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2020
Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibition at UIMA I am honored to be included in Moving Forward in a time of Change: Our New Relationship to the World We Live In, the Chicago Sculpture International's juried exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. Join us for the socially distanced, opening reception on Friday, October 30th at 6pm. Curated by Adrienne Kochman, the exhibition will run through December 13th, 2020. More information here. Peace Offering Participate in a traditional practice where leaves and flowers are sent out into the rivers and seas as offerings of hope, restoration, and prayers for peace. On Sunday, October 4th, leaves inscribed with messages of hope will be joined together in different patterns and then launched into the Northshore Channel. Join us at the Dammrich Rowing Center at 10am for the launch. Together, we will watch the offering float south to the Des Plaines River and onwards. Event will run until 1pm. More information here. Messages of Hope with Cabinet of Curiosity Hosted by Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center in suburban Willow Springs, Messages of Hope is an outdoor walking adventure consisting of over 60 dioramas created by artists from 15 Chicago neighborhoods and five additional states, all dedicated to amplifying hope. Organized by Frank Maugeri, Messages of Hope is located throughout the Black Oak Trail, on view August 1 - September 30 at 9800 Willow Springs Rd, Willow Springs, IL. Read the WBEZ Interview here. Art-in-Place with Terrain Exhibitions I used the parkway trees by my studio to create an installation for Art-in-Place, a collaboration between Terrain Exhibitions and CNL Projects. Visit CNL Projects to view over 275 participants (including artists in Berlin, Canada, Japan, India, Israel and Peru). 2017 TEDx Conference at Columbia College I am honored to be one of the speakers for the TEDx Conference at Columbia College on April 1st. Do join me if you can. It would be lovely to see you.. Below are links to the speaker list and to RSVP for the event. Empowering low income women It was such a pleasure to work with the women from Marketplace Handwork of India to paint the façade of their office. We started with brainstorming ideas about what Marketplace stood for and how we could represent those qualities in the mural. The women were a delight to work with and were surprised at their own abilities: to use brush and paint, climb on ladders and even venture high up on the scaffolding. In our evaluation session King Day Festival; Lift Every Voice Hundreds of children and families participated in the Art Institute of Chicago’s King Day Festival: Lift Every Voice, which occupied the main hallway of the Modern Wing. Participants were asked to imagine their vision for the world and what steps they would take to achieve this goal. I The growing spiral of our footprints was a testament to the legacy and inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr. and an amazing sign of hope that change can happen. Visiting Artist Vermont Studio Center I was excited and exhilarated to be a visiting artist at the Vermont Studio Center. The VSC is truly a place where the creative genius of the various artists is nurtured so that it can flourish and grow. The energy and sheer talent of the various resident artists was inspiring. 2016 Star Woman at the Krasl Art Center’s 2016 Sculpture Biennial, St. Joseph, Michigan The idea for Star Woman came to me one evening as I was looking up at an incredible star-studded sky and thought about how we are all made of stars. We are part of one universe and the universe is part of us. It was a wonderful way to think about our connections to each other. Nya Drishti- Transforming a Dying Rain Tree in the Golibar Slum of Mumbai Into a Living Sculpture Nya Drishti is a collaboration with youth and women from Marketplace Handwork of India. (MP) an innovative fair trade NGO that has worked in the Golibar slum of Mumbai for over two and a half decades www.MarketPlaceIndia.org and ArtOxygen (ArtO2), a Mumbai-based art initiative curating and producing art projects in public, open spaces.www.artoxygen.org Ragdale’s 2016 Novel Affair I was privileged to be one of the authors and artists being honored at Novel Affair, including novelists Jane Hamilton, Anne LeClaire, Gail Tsukiyama, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Lisa Genova, Charles Finch, Aleksandar Hemon, Casey Sherman, Kat Falls, Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls, sculptor Indira Johnson and sculptor, painter, and installation artist Sabina Ott. 2015 I Can't, Yes I Can Two years ago I worked with the women artisans from Marketplace: Handwork of India (MP) on the I Can't, Yes I Can Art Project. The goal of the I Can't, Yes I Can Project was to help women identify and take advantage of their strengths and power inherent in these strengths. In a series of