On View March 30 - April 28, 2024
Opening Reception April 7, 2024, 1-4 pm RSVP
Perceptions of Flow: “Movement” is a component of a two-part exhibition that looks into how an artist physically interacts with the conceptualization process of a creative idea. In this exhibit, artists from Arts of Life are photographed in Black & White exploring their individual expression through action shots and portraiture. The exhibit is in honor of Olivia Terry who for over 20 years has worked in the Chicagoland area assisting youth, elderly, people with “different” abilities, and everyone in between through various organizations like AmeriCorps. We thank Olivia, for your commitment to community service and your mission to help everyone feel apart regardless of our own unique circumstances.
Arts of Life is a 501(c) 3 non-profit founded in January 2000 with a shared vision to create a working person-centered artistic community while providing a work environment of equality in Chicago. Motivated by founding artist Veronica Cuculich, Arts of Life grew from a passion for artistic expression and a need for an alternative system. For artists at Arts of Life, a career in the visual arts is an opportunity for meaningful employment. Each artist has their own studio space and works independently from individualized project plans or receives 1:1 visual arts facilitation to increase their artistic skill set. Artists earn a monthly stipend for participation in the program with eligibility to receive bonuses based on personal annual art sales. Today, we have two professional art studios and represent over 60 artists with varying levels of physical and intellectual disabilities. Each studio is 6,000 square feet and includes a community gallery that is open to the public.
Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership.
Artist Statement
Genesis Falls (Geno) is a black/white film photographer who lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Her photography journey started out at the tender age of 7 capturing her grandfather on a little instant camera. At the time, she didn’t know that this would be the beginning of a love story between her and photography. Fast forward, she went on to get a degree from Flashpoint Chicago in Cinematography and Video Editing. Even while in school she always found a way to incorporate her love for black/white film into projects. Finally in 2019, she made that jump and never looked back.
She has exhibited work at the Evanston Art Center, Chicago ArtSpace, The Rooted Space Dance Studio in Chicago, Heavens Gallery as part of a group show put on by Black Women Photographers. She is also the 2023 Black Womans Photography & Flickr Grant Recipient, worked for BET, completed projects for the City of Chicago Department of Health and currently has projects in the works.
A quote, from the great Gordon Parks, that she lives by says “I feel it is the heart, not the eye, that should determine the content of the photograph. What the eye sees is its own. What the heart can perceive is a very different matter.”
- Genesis Falls
Curator Statement
Crystal McDonald, Ph.D. (c ) (She/Her) is an Industrial Organizational Psychologist and mental health advocate who researches environments, personalities, and creative expression within space. She is a finalist for the 92nd National Art League international juried exhibit for her art piece “Undone” which was her 1st self-portrait. Her artwork has been exhibited by Omnibus Gallery in Germany, NAACP, and the Grand Marais Art Colony in Minnesota where she was their artist of 2023 resident. Ms. McDonald is a pro bono consultant for the past 6 years for the Arts & Business Council in Chicago, chair of the board of directors for Pagus: Africa in 2022, and a young professional board member for Inuit Art Museum for self-taught artists. Crystal McDonald, Ph.D. (c ) is the founder of HuesPalette which is an independent research consulting organization that provides grants for artists who experience disabilities, persons of color, and or from a rural location funding to help cover some of the costs associated with artist residencies for those who have successfully been granted one. Her mission as a curator is to challenge the viewer's perspective on expression within space and to develop connection between the viewer and the artist by picking pieces that highlight our unique personalities.
GALLERY HOURS & VISITOR INFORMATION
This exhibition will be held in the First Floor Lobby Gallery of the Evanston Art Center (EAC). Masks are optional but strongly recommended for students, visitors and staff.
Gallery Hours
Monday–Thursday: 9am–6pm
Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday–Sunday: 9am–4pm
HOW TO PURCHASE ARTWORK
Artwork sale proceeds benefit both the artist and the Evanston Art Center. If you are interested in purchasing artwork on display, please contact Emma Rose Gudewicz, Director of Development and Exhibition Manager, at [email protected] or (847) 475-5300 x 102.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Cover image (L to R): Genesis "Geno" Falls, Artists from Arts of Life, 2024.