Joyce Owens

The Blackstone Hotel has played a prominent role in Chicago’s storied history since it opened more than a century ago, playing host to presidents, royalty, celebrities and even gangsters.

With an impressive art collection featuring more than 1,600 contemporary works of art, the luxury hotel continues to create a colorful legacy as a cultural destination in itself. In fact, it rivals some of the city’s most prestigious museums.

"The Blackstone has always been supportive of the artist community," says General Manager Kim Corrigan. "Its Beaux-Arts design is a work of art itself, and a dedicated art gallery was built within the original walls of the hotel upon its completion in 1910. Located on the Cultural Mile, it is only natural to bring this artistic spirit and creative culture to life every day for our guests and associates alike."

Committed to spotlighting Chicago and its local artists, the Blackstone Hotel recently commissioned new pieces to specifically represent the hotel, and made art the focus of both its public and private spaces. There is something interesting and beautiful to see everywhere you look, from the paintings in the lobby to the guest room key cards and do not disturb signs.

"What’s really special is that this world-class artwork isn't in a gallery or museum space," said Katherine Sharp of Nine dot Arts, who helped curate the project. "This is truly bringing art to the public, and that’s so important because people aren’t going to galleries the way they once did. The Blackstone is supporting artists in the best way possible: by actually buying their work for the hotel’s permanent collection and putting it on display for everyone to enjoy."

You can take a self-guided tour of the public pieces and relax with a drink at the unique Timothy’s Hutch. You’ll be able to sit and admire works like Painter by Celeste Rapone, which is placed prominently in the lobby to immediately put the importance of the art into focus.

But nothing beats staying at this iconic hotel and taking the elevator one story at a time to explore the different works of art that greet you on each floor.

Here are ten pieces you really need to see in person:

Painter by Celeste Rapone | Lobby

Artist by Celeste Rapone — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Celeste Rapone draws from themes of Dutch Golden Age painting, like portrait and still life. She loves to work with patterns and bold, often garish color palettes.

The artist in Painter doesn’t seem engaged in what they’re doing, which makes you want to know more about them. Rapone’s portraits are often referred to as “pretty” because the composition and color are on point but something is definitely off.

Portraits are expected to be beautiful, and this portrait hanging prominently in the lobby lets you know you’re in for lots of surprises as you explore the Blackstone’s art collection.

Orchid Stack VII by Stephen Eichhorn | Art Hall

Orchid Stack VII by Stephen Eichhorn — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Stephen Eichhorn has taken ikebana and floral arranging to a completely different level with his stunning series of orchid-based hand-cut collages.

They’re gorgeous from a distance, but the closer you get, the more awestruck you’ll be by his fluid, intuitive composition and the patterns, themes and textures he explores with such intricate detail.

The Blackstone Chronicle by Eric Garcia | 6th floor

The Blackstone Chronicle by Eric Garcia — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

You can learn so much about The Blackstone’s history through the graphic art of Eric Garcia.

Imbuing street art style with a historical perspective, he depicts The Blackstone’s reputation as “The Hotel of Presidents,” its place in movies like The Color of Money, its namesake, Timothy Blackstone, and its former owner, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He doesn't leave out one of the hotel's most colorful guests, Al Capone, who used to hold meetings while getting his hair cut in the hotel’s windowless barbershop.

Neon Classic by Andrew LeMay Cox | 9th floor

Neon Classic by Andrew LeMay Cox — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Known for his renditions of paintings from influential artists throughout history, Andrew LeMay Cox has reinvented an Anthony Van Dyck portrait of Mary Villiers.

Deconstructing the themes of traditional Baroque art to satisfy contemporary standards of beauty, he dramatically changes the color palette and makes us look at the piece in an unexpected way.

Cooler by the Lake by Joyce Owens | 10th floor

Cooler by the Lake by Joyce Owens — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Painter and sculptor Joyce Owens is a figurative artist whose work addresses issues around race and gender.

Her style of portraiture is more narrative, and is very much about sharing a story. Cooler by the Lake features a Chicago landscape in the background and two fictional characters based on Lena Horne and Nat King Cole, both of whom were frequent guests of the hotel and who represent the Blackstone’s jazz history.

