Around the Corner

20 Apr Around the Corner

Free and open to the public

One day only, Saturday, May 16, 2015

1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

at Artorium, Inc., 5719 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL

Come help celebrate the works of these teen artists.

Life. Significant events. Memories. The artists’ pieces look back on life experiences. As one artist commented, ‘My journey pot shows moments in my life that have shaped me into the person I am today.’

Students from two area high schools are participating in the exhibit—Luther North College Prep and Lydia Urban Academy.

Luther North’s Visual Art Program focuses on the development of students’ technical skills and critical thinking in a variety of media. The pieces to be exhibited are ceramic journey pots—each pot is made by an individual artist illustrating events in their life.

Linda Galek, ceramics instructor, shared a quote with the students: ‘Life is a journey, with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy.’ (Ritu Ghatourey) She and the students ‘spent time talking about what is meant by a journey and why we should look back at our lives to see how we grew into the unique people we are.’ Students were told to be creative with their journey pots, because not only would the works reflect what has defined the student’s life thus far but would also present a visual experience for others to enjoy. A written explanation will accompany each pot so the viewer can understand the artist’s journey up to this point.

Artists commented about their works, ‘It ranges from happiness to sadness,’ and ‘Though I haven’t lived much, this pot represents the most important journeys I’ve made that affected my life and amazed me.’

Lydia Urban Academy is an accredited, non-traditional high school that provides a safe, nurturing environment for students who may have experienced academic adversity in the past.

Michael Preissing is a social work intern at Lydia and an artist. His goal for the project was to give students a chance to express themselves while being in control of the process. He wanted them to have a sense of freedom and fun. So he gathered some scrap materials—pieces of wood, acrylic paints, spray paints that were already available—to give the students.

Each student received a piece of wood. First they wrote words on the wood that represented themselves, the school, their dreams and fears. Then they painted on top of the words using whatever colors and designs they chose. Most chose to hide the words completely. One artist said, ‘Behind the paint there’s a lot going on. Dates and names and words that described them. I wrote more and more and then covered it up.’

Karen Anderson, Lydia Urban Academy director, explained that the students have each made individual pieces which will be combined into one sculpture. After the show the sculpture will be installed on a school wall. ‘Each student has his or her own story, but they come together in a community… The different pieces of art come together to create a unique and beautiful whole.’

The sculpture is still in process. Lydia Urban Academy will also include canvases in the show.

Artorium, Inc. is opening its gallery to this event. It is a private arts center run by the Niedorezo family, visual artists who nurture young talent. Jakub Niedorezo said they are ‘very happy to support upcoming Chicago artists from the schools and overjoyed to give them the opportunity to show their work to the public.’

For more information on the event, contact Marlena Ascher: [email protected]

For more information about arts programming on the northwest side, visit the Facebook page.