Friday, May 04, 2007

The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation 2007 Individual Artists Awards

The recipients of the 2007 Richard Dreihaus awards have just been announced. Congratulations to all the winners. The following text has been edited from the official announcement.

The three Chicago artists named winners of The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation’s Individual Artist Award are Judy Ledgerwood and Gaylen Gerber were honored for their career artistic achievements. Philip von Zweck won the Emerging Artist award. Each artist will receive $10,000 with no restrictions.

Twenty-two Chicago artists and arts professionals nominated and determined this year’s winners. The jury included James Rondeau, curator of Contemporary Art at The Art Institute of Chicago; Stephanie Smith, Director of Collections and Exhibitions and curator of Contemporary Art at the Smart Museum; Sarah Herda, Director of the Graham Foundation; photographer Terry Evans, and artist McArthur Binion.

The goal of the Driehaus Individual Artist Award is to support and encourage excellence, artistry, focus, direction, maturity, and originality in the visual arts. All artists nominated for the award must live in the Chicago area and be working in one or more of the following media: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, video/film, fiber, book arts, mixed media, installations, and conceptual art.

Past winners include: Brett Bloom, Nyame O. Brown, Paola Cabal (emerging category), Nick Cave, Juan Angel Chávez, Julia Fish, Vanalyne Green, Gisela Insuaste (emerging category), Laura Letinsky, Brennan McGaffey, Helen Mirra, Darrel Morris, Laurie Palmer, Dan Peterman, David Philpot, Karen Reimer and Richard Rezac, Sumakshi Singh (emerging category) and Christine Tarkowski.



Judy Ledgerwood • Green Goddess • 2004 • Tracy Williams, Ltd.
Judy Ledgerwood is painter who makes boldly patterned large-scale paintings that are both decorative and abstract. Her use of strong colors, geometric structures and scale, combine to make visually stunning paintings that mine historically modern precedents in a contemporary manner. Ledgerwood is an assistant professor at Northwestern University. Recent solo exhibitions include Tracy Williams, Ltd. in New York, Hausler Contemporary in Munich and Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago. Her work is represented in the public collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.


Gaylen Gerber installation view from exhibition at Donald Young Gallery

Gaylen Gerber is a "cooperator" who presents his work as installations in conjunction with other artists through his paintings and drawings. Known for his signature gray color, whether painted directly on a wall, canvas or through manufactured paper, Gerber creates socially and culturally dynamic situations by cooperating with other art works to create subtle yet powerful reminders about how to look at art. Gaylen Gerber is an assistant professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Recent exhibitions include Daniel Hug Gallery in Los Angeles, Galerie Susanna Kulli in Zurich, Donald Young Gallery in Chicago and Documenta IX.



View of Philip Von Zweck's Temporary Allegiance project at Gallery 400
Flags clockwise by: Hague Williams, Jason Dunda, Cleb Lyons & Daniel Anhorn


Philip von Zweck (emerging category) is an artist who defies the conventional tactics of traditional studio-base practice by incorporating the distribution of ideas in an artist-as-curator role that opens up limitless possibilities. von Zweck’s practice consists primarily of the organization of other artists work. Examples include a weekly radio show, monthly apartment exhibits of other well-known and undiscovered artists, developing guest lectures and performing weddings. Philip von Zweck graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2004 and currently teaches at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Recent exhibitions include I-cabin in London, Gallery 400 in Chicago, Suburban Space Gallery in Pittsburgh and ISCP in New York.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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