A Different View of The World

Al Denyer, Arctic V, color pencil on paper, 22" x 22"

Save the Date: Friday, November 9th
On Friday November 9th, Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago will host a catered reception for Worldview, A National Juried Exhibition to benefit Worldview Education & Care… a 501(c)(3) charity that supports education and health care services in the Arumeru District of northern Tanzania near Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Founded in 2007 by Philanthropists, Ann and Robert Avery, Worldview Education & Care was initially created to support a small orphanage in the Nshupu Village of Arumeru. Since then, Worldview has expanded to provide education for unwed teen mothers, secondary education and graduate vocational training, as well as scholarship residence for teenagers. Their newest project, “Community Mobilization for Change”, provides HIV/AIDS outreach and counseling, which has already helped several thousand people. Worldview continues to fully support “Precious Orphanage”, which is currently home to nine orphans.

The Worldview exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago—will present the work of nine artists, each artist offering their specific perceptions of the world in which we live. The list of artists includes: Al Denyer of Salt Lake City, UT; Murray Hidary of Los Angeles, CA; Carl Holzman, Chicago, IL; Richard Laurent, Chicago, IL; Zahra Nazari, Memphis, TN; Sheila Oettinger, Chicago, IL; Joann Rea, Evanston, IL; Matthew Runfola, Chicago, IL and Anne Smith Stephan of Wilmette, IL. I plan to blog about each of these amazing artists in the coming weeks.

Al Denyer is one of the nine artists whose work was selected for inclusion into the Worldview exhibition. His exquisite pencil drawings, display beautifully mesmerizing surface patterns, interpreting one of the planets’ most pristine and unspoiled areas. Denyer explains:

“My work is invested in representing conceptual approaches to mapping, aerial views and the aesthetic created from the observation of the earth’s surface as viewed from above.
As a personal response to the recent environmental changes in the Arctic Region, I have created different bodies of drawings and paintings, which explore the aesthetics presented by the coastline and ice sheets of the Arctic and reference a satellite viewpoint. These works, which play on the aesthetic beauty of the surface and reflective material used, present an interpretation of one of the planets’ most pristine and unspoiled areas.”

Worldview: A National Juried Exhibition will be presented at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago through January 10, 2013. Previews begin on November 5th. An Opening Reception will take place on Friday, November 9 from 5:30-7:30 pm. All works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds donated to Worldview Education & Care.

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. Additional information can be found at gallery180.com.

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