Heaven Gallery will be exhibiting Oh, Maker from December 17th through January 20th. The exhibit examines the current social and political climate and looks backward as a way to find answers for today's problems in America.
The artists featured in the exhibit who, through the act of re-appropriating materials, look at that history of trauma on American Soil, the act of rebellion, as well the narrative of black women, and families. These artists use mix materials, visual language, and archives as a starting source to re-appropriate materials used to aid conversations about America today. Oh, Maker is curated by Darryl DeAngelo Terrel and features work by artists Kevin Demery, Andrea Coleman, Mark Allen Blanchard, Shanna Merola, Zakkiyyah Najeebah, Sadie Woods, and Michael Curtis Asbil.
When:
December 17th – January 20th
Artist Talk
Sunday, January 13th
1pm
Where:
Heaven Gallery
1550 N Milwaukee Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
Gallery Hours:
Friday & Saturday 1-6 pm
Sunday 1-5pm
Or by appointment
Tickets:
FREE!!
Information on Featured Artists
Kevin Demery
Kevin Demery is a sculptor and painter based initially out the California, Bay Area. Demery has exhibited work at the Arts Incubator at the University of Chicago and has had work included in the 2017 and 2018 Expo Chicago exhibition, and will have work shown in Expo Chicago 2018. His work explores issues of public and private space, as well as African American folklore and trauma.
Shanna Merola
Shanna Merola is a visual artist, photojournalist and activist legal worker. In addition to her studio practice, she has been a human rights observer during political uprisings across the country - from the deeply embattled struggle for water rights in Detroit and Flint, Michigan, to the frontlines of Ferguson, MO and Standing Rock, ND. Her collages and constructed landscapes are informed by these events. Merola lives in Detroit, MI where she facilitates Know-Your-Rights workshops on best practices during police encounters, and coordinates legal support for grassroots organizations through the Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Andrea Coleman
Andrea Coleman is an artist based in Chicago who utilizes the various medium of oils, acrylic paints, magazine clippings, fabric and digital prints. Inspired by her suburban upbringing, animation and various mural artists, her work currently investigates the interconnectedness of aura and narrative. Graduated with her BFA at Columbia College Chicago. She is also currently an artist resident in Chicago Artist Coalition HATCH Projects.
Mark Blanchard
Mark Blanchard’s work manifests in photography, video, cinemagraphs, sound and virtual reality to build interactive experiences addressing various conceptual frameworks for personal identity. He explores identity within the framework of misrepresentations applied to persons of color propagandized through mainstream media within the United States. His practice, in response, has been a process of decentralizing those representations and building digital spaces that cultivate reconciliation of our identities.
His process involves navigating the distractions of persona, our projected identities, to satiate this yet unresolved curiosity of humanity: our sense of self. He activates the voices from within the community and culture, both historical and contemporary, and engaging our aural stories to supplement his visual work. He uses body language influenced from the African diaspora, especially that of Capoeira Angola, to further complicate the overly simplified representations popularized by Others gazing from outside of the culture. His role as the artist involves exposing the deeper reality of individuality beyond the daily rhetoric that inspires prejudice towards one another.
Sadie Woods
Sadie Woods, a Chicago native with a childhood steeped in performing and visual arts training, has had a career, showcasing her talents everywhere from academia to Nightclubs and boutiques to museums. Her practice includes sonic art and sound design, deejay performance, exhibition making, and collaborations within communities of difference.
Zakkiyyah Najeebah
Zakkiyyah Najeebah is a Chicago based photographic artist, educator, and documentarian. The aesthetic components and intersectional cultural advancements that are unique to the black experience is a primary concern of hers. Zakkiyyah uses photographic imagery to address the politics and aesthetic values of representation, inclusivity, black womanhood, family histories, and collective narratives. Often her work takes place in the realm of portraiture, documentation, image-making, and educating. Although working primarily in photography, she has recently expanded into video and mixed media. She is currently building a catalog that articulates current and past social concerns regarding black narratives and is exploring new methods of visual presentation.
