December 2024 Newsletter

Dec 12

**CSI Showcased in Sculpture Magazine**

Chicago Sculpture International is being featured in the current November/December ’24 issue of Sculpture magazine, a bimonthly publication of the International Sculpture Center. The article highlights CSI programs from the past year, including the Ragdale Tree Project, the Sculpture in the Parks initiative with Chicago Park District, as well as indoor exhibits at CSI Project Space, and the Poetry of Sculpture group exhibit at Prairie State College.

News from the Grants Committee

Chicago Sculpture International has yet again been recognized for the organization’s success with an Arts and Culture Grant by the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.

This $25,000 award is granted to CSI through its continued function as a centerpiece in the artistic landscape of Chicago, where multiple communities can experience the intergenerational creativity of our members within Chicago and beyond.

Without continued contributing success of our membership base and stepping up of members to develop crucial roles in board/leadership volunteer positions, grants from organizations such as Driehaus Foundation (as well DCASE and IAC) would be impossible.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Anthony May, Grants Chair - anthonyheinzmay@chicagosculpture.org

News from the Chicago Tree Project

Above (left): Franziska Seifert with her tree sculpture; (right) Hamburg tree sculpture inauguration

The Chicago Tree Project is now International

The Chicago Tree Project is now international, providing a model for the making of a work of art in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg artist Franziska Seifert has created the first tree sculpture there, and CSI member Christine Perri was invited to attend the recent inauguration and give a presentation on the Chicago Tree Project. For more photos and information about the artist, go to: https://www.chicagotreeproject.org/hamburg-tree-project/

News from CSI Project Space

Little but Bold! CSI Member Benefit Art Auction

The Little, but BOLD! CSI Member Art Auction exhibit runs until Sunday, January 26, 2025. An online silent auction of available works will continue throughout the run and available works can be viewed online or at the Project Space gallery (1912 N. Damen, Chicago, IL). Bid often and bid high!

Thank you to all bidders and winners, attendees, volunteers, and our sponsors for supporting CSI and making the evening a terrific success!

Little, but BOLD! is in celebration of all things un-monumental. 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. All proceeds will support the CSI exhibition and outreach programs and CSI members!

Participating Artists: Pinar Aral, Janet Austin, John Bannon, Lynn Basa, Jyl Bonaguro, Wallace Bowling, David Curry, Darlys Ewoldt, Lynn Floriano, Mirentxu Ganzarain, Ted Sitting Crow Garner, Set Gozo, Carol Hammerman, Lillian Heredia, Terry Karpowicz, Kasia Kay, Kelly Lawler, Micki LeMieux, Marianne Lovink, Yicen Liu, Ellen Lustig, Deana Bada Maloney, Anthony Heinz May, Michelle Meyer, Jordan Mozer, Frederick B. Napoli, Thomas Plum, Paul Russell, Howard Sandroff, Marvin Shafer, David Skora, Gunnar Theel, Cheuk Yan Cherry Tung, Roberta Ulrich-de Oliveira, Nancy VanKanegan, Patrick D. Wilson, Charles Yost, Shencheng Xu, and Haijun Zhang

In Memory of Ron Gard

Above: (right) Ron Gard’s sculpture *The Struggle Against Death*; (right) Ron in 2014 working in Lincoln Park on one of three tree sculptures, *Dying to Survive Nos. #3, #6 & #9*.

Ron Gard was an amazing designer, sculptor and person.

Ron owned and operated a prominent set building company in Chicago and returned to his first love of sculpture when he retired from the film and advertising industry. He was quickly recruited onto the Board of CSI, where he served as Treasurer for several years. Ron was an exquisite and exacting craftsman with a vast knowledge of materials and methods. His circle of peers was numerous and he was always ready to pitch in and help.

In 2020, Ivy Gard graciously donated the CSI Project Space Gallery to the members of CSI in memoriam of Ron's commitment to the organization.

Thank you Ron and Ivy, we love you.

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

Member News

Drawing You Outside: Artist Talk Series Part !

Oregon Caves National Monument Artist Residency and Drawing You Outside environmental project by Christine Forni

This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events

When: December 19th, Thursday, 7-8pm
Where: Mana Contemporary, 2233 S. Throop St. Studio 421 in Chicago

Artist will share a video presentation and have a Q&A about Drawing You Outside at Oregon Caves National Monument artist residency. If you would like to hear more about getting a residency Christine will be sharing her proposal, her time there and the sculpture inspired by viewing microscopic views of the mineral collected by the National Park and stored in their library.

“Holiday at the Fields” exhibit at Sculpture Fields at Montague Park

The "Holiday at the Fields Exhibit" at Sculpture Fields at Montague Park is a captivating showcase of artistic talent and storytelling. Each of the invited artist's small-scale works offers a unique insight into their perspectives and creativity. The variety of media used in the sculptures, from carved marble to wood to welded stainless steel, adds a fascinating dimension to the exhibit. The opening reception will be held on December 10th in the Pamela and John Henry Gallery and coinciding with the Ambassador Board's annual Christmas Party, which will likely create a festive atmosphere for attendees to enjoy the artworks as well.

