3rd Annual NIght at the Fine Arts Building

When: Friday 9th, 2011

Time: 5:00pm until 10:00pm..
Where: The Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605

We are celebrating our 3rd annual Night at the Fine Arts Building!

The event is taking place December 9th, 2011 from 5pm-10pm.

The 3rd Annual "Night at the Fine Arts Building" will be held on Friday, December 9th. Come enjoy the festivities at the Nation's oldest artist colony. All of our artist studios will be open and there will be dance, music recitals, theatre, and workshops. Enjoys a glass of wine and walk the 10 floors of the famed Fine Arts Building, where Frank Lloyd Wright, Ezra Pound, and L. Frank Baum (amongst many other notables) called home.

Come check out some great art, music, theatre and more! My studio (#609) will be open. Stop by to say
Hi!

Feature Article @ Manhattan Arts International

Manhattan Arts International is featuring my work. If curious and having some time for the article reading... here is the link:


http://www.manhattanarts.com/index.html

The Fine Art of Friends

Usually by this time of the year I tend to get into a self reflective mood. I like to reflect on the few communities I am part of --The School of the Art Institute, ICSW, CCC, and my most dearest of all: FAB- a hub of creative people under the roof of the Fine Arts Building. I have carried my art and clinical practice there for almost 15 years!, always  in the same studio:  #609. I feel fortunate and highly grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a rich, dynamic, creative place.

On 11/11/11 the Fine Art of Friends exhibit on the 2nd Floor Gallery opened up to the public  Seven artists with studios at FAB -Karen Tichy, Zoe Spirra, Alenna Marie Sandy, Kathleen Newman, Anita Miller, Rich Lo and myself- invited one friend from outside the FAB community. The exhibit was organized by Karen Tichy. I invited my long standing art colleague & friend Bert Menco. The show runs till December 5th after which the FAB members show will take place to close the year 2011 in the big finale party on December 9th. I hope you take some time to stop by to view this show, the next one, or just to say Hi!. To learn more about FAB artists go to: www.fineartsbuilding.com

Ledesma(left)- Menco(right)

Karen Tichy

  

Art of Flowers @ Garfield Park Conservatory

Since the hailstorm in June this year that destroyed the roof of the fern room in the Garfield Park Conservatory (http://www.garfield-conservatory.org/), and by responding to their pledge for financial help, I realized to have left my visits to the conservatory "for later" and seldom I have made myself go all the way South to visit it. So when I received an invitation for the invitation of their art exhibit "Blossom II. Art of Flowers", I immediately made my decision to attend it,which is a surprise to me as I do not tend to be inclined to attend shows of this kind.

What I saw was an exquisite display of craftmanship in every painting exhibited. The artist's soul seemed to be pouring out of the flowers with the choice of color like the red in "Spring" by Brazilian artist Nilton Mendonca, or by their title like in Anna Killian's "Fragility of Home". Unfortunately, the entrance to the conservatory does not make for a good exhibit space, in my opinion; some of the paintings are placed so high up that it is not possible read the tag with the painting information and it does not make justice to the paintings viewing.

Besides viewing the exhibit, you can take a walk through the plants room as a bonus and real treat!! It is worth a trip.  The show runs till December 31st, 2011. You can view the work in their online catalogue here: http://blossomartcompetition.com/Catalog2.html

When a good artist's coach is also an artist ...

Inner Strength by Renee Philliips

Her name is Renee Phillips- one of the best known artists coach in USA. She is known for her dedication to artists, for her complete trust in the creative process and the ones she takes under her wing, and for a direct "no sugar coated"-goal oriented approach. If you want to make it in the art business, and need her guidance, you must be prepared for a high speed ride!

I learned about Renee several years ago when a artist tenant at the Fine Arts Building, where I have my studio, had organized an informal meeting in her studio with Renee. Even though I could not make it, I began to follow her trajectory as a writer for the artists. No too long ago we connected via Linkedln  when I responded to a question she was reflecting on for one of her upcoming books (by a way: she liked my statement & decided to include it in her book-- thank you Renee!)

