Artist Talk: Sara Cwynar at the Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago 2026-09-25 | Artist Talk: Sara Cwynar at the Art Institute of Chicago
Conversation: Kameelah Janan Rasheed — Unsewn Time The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-05-09 | Artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed and David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Associate Curator of Photography and Media Grace Deveney discuss the exhibition "Unsewn Time."Kameelah Janan Rasheed (American, born 1985) uses printmaking, photography, painting, and video to explore alternative systems of reading, writing, and learning. For "Unsewn Time," Rasheed worked with mark making, rubbing, folding, chemical reactions, and other material explorations to consider how meaning is conveyed in forms that are created through intimate rituals and improvisational processes. Moving between poetic fragments, annotations, and marks to other modes of storytelling, she considers our relationships to unpredictable change and ruptures in time.This lecture is made possible by the Frank J. Mooney Memorial Fund.
Conversation: AD—WO The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-04-25 | AD—WO is an art and architecture practice based in New York City, and by extension, between Naarm/Melbourne and Addis Ababa. The practice examines how space is imaged and valued through art, design, and curatorial interventions.Join principal architects of AD-WO Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood for a presentation of their recent projects. After the presentation, Admassu and Wood will join visual artist Dawit L. Petros in a conversation on how the entanglement of colonialism and migration connects Africa, Europe, and North America, and demands new forms of spatial imagination.
Boshell Foundation Lecture: Pliny, Pigments, and Painters in the Ancient World The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-04-02 | Join Hilary Becker, a renowned authority on ancient pigments, as she discusses her research on Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia or Natural History (77 CE). Becker studied the ancient Roman text seeking insight into artisanal materials commonly used by artists of the time, like gold foil, Egyptian blue, and shellfish purple.In her discussion of this research, Becker shares what Pliny can tell us about the marketing and use of pigments during this period of Roman history before sitting down with Art Institute conservation scientist Giovanni Verri and curator Katharine Raff to search the museum’s collection for traces of ancient color.This examination is particularly opportune, as we celebrate the 2000th anniversary of Pliny’s birth, and as the Art Institute, like many institutions, engages in ongoing research on ancient painting techniques.This program is generously sponsored by the Boshell Family Foundation.
Artist Talk: James Johnson The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-04-02 | Tlingit artist James Johnson and Andrew Hamilton, associate curator of Arts of the Americas, discuss Johnson's work as an award-winning woodcarver and formline painter and how it informs his recent design collaborations with Lib Tech snowboards and Vans.
Lecture: Picassos Year of Wonders The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-04-01 | Nancy Ireson, deputy director of collections and exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator at the Barnes Foundation, explores a singularly transformative year in Picasso’s career.In the summer of 1932, the art world eagerly awaited Picasso’s first retrospective exhibition, curious to see how he would build on the innovations of his early career. The artist did not disappoint. In his 50th year, Picasso produced some of his most iconic works, drawing from personal experience and from an interest in the wider issues of the day. In celebration of Picasso: Drawing from Life, this lecture offers a journey through Picasso’s “Year of Wonders.”Support for this program is provided by the Allan McNab Endowed Fund.
Lecture: Dvāravatī Art and the Culture of Early Thailand – Between Tradition and Innovation The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-03-25 | Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Research Fellow Nicolas Revire discusses the material cultures of Thailand’s ancient Dvāravatī kingdom.Archeologists and historians are still uncovering Dvāravatī—an Indianized culture, kingdom, and art style that emerged in Southeast Asia. Though grounded in neighboring Indic artistic traditions, this 7th–8th century material culture also encompasses local innovations. In this talk, Revire maps what we know about Dvāravatī art and the history of early Thailand.
A Conversation with Maren Hassinger The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-03-22 | Artist Maren Hassinger talks with Robyn Farrell, former Art Institute curator and now senior curator at the Kitchen, about how she began her career in sculpture; her signature medium, metal rope; her site-specific installation on the Bluhm Family Terrace; and the great beauty of inclusive participation in her collectively made newspaper pieces.
