EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, has announced the full schedule for /Dialogues during the 2013 exposition, Sept. 19–22. Presented in partnership with The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues offers panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse with leading artists, curators, designers and arts professionals on the current issues that engage them. Located on the far east side of Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, the /Dialogues stage will have continuous programming throughout each day of the fair running every hour and a half, offering guests multiple chances to see and hear riveting discussions and engaging exchange amongst some of the most respected art professionals living today.
"SAIC is once again thrilled to partner with EXPO Chicago for this year’s show," said SAIC Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Administration Lisa Wainwright. "The display of great art in connection with robust dialogue is an unbeatable pairing. This is a wonderful event, not only for our students but for our shared wider cultural audiences."
/Dialogues Full Schedule
Friday, September 20
11:00 am | Highlighted Discussion
William J. O’Brien in Conversation with Christopher E. Vroom
Known for his playful attention to materials arranging a context that betrays their expected usage, Artist William J. O’Brien’s (SAIC MFA 2005, Ceramics faculty, Marianne Boesky Gallery) sculptures, ceramics, textiles and paintings strike a visual balance between improvisation and control, drawing on a range of cultural references to the antebellum American south. Having been awarded a grant from Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue in 2006, O’Brien will speak with Artadia Founder and Director, Christopher E. Vroom about the fund’s ability to influence and expand his work.
12:30 pm | In Conversation / Michelle Grabner on “Work From Home”
Michelle Grabner, David Norr and Gaylen Gerber in conversation with Reto Thuring
Michelle Grabner, faculty member in SAIC's Paintings and Drawing Department and co-curator of the 2014 Whitney Biennial, will discuss her upcoming exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), “Work From Home,” with Chief Curator of MOCA, David Norr, and fellow artist and SAIC faculty member Gaylen Gerber, moderated by Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at Cleveland Museum of Art, Reto Thuring. Marking her first comprehensive solo museum exhibition, “Work From Home” will feature a range of Grabner’s paintings, prints, video works, and sculptures, which investigate concepts of work, labor and the aesthetics and social-dynamics of the domestic sphere. Continuing an emphasis on Grabner’s varied practice, including artistic collaborations, critical writing, teaching and curating, the exhibition will contribute to her artistic output, in and beyond the studio. Pairing with artist Gaylen Gerber for the exhibition to produce “backdrops” for the exhibition walls, the installation will subtly highlight the infrastructure of display, while also suggesting a symbiotic relationship of artwork/object and platform/ground.
2:00 pm | IMG TXT / Art and Writing for the Digital Screen
Paddy Johnson, Josh Baer and Forrest Nash in conversation with Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie
Assembling some of the most prominent and influential voices on art and art writing for the web—including Editorial Director of Art F City, Paddy Johnson, Founder of the Baer Faxt, Josh Baer and Founder of Contemporary Art Daily, Forrest Nash (SAIC BFA 2009)—this panel will address new modalities of looking at, thinking about, and critically engaging with contemporary artistic discourse. Co-founders of Bad at Sports, Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie (SAIC MFA 2002), will moderate.
3:30 pm | In Conversation / “Painter, Painter”
Rosy Keyser and Scott Olson in conversation with Eric Crosby
Artists Rosy Keyser (SAIC MFA 2003) and Scott Olson, featured in the exhibition “Painter, Painter” currently on view at the Walker Art Center, speak with Assistant Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center Eric Crosby on what it means for an artist to assume the role of painter today, and just what is at stake for a new generation committed to painting. Positing abstract painting as a means, not an end, the exhibition expands on the generative process of painting, one that is rooted in the studio as much as it is receptive to the world.
5:00 pm | ADAA Presents: Regional Art Capitals / Challenges and Successes
Larry and Marilyn Fields, Jill Snyder and Elizabeth Leach in conversation with Mary Sabbatino
The Art Dealers Association of America’s 2013-2014 Collectors’ Forum series, sponsored by AXA ART Americas Corporation, launches at EXPO CHICAGO 2013 with an investigation of the ever-expanding arts community. Vice President of Galerie Lelong, Mary Sabbatino, poses questions to Chicago based collectors Larry and Marilyn Fields, Executive Director of the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Jill Snyder and Director of Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Elizabeth Leach such as, “What are the challenges and opportunities that gallerists, institutional leaders, artists, and collectors from regional art capitals experience?” and “How do they support their local art communities while keeping up with the international art scene?”
Saturday, September 21
11:00 am | Highlighted Discussion
Jesper Just in conversation with Dean Otto
Artist Jesper Just’s (James Cohan Gallery) films are acclaimed for their moody and atmospheric narratives, using Hollywood conventions to address themes of sexuality, love, and cinema. In conversation with Program Manager of the Film and Video Department at the Walker Art Center Dean Otto, this discussion will focus on Just's use of film noir themes, gender roles and narrative to create his unique visual experiences. The discussion will also explore Just's most recent project at the Danish Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.
