Eric Edward Esper

Our Children of Angels, 1958 School House Fire, Disaster Painting, Original Oil

2013

Postcards From the Edge of the West My work originates from journey and travel. The process often begins with extensive historic research, followed by an epic journey into the landscape as a means of experiencing the land. The paintings document a landscape that flows between two realities: one outside the picture attempting to capture nature and one inside the material flow of abstracting the experience of space. I utilize the traditional methods of landscape painting such as the observation of light, shadows, and transparency, and try and merge that process with the emotional space held by a direct experiences in the land, memory, and history. The white border surrounding each painting suggests a card and the souvenir printed material – a postcard – sent out when on a journey; much like the journey I take part of in my artistic process. This particular painting (card) is inspired from the landscapes along the Coeur d’Alenes trail in Northern Idaho. It is a place of rugged and stark beauty barely on the old maps and outside the edge of the Louisiana Colony. It is a place that is part image and part abstraction; color field painting and rendering; a place not yet born. –Don Pollack The lush landscape in Don Pollack's "Coeur d'Alenes Trail" brings a calm serenity to the viewer. The deep green pines in the are reflected on the calm water while a moon illuminates the entire scene. A deliberate white border on the canvas "frames" the entire piece and enhanced by the simple white frame measuring 37.5 x 61.5 inches. Don Pollack Coeur d'Alendes Trail oil on canvas 36h x 60w in 91.44h x 152.40w cm DJP027 Don Pollack BIOGRAPHY Don Pollack is a Painter and Adjunct Associate Professor of Visual Communication at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work investigates among other things, the relationship between personal mythologies and representation in painting and how it may simultaneously give reference to a narrative.Working in cross disciplines has influenced his perspectives as projects begin with an epic adventure. Conceptually proceeding from the premise that all vision is historic and constructed, Pollack’s research starts with the planning of a long distance trek,– such as a 3000 mile journey via bicycle following Lewis and Clark. His work has utilized maps, documents, photography, painting, and installation.This work was routed in a previous investigation into the role of museums in the process of forming collective memory. Don studied design at the University of Illinois and painting at the Ohio State University where he received his MFA.The state of Illinois has recognized his history based work with a special bicentennial edition of the ‘Order of Abraham Lincoln’ award. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has shown many solo shows in, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and Canada. True Life Novelettes is the most recent addition to the bigger project; Crossing The Great Divide which is loosely a series of landscape and history projects I began in 2009. It explores among other things, current events and personal literary interests through the construction of large scale [48x72”] book cover paintings. I use a variety of images juxtaposed with bylines and misplaced authors in order to create new meanings. I read the print edition of the New York Times for current content and subject matter, and because I still like the feel of a large document and printed typography. Recently and with a twist of prescient irony, a found myself reading a special supplemental section of the Times declaring that “the post-text future is here!” Could that be good for painting, now that we are entering an online culture ruled by pictures! But if our information will become dominated by pictures, slogans, and emotional announcements, I do fear that the arguments driving political discourse will soon become completely supplicated by popular memes. What should the new best sellers look like? Do I have enough time to read them? Underneath all this fanfare is it possible that the discussion will also be reduced to the display of personal artifacts of material culture? In the fashion section of today’s Times the headline reads, “Can you wear Dior to the Protest March?” (Enter my books.) I first start by writing columns and mixing up the authors with made-up titles (from films and books) and looking for strange connections to create a metaphorical tension. I then look for popular images and taglines in the news, print media, and the publishing business, and search for catchy phrases from film dialog. Then I combine everything into a new design layout to form a hybrid of ‘true life novelettes’ and modern classics. Climate change denial and alt/fake news declarations become great sources for topics in the overwhelming modern noise machine too grim to bear. I cancel my cable subscription. But what are the conditions for making a painting in a world saturated with images? While the representational, abstract, and technical concerns of painting collapse into the same memory well, what are we to say especially when we have “seen all the films and seen all the pictures”? The works of Tursic and Mille have pointed me