Brutalized Gainsborough by Chad Wys | 11th floor

Brutalized Gainsborough by Chad Wys — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Chad Wys’ signature collages juxtapose the old with the new. The woman in this piece may be dressed in period style clothing, but the addition of the brush marks immediately makes it a contemporary work. The big, gold, sculptural frame continues to play on this theme.

Although the hotel tried to get a commissioned piece from Wys, he said he couldn’t make any art in the new political climate. For that reason, Brutalized Gainsborough is one of the few works in the Blackstone that is a poster rather than an original piece of art.

R: 8:54; C: 15:51; L: 14:56 by Michelle Litvin | 12th floor

R 854; C 1551; L 1456 by Michelle Litvin (12th floor) — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Architectural photographer Michelle Litvin spent 24 hours in The Blackstone, documenting the architectural details that are unique to the hotel and to Chicago.

So much of the original building’s architecture was preserved, and in this triptych, Litvin captures a fireplace in a guest suite, a chandelier in the Grand Ballroom and a window in the English Room. The title is the time stamp of each of the three photos.


10BEST

Celebrating female innovators at the Racine Art Museum
Vandal Gummy Bear by WhIsBe | 14th floor

Vandal Gummy by WhIsBe — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Al Capone was sentenced to prison on October 17, 1931, and street artist WhIsBe pays homage to that infamous date with this irreverent piece, which is part of his Vandal Gummy Bear series.

The anonymous artist, whose name is short for What Is Beauty, creates prison mugshots of the sweet and much-loved candy bear holding an identity card to spark discussion and get people to explore their preconceptions.

Chicago Flamingos by Katarzyna Krol | 17th floor

Chicago Flamingos by Katarzyna Krol — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Katarzyna Krol pays homage to Chicago’s legendary architecture with this charcoal and pastel drawing.

Her whimsical illustrations reveal the inspiration behind the 53-foot-tall Alexander Calder stabile which stands proudly on Federal Plaza. Often referred to as simply “the big red statue,” Krol ensures you will never forget its name.

Ideas Filled the Air by Matthew Hoffman | 21st floor

Ideas Filled the Air by Matthew Hoffman — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

A picture may be worth a thousand words but Matthew Hoffman, the artist behind the three million “You Are Beautiful” stickers distributed around the world, uses both to create powerful statements.

This wood piece was commissioned for the hotel, and was inspired by Suite 915 where Republican leaders once met secretly to nominate Warren G. Harding as their party’s presidential candidate. The suite is popularly referred to as "the smoke filled room," thanks to an AP reporter who described the scene of the secret meeting.


http://www.10best.com/interests/hotels-resorts/the-blackstone-hotels-amazing-art-collection-is-better-than-a-museum/

The Blackstone Hotel has played a prominent role in Chicago’s storied history since it opened more than a century ago, playing host to presidents, royalty, celebrities and even gangsters.

With an impressive art collection featuring more than 1,600 contemporary works of art, the luxury hotel continues to create a colorful legacy as a cultural destination in itself. In fact, it rivals some of the city’s most prestigious museums.

"The Blackstone has always been supportive of the artist community," says General Manager Kim Corrigan. "Its Beaux-Arts design is a work of art itself, and a dedicated art gallery was built within the original walls of the hotel upon its completion in 1910. Located on the Cultural Mile, it is only natural to bring this artistic spirit and creative culture to life every day for our guests and associates alike."

Committed to spotlighting Chicago and its local artists, the Blackstone Hotel recently commissioned new pieces to specifically represent the hotel, and made art the focus of both its public and private spaces. There is something interesting and beautiful to see everywhere you look, from the paintings in the lobby to the guest room key cards and do not disturb signs.

"What’s really special is that this world-class artwork isn't in a gallery or museum space," said Katherine Sharp of Nine dot Arts, who helped curate the project. "This is truly bringing art to the public, and that’s so important because people aren’t going to galleries the way they once did. The Blackstone is supporting artists in the best way possible: by actually buying their work for the hotel’s permanent collection and putting it on display for everyone to enjoy."

You can take a self-guided tour of the public pieces and relax with a drink at the unique Timothy’s Hutch. You’ll be able to sit and admire works like Painter by Celeste Rapone, which is placed prominently in the lobby to immediately put the importance of the art into focus.

But nothing beats staying at this iconic hotel and taking the elevator one story at a time to explore the different works of art that greet you on each floor.

