One of my mixed media pieces will be on display at a new art show opening on Saturday, July 22, at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.

My Love Sign traffic sign artwork will join works by 42 other artists in the Absurdity: In Dada We Trust exhibition. Jurors Kelly P Hensen and Beate Minkovski, who co-founded Woman Made Gallery 30 years ago, reviewed nearly 700 works before choosing my piece and others in order to create this show.

Show Runs July 22 to August 19

Absurdity: In Dada We Trust runs from Saturday, July 22, through Saturday, August 19, at Woman Made.

Opening Reception: July 22 – Join Me At The Gallery

Please join me for the opening reception, which I will attend.

The reception will be held the day the show opens, on Saturday, July 22, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Admission is free, always, at Woman Made Gallery. The gallery is located at 2150 S Canalport Ave., #4A-3, Chicago, IL 60608.

Artists Walkthrough: August 19

On the last day of the show, join me back at the gallery for the Artists Walkthrough.

Participating artists will be on hand from 2 to 4 p.m. to chat with visitors, share stories about their work, and reflect on this show’s theme.

About Love Sign

Love Sign “stops traffic” with its direct appeal to “Love” (instead of “Stop”).

Because: To fight anything is to give it power.

Dada bypasses this dead end through humor, non sequitur, irrationality, and the absurd.

In the face of what’s hard and what’s horrid, how about something so soft and gentle it confounds every argument? (And changes the culture.)

Let’s try: crocheting, text (one of Dada’s favorite tools), and traffic signs.

What if, overnight, every stop sign transformed into a pink crocheted octagon instructing drivers to “LOVE”? If love is the most powerful thing there is, set it loose and see the world change.

Crazy? Absurd? Irrational? I hope so. Let every intersection turn into a love fest/love nest, drivers leaping out to hug each other. Can peace on earth be far behind?

See Love Sign and find out more on the Woman Made site.

Dada Show Part Of Arts Coalition, Response To Current “Insanity”

Woman Made’s Dada show is one of several current exhibits focused on the Dada art movement of more than a century ago as a way to address the world’s current “insanity.”

The Art Center Highland Park, Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art, and Stola Contemporary Art are presenting Dada inspired shows that honor artist Helene Romer Smith who died in March 2022. Other groups including Alma Interiors, Evanston Art Center, Industry of the Ordinary, and Beverly Arts Center plan to participate in this Dada coalition, too. Organizers aim to form relationships to eliminate divisions in the Chicago metro area, the U.S., and around our world, with a focus on longterm connections.

As all participating groups have said, when the world goes mad, the arts go Dada.

The original Dada movement arose in the middle of World War I as artists reacted to the absurdity of war and its propaganda, when it seemed the world was on the brink of madness. Today in the US and across the globe, bullies, self-serving rhetoric, assault weapons, nationalism, racism, attacks on women’s rights and the LGBTQ community, and an often hijacked news and social media have created a culture crying out for the power Dada brings to overcome social ills through sarcasm, apparent absurdity, and (deadly serious) humor.

Visit Woman Made Gallery

Woman Made Gallery is located at 2150 S. Canalport Ave., #4A-3, Chicago, IL 60608.

To enter the building once you arrive, dial 354 at the main entrance off the parking lot. To contact the gallery, call 312-738-0400 or email general@womanmade.org.

Regular gallery hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.