into this new direction. In order to visually reclaim myself from disappearing into the ruins, I adopt a strategy combining editorial cartooning, oil painting and graphic design. I am attracted to those handsome publisher’s design formats, especially the ones that utilize carefully-placed typography and eclectic images– such as Everyman’s Library, Penguin Books, and Barnes and Noble. There are colored stripes running along the sides of the covers identifying the modern story collections, with the authors’ names set in script fonts. These various formats also hold the space to paint a combination of historic events and contemporary imagery from popular culture. I also patrol the web and search for vintage advertising campaigns for copy. Perhaps this grimness can have an uplifting thread. However, Virginie Vuillaume in Another Girl warns, “desire leads to disaster, partly bound up with fiction but also with death and catastrophe. The fate of those who are in love with images is always tragic, desire always leads to disaster.” So now Tursic and Mille’s painting that appropriated an image of a house on fire from a scene from Andrei Tarkovski’s film The Sacrifice also becomes my subject matter for the cover of the Year of Living Dangerously. For 2017, The Year of the Eclipse, the cover takes direction from a modern classic rendition of Frankenstein, with his head screwed on backwards. Maybe the only way left to paint now is by moving things forward by the only way possible,– through other mediums. The byline lyric for Eclipse is now taken from the Youngbloods popular song of 1967, Get Together,–so come on Frankenstein, ‘Smile on Your Brother’. Don Pollack EDUCATION m.f.a. Ohio State University Columbus,Ohio b.f.a. University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2018 Gallery Victor Armendariz, Story Tellers, Don Pollack: True Life Novelettes, Chicago, Illinois 2016 Bridgeport Art Center, this land is not empty, Chicago, Illinois Carnegie Museum for Art and History, bernheim arboretum, New Albany, Indiana 2013 Perimeter Gallery, 34 days to washington, Chicago, Illinois 2011 Newzones Gallery, far from home, Calgary,Alberta, canada MarciaWood Gallery, far from home, Atlanta,Georgia 2010 Perimeter Gallery, mysterious island, Chicago, Illinois Marquette University Law Library, laying the foundation [a Lincoln Portrait], Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2009 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the lincoln project, Springfield, Illinois The Union League Club, the lincoln project, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Newzones Gallery, the sheltering sky, Calgary,Alberta, canada Merwin andWakeley Galleries, IllinoisWesleyan University, american inheritance, Bloomington, Illinois MarciaWood Gallery, night, Atlanta,Georgia 2006 MargaretThatcher Projects, american gothic, past imperfect, NewYork,NewYork Perimeter Gallery, improvisation, Chicago, Illinois 2005 Newzones Gallery, missives, Calgary,Alberta, canada MarciaWood Gallery, south of the tennessee, remains of the campaign, Atlanta, Georgia 2004 Perimeter Gallery, voyages of discovery, from the earth to the moon, NewYork, NewYork 2003 Newzones Gallery, garden of forking paths, Calgary,Alberta, canada Perimeter Gallery, a search for heroes, lincoln & the illinois landscape, Chicago, Illinois 2002 Perimeter Gallery, ancien regime, NewYork,NewYork MarciaWood Gallery, ancien regime, Atlanta,Georgia 2001 Newzones Gallery, ancien regime, Calgary,Alberta, canada 2000 Perimeter Gallery, between heaven and earth, Chicago, Illinois Newzones Gallery, preview, Calgary,Alberta, canada 1999 Newzones Gallery, north american inheritance, Calgary,Alberta, canada MarciaWood Gallery, american inheritance, Atlanta,Georgia 1998 MarciaWood Gallery, entering the circle, Atlanta,Georgia 1997 Newzones Gallery, crossing the next meridian, Calgary,Alberta, canada 1996 Peter Miller Gallery, landscape and memory, Chicago, Illinois MarciaWood Gallery, mythopoeia, an american portrait, Atlanta,Georgia 1995 Elliot Smith Gallery, St.Louis,Missouri Marx-Saunders Gallery, International Art Exposition, Chicago, Illinois 1994 Deson-Saunders Gallery, shadowlands, Chicago, Illinois 1993 Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver,British Columbia, canada Bess Cutler Gallery, NewYork,NewYork 1992 Deson-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1991 Bess Cutler Gallery, NewYork,NewYork Deson-Saunders Gallery, between earth and sky, Chicago, Illinois 1989 Deson-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1988 Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1987 Houghton College, Houghton,NewYork SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2015 architectural biennial, Brininstool and Lynch, Chicago, Illinois 2014 black and white, Perimeter Gallery- Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 2012 art miami , Perimeter Gallery- Chicago, Miami, Florida Group Show, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2011 art chicago, The Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois Group Show,Kenise Barnes Gallery, Larchemont,NewYork 2010 pull, MarciaWood Gallery, Atlanta,Georgia memory is a metaphor, Kenise Barnes Gallery, Larchmont,NewYork our kind of town, Rena Sternberg Gallery, Glencoe, Illinois 2009 nature