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CACDec 07 Web
CACDec 07 Web
Art will open “Do You See What I See: Representing the Black
Subject,” a historical survey of the photographic image of black
males. format analogous to the Baroque realism of painter Michelangelo
Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 - 1610). Bey’s experiments with the
Having grown up in New York’s Harlem and Queens, unusual 20 x 24 Polaroid camera used for creating large-scale
Bey was influenced by the documentary photography of the photographs allowed him to produce very stable and detailed
1969 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “Harlem on My prints of any size. Empowered with this resource to create muse-
Mind,” a showcase of African-American photographers. He was um quality pictures as stable as Rembrandt’s portraits gave Bey
impressed by the truthfulness of documentary photography in the confidence to pursue creation of Classical art photography.
capturing, without romanticism or sentimentality, the dignity of
the everyday African American people, who were then widely In this sense, Caravaggio was an influence on his work. In a
regarded as outcasts from society. Bey’s own photographic trib- private interview, Bey remarked on this influence. “I am a lover
ute to Harlem’s everyday citizens, “Harlem USA,” opened at the of Caravaggio’s shadows,” he said, “and am very interested in
Studio Museum of Harlem in 1979. how the interplay of dark and light also helps to animate and
push the subject forward into the space of the viewer by adding
The subjects comprised in Bey’s Class Pictures, as in his dimensionality to the flat surface.”
other photographs, are suppressed outsiders: noble Harlem resi-
dents, defiant white and multiracial teenagers, and immigrants. Like Caravaggio, Bey modulates contrasting light and dark
Bey affords them a prestige that celebrates their otherness and areas to remind our motor senses of the relation of light and
simultaneously draws the viewer intimately into his subject’s shadow to the sense of three-dimensional volume as objects
psychological performance space. appear in life. Bey’s methods are thus not an exact translation
of Caravaggio’s sculptural tactility. Rather, his is an analogous
Bey began taking pictures of young people in 1992 for method in the photographic medium in which the viewer’s
the Artist Collective in Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, memory fills in depth and spatial relationships.
Connecticut. He shot serialized images of young people to com-
pare their mercurial changes, frame by frame. In 2003, he was Another of Caravaggio’s techniques used by Bey is to illu-
involved in a residency project at the David and Alfred Smart minate one side of the face of his subjects, leaving the other side
Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. This project saw of the face darkened, or even masked in shadow. This method
the addition of confessional elements to his photos, with Bey endows the figures appearing within the photo with a sense of
soliciting text or audio commentary from his youthful subjects, depth and mystery.
who commented on the state of their lives in all their difficulty,
joy, and complexity. In his photos, Bey treats fore-, middle-, and backgrounds
distinctively. Generally, he obscures the background, keeping
Bey employs a compelling method in achieving his remark- it slightly out of focus, thus forcing our eyes to linger in the
able photos. After his work for the Artist Collective, Bey began space where his subjects pose and perform – the middle ground
to move from a documentary style to creating a photographic of the picture plane. Bey thus takes advantage of a power that
contniued on page 13.
Giclee
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December 2007 Chicago Artists’ News
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2007 Me m b e r S e r v i c e s
which artists live and work.
2007
employment, marketing, taxes, art hazards, law,
Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, W.W. Grainger,
Inc., The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at and advocacy. Members get substantial dis-
CAC Around Town in need of immediate monies to cover an expense due
the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois The Chicago Artists’ Coalition’s newest program, to loss from fire, theft, a health emergency, or other
counts on program fees, and FREE access to the catastrophic, career-threatening event. To get more
Humanities Council, the Sam and Adele Golden CAC Around Town, brings Chicago-area busi-
Foundation, Playboy Foundation, Arts Work Fund at Bi-monthly Salons, critique-sessions led by details about the application process, please e-mail
nesses together with CAC artists that own an Online
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CAC members. Gallery. This partnership brings needed exposure to
event you can login and pay online.
