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CURRENT EXHIBITION
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Etsuko Ichikawa
MOMENTS / MEMORY
MEET THE ARTIST: Opening Reception (free)
Friday
February 6, 2009
5 to 8 p.m.
... a continuing investigation of what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal.
“Moment and memory, absorption and evaporation, light and shadow are some of the triggers that inspire me and relate to my work.
My “glass pyrographs” are made by drawing hot molten glass, which is one way to capture and eternalize the immediacy of a moment,
while my hanging and floating installations are about ever-changing states of mind”.
LIVE DEMONSTRATION:
at Chicago Hot Glass - 1250 N. Central Park Avenue
YAHOO MAP
Saturday, FEBRUARY 7, 2009
3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Please RSVP by February 2 - space is limited
MAP/FLYER - to Chicago Hot Glass (pdf)
ABOVE IMAGE: Glass pyrograph and digital projection on paper, dimensions variable
(download Hi-res Image)
Group Exhibition / Gallery Artists
Ceramics: Steve Hansen, Frank Saliani, Ruth Borgenicht & Dennis Lee Mitchell
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Furniture: Bonnie Bishoff/J.M. Syron and Nico Yektai
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Teapots: Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Steve Hansen, Barbara Frey, Richard Swanson and Greg Fidler.
 STEVE HANSEN
“Mythologies: Propaganda and Commerce”
Opens Friday, September 5, 2008
Reception 5 to 9 p.m.
Ceramist Steve Hansen’s artistic renaissance continues. Grounding his works in a trompe l’oeil version of Americana, his stoneware commentaries on the intersections of high and low art, commerce, and pop culture have struck a chord with critics and collectors alike.
This exhibition features works from his popular Gods of Commerce series, re-combinations of mythological icons which have been appropriated by marketers in their attempts to sell various products. Added to this, his new Propaganda series has widened the net - from products to ideology and the ‘permeable nature of truth’ –continuing the theme but focusing on the selling of “truth” rather than products. While the connection to Pop Art in this new work remains strong, Hansen has revisited the consumerist vs. capitalist argument and enlarged it to bring into focus the irony of polemic truths living side-by-side on the same object.
About Steve Hansen
AVAILABLE WORKS / TEA Pot Inventory
FRANK SALIANI
Abstractions and Associations
Opening Reception: Friday, June 6
thru August 1, 2008
“Surroundings”
Virtual imagined surroundings, oils on canvas by Jill Henry.
thru June 1, 2008.
Press release
For February & March, Function+Art proudly presents the work of two artists “drawing” with unconventional materials.
VESTIGES:
Wallin / Ichikawa
Jeff Wallin creates his hazy, dreamlike paintings using fine layers of powdered glass that is baked in a kiln. Each layer is a meditation on the passage of time, investigating the “unexpected ways by which an accumulation of marks can acquire new meanings outside of the experiences that created them; encompassing both the subject and the memories surrounding the subject’s history. These works are not meant to convey a specific history; they simply need to be history.” - Reception: Friday, February 22, 5-8 p.m.
Etsuko Ichikawa’s work is “a continuing investigation of what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal”. Made by imprinting hot glass onto paper, her pyrographs capture “moment and memory, absorption and evaporation, light and shadow”, and the passage of time and motion. - Reception: Friday, March 14, 5-8 p.m.
As both of these artists use glass in the process of creating, they have previously been represented with considerable success by our sister gallery, PRISM Contemporary. However, as each takes a decidedly fine-art approach to his or her artwork, we are presenting them at Function + Art as purely 2D fine art.
As this is essentially a dual-solo exhibition, the gallery will hold two receptions for Vestiges;
Reception 1:
Jeff Wallin
Friday, February 22, 5-8 p.m.
Reception 2:
Etsuko Ichikaw
Friday, March 14, 5-8 p.m.
"Binh Pho: Allegories"
Friday, October 5, 2007 - reception: 5 to 8 pm
Meet the Artist Reception and Demonstration!
Impossibly delicate & Elegant turned wood sculptural vessels
from a world-renowned Chicagoan - MORE INFORMATION
thru November 4
TEAPOTS!