satisfies by its loveliness, Kenise Barnes Gallery, Larchmont,NewYork the exquisite corpse, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois the big picture show, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada 2008 this just in, MarciaWood Gallery, Atlanta Georgia portraying lincoln, Madden Arts Center, Decatur, Illinois contemporary art institute of detroit, Curator’s Choice, Detroit,Michigan art chicago, The Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2007 artwork 5, Gallery 2,Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois artscapes, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville,Tennessee atlanta gallery association preview, rep: MarciaWood Gallery, Eatonton,Georgia out of the garden, Rena Sternberg Gallery, Glencoe, Illinois art chicago, The Merchandise Mart, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2006 states of seige, Fine Arts Center Galleries, University of Rhode Island, Kingston,Rhode Island landscape x10, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada pulse, MargaretThatcher Projects, NewYork,NewYork 2005 summer sensation, Thatcher Projects, NewYork,NewYork Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois landscape x9, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada 2004 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois landscape x9, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada 2003 landscape x9, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada San Francisco Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada contemporary landscape, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois deck the walls, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada 2002 landscape x9, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada San Francisco Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada 2001 departure: american contemporary landscape, Indiana University Northwest Gary, Indiana Rena Sternberg Gallery, Glencoe, Illinois International Art Exposition:Chicago, Perimeter Chicago, Illinois Miami Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada 2000 landscape x8, Newzones Gallery, Calgary,Alberta, canada San Francisco Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada International Art Exposition:Chicago, Perimeter Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1999 requiem, Nexus Contemporary Art Center Atlanta,Georgia family album, MarciaWood Gallery Atlanta,Georgia 1998 the nature of landscape, South Bend Regional Museum of Art South Bend, Indiana cornucopia, Winston-Wachter Gallery NewYork,NewYork paradise and its transformations, Georgia State University, School of Art & Design Gallery Atlanta,Georgia landscape x six, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada land, air, & sea, Elliot Smith Gallery St.Louis,Missouri 1997 Marguerite Oestricher Gallery New Orleans, Louisiana MarciaWood Gallery Atlanta,Georgia Peter Miller Gallery Chicago, Illinois International Art Exposition:Chicago, Peter Miller Gallery Chicago, Illinois Seattle International Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada 1996 Center for the Arts Calgary,Alberta, canada Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada International Art Exposition:Chicago, Peter Miller Gallery Chicago, Illinois Seattle International Art Exposition, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada introductions, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada Peter Miller Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1995 contemporary realists, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada the nature of landscape, Fontbonne College St. Louis,Missouri first in flight, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada MarciaWood Gallery Atlanta,Georgia International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1994 contemporary realists, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Calgary,Alberta, canada Monte Clark Gallery Vancouver,British Columbia, canada 10th anniversary group exhibition, Elliot Smith Gallery St.Louis,Missouri International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1993 Robert Berman Gallery Santa Monica, California the dreamer awakes, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois west art and the law, traveling exhibition, John B. HynesVeterans Memorial Convention Center Boston,Massachusetts/ Kennedy Gallery NewYork,NewYork/ Loyola Law School Los Angeles, California/ James R.Thompson Center Chicago, Illinois/ Minnesota Museum of Art St. Paul,Minnesota pacific, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois finesse, Skokie Public Library Skokie, Illinois skillfully, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1992 Bess Cutler Gallery NewYork,NewYork Robert Berman Gallery Santa Monica, California finesse, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois land of 100 dancers, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1991 chicago art today, Gallery of Contemporary Art University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado west art and the law traveling exhibition,American Association of Law Libraries New Orleans, Louisiana/ NewVisions Gallery of Contemporary Art Atlanta,Georgia/ Minnesota Museum of Art St. Paul,Minnesota/ Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Milwaukee,Wisconsin