So now, when needing some advise, who do you think I would contact?... Renee Phillips, of course. We did talk few days ago and to my surprise she discloses her passion for jewelry making which I did know nothing about.

Her latest e-newsletter has a section on it. I went to her jewelry gallery and I liked what I saw. I want to share the link with you as I suspect you would probably like it too. Here goes: http://www.ReneePhillipsArt.com  and if you are interested in reading her jewelry blog... http://reneephillipsartjewelry.blogspot.com/

Have fun!

FOCUS 4 @ the Illinois State Museum- Chicago Gallery

           Rebecca Wolfram, Don Seiden, Mario Trejo, and Christopher Furman exhibits opened this past Friday 7th. Each of them engulfed my energy and vision with their rich and profound art works but the work of Seiden, Trejo, & Furman are the ones that really made an impact on my artist self.


I primarily went to see Don Seiden (www.donseiden.com), my mentor while at SAIC and one of my dear colleagues and art companion who interest in mental health took him to create the first art therapy program in town at SAIC back in the early 80s. His passion and raw emotional expression touches the core of human experience and existence.


I also enjoyed the work of Mario Trejo (www.mariotrejo.com) that I viewed for first time. He covers large surfaces with ink which then seems to be have been attacked by sharp objects to create a simply intricated but thoughtful imagery that resemblance a woven piece of frabric. Each piece felt to me an invitation to enter into a spiritual cosmos of some sort.


The work of Christopher Furman (www.christopherfurman.com) takes time to assimilate and/or understand. His work is a "thought-provoking kinetic theater" (Jim Zommer/director) which becomes alive with the viewer's participation- in fact, our participation is expected.


An exhibit worth to view. Stop by if having a chance. The show runs through January 6th 2012.

Visual Poetry/Mailart/Fluxux & "Write Now"

Visual Poetry/Mailart/Fluxus in conjunction with "Write Now" can be viewed at the Chicago Cultural Center- 2nd Fl Chicago Rooms. The opening reception was on 9/30/11. It was packed! 
The two exhibits combined show the talent of more than 100 artists. It is a little crowded for my taste but worth to stop by and take some time to view it.


I participated in Fluxus exhibit with a watercolor painting "Within a Thread of Light" as a response to the poem "Tools & Inventions" by Dan Godston. The poem touches a cord in me and resonates with the experience of seeing the decay of my mother's mind to Alzheimer's disease. 

Within a Thread of Light. Watercolor on Paper. Copyright 2011

Tools & Inventions by Daniel Godston

A lump of wool, light-airy, twisted with a weaver’s fingers
into thread, knitted into a sweater, heavy-warm.
Moisture swirls slowly in a cumulus cluster, woven
with condensation bursting into threaded
sheets. Nebular thoughts swirl slowly in a mind cloud,
threads braided by fingers striking a keyboard, F minor chord
with felt-covered hammers to strings in an upright,
an f key hammered to ribbon to 24-pound linen bond sheet,
the words within arm’s length but the world far away.

A computer, that boolean-driven trickster, a folded up
stepladder leaned against a wall by the periodicals section,
a braided hemp rope sliding through a pulley,
a blacksmith’s hammer striking a sheet of iron
folded over a thousand times into a samurai’s sword,
an abacus by a box of sugar-free gum at the checkout
counter, a calligrapher’s pen dipped into an ink
well write now while the page is blank and the mind is bursting
with ideas, the world within arm’s length but the words far away.

SPIRITUAL RESONANCES. JAMAICA needs your support

SPIRITUAL RESONANCES. JAMAICA attempts to explore through imagery,

sound, and poetic statements, the spiritual language of a particular region in the Caribbean.

Take few minutes to view its cyber home 

www.spiritualresonances.com 

and learn more about the project and its participants.

