The Chicagoland non-profit Arts of Life continues celebrating its 25th-anniversary year with its upcoming Circle Contemporary exhibition titled “What they said.”
With locations in Chicago (West Town and Woodlawn) and Glenview, Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their independence. Circle Contemporary is an extension of the Arts of Life studios’ efforts to strengthen its creative community, aiming to provide a space and outlet for artistic inspiration and exploration.
Queer couple and well-known local artists Bob Faust and Nick Cave are the guest curators of “What they said” through Facility, a space/philosophy they co-founded. Faust told Windy City Times, “It’s an opportunity to help these artists and Arts of Life. And it’s an honor to do it through the Facility Foundation, which has become a voice on the Northwest Side.”
As for choosing the artists (whose works are being paired together), Faust said the process “was based on the work itself. Nick and I did a pre-selection of the digital work based on the feelings that come up when we experience them. It’s about the reactions we had to them.
“At the end of the day, the emotion that you [provoke] is the most powerful part about making art. Conversations can begin, thoughts can change—those kinds of things. But if you don’t have a personal or emotional connection first, you’re not working in your highest capacity.
When Windy City Times interviewed Cave a few years ago, he described himself as “a messenger first and an artist second.”
So how does Faust see himself? “That’s really interesting because I do a lot of different things,” he said. “I’ve become very adept at working with stakeholders and cohorts, for example. I like to be an amplifier—maybe that’s the right word. When I work with stakeholders, I want to get their goals before I do anything. I like to clarify and amplify.” As for what he actually thinks art is, Faust said, “I think it’s a way of sharing and communicating; art has this ability to start conversations that wouldn’t be generated otherwise. Words can be misconstrued.”
Regarding “What they said,” Faust has various hopes for the exhibition. “First and foremost, my biggest hope is that the Arts of Life artists get to know each other. And I hope they understand why Nick and I chose to put their particular works together. And I hope the audience becomes interested in what they’re doing and in what Facility is doing.”
“What they said” is guest-curated by acclaimed artists Nick Cave and Bob Faust, and opens with a public reception with the artists on Friday, March 28, 5-8 p.m., at the Circle Contemporary Chicago, 2010 W. Carroll Ave. There will also be hours with Cave and Faust on Friday, May 2, 6-8 p.m. (The exhibition will run through May 9.) For more information, visit this link.