Category: Visual Arts News

Visual Artist Honored by YoungArts 2020 Awards

by chiartsadmin
Visual Arts senior, Nayla Vasquez was recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation as one of the nation’s top leading teenage artists. Nayla received an Honorable Mention in Visual Arts for the YoungArts 2020 Awards. In an interview, she enthusiastically shared “I knew YoungArts was a big deal from the start. But, I never thought I would receive an honorable mention! This is just the beginning of my artistic journey leading to college. I now know I have a strong portfolio to start with, and the credentials to back it up.”
 
Nayla also spoke on her concentration in the visual arts, as she prepares to exhibit at ChiArts’ senior showcase this spring. Nayla shared,“Through my sculptures, I educate people about the political, social, economic effects, and realities of being a Latina woman through a lens outside the white woman hegemony. A lot of popular mainstream feminist artists are white women, which are important to feminism in their own right. However, it’s vital that women of color are recognized and not lost within the world of whitewashed feminism. We should be allies, not competitors.”
 
Since ChiArts was founded, YoungArts has honored a total of 24 scholar-artists for their high caliber of artistic achievement. 

ChiArts Seniors Sarah Bonds & Victor Garcia Featured in The Chicago Sun-Times

by chiartsadmin
Sarah Bonds (Theatre Conservatory) and Victor Garcia (Visual Arts Conservatory) are two rising senior artists, multifaceted leaders, and both wise beyond their years. This fall, Sarah and Victor were accepted into Chicago’s 2019 Rising Star Honor Roll and featured in The Chicago Sun-Times. We’re so proud of all they’ve accomplished and the knowledge they continue to share in our communities. Click the links or images below to learn more about their work and watch video features! 
 
 
 
These profiles are part of a series made possible by Allstate as part of its commitment to support young artists in Chicago and to empower the next generation of rising stars.

ChiArts Visual Artists Selected to Attend Summer Residencies in Colorado & Michigan

by Natasha Mraz

Visual Arts juniors Ari Antos, Monee Bridge, DeAndrea Carr, and Sadie Soria were selected to attend the annual week-long summer residency at the Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, Colorado. These scholar-artists experienced 40 hours of intensive studio training while in the beautiful Colorado Rockies from June 23 through June 29. In addition to Anderson Ranch Arts Center, juniors Aidan Bell, Cecilia Budzyn, Victor Garcia, and Jenna Lozano were selected to attend an one-week residency at The School of the Art Institute’s Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, Michigan from June 30 through July 6. They took an advance drawing class with Claire Arctander, Chicago artist and Campus Director of Ox-Bow!

Congrats ChiArts Class of 2019! What’s next?!

by Natasha Mraz
The Chicago High School for the Arts’ 7th class of graduates are off on their next adventure. We’re honored to have been a stepping stone for these future leaders of our world. Did you know that the ChiArts class of 2019 spans universities in 20 states, three countries, and 66 of our scholar-artists are attending local universities in-state?! Get to know more about our recent graduates below:
 

Presenting the 2019 ChiArts National YoungArts Winners

by Natasha Mraz
Since 1981, the National YoungArts Foundation recognizes “the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development.” This year, four amazing ChiArts scholar-artists are joining the ranks of internationally recognized YoungArts alumni such as Viola Davis, Tarell A. McCraney, Josh Groban, Camille A. Brown, and Daniel Arsham to list a few.
Huge congratulations to Creative Writer, Damayanti Wallace for her Honorable Mention for Play or Script, Creative Writer Aureane Roullier for Merit for Novel, Visual Artist, Janessa Soliveras for receiving the highest recognition as a 2019 YoungArts Finalist, and Theatre Major, Nia Sarfo knocking it out of the park as a 2019 YoungArts Finalist in Theatre as well. Watch Nia’s incredible performance from Tuesday, January 8 at the 2019 YoungArts Week in Miami (monologue begins at 48:18)!
.

Two Scholar-Artists Announced As 2018 YoungArts Winners

by Natasha Mraz

On November 29, The National YoungArts Foundation recognized Freedom Martin (Theatre ‘19) and Pierson Talbott (Visual Arts ‘17) as 2018 YoungArts Winners. This in an incredible accomplishment as Freedom and Pierson were selected from one of “the most competitive pool of applications to date” and are among the 171 young artists in the nation that were named Finalists, the organization’s highest honor. They are following the footsteps of YoungArts alumni such as Viola Davis, Josh Groban, Tarell A. McCraney, Doug Aitken, and Kerry Washington.

