From Grayslake to Highland Park through Wilmette to Evanston, this was a weekend of discovery.
The Art Center of Highland Park
On Thursday May 21, we attended the opening of the The Art Center’s dual exhibits: The Healing Power of Art, curated by Judith Joseph and The Annual Member Show.
Ms. Joseph curated the show in honor of her childhood friend Bobbie Rotter Lorsch, who lost her battle with lung cancer last year.
The show features Bobbie Lorsch’s Clay Journal which combines stoneware, clay, oxides and glaze in plaques that bear witness to her struggle with the disease. As she wrote in 2007, ““On clay I drew images of what I believed was going on inside my body. I created a place in my mind where I went to heal and created it with clay to make it come alive.” (courtesy: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital).
Ms. Joseph created her own work, Shelter, a silk tent-like installation with a collage of paintings of flowers and a photographs of her children and her own childhood. We watched as her father pointed out the family members. It created an unanticipated sense of intimacy.
As part of the Art Center’s members show, we caught up with photographer, Jonathan Friedman. He shared with us his connection to Model Mayhem, a site that connects professional models and photographers.
We also spoke with Judy Tepfer, from East on Central, Highland Park’s Journal of Arts and Letters. East on Central’s Publication Party will be held on June 24. We’ll be posting on the event in the coming weeks.
Photographer Jonathan Friedman
The College of Lake Country, Robert T.Wright Gallery opened their exhibit: Beth Shadur & Gabriella Boros: Paintings and Works on Paper.
The Robert T. Wright Gallery provided an excellent space for these two very different artists.
As Gabriella Boros writes, “My work is a filtration of symbols and choreography from my life which I translate to stories.” Her painting King Sad: Fortress, depicts a man in a business suit, wearing a red cape and a crown as he sits on a throne in a great hall. His brief case sits just beyond the red carpet.
The master of his domain?
Beth Shadur’s work, away with the faeries, “investigates the sacred symbol of the spiral….as the oldest existing symbol of human spirituality.” Much of the imagery reflects The Burren, an area in Ireland known for its “landscapes and wildflowers, rocky terrain, and cliff going down to the sea.” There are also Hebrew words, contemporary poetry, other Celtic symbols which create a feeling a interaction of nature and symbols. To me the pieces are “thought-scapes” with the horizon dividing the conscious and unconscious.
I was particularly charmed by the smaller water colors on Yupo synthetic paper. The properties of the “canvas” allow the artist to create layers of color and distinctive textures. The form of the pieces reflect the underlying themes of the work; layers of meaning in symbols and in art.
 Beth Shadur |
Sunday, May 24, we were enthralled by the Baha’i Choral festival in Wilmette. We’ll post more on that later in the week.
And finally, a reminder…on Wed, May 27, 2009 7:30 PM, the Aging Well Conference concludes with the showing of Evanston’s Living History, at the North Shore Retirement Hotel, 1611 Chicago Ave, Evanston.
This movie documents the history and accomplishments of Evanston’s African American residents and includes interviews with Mayor Lorraine Morton, Alderman Delores Holmes, Allen “Bo” Price, William Logan, Rose Jourdain and others.
A panel discussion will follow with the film’s director, Craig Dudnick and Evanston residents featured in the film.
No registration is necessary, but seating is limited.