workshops we first addressed issues symbolized by the words, "I can't", such as boundaries imposed on girls by family, society, and popular culture. See the video of the I Can't, Yes I Can Project Click Here Pro-Text: When Words Enter Visual Art March 8 - September 13, 2015 Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL The exhibition explores ways in which visual artists choose to use text in their work. 2014 Keynote Speaker, 2014 Annual Conference, Alliance of Artists Communities, Charleston, SC. October 20-23 The Conference explores ways in which we can advance today’s artists and their role in developing healthy, vibrant, engaged communities. Join arts leaders, funders, policy-makers, board members, educators, artists, and others from across the globe for three days of performances, trainings, tours, and talks. www.artistcommunities.org/conference Pro-Text When Words Enter Visual Art September 8, 2014- February 6, 2015 Illinois State Museum, Chicago Gallery. The exhibition explores ways in which visual artists choose to use text in their work. Collaboration and Revelation- JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ARTS CENTER The Arts Center marks the fortieth anniversary of its renowned Arts/Industry residency program with a sweeping survey of more than 350 works of art created by artists in the Kohler Co. Pottery, Iron and Brass Foundries, and Enamel Shop. This first-ever retrospective exhibition was curated by Arts Center Director Ruth DeYoung Kohler, recounts the history of this groundbreaking program and explores its effects on artists’ studio practices and ways of thinking, its critical impact in the broader art world, and its influence on factory culture. Curator- Water A Universal Human Right Robert Morris Gallery, 1/28- 3/31, 401 South State Street, Chicago 60605 This exhibition was organized by the Chicago Women's Caucus for Art. to coincide with the College Art Association's Annual Conference in Chicago and offered some essential insights on water provision and management, access to safe water and sustainability. Panel discussion- Water: A Universal Human Right or Commodity? Panelists: Alaka Wali, Commissioner Debra Shore, Indira Johnson and Liz Dodson,. Hilton Chicago 12:30-2:00, 720 South Michigan Ave, Feminism and Race. Three Walls Gallery, 119 N. Peoria Ave #2C Organized by Jennifer Reeder and Carrie Ruckel of Tracers Isis Ferguson (moderator), Laura Kina , Maria Gaspar , Indira Johnson , Laila Farah , Alberto Aguilar , Alexandria Eregbu and Sima Azadi Panel Discussion- International Women's Day Women in Decision Making, March 8, 2014, Northwestern University Chicago Oxfam Action Corps invites you to celebrate along with a panel of women who will discuss their role, in the changing sphere of decision-making. Speakers include: Terri McNally, President Global Capital, Indira Johnson, Founder 10,000 Ripples, Erika Allen, Chicago and National Project Director Growing Power, Adrienne Alexander, Lobbyist and Political Analyst for AFSCME Council 31 Harleen Singh, Director Surge for Water. 2013 2013 Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine. This is the 1st time that a visual artist has received this honor and it is a testament to the Ten Thousand Ripples Public Art and Peace Initiative and the power of the arts to be a catalyst for social change. Chicago Magazine/Chicagoans of the Year 2013 - Indira Johnson In addition, check out recent articles: Chicago Tribune Magazine, Remarkable Women Christian Science Monitor, Difference Maker: Indira Johnson The Penny W Stamps Speaker Series at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design November 12th at 7:00pm http://art-design.umich.edu/stamps This lecture is in conjunction with the opening of Infinite Mirror: Images of American Identity which is currently traveling to venues across the country through 2015. Infinite Mirror features 63 multi-media works by culturally diverse artists from across the United States. The central theme of Infinite Mirror is the use of portraiture and figuration as symbols for emotional and social ideas. Exhibition artwork uses portraiture to depict circumstances and experiences of multicultural populations in present-day America. The exhibition includes the work of first generation Americans and emerging new immigrant artists that examines issues and themes of race, gender, religion, history, politics and family. Included are such internationally renowned artists as Luis Jimenez, Tomie Arai, Elizabeth Catlett and Faith Ringgold. Raven Award for Excellence in Arts and Entertainment. On September 19th, 2013 we celebrated the launch of the Ten Thousand Ripples Project at the Loyola University Museum of Art. At that event, the Raven Foundation honored me with the Raven Award for Excellence in the Arts and Entertainment. Here is the link to the photos from the event. And this link will take you to Founder Suzanne Ross's article as well as both our remarks from the award presentation. |