CALL FOR ARTISTS | GREAT LAKES WORKSHOP @ CAD STUDIO
Great Lakes Basin Secedes and Forms New Nation!
In the year 2010 A.D, THE GREAT LAKES BASIN DECLARES INDEPENDENCE and announces to the world, ‘WE ARE NOT A COMMODITY, WE ARE THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE!’
–— Excerpt from the Great Lakes Basin Declaration
What if the 40 million people living in the Great Lakes Basin decided to secede from North America due to a lack of sustainable priorities, habitat mismanagement, and otherwise stalled progress? Motivated by these concerns and impending freshwater crises, the Chicago Art Department will host a workshop for artists to investigate the personal habits, issues, and politics of living in Chicago by the largest freshwater system in the world.
The Great Lakes point of view will inspire and drive 4 weeks of individual/group investigation of topics such as how urban habitats can coexist with nature, modernizing modes of transportation, revitalizing local food supplies, increasing bio-habitats, and protecting our freshwater heritage.
Artists turned nation-builders will be challenged to originate and derive solutions through the medium of their choice. The workshop will culminate with a 2nd Friday Art Walk show and is part of Chicago Artists Month.
Speakers:
Rick Valicenti
Rick Valicenti is the founder and design director of Thirst/Chicago, a communication design firm devoted to art, function and real human presence. Rick was recently awarded the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) Medal in 2006 for his sustained contribution to design excellence and development of the profession. This medal is the highest honor in the graphic design profession.
Lyndon Valicenti
Lyndon is a WRD Environmental consultant to the Natural Resources & Water Quality Division of Chicago’s Department of Environment. She participates in planning and advises on policy to promote and protect Chicago’s urban forest, water resources, biodiversity, and sustainable landscapes.
She has co-authored the 2009 Chicago Urban Forest Agenda, updated the City of Chicago Invasive Species Ordinance to include land-based plants, and managed city’s Rain Barrel and Compost Bin programs. Lyndon also serves on Mayor Daley’s Nature & Wildlife Advisory Committee and the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council Steering Committee.
Anna Glenn
Anna is a landscape designer based in Chicago, Illinois, with fifteen years of landscape experience. She began her career maintaining high-end residential landscapes and her work now focuses on combining design, science, and ingenuity to create productive urban places, whether they be for aesthetic, economic, or environmental purposes – or all three. Anna’s experience includes degrees in Ecology and Landscape Architecture and service in the Peace Corps.
She is a founding member and Vice President of of Urban Habitat Chicago (UHC). Urban Habitat Chicago was formed in 2004 to demonstrate the viability of sustainable concepts and practices in urban environments through research, education, and hands-on projects. Projects of UHC address issues at the intersections of urban agriculture, the built environment, materials recovery and reuse, and emerging local industries, focusing on creating seamless transitions in the cycles of resources at all scales.
More speakers TBD.
Class Dates: Thursdays, September 9, 16, 23 & 30; 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Art show opening: Friday, October 8, 2010; 6pm – 10pm
Where: Chicago Art Department Studio, 1732 W. Hubbard, Chicago
Facilitators: Stacy Peterson and Preethi Venkataramanujam
Cost: $100 (Participate in at least 2 classes and the final art show and you have the choice of ripping up your check or donating it to CAD!)
To register, email Stacy Peterson at stacy@chicagoartdepartment.org