We had no trouble understanding that no one was looking for us. Since we began, the first show was in the 1980′s at the South Side Community Art Center, individual artists have gotten critical reviews, a couple of the shows I curated were featured by the Chi. Dept. of Cultural Affairs during Chicago Artists Month, etc. Artists have included sculptor Geraldine McCullough, Marva Jolly,ceramic artist, Rhonda Wheatley, now a Flatfile Gallery artist, Felicia Grant Preston and others, including me, who have developed solo careers with the support of this group. Members teach at the Art Institute Columbia College, Chicago State University, etc.

But you never know who is paying attention. Wanting the curators to pay attention does not mean sitting on your hands until they do!

We are all saying the same stuff from different sides of town.

It’s pretty apparent that most of the curators in Chicago don’t care about Chicago artists (living or dead) and reading this essay or the numerous other blogs and sites that discuss the same injustices (if they even are reading all this stuff…?) doesn’t seem to change their minds on this matter. The only change that will happen will come from artists themselves…and that is happening already.

Those art groups who achieved national and international fame since WWII
through the 1960′s are well known because of those associations, but, now as solo artists.

Paschke, Jim Nutt, Roger Brown, Gladys Nilsson, Karl Wirsum and Suellen Rocca continue to exhibit, probably some others.

Younger artists could gain so much seeing the work by all the Imagists, The Hairy Who and that other group…Paul Klein probably knows the name. Think about a reprisal of the original exhibitions?

Do you think its because the Hyde Park Art Center was the originator of some of the shows that the museums are staying away?

The work has been so influential, a show with the original artists and a sidebar with artists influenced by them could be very interesting.

I agree that Chicago artists seem to miss out in Chicago. I wish the Art Institute would resume its Chicago and Vicinity show, giving artists an opportunity to exhibit in a museum, critical to getting into many galleries. The MCA (besides 12×12) could have a juried Chicago group show.