Female Caryatid Drum (Pinge) | Art Institute Essentials Tour The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-03-22 | On this episode of the Art Institute Essentials Tour, explore the significance of a remarkable pinge drum made by the Senufo people of Côte d’Ivoire.Representing a woman of rank balancing a load on her head, this drum celebrates women’s prominence in Senufo society, where they act as family founders and spiritual mediators and guardians.Keep reading and learn more about this incredible drum on the artwork page: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111401/female-caryatid-drum-pinge.
#5WomenArtists—New Narratives in the Americas Collection The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-03-13 | Annelise K. Madsen, Gilda and Henry Buchbinder Associate Curator, Arts of the Americas, highlights historical women artists in the collection and draws attention to recent acquisitions, including works by Julie Hart Beers, Theresa Bernstein, Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, Ellen Emmet Rand, Augusta Savage, and Lilly Martin Spencer.These museum acquisitions are part of an ongoing effort to expand narratives, create space for, and revalue female makers in the galleries. Madsen delves into how, as curator, she endeavors to surface the stories and voices of women and the ways in which their historical artworks can connect to the present.#5WomenArtists refers to a social media campaign launched in 2016 by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC to raise awareness about gender inequity in museums, the art market, and narratives of art history. Simply put, it issues a challenge: can you name (even) five women artists? Of course, we should be able to name many, many more!
Member Lecture: Empress Dowager Cisheng’s Patronage of Buddhist Art The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-03-06 | Seung Hee Oh, assistant curator of Chinese art in Arts of Asia, explores one of the most generous patrons of Buddhism art in China, Empress Dowager Cisheng of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and her commission of King Gao’s Avalokitesvara Sutra in 1590.
Camille Claudel: Into the Fire Performed by Joyce DiDonato with the Brentano Quartet The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-02-29 | Enjoy a special recording of Grammy Award–winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato singing composer Jake Heggie’s Camille Claudel: Into the Fire. Performed in the galleries of the major retrospective Camille Claudel with the Brentano Quartet, this dramatic song cycle offers a unique portal into the artist’s world.00:00 - Introduction00:18 - Prelude: Awakening01:59- Rodin06:27 - La Valse11:23 - Shakuntala16:45 - La Petite Chatelaine21:34 - The Gossips26:12 - L'age Mur29:20 - Epilogue: Jessie Lipscomb visits Camille Claudel, Montdevergues Asylum, 192934:11 - Credits
Conversation: Secrets in the Sculpture — Claudel and Conservation The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-02-22 | Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator in Painting and Sculpture of Europe; Haddon Dine, Assistant Conservator, Objects and Textiles; and Clara Granzotto, Andrew W. Mellon Associate Conservation Scientist, discuss the challenge of conserving Camille Claudel’s remarkable and innovative creations and explore new technical and scientific research into her work.
Lecture: Drawn to Picasso — The Donors Who Built Chicagos Collection The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-02-22 | Emily Ziemba, director of curatorial administration and research curator for Prints and Drawings, explores how Chicago donors built the Art Institute’s preeminent Picasso collection.The exhibition Picasso: Drawing from Life shines a light on the fascinating people that were often obscured by the artist’s far-reaching shadow. These individuals, such as his lovers, friends, dealers, and printers, contributed in varying ways to Picasso’s success and continuing mystique. However, one area the exhibition doesn’t explore is Picasso’s collectors. This talk will celebrate the men and women, like Robert Allerton, Margaret Day Blake, and Elizabeth Goodspeed, who helped make the Art Institute of Chicago’s Picasso collection one of the finest in the world.Video of Picasso and Bobsy Goodspeed: Chapman Films, 1934–43, directed by Mrs. Gilbert W. Chapman (formerly Bobsy Goodspeed). With thanks to Robert Storr.
