Freedom Lover Films Collected Voices

"Art is Business"



I am a visual anthropologist and ethnographic filmmaker. I work with youth as my students, film crew, and subjects. My work, following women and girls has taken around the world to tell the story of some of the worlds most marginalized people. 


Collected Voices centers around original ethnographic works that explore the intersection of race, age, class, gender, and sexuality within Chicago society. Explored through short and feature length films from Chicago based artists, these stories capture the voices of individuals and communities. 

Thematic screenings held at the Phantom Gallery Chicago loft will create a space for viewing and discussion of narratives from underrepresented ethnic and cultural groups; often excluded from major theatrical & digital release. 


These films are curated to not only highlight the work of Chicago based filmmakers, but expand our understanding of ethnography, and the diverse experiences of Chicago citizens.

Susan Fox Speaks about Participatory PopUp Outside Performance Space

Susan Fox Speaks about Participatory PopUp Outside Performance Space 02/15 by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network | Performing Arts Podcasts:

Susan Fox Culture Coach programmer,

Susan Fox Culture Coach programmer, curator of Intersections series, and Nonprofit Partnership Developer with the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium. She talks about her vision for 'The Culture Coach,' a traveling pop-up stage that brings music and hands-on art experiences to parks clustered on Chicago's South and West sides.

The mission of the Culture Coach is to bring live music and the arts to our city's neighborhoods so that all can participate as audience or actors in these activities without regard to economic status or where they live. The Greater Madison Jazz Consortium is a new partnership of nonprofit presenting organizations (Madison Music Collective, Wisconsin Union Theater, Madison Jazz Society, and Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival), educators (UW School of Music, Madison Metropolitan School District Fine Arts Office, and Madison Jazz Jam), and WORT-FM, with additional support from the Jazz Institute of Chicago and local media (Isthmus and Capital City Hues).

Working together, these partners will pursue five common goals to create a more vibrant and sustainable local jazz scene: This Spring, the Consortium members will also complete a strategic plan that identifies a set of high-priority initiatives to further strengthen Greater Madison's jazz scene in the coming years.

"Art is Business"

Lea Pinsky Mixed Masters Murals-

"Art is Business"

Lea Pinsky
As an artist, my main focus is leading murals in schools and community spaces. Over the past ten years I have created more than two dozen large-scale works for schools, churches, playgrounds, and community centers. Many mural projects are collaborations with my husband, artist Dustin Harris. Together we run the company Mix Masters Murals -- check us out for a full portfolio of projects. 

I am also a sometimes-painter, and hope to fill my site with more canvas work in the upcoming year.

As an arts education specialist, I have founded, managed and taught youth programs with Columbia College Chicago, Urban Gateways, City of Evanston, Chicago Humanities Festival, After School Matters, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Lifeline Theatre. I am currently the Director of Education and Outreach with Art Encounter.

B. Ra-El Ali Speaks on Social Justice, and Urban Activism



"Art is Business"
B Ra-El performed Blood on the Leaves at Genesis Art Gallery on April 16th, 2016 during the Faces Not Forgotten-Chicago opening reception and dedication of victims of gun violence in Chicago. He also assisted in the installation of social justice artworks. B. Ra-El Ali is an exceptional emerging artist who has exhibited his artwork at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Illinois, South Side Community Art Center, and  he is currently a resident artists and curator at the Hunter International Gallery. 

"FIGURES THAT SPEAK: 

AN EXPLORATION OF BLACK BODIES"


B. Ra-El Ali                   
Artist Statement                                                     

My title B. Ra-El Ali is an affirmation that I use so that I always remain conscious of my spiritual identity and purpose. My purpose being a creative force sent from the cosmos, a bringer of truth.  I was born on the South Side of Chicago and I have lived much of my life in the urban City. I am a graduate of Southern Illinois University of Carbondale achieving a BFA Painting and Drawing

I am also a spoken word artist. My artwork and poetry are infusions of urban life, history, and social commentary. I believe that knowledge of self is the true answer to anyone’s individual struggles because gaining it has improved my life tremendously. My artwork and poetry serves as a form of education, displaying the lessons and philosophies that help me during my struggles in order to help others through their struggles as well. Art is my language, Art is my way of solving the problems of today in order to create a better future.

Much of my artwork features dancing figures. Dance is the physical cultivation of the Spirit through mental release and rhythmic processes. Dance historically, and contemporary is a large part of African and African American culture being used for ritual purposes, ceremonial, as well as social. My artwork depicts those traditional uses of dance through 2D drawings on paper that are enhanced with acrylic paint and pastels. I use the dancing figure as a creative vessel to express African American culture and issues. Through compositions designed from the figurative image of the dancer, I compose narratives that describe the African American experience, largely addressing identity, reconnecting African Americans to their African ancestry. The collaboration of symbols new and old creates the persona of "Afro-futurism" in my work, allowing my art to become ritual.




