Wabash Arts Corridor Crawl

I am thrilled to take the reigns of the Wabash Arts Corridor as the Chief Curator! Columbia produced this lovely profile of the 4th annual WAC Crawl 2016, and of myself and the Crawl producer, Shannon Bourne. Shannon and I are standing in front of one of my favorite WAC murals by Chicago artist ZorZorZor. 

Guerrilla Girls Exhibition Opens at 9th Museum at Stony Brook University

Not Ready to Make Nice: Guerrilla Girls in the Artworld and Beyond is nearing 5 years of touring, perhaps the longest running exhibition ever(?). The installation at Stony Brook University was just stunning and we added a few new works to the mix. Hanging out with GG Frida Kahlo and gallery director Karen Levitov was a big highlight. Loved giving a tour to a huge group of feminist New Yorkers!

Big Walls Street Art Festival, Wabash Arts Corridor

As part of the Wabash Arts Corridor's inaugural Street Art Festival, BIG WALLS, I had the pleasure of co-moderating, along with Bad at Sports' Duncan MacKenzie, a discussion with local and international artists participating in the festival including Ruben Aguirre, Sabina Ott, Anisa Peraica, Collin van der Sluijs, Amanda Williams and Marina Zumi.

Longest Revolution Kick-Off at Open Engagement

At the Open Engagement social practice conference in Oakland, CA, my co-collaborator, Melissa Potter, and I kicked off our multi-year research, exhibition and publication project, The Longest Revolution: Feminist Social Practice. Over the next two years we are building a traveling exhibition, consciousness-raising programs and a major publication on the fierce feminism that drives socially-engaged art. 

Midwest Art History Society in Chicago

The Midwest Art History Society arranged a lovely and engaging conference in Chicago last week. Melissa Potter and I did our first public presentations on our on-going research into feminist social practice. In the session I chaired, The Personal is Political: Feminist Social Practice, we introduced our goals for producing research, an exhibition called The Longest Revolution: Feminist Social Practice and a book that documents the feminist foundation for socially-engaged art. We were joined by our talented, smart colleagues Esther Thyssen and Jayne Cole who are doing important and inspiring research in this area. 

Visiting Lecturer at College of DuPage

In March I had the great pleasure of giving a lecture on my curatorial practice as part of the brand new Visiting Artists Lecture Series at College of DuPage. Got to catch up with their new Director/Curator Justin Witte, who is envisioning an exciting new curatorial program for the Cleve Carney Gallery.  Just after my visit to campus, the COD Courier published a lovely piece on my work with the Guerrilla Girls (click here to read).

Great press for Bring Your Own Body at Glass Curtain Gallery

Thrilling to see all this great press rolling in for Bring Your Own Body: transgender between archives and aesthetics at Glass Curtain Gallery at Columbia College. This insightful Chicago Tribune article by Lori Waxman is among my favorites, and Kate Sierzputowski did in-depth research and interviews for her terrific piece in The Reader. More glowing reviews in New City and by our stellar student reporters in The Chronicle, which talks about our year-long exhibition series exploring gender issues and justice. 

Guest Lecture at University of London

This month I was invited to guest lecture to art history students studying at University of London. Spoke about my favorite things- social practice, experimentation in academic galleries, and where to see the best street art in London!

Guerrilla Girls Lecture at DePauw University

On Wednesday, Nov 18, I'll be giving a lecture at DePauw University on the exhibition Not Ready to Make Nice: Guerrilla Girls in the Artworld and Beyond, which is currently on view at DePauw's Galleries at Peeler. Click here for more info.

Vacancy Exhibition Review, Recommended by NewCity

Great review by Amy Haddad in NewCity. "[The] installations powerfully address race, gender, memory and trauma in occupied and abandoned urban spaces. All the exhibited pieces demonstrate how collaborative and creative efforts are making a difference in Chicago’s constantly shifting urban environment."

Columbia College at the Chicago Architecture Biennial

Columbia Chronicle journalist, Zoe Eitel, interviewed the leaders of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, as well as myself, and highlights Columbia's partnership with this exciting event, and our many accompanying projects. 

Link to article here. To learn more about the exciting upcoming events for the exhibition, Vacancy: Urban Interruption and (Re)generation, visit the event Google Calendar.

Terrain Biennial 2015

This Sunday, artist Fereshteh Toosi and I will debut her site-specific installation, On the Line, for the 2nd Terrain Biennial, held in Oak Park, IL and around the world. Sneak preview below:

Presenting Transdisciplinary Art, INOVA Research Summit,

In March I presented with curators Fionn Meade and Kristan Kennedy, and artists Kirsten Leenaars, Emily Roysdon and Shahryar Nashat at a research summit organized by INOVA curator and director Sara Krajewski at the Institute of Visual Arts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The presentations and conversation focused on the challenges and opportunities of presenting leading edge art forms that are increasingly transdisciplinary, and supporting hybrid work that merges process, performance, conceptual art, technology and research methodologies to create dynamic and varied art experiences.

2nd Terrain Biennial, Oak Park, IL and around the world

This August I'll be curating a lovely home in Oak Park as part of the 2nd Terrain Biennial, organized by Sabina Ott, and working alongside a dozen international curators and amazing artists creating public works for this project. Now I get to choose my artist, how fun! 

NYC Actions with Guerrilla Girls, The Illuminator and G.U.L.F.

Last weekend, while in NYC to celebrate the Guerrilla Girls' 30th birthday, I followed the actions of the GG's, The Illuminator and G.U.L.F. at various sites around the city. Here's some of my favorite pics, see also ArtNews coverage (using one of my tweets) of G.U.L.F. at the Guggenheim, and Wall Street Journal and NY Arts Magazine coverage of the GG + Illuminator actions at the Whitney Museum and Chelsea gallery district.

Beyond Coasts: Haiti in the Midwest

Beyond Coasts Symposium at Northwestern University

April 24-25, 2015

I will be speaking about curating Haitian Vodou. 

College Art Association, February 2015, NYC

Co-Chairing (with Shelly Rosenblum) a Panel for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and sharing a presentation. 

Session Title: Engaging Intersections: The Academic Gallery as a Catalyst for Connection

Presentations:

Interdisciplinary Research Models: Examples from the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Shelly Rosenblum, Curator of Academic Programs, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia

Curatorial Collaboration: Organizing a Multidisciplinary Exhibition Through a Student Seminar, Emily Croll, Director, The College of New Jersey Art Gallery

Small Museum, Smaller Staff, and the Importance of Student Involvement, Erika Leppmann, Director, Schneider Museum of Art, Southern Oregon University

Expanding from the Gallery: How Socially-Engaged Practice Leads to Student Success, Neysa Page-Lieberman, Director and Curator, Department of Exhibitions, Performance and Student Spaces, Columbia College Chicago