Sunday, October 24, 2010

JUNE WAYNE'S NARRATIVE TAPESTRIES: TIDAL WAVES, DNA, AND THE COSMOS


Curated by Christa C. Mayer Thurman

The Art Institute of Chicago and The Textile Society present 11 tapestries by June Wayne, a multifaceted Chicago-born artist who founded Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles in 1960. This exhibition presents the artist's fascination with the tapestry medium between 1970 and 1974.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

4:45 p,m.

Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room,

The Art Institute

Reception with Christa Thurman and June Wayne followed by a viewing of and remarks in the textile galleries

Kindly respond by October 26 by leaving a voice message at

(312) 443-9198.


June will also speak on Friday, November 5th

CHICAGO IN THE '30S - THE WPA, MARSHALL FIELD'S, AND

THE LAUNCH OF MY ZANY CAREER

Morton Auditorium, The Art Institute

Friday, November 5th

12 - 1 p.m.

Free with admission

(no need to RSVP)




Visual artist June Claire Wayne was born on March 7, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. She was raised asJune Claire Kline by her divorced mother, Dorothy Alice Kline, a traveling saleswoman in the corset business. At age fifteen, June dropped out of high school, wanting to become an artist. Avoiding the last names of both her parents, she used her first and middle names, June Claire, for her first solo exhibition in 1935 in Chicago, followed in 1936, by a second one at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. By 1938, June Claire was on the WPA Easel Project in Chicago - and had become a 'regular' in a cutting-edge culture of writers, actors, artists, and scientists, some of whom were becoming world famous (Richard Wright, James T. Farrell, Saul Bellow, Nelson Algren, Irene Rice-Pereira and many others).

Circa 1939, she moved to New York, working as a designer of costume jewelry in the garment industry while continuing to paint at night and on weekends. In mid-1941, she married an Air Force Flight Surgeon and substituted his name, Wayne, for Claire. From then on her identity remained June Wayne even though that marriage did not endure. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, she left New York for Los Angeles, intending to work in the aircraft industry. To that end, she became certified in Production Illustration at Cal Tech/Art Center School but a job opened in radio writing at WGN in Chicago which she took, scripting several programs a day of music continuity and interviews with war heroes and movie stars on War Bond shows. Nonetheless production illustration was infiltrating her aesthetic imagination resulting in signature works of optical art ("The Tunnel" and the Kafka series) starting in the mid 1940s. As for the WGN experience, it honed her literary talent and eventually she would write influential essays on artist's rights, art criticism, and feminism.

When WWII ended, June Wayne returned to Los Angeles to stay and became an integral part of the California art scene. She took up lithography at Lynton Kistler's facility, meanwhile painting and exhibiting intensively. By 1957, she also had become a familiar artist in Paris, collaborating with Marcel Durassier, the great master printer with whom, in 1958, she did a livre d'artiste on the love sonnets of John Donne. In 1959, W. MacNeil Lowry of the Ford Foundation suggested to Wayne that she write a plan to revitalize the art of lithography which was floundering in the USA. The result was the Tamarind Lithography Workshop (named for her street) which opened in 1960; Wayne as its director and the Ford Foundation as its financial support. By the late 1960s, Tamarind had become an international force in the printmaking arts so Wayne transformed the Workshop into a permanent format as the TAMARIND INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO where it thrives to this day. Her own lithographs are widely recognized as masterpieces of the medium.

In 1970, Wayne turned to designing tapestries in France. In them as in the rest of her art, she expressed her avant-garde linkage of art and science to issues of the times. In many media, optics, the genetic code, stellar winds, magnetic fields, tsunamis and temblors appeared in her work, often linked to metaphors for the human condition such as the lemmings series, fables, justice and love. On a feminist level, her "The Dorothy Series" (twenty multi-color lithos that she described as a "documentary film in twenty freeze frames") includes her much praised video which together with the suite, recently shown in Tokyo.

"Sects In The City" is the first political artwork ever made by June Wayne who, in principle, avoided topical content in her art until now. "Sects" makes you aware of the burgeoning of "faith-based" religious groups within five miles of her Tamarind Avenue studio in Hollywood. Some sects are well-established in expensive churches, temples and mosques; others are itinerant parishes in bungalows, store fronts, abandoned movie theatres, trucks and station wagons.