If you would like to make a donation in support of this art project, please go to:

http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=4550

SPIRITUAL RESONANCES. JAMAICA is a sponsored project of

Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization based in

New York City.

SPIRITUAL RESONANCES Project

Awaiting the Sound. Copyright 2011

LEDESMA. SPIRITUAL RESONANCES
exploration of the Caribbean, Central,
& South America's spiritual roots
through imagery, sound, and word.
Stay tune for more details to come!

Museum of the African Diaspora Presents "Soulful Stitching: Patchwork Quilts by Africans (Siddis) in India"

Museum of the African Diaspora Presents "Soulful Stitching: Patchwork Quilts by Africans (Siddis) in India"

7th Annual National Self Portrait Exhibition 2011- Teaser

7th Annual National Self Portrait Exhibition and Online Show

Time	Friday, July 15 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	33 Contemporary Gallery and Zhou B Art Center 1029 W. 35th Street Chicago, Illinois
More Info	In celebration of the 7th anniversary of the National Self-Portrait Exhibition and 33 Contemporary Gallery (formerly known as 33 Collective Gallery), this year's exhibition will be the largest one to date. 33 Contemporary Gallery (http://www.33contemporary.com) in collaboration with the Zhou  B. Art Center (http://www.zbcenter.org) present the 7th Annual National Self-Portrait Exhibition. The entire first floor of the Zhou B. Art Center will become a national laboratory for the exploration and visual representation of the "self". This exhibition will be entirely devoted to different aspects of self-awareness, individual perception and identity. It will include works ranging from representational, non-representational and conceptual ideas of the self. It will feature works in a variety of media. The Zhou B. Art Center is home to 33 Contemporary Gallery and it is located at 1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609.

What would happen if we all saw more art and less ads? ...

In May 2011 I was one of 25 selected artists to participate in Ads2Art, "a project designed to turn Boulder, Colorado, bike sharing into the most creative and inspired in the country". Each of us selected artists worked on two basket panels-originals art works were auctioned with all the proceeds generated at the auction and through the sale of panels going to Boulder B-cycle; photo reproductions of original art works will be applied to the bikes for a year.

The Ads2Art Gala Evening took place on June 2, 2011 at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Here is a short video that was made about the event   http://fearlessrevolution.com/blog/ads2art-film.html 

You can find some photos here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/set=a.215022118529084.61685.147073898657240

Below are my two panels on which I used designs from the Diaguita Indians, native indians from the north of Argentina: 

Mandala for Bikers- Eyes on a Flying Ride. Copyright 2011

Mandala for Bikers- Two Condors. Copyright 2011

In Memoriam

Tonight I went to see the movie In Memoriam by director Stephen Cone.
It plays at The Gene Siskel Film Center during this entire coming week (http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org)

The movie is made in Chicago and the Film Center describes it as a film
"filled with themes of strange obsession and cosmic connection..."
The main character is Jonathan who finds new purpose in life after
receiving an email mocking the tragedy of a pair of college students,
who he does not know, who fell to their deaths while having sex on a
dorm roof. The couple is found dead and naked on the ground- no
shown but by the discussion on the death we learn details.

As he goes around seeking to understand this tragedy, he finds annoyance
at people's responses who mostly laugh at the idea of dying in such
an unusual manner, they can't understand his irrational motivation that
fuels his desire of knowing the truth about the dead of this couple.
In his quest for finding the truth, he is ended up making a movie
to honor the deceased couple.

The first part of the movie is almost comical and light but in a surprising, unexpected way, takes us into the depth of human connection. The message at the end actually is that what really matters is the human connection.

I further reflected on Jonathan, a male who follows the beat of his own intuition and in doing so, he flow into creative energy, and I found the take refreshing as it portraits a more softer & spiritual side of the male energy.

Wonderfully done. A poem to human connectivity and a lesson in trusting one's own vibes. Good food for the mind and for the heart.

