Events Calendar | Call for Artists | Volunteer
ISC Conference
Through continuing generosity of The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and the Professional Development and Organizational Vitality Grant, three CSI volunteer board member ambassadors attended this year’s ISC conference in the Twin Cities October 22nd-25th. The group strengthened and built out CSI networking via lectures, group activities and events. New connections were made, and old connections renewed! Initial concepts for an exhibition exchange program emerged, stay tuned for more. The conference focused on the power of storytelling through art; its location a valuable reminder of historicities of past/present/future. The image above was taken in proximity of a bronze bowl casting and ISC artist gathering space.
Special thanks again to the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for awarding CSI this opportunity to travel, stay and attend the 2026 ISC conference. The RHDF has awarded CSI grant support over the past few years to help facilitate greater programming of CSI to offer our members opportunities to engage with the greater artistic city/landscapes of Chicago and beyond.
Image credit: Rich Stewart
EXCITING NEW TIMES AND CHANGES
Closure of Project Space at Damen/Cortland leads your volunteer CSI Board team to source a new location for the 2027 exhibit year, an arduous process that has already begun so that CSI can continue offering as many exhibition opportunities possible for our members.
What members can do to help
As we look for a new gallery, CSI members can offer connection to possible spaces they know of and/or join the CSI board to help procure programming currently in place; updating your membership to make it current can help to serve the board in this search.
Get Involved and Support Our Creative Community!
Consider donating your time to an organization that stands behind you, your art, and your creative process. CSI is proud to be one of the nation’s most progressive nonprofit arts organizations.
Interested in getting involved? Reach out to us at info@chicagosculpture.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS
Membership Chair // Vice President // Outreach Development // Treasurer
Please reach out via info@chicagosculpture.org if you have interest in volunteering for any of these roles.
Above (Left to right): A New Beginning by Terry Karpowicz, Cardinal (for Lynn) by Suzanne Knecht, Baucis and Philemon (An Arbor) by Anthony Heinz May, and Ora’s Shelf by Mike Baur
New Sculptures Arrive in Chicago Parks for 2026–2028
In collaboration with the Chicago Park District, Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) welcomes 11 new sculptures to its 2026–2028 Sculpture in the Parks exhibition season.
2026–2028 Sculpture Installations
Douglass Park: A New Beginning by Terry Karpowicz
Hamilton Park: MUM Du Gold by Carrie Fischer
Hamilton Park: Man by Michael Magnotta
Humboldt Park: Ora’s Shelf by Mike Baur
Lincoln Park (near Diversey): Morning Stretch by Paul Brobowitz
Marian R. Byrnes Park: Bent Out of Shape by Anthony Heinz May
Palmer Park: Cardinal (for Lynn) by Suzanne Knecht
Piotrowski Park: Big Bang by Ray Katz
Robichaux Park: Star Shine by Ruth Aizuss Migdal
West Pullman Park: Conflict and Unity by David Skora
West Ridge Nature Preserve: Baucis and Philemon (An Arbor) by Anthony Heinz May
About CSI’s Sculpture in the Parks Program
The Chicago Park District manages more than 600 parks encompassing over 8,800 acres of green space, making it the largest municipal park manager in the country. Sculpture in the Parks is one of several public art exhibition programs presented throughout the park system, featuring temporary installations by local and internationally recognized artists.
Many of the sculptures are situated in front of park field houses, several of which are architecturally significant and hold landmark status. Designated as cultural centers, these facilities offer cultural and environmental programs for youth, adults, and seniors.
The sculptures are rotated each year in October.
Special thanks to Terry Karpowicz for his assistance and expertise in coordinating these installations.
Click here to for more details about the 2026-2028 Sculpture in the Parks exhibition season.
Keep an eye out in early spring 2027 for the announcement of the 2027–2029 Sculpture in the Parks Call for Artists!