Here are ten pieces you really need to see in person:

Painter by Celeste Rapone | Lobby

Artist by Celeste Rapone — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Celeste Rapone draws from themes of Dutch Golden Age painting, like portrait and still life. She loves to work with patterns and bold, often garish color palettes.

The artist in Painter doesn’t seem engaged in what they’re doing, which makes you want to know more about them. Rapone’s portraits are often referred to as “pretty” because the composition and color are on point but something is definitely off.

Portraits are expected to be beautiful, and this portrait hanging prominently in the lobby lets you know you’re in for lots of surprises as you explore the Blackstone’s art collection.

Orchid Stack VII by Stephen Eichhorn | Art Hall

Orchid Stack VII by Stephen Eichhorn — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Stephen Eichhorn has taken ikebana and floral arranging to a completely different level with his stunning series of orchid-based hand-cut collages.

They’re gorgeous from a distance, but the closer you get, the more awestruck you’ll be by his fluid, intuitive composition and the patterns, themes and textures he explores with such intricate detail.

The Blackstone Chronicle by Eric Garcia | 6th floor

The Blackstone Chronicle by Eric Garcia — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

You can learn so much about The Blackstone’s history through the graphic art of Eric Garcia.

Imbuing street art style with a historical perspective, he depicts The Blackstone’s reputation as “The Hotel of Presidents,” its place in movies like The Color of Money, its namesake, Timothy Blackstone, and its former owner, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He doesn't leave out one of the hotel's most colorful guests, Al Capone, who used to hold meetings while getting his hair cut in the hotel’s windowless barbershop.

Neon Classic by Andrew LeMay Cox | 9th floor

Neon Classic by Andrew LeMay Cox — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Known for his renditions of paintings from influential artists throughout history, Andrew LeMay Cox has reinvented an Anthony Van Dyck portrait of Mary Villiers.

Deconstructing the themes of traditional Baroque art to satisfy contemporary standards of beauty, he dramatically changes the color palette and makes us look at the piece in an unexpected way.

Cooler by the Lake by Joyce Owens | 10th floor
Cooler by the Lake by Joyce Owens — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection
Painter and sculptor Joyce Owens is a figurative artist whose work addresses issues around race and gender.

Her style of portraiture is more narrative, and is very much about sharing a story. Cooler by the Lake features a Chicago landscape in the background and two fictional characters based on Lena Horne and Nat King Cole, both of whom were frequent guests of the hotel and who represent the Blackstone’s jazz history.

Brutalized Gainsborough by Chad Wys | 11th floor

Brutalized Gainsborough by Chad Wys — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Chad Wys’ signature collages juxtapose the old with the new. The woman in this piece may be dressed in period style clothing, but the addition of the brush marks immediately makes it a contemporary work. The big, gold, sculptural frame continues to play on this theme.

Although the hotel tried to get a commissioned piece from Wys, he said he couldn’t make any art in the new political climate. For that reason, Brutalized Gainsborough is one of the few works in the Blackstone that is a poster rather than an original piece of art.

R: 8:54; C: 15:51; L: 14:56 by Michelle Litvin | 12th floor

R 854; C 1551; L 1456 by Michelle Litvin (12th floor) — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Architectural photographer Michelle Litvin spent 24 hours in The Blackstone, documenting the architectural details that are unique to the hotel and to Chicago.

So much of the original building’s architecture was preserved, and in this triptych, Litvin captures a fireplace in a guest suite, a chandelier in the Grand Ballroom and a window in the English Room. The title is the time stamp of each of the three photos.


10BEST

Celebrating female innovators at the Racine Art Museum
Vandal Gummy Bear by WhIsBe | 14th floor

Vandal Gummy by WhIsBe — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Al Capone was sentenced to prison on October 17, 1931, and street artist WhIsBe pays homage to that infamous date with this irreverent piece, which is part of his Vandal Gummy Bear series.

The anonymous artist, whose name is short for What Is Beauty, creates prison mugshots of the sweet and much-loved candy bear holding an identity card to spark discussion and get people to explore their preconceptions.

Chicago Flamingos by Katarzyna Krol | 17th floor

Chicago Flamingos by Katarzyna Krol — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Katarzyna Krol pays homage to Chicago’s legendary architecture with this charcoal and pastel drawing.