June Wayne's art is represented in many museum collections in the USA and abroad. She has received dozens of awards as well as honorary doctorates. She also is a Visiting Professor of Research at the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper but she still spends much of the year at her Tamarind Avenue studio in Hollywood, California. THE ART OF EVERYTHING, a catalog raisonné of her art (1935 to the present day) was just published by Rutgers University Press. The book is authored by Robert P. Conway with essays by Arthur Danto and Judith K. Brodsky.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Fighting for artist's rights-ongoing struggle of Drew

This ongoing struggle of Drew - an artist guy who simply recorded his arrest on his cellphone - is so important!
why was he arrested? Because he was trying to sell his little $1.00 art patches on State Street (and has in fact been working on the issue of free speech for a long while now) but the prosecution is trying to get him on the grounds that he had no right to record his arrest.
Hearing on Motion to Suppress Audio Evidence
The outcome of this motion will determine if I go to trial on a 1st class felony, one step below attempted murder, 4-15 years in prison, for audio recording my own arrest for selling art for $1 on State Street in Chicago.
In his opening arguments the prosecutor began around 12:30pm by claiming that he should be allowed to bring in evidence from our Youtube video postings and my blog to prove I intended to be arrested for selling art in public. He had a huge digital TV standing ready. He contended somehow that if I intended to be arrested that this would allow the police to violate my real privacy rights to review the contents of my audio recorder without my permission.
If they arrest you for selling art on the train while you have a laptop in your possession, they are not allowed to search your files and e-mails on your laptop for incriminating evidence of other crimes without a search warrant from a judge.
My lawyer, Josh Kutnick, brought the arresting officer to the stand and questioned him. The prosecutor cross examined him. The objections flew back and forth from each in turn and the hearing dragged on. At 2:30 the judge called recess for lunch. During this portion of the hearing it came out that the prosecution not only had the two officers my lawyer wanted to question waiting in another room but three of the four female officers who ticketed me on November 13th. We have the answer from Anita Alvarez to the ACLU suit. The State is making every effort to apply the eavesdropping charge against me. Why does Anita Alvarez and the State hate art in public to this extent? Or is it they want to keep you from attaining your basic rights? It is your First Amendment right to use your cell phone to protect yourself with audio evidence that she is attacking.
Then Josh Kutnick took over. His stated the obvious. The State needs a warrant before searching the recorder or they must forfeited the evidence they found when they violated my privacy rights. He contradicted the points made by the prosecution. He summarized our case and tossed it up to the judge to decide by pointing out that there are unique and interesting aspects to this case to be considered seriously. The Judge smiled and agreed it was interesting and worthy of his study. He gave himself until November 22nd to rule and our hearing was over around 4:00 in the afternoon.
This is more about you than it is about me. It is about your rights. No one came to this hearing in my support. However, it is better that you are watching from the sidelines than not watching at all. Although my lawyer performed to an empty court room we will buy the transcript and post it for the world to read. This case has national implications and international interest.
What can you do? Forward this message or the link to my blog or to my facebook page (facebook.com/FreeSAM) to your friends and tell them about this struggle for their rights. Stay tuned to hear what Judge Stanley Sacks decides on November 22nd. Prepare to attend my trial. That is when I will need your support. Talk with your state reps and senators about changing this eavesdropping law. Everyone should be able to use their cell phones to record what police say to them in public. Contact your US congressman and your senators about H.Con.Res.298 – the sense of Congress resolution that waits in committee for their support. Donate to the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center which supports the Art Patch Project that helps to educate the public about First Amendment rights. We are the artists who are fighting for your rights. Help us. Thanks again if you have read this far for continuing to make yourself aware. Your voices are powerful.
Moscow Treats its artists better than Chicago. There is not one free open-air art market in Chicago.

EDUCATE YOURSELF WITH THESE LINKS
The Accidental Poster Child - Courting arrest to protest street-art laws, Chris Drew stumbled into a more serious fight.
Jerry Mead-Lucerno reports for Free Speech Radio News
Press Release: Comment on audio-recording police in public at the T-shirt Art Harvest Fest “Party for Freedom” http://www.art-teez.org/pr/harvest_fest-10.htm
NPR Strikes: You can Film Cops, just don't record them!

Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center Website with links to court documents for C Drew's felony case
Chicago Tribune on the ACLU suing Cook County State's Attorney, Anita Alvarez
Tribune editorial by their editorial board in support of our view of the audio-recording of police issue.
Michael Stephen reports on C Drew on 1/6/10 at

http://www.outsidetheloopradio.com/

The Urban Coaster - Rogers Park Community Newspaper - prints my response to 1st class felony charge.
http://theurbancoaster.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=560

Nancy Bechtol video: C Drew Answers Eavesdropping Charges
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-K_dTlzs5M

Chicago's Thick Blue Wall - Radley Balko writes for Reason.com on C Drew's arrest
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/14/chicagos-thick-blue-wall

SunTimes: Felony Charges Charges filed against Artist Activist
http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1918823,peddler-taping-cops-arrest-120309.article
Comments published below - e-mail comments to umcac@art-teez.org (for coming exhibit)
http://www.c-drew.com/blog/comments-on-suntimes-article-creative-felony/