2007 Chicago Artists’ News. All rights reserved.
Chicago-area artists by offering exhibition opportuni-
ties in alternative venues, and develops an appre- Associate Membership
Advertising Policy of the CHICAGO ARTISTS’ NEWS Chicago Art Open ciation for the arts in the clientele of the participating
This annual exhibition is open to all professional art- businesses. CAC coordinates about 8-10 exhibits to Fractured Atlas
Chicago Artists’ News has the right to refuse advertising for
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received an inordinate number of complaints; exhibits which
ists in the Chicago-area, and is held every October per year. As a CAC member, you automatically become an
charge excessive fees to artists; and “vanity” or rental exhibit
spaces. The publisher of Chicago Artists’ News, the Associate Member of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit
Chicago Artists’ Coalition, has a very small staff. Therefore,
in conjunction with the Chicago Artists’ Month. The organization that serves a national community of
Chicago Artists’ News may also refuse ads it believes will Chicago Art Open is the largest show of local art Credit Union artists and arts organizations. Through this partnership,
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staff of the Chicago Artists’ Coalition. Classified ads can be under one roof, and CAC members receive a sub- Our credit union provides checking and savings we can now offer studio, general liability, event, and
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This publication sponsored in part by: apply for the show online by uploading their submis- and VISA cards for our members through First to other benefits in New York. For more information
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and
By Shag
3
the Alternative
Hooshmand, fits the bill perfectly: she’s friendly, an
art student and a dedicated biker. Their other intern,
web guru Jason Jozwiak, is a friend from the School
NEWS & EVENTS
The Staff of the Chicago Artists’
The artists’ holiday event of the year featuring a small art and craft grab bag. Artists: Kyoko Endo,
Bring an Item, Take an Item. (All grab bag items should be hand made by Jennifer Buckley, Ai The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago
the participating artist - we are looking for small unique art or craft objects.) and Ann Marie Schneider 350 N. Orleans, room 1284
12-4 p.m.
Meet new artists and mingle with your peers. Exhibition running $20 CAC members, $40 non-members
Food, wine, and entertainment! through January 2 Join as a New member now and get in for Free!
Free art supply gift bags courtesy of Brudno’s. Preregistration is required so sign up on the
www.caconline.org - $20 online, $25 at the door website, www.caconline.org or call the office.
MEET
THE
CAC STAFF...
Olga Stefan, Executive Director,
received her bachelors in anthro-
pology from Kenyon College, stud- Olga Jeremy Kiet Miguel Shag Ji-Sook
ied archaeology and art history in Institute, loves foreign films and documenta- of the Yards. He attended DePauw University pseudo-comedy at venues around Chicago, or
Montpellier, France, traveled throughout most ries, and is in constant anticipation of the next in Greencastle, IN where he received a BA hosting “Shag’s Little Thing,” a music, poetry
of Europe, and lived in some of it, and has movie in her online queue. degree in English Creative Writing. He is a fan and comedy open-mic variety show that ran at
excavated throughout much of Israel. She of the Food Network, writes poetry and fiction, Phyllis’ Musical Inn circa 1998 to 2005. Shag
was the executive director of Around the Jeremy Biles, Publications Manager and and says, “No to Mining in Intag, Ecuador!” is a journalist, writer, semi-professional host,
Coyote from 1998-2003, and was the grant Editor of CAN, teaches philosophy at the He will be pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing
poetry-nerd and tech-geek. He might not know
writer for Woman Made Gallery from 2003 to Illinois Institute of Art. He is the author of “Ecce next fall.
how to show it, but Shag cares. Shag doesn’t
early 2005, when she started her new posi- Monstrum: Georges Bataille and the Sacrifice take praise well.
tion at CAC. Ms. Stefan has curated several of Form.” Shag, IT guy and contributor to CAN, came
exhibitions, including an international show, to Chicago in 1994 to solve mysteries, after
“Palpable Disequilibrium: Contemporary Art Kiet Pham, Membership and Program graduating from Lock Haven University of Ji-Sook Yim, Editorial Intern, is from Houston,
Coordinator, was born in Moline, IL and is
in Romania,” “Resurrection,” “Please Print” Pennsylvania with a Journalism degree with TX and she is currently a second year at the
currently living as an artist in Tinley Park. Kiet
and others, has juried several art shows and minors in English, Philosophy, Film and University of Chicago. She is a French minor,
attended the Columbus College of Art and
festivals, and served on the Evanston Arts Design. Some of his interests include garden- Computer Science. Shag came to the CAC plans on studying psychology, and hopes to go
Council’s individual grant panel. In 2001, she ing, playing the violin, chess, crosswords, in 1998 as the CAC’s Project Coordinator, to into communications for graduate school. Her
received the “Contributions to the Community” physics, and other nerdy things. write the monthly Chicago Artists’ News col- hobbies and interests include piano, Scrabble,
award from the Wicker Park Chamber of umn “Art News” and solve mysteries involving Swatch watches, and sporadically writing
Commerce. Ms. Stefan holds an M.A. in Arts Miguel Jimenez, Assistant to the Editor, was the CAC’s then quite-elderly computers. You sappy poetry for her collection of love poems
Administration from the School of the Art born and raised in Chicago’s South Side, Back may have seen him reading poems and doing titled “Sap from a Maple Tree.”
