March 2026 Newsletter
News | Exhibitions | Opportunities
Image credits: Above (Left to Right): Spikes by Christopher Newman at South Shore Cultural Center; Healing HeArts by Michael Alfano at Berger Park; Moon Infinity by Plamen Yordanov at Mount Greenwood Park
Call for Artists:
2026-2028 Sculpture in the Parks Exhibition Season
Submission Deadline: April 5, 2026
Exhibition Dates: October 2026 - October 2028
Chicago Sculpture International, in collaboration with the Chicago Park District and parks in the Chicagoland area, is inviting artists to submit proposals for the 2026-2028 Sculpture in the Parks (includes Chicago Park District Cultural Centers and Arts in the Parks initiatives, City of Evanston, Ronan Park, and possible other locations throughout the exhibition season).
The sculpture must be suitable for outdoor display in all weather conditions. They will be installed on hardscape or softscape (grass), so artists must be prepared for, and make provisions for, either type of installation. Only select sites have concrete pads; all other sites are softscape. Sculptures will be on view for two years, from October 2026 to October 2028 (exact dates to be determined). The sculpture must weight 3,000 lbs. or less. Works must be large-scale and suitable for outdoors and all weather conditions and weight under 3,000 lbs.. Submitted works must be transportable on a standard flatbed truck without requiring oversize or wide-load permits, escorts, or special routing. Each sculpture will receive a stipend of $4,200.
Click here for more details and to apply
Image credits: Above (Left to Right): Spikes by Christopher Newman at South Shore Cultural Center; Healing HeArts by Michael Alfano at Berger Park; Moon Infinity by Plamen Yordanov at Mount Greenwood Park
Board News
Board Member Opportunities
Chicago Sculpture International is looking to fill volunteer positions on our board. If you are a CSI member (or would like to be), please e-mail info@chicagosculpture.org to learn more.
CSI is waving annual membership fees for anyone interested, and can prove their devotion by offering time to help out in any of the committees on our board and leadership page: www.chicagosculpture.org/board-leadership.
Check it out and start learning about the progress of our nonprofit organization today!
CSI Exhibitions
Breaking the Mold: CSI Inclusion Fellowship Exhibit
CSI Project Space Gallery
Opening Reception: Friday, March 6 from 6-9PM
Exhibition Dates: March 6 – 27, 2026
Chicago Sculpture International is proud to announce the 2025-2026 CSI Inclusion Fellowship Exhibit, Breaking the Mold. The exhibit promotes greater equity and representation within the sculptural arts. This initiative welcomes six ALAANA- or BIPOC-identifying artists into our organization through yearlong fellowships that support emerging talent and expand the diversity of voices shaping our community. These artists bring exceptional promise and vision to the field, and CSI looks forward to spotlighting their contributions throughout the year.
Exhibiting Artists: Exhibiting Artists: Lulu Luyao Chang, Nanxi Jin, Stella Moon, Rial Rye, Natia Ser, Jose Trejo-Maya
ALAANA – African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American
BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, People of Color
CSI Project Space Gallery is located at 1912 N Damen Ave. in Chicago
Gallery hours: Fri. 2-6 pm*; Sat. 12–4 pm; Sun. 1-5 pm or by appointment
*Open until 8PM on the first Friday of every month.
Inquiries: projectspace@chicagosculpture.org
CSI Call for Entry
Image credit: Happy Family by John Kurman, Welded steel, dimensions variable
Not Normal
Juried show for CSI artists at Forum 301 Gallery
Submission Deadline: April 5, 2026
Exhibition Dates: May 1 - June 5, 2026
Artwork Dropoff: April 27, 2026
Jurors/Curators: Victoria Fuller and Spencer Gale
The theme for this exhibition is open ended in scope and allows for many possibilities. Many kinds of art may fit into this broad category.
"Not normal" refers to anything that goes against established norms, represents an unexpected change, or deviates from accepted collective reality. For the purposes of the exhibition, depictions of ‘not normal’ are those that depart from standard norms. For example, Dada and Surrealism depict fantastical, odd, or distorted realities that differ from our collective everyday experience. "Not normal" can also refer to atypical or unusual occurrences—a flamboyantly dressed person or someone dressed as a superhero on a commuter train full of people in business attire, or events that interrupt daily life, such as a train derailment or hacked cellphone service. In politics, a government perceived as failing to protect its citizens is not normal. Likewise, a government that threatens to invade an otherwise allied nation is also not normal.
What is considered normal in one society may not be recognized as normal in another. Norms include societal rules of established behavior; ways of being and expression; political, racial, social, gender, psychological, and physical norms; as well as conventions of etiquette. Beyond social norms, there are technological and global anomalies, climate anomalies (such as red rain or boiling lakes), biological abnormalities, and other bizarre natural or physical phenomena, including UAP sightings. In physics, a particle can also exist as a wave, further challenging our sense of reality.
Synesthesia: A sensory crossover where a person might "feel" sounds in specific parts of their body or sees colors while playing music is not normal. Schizophrenia, where a person hears voices and sees people who are not there, has been considered not normal, but as societal norms change it is now considered to be a neurobiological brain disorder that can be treatable and is seen as a neurominority rather than a "broken" state.