Voices in Form
Image credit: Darlys Ewoldt, Bending to Memory, Bronze and patina, 8 × 11 × 8 in.
Personal, political, or social narratives expressed through sculpture
Exhibition Dates: October 1 – November 12, 2026
About the Exhibit:
The Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery is hosting a special juried exhibition, Voices in Form, which features work by artist members of the Chicago Sculpture International group.
Voices in Form invited sculptors to explore how three-dimensional works can carry, amplify, and embody personal, political, and social narratives. This exhibition sought sculpture that functions as a form of visual language—expressing lived experience, cultural memory, identity, resistance, or reflection through material, process, and form. Artists were encouraged to consider how their work “speaks” in space, whether through symbolic imagery, abstract gesture, or the physical presence of the object itself.
Exhibiting Artists: Nikki Renee Anderson, Young-Ly Hong Chandra, Brian Divis, Darlys Ewoldt, Victoria Fuller, Spencer Gale, Ronald Gonzalez, James Hajicek, Azadeh Hussaini, Terrence Karpowicz, Fia Kim, Jill King, Pat Miceli, Bill Mitchell, Brian Monaghan, Jerry Monteith, Nancy Pirri, Marvin Shafer, Cherry Tung, Sishi Wang, and Bruce Webber
About the Juror:
Carrie Baxter, Art Gallery Director, and the IUK Art and NMAT Faculty served as the jurors for this exhibition.
Important Dates:
Exhibition: October 1 – November 5, 2026
Location:
Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery
IU Kokomo Campus,
Room KA-102
2300 S. Washington St.
Kokomo, Indiana
Phone: (765)-455-9523
Gallery hours:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EST)
Friday-Sunday: CLOSED
Momentum
CSI Member Juried Exhibition at Leslie Wolfe GalleryExhibition Dates: October 10 – November 5, 2026
Opening Reception: October 15, 5:30 – 8:30PM
Coincides with Lincoln Park Art Night
Momentum refers to a call for works whose power for expression implies movement, direction, speed, or growth, transformation, or significantly, the “potential” for any of these ideas. The idea of momentum seems especially appropriate for sculpture because the viewer rarely experiences sculpture from a fixed viewpoint. All works of art or design convey visual elements that exist along a spectrum between static balance and dynamism, depending on the intent of the creator. For this exhibition, works are sought that lean strongly toward the dynamic end of that spectrum. Sculptures fully in the round and works in relief will be considered. Artists may submit three works for consideration.
Exhibiting Artists: Wallace Bowling | Ei Cullina | Darlys Ewoldt | Lynn Floriano | Shelley Gilchrist | Indira Johnson | Yvette Kaiser Smith | Terry Karpowicz | Kelly Lawler | Micki LeMieux | Won Ji Lim | Ellen Lustig | Patrick Miceli | Ruth Aizuss Migdal | Scott Mossman | Katherine Nemanich | David Noguchi | Zelene Jiang Schlosberg | Marvin Shafer | Julia Smith
About the Juror: Beth Shadur is an artist who has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. She has created over 150 large public murals as public, private, and community art projects in the United States and Great Britain. She has taught and served as a visiting artist at many colleges and universities. From 2012-2024, Shadur served as Gallery Director at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL. She has been awarded numerous residencies and fellowships. Her work is owned in many private and public collections.
Important Dates:
Exhibition: October 10 – November 5, 2026
Pick up of work: November 4, 3PM – 9 PM or November 5, 10AM – 5PM
Location:
Leslie Wolf Gallery
Old Town Art Center
1763 N. North Park Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 337-1938
Call for Art: Little, but Bold! V – 12” x 12”
Fifth Annual Holiday Members Exhibit - 2026
Hosted at:
The Dragonfly Gallery
2436 W Madison St.
Chicago, IL.
