The Urban Art Retreat | and Sisters’ Place

GUIDELINES to enter the National Spring Annual Emerging Artists Show
Who is eligible to apply? artists from anywhere but Illinois.

1. send images of your art to sophiebella@sbcglobal.net (no website referrals)

2. once accepted via email, have your art (nothing more than 36″ in any direction) delivered to -
Liz Long Gallery, 1957 S. Spaulding Ave. Chicago, IL. 60623
along with – artist statement about you & your art,
two copies of signed inventory sheet with all your contact info. at top
and then listing the pieces you send (the title, size, description, and price to sell).

Artist will receive 70% of all sales with 30% going to non profit art gallery. Any checks should be made out to URBAN ART RETREAT, our mother organization.

3.On the back of each piece you send indicate only your name and the title of that piece.

4. Please have art delivered to gallery between March 22-27, 2010.
Artists are responsible for all costs in sending art to & from gallery.

5. Info. on show: April 3 opens and May 22 closes.

On March 6 from 1-4 p.m. there was an art reception for a women artists show in our on-site art gallery- Liz Long Gallery. The artists include Cassandra Robinson, Rosy Torres, Makeba Kedum-Bose, Ann Finney, Jennifer Weigel, Brittany Hanks, Cindy Hall, Anne Timmerman, Lyubov Momet, Pamela Hulvey, Dianna C. Long, Jess Kaswiner, Joy Baer, Ayo Maat, Faye Robinson, Wendy Cheng, Sue Nam, and more.

The show is eclectic with various media, diverse styles and artist backgrounds. There is something for everyone to enjoy. Pastels, paintings, installation art, jewelry, prints, ceramics, and more.

The public is invited to attend this marvelous art show. Check it out. Try something new for a change. Go to a new place and see what is going on! The exhibit is on display through March 27, 2010.

Visitors are welcome on Saturdays from 11-3 p.m. People can also make an appointment to see the show by calling 773-542-9126 and leaving a message with details. We will call back to confirm that the day & time you have chosen to visit will work for the gallery also.

We open the art gallery for viewers on Saturdays from 11-3 p.m. and during activities at our site.

One of UAR’s artists is teaching a young artists program called Art Expression. This program will take place at URBAN ART RETREAT beginning on March 15, 2010. Youth 16-21 are eligible to interview
for a paid position as an apprentice, learning and practicing their
skills in an intensive art studio course in Drawing & Painting. Acrylic painting and abstract expressionism will be taught. The art program will be from 4-7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Interviews are being held now through the 1st week in March.
Any youth between 16-21 who are interested and skilled in art making are welcome to contact UAR for an interview. There are only 15 paid
positions being funded by After School Matters. An additional 2 students may audit the course w/o pay. For an appointment to interview for this program, youth and parents are encouraged to call 773-542-9126 and leave a message telling name, phone #, and what day they want to interview. Students and parents may also contact Dianna by sending an email to sophiebella@sbcglobal.net

Student stipend is contigent upon students having a positive attitude, being punctual, following directions, and having good attendance.

Dianna began teaching at the State University of New York at Buffalo
in 1971. She developed a teaching method she calls EVEN YOU ART.
This supportive way of teaching art helps even the shyest student
come out of their shell a bit and create something they didn’t know
they were capable of doing.

She has been exhibiting her own art since 1964 as a young person. Dianna strongly advocates art making for youth and adults as a
way of dealing with stress and trauma. For children who have a crummy home life or difficulty in school, art making can be way of dealing with issues and feeling better about oneself. Adults can make sense of their world through artmaking. They can see what things mean to them by sorting through the images in the art they create.

If you go to www.medill.northwestern.edu/journalism you will find a great video about URBAN ART RETREAT’S outreach program. Look under graduate works, type in URBAN ART RETREAT, and you will see our newest artist, James Allen, talking about how art has helped him get through some tough times. The student who created the video as a news piece (maybe a human interest story?) did a great job of presenting some of the theory behind why UAR offers art making to help others.

In addition to other programming, UAR offers Have Studio Will Travel program. This program is set up to allow other organizations who don’t have an art program to contract with UAR to offer a supportive therapeutic art program at their site. One such site we go to weekly is Sacred Heart Home, a residential program for adults with physical and mental disabilities. The adults there get the opportunity to make art and get support for their insights and journey through difficult lives.

Another reason we like to extend opportunties for adults to make art is that many artists find themselves in situations where there is no chance to make art and/or get support for being an artist and having something to say through their artwork. There are always artists in every group or population. They need a way to access art making and we provide it.

Women who would like to exhibit their art in a Women’s March Art Show in honour of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day may apply now.
All media is considered. There are some size limitations. The show is scheduled for March 2010. First, curator looks at images you send that you want to exhibit. Once you are invited to the show, then, send artist statement about you & your art making. Send an inventory sheet along with your art via UPS or U.S. post office. You may drop off your art & inventory sheet if you are local. Please make an apppointment for this. Saturdays are best.
The inventory sheet has all your contact info. on top and then lists the pieces you have in the show. Each piece is listed by title, media, size, and price or N.F.S. Corresponding to the inventory sheet- on the back of each piece write title and artist name only.
RE: Sales, 70% of all sales go to artist with 30% to the non-profit organization.