible. The logo plates overseen and hand painted with One Shot Enamel by yours truly! #sculptureisateamsport just like Nascar Team Racing. Design is an abstraction of the Buckingham Fountain around which the track revolves.
The following are not CSI sponsored projects
but may be of interest to our members:
Photo credit: Kirk Seese, The Feathers Three
Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition
Applications due: Monday, August 25, 2025 (11:59 p.m. PT)
Important Dates:
Notification of Acceptance: Monday, October 13, 2026
Installation: January 12 – 21, 2026
Opening Reception and Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll with awards: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Deinstallation: January 31 – February 4, 2028
The Biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition occurs every other year featuring nationally recognized sculptors. A jury comprised of local community stake holders, art organization representatives, and artists select ten sculptures each cycle for a two-year exhibition at Tuscawilla Park and Art Park (829 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala, FL 34470).
Applications are now open for the 8th Biennial Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition.
For additional selection and application requirements and apply online with Café/Call for Entry here.
Selected artists will receive a $4,000 honorarium to help offset transportation and installation costs. Applicants must be United States residents with experience designing, fabricating, and installing large outdoor public art (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
The Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll will celebrate these newly installed works on Saturday, February 21, 2026. An awards jury will select Best in Show, Second Place, and Honorable Mention and present the respective awards of $2,000, $1,000, and $500. Attendees of the event will also vote for their favorite work and grant the People’s Choice Award of $1,000.
40 North’s Public Art League in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
The deadline to apply is 11:59PM (Central) on July 14, 2025.
Honorarium for year-long exhibition is $2,500.
40 North’s Public Art League in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois is seeking artists to display sculptures in our community. Selected sculptures will be installed in the community metro area and will serve as major visual anchor points, community identity and a statement that creativity and art are of vital importance to our existence in Central Illinois.
40 North will offer selected artists a $2,500 honorarium to cover artist expenses such as temporary (2) year lease of artwork, transportation to and from the installation site, food & lodging, and artist fees for on-site availability during installation and de-installation.
Submit Your News
Have any news to share?
Shows, awards, residencies etc? Submit here 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.
CSI projects are partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
Chicago Sculpture International acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency for CSI programming including exhibitions and funding for Project Space Gallery.
CSI is a proud recipient of the Driehaus Foundation Arts and Culture Grant to help support funding and programming.
Above: (right) Ron Gard’s sculpture The Struggle Against Death; (right) Ron in 2014 working in Lincoln Park on one of three tree sculptures, Dying to Survive Nos. #3, #6 & #9.
In Memory of Ron Gard
Chicago Sculpture International acknowledges Ivy Gard, who in 2020 graciously donated ongoing exhibition space (CSI Project Space) to CSI and its members in memory of Ron Gard and his achievements in sculpture and dedicated service for several years as treasurer of the organization.
Ron’s exquisite and exacting craftsmanship, along with his vast knowledge of materials and methods, is widely regarded and revered by CSI and his circle of peers.
Land Acknowledgement
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. 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. To provide immediate assistance to Native American Communities in Chicago, you can send donations to the city's American Indian Center here
Cover image: Mike Baur, Guardians, Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve, Kane County, IL.
Copyright © 2025 Chicago Sculpture International. All rights reserved.
This is the newsletter for Chicago Sculpture International.
Our mailing address is:
Chicago Sculpture International
3141 North Hoyne Ave
Unit 4
Chicago, Il 60618 USA
If you’d like to receive this monthly newsletter via email click here to update your preferences or unsubscribe