International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1990 Nature/nature, Gallery 400, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois on nature, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois spirits in the material world, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois Los Angeles Art Exposition, Bess Cutler Gallery Los Angeles, California International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1989 the unconventional landscape, John Michael Kohler Arts Center Sheboygan,Wisconsin elements of style, history of the dividing line, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois west art and the law traveling exhibition, Bally’s Casino Reno,Nevada/ Arkansas State University Museum Jonesboro,Arkansas/ Robert Kahn Gallery Houston,Texas/ Minnesota Museum of Art St. Paul,Minnesota International Art Exposition:Chicago, Deson-Saunders Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1988 chicago now! , Arts Center South Bend, Indiana a european celebration, Limelight Building Chicago, Illinois 1987 new works, Objects Gallery Chicago, Illinois illinois 87, small painting exhibition, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois Objects Gallery Chicago, Illinois 1986 works, Dittmar Gallery Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois RuthVolid Gallery Chicago, Illinois national first annual wildlife and landscape exhibition, GalleryTriangle Washington,D.C. 1985 75th annual columbus exhibition, Columbus Museum of Art Columbus,Ohio 1984 shreveport national exhibition, Meadows Museum of Art Shreveport, Louisiana 1982 mid america biennial, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art Owensboro,Kentucky SELECTED AWARDS 2017 enrichment grant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 2016 enrichment grant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 2015 sabbatical grant, Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois 2014 bernheim arboretum, artist residency, Louisville,Kentucky 2012 illinois institute of art, faculty of the year award, Chicago, Illinois 2010 marquette university law library, commission award, Milwaukee,Wisconsin sabbatical grant, Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois 2009 order of lincoln, bicentennial edition, State of Illinois award, Springfield, Illinois school of the art institute of chicago, faculty enrichment grant, Chicago, Illinois illinois institute of art, faculty enrichment grant, Chicago, Illinois 2008 abraham lincoln presidential library and museum, grant, Springfield, Illinois 2003 philbrook museum of art, museum purchase Tulsa,Oklahoma 2002 illinois arts council fellowship, grant, State of Illinois Springfield, Illinois 1993,‘91,‘89 west art and the law, purchase West Publishing St. Paul,Minnesota 1983 ford foundation grant, Ohio State University Columbus,Ohio PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa,Oklahoma Racine Museum of Art, Racine,Wisconsin Marquette University Law Library, Milwaukee,Wisconsin Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut Union League Club, Chicago, Illinois Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois Vedder, Price, & Kammholz, Chicago, Illinois Fidelity, Charlotte,North Carolina Republican Governors Association, Washington,D.C. Allston & Bird, Washington,D.C. Corboy, Demetrio, and Clifford, Chicago, Illinois Poco Petroleum, Calgary,Alberta, Canada Burnett, Duckworth, and Palmer, Calgary,Alberta, Canada Evans, Martin, andWilson, Calgary,Alberta, Canada Metropolitian Life Insurance Company, NewYork,NewYork AmericanTelephone andTelegraph Company, Chicago, Illinois Prudential Insurance Company, Newark,New Jersey Arthur Anderson and Company, Minneapolis,Minnesota Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company, Chicago, Illinois G.D. Searle Company, Westchester,NewYork Schiff, Gorman, and Krkljes, NewYork,NewYork Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois University of Illinois, Illini Union, Urbana, Illinois Jupiter Corporation, Chicago, Illinois Atlantic Richfield Corporation, Chicago, Illinois SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Jenna Esarey, bernheim art on display at carnegie center, Courier-Journal, February 6, 2016 LaurenViera, “don pollack, mysterious island, ChicagoTribune, March 5, 2010 Jason Mojica, “don pollack: improvisation”,Time Out Chicago, February 2-9, 2006 Edward Gomez, “reimagining the landscape”,Art and Antiques,Atlanta, Georgia, October, 2003 Alan Artner, “Don Pollack”, ChicagoTribune, March 21, 2003 Anne Severson, “in the wilderness of our mind”, Fast Forward, Calgary,Alberta, Canada, December 2-8, 1999 Richard Rhodes, ed., “fast forward:a canada-wide guide to the season’s best exhibitions”,Canadian Art, Vol. 16, No. 3, , Fall/September 1999 Shelley Boettcher, “Critic’s Pick”, Calgary Herald, Gallery Guide, Calgary ,Alberta, Canada, November 18, 1999 Catherine Fox, “a convergence of landscapes”, Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1999 Lisa A. Rundquist, “remembering beauty: the seductive & nostalgic nature of ameri - can landscape”, (Catalogue), South Bend Regional Art Museum, South Bend, Indiana, August 8-October 4, 1998 Garrett Holg, “chicago: don pollack”,Art News, January 1997 Barbara Buchholz, “don pollack”, ChicagoTribune, November 