Video by Nancy Bechtol showing the arrest of C Drew on 12/2/09. You judge if a felony was committed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72_ZzJCfESc

Nancy Bechtol video from Friday November 13th when I challenged
the City and received a ticket to Federal Court
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDT336Jw3Vs&feature=email

Video: C Drew on Chicago cable TV explaining artists' speech rights with a screen printing demo
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1838238050552647653

* Streetwise article - October 28, 2009
Http://www.art-teez.org/pr/091028-4-Streetwise.pdf

Streetwise Article Goes International

The article appearing in Streetwise October 28th was reprinted on a website with an international audience that serves street newspapers from around the world - the Street News Service.
http://www.streetnewsservice.org/index.php?page=archive_detail&articleID=4636

*The San Francisco Examiner wrote about Chris and the FreeSAM


*We made it in the Reader.*
View the article (link below)
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/thebusiness/080724/

*Good site for artists' rights overview *
http://www.ncac.org/art-law/index.cfm

Moscow Treats its artists better than Chicago.


Which leads you to New York's precedent setting case - Artists win.

*East Coast Case:* BERY v. CITY OF NEW YORK, 97 F.3d 689 (2nd Cir. 1996)
http://www.ncac.org/art-law/op-bery.cfm

*West Coast Case:* Perry v. Los Angles Police Dept,, 121 F3d 1368 (9th Cir 1997)
http://www.buskersadvocates.org/saalegalCtPerryappeal.html Artist wins.


*Nevada Case:* Steven White v. City of Sparks (Nevada) Artist wins.
In /White v. City of Sparks/, painter Steven White challenged the
constitutionality of a city ordinance that required him to obtain a permit
before selling his paintings in public parks.
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/white-v-city-of-sparks-opinion.pdf

*Florida law suit won by artist* - Celli v. City of St. Augustine, Florida - decided 2000.
http://www.art-teez.org/free-speech-movement/celli-v-city-of-st-augustine-opinion.pdf
Since this time artists in St. Augustine have continued to fight for their rights against stiff government opposition from big-money interests.http://artinthemarket.blogspot.com/2009/04/artists-vs-st-augustine.html

*Weinberg v. City of Chicago*
(when all the National Sports Leagues joined with the City to appeal and lost when the Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal.) Weinberg - the Chicago author - won.
http://www.ahcuah.com/lawsuit/federal/weinberg1.htm

*Berger v. City of Seattle* A federal judge in Seattle ruled in 2005 in favor of a balloon-artist that the Seattle regulations violated the First Amendment, considering that Seattle Center's outdoor space is a public park. A 12-member panel of the appeals court agreed 8-3.
http://www.metnews.com/articles/2009/berg062509.htm
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0535752pv3.pdf

* Santa Monica, California modifies its street performer ordinances to allow the activity to take place on public sidewalks without a permit.
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-10-14-63540.113116_Council_relaxes_street_performer_rules.html


* ACLU sues the City of Fort Lauderdale for a street artist. (more to come)
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/07/aclu_sues_fort_lauderdale_on_b.html



*NY Artist and Organizer* - Robert Lederman, president of A.R.T.I.S.T.,
or Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics – This Yahoo Groups page links to ten years of messages about all the New York City actions and court cases over the years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCStreetArtists/

* NYC Street Artist Freedom Videos
Check out these videos about how NYC artists won our rights in NYC see:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=artistpres

* “Free Speech in an Open Society” by Rodney A. Smolla is a great primer toward understanding First Amendment case law. Google it for a great read on the topic.


Thursday, October 21, 2010

"Portraits of American Veterans: A Continuing Dialogue" Exhibit by Jeanine Hill-Soldner

November 3- 24, 2010
Artist Reception: Friday November 5, 2010 5:30- 9:00 p. m

Sage Gallery and Dole Mansion Gallery
Lakeside Legacy Arts Park
401 Country Club Road
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p. m.
Info: 815-455-8000
Details:
“Portraits of American Veterans Project; was created by Jeanine Hill-Soldner as a continuation of her work with art about war and veterans. The exhibit incorporates original oil paintings of local American Veterans with photographs and stories about the veterans told in their own words. The veterans meet with the artist in her studio for an interview, a photo shoot and sketching session before the paintings begins. This project is in the second phase of representing American Veterans in narrative context where the paintings and stories provide a visual dialogue, and a connection between the viewer and the veteran. Ms. Hill-Soldner plans to include veterans of all ages, both men and women. The second phase of the project will exhibit in November 2010 in the Sage Gallery, Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake.

In addition to the art by Ms. Hill-Soldner there will be an exhibit of art from participating veterans in the Vet Art Project Chicago, and Chicago area veterans. Ms. Hill-Soldner is co-curating the show with Army veteran Edgar Gonzalez Beaza. The art will be by veterans from wars in Vietnam, Kosovo, First Gulf War, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This art will exhibit in the historic Dole Mansion Gallery. Meet the artists.

