Cultivator is pleased to present Mid-sentence, a solo exhibition of sculpture and installation by Rita Grendze.

Rita Grendze creates tactile, meaningful art. In response to the increasingly pervasive virtual world and inspired by her constant observations and often unplanned collecting of everyday man-made items, her art is physical and moving. Her process consists of experiencing the items visually, historically, and personally by means of time and research, then creatively exploring the objects through physical manipulation. The result is a visual, emotional, and intellectual experience for the viewer.

For Mid-sentence, Rita will be exhibiting pieces from her “Topography” series made from layers of old silk ties and her “Lamella” sculptures made from sturdy lengths of ribbon placed into drooping swirling masses.

Rita describes her pieces:
“The materials used are not happenstance: silk ties imply a level of maturity and material wealth, while the ribbons remind me of girlhood, gifts and awards. I am working towards understanding this controlled experiment, towards a moment to reflect on a contained view of natural beauty pulled from man-made materials.”

Please join us for a reception with the artist on Sunday, January 10th from 2-5pm.

Rita Grendze is a sculptor making art work from ordinary objects. Both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as her year of study on a Fulbright Grant, focused on fiber art. For Grendze this has translated into a lifelong love of process and abundant, accumulative materials.

Before moving to Chicago in 2001, Grendze lived in the New York City area. She has taught at Maryland Institute, College of Art in the Fiber and Foundations departments, as well as at Jersey City University. Grendze simultaneously worked for AIGA National, where she gained an informal but invaluable education in graphic design history.

Since returning to the mid-west, the bulk of Grendze’s time has been dedicated to her studio practice and to her young family. She has worked with Redmoon Theater creating props for outdoor spectacles, has taught community workshops in Chicago and its suburbs, has completed commissions, and costumed plays. Most recently, Grendze has created large-scale installations for the Krasl Art Center in Saint Joseph, Michigan and for the Farm Art Dtour in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, and a collaborative installation for Water Street Studios in Batavia, Illinois. Mid-sentence is Grendze’s first solo show in Chicago.

www.ritagrendze.com

Image: Lamella, 2015, polyester webbing and thread, size varies with each installation, depicted at 10” x 26” x 11″

Cultivator is open during Rita Grendze’s exhibition on Thursdays noon – 4pm and by appointment

For inquiries, please contact Joanne Aono
Cultivator
4636 North Ravenswood, #204, Chicago, Illinois 60640
www.cultivatorarts.com

Artist’s talk and closing reception: Sunday, February 7, 2-5pm
Open Thursdays, noon – 4pm and by appointment

Official Website

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Tags: Cultivator, Ravenswood, Rita Grendze