Featured DCA Events and Opportunities

The return to Chicago of the famed Keiskamma Altarpiece has spurred a series of discussions on Community Concerns for the Visual Arts during the month of April. In addition, the 2008 Chicago Artists Month, with the theme Artists and Issues that Matter, is seeking applicants for the fall festival.

Following is the schedule for Community Concerns discussions, and information on Chicago Artists Month.

The Keiskamma Altarpiece––on view March 27 through May 11, 2008 at St. James Cathedral following a U.S. tour––is a starting point for a discussion on Community Concerns for the Visual Arts. The altarpiece is a remarkable work of community art created by 130 people, predominantly women, in rural, poverty-stricken, AIDS-affected Hamburg, South Africa. It is a masterful and massive (14 x 22 feet) work done in embroidery, appliqué, beadwork, and photography on three layers of wood panels, combining stories of the loss of community members with a message of hope for the future. The work provided solace in the face of suffering and grief, and much-needed income, for the artists.

This is the schedule of Community Concerns Conversations:

Introducing and Contextualizing the Keiskamma Altarpiece I April 1
The first panel will feature Eunice Mangwane, a healthcare worker and AIDS educator, and Noseti Makhubalo, the lead artist for the altarpiece. Both are Xhosa women from Hamburg intimately involved in the work of the Keiskamma Trust. They will share stories of how a disheartened community came together to create a work of hope and a message to the world, and at the same time, a means of financial support in a poverty-stricken village.


Individual Practice | April 8
Three well-established Chicago artists – Bernard Williams, Preston Jackson and Marva Jolly – will discuss their artwork and how it addresses social issues and community concerns.


Community Practice | April 22
Chicago is home to a long tradition of community-based art. archi-treasures, the Chicago Public Art Group, and Marwen are three important organizations currently involved in the practice and promulgation of community-based art. Panelists include Joyce Fernandes (archi-treasures), Jon Pounds (the Chicago Public Art Group), and Scott Lundius (Marwen).


Presenters and Funders | April 29
The final panel discusses how presenters and funders of the visual arts address social issues and community concerns while also promoting and nurturing artists. Panelists include Chuck Thurow (Hyde Park Art Center), Faheem Majeed (South Side Community Art Center), Riva Lehrer (Access Living), Michelle Boone (Joyce Foundation), and Encarnacion Teruel (Illinois Arts Council).

The Keiskamma series is organized by Nathan Mason, Curator of Special Projects for the Public Art Program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and co-presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Hamburg, Germany Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program and St. James Cathedral. The Keiskamma Altarpiece is owned and exhibited by the Keiskamma Trust, which includes the Keiskamma Arts Project, the Keiskamma Health Project, and the Umtha Welanga HIV/AIDS Treatment Center in Hamburg, South Africa.

CHICAGO ARTISTS MONTH SEEKS ARTISTS AND ISSUES THAT MATTER -- APPLICATION DEADLINE MAY 15TH.
Be part of 2008 Chicago Artists Month, the annual citywide event to showcase Chicago's vibrant visual arts community, celebrates thirteen years in October. And, now is the time plan for it!

This month-long event, organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, includes exhibitions by both emerging and established artists, openings, panel discussions, neighborhood art walks, open studio tours and more!. In 2007, 220 galleries, museums, cultural centers and artist studio buildings throughout the city took part in the celebration.

"Chicago Artists Month shines the spotlight on our own visual artists - whether they are recent graduates or enjoy international acclaim." said Lois Weisberg, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. "Everyone can be part of the celebration."

Eligibility is simple. An organization or artist can be part of Chicago Artists Month by hosting a program that features one or more professional Chicago-based visual artists at a public venue in Chicago in October. There is no charge to participate and program partners benefit from the additional promotion in the Chicago Artists Month brochure, website and extensive public relations campaign.

This year's theme, "Artists and Issues that Matter," explores issues of particular interest and concern to artists and the art community. These could be of a political, environmental, moral, social, global or personal nature. Program partners are encouraged, though not required, to use this theme as they plan their program.

For more information on how to be part of Chicago Artists Month, go to www.chicagoartistsmonth.org. Keep in mind the May 15 deadline for submitting the online participation form.