Revise’s recent solo exhibition, Barely Here, at Modest Skate Shop in Forest Park, Illinois, explores what it means to try to maintain a relationship with an artistic community that measures visibility based on productivity and intense presence.  Such a relationship is complicated when the realities of multiple jobs, and the experience of growing into adulthood mitigate the possibility of maintaining... 

  Above a Singer Sewing shop, through a non-descript green door, and up a staircase, you will find the home of Green Lantern Projects. Serving as both a domestic and public space, this apartment transforms to become a multi-faceted realm, housing the Green Lantern Gallery, The Paper Cave Bookstore, The Green Lantern Press, and The Corpse Performance Space- all in one. From printing books, to... 

Drawing from his experience as a college football player, Ethan Gill, approaches painting actively with honest expressive marks. He received his BFA from Northern Illinois University and is a current MFA candidate at SAIC. My fascination with his paintings began with a show entitled, “My Idea of Fun.” A couple of weeks afterwards, I got the opportunity to interview him for the site. We spoke... 

Quennect 4 Gallery, 2012. (Image credit: Amara Betty Martin.) It’s hard to interview nomads when you’re trying to squeeze through dancing multitudes and libations are streaming forth and a fusion of hip hop and world music is blasting and you’re in the middle of an atmospherically lit space covered wall-to-wall in colorful murals with slogans ready to rouse revolution within you. Then again,... 

The following is part two of the interview, “Exploring Human Relationships: A Dialogue with Miller & Shellabarger.” Read Part I Here. While Part I focuses on the artists overall process as well as various themes and materials that accompany their work, Part II concentrates on their inspirations, how their performance work veers from the theatrical aspects of performantive works, what they... 

Willy Chyr is a creative exploring the interaction between art and science. Most known for his balloon installations, Willy draws inspiration from his scientific background, cultural expressions, and processes found in nature—namely this idea of emergence. He is the creator of The Collabowriters, a “crowdsourced” novel exploring storytelling and group interaction. Not that long ago, I caught... 

Looking at the idea of failure and drawing from pop culture inspirations, Michael Rea creates enormous wooden sculptures. To borrow from Jeriah Hildwine, he produces a “wooden wonderland for nerds.” Remnants of your favorite movie or book are manipulated, altered, and combined in an attractively entertaining way. Last weekend, I caught up with Mike for a studio visit and interview. We spoke about... 

David Leggett. The Blackest Hole.2012. Hinge Gallery, Chicago, IL (Photo Credit: Image courtesy of Danielle Jackson) Through the utilization of common craft materials, paintings, and drawings, David Leggett’s work humorously tackles race, sexuality, and class. He draws inspiration from popular culture, everyday occurrences, and art historical research. David Leggett received his BFA from SCAD,... 

Mary Ellen Croteau. My Eye. 2012. Zhou B. Art Center, Chicago, IL (Photo Credit: Image Courtesy of Danielle Jackson) Orange traffic cones, plastic prescription bottles, fallen tree branches, rulers, belts, deodorant caps, wire, and nails—just to name a few—are all materials that are familiar to us. They’re so mundane that many people don’t think twice about them. We encounter them in our homes,... 

Faheem Majeed. Planting and Maintaining a Perennial Garden, 2012. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL (Photo Credit: Image Courtesy of Danielle Jackson) A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the Hyde Park Art Center’s exhibition page. There, I was introduced to the Hairy Blob for the first time. Intrigued with how artists’ visualize time, space, and environment, I reached out to the curator Adelheid...