What is considered normal changes as society changes. Historical shifts over the past 80 years illustrate this: previous generations considered it normal for eight-year-olds to care for younger siblings for months without adult oversight. Smoking on airplanes was common in the late 20th century, but is now strictly prohibited. Homosexuality, once considered a disorder, and tattoos, jogging, and single parenthood—once deviant—are now common. Yet even today, some of these societal changes face sustained efforts by certain groups to challenge or reverse them—and that, too, is not normal.
Click HERE for more details and to apply.
Call for Artists
Abstract Expressions
Juried show for CSI artists at CSI Project Space Gallery
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2026
Exhibition Dates: June 5- July 31, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, June 5, from 6-9 pm
Artwork Dropoff: May 30th and May 31st, 2026
“Abstract Expressions” invites artists to explore the raw, unfiltered language of gesture, color, form, and movement—where emotion takes shape beyond representation and meaning emerges through instinct rather than depiction. Inspired by the bold innovations of artists such as Willem de Kooning, whose restless surfaces redefined the boundaries of abstraction, this exhibition seeks 2D, 3D, and 4D artworks that embrace tension, rhythm, spontaneity, and material presence.
We welcome submissions that embody expressive force, dynamic composition, and a fearless engagement with the medium. Works may investigate the dialogue between control and chaos, structure and gesture, density and void—reflecting the complexity of the human condition in all its vulnerability and power.
“Abstract Expressions” is not about what is seen, but what is felt - an immersive encounter with the energy of creation itself, emotion made visible.
Guidelines:
Applicants must be current CSI members.
If you are not a current member, click here https://www.chicagosculpture.org/join-csiContact Info: Name, address, phone, email, website
Include 1 to 3 jpeg images
Title, medium, size, price (with 30% donation added) or NFS
2D, 3D and 4D work accepted - Sculptural work encouraged
Open interpretations of the exhibit theme are welcomed.
The artist is responsible for all shipping costs related to the delivery and return of the sculpture.
A pre-paid return shipping label must be included inside the package in a clearly visible location for the installers.
Please note: We are requesting exhibiting artists to cover 1 or 2 gallery sitting shifts during the duration of this show.
The submission form can be completed here.
CSI Project Space is located at 1912 N. Damen in Chicago.
CSI Events
15th Element salon
Gathering date: March 15, 2026
Join us for 15th element hosted at CSI project space. Bring and share what you're currently working on or passionate about and get feedback about your work. Light refreshments will be served. If your work is difficult to transport an you’d still like to show it bring documentation and a discussion can be had.
15th element is a monthly art salon style event with the goal to encourage meaningful conversation, collaborations, feedback on work-in-progress, rehearsal, and experiment. 15 artists and art supporters gather for solidarity, friendship, and to support the interests of persons and their work.
Please contact Spencer Gale for additional information.
Member News
Image: Sculpture by Scott Mossman
Dimensions: Jesus Monsivais & Scott Mossman
Exhibition Dates: March 7- April 15, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 7 and April 4, 5-8pm
CSI Member Scott Mossman is part of this two-person exhibit, Dimensions with Jesus Monsivais. Space and lines influenced by music and architecture, mathematical equations and natural forms give us reason to examine the works of artists Jesus Monsivais & Scott Mossman. The intricate drawings of Monsivais chronicles a journey of a lost friend through a constructed paracosm, accompanied by mythical creatures. Though quite different visually, Mossman’s decidedly post-minimalist sculpture and maximalist painting share an emphasis on relationships – formal and contextual, that strive to expand the experience of space, and at the same time pose questions about the nature of picture-making. These two artists create work that coexists in one reality, yet take us to different dimensions.
The Saw Room, 1712 Sherman Ave. Evanston, IL 60201
Please contact Scott Mossman for additional information.
Image: Bethany Cordero, Given the circumstance, I suggest we pack light
Mutuality: The Center Program Biennial Exhibition
at the Hyde Park Art Center
Exhibition Dates: through March 8th, 2026
CSI Members Bethany Cordero and Dawn Liddicoatt are included in the Hyde Park Art Center’s Center Program Biennial Exhibition: Mutuality, on view now until March 8th.
A long-standing professional development initiative for Chicago artists ready to elevate their practice, the Center Program offers participants the opportunity to develop new work, receive critical feedback from art professionals, and work toward a culminating exhibition at the Art Center. Over the course of a year, a supportive peer network, alongside guest artists, gallerists, critics, and other arts professionals, encourages artists to engage with rigorous questions and evolve their practice.
Bethany’s sculpture is titled, “Given the circumstance, I suggest we pack light”. Her work’s morphic arc evokes both origin and return, tracing the shifting trajectory of a single life. Though rooted in a simple form, its intricately woven sisal and undulating steel complicate the arc, reflecting time not as a clean path but as a fluid accumulation of variation and change. Formed from remnants, the work transforms what is left behind into something renewed, mirroring how a life gathers experiences, reshapes them, and continually evolves.