Performance: Joyce DiDonato Sings Camille Claudel—Into the Fire The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-02-01 | Following a discussion with composer Jake Heggie and Camille Claudel curator Emerson Bowyer, Grammy Award–winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato performs Heggie’s 35-minute song cycle Camille Claudel: Into the Fire with the Brentano Quartet.Into the Fire dives deep into the romantic, rebellious world of artist Camille Claudel, transforming her powerfully emotive sculptures and tragic life into music.Camille Claudel: Into the FireMusic by Jake HeggieLyrics by Gene ScheerCopyright © 2011 by Bent Pen Music. All Rights Reserved. Sole Agent: Bill Holab Music. Joyce DiDonato appears courtesy of Warner Classics.The Brentano String Quartet features Misha Amory on viola, Serena Canin on violin, Nina Lee on cello, and Mark Steinberg on violin.Generously supported by the Green Research Fund and the Carol Given Winston Fund.Lead support for Camille Claudel is provided by an anonymous donor.Major funding is provided by the Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, an anonymous donor, Amy and Paul Carbone, Marion A. Cameron-Gray, Nancy and Sanfred Koltun, Barbara and James MacGinnitie, Monika A. McLennan, Robin and Sandy Stuart, and Diane M. Tkach and James F. Freundt.Members of the Luminary Trust provide annual leadership support for the museum's operations, including exhibition development, conservation and collection care, and educational programming. The Luminary Trust includes an anonymous donor, Karen Gray-Krehbiel and John Krehbiel, Jr., Kenneth C. Griffin, the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, Josef and Margot Lakonishok, Ann and Samuel M. Mencoff, Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel, Cari and Michael J. Sacks, and the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation.
Conversation: Canovas Modern Classics The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-19 | Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator in Painting and Sculpture of Europe, and Lisa Ayla Çakmak, Chair and Curator of Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium, explore Antonio Canova’s complex relationship with the art of antiquity.Canova carved a modern portrait of the ancient past in stone. Inspired by classical antiquities and the birth of archeology, he created works that brought mythic characters of Greece and Rome to life in 18th-century Europe. Even as he sought to rival the beauty of ancient art, he also fought to preserve it, revealing a forward-thinking sensibility at the heart of his indebtedness to the past.
Member Lecture: Canova—Sketching in Clay The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-17 | Pinched, pressed, gouged, and scraped, Antonio Canova’s clay sketches capture a dynamic creative process. Unlike the smooth precision of his most famous marble sculptures, these intimate works reveal the racing mind, expressive imagination, and deft hand of an artist at work. Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator in Painting and Sculpture of Europe, discusses Canova’s complex and creative practice.
Member Lecture: Radical Clay — Unexpected Ceramics from Japan The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-16 | A human organ, a crushed beer box, a creature made of plants, a small tornado––these are all descriptions of ceramic works created by contemporary Japanese artists. In Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan, ceramicists move beyond practical forms to create sculptures that are often curious and always captivating.Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, discusses this stunning show.Eiko Kishi documentary: Ufer! Art Documentary, "Eiko Kishi 岸 映子 2008," vimeo.com/175676077 Hosono Hitomi interview: TEFAF, "Inside the Studio of ceramicist Hitomi Hosono," youtu.be/iEykgrYrgDQ?si=v5mxHZQqNyxvhZAT
Conversation: Remedios Varo — A Taxonomy of Techniques The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-11 | After establishing herself in Mexico City, Spanish Surrealist painter Remedios Varo (1908–1963) began creating the compositions for which she would become best known: paintings on boards with remarkably rich surfaces that juxtaposed a variety of techniques. In preparation for the first U.S. show dedicated to this painter in over twenty years, Remedios Varo: Science Fictions, the Art Institute’s associate paper conservator Mary Broadway and paintings conservator Katrina Rush surveyed and identified the remarkable range of techniques found in her work.From blotting and decalcomania to soufflage and sgraffito, Varo employed a vast array of methods to achieve her singular and otherworldly paintings. Through close examination of her notebooks, preparatory drawings, and finished paintings, Broadway and Rush created the first comprehensive taxonomy of her approach to art-making. The result was something like a periodic table of painterly methods detailing Varo’s diverse process.In conversation with editor Sheila Majumdar, the conservators share how this visual taxonomy of the artist’s techniques included in the exhibition’s catalogue offers unique guidance for viewers navigating Varo’s intricate landscapes.
Public Lecture: Caravaggio’s Cellar Light—Illuminating the Underground The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-11 | Marielle Epstein, assistant director of Interpretation, explores how Caravaggio’s intense treatment of light resonates in the work of contemporary nightclub photographers.Caravaggio’s light, dramatic and revealing, gripped and repelled audiences throughout Rome. His light illuminated the divine in the same strokes as it did the city’s grit. Caravaggio navigated the Eternal City’s sometimes violent underworld not only as an observer but as a person who belonged to it, and his intimate understanding informed his artistic expression.Today, contemporary nightclub photography by artists like Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans continue the tradition, playing with light and shadow to capture pain, pleasure, violence, love, divination, sin, and redemption, offering a window into worlds that continue to captivate us.
