COVID CREATIONS ONLINE EXHIBIT

ART CREATED BY WEST RIDGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS

SAMUEL LEOPOLD

Side Center by Samuel Leopold (oil on canvas)

NAOMI LEOPOLD

Flower Jewels by Naomi Leopold (pencil, colored pencil, paper)

RICHARD TRUMBO

West Ridge Insects, Birds, Flutes and Space by Richard Trumbo

"I created this musical composition using field recordings of singing insects and birds from a morning at the Westridge Nature Preserve, birds from my backyard, and myself playing Native American Flutes, and virtual instruments. This took place in June, 2020 and is self healing response during the CoVid 19 Pandemic Quarantine. Turn up the volume, the insects and birds sing just as soft and beautiful during a pandemic."

JERRY KAISER

Lockdown Bark Art by Jerry Kaiser (images 1-7):

"The bark is from an American Elm tree in Galena, IL. It was one of the oldest trees in the state that was struck by lightning. I began with colored pencil, then advanced into oil pastels, graphite pencil and watercolor."

Recycled Assemblage by Jerry Kaiser (image 8):

"In February, I visited in Bellevue, WA, and saw an exhibit by the resident artist for recycling. Her art inspired me to create this from materials that are not recyclable. I add to it daily with teabag wrappers, mesh fruit bags, labels, etc."

JULIA SEARS

All Cops Go To Prison by Julia Sears

Remember the late-80s children's classic All Dogs Go to Heaven? I took the summary of the film from the back of its VHS tape and melded it with my own written, idealized version of the events which took place this summer with acrylic ink and modge podge. I wanted to focus my frustration with the pandemic and injustice served by law enforcement into a nostalgic, Disney-adjacent happy ending

ESTER HANA

Suite for May by Ester Hana: "I revisited the novel Middle March, by Mary Ann Evans, and was inspired to write these three pieces during our lockdown."

I. Cradling (early during the year, it seemed there was only a little indication of what could grow)

II. Middle March (the lockdown)

III. Here We Sturdy Are! (in the hope that we weather it all and find ourselves stronger)

MELINDA BURGIN

Works by Melinda Burgin:

"The collection Freedom is a series of collages from magazine pieces. The pieces developed from a text based art exercise of cutting up random words and using them to generate a collage.

Faces of the City is a collage made from pastel drawings, charcoal drawings, and maps of Chicago that combines images of 1918 and present day Chicago. My goal was to use the contrast between black and white and colored images to convey the clashing and contradictory events taking place in the same time and place and the layered effect of the collage work to build a sense of connection between the two time periods separated by many years.

Carnival is a pastel and charcoal drawing that focuses on concepts of what makes reality and memories versus the present."