Submission Deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 12, 6-9 pm
Exhibit Dates: December 12, 2026 - January 2, 2027
Little, but BOLD! is in celebration of all things unmonumental. Often flying under the radar, small things have the special ability to bridge private and public spaces. Within the sculpture field, there has been a projected narrative that bigger is better. We are here to assert that small things can hold the same importance as the largest monument.
Guidelines:
Applicants must be current CSI members.
If you are not a current member, Become a MemberContact Info: Name, address, phone, email, website
Title, medium, size, price (with 30% donation added) or NFS
Submit up to 2 artwork images.
All submissions must be smaller than 12 in. x 12 in.
2D and 3D work accepted - Wall-mounted sculptures encouraged
Learn more about requirements and to submit click here
Logo credit: John Upchurch / Photo credit: Dragonfly Gallery
Upcoming November Workshop with Sishi Wang
CSI’s Education & Outreach Committee is planning an exciting workshop with artist and CSI member Sishi Wang this November at Linda and Bill Gantz Boys & Girls Club! Stay tuned for more details, including the confirmed date and workshop information.
(Workshop date: To be confirmed)
Location:
Oliva Gallery
3816 W. Armitage Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
www.olivagallery.com
(847) 922-5736
materialbodies@gmail.com
Material Bodies: Identities in Clay
2nd Annual Midwest Ceramic Exhibition • 2026
Material Bodies: Identities in Clay explore the human form as both presence and a container of experience to examine identity, memory, and transformation. Through surface, gesture, and form, the works reveal how material carries personal and collective stories - holding traces of strength, vulnerability, and resilience.
CSI member Nancy Pirri served as a juror and the curator for this show
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 13-Dec. 19, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, November 13, 2026, 5-9pm
Nicole Beck’s Embrace at the Philip J. Rock Center & School for the DeafBlind
The Philip J. Rock Center and School for DeafBlind students in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has installed Embrace, a sculpture by CSI member Nicole Beck, commissioned through the Illinois Capital Development Board’s Art in Architecture Program.
Artwork details:
Embrace
Stainless steel, gabion bench with Midwestern glacial fieldstones and Ipe wood, mosaic, LEDs, and Braille plate.
11’ × 9’ × 3’
Embrace celebrates the education, therapy, and support services that empower students to achieve their highest possible level of independence. The Rock Center is the only publicly funded residential school in the country serving DeafBlind students ages 3–22, providing a home for children who are DeafBlind and those with multiple special needs.
A large mosaic heart suspended above the bench offers residents a welcoming, tactile surface to explore through touch. A Braille plate featuring a quotation attributed to Mark Twain offers a message of reassurance: “Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
The sculpture’s curved, new-moon shape evokes an embrace of love and the warmth of the dedicated staff who care for the students. Soft LED lighting casts gentle, dynamic patterns of light and shadow.
The gabion bench, clad in Ipe wood, is filled with glacial fieldstones collected from the property by Bonnie Jordan, the Rock Center’s longtime director, now retired. Jordan gathered the stones as a personal tribute to the institution’s namesake, Philip J. Rock, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Left behind in Midwestern fields by retreating glaciers that helped shape the Great Lakes, these stones connect the sculpture to the region’s natural history and give Embrace a deeply site-specific character.
“I am so grateful to be able to create public sculpture that truly matters and speaks to its mission.”
Learn more: www.nicolebeck.com
Nicole Beck extends heartfelt thanks to the fabrication and installation partners who helped bring Embrace to life:
Vector Custom Fabrication, Chicago
Alex at RGB Lights, Chicago
Christopher Tedin, CGI design workup
Zach Lindsey, installation and rigging
Bonnie Jordan, former director of the Rock Center
Image credit: Nicole Beck
Nicole Beck’s Whorled Joins Normal, Illinois, Public Art Collection
Following a month-long artist residency this spring at La Baldi in Montegiovi, Tuscany, Italy, CSI member Nicole Beck installed Whorled in the newly established sculpture park adjoining the Community Activity Center in Normal, Illinois.
