Najee Dorsey “Stories Untold are Stories Forgotten”

"Art is Business"
As an artist, Najee Dorsey has developed much in his craft over the years, and has become known for his mixed media collage, digital media collage images of little known and unsung historical figures, as well as nostalgic scenes from African American life in the southern United States. 

In his work, as Najee chronicles moments in Black life throughout history, he maintains that, “stories untold are stories forgotten”. Far from the days after dropping out of arts college, and becoming uncertain about his future in the arts, Dorsey has forged a successful career as an artist, being featured in numerous solo and group museum shows, television broadcasts and print publications -- a major feat for any artist. As well as these accomplishments, he has skillfully combined his creative edge, and business acumen to develop a steadily growing online community that documents, preserves and promotes the contributions of the African American arts community. Najee now lives in Columbus, GA with his wife, Seteria.

BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ (BAIA) is the leading online portal and social network focused on African-American Art with visitors from over 100 countries visiting our site each month and about half a million visitors to our social media pages for Black Art In America™ and Do You Basel?™. Black Art In America™, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter comprise our online virtual network and resource. BAIA amplifies thought-provoking commentary on today's visual arts news from a variety of perspectives, including breaking news, gallery meet-ups, market trends, and profiling leading (and emerging) Black visual artists in the country. In addition, BAIA offers stories about collecting and provides a weekly eNewsletter that helps art enthusiasts worldwide keep up to date on the changing and forever evolving Black visual arts market. Visit and join www.blackartinamerica.com

Columbus | Chicago | Miami Beach | New York City

Creative Conversation with Artist Gwen Pruitt Arts Engagement 04/04 by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network | Visual Arts Podcasts

Creative Conversation with Artist Gwen Pruitt Arts Engagement 04/04 by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network | Visual Arts Podcasts:

Gwen Pruitt is a fine artist who has had several solo exhibitions and commission of her large paint on canvas pieces. Pruitt is well-known for her versatility with mixed media from clay to glass and probably more so throughout the community as an Art Teacher. She serves as the director of the Art Department for Prologue Schools and has designed a curriculum that harnesses the power of art and creative expression as a tool to empower at-risk youth.

Pruitt plans to engage her art students in the various stages of installation from site preparation to ongoing programming and maintenance. She has been a driving force in the movement in teaching neighborhood youth art production. Pruitt is a retail gallery owner for a new retail venue in the called Tangible Things that features affordable work of many neighborhood artists. Tangible Things will serve as a hybrid cafe, art store and community center.

Pop-up shops were opening in University of Chicago storefronts along 53rd Street,Nancy Jackson and Gwen Pruit swooped into a retail space on the other end of the neighborhood.4856 S. Cottage Grove Ave. The small shop, wedged in between a convenience store and nail salon, grew out of the past experiences and expertise of the two non-profit veterans – Jackson, executive director of youth job training and educational organization Prologue Inc., and Pruitt, a former employee of the Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center. Investivation: How Arts and Cultural Strategies Enhance Community Engagement and Participation Tactical Urbanism, public participatory art projects allows the public to collaborate.

"Art is Business"

Renee Baker as Guest- Artist in Residency -2016

"Art is Business"

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

THE PHANTOM GALLERY CHICAGO NETWORK IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE RENEE BAKER AS 2016 GUEST  ARTIST -IN -RESIDENT

Photo Credits: Christopher Andrews sponsored by the Aurora Public Art Commission, curated by Lew Achenbach and Rena Church.

Renee Baker as Guest- Artist in Residency -2016 

The Phantom Gallery Chicago Network is proud to announce Renee Baker as a guest- artist in residency. Her residency will take place between June 1st– December 31, 2016. She will be working directly with Phantom Gallery Chicago’s chief curator Alpha Bruton, and Alan Emerson Hicks. The Phantom Gallery Chicago will provide AIR with technical and administrative support, support for the creation of new work and the exploration of new ideas with a two-month exhibition at the end of the residency.

Photo Credits: Christopher Andrews sponsored by the Aurora Public Art Commission, curated by Lew Achenbach and

BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE- RENEE BAKER

Renee' Baker is founding music director and conductor of the internationally acclaimed

Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP), a polystylistic organization that grew

from the plums of classical music as well as jazz. A member of the world-renown

collective Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

Made in Chicago Festival, Poznan

Altered Consciousness Score projected November 2015

photo by Lauren Deutsch,

Note: 24 painted scores embedded with CCL (Cipher Conduit Linguistics)

Critical acclaim for her graphic scores novels has come from performances in Berlin,

Poland, London, Scotland and as far-reaching as Vietnam. As a disruptive composer and visual artist, there are few barriers to the creative turns of this composer, conductor, artist, and instrumentalist. As a featured ensemble, CMOP has been chosen to work with NewMusicUSA and the EarShot program of the American Composers Orchestra.

