Hand-pulled screenprints of cities, states, and terrains.
Jo Ana Kubiak creates remarkable content and experiences by viewing projects through an interdisciplinary lens, being sensitive to the consumer’s experience, challenging common assumptions and keeping things authentic.
“I process the world in a creative way. This characteristic manifests itself through problem solving, idea generation and visual inspiration. I’ve found keeping my hands in the process of physical creation not only allows for a quiet place where unique ideas are born, but it keeps me in touch with the creative process, design thinking. The fast iteration, the clashing of unlike ideas for something new, play, and the standing back to assess whether to scrap the work entirely or turn it upside-down for something new.”
b. 1980 Poland, lives and works in Chicago.
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2017)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Fiber and Material Studies (2008). BFA, 2002, University of the Arts, Philadelphia; MFA, 2007, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Exhibitions: Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago; Gallery 400, Chicago; Loyola University Gallery, Chicago; The Franklin, Chicago; Adult Contemporary, Chicago; DoubeBreak, San Diego; SideCar, Hammond, IN; Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago; Weglowa Gallery, Bialystok, Poland; Northern Illinois University; Lollapalooza, Chicago. Publications: The Goldminer Project; Stranger Danger catalog; Bauhaus Now catalog.Bibliography: Bialystok Gazeta; Chicago Art Review; New City Magazine; Chicago Tribune. Awards: Rosalie Borowski Belkin Award.
Kaczynski is an artist and educator. While rooted in the language of sculpture, Kaczynski’s practice is across media.
Margot Harrington (they/she) is a freelance graphic designer and artist based in Chicago, IL. Much of their work is with non-profits, mission-driven organizations, and cultural institutions. In addition to commissions and client work, Margot an Adjunct Professor of Design with DePaul University and former Art Director of Bitch magazine. As a non-binary queer artist with a non-traditional career path, Margot seeks spaces and opportunities that support people who live outside societal norms in any capacity.
Nico Mara is a non-binary artist, author, and multidisciplinary designer based in Chicago. They are the founder and creative director of the experimental design studio, Patternbase, and specialize in blending traditional art processes with progressive design aesthetics to create unique, trend-driven artwork for surface print applications within the fashion, beauty, home, tech, and gaming industries.
Their work ranges from hand-dyed textiles to 3D voxel art garments, and is informed by art history, fashion, nature, internet culture, and game design, currently drawing on their role as Senior Designer at Atari. Their work celebrates craft while embracing advancements in digital art and blockchain technology, while fostering collaboration between artists and clients alike.
Nico has given talks at conferences and institutions across North America, and their work has been published by Thames & Hudson, IdN, Cool Hunting, Dutch Elle, Chicago Magazine, CS | Modern Luxury, among others.
Currently a designer in Chicago, Brendan Robson graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Graphic Design in May of 2017. As a designer Brendan enjoys exploring the areas of intersection between analog and digital content and the opportunities for discovery that exists within that space. Primarily focused on aspects of design, printmaking, and multimedia installation, Brendan’s personal body of work addresses themes of memory constructs, genetics, digital identity, and stasis.
Cristina Umaña is a Colombian artist who recently finished her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is characterized by drawings done with a funky, loose line that reanimates deformed bodies and quotidian moments. Her drawings, which intertwine language and form, create a mood that is both ironic and intimate. She currently lives and works in Chicago.
Patti Swanson is an educator, historian and artist whose work focuses on community activism, memory, place, and the accessibility of the arts. After many years printing letterpress and volunteering at Spudnik Press, she joined the board of directors in 2022. Outside of her art practice, she can be found working in the construction industry and running Chicago for Chicagoans, a non-profit that offers neighborhood history tours and lectures within the city.
Emilio Rojas was born in Mexico City, (ca.1985) he is a multidisciplinary artist,working primarily in performance, using, film, video, photography,installation, public interventions and sculpture. His works have been exhibited in the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Austria, England, Greece, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia. He has attended numerous residencies including the Banff Centre, Elsewhere Museum, the Surrey Art Gallery, the Botin Foundation, Hammock Residency, and Pirate Camp: Stateless Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale.Besides his artistic practice, Emilio is also a yoga teacher, translator, community activist and anti- oppression facilitator with Migrant and Queer Youth. His work is represented by Jose de la Fuente in Santander, Spain. Last year Rojas moved to Chicago, where he is pursuing an MFA in the performance department at the School of the Art Insitute of Chicago. He has a BFA from Emily Carr University, in Film Video and Integrated Media and lived in Vancouver, Canada for 8 years, before moving to Chicago.