Conversation: Unlocking Caravaggio The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-11 | Caravaggio was a revolutionary figure whose name precedes him. His work ignited a movement known as Caravaggism and a circle of loyal followers called Caravaggisti, but beyond his name, what is the essence of his powerful and mysterious style?Museum educator Marielle Epstein, hosted a conversation about Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome. In this unique program, inspired by public tours and discussions taking place in the Art Institute galleries, Marielle created an interactive opportunity to discuss, question, and reflect on the Baroque master’s unique life and practice, in hope that together, they could unlock Caravaggio.
Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape Study Day The Art Institute of Chicago 2024-01-09 | Jacquelyn N. Coutré, Eleanor Wood Prince Curator and curator of Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape, presents an overview of the exhibition and introduces talks related to the show by four leading scholars. Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde is a groundbreaking exploration of the northwestern suburbs of Paris between 1882 and 1890 by five artists: Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand. Seeking to distinguish themselves from the established rear guard of the Impressionists, this ambitious group investigated the evolving area immediately outside of the city, finding the increasingly industrialized landscape to be a rich source of inspiration. These four talks share new research around the artists featured in the show, their peers, and their contemporary moment.This program is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.
Member Lecture: Picasso—Drawing from Life The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-12-21 | Curator Jay A. Clarke discusses the exhibition Picasso: Drawing from Life. While often presented as an artistic genius, a singular force solely responsible for his creative output, Pablo Picasso would not have achieved the immense success he did without the network of artists, dealers, printers, family members, and lovers who supported and inspired him.Featuring over 60 works—drawings and prints, along with a handful of paintings and a sculpture—the exhibition spans Picasso’s rich and varied 70-year career, exploring the professional and personal partnerships that allowed him to gain international renown.Printmaking process video: Linocut Elina Artist, "Reduction linocut 'Sunflowers' 2023," youtu.be/TvpsJaj0hfY?si=T680I0u8WW2rHM1C
From Sketch to Stone | Canova: Sketching in Clay The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-12-15 | A modern-day admirer of Antonio Canova, sculptor Fred X Brownstein recently recreated the 18th-century artist's "Venus" using Canova's original process and techniques. In this video, Brownstein first creates a clay sketch before casting a full-scale model in plaster. Then, after translating the plaster cast to marble, Brownstein fine tunes the sculpture's delicate features to polished perfection, Canova’s specialty.This video was created in support of "Canova: Sketching in Clay," the first exhibition to focus on the Italian sculptor's lesser-known but unforgettable work in clay.See "Canova: Sketching in Clay" at the Art Institute of Chicago, Nov 19, 2023–Mar 18, 2024.
Member Lecture: Camille Claudel The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-11-09 | Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator in Painting and Sculpture of Europe, traces the tumultuous life and triumphant artistry at the center of Camille Claudel. A renegade artist, sculptor Camille Claudel fought against the social currents of her time to pursue her fiercely independent artistic vision. Her inventive and expressive depictions of the human form—whether in clay, plaster, bronze, and stone—tackled emotionally charged themes of love, loss, and desire that resonate loudly over a century later.
Conversation: Dan Friedman—Stay Radical The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-11-02 | Harold and Margot Schiff Curator of Architecture and Design Alison Fisher, and designers Paul Ludick and Brian Johnson discuss the exhibition Dan Friedman: Stay Radical.Born in Ohio, Dan Friedman trained at legendary design schools in Ulm, Germany, and Basel, Switzerland with mentors Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart. When he returned to the United States in 1969, Friedman taught graphic design at Yale University and took on high-profile design commissions, including now-iconic branding and logos for Citibank.His work evolved in the late 1970s, fueled by the unbridled environment of New York’s East Village. There he immersed himself in alternative galleries and clubs and joined a community of like-minded radicals, including artists Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Tseng Kwong Chi. Leaving behind his early career, Friedman created genre-bending works of assemblage and furniture using found objects, vibrantly painted surfaces, and diverse cultural references that pushed his graphic sensibilities into three dimensions.This exhibition is the first museum retrospective focused on Dan Friedman’s extraordinary and underrecognized career. Featuring over 50 works drawn primarily from the Art Institute collection, the presentation showcases Friedman’s unbounded and subversive creativity—a sensibility that resonates with the stylistic and political directions of art and design today.
