April 2007

Thursday, April 19, 2007

mighty fine arts @ polvo

Mighty Fine Arts @ Polvo
Curated by Steve Cruz

artists:
Yousef Balat
Candace Briceno
Steve Cruz
Shelby Cunningham
Veronica De Anda
John Hartley
Brian Jones
Rosemary Meza
Harmony Padgett
Polly Perez
Brian Scott
Eric Tosten

Opening Friday May 4th from 6pm-10pm
May 4 - May 26, 2007

Mighty Fine Arts brings to Chicago a sampling of Texas based artists who have been featured in shows at the gallery. This eclectic mix of styles and practices reflects the overall intent of the gallery which is to provide a space for artists who aren't represented in the more established art spaces. That many artists who have shown at MFA have gone on to shows at bigger venues speaks to the quality of artists who have exhibited at the gallery. This show features 12 artists from Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and Houston.

Mighty Fine Arts is an artist-run gallery located in the scenic and historic Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. Artist Steve Cruz started the gallery in June of 2004 with the intention of providing an alternative space for innovative and underrepresented artists. mfa presents an eclectic array of shows with the guiding criteria of presenting work that is resonant, thoughtful and highly accomplished. From mid-career to fresh and unknown artists, mfa hopes to enlarge the perceptions of contemporary art in North Texas.

mini exhibit : CarianaCarianne

Cariana received an MFA from University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill in 2001 and Carianne received an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003. Their installations, objects and videos have been exhibited extensively across the United States, as well as throughout Europe and Canada. Their works have been included in the Istanbul Biennial (Turkey, 2003), The Drawing Center (New York, 2005), the European Media Arts Festival (Germany, 2003) and the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas, 2003). Their solo projects include Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, 2004), Croxhapox Gallery (Belgium, 2004, 2006), Chicago Cultural Center (Chicago, 2004), and Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago, 2007). In 2006, their work was selected to take part in the DVD publication ASPECT Vol.7: Personas & Personalities and an 80-page exhibition catalogue of their work, titled Borders, was published through Croxhapox Gallery and Parys Press. Their group shows include The Believers at MASS MoCA (North Adams, 2007), Haunted States at GrandArts (Kansas City, 2006), and Empathetic at Temple Gallery of Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia, 2006). Recently, their project, Drawing and Being Drawn, was selected as a finalist for new commissions at Art in General (New York, 2006). CarianaCarianne lives and works in Chicago.

This CarianaCarianne exhibition coincides with programming at Hyde Park Art Center.

CarianaCarianne: The Embedded Body
Gallery 4

5020 S. Cornell Ave.
Chicago, IL 60615
www.hydeparkart.org
(773) 324-5520

flatscreen DVD: Jaime Mendoza

Jaime Mendoza is a Chicago based artist/curator. His work is concerned with issues of immigration, ethnicity and borders, Mendoza uses a variety of mediums such as video, photography, and mixed media installations—all of which fuse the politics of contemporary urban culture with idealistic meditations on aesthetics, history, and identity. Mendoza has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, Mendoza presented a workshop on Self Liberation through Self Identification at the 2nd Annual Educating for CHANGE Curriculum Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in conjunction with the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Education -- Division of Teaching and Learning. Mendoza was also awarded a one year grant from The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) to publish a book of drawings, “La Chamba: Drawings by Jaime Mendoza” which will be released this fall. Currently Mendoza is an instructor in the Art Department at Northeastern Illinois University. See more of his work HERE.

POLVO
1458 W. 18th St. 1R
Chicago, IL 60608
info@polvo.org
773 344 1940
http://www.polvo.org
HOURS: Saturdays from Noon-5pm or by appointment

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

9:28 PM

polvo @ version07

:: VERSION>07 THE INSURECTION INTERNATIONALE ::

An unconventional network of creators, workers, musicians, organizations, artists, activists, producers and organizers are collectively waging asymmetrical warfare on the established systems of control in our cultural, political and art worlds.

The Insurrection Intenationale is a moment. It is a point of confluence between various networks and subcultures that believe in the solidarity of our multitudes. Together we are waging a revolt against established systems and authority to create new worlds to inhabit. We are creating alternate realities, independent economies, developing alliances and infrastructures to support our beliefs. We are engaging in a culture war against the establishments in all their guises.

