Friday, October 21, 2011

OpenWall: Faces and Spaces Closing Artists' Reception

standing in back row: Meredith Dytch, Patricia Larkin Green, Larry Zgoda, Ameya Pawar, Bill Moran, Carolyn Bull, featured in front :  Bill Bartelt, Ann Ponce, Mary H. Phelan, Nico Camargo. missing : Andrew Steinerr, Emily Rapport, Hiroshi Ariyama, Hugh Spector, and Jane Rickard

Braving the 50 mile an hour winds and 25 foot waves along the lakefront, a band of fearless artists showed up at the 47th Ward office to hear the thoughtful words of Ameya Pawar on the value of art in the community.  His vision of making the office welcoming to the community is a great example of how to invite participation from ward constituents. The staff shared stories with the artists about how the artwork has transcended their day to day tasks with  the ability to share the experience of artistic expression with a resident or business owner coming in for a permit or a license. They will walk through the office space and look at the artwork prior to talking about the task at hand.  Other wards in the city of Chicago are following his example and starting to open the walls of their office space for artists to express themselves.

Thank you to Laura Engel and Ravenswood Art Walk for providing the refreshments for the closing reception!

Keep checking back for upcoming exhibits. A committe for OpenWall has been meeting to plan four exhibits per year including a juried show for highschool students that will give participants the opportunity to create, curate, market and exhibit their work!

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