Exhibiting Artists: Philip Shore, Brian Monaghan, John Bannon, Eric Lindsey, Gwen Yen Chiu, Jyl Bonaguro, John Himmelfarb, Jill King, and Terry Karpowicz

Bethany Cordero Artist Residency Exhibition

Join us for the culmination of Bethany Cordero’s artist residency at the Oak Park Art League. This show will offer a glimpse into the sculptural work she has been developing, exploring themes of identity, impermanence, memory, and the transitory nature of being. She’s excited to share this journey with you and invite you to experience these new works up close. Please come by and see what Bethany has been working on during her time at OPAL!

Fiat Lux in Sycamore Park, Davis, CA

Nicole Beck has recently installed Fiat Lux in Sycamore Park, Davis, CA. Last year Beck was contacted by the grieving parents of Karim Abou Najm who wanted to honor their son with a memorial sculpture at the site, blocks from their home, where the serial stabbing occurred. The City of Davis and UC Davis were rocked by a series of random stabbings last April that left two pillars of their community dead and one critically injured. Davis Public Art Commission wanted to collaborate with Nicole, the parents and family and the Phoenix Foundation in creating a site-specific artwork to both heal the community and honor the brilliant star that Karim was. Nicole stayed with the family while craning the work to site, completing the glass installation and speaking at a community unveiling ceremony. CSI partner Vector Custom fabricating was hired by Beck as the lead fabricator the 10 x 10 x 3 ft. stainless sculpture.

Pictured in the photo are the family of Davis Public Art Administrator Rachel Hartsough.

Scott Mossman: Pictures & Forms

November 8, 2024 to January 3, 2025

Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave, Chicago IL

An active painter and sculptor since the early eighties, Scott Mossman’s work has always involved the relationships inherent in elements and objects within a given space. Through his sculpture, Mossman’s geometric forms interact with architectural elements within a space and comment on the viewer’s relationship with the work, and existing elements such as soffits, baseboards, ceiling height, windows, and doors, among other features within a space. For this reason, the viewer never finds his sculpture placed at eye-level, where one would find a painting, and subsequently, ignores the rest of the room. Mossman’s paintings also pose this challenge, as elements within the work, such as color, perspective, and composition, work together to push the limits of a flat canvas. Painted tableaus derived from postcard images are paired with illusionistic space to create windows within the canvas. In Mossman’s Pictures and Forms exhibit, he has chosen a handful of two- and three-dimensional works that are perhaps his largest and most complex ever.

Diane Ponder in Venice Biennale, Energy Center in Korea and SoNo Gallery

November 8 - January 11, 2025
SoNo Gallery, 1527 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL. 60622

Diane Ponder is exhibiting in the Climate Change group show at the Energy Center of Ulsan, Korea, part of the ECU in Palazzo Bembo in Venice Biennale and Gabriel Fine Arts of London.

The group show, “Lightness and Being” is at SoNo Gallery, 1527 N. Ashland, Chicago and. is open until January 11, 2025.

Looking Exhibition at Trout Museum of Art

Pieces by Margie Criner

The following are not CSI sponsored projects
But may be of interest to our members

Call for Artist Exhibits at Harold Washington Library Center

The Music, Arts, Social Science and History Department, located in the Harold Washington Library Center is looking to schedule exhibits on the 8th floor beginning April 2025 through March 2026. Artists working in any visual media are encouraged to apply.

Deadline for submission is 5pm, December 15, 2024
Decisions will be announced by January 15, 2025.
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., Chicago, IL

Selected artists will have an eleven-week exhibition in the 8th floor exhibit cases.

As part of each exhibit, were quest artists be willing to teach at least one tactile art or craft class to adult library patrons. Previous workshops have included drawing, printmaking, watercolor, illustration, book making, collage and knitting, among other topics. Workshops generally run 90-120 minutes with up to 15 adults. A small honorarium will be offered plus the cost of materials covered.

For submission requirements and to apply, please visit this link.

Eligibility: Visual artists who live in Chicagoland (city and suburbs).

Clay Fans Club Fundraiser

Fellow CSI Member in need of a kiln for a small studio at Bridgeport Art Center. Every bit of assistance will help. Go fund me link at https://gofund.me/73c0fae9

Sculpture Magazine Holiday Deal

Know someone who would love to stay informed with contemporary sculpture? Surprise them with a gift subscription to Sculpture, featuring 6 issues a year in print or digital format. The digital version includes a free downloadable app, ensuring they can access your thoughtful gift anytime, anywhere. Available for a limited time at 1 for $40 or 2 for $70.

https://sculpture.org/store/

Submit Your News

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. Member Shelley Gilchrist sgilchristart@gmail.com has volunteered to help you if you need it, so feel free to contact her.

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.

Cover photo:
Scott Mossman
Pink Curve, 2022
Acrylic on wood
22-1/2 x 26 x 17 in.

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Gene Skala