6
December 2007 Chicago Artists’ News
Travails and
Triumphs:
The Visual
Artists
Rights Act
By Daniel Grant Chapman Kelly's "Wildflower Works." Photo courtesy of the artist.
Like most laws, the Visual Artists Rights Act the intention of the Massachusetts Museum of his possession: “I sold a 1960 Calder mobile and
of 1990 is a lengthy amendment to the federal Contemporary Art in North Adams to display his a 1957 Moore bronze and a 1958 Olitski painting,
Copyright Act, complete with definitions, exclu- unfinished installation represented a violation of the and a number of other pieces. Those artworks today
sions and limitations, as well as a statement of Visual Artists Rights Act. Yet another VARA law- would be worth $10 million.”
intent. Over the years, the law has been occasional- suit claims that changes made to the lawn in front
ly violated, less frequently litigated, and continually of Yahoo!’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California Scott Hodes noted that the Kelley decision
discussed. Perhaps for artists, the law’s most sig- represented a distortion of the site-specific artwork reflects both an expanded interpretation of law and
nificant language is found early on (the artist “shall created by New York sculptor Sharon Louden the lack of old-fashioned courtesy: “What the judge
have the right to prevent any intentional distortion, in 2003. determined is that a sculpture can be made out of
mutilation, or other modification of that work which anything. The law is very specific about what type
would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputa- of art is covered, and it also is specific about what
tion,” as well as “to prevent any destruction of a isn’t covered, and Kelley’s work doesn’t fall into
work of recognized stature”). For the owners of this either one of those categories; his work doesn’t fall
art, especially those who commission artwork, such within the statute or outside of the statute, leaving
Why would
as building owners, corporations and governmental things up to interpretation.”
agencies, the key language of the law may be found
in seven words that describe how all the rights and The Visual Artists Rights Act was crafted nar-
artists so readily
obligations in the law may be bypassed, through “an rowly in order to win approval from Congress,
express, written waiver by the artist.” which only voted in this law because membership
in the international copyright forum known as the
years trying to
In some cases, the answer is self-evident: If but because of things that are unforeseen at the time
they refuse to sign the agreement waiving their of the commission. The court decisions involv-
rights, there will be no commission, and some other ing VARA have all resulted from commissioning
obtain?
artist will have the opportunity to create a large- agreements in which there was no signed waiver
scale work in an open setting viewable by a larger of rights.
percentage of the public than otherwise might see
their art in galleries. It is not uncommon for art- Washington, D.C. arts lawyer Joshua Kaufman
ists to receive additional compensation for signing stated that he did not expect Congress would revisit
a waiver of their VARA rights. However, because the Visual Artists Rights Act any time in the near
the Visual Artists Rights Act is so strongly tied to future. “Congress passed a very narrow bill, the
public artworks, most of which are sited perma- minimum they could get away with,” he said. “I
nently with no end date in sight, current owners and Chapman Kelley’s floral artwork, titled would not expect any changes or expansions to it.”
municipalities are concerned about tying the hands “Wildflower Works,” consisted of 66,000 square If that proves correct, the judiciary will assume the
of those who come after them, such as private build- feet of plants that had been paid for by Kelley when responsibility for reading the law in its current nar-
ing owners who want to expand where the mural is he planted them in 1984. He claimed that he still row form or more broadly.