SPIRITUAL RESONANCES Project

In Latin America as well as in the Caribbean, Christianity encountered its biggest challenges in trying to merge the traditional beliefs of a region with the deities,  rituals, and beliefs of its local inhabitants. It is my belief that it is the rich spiritual heritage of a country and spiritual resilience of its people that sustains them in times of crisis. And this is manifested by their spiritual beliefs, practices, rituals, and artistic expression.

“Spiritual Resonances”, is an art project I am producing in collaboration with the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts (http://www.emcartsconference.org/)  & the National Art Gallery in Kingston, Jamaica (http://natgalja.org.jm/ioj_wp/) who has invited me to be part of their inaugural arts conference entitled “The Arts: Catalyst for Caribbean Development” that will take place during the second week in October 2011.

“Spiritual Resonance” is a participatory exhibit of paintings exploring the rich spiritual heritage of our humanity through imagery. The viewers will become active participants on the exhibit by responding to the paintings with poetry & sound guided by the lead artist in conjunction with the college music department, jazz musician 
in-residence Orville Hammond ( http://www.southernartistry.org/orville_hammond). The verbal and musical responses produced during the length of the exhibit will become part of the paintings.

“Spiritual Resonances” allows me to bring forward, in a collaborative effort, the essence of my art work as a vehicle and force for the manifestation of spiritual and healing energy thru art. My career as an artist has been fulfilled over the years with art collaborations with art organizations such as Beacon Street Gallery in Chicago, International Conferences such as the International Conference of Educating Cities in Jerusalem, and the Centro Colombo-Americano in Medellin, Colombia, to name just a few.

In times when our world seems to be following a path to self-destruction, “Spiritual Resonances” proposes to reflect on our spiritual roots as a path to establish balance and awareness in our dear planet.

Wouldn’t you want to be part of such endeavor? … 

"Spiritual Resonances" is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. 

If you would like to make a donation in support of this art project, please go to:

http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=4550 

to make the donation online. All gifts regardless of size, will be greatly appreciated.

THE COASTERS SHOW in Pilsen

On Saturday June 4th I went to opening & closing event of "The Coasters Show"- a one night only exhibition curated by Diana Soliz. The exhibit was held at Carlos and Dominguez Fine Art Gallery in the Pilsen neighborhood. What a blast of good imagery, laughter, and ton of great art energy!

Diana states about the show "the artists in this exhibit re-purpose the ubiquitous bar coaster into highly personalized works of art. Using the artist trading card as the springboard for the concept of the show, over 25 artists have created a set of miniature art works which will be traded and sold..." 

What interested me the most about this show what its premise of the exchange coasters among the exhibiting artists as well as sell them. The gallery did not take a commission and Diana did not receive one penny either. I learned that the show was time and energy consuming as well as financially draining for Diana. When I asked her "why the artists did not contribute financially toward the production of the show", her response was plain and simple "I could not do that! It would have not be right... it would have been a disservice to them and to the purpose of the show... " 


Ah Diana! That's the spirit! No too many left out there, in the art world, with that kind of integrity.

The participating artists were:  Patricia Acosta, Saul Aguirre, Beatriz Badikian, Adriana Baltazar, Jyl Bonaguro, Patricia Carlos, Inara Cedrins, Miguel Cortez, Tigerlily Cross, Len Dominguez, Erick Garcia, Gregorio Gomez, James Jankowiak, Salvador Jimenez, Antonio Martinez, Naomi Martinez, Bert Menco, Esmeralda Morales, Antonio Pazaran, Jean Parisi, Caroline Paul, Jaclin Paul, Mary Patton, Patty Peixoto, Anne Redich, Ricardo Serment,Chema Skandal, Angela Scalisi, Diana Solis, Omar Valencia, Mariko Ventura, 
Laura Vergara, Rebecca Wolfram.

Diana plans to make this a yearly exhibit event but may be for more than one night. I would like to see it as a traveling exhibit ... Anyone interested in hosting it? ...