This year Version will explore the various networks undermining the forces of stagnation, decay and business as usual. Individuals and groups involved in creating alternative modes of operations, communications and networks of cooperation are gathering at our annual convergence this spring to discover the plausible worlds we can create together.
We hope you can join us in enjoying the confluence of now and planning the community of future.

“ This is the final struggle/Let us join together and tomorrow/ The International/Will be the human race”

NFO EXPO
NOON to 7pm @ Zhou B Center
1029 W. 35th St. (basement)
$10 Donation

The NFO EXPO (pronounced “info expo”) brings art groups and community orgs together to exchange information and ideas as well as provide a public platform for each group to present themselves. We see it as a trade show for experimental art, emerging spaces, and radical exchange. It’s our version of what an art fair should be.

Through the simple presentation format of a booth or table, based on a science fair model, we will facilitate straight-forward exchanges about what is going on locally in various communities, from disparate neighborhoods in Chicago, to cities all over the world. Media and art collectives, anti-globalization initiatives, community projects, alt spaces, and other art/activist initiatives are highly encouraged to participate. WE will provide booth or table space at a very low fee to help us cover construction costs. The NFO XPO takes Place April 28 and 29, 2007 during Chicago’s city wide annual art fair weekend.

Featuring:
Polvo, Chicago Underground Library, Anni Holm, Monster Box, Archeworks, Archecamp, Anarchitectures, Magnificent Moss, Guillotine, Crowe Brooks’ Disco Mutation, Speaker Boys Epiphany, Intimate Apparel, Janet Groenert, Art Shanties, Country Club, Soule Soule, Sewing Rebellion, The Plaines Project, Dillon- De Give, cBlends, Green Lantern, Secret Order of the Lamprey, Terry Plumming, JB Daniel, Will Work for Food, Three-walls, You Know A Secret, Pray for Oil, Alee Peoples, Street Art Workers Collective, Reversible Eye, Elise Blue, Sean Smuda- Dream Research, Noisvelvet, Campo, Disposable Society, Andrew Kim, I-go, Moveable Labyrinth, 3066 Labs InCUBATE, and others.

Performances, discussions and other autonomous programming accompanies the NFO EXPO. Dinner will be provided at 5pm each nite of the NFO XPO..

Thursday, April 12, 2007

5:37 PM

Reservoir Magazine

Polvo Gallery, Pilsen's hidden gem

By Frank Crist
contributing writer Reservoir Magazine

Forget the 18th Street Artwalk at Halsted - the real heart of Pilsen's emerging art scene is found tucked away in the interior.

When first entering Polvo Gallery at 18th and Laflin, one is reminded of an apartment cleared out to make a space to show art. The floors are rough. The walls are uneven. The heat is provided by an ancient gas furnace, which is plopped in the middle of the floor.(it is actually against the west wall and not in the middle of the floor.)

None of this comes as a surprise to Miguel Cortez, one of the three co-founders of Polvo, since he lives in the space.

Yet the rough interior does not speak to the talent that has come through the gallery. They've had shows by such emerging artists as Tracy Rose, current artist-in-residence at the South African National Gallery in Cape Town; Paola Cabal, a conceptual light and shadow artist; and virtual reality artist Hyunjoo Oh.

The gallery runs from 10 to 12 shows per year. Currently they're showing Erica Lord, a Native American artist who uses her heritage to work with "themes of race, ethnicity, and gender roles, as well as concepts regarding memory and the idea of home." Lord's work is provocative, such as her piece where she's gone to a tanning bed to appear darker, yet has covered parts of her body with phrases, which appear against her tanned skin. One phrase is across her chest: "I tan to appear more native." Another, down one thigh: "Colonize me."

The three founders of Polvo, Miguel Cortez, Elvia Rodriguez-Ochoa and Jesus Macarena-Avila, originally began by publishing a magazine 11 years ago. "Polvo Magazine" has been haunting the front windows of coffee shops and bookstores since 1996 and focuses on international artists and writers. Since then, they've had four different galleries (all in Pilsen), scores of artists' exhibitions and a dozen magazines. They've also received grants from the Illinois Arts Council and have established themselves as a not-for-profit.

Polvo Gallery is located at 1458 W. 18th St. (entry on Laflin). Hours are Saturdays, noon - 5 p.m., or by appointment. Polvo can be found on the web at http://polvo.org.