Press Room --
From January 25 through May 7, 2010, the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery presents Pathways and Portals: Art, Nature and Science. Thirteen Illinois artists and one Illinois based collaborative project act as visionaries for culture to show diverse ways of perceiving, exploring and understanding the world through mythology, science, religion, nature and art—portals to realms of consciousness. The exhibit is curated by Jane Stevens, Associate Curator, Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery. There will be a free public reception on Thursday, February 11, from 5 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. in the second floor Gallery at 100 W. Randolph, Suite 2-100. Many of the artists will be present at the reception. Electronic media generated works include Granite Amit's sound, projection, and video installation On the River Already refers to an ancient ecstatic meditation, a mystical journey. (art)n, an Illinois-based, collaborative project, presents a virtual photograph, Oceans of Change, a visualization of ocean currents and temperature. AnnMarie Cernoch's Infinity Gliders is a representation of spatial infinity, focusing on the line between the virtual and physical worlds. Shawn Deckers's Motion Study (Air) places speakers in the Gallery to focus on sound and the dynamic spatial aspect of air as a medium. Joan Truckenbrod's installation Elastic Soliton uses video projectors to create a sense energy that emanates from suspended fiber forms, suggestive of human shapes, that speak of fragility of life. Graphite drawings by Michele Corazzo, in Meditation Series, refers to trails she has hiked, where she focused on filtering and interpreting her surroundings. Painter James Mesple focuses on the mythology of Flora, goddess of spring, and Hermes in Elixir of Love. Eugene Skala's paints rooms in his life, permeable spaces made mythical and dream-like, with doors, ladders, and routes of entry and escape. Painter Sharon Skolnick (OkeeChee), a registered Fort Sill Apache, captures courage and strength in her signature horse paintings. Robert Wapahi uses scratch board to reflect on his Dakota/Sioux heritage and the roles of ancestors as story keepers and spiritual guides. Indira Johnson's installation Water Consciousness focuses on the serving of water and the preciousness of it as a valuable resource. Kelley Quinn creates mosaic mandalas, an ancient form that connects the twelve stages of the "Great Round," from resting in darkness to opening to Grace. Dusty Seno, artist and collector, created an Americana-themed installation that includes carved wood pieces done with her late husband and her own graphic illustrations. Michelle Stone's installation From the shadows...a garden...grue-some creatures mimics nature's on-going process of evolution. Stone's papier mache and acrylic forms focus on the shadow side of nature and life. Special events and programs accompanying the exhibit include five gallery talks by exhibiting artists (dates to be announced) and a presentation of Illinois Women Video Artists on March 25, 2010, from noon to 2 P.M. in the Gallery. The Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery, located at 100 W. Randolph on the second floor of the James R. Thompson Center, has free admission and is wheelchair-accessible. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. the Gallery is closed state holidays. Call for guided talks for schools and tours. For more information, contact Judith Lloyd Klauba, jlloyd@museum.state.il.us, 312-814-5317 or Jane Stevens, jstevens@museum.state.il.us, 312-814-5318.
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