OPENS: Friday, September 7 - Reception 5 to 8 pm
  
(left) Stephan Cox - Teapot 25 - Blown and sculpted glass - 33x19x15 - http://www.functionart.com/AM/Artists/CoxS/Teapot_25_P.jpg
(center) Barbara Frey - "Let's Go Teapot 22" - ceramic - http://www.functionart.com/AM/Artists/FreyB/LetsGoTeapot22_P.jpg
(right) Mark Rooker - Lemon Zinger Teapot - Aluminum and stainless - 24 x 7 x 7" - http://www.functionart.com/AM/Artists/RookerM/LemonZinger_P.jpg
The teapot has a long and rich history, dating back thousands of years - from ancient Chinese tea cups, to contemporary interpretations of idea, form, and function.
In the 1600’s, as tea drinking was propagated by the British Empire, the increasing demand led to commercial production of teapots, which prior had mostly been handcrafted in the Yixing province in China. A variety of designs and styles were produced in ever-increasing numbers – but standardization and manufacturing efficiencies tended towards homogenization.
Relatively recently, interest has surged in teapots as an artistic format – both from artists and collectors alike. Paradoxically, the added constraints of the label ‘teapot", and the functional requirements (spout, handle, interior volume), seem to allow sculptors much more freedom to create, to entertain, and to have fun!
This exhibition is a compact survey of contemporary sculptural teapots, with offerings in wood, metal, glass, and the ubiquitous clay. These works are about themselves, transcending their utilitarian origins to achieve greater identity, meaning, and significance. At this level, the object may be seen more easily as sculpture.
We invite you to share in the delight, whimsy, or elegance each object exudes, and choose a favorite. We’ll compile our visitors’ votes and present them on our website at the conclusion of the show. Thanks for looking – and enjoy!
Some of the artists we will be showing include:
Fong Choo, Stephan Cox, Barbara Frey, Steve Hansen, Elizabeth Lurie, Christopher McElroy, Richard Swanson, Lisa Slovis Mandel, Tania Radda, Mark Rooker, Raju Peddada, Christian Thirion, Margit Nellemann...
please check back for more details and inventory
Chicago VISION
Opening Reception: Friday, July 13 - 5 to 9 p.m.
Featuring :
3rd annual Guerrilla Truck Show!
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guer.ril.la (ger ril'e) n. 1. a member of a small independant group of furniture designers and artisians that band together to provide an exciting, innovative venu to vent their ideas and creativity. |
Function+Art's featured artists include:
STUDIO FURNITURE - Chris Martin, Duncan Gowdy, Cory Robinson, Henry Royer, Andrew Muggleton, Cameron VanDyke, Kimberly Winkle, Paul Freundt, David Orth, Richard Bennett, Leah Woods, Derek Secor Davis...
RUGS - Raju Peddada
ConTEXT: Symbols and Lauguage
opens Friday, May 4
public reception 5-8 pm
continues through June 16.
While it can be argued at all visual art is intended to convey meaning, it is especially true of text art. All too often however, the art consists solely of the text itself. In this exhibition, each of the works communicates on multiple levels; the 5 featured artists incorporate text into their works, but as a supplement - adding additional layers of meaning.
...will include works by:
Greg Milne, Mike Rollins, Megan Murphy, Steve Hansen,
and flameworked books by Elizabeth R. Mears and L. Lindsey Mears
DETAILS / Full Press Release
"PASCAL"
Opening Reception:
Friday, March 30, 2007
5:00 - 8:00 pm
Exhibition runs through April 27, 2007 (Art Chicago / Bridge Art Fair ‘07)
Closing Reception/Meet the Artist Brunch:
Sunday, April 29, 2007
9:30 am to 12 noon
Stated simply, Pascal loves wood, “because of its individuality, its smell, its temperature, its origin. This medium is strong, smart, full of character, unexpected - very feminine”. Indeed, though his works are abstract, certain of his sculptures have a feminine cast, with elegantly swelling contours and subtle curves. Others are fortresslike, or totemic – but all enjoy a simplicity of form which balances geometric abstraction with organic form. There is an undertone of symbolism as well, a hieroglyphic shorthand that hints at other visual languages.
PASCAL - full press release
SPACE: Elemental
paintings by JILL HENRY
Friday, February 23, 2007
Exhibit runs thru March 24
This new body of work evokes a ethereal, zen-like sense of calm. Mark-making is there, but diffused. The palette lends emphasis to the atmospheric quality of the work. The viewer is drawn in deeply; becoming a participant in whatever is going on inside the canvas MORE
We did great at
SOFA Chicago 2006
November 10-12 @ Navy Pier
booth #425
Function + Art and PRISM Contemporary Glass
are proud to once again participate in SOFA-Chicago (Booth #425)
– with a strong and varied lineup of artists working in all your favorite media.
