Thursday, November 15, 2018
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Gallery 400
University of Illinois at Chicago
Art and Design Hall, First Floor
400 South Peoria Street (at Van Buren Street)
Chicago, IL 60607
$15 for Spudnik Press Members
$5 for Studio Fellows
Register Online
Founded in 1983, Gallery 400 is an integral part of both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the city of Chicago’s vibrant contemporary art scene. The gallery is uniquely poised to offer innovative programming that connects the art of today to scholarship and debate emerging from the University. To date, Gallery 400 has presented more than 1,000 artists in its exhibitions and programs.
On Thursday, November 15th, Spudnik Press members are invited to partake in an intimate tour of the gallery and conversation with Director and Curator, Lorelei Stewart. During this time, we will hear from Lorelei about how Gallery 400 is able to make contemporary art more accessible to the public, and how she and her team foster an interdisciplinary understanding of the visual arts through the gallery’s dynamic programming. Spudnik members participating in the tour will also have an opportunity to ask about how the gallery supports local artists in their professional careers and how it differs from a traditional commercial gallery space.
Immediately following our conversation with Lorelei Stewart, members will have an opportunity to view the exhibition Chicago New Media 1973–1992, curated by Jon Cates with assistance from Chaz Evanz and Jonathan Kinkley. This expansive project chronicles the under-recognized story of Chicago’s contributions to new media art by artists at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), and at Midway Games and Bally from 1973-1992. Chicago New Media 1973-1992 will feature video game artifacts, new media technologies, historical photographs, game stills, playable video game consoles, and virtual reality modules.
This program is part of our Professional Practice: Off-site Visit series, intended to introduce members to the numerous and diverse art spaces and individuals that contribute to Chicago’s vibrant arts landscape. In addition to connecting with other professionals in the city, these visits present our members with a range of resources and career paths.
Lorelei Stewart Bio:
Above: Lorelei Stewart, Director and Curator of Gallery 400.
Lorelei Stewart has been Director and Curator of Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 2000. Her work focuses on the vital role art plays in shaping civic conversations, ideas, and ultimately actions. Recent projects include the research project Chicago Disability Activism, Art and Design, and a forthcoming series of exhibitions Chicago Together, which develops young Chicago curatorial talent while building connections between artists’ work and the interests of city communities. At Gallery 400 she has organized and curated over 50 exhibitions, including solo projects with David Leggett, Rubén Ortiz Torres, Jenny Perlin, Karen Reimer, Edra Soto, Stephanie Syjuco, and Edgar Arceneaux, whose 2006 exhibition The Alchemy of Comedy…Stupid won the Joyce Award and was presented in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. She has been a juror and reviewer for 3Arts Artist Awards; Artadia; Chicago Artists Coalition grants and residencies; the Evanston Biennial; the Institute for Museum and Library Services; Mary Nohl Fellowships; and the Hunting Prize, Texas, among others. She teaches in UIC’s Museum and Exhibition Studies program, for which she was the founding director, and co-founded Propeller Fund, an Andy Warhol Foundation funded granting organization that has, since 2010, awarded Chicago artists nearly half a million dollars. She holds a BA from Smith College, a BFA from Corcoran College of Art and Design, and an MA in Curatorial Studies from Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College.
Registration Details:
Space is limited to 12 members. Advanced registration is required. The non-refundable registration fee can be paid online. Please note, transportation to Gallery 400 is not provided. Registrants are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from Gallery 400 and for arriving on time. An itinerary of the off-site visit, including instructions on where to meet upon arriving at Gallery 400, will be sent to all registered participants on Tuesday, November 13, 2018.
If you are not a member and wish to participate in this off-site visit, please join or renew your membership.