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Images (top to bottom): Sunandini Banerjee,
Untitled
, 2015, digital collage printed on archival paper; Tonika Lewis Johnson,
Wade & Nanette Together in Edgewater
, 2017, digital photograph; Victoria Martinez,
Oakley
,
2018, mixed media; Image courtesy of Urban Gateways, Pickard Elementary, photo by Lucas Anti.
Current Exhibitions
Following the Box
July 3, 2018–October 20, 2018
In 1945, an American soldier stationed in India took a series of photographs depicting
everyday life in West Bengal. Nearly sixty years later, curators Jerri Zbiral and Alan Teller
discovered a box filled with these photographs at a Chicago-area estate sale. Zbiral and
Teller traced the box back to West Bengal and invited a group of Indian artists to respond to
the photographs.
Following the Box
is an innovative contemporary art exhibition featuring
painting, film, graphic illustration, and folk art, as well as multimedia and conceptual art. Each
work draws inspiration from the original photographs, exploring the elusive nature of memory,
political and military histories, and cultural identity.
Folded Map
July 3, 2018–October 20, 2018
Tonika Lewis Johnson’s ongoing
Folded Map
project connects residents who live at
corresponding addresses in the North and South Side neighborhoods of Chicago. By
documenting architectural aspects of the neighborhoods and conversations between residents,
Johnson demonstrates how a city of renowned institutions and robust tourism is also a city
that struggles with issues of racial inequality and segregation. This exhibition was organized
in partnership with Loyola University’s Center for Urban Research & Learning and the Public
History Program.
Celestial House
July 3, 2018–October 20, 2018
Celestial House
showcases vibrant mixed media work inspired by artist Victoria Martinez’s
childhood home in the Pilsen community. Martinez weaves together domestic, soft materials
such as wallpaper, curtains, and plastic flowers with images found throughout Pilsen.
Celestial
House
evokes the poetics of the urban environment and memories of home.
Experimental Reflections: Exploring Identity Through the Arts
July 3, 2018–January 12, 2019
Experimental Reflections: Exploring Identity through the Arts
is an exhibition of student
work from Urban Gateways In-School Artist Residency programs. These residencies build
collaborative partnerships between professional artists and schools to provide meaningful
exploration in the arts. The exhibit features projects from three residency programs,
representing schools in Chicago’s Brighton Park, Englewood, and Little Village neighborhoods.