Member Lecture: Among Friends and Rivals — Caravaggio in Rome The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-11-02 | Curatorial associate Jena K. Carvana discusses the exhibition Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome.Known for his dramatic lighting effects and novel interpretations of well-known subjects, Caravaggio pioneered an original painting style that attracted powerful patrons and followers in Italy and abroad. This lecture follows the course of Caravaggio's career in Rome, as the artist created a name for himself with both his larger-than-life personality and his artistic achievements.
Lecture:The Monk, the World’s Parliament, and the Museum—Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 Sojourn in Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-10-12 | In 1893, an unknown Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda, travelled from Calcutta to Chicago to deliver a speech at the inaugural session of the World’s Parliament of Religions held at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition. The oration, delivered in what is today the Art Institute’s Fullerton Hall, earned him a two-minute standing ovation and provided a groundbreaking articulation of Hinduism for Western audiences. Curator Madhuvanti Ghose discusses this speech and the immense relevance of Vivekananda’s words today.
Remedios Varo: Science Fictions | Exhibition Stories The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-10-05 | Hear from Art Institute of Chicago Research Associate Alivé Piliado on the exhibition Remedios Varo: Science Fictions.The first museum exhibition dedicated to the artist in the United States since 2000—brings together more than 20 paintings Varo created in Mexico from 1955 until her death in 1963. Additional materials from the artist’s archive—large-scale cartoons for paintings, notebooks, sketches, detailed studies, ephemera, and personal possessions—offer an even deeper understanding of her distinct and diverse practice. The exhibition’s subtitle, Science Fictions, alludes to the tensions and possibilities Varo brought together in her work as she searched to visualize hidden orders and unseen truths. Learn more about the Remedios Varo "Science Fictions" exhibition on our website:https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9935/remedios-varo-science-fictions
Conversation: Carol Ross Barney on Architecture The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-10-03 | Renowned Chicago architect and 2023 AIA Gold Medal recipient Carol Ross Barney discusses her life and work. Barney was joined by Alison Fisher, Harold and Margot Schiff Curator of Architecture and Design, Jen Masengarb, executive director of AIA Chicago, and Eleanor Gorski, CEO and president of the Chicago Architecture Center.Presented in partnership with the Chicago chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) and the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) with additional support from Chicago Women in Architecture and the Art Institute’s Solomon Fund.
Member Lecture: Among Friends and Rivals—Caravaggio in Rome The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-09-28 | Known for his truculent and difficult personality, Caravaggio’s often-fraught relationships with rivals, friends, and patrons from Rome to Naples, Malta, and Sicily determined the shape of his career.Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture Rebecca Long explores how these relationships are reflected in the exhibition Among Friends and Rivals: Caravaggio in Rome.
Mikki Ferrills The Garage Series | Art Institute Essentials Tour The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-09-28 | In this episode of Art Institute Essentials Tour, learn about Mikki Ferrill, a Chicago-based photographer who began documenting the Garage, an improvised music venue that popped up every Sunday in a car garage at 610 East 50th Street.Ferrill photographed these events regularly for 10 years (1970–80), creating images that demonstrate a relaxed relationship between her and her subjects—members of a close-knit community who saw the Garage as a space for the uninhibited personal expression of Black identity.Keep reading and learn more about Mikki Ferrill on our artist page: https://www.artic.edu/artists/53221/mikki-ferrill
Conversation: Remedios Varo—Science Fictions The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-24 | Exhibition co-curators Caitlin Haskell and Tere Arcq discuss the making of Remedios Varo: Science Fictions, the first US museum exhibition in over 20 years dedicated to the Spanish-born, Mexico-based Surrealist.Bringing together more than 60 of Varo’s paintings, drawings, and sketchbooks from 1955 until her death in 1963, this show considers the artist’s practice of combining science, alchemy, magic, and mysticism with Surrealist automatic techniques.