8, 1996 Jerry Cullum, “old west, new myths”,Atlanta Constitution, August 23, 1996 MarciaWood Gallery, “mythopoeia, an american portrait”, (Catalogue),Atlanta, Georgia July 27-August 24, 1996 Alexandra Bellos, “symbol pleasures”, St. Louis River FrontTimes, March 22, 1995 Debra Riley Parr, “in review, don pollack”, St Louis Post Dispatch, March 9, 1995 Malcolm Parry, column,Vancouver Sun,Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, November 20,1993 Alan Artner, “don pollack”, ChicagoTribune, April 19, 1992 Alan Artner, “comfortable viewing”, ChicagoTribune, February 7, 1991 Alan Artner, “don pollack”, ChicagoTribune, July 7, 1989 Jacqueline Hall, “league gathers forceful raw works for exhibition”, Columbus, Dispatch, June 9, 1985 Jacqueline Hall, “arcadia inspires local artists”, Columbus Dispatch, July 14, 1985 PUBLICATIONS 2013 34 days to washington, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, catalog 2012 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, catalog 2010 art chicago international exposition, Mart Center, Chicago, Illinois, catalog marquette law review, vol. 93, number 4, Marquette University, Milwaukee,Wisconsin, catalog 2009 the lincoln project,Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, Illinois, catalog design school confidential, Extraordinary Class Projects from International Design Schools, Steven Heller & LitaTalarico, Rockport Publishers, Beverly Massachusetts, (selections featured from AdvancedTypography course, School of the Art Institute of Chicago) 2003 a search for heroes, lincoln & the illinois landscape, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, catalog 1996 remembering beauty: the seductive & nostalgic nature of american landscape, South Bend Regional Art Museum, South Bend, catalog mythopoeia, an american portrait, MarciaWood Gallery,Atlanta, Georgia catalog 1995 art chicago international exposition, Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, catalog 1994 private arts, nos.8&9, Chicago, Illinois, Art Consultant, magazine 1993,‘91,‘89 west art and the law,West Publishing Co., St.Paul Minnesota, catalog, traveling exhibition 1992 art chicago international exposition, Navy Pier., Chicago, Illinois, catalog 1991 10 th anniversery auction, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, catalog TEACHING EXPERIENCE school of the art institute of chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Adjunct Associate Professor, September 2005- present, courses: Image Studio,AdvancedTypography and Introduction toVisual Communications illinois institute of art, Chicago, Illinois, Professor, January 1995-present, courses: 2-D, and 3-D Foundation Design, Color,Typography, Corporate Identity, and Portfolio ray college of design, Chicago, Illinois, January 1986-January 1995, courses: 2-D, and 3-D Foundation Design, Color,Typography, Corporate Identity, and Portfolio ohio state university, Department of Art, Columbus, Ohio, January 1983- June 1984, courses: Art 290 & 190, Drawing, painting, 2-D, 3-D design, color, creative process ohio state university, Department of Art, Columbus, Ohio, GraduateTeaching Associate, September 1982 January 1983, assisted and taught, 2-D Design,Drawing TUTORIALS drawing & problems of representation, North Shore Art League,Winnetka, Illinois, January 1986-April 1986 19th century hudson river school perspectives- drawing and painting, Columbus, Ohio, June 1985- August 1985 LECTURES MLKYouth Leadership Day, Elgin Center, Elgin, Illinois,“crossing the great divide,– standing rock”, January 16, 2017 Northwestern University, Slivka College, Evanston, Illinois,“crossing the great divide”, February 1, 2016 Bronx, City College of NewYork, Bronx, NewYork, “crossing the great divide”, December 10, 2015 Fluid, Society for Literature, Science, & Art Conference, Southern Methodist University, Dallas,Texas “crossing the great divide, trying to understand the collage of my landscape”, October 9, 2014 - October 12, 2014 Postnatural, Society for Literature, Science, & Art Conference, Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana “34 days to washington”, October 3, 2013 - October 6, 2013 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, “34 days to washington”, April 25,May 14,& 17, 2013 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, “mysterious island”, March 5, 2010 Union League Club, Chicago, Illinois, the lincoln project, June 17, 2009 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, Illinois, the lincoln project, February 6, 2009 Merwin andWakeley Galleries, IllinoisWesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois, american inheritance, November, 13, 2007 University ofWisconsin,Eau Claire, cross cultural perspective of visual communication, presentation topic: Native America:Truth and Imagery”, April 20-21, 2007 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, “improvisation”, February 2, 2006 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, “a search for heroes, lincoln and the illinois landscape”, March 29,& April 3, 2003 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, “between heaven and earth”, December 7, 2000 Newberry Library, Map Society, Chicago, Illinois, tlon, uqbar, orbis tertius: taking measure across chicago, March 18, 1999 Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois, Faculty TrainingWorkshop, teaching strategies, July 10, 1997 Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois, Quantitative Mathematics course, March 11, 1997 Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, landscape and memory, October 11 & 18, 1996 MarciaWood Gallery,Atlanta, Georgia, mythopoeia, an american portrait, August 1, 1996 Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, Advanced Painting course, February 22, 1994 Deson-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, October 21, 1993 Deson-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, April 16 & 18, 1992 Objects Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, April 19, 1988 Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Art 190, native & american topics, April 16 & 18, 1984 Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, CS 102, Religious Themes in Literature, native & american topics, November 22, 1983 INTERVIEWS MLKYouth Leadership Day, Elgin Center, JanelleWalker,“crossing the great divide,– standing rock”, January 16, 2017 FNews SAIC Magazine, by Sophie Lucido Johnson, standing ground at standing rock, January 18, 2017 ChicagoTribune, by Heidi Stevens, artist assist standing rock, January 3, 2017 KYW News Radio 1060, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, taking measure across america, August 9, 2010 Fox/NBC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, taking measure across america, August 9, 2010 WGRZ NBC Buffalo, NewYork, taking measure across america, July 28, 2010 WTTW, Chicago, Illinois, arts across illinois, looking for lincoln, June 19 & 21, 2009 WFLD-Fox News...

Ben Duke Untitled oil on canvas 55h x 63w in 139.70h x 160.02w cm BSD033 Ben Duke b. 1977 Louisville, KY Education 2006 M.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD 2002 B.F.A., University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 2001 Summer School of Music and Art, Yale University, New Haven, CT Selected Exhibitions 2023 Ben Duke & Suk Ja Kang: New Work, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2022 This Is Home, Crooked Tree Arts Council, Petosky, MI 2020 Benjamin Duke: Paintings, Vickers Theater, Three Oaks, MI 2019 Family Reunion, Roy G Biv Gallery, Columbus, OH 2018 Wrap It Up, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Portraits and Place: Select Works from Gallery Victor Armendariz, curated by Corporate Art Advisory, Metropolitan Capital Bank, Chicago, IL Liberation, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2017 Distortion, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Coming Attractions: Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2015 The Suburbs Eyes: Picturing the Sprawl, (invitational), Ernestine M Raclin Gallery, Indiana University, South Bend, IN 2014 21 and Counting, The Painting Center, New York City, NY A River Without Banks, Paul Collins Art Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI The Contemporary Figure, Ben Duke and Robert McCann, Moss-Thron Gallery of Art, Fort Hays, KS 2013 Benjamin Swallow Duke and Nathan Barnes, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, Bozeman, MT Benjamin Swallow Duke and Esther Randall, Rosewood Gallery, Kettering, OH Thresholds, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE 2012 Sublime Rupture, Target Gallery, Catalog with Essay by Dominique Nahas, Alexandria, VA 2011 Identity In Itself, Lapham Gallery, Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Center, Glens Falls, NY Benjamin Duke, Tony Shumsky, Roy G. Biv Gallery, Columbus, OH Upheaval, [traveling solo exhibition] University Art Gallery, Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI 2010 Kuandu Museum Residency Show and Open Studio, Kuandu Museum of Fine Art, Taipei, Taiwan Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Kresge Art Museum, East Lansing, MI Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Upheaval, [traveling solo exhibition] Cloyde Snook Gallery, Adams State College, Alamosa, CO Floating, Fitton Art Center, Hamilton, OH 2009 Disrupted Particulars, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Clinton Township, MI Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Notwishstanding, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art), 7th Regiment Armory, Ann Nathan Gallery, New York, NY Biennial 25, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN 2008 We Drew a Circle and Called it and Island, Garden City Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan Benjamin Duke and Teresa Dunn, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI Imaginary Cities, Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL Awakening, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2007 SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art), 7th Regiment Armory, Ann Nathan Gallery, New York, NY Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Ann Nathan Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL Above and Beyond, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Darkness: World and Culture, Caladan Gallery, Beverly, MA Baker Arts Center 10th National Juried Exhibition, Liberal, KS Nude International, Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY 2006 Launch: Graduate Thesis Show, Baltimore, MD (solo) Second