For a PREVIEW of each artist, a
s well as special event times (demos & booksigning),
please visit our special SOFA page at
For more about these shows, see our Fall Newsletter (click to download)
"INGRAINED PASSION" 
Exhibition runs through November 30, 2006
CLICK HERE TO SEE GALLERY SHOTS
Continuing our Commitment to Excellence in Objects, Function + Art is pleased to announce “Ingrained Passion”, a unique exhibition focused on the natural beauty of Wood. While most of us are surrounded by wood in our daily lives and homes, how often do we stop and admire its character, beauty, and flexibility?
Wood is a unique medium for an artist. Sometimes, the woodgrain itself offers more complexity of design than might be accomplished with a brush or pen. The artist’s job might then be to highlight what nature has provided - and in the process, create something new. Or, much like Michelangelo once claimed, the sculpture may already be inside – it is merely the artist’s job to remove the excess.
Sometimes, the color is the point of departure – offering up a three-dimensional
canvas upon which to build, embellish, highlight or even subtract. In any event, the artist usually works with the innate beauty of the medium, and builds from there. In this exhibition, you will find wood manipulated in many ways: turned, laminated, carved, assembled, dyed, inlaid, pierced, painted, oiled, waxed and hewn.
Overall, over a dozen artists’ works will be featured: turned bowls, sculpture, furniture... and a surprise or two along the way. Featured artists will hail from the four corners of the USA: Michael Mode (VT), Avelino Samuel (USVI), Christopher Cantwell (CA), and Michael DeForest (OR). In keeping with Chicago Artists Month, Chicago will be represented by Binh Pho, of Maple Park, (IL).
Additional Artists: Pascal, Skip Bellock, Dixie Biggs, Christopher Cantwell, Michael DeForest, Cindy Drozda, Duncan Gowdy, Michael Mode, Bihn Pho, Avelino Samuel, Mike Shuler, Brent Skidmore, Joel Urruty, Chris Martin, Cory Robinson, Henry Royer...
and Dennis Lee Mitchell - welded clay, that looks like Birch!
 
Art imitates Life. Continuing our commitment to Excellence in Objects, this summer we feature three ceramists, each of whom relates a story about Life, told in clay: three investigations of Life Transformation; evolution/hybridization, health/disease, and nature/nurture.
Please join us in celebrating these remarkable works.
ONE
Lindsay Feuer
Opens Friday, July 14, 2006
thru August 5th
TWO
Helen Otterson
Opens Friday, August 11, 2006
thru September 5th
THREE
Steve Hansen
Opens Friday, September 8, 2006
thru October 13th
Mentalmetal
Opens Friday, May 12, Reception 5:50 to 8:30 pm
Runs through June 30.
CITY-WIDE Gallery walk, May 26, 2006 from 5 to 9:30 pm
In concert with the Society of North American Goldsmiths’ (SNAG) annual conference (being held this year in Chicago; May 24-27), we are mounting an exhibition entitled “Mentalmetal”. The exhibition will feature a fascinating array of jewelry, furniture, sculpture, and functional works in a variety of metals and techniques.
In keeping with the Conference theme of “Mind & Matter: From Thought to Object”, each artist is being asked to provide a record of the inspiration or process that preceded it. We expect this to add a fascinating layer to the exhibition: investigations as to the meaning of objects; snapshots of inspiration & frustration; the artistic process laid bare.
Artists include: Haley Bates, Darlys Ewoldt, Robert Federico, Paul Freundt, Anne Hallam, Vanessa Hirschowitz, LauraLee Hutson, Jesse Mathes, David Orth, Robert Pulley, Henry Royer, Ira Sapir, Jen Schmetzer, Adam Shirley, Lisa Slovis Mandel, John Suttman, Cameron Vandyke, Anne Wolf ...
“Abstracted Obsession”
paintings by Jill Henry
As I paint, the result is always in question and in doubt. I begin only with the idea that the form will be developed through work and exploration. My paintings are born from discovery and response. The image unfolds through the manipulation of the most basic elements in art: such as, line, space, and texture; and through the strengthening of the relationships found within each work.