Lecture: Impressionism and the Modern World in Color The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-24 | Impressionism was a tremendously influential movement, one that changed how Western audiences perceived color and the world around them. It also inspired the pioneering work of future artists like Vincent van Gogh. Sam Ramos, director of gallery activation, gives a crash course in Impressionism and its enduring impact.
In the Lab: Under the Microscope | RLC Presents: Art + Science The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | Join Isaac Facio, associate conservator of textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago, as he explores the fascinating world of textiles, including a close look at ancient Peruvian weaving. You’ll learn how he uses a microscope to examine the fibers, colors, and techniques of these delicate and beautiful artifacts, and discover how textiles can reveal secrets about the culture, history, and ingenuity of their makers. Plus, find out how Isaac and his team preserve and care for over 14,000 textiles in the museum’s collection.Chapters00:00 - Intro00:17 - Background01:05 - AIC Textile Conservation Department02:47 - Teen Interns05:43 - Outro06:44 - CreditsSupplemental lesson plans and student resources:https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/rlc-presents-art-science-videos-and-curricula Learn more about Textiles Conservation:https://www.artic.edu/about-us/departments/conservation/textile-conservation
In the Lab: Art and Optics | RLC Presents: Art + Science The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | Explore how artists and scientists have used optical devices such as the camera obscura and the camera lucida to create realistic images and learn about how we see. In this episode of Art+Science, we visit the Department of Conservation and Science Photo Conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago, where we meet Jim Iska, an assistant conservator of preparation and photography, who shows us some examples of historical photographs from the museum’s collection, as well as the camera obscura. We also talk to Pablo Garcia, an associate professor in the Department of Contemporary Practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who demonstrates how to use a camera lucida to draw. He also gives us some advice on how to pursue a career in art and science.Chapters00:00 - Intro00:27 - Background00:49 - SAIC Contemporary Practices01:22 - Optics03:11 - Teen Interns05:47 - Outro06:58 - CreditsSupplemental lesson plans and student resources:https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/rlc-presents-art-science-videos-and-curricula Learn more about photography conservation:https://www.artic.edu/about-us/departments/conservation/photograph-conservation
In the Lab: UV Investigations | RLC Presents: Art + Science The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | Go behind the scenes with Lisa Ackerman, an associate conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago, to learn how she uses ultraviolet (UV) light to study and treat a wooden cabinet. She demonstrates how UV light can reveal hidden features and past interventions on the cabinet, such as paintings, gilding, varnish, overpaint, and adhesives. She also discusses the scientific principles of UV fluorescence and how it informs her conservation decisions. Chapters00:00 - Intro00:16 - Background00:48 - AIC Object Conservation Department01:50 - Ultraviolet Light02:34 - Teen Interns04:41 - Outro06:17 - CreditsSupplemental lesson plans and student resources:https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/rlc-presents-art-science-videos-and-curricula Learn more about objects conservation:https://www.artic.edu/about-us/departments/conservation/objects-conservation
In the Lab: Frame It in Gold | RLC Presents: Art + Science The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | In this episode of Art + Science, hear from Christopher Howard Brooks, a conservation technician at the Art Institute of Chicago, as he shares the fascinating process of restoring an antique frame for a painting by Francisco de Zurbarán. Learn about the history, science, and art of frame making and conservation, and explore some of the skills and techniques that have been passed down for centuries. Plus, discover how Chris became interested in framing as an art student in Washington D.C. and transformed his curiosity into a career as a museum conservator.Chapters00:00 - Intro00:15 - Background01:06 - AIC Frame Conservation Department02:46 - Teen Interns05:12 - Outro06:22 - CreditsSupplemental lesson plans and student resources:https://www.artic.edu/collection/resources/educator-resources/rlc-presents-art-science-videos-and-curricula Learn more about frames conservation:https://www.artic.edu/about-us/departments/conservation/frames-conservationSee works by Francisco de Zubaran: https://www.artic.edu/artists/42406/francisco-de-zurbaran
RLC Presents: Art + Science Teaser The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | RLC Presents: Art + Science is a video series created by the Art Institute of Chicago's Ryan Learning Center. Join museum conservators in their laboratories as they use science to investigate and care for works of art.Episode 1 - In the Lab: Frame It in Gold youtu.be/JEC97_cu5qoEpisode 2 - In the Lab: UV Investigations youtu.be/HdWAhQHxWGIEpisode 3 - In the Lab: Art and Opticsyoutu.be/--Y2gcU-FLYEpisode 4 - In the Lab: Under the Microscopeyoutu.be/_TycgGkhkNYLearn more about conservation:https://www.artic.edu/about-us/departments/conservationLearn more about the Ryan Learning Center:https://www.artic.edu/learn-with-us/ryan-learning-center
Performance: Himali Singh Soin—Body of Light The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-17 | This performance emanated from artist Himali Singh Soin’s exhibition Static Range, drawing upon its central narrative of Cold War espionage in the Indian Himalayas. An epistolary reading by the artist was accompanied by a sound bath of Himalayan drums and gongs performed by composer David Soin Tappeser, together forming a landscape of speculations and reflections on nuclear culture, porosity, toxicity, love, catastrophe, spiritual-scientific entanglements, and geopolitical fault lines.
