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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Victoria Kent
Public Relations Manager
MMPI
312.527.7508
vkent@mmart.com
THE ARTIST PROJECT NEW YORK WELCOMES CHICAGO ARTISTS
TO ITS ROSTER
CHICAGO, IL – (February 16, 2011) – The Artist Project New York, March 17-20, 2011,
is excited to announce Chicago artists to its roster. The Artist Project New York is an
exhibition of fine art by a selection of unrepresented international artists, with works
ranging from Paintings, Photography, Mixed Media and Sculpture. The show will boast
more than 150 juried artists, with each offering a unique body of work. Chicago artists
include Alex Menocal, Armando Pedroso, Deborah Maris Lader, DeMarcus Purham,
Ilana Frank, Shauna Angel Blue and Yvette Kaiser Smith. Below is more information on
these up-and-coming Chicago artists.
“Given the importance of the fine art market in Chicago, we are pleased to bring the
works of Chicago-area artists to New York City. Each of these self-representing artists
will present and sell a wide array of fine art at the March fair,” said Reed McMillan, show
director, The Artist Project New York. “The four-day fair provides collectors, art
enthusiasts, dealers and curators face-to-face interaction with these fascinating artists
who will converge in New York City for their first major showing.”
Alex Menocal creates permanent installations in paint and temporary installations in
tape. His work consists of colorful geometric line drawings done on walls. He is inspired
by working by working with those who will be surrounded by his art. His images are
intended to be meditative objects that are meant to imply motion and a sculptural
physicality with the absolute minimum of meditation of line and color. Menocal has been
living in Chicago for the past 12 years and was recently included in Chicago Home &
Garden magazine’s “Best of the New issue.” In order to fund his trip to New York,
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THE ARTIST PROJECT NEW YORK WELCOMES CHICAGO ARTISTS TO ITS
ROSTER
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Menocal used Kickstarted, a community funding tool, to rally 102 backers to support his
presence in the show. Menocal will be giving his backers status updates while at the
show.
Armando Pedroso is a mixed media artist working and living in Chicago. He
deconstructs and reconstructs layers of roofing tar, plasters, recycled metals, symbols,
word, found objects, Acrylic, spray paint and silk lacquer on custom panels. The focus of
his work is to encourage the viewer to act upon their hidden passions and dreams. His
paintings try to capture the essence of what an individual dreams might look like if
inspired to take a leap of faith. Pedroso has had his own art studio and gallery space in
the Ravenswood Art District since 2006. Pedroso has exhibited at the Gasparilla Art
Festival, Florida, Laquinta Art Festival, California, Art Expo, New York, Lakeview East
Art Fest, Illinois and the One of a Kind Show, Chicago and New York.
Deborah Maris Lader is a mixed media artist living and working in Chicago. In 1989,
Lader created the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, which provides a studio
environment for artist-printmakers to pursue their work and to broaden their knowledge
of printmaking media. Lader’s current work incorporates the use of birds in both her
mixed media paintings and print pieces. The birds reflect her dreams, memories and
spontaneous thoughts. Lader describes her work as eclectic, whimsical, proficient,
honest and funny. Lader has exhibited at the Loyola University Museum, Chicago, IL;
Harper College, Chicago, IL; WomanMade Gallery, Chicago, IL;, Ukrainian Museum of
Modern Art, Chicago, IL; and Art Chicago, Chicago, IL.
DeMarcus Purham is a Chicago artist who creates hand drawing of cities around the
world using Acrylic paint, Prism-color pencils and paint markers against a multi-color
background. Purham has exhibited at The Artist Project Chicago, Chicago, IL;
Streeterville Artisan Market, Chicago, IL; One of a Kind Show Chicago, Chicago, IL and
the Daley Center Pedway Glass Panel Exhibit, Chicago, IL. Currently, Purham has one
of his largest hand-drawn murals displayed at the James Hotel in Chicago. It is a 50 x
15ft mural depicting the Chicago Skyline on the James Hotel Ballroom wall.
Ilana Frank is a one-time Chicago artist who uses oil on canvas. She does not draw
under her paintings. She starts directly by mapping out forms and areas of color with a
thing oil paint wash. She then uses a brush to draw over the wash where needed. From
there she chooses her colors and carefully lays each color down with the brush. Each
brushstroke is done side-by-side until the effect she wants is achieved. She doesn’t do
any over painting. Her brushstrokes are specifically placed and her technique ensures
that her colors are fresh and vibrant and that the texture of each brushstroke maintains
its integrity. Frank describes her work as colorful, special, provocative, inspirational and
contemplative. Frank is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. She has
exhibited at the Atelier Gallery in Rome, Italy and Le Regard Gallery in Cannes, France.
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THE ARTIST PROJECT NEW YORK WELCOMES CHICAGO ARTISTS TO ITS
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Shauna Angel Blue is a local Chicago photographer whose viewpoints are both
compositional and painterly. Blue’s work reflects her extreme use of light and is printed
on watercolor paper. Blue has exhibited at Moving Hear Center, Lieden, Holland; Gallery
Uno, Chicago, IL; Home Gallery, Chicago, IL; Kinsey Institute, Bloomington, IN and
Peninsula Museum of Art, Oakland, CA. Blue lives and works in Chicago with her artist
husband, Willie Kohler.
Yvette Kaiser Smith creates her own fiberglass cloth by crocheting continuous strands
of fiberglass into flat geometric shapes. The shapes are formed and hardened with the
application of polyester resin and the use of gravity. Small finished units are sewn
together with the fiberglass into medium sized blocks which can assemble to form a
larger unit or grid structure. Smith’s work engages math as a structural foundation by
utilizing the grid, prime numbers, the numbers Pi and e and Pascal’s Triangle. To create
new work, she creates a system. She chooses a number sequence from the numbers Pi,
e or a section from Pascal’s Triangle and then defines a specific method for articulating
the digits, defining the colors and a sequence for the colors. She then follows the plan to
complete her work. Smith has exhibited at the Fair for Contemporary Art and
Photography, Berlin, Germany; Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, IL, and Art Loop Open,
Chicago, IL.
The Artist Project New York will showcase these amazing artists and more during the
four-day show. The Artist Project New York offers collectors, curators, dealers and the
public a rare opportunity to view and purchase contemporary fine art. As the show is
juried, visitors can be assured that they will have access to the best in emerging and
established talent. In addition to featuring contemporary fine art collections, visitors will
also have entrée to an eclectic program of talks, special features and art installations –
making this show a fully immersive art experience.
For detailed information about the show, please visit: www.theartistprojectny.com. For
more information about exhibiting, please contact Reed McMillan, Show Director at
rmcmillan@mmart.com or 646.778.3237.
For more information about MMPI or The Artist Project New York, please visit
www.theartistprojectny.com or call 800.677.6278 (MART).
MMPI is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to
wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market
events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at
Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High
Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building, 7 W New York, and Piers 92 & 94 in New York City; the
Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; the Washington Design Center in
Washington DC.
Vornado Realty Trust, owners of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate
investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded
under the symbol VNO.
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THE ARTIST PROJECT NEW YORK WELCOMES CHICAGO ARTISTS TO ITS
ROSTER
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MMPI Art and Consumer Groups is comprised of Art Chicago, NEXT, The Armory Show, Volta Basel,
Volta NY, The Artist Project New York, The Artist Project Toronto, the Toronto International Art Fair, One
of a Kind Shows in Chicago, New York, Toronto and Vancouver, the Merchandise Mart International
Antiques Fairs, and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, all owned and produced by Merchandise
Mart Properties, Inc.
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