Aesthetics of Research

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Call for Submissions | Bad Art: Kitch, Camp, and Craft

Join us for both a celebration and examination of artmaking and work often relegated and dismissed as "BAD" by audiences and/or the establishment. Black Velvet Paintings. Camp Cinema. Pop Music. The tensions between High Brow and Low Brow. Art and Craft. "Insider" vs. "Outsider". High Culture vs. Pop.

This semester's focus topic will also carefully examine who makes such designations? Who creates and maintains standards and how they often impact marginalized artists? As creatives, how do we address them in order to dismantle them?

We are currently looking for both 2-D and 3-D art , installations, text, and objects. Selected work will be on display on the 1st Floor of the Library physically October 2021-January 2022., as well as in a virtual version of the exhibit available online.

If you are not in the Chicago area or able to drop off physical pieces, we are also seeking some additional Web Exclusive offerings for the virtual incarnation as well. Accepted artists will be offered the opportunity (optional) to join us for a panel discussion in early October(date TBD) to talk about their work, resources, inspirations, etc.

Deadline for submissions: September 10th, 2021

Drop-Off Delivery Dates : September 20th-27th, 2021

Exhibit Opens: October 1st, 2021

Exhibit Closes: January 14th,2022

Please send .jpeg of 3-5 pieces or media files to kbowen@colum.edu for consideration.

We welcome submissions from all members of the Columbia College and greater Chicago arts community.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Urban Legends: From Playground Lore to Cultural Norms

Micah | Curious Art Glass

Urban legends and other types of contemporary folklore develop from the morass of the cultures they inhabit--the stories any society tells often a indicator of their obsessions, fears, and social mores. Whether it's the stories we learned as children, or ones we still believe to this day , they offer a stunning glimpse into our psyche, as well as an anthropological romp through the bizarre, the perverse, the haunted, and the mundane. Join us this semester as we not only revel in the wealth of urban folklore from not only American culture, but beyond, as well as create discussions of how such stories tell us as much as we tell them.

View the exhibit here...

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Urban legends and other types of contemporary folklore develop from the morass of the cultures they inhabit--the stories any society tells often a indicator of their obsessions, fears, and social mores. Whether it's the stories we learned as children, or ones we still believe to this day , they offer a stunning glimpse into our psyche, as well as an anthropological romp through the bizarre, the perverse, the haunted, and the mundane. This semester's focus topic revels and explores in the wealth of urban folklore from not only American culture, but beyond, as well as creates discussions of how such stories tell us as much as we tell them.

We are currently looking for both 2-D and 3-D art , installations, text, and objects. Selected work will be on display on the 1st Floor of the Library physically through June 15th, as well as in a virtual version of the exhibit. If you are not in the Chicago area or able to drop off physical pieces, we are also seeking some additional Web Exclusive offerings for the virtual incarnation as well. Accepted artists will be offered the opportunity (optional) to join us for a virtual panel discussion in mid-March (date TBD) to talk about their work, resources, inspirations, etc.

Deadline for submissions: March 8th, 2021

Drop-Off Delivery Dates : March 15th-19th, 2021

Exhibit Opens: March 26th

Exhibit Closes: June 15th

Please send .jpeg of 3-5 pieces or media files to kbowen@colum.edu for consideration.

We welcome submissions from all members of the Columbia College and greater Chicago arts community.

Friday, August 7, 2020

What Can the Library Do For Creatives?

Monday, July 13, 2020

ARTIVISM 2020 | Call for Submissions

Attention Chicago Artists and Activists!

In preparation for our Fall 2020 focus topic, ARTIVISM 2020 we are mounting an interactive exhibit on the Library's first floor featuring artwork created for and/or inspired by the recent BLM Protests in Chicago and across the country Inspired by the evolving art gallery that has taken over the fences surrounding the White House in D.C., we are covering our first floor walls with protest artwork, signage, printed matter, ephemera, and more.,.We are hoping to create an exhibit that will be up through the Fall Semester that reinforces the relationships between protest and artwork, as well as captures an important historic moment in both.

Deadline: September 15th, 2020

We are seeking work from all corners of the Chicago arts community. To submit to the exhibit, e-mail kbowen@colum.edu (subject line: BLM Exhibit) with 3-5 images of your work . We will work with you to arrange drop-off and/or installation details in September. The end exhibit will be both virtual and physical, with opportunities for contributing artists to engage in panel discussions, interviews, and more throughout the semester.