There will be a special performance by contemporary classical pianist Frances Mai Ling and Kit Valentine during the artist reception.

Algonquin artist Jeanine Hill-Soldner was born in Quantico, Virginia and raised in a military family. The artist has become known for her innovative style and strong, dynamic lyrical and figurative works. She is an award winning artist with a MA in Art Education from University of Illinois, Champain. The artist’s many exhibits include the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, Museum of Fine Art, Florida State University, and during October – November 2009 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. He art has been featured in many publications and the artist’s profile was featured on a PBS television documentary. Ms. Hill-Soldner is owner of Soldner Fine Art Studio in the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake

Free and open to the public to this with a special invitation to veterans and their families.
Contact: Jeanine Hill- Soldner
Home: 847-854-6651
Cell: 224- 522- 4068
jeanine@soldners.com
http://www.soldnerfineart.com/

Monday, October 18, 2010

OIL PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH ANDREA HARRIS


Exciting New Product Oil Painting Workshop– October 21– 6:30-8:30 PM

Join Andrea Harris, Chicago Artist, Gamblin Artist-Representative and CWCA member for a hands-on workshop that will explore Gamblin’s new FastMatte artists’ colors and Gamblin mediums.

FastMatte is a fast-drying oil color for underpainting and achieving matte surfaces. It is also ideal for Plein Air painting. There is no need to add Galkyd mediums to accelerate the drying time of FastMatte colors.

All materials will be provided, including artists colors, mediums, panels and samples. Artists should plan on bringing brushes appropriate for small panels and will have the opportunity to paint on Ampersand panels.

The workshop will include:

• An overview of Gamblin mediums

• Hands-on with each medium

• Introduction of FastMatte artists’ colors

• Hands-on with FastMatte colors as underpainting

• Hands-on with FastMatte for direct painting

• FUN!!!!

LOCATION:

Tom Robinson Gallery

2416 W. North Avenue

Chicago, IL 60647

773.227.3144

DATE: Thursday, October 21, 2010

TIME: 6:30-8:30 PM

Pre-registration is required

Fee: $20 for Chicago Women’s Caucus for Arts members & all students

$25 for non-CWCA members and non-students

To register:

Andrea Harris

847.830.4084 or asharris9@comcast.net

Friday, October 15, 2010

Judith Hladik-Voss-Workshop and Openings

I will be showing a monoprint from my "Natural History" series, entitled: "Rural Chinese" at the Koehnline Gallery at Oakton Community College for the show: "No Place Like Home" Opening: Thursday, Oct. 21. 5-8 p.m. Show runs through Oct. 29th.

I am also included in the "Mothers" show at Woman Made Gallery. Opening: Friday, Nov. 5th, from 6-9 pm. Show runs through Dec. 28th. I will be showing a monoprint from my "Natural History" series: "Post-Partum".

I am offering a really fun and informative workshop in multiple monotyping techniques this November at the North Shore Art League in Winnetka, IL. Great for the beginning printer as well as the professional. I work individually with each student. This term I am including an overview of "Green Printing", using water-based Akua products for both monotyping and etching. Great for the environment and wonderfully non-toxic for printers!
The workshop will be on Sunday(s), November 7th and 14th-from 1-4 p.m. Contact NSAL @ 847.446.2870 for more details and to register.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Golden Feast- sumptious smorgasbord of acrylics(workshop)


Date: Oct. 16,2010
Time: 2-4:00
Gritty grounds, luscious layers, seductive surfaces. . . this hands on workshop will sample a variety of our most fascinating products: micaceous iron oxide, acrylic ground for pastels, glass bead gel, coarse molding paste. . . and more!!!!!!

Details:
Tom Robinson Gallery
2416 W. North Ave.
Chicago,Il 60642

Contact: sandie Bacon, (847)735-1503,sandra-bacon@sbcglobal.net
Event Website: http://chicagocwca.com
Fee: $20
Event Open to Public

Monday, October 11, 2010

Urban Pulse opening slide show.

Greetings All,

Here is the slide show of the opening reception at Tom Robinson Gallery of Urban Pulse for Chicago Artists Month. Enjoy.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

New Fall Openings

I will be showing work from my "Natural History" monoprint series in the following Fall shows.

"No Place Like Home, Koehnline Gallery, Oakton Community College, 1600 E.Golf Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60016. Opening : Thursday, Oct. 21st-5-8 p.m. Through November 6th, 2010

"Mothers" : Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60642 Opening: Friday, November 5 / 6-9pm, thru December 29th http://www.womanmade.org

Judith Hladik-Voss