If interested in viewing more of her work, here is some links: www.dianasolis.com;  www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/79860/dianasolis

Get your name on the mailing list to receive information on next year coaster event!

Go Diana!

SAIC Spring 2011 Undergraduate Exhibition

I like to go to the exhibit of undergraduates because as unfolding artists, their work is fresh, at times spontaneous-inhibited , and unique; but also because I like to see what is the trend of thought they are in, what they see, and how they see it. I tend to be surprised. There are so much artwork to see! that the experience is kind of overwhelming. 


Many work of arts are very good but there were few that caught my attention: Sierra Undine (http://sierraundine.blogspot.com) one painting on canvas addressing the temporal in all things; Vrinda Agrawal (vrindagrawal.com) from New Delhi with a BFA in creative writing whose work entitled "How to lose everything" talks about the "deterioration of ephemiral things such as emotions and state of being"; Brazilian born Amanda Coimbra McCaskey (amandacoimbramccaskey.com) interested in sociological themes through the use of photography; Jaeuk Song (songjaeuk.blogspot.com) a performance artist who presented a three person performance making us reflect on connectivity, life rhythms, and impact we have on each other.


In general, there is a feeling of reflection on the unknown, the ephemeral, the fragility of life... The show runs till April 6 at SAIC Sullivan Galleries- 33 S State St. 7th Fl.
    

Opening Reception Pictures

The opening was a great success.

I was told time and time again that my work fits well in that

gallery... The space has a nice energetic feeling.

The exhibit will be up till the 21st of March.

On March 17th I will give a talk @ 7pm

Enjoy the photos!

Grand Opening of Represented Artists by Elephant Room Gallery on Feb. 26th

February 2nd 2011

Flourish Studios Gallery

&

Chicago Art Leasing

Present:

Beatriz E Ledesma

Oil Paintings

February 18, 2011-March 21, 2011

Opening Reception: February 18th

6:00pm-8:00pm

3020 N. Lincoln Ave.

Chicago, IL, 60657

For more information call:

773.281.8130

January 27th 2011

 I have attended several good cultural events this month. Few of them continue resonating in my memory.
For instance two musical events created by the Experimental Piano Series (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76408581754):
- Heaven Gallery (1550 North Milwaukee, 2nd floor) presented Eric Glick Rieman & Chicago Scratch Orchestra on January 7th. It was a night of a lot of fun! Rieman, visiting musician from California, played very innovated tunes that transmitted depth, emotion, and a sense of relaxed state of mind. The Chicago Scratch Orchestra played three compositions by difference composers, one of them by my friend Dan Godston. These pieces were full of dynamism and intricate combination of tunes and words. The event ended with audience participation in what I experienced as some sort of music therapeutic exorcism. A real experience on the power of music to transcend differences. A lot of fun!!


The other musical event was at PianoForte (http://www.pianofortefoundation.org) on January 8th with Keith Kirchoff & Eric Glick Rieman. Both of them gave an excellent performance and Kirchoff (http://www.keithkirchoff.com/) made that little piano talked!



On the art exhibits front two fantastic shows both at the Chicago Cultural Center. The first one Polaridad Complementaria.Recent Works from Cuba which is over by now, was an group show of 54 artworks by 24 Cuban artists focused on the capacity of those artists to connect the local reality to global concerns and universal issues. Few artists' work got my attention: Santiago Rodriguez Olazabal, Rene Pe~na, Glenda Leon, Abel Barroso, and Lidzie Alviza. Check them up! You won't get disappointed.


Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer showcase the work of Maier an accomplished street photographer, that chronicled the life in Chicago’s Loop and surrounding districts for decades. She was discovered accidentally in an estate auction in 2009. The photographs depict the life and style of Chicago in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The body of work presented demonstrates the eye of someone with photography training. This was not Maier though who seemed to have taken upon photography as art without holding any art degree to her name.

The show continues till the end of March. There will be a gallery talk on March 24, 12:15 pm: with Lanny Silverman, DCA Chief Curator of Exhibitions