FUSEDChicago: Connections
FUSEDChicago: Connections Opening Reception, Friday, Dec 1, 5:00-8:00pm
FUSEDChicago, an organization of artists based in the Midwest who share an interest in encaustic, a method of making art using pigmented wax fused to a surface by heat, is pleased to announce Connections, a juried group exhibition of works that will address contemporary relationships to nature.
The artwork in this exhibition will address contemporary relationships to nature. The connection between humans and nature is a fascinating one. Nature is both all around us and deep within us. We exist in layers that range in depth and complexity and it is often difficult yet necessary to look beyond the surface.
Thirteen member artists will be featured in the exhibition: Carrie Baxter, Cat Crotchett, Helen Dannelly, Andrew DeWeerdt, Alicia Forestall-Boehm, Donna Kuo, Cindy Lesperance, Jane Michalski, Carol Myers, Denise Oehl, Karen Tichy, Neli Tzintzeva, and Robin VanHooser.
The exhibition was juried by nationally known art curator and critic Barbara O’Brien.
“We learn in primary school that a noun is defined as a “person, place or thing.” Artists submitting to “Connections” took the term “nature” to encompass all those meanings and more. The use of encaustic ranged from being the sole medium in a painting to being one of many components in complex mixed media works; photography, silk screened prints, recycled artworks, watercolor and raffia were each utilized in the exploration of “the connections between humans and nature.” This open-ended language, from the FUSEDChicago call for entries, resulted in artists from not only the Chicago area, but also from seven states to submit works of art for my consideration. The selection process was a challenge as there were so many remarkable works of art to review. The more than two dozen works selected for the exhibition include the intimate and large-scale, vividly colored or resting at the edge of readability. They tap into a range of art historical and cultural traditions including Native American motifs, Pictorialism, Pop Art, and Roman mythology. I took pleasure in the spirit and talent, the playfulness and drama, evidenced in the works selected. I hope the viewers will, as well.”
About the Curator
Barbara O’Brien is an independent curator and critic based in Milwaukee. She was Executive Director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri, from 2012 to 2017 after serving as chief curator and director of exhibitions since 2009. O’Brien has a longstanding interest in and commitment to the community of artists who incorporate encaustic into their practice. She was the Keynote Speaker at the International Encaustic Conference in both 2008 and 2013. “I am delighted,” O’Brien recently shared, “to have been invited to select works of art for “Connections,” which I anticipate will be both an opportunity for revelation and an occasion for celebration. I hope that artists will explore the encausticmedium - and wax in all its many iterations - to address both the poetic and prosaic implications of the theme chosen by FUSEDChicago.”
O’Brien’s recent projects include serving as curator and catalog essayist for June Ahrens: Reflecting Time (2022), and Close to the Line: Mari Rantanen and Kirsten Reynolds (2019), both at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, CT. In 2022, O’Brien served as a curatorial consultant and catalog essayist for solo exhibitions at The Painting Center, NYC; Chris Nau: I’m Not Your Animal and Gerri Rachins: Almost Everything is Going Well.
About FUSEDChicago
FUSEDChicago’s mission is to advance public awareness of encaustic medium through workshops and thematic exhibitions of member work and to create professional opportunities for networking and learning exchanges for members. All artist members of FUSEDChicago create art partly or entirely from encaustic. Members are represented in art galleries locally and nationally, have been included in world-class expositions including EXPO Chicago and SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design), and have work in collections throughout the world. Website: fusedchicago.com
Opening Reception, Friday, Dec 1, 5:00-8:00pm
Exhibition dates: November 24 - December 18, 2023
Gallery hours: Thurs – Fri 2-6pm, Sat – Sun 12-4 pm
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.