Let There Be Geo Exhibition

"LET THERE BE GEO" ART EXHIBITION AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO

Cody Hudson, 2009, Acid Tracks, mixed media installation

Let There Be Geo is an art exhibition at Columbia College Chicago’s Leviton A+D Gallery that surveys the art of contemporary artists who use geometric form in their work. While employing geometric form in art is not a new phenomenon, geo forms are appearing in some of the most aesthetically progressive work being made today. Twenty-first century responses to geometric form make use of a variety of styles and media, from painting and video to photography and sculpture. The works in Let There Be Geo examine today’s incarnation of geometric form.

"The persistence of artistic geometric forms hints at a continuum, or a legacy, or some coy deity made present in this world by his shadow, cast as a polygon, on the eyeball of the artist," writes Jason Foumberg in the exhibition's essay.

Participating artists include: Jesse Brown, Nick Butcher, Jeff Canham, Jacob Hashimoto, Maya Hayuk, Cody Hudson, Steven Husby, Barbara Kasten, Chad Kouri, Nadine Nakanishi, John Parot, Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Jason Urban and Vanesa Zendejas.

Let There Be Geo is curated by Elizabeth Burke-Dain.

WHEN: March 4 – April 24, 2010 March 4 from 5-9 p.m. Opening Reception

WHERE: Columbia College Chicago’s Leviton A+D Gallery 619 S. Wabash Gallery hours: Tues. – Sat, 11 a.m. – 5pm, Thurs, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

INFO: 312.369.8687 www.colum.edu/adgallery

CURTIS MANN IN WHITNEY BIENNIAL

Columbia College Chicago is enormously proud to announce that Curtis Mann, a 2008 MFA graduate and faculty of Columbia’s photography department, has been accepted into the Whitney Biennial exhibition – a 77 year-old exhibition of American Art at the Whitney Museum of American Art on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The Whitney exhibition is one of the foremost shows in the art world and has traditionally marked the leading trends in contemporary art. Out of the millions of artists living and working in America, only 55 were chosen. With the invitation to the Whitney Biennial, the experts of the art world have chosen Curtis’ work to be one of the shining examples of the most current and important art being made today. He is now in league with some of the America’s most revered artists.

"Curtis Mann discovered his own distinctive artistic voice very early in our graduate program," says Bob Thall, Chairperson of the photography department. "He then developed his work with great intelligence, energy, and ambition. We are very proud of Curtis Mann and delighted that his work will be finding an enormous new audience."

Curtis Mann creates new photography by physically erasing and manipulating found amateur snapshots. This tension between creation and destruction in his process expands the boundaries of photography, and forms unique works that are full of experimentation and beauty. In the attached video made by Alan Del Rio, Curtis walks us through some of his techniques and shares the insights he has formed while developing his art.

Curtis Mann // Photography from Alan Del Rio Ortiz on Vimeo.

CONGRATULATIONS CURTIS!!!

Faculty Show Closing at Leviton A+D Gallery

I had a fantastic time last Thursday night attending the closing event. Closing receptions are always a bit strange because it is a time when you know that the show is coming down and that it has had its moment in the sun. I was excited though because I know that the piece I bought from Betsy Odom is soon going to go into my house. I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to put it. Where does one put a full-size leather-tooled life vest? In the kitchen? No. Maybe I'll just keep in the livingroom where my children won't be tempted to bring it to the beach with them.

LAYER CAKE: Tales of a Quinceañera - See the Video

I sat down with Camille Morgan, curator of Layer Cake, and Judithe Hernandez, artist. Check out our conversation and enjoy the pics. Remember, the opening is Tuesday, September 15, 4-8pm at C33 Gallery, 33 East Congress. Come and enjoy some real Quince cake and Mexican food.

Steve Carrelli - Interview and Blooper Reel

Steve Carrelli and I sat down last week and talked about his work and his process, but really we discussed art bloopers. Steve is on the faculty in the Art + Design Department here at Columbia College Chicago who will exhibiting in the {blank}Space exhibition in the Leviton A+D Gallery. Other exhibiting artists include Steven Carrelli, Anna Kunz, Betsy Odom and Michael K. Paxton. Organized by Jennifer Murray. I'm hoping to get interviews up of the other artists in the show, so be on the lookout. Thanks for watching.

Also...don't forget to go to the closing reception on September 10 (the information is below).

WHEN: August 13 – September 19, 2009

Closing Reception and Artwalk: September 10, 2009, 5-8pm

WHERE: Columbia College Chicago’s Leviton A+D Gallery

619 S. Wabash Avenue

COST: Free and Open to the Public.

MORE

INFO: Jennifer Murray, 312.369.8686

Website: www.colum.edu/adgallery

ArtseenChicago blog: http://www.artseenchicago.blogspot.com

to see videos of participating artists and additional images.

Columbia College Art + Design Faculty Show

{blank} place
Third Annual Art + Design Faculty Exhibition
Organized by Jennifer Murray

August 13 - September 19, 2009
Closing Reception and Artwalk: September 10th, 5-8 pm

{blank}place is about times and spaces of revolution, and their effect on visual images. We use convention and tradition to recognize images, pictures and works of art, and because art images interpret our world, they impact how we understand changes in the experience of place, space and time. We only understand visual things in contexts that are historical, geographic and cultural. Artists respond to those factors, and {blank}place is an experimental exhibition of such responses.

The exhibition uses a notion of revolution to emphasize how changes in what, when, and where we see not only changes the character of visual images, but also tells us something about the tools we use to see the world. Exhibiting artists include Steven Carrelli (image credit), Anna Kunz, Betsy Odom (image credit), and Michael K. Paxton.

In a week, I will post short video interviews with the artists. Since Anna Kunz was on sabbatical, she made her own video. Come back when they're posted.

Steve Carrelli, Homecoming, 2008, graphite on paper

Steve Carrelli, Away and Back, 2008, graphite on paper

Michael Paxton, Fig Garden

Michael Paxton, Eruption

Betsy Odom, Tom Bigbee, mixed media

Betsy Odom, Space Suit, mixed media

Betsy Odom sporting her space suit

Anne Elizabeth Moore on Vocolo for show at Center for Book & Paper Arts at Columbia

Anne Elizabeth Moore, media critic and writer is currently showing at the Columbia College Chicago's Center for Book & Paper Arts. Check out her interview on vololo.org.