Michael Rea, Tsavo Manhunters, Part 2, 2009

Elmhurst, IL - On Friday, July 8, Elmhurst Art Museum unveils the humongous sculptures by Chicago artist Michael Rea in the exhibition Soirée. Rea creates objects that are incongruous with what they intend to represent. Using unfinished wood, Rea's larger-than-life sculptures, instruments (guitars, drum kits, etc.), fallen space ships, jet skis, and arrays of weaponry - take on hallucinogenic qualities. Fabricating objects in such a delusional manner infuses the sculpture with an undeniable sense of humor and comments on the temporal nature of pop culture. Rea finds beauty in fantasy and failure, while the sculptures revel in fictitious interpretation and mirage the reality of his imagination.

Also on exhibition through September 3: The Unsentimental Journey of Seymour Rosofsky, a retrospective of the prolific Chicago artist, Original Dirt, painterly quilts by Cincinnati artist, Denise Burge; and Works on Paper: Selections from the Elmhurst College Collection. 

Please join us for a Curator Walk and Talk of Michael Rea's Soirée and to take a second look at The Unsentimental Journey of Seymour Rosofsky, Works on Paper: Selections from the Elmhurst College Collection, and Denise Burge: Original Dirt with our new curator Aaron Ott and special guest Michael Rea on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 6:30 pm. 

Lecture, The Chicago Imagists and the Figurative Tradition, by Guest Curator, Suellen Rocca, Friday, August 5 at 6:30 pm.  Free.

 

Art on the Run, Free family activities focusing on a different exhibiting artist each month.  Wednesdays and Fridays 10 am-12 pm, June through August.  Free. 

Exhibiting late 20^th and early 21^st Century American and Contemporary Art, EAM offers exhibitions ranging from national touring works to local emerging and mid-career Chicago and Illinois artists.  The AIA award winning building was designed around McCormick House, one of only three Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed residences.  The Mission of Elmhurst Art Museum is to provide the people of Elmhurst and surrounding communities with a center for exploring the visual arts of our time.  The museum strives to produce a welcoming atmosphere, where art can be viewed, studied, created, and appreciated.  The architecturally significant facility enriches the lives of visitors by broadening their knowledge of art and design, increasing the understanding of the visual arts, and sparking the development of individual creative talent.  Fifteen miles west of Chicago and adjacent to the Metra West train line, the Museum offers public tours, programs, guest lectures, and art classes. 

 

Hours:                   Tuesday - Thursday, and Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

                                Friday: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

                                Monday and Sunday: Closed

Admission:           The Museum is open FREE to the public on Friday

                                Adults - $7.00, Seniors - $5.00, Students - $5.00, Children under 12 and Members - FREE

 

For more information, call (630) 834-0202, or visit www.elmhurstartmuseum.org

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