Member Lecture: Ellsworth Kelly—Portrait Drawings The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-08-10 | While Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923–2015) is remembered today for his enduring influence on post-war abstract painting, sculpture, and printmaking, the artist was also a dedicated and prolific portraitist, who drew likenesses of himself and his friends throughout his long life.In this discussion of Ellsworth Kelly: Portrait Drawings, chair and curator of Prints and Drawings Kevin Salatino considers these little-known portraits—brought together as a coherent body of work for the first time in this exhibition—within the context of Kelly’s 70-year career. Salatino uncovers the complex relationships between these experimental, self-exploratory drawings and Kelly’s more public-facing work.Support for Ellsworth Kelly: Portrait Drawings is generously provided by an anonymous donor.
Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde | Visitor Testimonials The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-07-25 | Hear from visitors of all ages and backgrounds as they explore "Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape" and learn why the awe-inspiring exhibition is one of the most popular shows of the year.Read more about "Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape" on our website: https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9639/van-gogh-and-the-avant-garde-the-modern-landscape
Member Lecture: Salvador Dalí—America’s Surrealist The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-07-07 | Kristen French, tours specialist in gallery activation, discusses the exhibition "Salvador Dalí: The Image Disappears" and a look at how the artist has become a household name in the United States.Bringing together more than 30 paintings, drawings, photos, and surrealist objects, as well as a rich selection of printed matter, books, and artists ephemera to explore this critical period, the exhibition considers Dalí’s work in light of two defining, if contradictory, impulses: an immense desire for visibility and the urge to disappear.
Lecture: Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde—The Power of Place The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-07-07 | Loren Wright, assistant director of interpretation, discusses how the scenery just outside Paris inspired the five artists of "Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape" and continues to inspire artists today. Bringing together more than 75 paintings and drawings, this exhibition follows five interconnected artists—Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Émile Bernard, and Charles Angrand—as they retreated to the working-class suburbs of Paris in the 1880s and found there an evolving industrial and social landscape that fueled intense creativity and experimentation.
Conversation: Kwame Brathwaite—Things Well Worth Waiting For The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-07-07 | Cultural historian Ayana Contreras and Kwame Brathwaite Jr., son of photographer Kwame Brathwaite and director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive, discuss the exhibition "Kwame Brathwaite: Things Well Worth Waiting For."Kwame Brathwaite came to photography through music. In 1956, after seeing photographs taken in the dim light of a club during a music event organized by AJASS (African Jazz-Art Society and Studios), a group that he co-founded, Brathwaite was inspired to pick up a camera himself. Initially, he took pictures in support of a larger cause—uplifting the “Black is Beautiful” movement, which he helped to shape by organizing fashion shows and concerts in New York that celebrated African beauty, culture, and heritage and subverted Western beauty standards. These beginnings set the stage for a prolific, seven-decade career documenting the visual culture unfolding alongside the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.Generously supported by the Carol Given Winston Fund.