Opens April 7; reception 5-9 pm.
Thru May 6. |
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"START"
Accessible works for new collectors
February 17- April1, 2006
AFTER-WORK Wednesdays
March 1, 8, 15, and 22 - 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
more details
“START”. This will be the first shared exhibition between Function + Art and its sister gallery, PRISM Contemporary Glass. START is geared toward a new audience, one perhaps not as familiar with craft objects as art. Accordingly, the exhibit will feature more-accessible (read: relatively inexpensive) works in furniture, metal, wood, ceramics, and glass. Prices will range from just under $100 to $2000.
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Participating Artists:
RICHARD BENNETT, CHRIS MARTIN, ED PENNEBAKER, DAVID ORTH & ALEX ROSKIN
The Philadelphia Furniture & Furnishings Show is nationally acclaimed as the finest exhibition of studio-made products for the home and office. Now in its ninth year, the show has grown by leaps and bounds. While most of the 250 juried professionals from across the United States are furniture makers, over 40 percent are showing home furnishings such as handmade paper lighting, modernist patterned rugs, sleek silverware, glass and ceramic vases and intricately inlaid boxes. Limited production and one-of-a-kind work for the bedroom, garden, home office, boardroom and kitchen runs the gamut from innovative contemporary designs to adaptations of classical styling to interpretations of the American rural aesthetic. |
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CLICK TO VIEW EXHIBIT
ARTISTS INCLUDE:
TOLAND SAND, ED PENNEBAKER, BRIAN RUSSELL, ALEX GABRIEL BERNSTEIN, TALIAFERRO JONES, RALPH MOSSMAN, STEVEN KNAPP, MAX DAVIS, MICHAEL O'KEFFE, PAUL RUNDE and more
This exhibition continues our strong tradition of discovering the NEXT Generation of fine craft artisans. For this Invitational, we have assembled an exciting group of talented artisans who are receiving national attention, along with a several "new discoveries". Techniques represented will include lampworking/flameworking, blowing, hot casting and kiln-casting, pate-de-verre, lamination, carving, slumping, and fusing... both functional and purely sculptural works will be represented. |
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Vessels, Boxes & Baskets (preview)
October 10 - November 4, 2003:
CERAMICS: Patrick Dragon, Thomas Hoadley, Stephen Merritt, James Spiroff, Garry Price, Peter Hessemer
GLASS: John Chiles, Christian Thirion, Ralph Mossman, Brian Russell, Bandhu Dunham
WOOD: Michael Bauermeister, Dennis Elliott, Jack Alberti, Peter Petrochko, Michael Mode, Cory Robinson, Andy Buck, Todd Wolfe, Jack & Linda Fifield
METAL: Jim Cole, Joseph Brandom, Anne Hallam, Dale Wedig, Cynthia Eid, Frederick Crist, Nancy Slagle
FIBER: Susan kavicky, Kari Lonning, Doris Messick, Linda Fifield
PAINTINGS: Steven Pearson
VBB is intended to present a survey or "snapshot" of established and mid-career artisans’ current work, and encompasses all major disciplines: ceramic, glass, wood, metals, and fiber. Perhaps more than any of our other shows, VBB has been about the object and craftsmanship. The definitions of a vessel, a box, or a basket are broad, and here the function is implied but rarely consummated. These works are about themselves. Transcending their utilitarian origins to achieve greater identity, meaning, and significance. At this level, the object may be seen more easily as sculpture.
2 a TEA
(opens 10/10; Special Reception 10/18, 6-9pm)
Inspired by the Cultural Center’s hosting of "The Artful Teapot", we expect to present between 30 and 50 teapots ranging from the precious to the whimsical - including works by a number of the artists represented in the Kamm collection such as: Michael & Maureen Banner, Stephen Hansen, Jared Jaffe, and Stephen Fabrico. Paradoxically, the added constraint of the label ‘teapot" seems to allow artists much more freedom to create, to entertain, and to have fun!
Lisa Slovis, Michael & Maureen Banner, Fong Choo, Jared Jaffe, Nancy Slagle, Richard Swanson, Mike Haley/Susy Siegele, Ismael Gonzalez, Joe Klingler, Steven Fabrico, Christian Thirion, Ellen Jantzen, Lisa Harris, Stephen Hansen, Kathy Triplett, Bonnie Seeman |
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October 16 - 19, 2003:
Booth # 524
Featuring new works by
Toland Sand and Chris Martin
Function + Art is proud to once again participate in the definitive Exposition of sculpture and fine craft - now in it's tenth year, SOFA-Chicago, in Chicago this October 16-19.