"FIGURES THAT SPEAK: AN EXPLORATION OF BLACK BODIES"

 Art Exhibition 

You are invited to participate in "Figures That Speak!" an art exhibition at the Hunter International Gallery at 3800 South Michigan Ave, curated by B. Ra-El Ali and Shahar Caren Weave. Figures that Speak! is an exhibition that focus particularly on figurative artwork that expresses Black life, culture and heritage. Art work submitted range from realistic to conceptual, abstract to the human figure.
More information contact Brael.ali13@gmail.com 
 
 You can listen to his interview on PBS.org, with Host Najjar Abdul Musawwir as he talks about himself, his background, and his future.. 

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Christine Ilewski-Huelsmann Faces Not Forgotten Project- 10/14 by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network | Visual Arts Podcasts

Christine Ilewski-Huelsmann Faces Not Forgotten Project- 10/14 by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network | Visual Arts Podcasts:

Last September 2014, artist Alpha Bruton began networking with artist Christine Ilewski-Huelsmann of St. Louis Missouri, who is the author of the, ?Faces Not Forgotten? project, painting the portraits of children who have died, the victims of gun violence. We have invited families of victims through the Ark of St. Sabina in Chicago, and artists from the Phantom Gallery Chicago Network, to paint a portraits of each child, which is donated to the family.

An acrylic transfer of that image will be used to collage the ?Faces? on small vintage handkerchiefs. The handkerchiefs is symbolic for loss, the ?found? fabric element constant in my work. We plan to exhibit these portraits in various ways: strung together like the memorial funeral banners in South America; connected quilt like; bound into a soft fleshy book; and on websites that further protest gun violence.

During Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 2016, the exhibition will take place at the Phantom Gallery Chicago Loft Gallery, located in the Bronzeville Artist Lofts, Chicago IL. In a cross cultural exchange the art will also travel Genesis Art Gallery, Logan Square, to the Bloomingdale Art Gallery at the ACME Artists Building, sponsored by the Near North West Arts Council (A fiscal agent for the Phantom Gallery Chicago Network).

"Art is Business"

THE BANG BANG PROJECT BY ARTIST CESAR CONDE



"Art is Business"

SAVE THE DATES- BRONZEVILLE ARTS DISTRICT TROLLEY TOUR - Featured Exhibition at the Phantom Gallery Chicago

"Art is Business"  Immediate Release:

 
The Phantom Gallery Chicago Network has partnered with Faces Not Forgotten Saint Louis, to present the Faces Not Forgotten – Chicago. The Faces project was started by artist, Christine Ilewski. She began painting portraits of children who have died from victims of gun violence in memory of Lorenzo Rosebaugh. It is her hope that by putting a face to these victims, we can raise awareness about gun violence in the USA.



Posting pictures is a powerful way to promote engagement, as pictures tend to garner more views, likes, shares, and comments than text alone. Join us as we present forty-one Chicago artists who responded to the call for artists, to join our social justice movement by painting portraits of Chicago youth who have lost their lives as victims of gun violence.
 
FNF-Chicago at Bloomingdale Art Gallery- Installation by Alan Emerson Hicks



Featured Artists Who Responded to the Call for Portraits- April - May exhibitions:
Alan Emerson Hicks , Alexa Lebron, Alpha Bruton,  Anne Farley-Gaines , April Dill, B RA-EL ALI , Christine Ilewski-Huelsmann , Cbabi Bayoc  , Cesar Conde, Diane Ponder, Derrell Monegain, George Larson , Jeanine Hill-Soldner, Jeanne Fields, Joyce Lindsey , Kathryn Gauthier, Laura Cerf Dahl, Lauren Pilot,  Leidy Baldwin,  Lucy Li, Melissa Allen , Melisa Halka, Nayda Aurora Cuevas, , Niaz Kausar,  Nicole Laport, Ophelia Adams,  Rahmaan Statik , Raymond A. Thomas, Rob Hogan , Rory T. Morgan, Rylan Thompson, Roger J. Carter, Sandra Bacon, Sarah Kaiser-Amaral, Sarah j Mueller, Sean Culver , Shazia Ilyas , Sophie de la Mar,  Tina Hepworth,  and  Zachary Williams. 

June request and submissions:
Abbigail Peters , Amy Lloyd, Barbara Bell, Katie Androwich, Isabella Vickers, Joan Davis, Lea Pinsky, Nancy Lamm, Taylor Torres


PHANTOM GALLERY CHICAGO NETWORK
Friday, June 17th, 5-9pm Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour (Public)
Exhibition June 13th – June 30th
Bronzeville Artist Lofts
440 E. 47th Street, Second Floor, Chicago IL  60653
773-681-6570


Black Art in America is the official media sponsor of Faces Not Forgotten - Chicago. All images created for this exhibition will be featured on BAIA, as a continuum of the 2016 exhibition. 

Najee Dorsey, "Don't Shoot Back"




Phantom Gallery Chicago Presents the work of five artists whose art practice responses to Social Justice Issues: 
B RA-EL ALI , Cesar Conde , Everett C. Williams, Najee Dorsey (Columbus, GA), Ti- Rock Moore (New Orleans) and William G. Hill.
 