Chance: Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD (solo) Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Kresge Art Museum, East Lansing, MI Academy 2006, Conner Contemporary, Washington, DC. Opening Exhibition, Touchet Gallery, Baltimore, MD Only Human, School 33, Baltimore, MD Go Figure, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD 2005 Emerging Artists, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD real vs. Real, City Café, Baltimore, MD Artscape Art Fair, Baltimore, MD Group Show, Hoffberger Gallery, Baltimore, MD 2004 Clamor, Rose Wagner Center for the Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (solo) Boxing, Fox Gallery, Baltimore, MD 2003 Paintings, Finch Lane Gallery. Salt Lake City, UT (solo) Regional Show, Saint George Art Museum, Saint George, UT Show us Your Stuff, Left Bank Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT Spring Salon, Springville Art Museum, Springville, UT 2002 Trasa Urban Arts, Salt Lake City, UT 2001 Seen and Unseen, Union Art Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT (solo) Professional Experience 2006-present Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 2006-2005 Instructor, Ruriart Community Art Center, Ellicott City, MD 2004-2003 Instructor, Peterson Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT Selected Awards 2015 Alfred and Trafford Klots...

“Ash Wednesday of Ashes” March 4, 1908 At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 1908, a fire started in the basement near the furnace, under the front stairwell of the school, which blocked the front door. Panicked children were trapped by a crush of bodies in the doorway of the exit of the rear stairwell, trapping the rest of the students and teachers in the upper floors. The community rushed to the school for rescue efforts only to find an impenetrable wall of bodies at the doors. Unable to help, rescuers could do nothing for nearly four hours but watch in horror as some children jumped from the windows to escape, while others remained trapped in the inferno. Firefighters eventually arrived from 10 miles away in nearby Cleveland, but they were too late. 175 perished including two teachers and one rescue worker. Eric Edward Esper Collinwood School Fire, Ohio 1908 oil on canvas 22h x 28w in (29.5h x 34w in, framed) 55.88h x 71.12w cm EEE010 Eric Edward Esper After obtaining my BFA in Illustration from Northern Michigan University in 1996 I relocated to Chicago to pursue my artistic endeavors. Here, I began exclusively oil painting and have assembled a body of paintings chronicling scenes of Chicago done primarily in plein air. Capturing parts of the city’s landscape during its cultural evolution had been my way of conveying history as a painter. My fascination with landscapes and history has led me to create oil paintings of scenes that have affected us in dramatic ways. Recently I have begun painting aerial views of locations that have interesting historical significance, encapsulating true stories that are hard to imagine and harder to forget. My latest paintings capture these places and depict them with historically accurate attention to detail. Using various sources I recreate these scenes with as many photographs of every angle of the incident and research the stories, submersing myself in the event. My newest body of paintings depicts events with a more historically tragic significance, depicting scenes of the darkest hours in America’s Midwest history, where the landscape became the backdrop for tragedy and calamity. These events that irrevocably altered so many lives are important to remember, not only for the people lost and how it affected our culture, but also to remind us that disaster can occur at any time, anywhere. Eric Edward Esper EDUCATION 1995 BFA, Illustration, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan SELECT EXHIBITIONS 2013 Chicago Catastrophes, Conflagrations, and Calamities, Solo show, Linda Warren Projects, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Group show, Metropolitan Capital Bank, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Ten year anniversary show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2010 Group show, Concordia University, River forest, Illinois 2009 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Somewhere, Elsewhere, Group show, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Scene in Chicago, Group show, Judy Saslow Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Cityscapes, Solo Exhibition, Oculus Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2006 Solo exhibition, Meztli Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2005 Around the Coyote 2005, Biannual Art Festival, Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Art Open 2004, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Images, Group show, Frederick Baker Inc. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Around the Coyote Winter Festival, Curator's Choice Show, Biannual art festival, Chicago, Illinois 2003 Landscape Unlimited, Group show, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2002 Chicago Art Open 2002, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit, Chicago, Illinois 1998 Shoe Show, Group show, Ariana Gallery, Royal Oak, Michigan 1998 Art and Design Alumni Exhibit, Lee Hall...

