Art of Being Seen: Veterans Visions of Peace

 

Join Speakpeace Chicago for a performance of Veterans' Stories of Peace at DePaul University, Richardson Library, on Saturday, May 26th at 7:30 p.m. 

Following opening remarks by Dave Rogers of Vet Net Chicago, veterans, Lilia Hodges, Virgil Mathis, Tim Brien, and painter Jeanine Hill-Soldner will use Jeanine's Portraits of American Veterans Project as the digital backdrop to this multi-media performance by veterans. If a portrait could talk what stories would it tell? What can veterans tell us about peace? For more information, visit Speak Peace Chicago.

Veterans' Stories of Peace is held in conjunction with the Speakpeace exhibit "Speakpeace: American Voices Respond to Vietnamese Children's Paintings," which features original poems written by American children, veterans, and established poets in response to Vietnamese children's paintings on peace and war collected over the last 10 years by the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. "Speakpeace: American Voices" is a collaborative, international project between Kent State University's Wick Poetry Center and School of Art Galleries, and Soldiers' Heart, an organization that supports veterans.

"Speakpeace" will be on display at the Richardson Library  2350 N. Kenmore at the Lincoln Park campus on display through June 3rd. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the De Paul University's Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies, Center for Intercultural Studies and the department of the Office of Veteran's Affairs. The exhibit will be shown at the Milwaukee County War Memorial in June.

So Many Exhibits and So Little Time

I've been exhibiting my work at some diverse and interesting alternative venues.  Previous posts featured the poster for the "Portraits of American Veterans Project" now on exhibit until late June at the
 Lake - McHenry Veterans and Family Services Center in McHenry, IL.  My work and the art by several other artists, who are veterans marks the first art exhibit in the newly re-painted space.  The reception was held on May 11 and it was well attended.  I was very busy with guests and talked all night sharing stories and experiences we had in common, being a part of the military community.  I am honored that I can be a part of this ground breaking event and hope there will be ongoing rotating exhibits of art by veterans for many years to come.

I have a new oil painting, "Splash and Dance: Summer in Chicago" it's part of a new body of work that's in the process of development in my studio.  This 48"x 60" painting is on exhibit at the Rockford Art Museum for the 72nd Biennial Regional. Tonight is the opening reception and I'm looking forward to attending a show where I don't have to hang the show or be concerned with the details of an opening reception.  I look forward to visiting with the other artists and viewing the art.  I'll post pictures soon.

This spring has been a good season for "50 Stars Buy 2 Get 1 Free".  The piece is mixed media composed of 50 CD cases containing acrylic on canvas painted stars mounted on board.  This is one heavy art work.  First it was on exhibit at the Jackson Junge Gallery for the "Revolution 2012" show during the winter.  The opening reception was on the day of the worst snow storm of the year for Chicago.  I missed the reception, but was delighted to received and invitation from Tiffany Gohlar to show "50 Stars" at the Fine Arts Building Gallery on Michigan Ave. in the show "Chicago Spring".   This was good opportunity to show the work with some new artists and introduce my work to a new audience.  I attended the reception and it was a lot of fun, the conversations amongst the artists and guests where focused on the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago.  Interesting to say the least.  Before the "Chicago Spring" show ended I was invited to show the same work at the People's Summit, part of the Occupy Chicago Movement.  The energetic and thoughtful artist of the Occupy Chicago Rebel Artists Collective is working hard to create new art about war and corporate greed and protest bringing the artist's voice to the dialogue.  Exciting and engaging to say the least.  I wasn't able to attend the People's Summit to see the show, but I have heard it was a very powerful exhibit.

Between dropping off art to picking-up art to attending meetings in Andersonville at Suellen Sumekoski's studio I hung an exhibit of smaller works including some photographs.  These will be on exhibit through the end of July at the Cafe Society Restaurant located at 1601 South Indiana Avenue.  While you're there take a ride up the elevator and visit the National Veterans Art Museum located on the third floor.  

Tomorrow I will go to Florida for a brief vacation and then come back to Chicago to present a new collaborative project "Art of Being Seen"  with the Portraits of American Veterans Project and the
Speak Peace project.  So much to do, and so little time but somehow I do get it all done.  I just can't wait to get back to my studio for some long hard days in front of the easel, paint brush in hand.