Cesar Conde


Ti Rock Moore, "Black Angel Wings"







"Hoody Series" by Cesar Conde




 

 video by William G. Hill
Everett C. Williams, "Yummi" "Black Lives Matter"


Everett C. Williams, "Black Lives Matter"
B RA-EL ALI



"ECHOES OF OUR JOURNEY” SPONSORSHIP RESERVATION

"Art is Business"




Six (6) participating artists, who live and work at the new Bronzeville Artist Lofts (BAL), in the heart of Bronzeville on 47th Street, will use the original doors from their historic residence, the renovated building that housed the Ben Franklin Store, historically known as the world’s only black-owned and operated department store owned by the legendary policy kings the Jones Brothers. By repurposing these landmark artifacts, the BAL artists attempt to reawaken the spirit of this historical period in Black History and contemporize these stories for a new generation. As a collective, we talked about the doors as conduits, containing the spirit or echoes of the many people who passed through them. We wanted to give those voices life again by creating works that not only acknowledged the triumphs and tears of the great travels that they took but to also celebrate their humanity and the community they built in Bronzeville, which became their haven and place of rest.
Sponsorship Levels:
ECHOES OF OUR JOURNEY” SPONSOR $7,500
• Purchase of 2 doors created by one of the Echoes of Our Journey artists – one to keep and the other donated to the beautification of Bronzeville. To be donated to the Alderman for placement in the sculpture garden next to Gallery Guichard. (Door Retail Value: $5,000)
(original doors of the 436 E. 47th Street building owned and operated by the Jones Brother – Policy Kings)
•Your name or Company name engraved on a gold plaque placed the 2 doors created by one of the Echoes of Our Journey artists
• Company representative provides remarks during program on July 14, 2016
• Company logo on all Exhibition materials (printed material if in by 6/4/16)
• Company logo presentation during the Exhibit
• CEO and company acknowledgement during Exhibition on July 14, August 26 and Artist Talks on August 18, 2016
• Event photo opportunities with Gallery Guichard owners and Exhibiting Artists
• Company logo on Gallery Guichard website, Eblast 50,000, Facebook 10,000 and twitter 5,000
• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests
GREAT MIGRATION SPONSOR $5,000
• Purchase of a door or window created by one of the Echoes of Our Journey artists (Door Retail Value: $5,000 and Window $2,500)
REDLINING SPONSOR $2,000
• Your name or Company name engraved on a gold plaque placed the 2 doors created by one of the Echoes of Our Journey artists
• Company representative provides remarks during program on July 14, 2016
• Company logo on all Exhibition materials (printed material if in by 6/4/16)
• Company logo presentation during the Exhibit
• CEO and company acknowledgement during Exhibition on July 14 and Artist Talks on August 18, 2016
• Event photo opportunities with Gallery Guichard owners and Exhibiting Artists
• Company logo on Gallery Guichard website, Eblast 50,000, Facebook 10,000 and twitter 5,000
• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests
BRONZEVILLE SPONSOR $1,000

• Company logo on all Exhibition materials (printed material if in by 6/4/16)
• Company logo presentation during the Exhibit
• CEO and company acknowledgement during Exhibition on July 14, August 26 and Artist Talks on August 18, 2016• Event photo opportunities with Gallery Guichard owners and Exhibiting Artists
• Company logo on Gallery Guichard website, Eblast 50,000, Facebook 10,000 and twitter 5,000

• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests
BLACK METROPOLIS SPONSOR $500
• Company logo on all Exhibition materials (printed material if in by 6/4/16)
• Company logo presentation during the Exhibit
• CEO and company acknowledgement during Exhibition on July 14, August 26 and Artist Talks on August 18, 2016• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests

POLICY KINGS SPONSOR $250
• Company logo on Gallery Guichard website, Eblast 50,000, Facebook 10,000 and twitter 5,000
• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests
engraved on a gold plaque placed the 2 doors created by one of the Echoes of Our Journey artists
• Company representative provides remarks during program on July 14, 2016
• Company logo on all Exhibition materials (printed material if in by 6/4/16)
• Company logo presentation during the Exhibit
• CEO and company acknowledgement during Exhibition on July 14, August 26 and Artist Talks on August 18, 2016
• Event photo opportunities with Gallery Guichard owners and Exhibiting Artists
• Company logo on Gallery Guichard website, Eblast 50,000, Facebook 10,000 and twitter 5,000
• Company gift giveaways and business cards to exhibit guests
o $ 500 Black Metropolis Sponsor PAYMENT OPTIONS
o $ 250 Policy Kings Sponsor
o $ _____ Donation

PAYMENT BY CHECK Please make checks payable to Gallery Guichard, and send along with your signed reservation form to Gallery Guichard.
p INVOICE REQUESTED Please provide company/organization (if necessary): p PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD p VISA p MASTERCARD p DISCOVER p AMERICAN EXPRESS
Please complete the credit card payment information below scan/e-mail your signed package to francesguichard@gmail.com
CREDIT CARD NUMBER CVC# EXP
NAME ON CARD SIGNATURE
Or mail to Gallery Guichard 436 E. 47th Street Chicago, IL. 60653 708-772-9315, 773-791-7003 E-Mail: francesguichard@gmail.com





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Relational Moves | Theaster Gates: Young Lords and Their Traces

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