RECENT EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
May 2011
Presentation of Current Project "Harvesting the Sun"
March 2011
Harvesting Our Sun and the Milky Way Galaxy Sculpture
Artist lecture - John David Mooney
March 17, 2011 at 4 p.m. at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
506 Main Street in New Harmony, Indiana
February 2011
September 2010
May 2010
March-April 2010
The latest in a series of exhibits entitled "Escapade" by the
Edinburgh College of Art graduate students in residence at
the John David Mooney Foundation.
March 26, 2010
Fourth Art Exhibit by Graduate Students of the
Art, Space + Nature Program of the Edinburgh College of Art
ECA Exhibit opening on March 19, 2010
Elli Matzourani-Koutsoukeli & Sophie Neury,
Geometry of soul, 2010, photography.
Photos from the ECA Exhibit opening on March 19, 2010
Detail, Untitled II, Installation
Photo by Elli Matzourani-Koutsoukeli
Drawing by Elli Matzourani-Koutsoukeli
(650cm x 220cm)
Flag by Sophie Neury
Installation by Sophie Neury
Sophie Neury & Elli Matsourani-Koutsoukeli (L-R)
Emilie Brezezinski, visiting sculptor from Washington, D.C. with
Elli Matzourani-Koutsoukeli (L-R)
December 11, 2009 - February 1, 2010
Extending Burnham’s Vision
Celebrating the Centenary of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 plan for Chicago, the John David Mooney Foundation opened on December 11th 2009 a special exhibition of eight design proposals for Chicago’s lake front. Eight groups comprised of four designers each worked 4 months on solutions for the lake front edge from Olive Park on the south (adjacent to Navy Pier) to North Avenue on the north. Presently, Lake Michigan directly abuts the eastern apron of Lake Shore Drive except for the beach at Oak Street.
The overall concept plan and detailed design solutions for each of the eight plans are presented in the gallery. The John David Mooney Foundation annually presents and sponsors an urban design project for Chicago. This public service initiative has contributed highly to Chicago’s public spaces, their implementation and their design.
Extending Burnham’s Vision is the work of Purdue University’s 5th year landscape architecture students under the direction of Professor. Kent Schuette.
Group-1, DESIGN FLEX, Adam Bachtel, Lisa Ganestam, Gretchan Mast, Chris Miazgowicz
(pictured below left)
Group-2, JSCP, Anders Blomberg, Andy Cole, Tristan Johnson, Evan Smith
(pictured below right)
Group-3, LANDiR, Bryan Grome, Ryan Jacobson, Cory Morris, Brent Wertz
(pictured below left)
Group-4, VISTA STUDIOS, Matthew Blackburn, Hollie Colony, Amanda Cripps, Kelly Willis
(pictured below right)
Group-5, INNOVATIVE MOTIFS, Jason Davis, Jeff McMahan, Ben Schitter, Megan Weiss
(pictured below left)
Group-6, PRESTIGE DESIGN, Aaron Legg, Laura Ollier, Alyssa Ryan, Dan Schuler
(pictured below right)
Group-7, FURSLEBAN, Martin Buresch, Ryan Jacobson, Malarie Pearce, Craig Thompson
(pictured below left)
Group-8, FUTURSCOPE, Laura Huggler, J.D. Schaumburg, Brett Seward, Dan Uebelho
(pictured below right)
The Third International Symposium on Cultural Landscapes and Cultural Towns will be take place in New Harmony, Indiana, from September 7-9, 2007. John David Mooney, Artistic Director of the John David Mooney Foundation will be speaking, in addition to Johnathan Hale of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kent Schuette of West Lafayette, IN, and Richard Demarco of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Click here for detailed information, including schedule.
Link to website of Czech artist Oldrich Kulhánek
News on above exhibition...
Review by Alan Artner, Chicago Tribune art critic:
"Kulhanek's masterful look at the human condition".
News item in Reuters:
"Czech artist's exhibition moves from jail to banks".
Prague Days events as highlighted by the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chicago:
"These were Prague Days in Chicago 2007"
News on above exhibition reported in the Chicago Journal
"Sketches of the Czech Republic -
Gallery show glorifies oft-forgotten art form"
The John David Mooney Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Art and Design, will host the 9th Annual Latino Art Beat Art Competition entitled "What Hispanic Heritage & Culture Means to Me," at 114 West Kinzie Street, Chicago.
The winning artworks will be presented at a Public Reception on Thursday, 22 June 2006 from 6-8pm at the Foundation.