Hyde Park Art Center 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago, IL 60615
Please contact Bethany Cordero for additional information.
Image: Our Founding Father by Shencheng Xu and Windy City Snowmen
40th Annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition
CSI International Cultural Initiatives Chair Shencheng Xu teamed up with the Windy City Snowmen to participate in the 40th Annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition . Their snow sculpture, Our Founding Father, won First Place this year.
Image credit: The Carpenter's Family, Jean Bourdichon, 15th century
Big Sale of Items in Woodworker’s Shop
For art/craft making and house projects:
1”-thick (some 2”) short-length wood planks
Machines—scroll saw, table saw, assorted stationary grinders
Power hand tools—sanders, drills, jigsaws, routers, grinders, small rotary tools
Hand tools—saws, knives, chisels, mallets, hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, measurement and layout tools
Many clamps
Huge assortment of fastening hardware
Paint brushes
Finishes
String, rope
Tarps
Bubble wrap
Other:
Household items
Tree trimmers, gardening tools, pots, and other supplies
Curios and objets d’art
Books
Picture frames
Cash only. Everything must go. Bring bags for your treasures.
Date: Saturday, March 14
Time: 9am to 4pm
Location: 2463 N. Halsted, Chicago
The following are not CSI sponsored projects
But may be of interest to our members
Bucktown Spring
Wine Wobble
CSI Project Space Gallery is one of the stops on the WIne Wobble Route on March 26, 6 -9 pm.
Arts Midwest Free Webinar Series: “Building Your Creative Career”
Arts Midwest is offering a hands-on webinar series for artists looking to build visibility, funding, and momentum. The webinar series is designed to help artists build a creative career and connect their work with new audiences and navigate planning and the ongoing effort involved. While there is no single standard approach, shared experiences from other artists can provide useful context.
This free webinar series includes artists and creatives from across the Midwest discussing practical skills that support creative work outside the studio. Topics include presenting work, seeking funding, and managing visibility across different platforms.
Rock Falls Tourism: 9th Annual Art in the Park Sculpture Walk
Entry deadline: June 1, 2026
Selection notification: July 1, 2026
Deliver artwork: August 28, 2026
Show runs: August 2026 - August 2027
With the continued success of our previous eight years of Art in the Park Sculpture Walk, Rock Falls Tourism is making preparations for our 9th year of bringing amazing sculptures to our RB&W District. We are now accepting submissions for sculpture art to be on display at the RB&W District Park along the Rock River. This open space park is used by many organizations putting on events and draws people from surrounding communities and states, which will ensure a high amount of visibility for your art throughout the year. The RB&W District is also security monitored, 24 hours a day. The Art in the Park Sculpture Walk is also featured on the Otocast application for smartphones which provides an additional layer of exposure. Artists will be asked to record an audio component for this application, should their sculpture be chosen.
The Rock Falls Tourism Department has opened the selection process to all sculpture artists. The sculptures will be installed at the RB&W District, on August 28, 2026. Artists will be given a $1,250 stipend and will be able to make their sculpture available for purchase. Artists are encouraged to promote their sculpture throughout the year.
What we expect:
• No offensive or inappropriate content
• Sturdy sculptures that can withstand all types of weather
• Base dimensions to stay within 4ft x 4ft
• No electrical components to the sculptures
• Able to deliver and install the work on August 28, 2026
• Artist must submit pictures of the work they want to display
• Artist must make transportation arrangements for the sculpture to the park
• Artist will contact the Department of Tourism in August 2027 to arrange for un-installing their sculpture
• Artist will be the one to install the sculpture and must provide all bolts and any other necessary equipment to do so. The City of Rock Falls may, upon request, be on hand to help assist in placing sculptures on concrete pads
• Artist to record audio component for Otocast application.
What you get:
• $1,250 stipend for sculpture to remain for 1 year
• One night stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites for the night of August 28, 2026, only
• Artist bio and sculpture/artwork information on the Otocast App
• Ability to sell and promote your artwork
• Constant exposure for you and your sculpture/artwork
• Digital exposure on the Visit Rock Falls website
• Upon request, we can provide manpower to assist getting your sculpture placed onto the pedestals (must notify RF Tourism by August 1, 2026). NO boom, lift or crane will be available unless you request by August 1, 2026.
Please review the included documents and submit everything (including photos) on or before June 1, 2026, either by mail or as an email attachment to director@visitrockfalls.com.
On the artist agreement, you only need to fill out page 3 (top with your name, address, etc.) and then page 4 of the sculpture name and specifications. The rest of the agreement can/will be filled out at a later time if your piece is selected.
Click the links below to download a submission form and artist agreement:
Rock Falls sculpture submission info letter
Rock Falls artist agreement
Contact info:
Rock Falls Tourism
603 W 10th Street
(815) 622-1106
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. Please contact info@chicagosculpture.org with any questions or assistance you would like or need.
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.
Chicago Sculpture International acknowledges support from the National Endowment for the Arts
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
Image credit: Happy Family by John Kurman, Welded steel, dimensions variable
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