Member Lecture: Mapping the Landscape of Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-06-20 | Jacquelyn N. Coutré, Eleanor Wood Prince Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, and curatorial associate Jena K. Carvana discuss the conceptualization and organization of the exhibition "Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape." Hear the fascinating stories behind some of the works on view and discover how the show evokes the historical suburbs of Paris in a fresh consideration of one of the world’s most beloved artists.Lead support for "Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape" is generously provided byTHE KENNETH C. GRIFFIN CHARITABLE FUNDLead foundation support is generously contributed by the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris.Major support is provided by the Shure Charitable Trust, the Jentes Family, the Pepper Family Foundation, Julie and Roger Baskes, The Manitou Fund, and Margot Levin Schiff and the Harold Schiff Foundation.Additional funding is provided by the Jack and Peggy Crowe Fund, the Suzanne and Wesley M. Dixon Exhibition Fund, and The Regenstein Foundation Fund.Members of the Luminary Trust provide annual leadership support for the museum’s operations, including exhibition development, conservation and collection care, and educational programming. The Luminary Trust includes an anonymous donor, Karen Gray-Krehbiel and John Krehbiel, Jr., Kenneth C. Griffin, the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris, Josef and Margot Lakonishok, Robert M. and Diane v.S. Levy, Ann and Samuel M. Mencoff, Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel, Cari and Michael J. Sacks, and the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation.This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Lecture: Behind and Beyond Abstraction—Lui Shou-Kwan and His Soulmates The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-06-16 | Eugene Wang, professor of Asian art at Harvard University, discusses the work of artist Lui Shou-Kwan.Lui Shou-Kwan (1919–1975) is commonly recognized as a leading artist of Hong Kong’s New Ink painting movement. Today, this style of painting is often aligned with the sort of spatter-and-daub Abstract Expressionism anchored by Jackson Pollock, but this alignment gives short shrift to the Hong Kong movement. With this lecture, Wang tells a fuller story of the movement and Shou-Kwan’s place in it, as well as those of his artistic soulmates, Irene Chou and Liu Kuo-sung.
Gio Swaby: Fresh Up | Exhibition Stories The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-06-08 | Hear from Bahamian artist Gio Swaby on her embroidered portraits and her first solo museum exhibition. Swaby shares insight into the women, community, and culture that inspire her practice and considers how her work is a "great expression of love and dedication to the people represented."Learn more about Gio Swaby's "Fresh Up" exhibition on our website:https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9869/gio-swaby-fresh-up
Conversation: Gio Swaby—Love Letters The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-05-25 | Gio Swaby’s embroidered portraits are anchored in the connections she forges with her subjects: each piece begins with a photo shoot in which her sitters are captured in moments of self-awareness and empowerment. In her textile interpretations of the photographs, she foregrounds hair, clothing, and jewelry, highlighting and celebrating personal style as an unapologetic form of self-definition and self-expression.Join the artist for a conversation with Melinda Watt, chair and curator of Textiles, textile conservator Isaac Facio, and assistant director of interpretation Loren Wright. Together they discuss "Gio Swaby: Fresh Up" and the significance of care in mounting an exhibition that is, at heart, a love letter to Black women.
Conversation: Cleaner and Greener—Conserving the Lions of Michigan Avenue The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-05-24 | Conservator Andrzej Dajnowski from Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio, Rachel Sabino, director of Objects and Textiles Conservation, and Sarah Kelly Oehler, Field-McCormick Chair and Curator of Arts of the Americas, discuss the recent conservation of the Michigan Avenue lions.The museum’s lions have been a fixture of Michigan Avenue since 1894, but years of exposure to the elements altered their appearance. Last summer, for the first time in decades, they were removed from their pedestals for extensive conservation. From steam-cleaning to wax-coating, learn what was done to ensure that the lions will watch over Michigan Avenue for years to come.
Along the Seine: The Northwestern Suburbs of Paris in the 1880s | Discovering Van Gogh The Art Institute of Chicago 2023-05-18 | Discover how the changing geography at the fringes of Paris in the 1880s influenced the work of five artists: Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand. This video maps their journeys, shedding light on this pivotal period in their careers and the landscapes that inspired them.Van Gogh and the Avant-garde: The Modern LandscapeMay 14–Sep 4, 2023https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9639/van-gogh-and-the-avant-garde-the-modern-landscape