On February 24 from 5:00-8:00 PM the Edinburgh College of Art at the John David Mooney Foundation artists in residence will present their work in the International Currents Gallery at the Foundation. The show will exhibit the work created by Jaimie Henthorn, Marion Preez, and Chinami Takahashi during their residency thus far. Please join us for this event which, like all programming at the Foundation, is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, 7 December 2005 A FEAST OF SPAIN
This multi-media program will close the year of celebration
commemorating the 400th anniversary of the publication of
Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha
His Excellency, Ambassador Franciso J. Viqueira,
Consul General of Spain in Chicago will open this celebration
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
5:30 pm ñ 6pm Reception
| 6pm Performance
| International Currents Gallery | John David Mooney Foundation
114 West Kinzie Street, Chicago
The John David Mooney Foundation is pleased to honor a masterpiece of not only Spanish literature, but also of our entire body of literature. Known as one of the earliest novels in a modern European language, DON QUIXOTE by Cervantes, published in 1605, continues to delight the reader in this, its 400th anniversary, 2005.
A Feast of Spain will feature a concert by pianist Ignacio Marin-Bocanegra of Madrid, Spain, playing selections by Padre Soler, Mompou, Halffter and Albeniz, performed on a Fazioli concert piano. Professor DarÌo Fern·ndez-Morera of Northwestern University will present a lecture entitled, Don Quijote Today. The Ensemble EspaÒol Spanish Dance Theater directed by Dame Libby Komaiko will provide a program of classical dance and flamenco. This section of the evening will close with a brief film, IV Centenary of Don Quixote de la Mancha and images of the La Mancha region.
Following the performance program, there will be an opening reception for an exhibition of work by Spanish artists: Alejandro Vazquez Brull, Salvador Calvo, Ignacio Chavarri, and Jordi Pedrola. This show will remain available for viewing through 7 January 2006.
Ana Maria Vazquez is the Program Coordinator for this cultural feast. The John David Mooney Foundation is honored to collaborate with Ana Maria and the multiple sponsors who have made this eveningís events possible. A complete listing will be available at the concert. The John David Mooney Foundation brings to Chicago international artists, musicians, and architects. Through performances, exhibitions, lectures and symposia, the Foundation places special emphasis on creating cross-cultural programs that are accessible to all. Foundation programming is free and open to the public.
Thursday, October 20th, 2005
On Thursday, October 20, two Irish Artists, Mary Kelly and Abigail O'Brien, will make their American debut at the International Currents Gallery of the John David Mooney Foundation. Two large-scale solo exhibitions will showcase new work by the two artists.
The Opening Reception will be held from 5:30 - 8pm on Thursday, October 20, 2005, and the show will continue through December 3, 2005 at 114 W. Kinzie St., Chicago.
Mary Kelly's video and photographic installation, Asylum comprises a series of works honoring the existence of a psychiatric hospital's inhabitants which explores their quest to inscribe a sense of self within the confines of the institution.Ý This exploration continues the artist's preoccupation with the notions of "home", and her interest in the way in which people inhabit their space and how the alteration of their physical surroundings manifests itself as a deliberate or unconscious vehicle of self-expression.ÝÝ These visually astounding images offer the viewer a rare insight into the existence of the former inhabitants of psychiatric hospitals throughout Ireland.
Abigail O'Brien's Fortitude, an installation of photography and sculpture pieces, herald's the beginning of her investigation into the four Virtues; Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice. She subverts the notion of fortitude, questioning its validity or relevance in contemporary notions of both male and female identity.Ý O'Brien's visit to a fanatical collector of army tanks and her subsequent exposure to this man's hobby of driving these tanks on his land with friends on a Sunday afternoon, initially inspired her work. Through photography and sculpture her playful rendering of the themes underlying contemporary perceptions of fortitude is executed from a distinctly feminine perspective.
Rosemarie Noone, an Irish intern at the John David Mooney Foundation and a graduate student in Arts Administration at The School of the Art Institute, is coordinator and curator of this exhibition, and has prepared a catalogue for each artist which will be available for our guests.
All events at the John David Mooney Foundation are free and open to the public. Parking is available at the Sterling Self Park, $6 for the evening, directly across the street from the Foundation.
RECENT EVENTS
The John David Mooney Foundation in collaboration with the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum and with the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena Conference held at the Adler, hosted the cultural component of this conference for the public and conference guests.Ý All of the programs and exhibits were inspired by astronomical phenomena.
The program consisted of the following:
The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena
at the International Currents Gallery / John David Mooney Foundation
A World Premiere, Piano Concert, CONSTELLATIONS, a piano cycle by Maltese composer Ruben Zahra, performed by Paul Schrage on a Fazioli piano
Video presentation, ±1.618034, by Maltese artist Norbert Francis Attard
First Floor, Exhibition by Pierre Radisic, Belgian Photographer, and by Giovanna Liradelfo-Fortunati, sculptress from Belgium
Remarks by the Honorary Consul of Belgium, Mr. Paul M. Van Halteren Gallery Walk by the artists, Pierre Radisic and Giovanna Liradelfo-Fortunati
Screening of film, Heavenly Bodies, American Premiere, by photographer Pierre Radisic with music by composer Walter Hus, both from Brussels
The entire complement of exhibits included:
Girovanna Liradelfo-Fortunati, sculptor from Belgium.
