Melissa Leandro and Kirk Amaral Snow coincide in their affinity for exploring familiar models of representation and question it’s traditional formality.

In an attempt to return to the tranquility of more pastoral ways found in her native Costa Rica, Melissa Leandro recollects childhood mementos, creating an inventory of symbols based on abstract structures, systems of map making, topography, and landmark images. These symbols coalesce throughout her visual practice and at it’s core, where old world techniques and new world technology collides.

For Kirk Amaral Snow “Stability has become outmoded; mobility is a necessity. Value drops and then rebounds again. Getting a foothold is a thing of the past. What once seemed tangible-maybe even permanent-is clearly out of reach. Vernacular structures support the elements of designed dreams. Strategizing, representing, preserving, cope; all stand-ins for waiting.”

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MELISSA LEANDRO is an artist living and working in Chicago. Leandro is currently an MFA candidate in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She holds a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Leandro has attended ACRE and the Roger Brown House residency programs and her work has been exhibited locally at Lula Café, Bridgeport Art Center, Plaines Project, Autotelic Studios, Lillstreet Art Center. Among her national and international presentations: The Wright Museum of Art (Beloit, WI), Fiber Arts Club (University of Missouri), Purdue University Galleries (West Lafayette, IN), N.A.W.A. (New York, NY), ArtSeen Gallery (Miami FL), Central Museum of Textiles (Lodz, Poland), Golden Parachutes Gallery (Berlin).

More information about Melissa Leandro can be found at http://melissaleandro.com

KIRK AMARAL SNOW (b. 1980, Province, RI) is a Boston based intermedia artist whose practice investigates the relationship between the built world and performative aspects of culture. Amaral Snow holds BA’s in Art History (2002) and Studio Art (2003) from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011). He has exhibited and performed both nationally and internationally at Gallery Kayafas, Proof and Mobius (Boston, MA), AS220 (Providence, RI) MEME (Cambridge, MA), Perfolink (Concepción, Chile), Infr’action Sète (Sète, France), Fonderie Darling (Montreal, Canada) and Grace Exhibition Space (NYC). In 2014 Amaral Snow completed residencies at Samson Projects (Boston, MA) and ACRE (Steuben,WI).

More information about Kirk Amaral Snow can be found at http://www.kirkamaralsnow.com

Edra Soto (b. Puerto Rico, 1971), Multidisciplinary artist living and working in Chicago. BFA, 1994, Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico; Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio, 1998, and MFA, 2000, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Exhibitions: Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago; Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago; Galeria Agustina Ferreyra, Puerto Rico; Roots and Culture, Chicago; Field Projects, New York; Dock 6, Chicago. Lectures: Museo de Puerto Rico, Beta-Local, Puerto Rico, The Art Institute of Chicago. Publications: Monsters & Dust; Composite; New American Paintings, Proximity Magazine.Bibliography: Art21 Blog, Chicago Tribune; Bad at Sports, Artslant, NewCity, TimeOut Chicago. Awards: ArtSlant Grand Prize Winner, DCASE, Propeller Fund, Joyce Foundation, 3Arts Residency to Ragdale and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

More information about Edra Soto can be found at edrasoto.com

Dan Sullivan was born and raised in Maine, and studied in Minnesota before moving to Chicago in 1997. After years working in both the trades and the arts, Dan began his own business in 2005, working primarily as a general contractor. Using his experience and contacts in the trades, Dan founded Navillus Woodworks, a custom fabrication business.

Navillus Woodworks has done custom commission-based work for museums, institutions, art galleries, commercial spaces, as well as individuals and architects. With his wife, conceptual artist Edra Soto, he has collaborated on sculptural pieces that have been exhibited widely in venues including the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art.

Dan is also a founding member of Dock 6 Collective, a group of designers and custom fabricators located in Chicago’s Hermosa neighborhood.

More information about Dan Sullivan can be found at navilluswoodwords.com

THE FRANKLIN is a uniquely designed space that allows artists, curators, and designers to engage with the East Garfield Park community through cultural events. THE FRANKLIN is located in the backyard of Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan’s home.

More information about THE FRANKLIN can be found at http://thefranklinoutdoor.tumblr.com or https://www.facebook.com/thefranklinoutdoor?pnref=lhc

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Tags: ACRE Projects, Kirk Amaral Snow, Melissa Leandro, The Franklin