Her whimsical illustrations reveal the inspiration behind the 53-foot-tall Alexander Calder stabile which stands proudly on Federal Plaza. Often referred to as simply “the big red statue,” Krol ensures you will never forget its name.

Ideas Filled the Air by Matthew Hoffman | 21st floor

Ideas Filled the Air by Matthew Hoffman — Photo courtesy of The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

A picture may be worth a thousand words but Matthew Hoffman, the artist behind the three million “You Are Beautiful” stickers distributed around the world, uses both to create powerful statements.

This wood piece was commissioned for the hotel, and was inspired by Suite 915 where Republican leaders once met secretly to nominate Warren G. Harding as their party’s presidential candidate. The suite is popularly referred to as "the smoke filled room," thanks to an AP reporter who described the scene of the secret meeting.



http://www.10best.com/interests/hotels-resorts/the-blackstone-hotels-amazing-art-collection-is-better-than-a-museum/

CHICAGO —Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present ‘Dreaming Bigger in Strange Times,’ opening on Saturday, November 11th through December 16, 2017. The final exhibition during WMG’s 25th Anniversary year, it is the second exhibition at WMG’s new location in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Chicago-based artist Joyce Owens is the curator for the exhibition including works by 17 women artists from diverse backgrounds and working in a variety of styles and media.

Featuring women artists currently residing in the Midwest, this invitational exhibition intentionally strives to reflect the independent thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears around the strangely volatile world we find ourselves inhabiting since the last election. The women, working in a wide range of art mediums, represent diverse ethnic and ancestral backgrounds. Many express their political, social, religious and ethnic beliefs through their work. After all, America has welcomed immigrants promising them freedoms they were denied at home from the first meal at Plymouth Rock. Others were not welcomed under equal circumstances, to put it mildly, and others who were here first got the worst surprise as payment for their original kindness. The focal point that speaks to each artist shows up in their work in subtle and/or overt ways that you will see if you look. Their artist statements will provide more insight. Neighborhoods in Chicago (and other cities around the world) are generally homogeneous, despite desegregation. This powerful group of artists will demonstrate that diversity makes us stronger! -Joyce Owens

Exhibiting artists: Joanne Aono; Rose Blouin; Arlene Turner Crawford; Anne Farley Gaines; Abi Gonzales; Patricia Larkin Green; Indira Freitas Johnson; Felicia Grant Preston; Kim Laurel; Nora Moore Lloyd; Joyce Owens; Jane Stevens; Lynn Tsan; Kathy Weaver; Shahar Caren Weaver; Rhonda Wheatley; and Trish Williams.

Curator: Joyce Owens

Ragdale Fellow Joyce Owens is a painter and sculptor with an MFA degree in painting from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and a BFA from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was curator and associate professor of painting and drawing at Chicago State University. She has been the curator for numerous exhibitions including: The David and Reva Logan Center at the University of Chicago; The Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago; Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL; The Art Center in Highland Park, The Noyes Cultural Center, Evanston, IL; The Southside Community Art Center and others. As an arts panelist she has developed discussion topics for Columbia College Chicago, The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, The School of the Art Institute, The Carver Museum in Austin, Texas, Nicole Gallery in Chicago; Bradle University in Peoria, IL, and the South Side Community Art Center, and she has been the juror for Black Creativity at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; The Old Town, Wells Street, and the DuSable Museum art fairs. Owens is associate editor for The Journal of African American History and has had her art and writing published in books and journals. For more information visit: http://www.joyceowens.com

https://womanmade.org/artwork/dreaming-bigger-in-strange-times/

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http://www.pjstar.com/article/20130608/News/306089892
By Leslie Renken
Joyce Owens' "Retro-racing Picasso #5," a sculpture made of wood, copper and acrylic, is on display at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria.

Joyce Owens' creativity can't be confined to a single medium. A talented painter, she adds elements of collage to both her painting and her sculptures, and some of her paintings have very sculptural characteristics.

But even with the diversity of style, there is one word that can be used to describe all her artwork - they're all portraits, images of people. For Owens, it all comes down to human beings.

"Where do the problems come from? Who can solve the problems? It's all about choices, to me anyway," said Owens during a recent interview from her Chicago home. Owens, who has a master of fine art from Yale University, is an art professor and curator at Chicago State University. She has won numerous awards and has shown her work extensively in the U.S. and overseas.