12:30 pm | Bad at Sports / One-on-One
Solveig Øvstebø, William Powhida and Charlie James in conversation with Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie
Bad at Sports, a forum on multiple platforms, known for their weekly podcasts and daily blog, will broadcast from their booth next to the /Dialogues stage on the main floor of the exposition. Throughout the /Dialogues series, hosts Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie will field interviews and commentary including this discussion with Executive Director of the Renaissance Society, Solveig Øvstebø, Artist William Powhida (Charlie James Gallery) and Director of Charlie James Gallery, Charlie James.
2:00 pm | Northern Trust Presents / Demystifying the Art of Collecting Through Warhol
Lisa Cavanaugh, Patrick Moore and Christopher Perry in conversation with Jill Arnold
Senior Vice President and Midwest Managing Director of Christie’s, Lisa Cavanaugh; Deputy Director of The Andy Warhol Museum, Patrick Moore and Northern Trust Senior Vice President and Senior Fiduciary Officer, Christopher Perry join in conversation with Director of Business Development at AXA Art Insurance, North American Division, Jill Arnold to discuss using Warhol’s body of work as an example for new collectors, from starting with an editioned print or photo and working one’s way up to a larger, more adventurous purchase.
3:00–6:00 pm | Bad at Sports / One-on-One
Sanford Biggers, Elysia Borowy-Reeder and José Lerma in conversation with Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie
For another rousing Bad at Sports discussion, hosts Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie will field interviews and commentary from Artist Sanford Biggers (SAIC MFA 1999, moniquemeloche, David Castillo Gallery, MASSIMO DE CARLO), Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Elysia Borowy-Reeder and Artist José Lerma (SAIC Painting and Drawing), most recently featured in a solo exhibition for “Chicago Works” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Sunday, September 22
11:00 am | Highlight / LaToya Ruby Frazier
Latoya Ruby Frazier in conversation with Karen Irvine
The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago returns to EXPO CHICAGO to present a video installation by LaToya Ruby Frazier. Presented by Aperture Foundation, this panel will serve as an extension of the Special Exhibition on view at the MoCP booth at EXPO, and the museum’s concurrent exhibition, “Backstory: LaToya Ruby Frazier, Ron Jude and Guillaume Simoneau,” curated by Associate Director and Curator at MoCP Karen Irvine. For the last decade, Frazier has extensively documented the economic and social struggles of her family and community in her hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Blurring the boundaries between the personal and the collective, Frazier uses her own family’s history to reveal both complex intergenerational struggles and social inequality.
12:30 pm | In Conversation / Radical Assemblage
Michael Darling in conversation with Susanne Ghez
In 1992, The Renaissance Society featured the first U.S. solo exhibition of German artist Isa Genzken's sculptural assemblages. Now, almost twenty years later, Genzken’s life-changing exhibition will be discussed with former Renaissance Society Executive Director, Susanne Ghez, who had profound foresight in this artist's career. Looking forward to her solo exhibition that will open at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago later this year, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the MCA, Michael Darling, will join in conversation assembling not only the thematic material of Genzken's practice, but the past and future of her work as well.
2:00 pm | In Conversation / The Ephemeral Public
Doreen Remen and Michael Ned Holte in conversation with Adam Brooks
Art Production Fund Co-founder Doreen Remen and writer, independent curator and faculty member at California Institute of the Arts, Michael Ned Holte, speaks with Artist Adam Brooks (SAIC MFA 1989) of Industry of the Ordinary. The Art Production Fund is a non-profit known for their commitment to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, most recently including “Tracy Emin: Roman Standard,” and “Roy Lichtenstein x Barneys NY.” Through sculpture, text, photography, video, sound, and performance, Brooks challenges the pejorative notions of the term “ordinary,” in his work and public projects.
3:30pm | University of Chicago Presents / Artist Talk with Zachary Cahill
How does painting, as both a noun and a verb, affect our well-being? Artist Zachary Cahill will discuss wellness in relation to his project “USSA 2012: Wellness Center: Idyllic—affair of the heart,”on view at the Smart Museum of Art, August 23, 2013–August 23, 2014.
About EXPO CHICAGO
Art Expositions, LLC presents EXPO CHICAGO/2013, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art. Situated at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall (600 E. Grand Avenue), Sept. 19–22, this four-day art event features over 125 leading international galleries and offers diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU and EXPO VIDEO. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant destination for arts and culture, helping to define the contemporary art community in Chicago while inspiring the city’s collector base. Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago takes place Thursday, Sept 19, 6 – 9 p.m. Tickets start at $100. For more information call 312.397.3868 or visit mcachicago.org/vernissage. General Admission to the exposition is Friday, Sept. 20 – Sunday, Sept. 22 (Fri. and Sat., 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.). EXPO ART WEEK takes place Monday, Sept 16 – Sunday, Sept. 20. For tickets to the exposition ($20 for one day, $30 for three day) or more information about EXPO CHICAGO and EXPO ART WEEK, visit www.expochicago.com. Northern Trust is the Presenting Sponsor and United Airlines is the official airline of EXPO CHICAGO.
About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs to nearly 3,200 students from around the globe. SAIC also enables adults, high school students, middle school students, and children to flourish in a variety of courses, workshops, certificate programs, and camps through its Continuing Studies program. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC's resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.
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SAIC adjunct faculty member Jerry Saltz at EXPO /Dialogues. Image courtesy fnewsmagazine.com