or the city planners who look to widen the intersec- owned them and had not relinquished ownership
tion that contains a statue. to the individual plants or the entire artwork to the Back in 1903, Supreme Court Justice
City of Chicago, which in 2004 reduced the gar- Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote in an opinion
Some negotiation may take place, but the den by half in order to create a bridge that would about a circus poster, “It would be a danger-
waiver subject cannot be avoided and the artist link two areas of the park. Lawyers for the City ous undertaking for persons trained only in the
usually cedes some rights. According to Scott of Chicago had argued that a garden could not be law to constitute themselves final judges of the
Hodes, a Chicago lawyer who has represented a sculpture, since it did not maintain one appear- worth of pictorial illustrations, outside of the
both artists and agencies commissioning artists ance but changed regularly. However, art experts narrowest and most obvious limits.” However, 100-
for public art projects, “nobody in their right mind on behalf of Chapman claimed that no art – even plus years later, it will be judges who will determine
will get involved with any artist in a public way paintings – were changeless, and some artworks what is art, which art is of “recognized stature,”
unless there is a waiver. The law being what it is, changed quite a lot without losing their status whether artwork is only meaningful in one particu-
I would advise any commissioning body to get a as art. lar setting and a host of other issues that artists just
waiver from the artist.” now may be thinking up.
“The judge’s ruling redefines what fine art is,
His sense of urgency reflects recent efforts to or can be, and it redefines what the materials of
Daniel Grant, a former art critic for Newsday, is
extend the law into new areas. In September, for art can be,” Kelley said. “In my case, the work
the author of five books, including The Business of
instance, Chicago painter Chapman Kelley (now of art was made entirely of plants.” There was no
Being an Artist, The Fine Artist’s Career Guide,
residing in Dallas) was able to convince an Illinois ruling on how much Kelley will be compensated
federal judge that his plantings of wildflowers in for the destruction of his artwork – this is likely The Artist’s Resource Handbook and How to Start
the city’s Grant Park constituted a sculptural work to be resolved through negotiations – but the art- and Succeed as an Artist. He is a contributing edi-
of art, deserving of copyright protection after the ist estimated that he spent $350,000 on plants and tor to American Artist magazine and has written for
city removed half of the floral arrangement in other garden materials, as well as salaries for others a variety of newspapers and magazines, including
order to build an access bridge. Earlier in the same who helped him create and maintain the garden. An ARTnews, Art in America, The Artist’s Magazine,
month, a U.S. district court judge in Springfield, art dealer, as well as a painter and sculptor, he had Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times,
Massachusetts turned back an artist’s claim that financed the project through the sale of artworks in The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.
Perspectives:
continued from page 4. 7
Alternatives to the Alternative
PUTS CHICAGO
ARTISTS ON THE MAP.
Now on view: .BQQJOHUIF4FMG
the MCA’s contribution
to the citywide Festival of Maps, featuring more than
30 Chicago artists. Explore how artists use mapmaking
to understand and explain themselves and the world
around them. O;cial Airline of the
Museum of Contemporary Art
Paula Henderson
5IF&YUFOEFE3FNJY(detail),2005
Watercolor and graphite on paper
3 ft. 4 in. × 2 ½ ft.
Courtesy of the artist and
Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago
Who Says Chicago Artists 9
DOWNTOWN
DECEMBER 1 SATURDAY
Finestra Arts Space, 410 S. Michigan Avenue, Ste.
Around
Dr. Douglas R. Krebs Anthony Reeves, L.M.T Natural Wellness Center
Chiropractic Physician Licensed Massage Therapist Dr. Paul and Dr. Amy
922 W Diversey Pkwy 1463 W. Summerdale Ave. Rieselman
Chicago, IL 60614 773-275-0581 4513 Lincoln Ave. #212
Town
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www.chicagospineandsports.com 630-795-1889
Gail Willert, L.M.T www.northstarchiropractic.com
Gutrich Chiropractic Licensed Massage Therapist northstarchiro@yahoo.com
1425 W Diversey Pkwy 773-271-2052
Chicago, IL 60614 COUNSELING/
773-472-0300 Helio Massage + Body MENTAL HEALTH
Work Studios
Swim Cafe
Virginia Brubaker, M.A., LCPC
Carleen Healy, 2727 N Lehmann Ct
You LMT, AMTA, NCBTMB
NLP Institute of Chicago
are Chicago, IL 60614 7635 Tripp Ave
her
1357 W. Chicago Ave
Lincoln Park Chiropractic (773) 404-4470 (near Howard and Crawford)
e. Hours- Mon/Wed/Fri www.bodybizinc.com Skokie, IL 60076
and by appointment kari@bodybizinc.com 847-679-4885
2202 N. Lincoln Ave., Ste 1
www.nlpchicago.com
Chicago IL 60614
Sarah E. Shapleigh
1209 W. Grace St fax 312-467-7001
LCSW, CADC
Wanted: artists to work in elementary school pro- University of Illinois at Chicago seeks artists to
gram. Call Joanna at 847-328-9222 exhibit work in the Student Center galleries during
2007. Call Melissa Csoke, 312-413-5183, for proposal Ai The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago
CAC Member seeks glass-making artists for a color- form.
