2023 Unveiling at the Hyde Park Art Center.
Hyde Park Art Center
Not Just Another Pretty Face
A group exhibit with 70 commissions by Chicago artists.
5020 S. Cornell Avenue // Chicago, IL 60615
September 14 - November 5, 2023
Gallery Hours:
M: TR: 10am – 7pm
F: 10am – 4:30pm
SA: 10am – 4pm
SU: 11am – 4pm
This exhibition is the culmination of the 2020 and 2023 iterations of Not Just Another Pretty Face. The triennial program, created by Hyde Park Art Center in the mid-1990s, allows the Art Center to play matchmaker for artists and potential art buyers. This dynamic project facilitates a fun and accessible commissioning process that builds lasting relationships between artists and patrons, creates a new base of support for artists, and invests in the vitality of Chicago’s cultural community. The completion of each iteration is celebrated by an exhibition, a catalog documenting the process, and a lively event to unveil the finished pieces, which will make their way to the patrons’ homes following the exhibition.
“Waiting for the Sun”, 22, x 22”, acrylic on canvas, 2023.
I was so excited about the possibilities in creating this painting for the Not Just Another Pretty Face commission project. We gathered at my studio and had a wonderful time discussing works in my portfolio. We talked about a source of inspiration that I've made a couple of paintings of and viewed source images of sand particles. There is this amazing creature that lives in Hoshizuna-no-Hama or Star Sand Beach in Japan. This beach has star-shaped sand and it's the only place in the world that where they exist. An Okinawa folktale describes possible origins of these special creatures and layers additional interpretations and metaphor to the painting. If you are on the beach, you can pick up the grains of sand and actually see the star-shaped sand with your naked eye! The star-sand is made up of single celled exoskeletons of the Foraminifera organisms, which like amoebas, are in the Protozoa Kingdom. My imagination goes wild thinking about the beauty of this rare and special sand as a source material.
I had the opportunity to play with scale by enlarging the grains of sand and composing them into a circular dance that rises from the sandy beach. I was super excited to develop a new work with this inspiration. The patrons sent me beach images from Union Pier, Michigan, and photographs of different sunsets from their lives. We discussed color palette possibilities with saturated oranges, reds, and neutral steel blues for this custom piece for their home. It was so fun to collaborate with them because they knew exactly what resonated with them for a special unique artwork. I was so thrilled for this amazing opportunity to create a piece of art. I hope this brings a sense of wonder and joy for a lifetime. Imagining the tide bringing these tiny treasures to shore is such a delight. Considering the different ways we can experience the beach here in Illinois, Michigan, or Japan can deepen our appreciation and awareness of everyday magic and otherworldly adventures all around us.
Installation view at the Hyde Park Art Center.
It’s really special to be able to make a custom painting for someone to live with and to have them trust deeply in your artistic vision. This project is so wonderful and fantastic. It’s difficult to express and put into words the emotions that I am currently feeling with all that went into this project just as Co-Executive Director Aaron Rodgers shared before the official unveiling. Thank you to the all patrons and the generous team at Hyde Park Art Center who made this possible. We are so lucky to have you. There is so much good work in the show. I can’t wait to get back and experience all the artworks again for a closer look.
View more artworks with the star-shaped sand recurring motif
Seeing Stars process