IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Phantom Gallery Chicago Network is proud to announce Renee Baker as a guest- artist in residency. Her residency will take place between September 1st– December 31, 2018. She will be working directly with Phantom Gallery Chicago’s chief curator Alpha Bruton. 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 installation that concludes in November 2018.
Open studio during my artist residency at Phantom Gallery Chicago Network. Much research, collecting and recontextualizing coming up.."So honored to be a newcomer to the Bronzeville legacy and it's commitment to the arts. Andre and Frances Guichard and Gallery Guichard are keepers of that flame and are dedicated to activating and promoting excellence in the arts."
Thank you Alpha M. Bruton, and Phantom Gallery Chicago Network for the gift of time and space to create...
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| Current Installation " ACCESS: ADJUNCTION" Sculpture Bias Installation See/Hear/Eye/Touch |
BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE- RENEE BAKER
Renee' Baker is a 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.
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.
An expert at ensemble development and training, Renee’ developed the Mantra Blue Free Orchestra (Chicago), PEK' Contemporary Project (Berlin), the progenitor of Bleueblue Walkers/Bass Kollektief, Twilight Struggles (Berlin) as well as being involved in starting over 20 cutting-edge new music ensembles. Among them: TUNTUI, Wrinkled Linen, Chocolate Chitlin' Caucus, Red Chai Watch, FAQtet, Project 6, Renee' Baker's AWAKENING, Baker ArTet, a Butoh ensemble BODY STRATA, and Strings Attached.
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, jazz and creative music genres. Her ability to embrace various creative parameters in her work has led to commissions for the Chicago Sinfonietta, 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 Conduit Linguistics), which she employs when working with numerous cutting-edge groups in Cologne, Berlin, Netherlands, London, Chicago, Portland (OR), and 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 as a lecturer and expert in nontraditional composition techniques, as well as large ensemble “comprovisation”/ improvisation development.
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 Micheaux's “race film” masterpiece BODY AND SOUL (1925) with the music performed by her Chicago Modern Orchestra Project ensemble.
Called the latest AACM visionary by Downbeat Magazine, Ms. Baker is one of the brightest and most fertile minds inactive 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 *
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ABOUT THE PHANTOM GALLERY CHICAGO-NETWORK/ Self-directed ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Phantom Gallery Chicago realizes 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 is 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 discovery project with two guiding questions:
1) How can artist residencies be a platform for engaging communities in meaningful and responsible ways?
2) What do artists need to succeed in community-engaged work, and how best can residency programs serve those needs.