ful glass shelf, 12” x 40”. Contact Val, 312-649-0350. 350 N. Orleans, room 1284
Merwin & Wakeley Galleries at Illinois Wesleyan
Park Forest, Illinois seeks mural artist to design and University invite submissions in all media for upcoming 12-4 p.m.
install a public mural in Down Town Park Forest. Artist exhibition schedule—review in early October. Amazing
qualifications/sample work due December 31, 2007. gallery spaces! Packets should include: slides and/or
Information: Hildy Kingma at 708-283-5622, hkingma@
vopf.com or see www.villageofparkforest.com.
other visuals, resume, artist’s statement and SASE.
Send to: Gallery Director, Ames School of Art, Illinois $20 CAC members
Bloomingdale Mural Project in West Bucktown pro-
Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL 61701, 309-
556-3391
$40 non-members
vides opportunities for volunteer artists to create large
outdoor murals in viaducts along the Bloomingdale President’s Gallery at Harold Washington College
Trail railroad embankment. Proposal deadline: Until reviewing works in all media. Application/info: slides, Purchase a new membership now and get in for free!
filled. Contact the Mural Committee or apply online at DVDs or jpegs with resume, artist statement, SASE
www.BloomingdaleMuralProject.org. to Erica Erdmann, Harold Washington College Art
c l a
Oregon, IL 61061.
take a
to 8:00 p.m. at FCPA Studios, 310 N. Ottawa Street,
Joliet, IL 60432 ph. (815) 722-4140 Exhibit will remain
Call for artists with current 2D, 3D work for
on display through December 20, 2007.
consignment. Send 6 slides of actual work,
• Drawing
statement, bio & $25 jury fee to: Gallery 510, 510 W. • Painting
Decatur St., Decatur, IL 62522. Info: 217.422-1509. • Figure Drawing
HOLIDAY SHOWS ion/info: www.circlesocal.org, gallery@circlesocal.org,
• Portraiture
310-552-2007. studios • Knitting
Deck your walls with Dolan Geiman. Visit us at the La Petite 14, November, Coburg, OR. Small format gallery exhibits
classes
• Creative Potential
One of a Kind Show Dec 6-9 or our online holiday sale painting, sculpture, glass, fiber, metal, jewelry, ceramic,
through Dec 15. www.dolangeiman.com. photo, wood, paper, etc. Fees: $12 each, three for workshops • Goal Setting for Creativity
$30. Deadline: Contact. Application/info: www.alterart. memberships • Painting with Texture
The Bucktown Holiday Artshow celebrates its ninth com or SASE to Alder Gallery, Box 8517, Coburg,
consecutive year as a venue for holiday shoppers to • Multimedia Art for Children
OR 97408.
find unique gifts from both local artists from around • Teen Painting
the country. This is juried show featuring a wide variety Toys Designed By Artists (34th Ann.), Nov. 22-Dec.
of media: from ceramics to photography. Watercolors
31, Little Rock, AR. Functional or conceptual toys
Call now for a complete class schedule 773-465-4652
to oils, jewelry to textiles. December 8th and 9th at
Holstein Park Fieldhouse in the Bucktown neighbor- completed within last two years. Fees: $10, limit 2
hood of Chicago. 2200 N. Oakley. 11am–5pm both entries. Deadline: Contact. Application/info: toys@art- 1806 W. Greenleaf , Chicago, IL 60626 • 773-465-4652
days. 2$ at the door. For more information go to www. karts.com or SASE Toys Designed By Artists, Arkansas
bucktownproductions.com. Art Center, Box 2137, Little Rock, AR 72203. www.GreenleafArtCenter.com • info@GreenleafArtCenter.com
1526 south wabash
framingmode.com
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