The National YoungArts Foundation provides winners with a lifetime of educational, financial, and professional development opportunities. From mentorship programs with well renowned artists, to showcasing work at institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, we’re thrilled for Freedom and Pierson to grow with this amazing network of artists. As Finalists, both scholar-artists have the opportunity to attend the 37th annual National YoungArts Week in Miami from January 7-14. We look forward to following their artistic journeys and cheering them on every step of the way! For more information regarding the National YoungArts Foundation, click here.

Outstanding Alumni Working in Admissions, Theatre, and Visual Arts

by Natasha Mraz

With our first classes of scholar-artists graduating and pursuing professional development opportunities, ChiArts is thrilled to have hired four outstanding alumni in our Admissions, Theatre, and Visual Arts Conservatories! ChiArts is grateful for the knowledge, passion, and support our alumni community continuously gives back to our faculty and scholar-artists.

Sabina Valenica graduated ChiArts in 2013 and is now working as our Recruitment Coordinator in Admissions. Sabina is currently pursuing a double major at Northeastern Illinois University. Christian Helem and Janyce Caraballo (‘13) have joined our Theatre Conservatory as Teaching Assistants for the Musical Theatre and Stage Production courses. Christian is pursuing a degree in Theatre Performance at the University of Illinois- Chicago and Janyce graduated as a Posse Scholar with a Bachelor’s in Theatre and Music Performance from Denison University. The Visual Arts Conservatory is excited to have hired Moises Salazar (‘15) as a Teaching Assistant for AP Sculpture. Moises just graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and focuses on painting, ceramics, and fabrications. We look forward to watching these young professionals grow and thrive at ChiArts!

Visual Artists Present Bold Disobedience Exhibition

by Natasha Mraz

From June 23 until September 2, our Visual Artists will be presenting works on resistance and protest in the group exhibition, Bold Disobedience at Weinberg/Newton Gallery! This is the first time our VA scholar-artists are featured in a gallery alongside professional artists. Huge congrats to the seven scholar-artists selected: Thalia Agosto (Class of 2019), Natalie Aparicio (Class of 2017), Evan Calabrese (Class of 2017), Maya Halko (Class of 2018), Josue Herrera (Class of 2019), Zachary Huff (Class of 2019), and Raven Smith (Class of 2018). These emerging artists created pieces using all different types of mediums, reflecting topics such as gentrification in the Pilsen community, police brutality, LGBTQ culture, capitalism, and many more works that exhibit “a call to participate in civic action.” For artist biographies and more information, click here. 

Bold Disobedience is presented in collaboration with the Mikva Challenge, Weinberg/Newton Gallery, and ChiArts’ Visual Arts Department Head, Whitney Bradshaw.

Exhibition Dates: June 23 – September 2nd, Weinberg/Newton Gallery, open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

 

ChiArts Senior Visual Artists to exhibit at MANA CONTEMPORARY

by chiartsadmin

For the fourth year in a row, MANA Contemporary will host The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts®) Visual Art Department’s Senior Showcase Exhibition. The special exhibition will include original works made by this year’s graduating students from the Class of 2017, and will be on view from April 21 – April 30, 2017. A public reception will be held on Friday, April 21, 2017 from 6PM-9PM.

The Senior Showcase is the culminating exhibition of a ChiArts visual art student’s high school career. The works on view will include selections from students’ year-long thesis investigations as part of their Major AP Studio Art Course. ChiArts’ Visual Arts Department offers the following majors: Drawing/Painting, Photography, Sculpture, and Visual Communications. Students will also exhibit works made in their elective courses, including Digital Media, Wearable Sculpture, Sequential Art and Contemporary Practices: Performance and Installation.

ChiArts thanks Columbia College Chicago for loaning their exhibition walls for ChiArts’ use in this exhibit and MANA Contemporary for hosting this exhibition. Read the full press release: ChiArts Senior Visual Artists to Exhibit at MANA Contemporary.

ChiArts Visual Arts Department Senior Showcase Exhibition 2017
April 21 – April 30, 2017
Public Reception: April 21st, 6 – 9PM

ChiArts’ Visual Arts Class of 2017:

Kaelyn Andrade
Gabriel Antos
Natalie Aparicio
Sam Barber Kennedy
Gregory Buckner
Evan Calabrese
Guadalupe Campos
Anieya Cauthen
Yasmeen Cisneros
Cameron Collins
Meka Cruz
Seann Dunham
Jordon Eason
Maya Franklin
Srinidi Gopal
Tyler Jackson
Trinitty Jeffries
Steven Jones
Nefertari Louden
Cassandra Magana
Christian Martinez
Alexander Payne
Carri Ponder
Deborah Pozo-Tovar
Andrea Reyes
Ricardo Rivera
Marlina Romero-Saulsberry
Carolina Sandoval
Chyanne Spencer
Molly Sullivan
Pierson Talbott
Cassandra Magana