"Joyce Owens: Retrospective" will be at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria through June 28. The show features mixed media paintings, sculpture, and a series called "More than Skin Deep" which, through the clever use of folds, turns painted canvas into a sculptural experience.

When queried if she wrinkles the canvas before or after painting, Owens laughs. "Everybody asks me that question. Art is supposed to make you think, if that's what people think about, that's OK - I love it."

Owens likes to be challenged by her work, and painting canvases after they've been intricately folded is certainly challenging. But the folds also have connotations which give the work not only literal dimension, but figurative dimension as well.

"The folds represent life - life isn't smooth. If we were a chart it would be up and down, and then down more, and then way down, and then up," she explained. "The paintings are like life - it's not perfect."

The wrinkles also hint at the many dimensions in the human personality.

"All you know about me is what I'm telling you, but there are other layers to me," said Owens. "So the folds on the canvas represent the obstacles that we have to overcome, we have to learn to overcome the bumps."

Many of life's bumps are caused by false assumptions people have about each other.

"In the "More than Skin Deep" series I'm applying it to race. I've done other series where I'm trying to get people to look beyond the surface of human beings," said Owens. "Basically we're all pretty much the same. The range between human beings of different ethnic groups is very minimal. We really are all humans, and we bleed red blood - all of us do."

Owens didn't begin her career thinking she would focus on issues of gender and race, but as an African-American woman, it's a topic she simply couldn't avoid.

"I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't experience something sort of racial," Owens said. In the mid-1960s Owens was chosen to be the art editor on the school yearbook at the predominately white high school she attended in Philadelphia. She submitted artwork for the selection process, and with a name like Joyce Owens, she believes the teacher didn't know until he met her that she was African American. After meeting her he tried to choose a different student for the job, and when Owens' parents stepped in, Joyce volunteered to share the role with the other student - the two girls were friends.

"My feeling was that it was not necessarily because I was black, but because I wasn't Jewish," said Owens with a laugh.

As an adult living in Chicago's predominantly white Lincoln Park, Owens often experiences subtle - and sometimes not-so-subtle - moments of racism. It's only natural for the issue to surface in her work.

"I'm not a racist-sort-of-civil-rights-human-rights person, but I like to, in a very nice kind of way, I want you to think about this stuff," she said.

Owens' work often highlights historical aspects of the African-American experience not commonly known.

"The figures and faces are sometimes portraits from history that I publish in accessible forms for people who are not historians and may not know about African-American history beyond slavery, poverty, and the Civil Rights struggle," said Owens in her artist's statement.

Figures and faces are all woven together in Owens' work as a way to show the interconnectedness of all human beings.

"My hope is that - well, I think that it's stupid that we don't get along," said Owens.

While issues of race are addressed in Owens' work, they are not the only ideas related. For Owens, art is a way of working out problems.

"My work changes as I change," said Owens. "From self-centered toward looking toward the future. When I was pregnant I drew a lot of pregnant people. . . . When my mother died, I drew people underground, sort of coming apart. That was my sadness - artists channel what they cannot see."

While Owens' art often presents ideas that inspire thought, the artist says she works intuitively - she doesn't plan the subject matter out ahead of time.

"With art you don't know exactly what you are going for until you have done it, and then you have to sit down and think about it," she explained. "As much as art school helps you to learn how to mix colors, and about linear perspective . . . you have to use those skills in your own personal way. You have to learn to trust your instincts."

The artist has had years to tune into her intuition and hone her skills. She knew when she was in third grade that she wanted to be an artist, and she came from a family of creative people for which art was a way of life. And while she hasn't always earned her living making art, she's always made art.

"I tell people that I don't need special conditions to make art," said Owens. "I don't need to be in the right mood or have special music. I'm an artist, and I make art. I don't know what made me an artist - I just do it 'cause I can't stop myself."

If you go

- What: "Joyce Owens: Retrospective," artwork by Chicago-based artist Joyce Owens.

- When: Through June 28. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 8:30 p.m. on Fridays.

- Where: Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, 305 SW Water St., Peoria.

- For more information visit artcentr@mtco.com, or www.joyceowens.com.

Leslie Renken can be reached at 686-3250 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter, @LeslieRenken, and subscribe to her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.
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