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

Chicago Artists Month- OPEN STUDIO: October 8th, 2010

OPEN STUDIO EVENT

October 8th, 2010- 5-9PM

Studio #609

410 S Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL, 60605

773/561-0825

Yes! This month has been nominated the ARTISTS MONTH. There is a lot of cultural activity in Chicago from art exhibits, neighborhood art walks, workshops, & open studios.
As part of these series of events, I joined the kick off party of the 40th Annual Pilsen East Artists Open House (http://gapersblock.com/), and walked along Halsted St. coming in and out of artist studios. I saw interesting work and performaces.
As continuation of Friday's mood, I went to Myopic Books in Wicker Park (http://www.myopicbookstore.com) to a presentation called "Two Way Tarot Mirrors", a collaborative writing project which is part of the Fifth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival http://www.chicagocalling.org). I never knew about the Chicago Calling Group. I received an invitation via FB, got interested in the title (as I am into tarot cards and actually collect them) and went without any expectation. And... it was a good! collaborative writing project event; the participant writers certainly knew how to get the audience engaged in the process- really interactive. I enjoyed myself.

MY STUDIO WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON ...

 

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2010

5:00PM-8:00PM

 

FINE ARTS BUILDING

410 S MICHIGAN AVE #609

CHICAGO IL 60605

773/561-0825