Exhibition and American Premiere of film by Pierre Radisic with composer Walter Hus, Belgium
Ruben Zahra, composer from Malta
Norbert Francis Attard, video and multidisciplinary artist from Malta
Traditional Chinese Dancers from China
The Kronos Quartet also presented SUN RINGS at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
View Pierre Radisic's Work
View Pierre Radisic's Movie Trailer
June 9 - July 2, 2004: A Memorial Exhibition of Photographic Work by Stuart R. Abelson
Stuart Abelson's lifelong passion for photography led him from his native Chicago, across the world, and home again, capturing the unique people, places, and moments he encountered along the way. Photographer and curator, Kerry Scarbakka, has brought together a series of major images revealing Stuart's unique vision and his impassioned understanding of the medium. This special memorial show is the first exhibition of Stuart's work.
April 20, 2004: The Bulls of Suburbia
Special Preview Screening
In the secretive world of bullfighting, one man confronts the demons of his past
and finds himself in a battle for his life, his soul, and the approval of his dying father. The autobiographical documentary follows one suburbanite's journey to learn the skills of the matador within the rich tradition of bullfighting in Mexico and Spain. The film follows the young trainee through familiar and foreign lands as he learns the precision, discipline, and grace of the bull fight, and in a final, single confrontation with the bull, we see that the search for victory in the ring has been a quest for something much greater. AlexLeMay, the documentary's writer, director, and central character, will be present to offer commentary on the film.
March 15- Kickin' Up Dust
April 2, 2004: Photo Exhibition
The history, culture, and heritage of Australian Indigenous Peoples come to life in this exhibition of photographs taken by Aboriginal artists during Australian Contemporary Indigenous Cultural Festivals. The photos capture the joyful and tenacious spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in this celebration of their continued vitality.
February 5- Northerly Island Community Design Project
Present Seventh and Eighth graders from Chicago's Francis Xavier Warde School are contributing their design ideas for Northerly Island through hands-on educational workshops presented at the John David Mooney Foundation in conjunction with the recent Public Service exhibition, Northerly Island: A 21st Century Park.
February 12, 2004: The Chinese Traditional Arts Ensemble
of the Hunan Art School of Changsha, China
The evening's program features Chinese folk and popular music played on traditional instruments such as the er hu, the pipa, and the zhu di, as well as vocal and dramatic interpretations of pieces by the Peking Opera and a performance of the traditional Chinese Silk Dance. The ensemble of oboe, cello, and the unique two- and four-stringed bowed fiddles, fretted lutes, and bamboo flutes of traditional Chinese music promise a rare musical experience and an unforgettable evening.
February 7, 2004: Congress for the New Urbanism
Honoring the Congress for the New Urbanism, the John David Mooney Foundation welcomes the Congress' National Board of Trustees to Chicago with a viewing of Northerly Island: A 21st Century Park and a reception at the Foundation. The evening coincides with the group's 3-day conference as well as the opening of Congress offices in Chicago.
December 11, 2003- Northerly Island: A 21st Century Park
February 14, 2004: A Public Service Project for the City of Chicago
Purdue University students of Landscape Architecture share their design proposals for improving the aesthetics and uses of Northerly Island. In 1994, the Foundation sponsored a design charette and exhibition for proposing the conversion of Meigs Field into a park for the people. This year's service learning project again invites the community to participate in solutions and ideas for the future Lakefront Park.
November 5, 2003: Afghanistan: The View Through A Personal Window
Betsy Amin-Arsala, wife of Afghanistan's Vice President, shares insider's perspective with Chicago.
Citing both the immediate and psychological needs of the Afghan people, Amin-Arsala introduces her audience to the deep level of cultural understanding that must accompany any efforts to help rebuild the country. In doing so, she sparks the type of transnational discourse among citizens that is, in a globalized world, paradoxically rare and fundamentally vital. In addition to the public lecture presented at the John David Mooney Foundation, Ms. Amin-Arsala joins Mr. Mooney and DePaul Law Professor, Daniel Rothenburg in a televised interview with George O'Hare, airing Fridays at 5 PM on CAN TV19. The taping follows a lunchtime discussion between Ms. Amin-Arsala and the Sullivan Fellows of the DePaul College of Law Human Rights Institute.
April 10- Leaving Jericho
July 15, 2003: Sculpture by artists Doug Cocker and Arthur Watson, both of Dundee, Scotland.
The wood sculptures, prints, installations, and drawings reference the landscape and language of the artists' native Scotland. The title suggests an exodus, and indeed, Leaving Jericho is a call to memory, a response and a remembrance of Scotland- its climate and atmosphere, its culture and work habits, and most importantly, human interactions in landscape and song. This major show has proved to be a hit in Chicago, receiving positive responses from the public and critics alike, including rave reviews in the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Reader. Read Fred Camper's Critic's Choice review now. A hardcover catalog of the exhibition is available.
