Evolving the Exhibition

by Nadya Kelly (MA 2023)

What does it take to fully experience a piece of art?

Several recent School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) graduates answered that question through nontraditional art shows that invite viewers to interact with senses, memories, emotions, and physical space. From kitschy table settings to large-scale ceramics to an intimate invitation to step inside an artist’s studio, these three projects redefine the traditional viewing experience into something fresher, deeper, and more lasting. 

Esmé x Kitchen Possible

In a collaboration between Chicago restaurateur Jenner Tomaska and alum Griffin Goodman (MFA 2019), food and art came together to create a dynamic dining experience that celebrates nostalgia and community. In the fall of 2022, Tomaska’s fine dining restaurant Esmé adopted a menu inspired by '90s pop culture and the values of Kitchen Possible, a nonprofit that uses cooking as a means to teach life lessons to underserved kids. Goodman, whose painting practice is heavily influenced by his childhood memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons, the Three Stooges, and the Marx Brothers as well as prop comedy imagery like chattering teeth and rubber chickens, was brought on by Tomaska to create a plate and a charger for two courses on Esmé’s menu. Tomaska translated the cultural references into dishes that compliment the playful spirit of Goodman’s artwork, incorporating such '90s staples as fruit punch, toaster strudel, and tater tots.

GIVE EM’ PLEASURE, GIVE EM’ HELL

Two ceramic girls wear not only multiple tattoos but also the horns and wings of gargoyles. While they stare out at the viewer in defiance, their back-to-back positioning suggests that they are protecting each other. This piece was on view at New Image Art as part of the two-person exhibition GIVE EM’ PLEASURE, GIVE EM’ HELL by alums and sisters Haylie Jimenez (BFA 2020) and Sydnie Jimenez (BFA 2020). In the exhibit, Black and Brown queer youth come to life in the form of ceramic sculptures by Sydnie and drawings by Haylie. While the sculptures detail an alternative, punk aesthetic through outfits and piercings, the drawings expand on the close bonds between the characters as they hang out in places like skateparks, hot springs, and forests. Some works were collaborations between the sisters: the two large-scale ceramic gargoyle girls were sculpted by Sydnie and covered in tattoos drawn by Haylie. The exhibition is an unapologetic, passionate expression of the sisters’ sense of community.