After 100 years of brutal history at the Ohio State Penitentiary, the botched escape attempt of 3 prisoners caused the deaths of 322 men. On April 21, 1930, a crude wick did not start a planned (by the 3 escapees) fire in 2 empty cellblocks under construction until after 5:00 p.m. when all the prisoners were locked in their cells. At 5:53 p.m., all electrical power went out and the phones went dead. By 6:00 p.m., the roof was engulfed in flames that soon spread to the occupied cellblocks where men were burned alive while locked in their cells. The roof then collapsed, crushing the trapped prisoners. The Ohio militia and guardsmen were called to control the prisoners, but the local fire department was not called until it was too late to control the fire, which blazed until 7:30 p.m. There were many accounts of the heroic efforts of the prison guards, and prisoners alike, who risked their lives attempting to save others. But, unfortunately, in a structure designed to imprison men like this, rescue was difficult. Eric Edward Esper The Ohio State Penitentiary Fire of 1930, 2018 oil on canvas 26h x 34w in 66.04h x 86.36w cm FRAMED DIMENSIONS 30.50h x 38w in EEE009 Eric Edward Esper After obtaining my BFA in Illustration from Northern Michigan University in 1996 I relocated to Chicago to pursue my artistic endeavors. Here, I began exclusively oil painting and have assembled a body of paintings chronicling scenes of Chicago done primarily in plein air. Capturing parts of the city’s landscape during its cultural evolution had been my way of conveying history as a painter. My fascination with landscapes and history has led me to create oil paintings of scenes that have affected us in dramatic ways. Recently I have begun painting aerial views of locations that have interesting historical significance, encapsulating true stories that are hard to imagine and harder to forget. My latest paintings capture these places and depict them with historically accurate attention to detail. Using various sources I recreate these scenes with as many photographs of every angle of the incident and research the stories, submersing myself in the event. My newest body of paintings depicts events with a more historically tragic significance, depicting scenes of the darkest hours in America’s Midwest history, where the landscape became the backdrop for tragedy and calamity. These events that irrevocably altered so many lives are important to remember, not only for the people lost and how it affected our culture, but also to remind us that disaster can occur at any time, anywhere. Eric Edward Esper EDUCATION 1995 BFA, Illustration, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan SELECT EXHIBITIONS 2013 Chicago Catastrophes, Conflagrations, and Calamities, Solo show, Linda Warren Projects, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Group show, Metropolitan Capital Bank, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Ten year anniversary show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2010 Group show, Concordia University, River forest, Illinois 2009 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Somewhere, Elsewhere, Group show, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Scene in Chicago, Group show, Judy Saslow Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Cityscapes, Solo Exhibition, Oculus Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2006 Solo exhibition, Meztli Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2005 Around the Coyote 2005, Biannual Art Festival, Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Art Open 2004, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Images, Group show, Frederick Baker Inc. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Around the Coyote Winter Festival, Curator's Choice Show, Biannual art festival, Chicago, Illinois 2003 Landscape Unlimited, Group show, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2002 Chicago Art Open 2002, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit, Chicago, Illinois 1998 Shoe Show, Group show, Ariana Gallery, Royal Oak, Michigan 1998 Art and Design Alumni Exhibit, Lee Hall...

Karen Shahverdyan „Grey clouds“, 100 X 120cm, oil on canvas

Karen Shahverdyan „Morning Breeze,“ 70 X 90cm, oil on canvas,

Karen Shahverdyan „Thalassa“, Diptychon, 100 X 60cm, oil on canvas

MARTTA WĘG (born in 1978) Martta Węg graduated from the European Academy of Arts in Warsaw with a special mention in 2002. Her first individual exhibition took place in Gallery Art P...