The 5th Floor Gallery is proud to announce our three spring exhibitions: Critical Chicago Craft, Separation Anxiety, and Transition. The Opening Reception for all three exhibitions will be January 17, 5-8pm.

Critical Chicago Craft is an exhibition curated by LaMar R. Gayles Jr. that utilizes the varying practices of several contemporary Craft artists in Chicago and pairs their work with historical archival materials from the socio-political movements in the city during the 1960s-70s like the Black Arts Movement and protests to antagonization of international groups. Chicago is a internationally known as a diverse cultural landscape that is rooted in segregation and discrimination, this exhibition aims to explore how Studio Craft artists (like ceramicists, glass-workers, jewelers, metalworkers, printmakers, textile artists, and woodworkers) are using their practices to explore significant imagery to them. This exhibition works to posit Studio Craft on the same conceptual and critical level that we explore media that is considered “Fine Art” by the discipline of Art History such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. Critical Chicago Craft works to reveal radicality that exists in craft media which allows people from many walks of life to begin practicing. The exhibition has a focus on exploring the various technical aspects of the artists’ work by demystifying aspects of fabrication and to provide context into their conceptual frameworks. Critical Chicago Craft, asks viewers what is craft? Also, how does craft relate to Chicago?

TwentyTwenty. Four years too many. Separation Anxiety, organized by Ximena Mora, centers artists living and working within liminal spaces to present complex stories of loss, love, and migration. It calls on us to question notions of authenticity and imagine what it might be like to place humanity before criminalization. The exhibition will feature works by Veronica Gerber Bicecci, William Camargo, Yvette Mayorga, Nancy Sanchez, and Moises Salazar.

A testament to resilience and strength in the face of uncertainty, Transition showcases artists who document their experiences living within—and transitioning out of—situations of homelessness. The visual artwork, creative writing, and audio interviews presented foreground the light that these artists create in times of turmoil, navigating a situation that does not define their identity or determine their future circumstances. Resilience is the armor that they wear to brave the everyday elements and emotions of homelessness, and creativity helps them process the journey; through this journey, a powerful story is born.

The artwork included in Transition was created by students and advocates of One Heart One Soul, a traveling organization that visits drop-in centers, transitional homes and shelters to connect with youth experiencing homelessness. One Heart One Soul’s traveling art program, Called to Create, provides direct services to these young people using literary and visual art processes. Founded by artist and educator Mireya Fouche in 2010, One Heart One Soul uses the arts to empower and encourage youth in homelessness while educating communities.

This exhibition is curated by Zamari Vivens and Kasey White with support from Rose Cannon and Mireya Fouche.

Public Programs for Transition:

Called to Create Public Art Workshop
Facilitated by Zamari Vivens and Kasey White
Friday, February 28
6-8pm

Come experience the creative workshops that One Heart One Soul facilitates inside drop-in centers, transitional homes, and shelters. Create your own artwork and learn how you can help support youth experiencing homelessness in Chicago.

Tours:
Transition offers guided tours for groups of all ages. Tours are free of charge but require reservation. For more information, or to discuss the specific needs and interests of your group, please email Rose at kcanno5@uic.edu

Accessibility and Inclusion:
The 5th Floor is dedicated to creating spaces that are accessible, fluid, feminist, queer, restorative, anti-racist, and reflective of the diversity of human experience as well as our communities at UIC.

Transition is ADA accessible and all exhibition text is presented in both audio and written form. Audio description is also included within the exhibition space. Personal assistance, ASL interpretation, and other reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Please email Rose at kcanno5@uic.edu for more information.

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The 5th Floor Gallery is an exhibition venue and library housing vibrant venues for student-led exhibitions and creative expression. The Museum and Exhibition Studies (MUSE) Program at UIC is actively engaged with the idea that cultural institutions, including museums and galleries, are places where ideas about what it means to be human, how we might care for the earth and each other, how power works in and through our cultural structures to advantage and disadvantage, and more are presented, debated, and worked and reworked using the languages of the arts and sciences, and the tools of research, design, and archives.

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Tags: 5th Floor Gallery, Chicago, Critical Chicago Craft, Kasey White, LaMar R. Gayles Jr, Mireya Fouche, Moises Salazar, Nancy Sánchez, near west side, One Heart One Soul, Rose Cannon, Separation Anxiety, transition, Verónica Gerber Bicecci, William Camargo, Ximena Mora, Yvette Mayorga, Zamari Vivens