Suzanne Stryk at Gallery 180

Tomorrow night's catered reception will celebrate the opening of "Flyway: Birds in the Art of Suzanne Stryk" at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. The exhibition highlights the past decade of Stryk’s conceptually driven nature paintings. Her work merges scientific observation with expressive replication resulting in beautiful imagery that emphasizes the intricate details of birds and insects—bringing awareness to nature’s design. Many of the works are available for purchase. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm.



Catalog available.

Cheryl Jefferson, Author of "Death of a Raks Star"

This evening at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, Cheryl Jefferson read from her soon-to-be released book, "Death of a Raks Star", The lecture began with some painful statistics and ended with an interesting discussion about this human rights issue.

"Six thousand Middle Eastern women a year are reported honor killed by their families. Annually, twenty-thousand more female deaths go unreported. What did these women do to "deserve" it? Some learned to read without their father's permission. Others used the Internet or burned their husband's dinner. Many were raped by a male relative or friend, then held responsible because they "made" the rapist do it. A defiant few publicly performed raks sharqi - belly dance - a sacred rite of female strength and power for two thousand years, now the dance of death..."

Bringing attention to this human rights issue seems to be Jefferson's passion. Utilizing Gallery 180 as the venue for a literary event seemed obvious due to the content of the current exhibition. "Visual Narrative" is a national juried exhibition which presents fine art that tells a story. Initiating change is the purpose for the creation of fine art. Visual artists—as well as writers—want to communicate and connect with people. Their work becomes the voice by which they can question, document, inform, or proclaim a perspective. Artists ask questions and attempt to explore ideas …ideas which may remove the audience from their comfort zone. “Visual Narrative” seems to ask who we are as a society and how we relate to one another. Jefferson's lecture is an attempt to begin a dialogue for individual and social change.

The "Visual Narrative" exhibition will conclude on July 22nd. Additional information about the show can be found at gallery180.com. The gallery is open Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; closed Sunday.

Jan Baiden was unable to present tonight, due to illness.

"Ripple..." comes to a close

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Philip Hartigan, artist and faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago. Hartigan—born in the UK and now living in Chicago—asked me if I would consider meeting to conduct an interview related to my work and the three-person exhibition currently on view at The Art Center in Highland Park. Well... the interview was posted this morning on Hartigan's blog and it's worth a read.

As a reminder, "Ripple ~ Cause and Effect" at The Art Center in Highland Park will close on July 22nd. The exhibition—and the exhibition space— is wonderful. The three-person show includes sculpture by Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, and paintings by Yelena Klairmont and myself. The work flows together seamlessly. If you're in the area, take a quick trip to the Center... it will be worth the visit.

Birds in the Art of Suzanne Stryk

The work of Suzanne Stryk will be opening at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago on July 26th. The exhibition is titled Flyway: Birds in the Art of Suzanne Stryk and highlights the past decade of Stryk’s conceptually driven nature paintings. Her work merges scientific observation with expressive replication resulting in beautiful imagery that emphasizes the intricate details of birds and insects—bringing awareness to nature’s design.

The studies of art and science have obvious similarities within the creative process. Stryk explains,

“… both often beginning with the question: What if? What if I put these two chemicals together? What if I search a new habitat for a rare orchid? What if I combine two disparate images? What if I create an imaginary ladder made of feathers?”

“…people see the world of art and science as much too separate… Jacques Cousteau was once asked what he thought would make people more environmentally aware. I was surprised when he replied “the study of the humanities.” … Of course, what his comment implies is not that the study of science should be neglected, but rather should be coupled with the study of the arts. I agree—the arts and sciences should be partners in making people sensitive, imaginative and knowledgeable about the living world…”

Within imagery that—at times—includes secondary elements of chromosomes and the double helix, Stryk unites her passion for zoology and entomology [insects] with a contemporary awareness of genetics. These subdued secondary marks take the imagery from beautifully decorative to work of substance. Stryk forces us to focus on the beauty of the common creature and matches the seductive form with scientific reality implying that we should take an even closer look. She writes…

“My hope is that the work suggests questions, such as: How has our knowledge of genetics altered the perception of the natural world?; How do we reconcile personal reverence for life with scientific information?; and Does the mapping of the genome unravel mysteries or actually create more?”

The work of Suzanne Stryk will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through September 9th. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, July 30, 5:30-7:30 pm. This exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm and Saturday 9am-5pm.

Image: Suzanne Stryk, Green Evolution, 2007, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 40x60"

"Creating Change" at "Visual Narrative" ...The Author's Perspective

The Visual Narrative exhibition—currently on display at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago—will conclude in just two weeks. Prior to the close of the exhibition, there will be another event which ties into the idea of the "Narrative". I've invited two Chicago area authors to present their most recent projects. In an attempt to begin a dialogue for personal and social change, Jan Baiden and Cheryl Jefferson will discuss the ideas contained within their recent books. The lecture and discussion will be held at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, which—not so ironically—happens to be the venue for the national juried exhibition titled, “Visual Narrative”. The event will take place on Wednesday, July 21, at 6-8pm.

Utilizing Gallery 180 as the venue for a literary event seems obvious due to the content of the current show. Evoking emotion and initiating change is the purpose for the creation of fine art. Visual artists—as well as writers—want to communicate and connect with people. Their work becomes the voice by which they can question, document, inform, or proclaim a personal perspective. Artists ask questions and attempt to explore ideas …ideas which may remove the audience from their comfort zone. The exhibition, “Visual Narrative” seems to ask who we are as a society and how we relate to one another. The authors do the same but also consider the personal perspective. Baiden suggests that we seize the day and Jefferson discloses current-day criminal traditions. Inspirational, educational or provocative… an observation of the human condition will be evident in the narratives presented by our guest authors as they attempt to begin a dialogue for personal and social change.

Jan Baiden’s book, Snapshots, contains the author’s memoirs in a series of inspirational stories defining an amazingly adventurous life. The book is filled with numerous passages exploring life lessons, while containing an underlying prompt to consider opportunities as they arise. The stories seem to highlight the idea that when one door closes another opens… and what appears on the other side is always another adventure.

Choice and the potential for change is what brought author Cheryl Jefferson to write Death of a Raks Star, Book One of her Breaking Criminal Traditions Series (Copyright 2010 Cheryl Jefferson), due out in 2011.

"Worldwide, millions of women live too close to their bones and too far from their dreams because they were born into cultures of criminal tradition. Criminal traditions are real-life rituals that result in the death or maiming of thousands of women each year. These practices have been in place for centuries and the dark legacy of using them to protect male power by controlling females continues today. The mission of my novels is to expose this cycle, the passion of my life is to break criminal tradition. The initial step," Jefferson explains, "is using fiction to raise reader consciousness because consciousness is the first step toward change."

Both authors paint powerful stories of humanity. Like the visual artists, the writers look at who we've become and how we relate. The question remains—Can we create change through the power of narrative? I believe social and self awareness may be the answer.

The book lecture and discussion, “Creating Change” will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago on Wednesday, July 21 beginning at 6pm. This event is free and open to the public. Gallery 180 is located at 180 N. Wabash—at the corner of Lake and Wabash—in Chicago’s Loop.

The current exhibition “Visual Narrative” a national juried exhibition of fine art that tells a story—will conclude on July 22nd. Additional information about the show can be found at gallery180.com. The gallery is open Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm; Friday, 8am-5:30pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; closed Sunday.

Above left: Jan Baiden, Right: Cheryl Jefferson