Chicago Modern Orchestra Project (CMOP)

An expert at ensemble development and training, Renee’ developed the Mantra Blue Free Orchestra (Chicago), PEK' Contemporary Project (Berlin), the progenitor of involved in starting over 20 cutting edge new music ensembles. Among them: Bleueblue Walkers/Bass Kollektief, Twilight Struggles (Berlin) as well as being

Installation at the Phantom Gallery Chicago Loft Gallery 2016

TUNTUI, Wrinkled Linen, Chocolate Chitlin' Caucus, Red Chai Watch, FAQtet, and Strings Attached.

Project 6, Renee' Baker's AWAKENING, Baker ArTet, a Butoh ensemble BODY STRATA,

Ms. Baker has performed globally from Bimhuis (Amsterdam) to Symphony Center (Chicago) and was a founding member as well as Principal Violist of Chicago Sinfonietta for 26 years. Ms. Baker has composed over two thousand works for ensembles ranging from pieces for solo instruments, ballet, opera to large orchestral works that bridge the classical, parameters in her work has led to commissions for the Chicago Sinfonietta, jazz, and creative music genres. 
Her ability to embrace various creative Berlin International Brass, PEK’ Contemporary Project, and DanceWright Project, among others.
As a disruptive force in composition, Ms. Baker’s eclectic visual score compositions led her to create a gestured conducting language she calls CCL/FLOW (Cipher
groups in Cologne, Berlin, Netherlands, London, Chicago, Portland (OR), and Conduit Linguistics), which she employs when working with numerous cutting edge other ensembles around the world.

A further aspect of her composition skills is the development of her painted score exploratorium pieces for ensembles of variable sizes. Ms. Baker is also in demand large ensemble “comprovisation”/ improvisation development, as a lecturer and expert in nontraditional composition techniques, as well as. Aspects of the art world permeate Ms. Baker’s work. Her performance artwork


SUNYATA: TOWARDS ABSOLUTE EMPTINESS will premiere at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA, Chicago) in May 2015, and her tactile score sculpture works were featured at the MCA Chicago as part of the Sunyata premiere.

Ms. Baker is the composer of four operas. Currently, she is working as a film score composer, having composed and released a new score for Oscar Michaeux's “race film” masterpiece BODY AND SOUL (1925) with the music performed by her Chicago Modern Orchestra Project ensemble.

"Ms. Baker is one of the brightest and most fertile minds in active in composition today."

Renee' C. Baker, Conductor/Composer 

Chicago Modern Orchestra Project /PEK'

Contemporary Project

reneebaker@comcast.net

reneebakercomposer.com

reneebakercomposer.net

chicagomodernorchestraproject.org

For more information:

http://www.billdoggettproductions.com/Black-Composers.html

http://www.billdoggettproductions.com/Black-Composers-2.html

http://www.billdoggettproductions.com/CH125.html

Artist Talk 2015 at the Phantom Gallery Chicago Loft Gallery

ABOUT THE PHANTOM GALLERY CHICAGO-NETWORK/ Self-directed 
ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Phantom Gallery Chicago realize artists need to keep creating and inventing at their personal best, that they need time to reflect and time to work seriously, or just for the fun of it. We believe the journey to becoming a skilled and accomplished artist is lifelong. When you invest in your talent, you can reinvigorate your passion for making art. But, an important part of the process is building into your schedule a time for renewal, for new experiences, and for a different perspective. Self-directed artist residency’s, “artist vacations” are not taken just to get away from their work, but rather to find ways to inspire their work with new exuberance and energy.

The goal is to give artists a space in which to imagine new ways to work. The residency is followed by a two-month exhibition of the project created, which is fully documented and accompanied by a full-color exhibition brochure. All art made during the residency belongs to the artist. Artist are encouraged to share their ideas, complete a visual diary of drawings, collage, video or photography. This visual journal will reflect the on-site experience, employing themes, contemporary narratives, personal or historical regarding the course, or discourse of their work.

While artist residencies have traditionally provided opportunities for artists to work in solitude, many residency programs today are designed specifically around artists engaging the local community. Increasingly, organizations still primarily offering retreat-style residencies are expanding into community-engaged work as well, and looking for best-practices from peers.

In response to these significant shifts in the residency field, we began this  project with two guiding questions:

1)         How can artist residencies be a platform for engaging communities in meaningful and responsible ways?

2)         2) What do artists need to succeed in community-engaged work, and how best can residency programs serve those needs.

  

City of Chicago :: Lake FX Summit Expo

City of Chicago :: Lake FX Summit Expo

Master of Painting Brings Art from Bronzeville to the World

Master of Painting Brings Art from Bronzeville to the World:



From his studio in Bronzeville, Kerry James Marshall creates large-scale canvases that are prized in museums around the world. A 1997 winner of a MacArthur 'genius' grant, Marshall spoke with “Chicago Tonight” at the opening of his career retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art.







 "Art is Business"