Fabricated in Beck’s Chicago studio, Whorled measures 8’ H × 5’ in diameter and is constructed of stainless steel and custom-laminated dichroic glass. The City of Normal purchased the sculpture for its permanent public art collection and officially unveiled the work at a ceremony in August.
Image credit: Nicole Beck
Image credit: Melissa O’Neill | Performers: Rich Stewart, Tim Erdmann, Isaac Sandoval, Chuck Householder
Rich Stewart’s Fe Tornado at the Western Cast Iron Arts Alliance
CSI member Rich Stewart and Bret Daniel's collaborative molten iron performance piece, Fe Tornado, was executed as the grand finale at the Western Cast Iron Arts Alliance conference performance pour on October 2nd, 2026 in Las Vegas, NM. The artist fabricated molten metals centrifuge expelled the molten iron upwards 20+ feet. The swirling 100lb molten mass, representative of societal chaos and personal risk, engulfs the performers and the surrounding area. The resultant iron artifacts then memorialize the event.
Image credit: Melissa O’Neill | Performers: Rich Stewart, Tim Erdmann, Isaac Sandoval, Chuck Householder
Above: Kabuki by Terrence Karpowicz, Maple, walnut, stainless steel, 37-3/4 x 22-3/4 x 8 in.
Terrence Karpowicz, Finding Place
Opening reception November 5, from 5-7 pm
Exhibition continues through December 18
It's 1983, Terry Karpowicz and Tom McCormick are hanging out at the Chicago International Art Exposition at Navy Pier. This is the third year of what came to be known as Expo Chicago, the first international art fair in the U.S., modeled on the original Basel, Switzerland expo. Tom is managing the MILE LONG sculpture exhibition in the Pier's rustic shed spaces and Terry is exhibiting and helping out with logistics and installation. Over the intervening 43 years they have remained pals and Terry has become a legend among Chicago sculptors. (Along the way he introduced Tom to his future wife.) Seems like it might finally be time to feature his work at the gallery... one doesn't rush these things.
2251 West Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612
(In Chicago’s West Town neighborhood)
(312) 226-6800
For more info: gallery@thomasmccormick.com
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday–Friday: 10 AM–3 PM
Saturday: 11 AM–3 PM (or noon–3 PM, depending on the current exhibition; by appointment)
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Image: Kabuki by Terrence Karpowicz, Maple, walnut, stainless steel, 37-3/4 x 22-3/4 x 8 in.
Call for Artists:
Ogallala’s Western Trails 2026 Veterans Art Project
The Western Trails Creative District and Keith County Area Development invite sculptors and designers to submit proposals for a permanent public artwork honoring veterans in Ogallala, Nebraska. The selected artist will create an original sculpture or architectural work for installation at the Keith County Courthouse, celebrating local veterans while contributing to the community’s public art and cultural landscape.
The project grew from community planning efforts focused on enhancing Ogallala’s public spaces and creating meaningful experiences for residents and visitors. Local veterans were interviewed as part of the development process, helping shape the project’s creative brief and goals. The initiative is supported by funding from the Nebraska Arts Council, Keith County Visitors Committee, Keith County Foundation Fund, Robert F. Hanich Charitable Trust, Roy & Gloria Dinsdale Foundation, Ivy Foundation, and Ogallala Regional Arts Council.
Key Details:
Location: Ogallala, Nebraska
Project: Public art sculpture or architectural work honoring veterans
Application Deadline: November 11, 2026
Finalists Selected: December 2026
Final Concepts & Interviews: January 2027
Artist Selected: Mid-January 2027
Installation Deadline: Mid-May 2027
Full Guidelines & Process: Click here to download the full prospectus and apply.
Artists interested in applying should review the complete prospectus for project requirements, application materials, selection process, timeline, and other guidelines
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
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:
Kabuki by Terrence Karpowicz, Maple, walnut, stainless steel, 37-3/4 x 22-3/4 x 8 in.
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