Function + Art specializes in contemporary studio furniture, fine craft and the decorative arts, and relocated to Chicago's West Loop Gate neighborhood from the Detroit market in May of 2002. Our booth at SOFA (#524) will feature works by furniture maker Christopher J Martin, new glass sculptures by Toland Sand, and blown glass chandeliers by Ed Pennebaker. |
"The Eclectic Electric"
September 5 – October 4, 2003:
Artists include: Kim Kelzer (WA), Kirby Jones (CA), Warren Muller (PA), Jill Davis (RI), Alex Porbe (MI), Ed Pennebaker (AR),Christopher Poehlmann (FL), Ellen Sall (PA), Thomas Wargin (WI), Garry Knox Bennett (CA), Ismael Gonzalez (CA), Alex Roskin (NY), Sanjolee (IL), Brent Skidmore (NC), Chris Bowman (IN)
This critically-acclaimed Invitational exhibition, featuring works in all media, expands the boundaries of lighting design; in the material sense as well as the conceptual. Found (previously discarded) objects are exalted, while precious materials are humbled by their proximity... Delicate porcelain, cold steel,textured wood, sumptuous glass and vibrant paint... all have their place in this exhibition. A study in contrasts (i.e., trash meets glass), The Eclectic Electric is also about convergence;the blending of art & science, of aesthetics and ergonomics.
(click here for the Press Release)
"BDS-3 - Facets of Glass"
ALL NEW works by 3 of our most popular artists!
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April 25th to May 31,
Artist's Talk Saturday,
April 26, Noon
Basic materials manipulated with basic techniques. Cold steel and rough-hewn wood processed through two artists' creative imaginations. Raw becomes finished, yet the basic nature of the materials remains unchanged. Dale Wedig and Chris Martin have very different
approaches to the same "problem": the transformation of wood and metal into sculptural, useful furniture.
Ancient times echo in Chris' work; sturdy lumber reminiscent of Medieval castles, combined with almost-delicate steel fabrications evocative of a Samurai's blade and rich patinas result in contemporary furnishings which suggest their
own storied history.
Dale Wedig doesn't coax; he bends steel to his will. Searing fire and absolute force are tempered by humor and skilled, gentle hands; resulting in substantial yet playful furniture that often questions its own intended function. |
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At Function + Art, we take special pride in discovering, exhibiting and promoting the NEXT Generation of fine craft artisans. For this years’ Glass Invitational, we have assembled a dozen artists whose work inspires us . . .and we hope you, as well. This exibition is an excellent opportunity to acquire works by these artists who are on the threshold of national prominence.
March 21 - April 20
A Glass Act '03: National Glass Invitational
Group exhibition of sculptural and functional works from emerging and established glass artists.
Participants
Sean Mercer, Alex Bernstein, Epiphany Studios, Chris Hawthorne, Jeremy Cline, Ed Pennebaker, Toland Sand, Dar Horn, Jill H. Davis, Brian Russell, Bandhu Dunham, Elizabeth Mears, Caleb Nichols, Christian Thirion,Marc Leva & Ellen Abbott, Jim Brown, Gary Andolina |
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Spotlights:
Robert Pulley / Jay Dougan / Sharon Bladholm
Inaugural Exhibition:
Bauermeister, Michae - lBennett, Richard -Brandom, Joseph -Burchard, Christian -Byers, Sandra -Cline, Jeremy -Dragon, Patrick - Dougan, Jay - Dunham, Bandhu - Ewoldt, Darlys - Freundt, Paul - Genetti, Gary - Hawthorne, Chris - Klingler, Joe - Lewis, Dale - Merritt, Steven - Miller, John - Nelson, Paul - Sanguino, Reinaldo - Runde, Paul - Slovis, Lisa - Spiroff, James - Stewart, Veronica - Triplett, Kathy - Vesper, Kerry - Wedig, Dale |
FUTURE EXHIBITIONS
CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD A HI-RES VERSION
Vitreography: a print show
March 27 thru April 25, 2009
Opening Reception:
Friday, March 27, from 5 - 8 p.m.
Exhibition runs through April 25, 2009
MORE INFORMATION
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