Extra Credit - ArtSpace Chicago

Extra Credit is a collaborative exhibition with art educators and their students. Work is chosen which reflects a similar style or theme. Extra Credit partners with ArtSpace Chicago, a local gallery and educator space.

Sponsored by ArtConnected

What Women Are Thinking About

What Women Are Thinking About  is a group show of works by women artists from around the world at Liz Long art gallery at Urban Art Retreat in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. The show is on display through Mar. 23,  2024  at 1957 S. Spaulding Ave. Chicago, Il. 60623. Visitors may catch the show on Saturdays from 1-4 or by contacting the gallery for an alternate date/time. contact@urbanartretreat.com

“Picking 4” which depicts anxious habits, work by Kuharchuk

Some artists are local such as Val Cavin who resides in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. Her piece is about growing old. Val says look forward not backward with regrets.  Julia Shangguan from the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago contributed a dynamic piece about Asian women feeling a need to assimilate. Tamara Berger of Serbia says her primary focus in painting is on feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. She has contributed a piece called “Mothers are Super Heroes”.  Veronica Ceci from Texas has two pieces in the show about air quality and pesticides. Nymera of Texas has a piece in the show called Since You Asked, about women of color often being asked  what is on their minds.   Maria Coletsis, of Vancouver Canada, shows us a beautiful photograph of roses and when you look up close you see the pot is not a pot but a covid mask and when you look closer, you see on the mask a man spraying pesticides. One of the pieces that Cat Roberts has in the show says- I Am worthy I Am Bold I Am Melaninaire. Cassandra Robinson from Wisconsin’s assemblage piece is about Incarceration. Meghan Du from the UK enchanted everyone with her art- TRIBE about women’s land and women’s empowerment. Renee Kuharchuk of Bartlett, Illinois also fascinated people with her pieces. Both large, one is called Property or Commodity is the pelvis bones of a woman with paper money woven in & out of it, the other is hands, picking the skin especially around the fingernails and is called Picking (about anxiety). Monica Mills from Prague  contributed a powerful piece alluding to (FGM)FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION. The piece is comprised of pieces of canvas not too big sewn together on a round form. The canvas pieces have traces of reddish hue. And we have a black and white photograph by a woman we shall call L who is self- identified as homeless. She lives in Australia. L told me she was hard pressed to enter the show since some men had just stolen everything she had. The photograph is high contrast mostly black above the large tree. Top heavy with black sky, at the very bottom one sees a very small woman reading/studying a book on her lap with legs crossed, on some cement, in front of where it says Modern Contemporary Art on the building.

Renee Kuharchuk’s Property or Commodity

The curator is an artist, originally from New York. Dianna C. Long has included her collaged tall cupboard piece-  Woman As Survivor which chronicles the decades she has put into showing art by women who have survived trauma (mostly rape, domestic violence, incest). She has covered a tall old cupboard from top to bottom, even the door with scraps of papers about the art shows and times they existed in. The artists bared their trauma selves and allowed the public to look at their art about surviving trauma. This validation and sharing helped to heal the artists and some viewers. For others is has been an awakening.

Also included in the art show is a video of many of the actual pieces that have been in the largest Woman As Survivor art show that Dianna has curated. This silent video of one trauma piece after another on view to see is riveting. It is here to see. Dianna says that many women are thinking of wanting to be safe from rape, domestic violence, and incest.

The Art Dames Society - Gratitude Show

The Art Dames Society was launched as an international support network for women creatives who are changing their career path into the arts. It shines a spotlight on emerging, mid-career, and established women artists through opportunities to showcase their work and share their stories with the world. We believe that all voices are important as each woman's life and art journeys are unique and shape the circumstances of her art practice.

Mouth 3 - Acrylic painting on canvas

Having had personal experience with returning to the arts after years of neglecting her creative callings, the founder Ceili Seipke, made it her mission to support like-minded women artists through opportunities, resources and mentorship. 

 The Art Dames Society is an inclusive platform that currently focuses on showcasing the work of women artists through the First Friday Art Gallery, introducing them to wider audiences through the Artist Directory and In the Spotlight interviews and sharing business/career advice on the Spotlight page.

“Is it enough, yet?” Assemblage/Installation

 Join us to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative that is “Celebrating women artists who radiate wisdom, experience, strength, and the beauty of aging.”

Works featured by Renee Kuharchuk include “Mouth 3” and “Is it Enough, Yet?”

Participating artists in The Art Dames Society Gratitude Show.

The Art Dames Society - First Friday Show

The Art Dames Society was launched as an international support network for women creatives who are changing their career path into the arts. It shines a spotlight on emerging, mid-career, and established women artists through opportunities to showcase their work and share their stories with the world. We believe that all voices are important as each woman's life and art journeys are unique and shape the circumstances of her art practice.

Having had personal experience with returning to the arts after years of neglecting her creative callings, the founder Ceili Seipke, made it her mission to support like-minded women artists through opportunities, resources and mentorship. 

 The Art Dames Society is an inclusive platform that currently focuses on showcasing the work of women artists through the First Friday Art Gallery, introducing them to wider audiences through the Artist Directory and In the Spotlight interviews and sharing business/career advice on the Spotlight page.

 Join us to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative that is “Celebrating women artists who radiate wisdom, experience, strength, and the beauty of aging.”

“Picking 4” and “Biting” are acrylic paintings featured within this exhibition by Illinois artist Renee Kuharchuk. Her painting “Picking 4” garnered her 3rd place.

2023 Micro Residency Exhibition - University of Illinois

University of Illinois - Micro Residency - June 2023

In this program educator-artists from a broad range of disciplines live, work, and collaborate to push the boundaries of their practices. Artist display their work produced during the residency program through a public exhibition that culminates the experience.

Below are featured works produced by Renee Kuharchuk. during this residency.

Dabster Art Quarterly

The Quarterly is an art publication and online exclusive exhibition highlighting the art and artistic concepts of contemporary artists working today. This Spring issue interviews arts on their personal practice and how they develop the meaning behind their work. In this issue, Renee Kuharchuk explains how her exaggerated brush work and bold color palette add to the anxious themes of her artwork.

Image from the Spring 2023 issue featuring artwork and interview with Renee Kuharchuk

Excerpt from interview with Renee Kuharchuk

Artist Interviews featured in the Spring Issue

November Artist - Dry City

Dry City hosts local area artists who display custom work. Featured artwork by Renee Kuharchuk whose work explores themes of femininity and mental health. Her work is on display for the month of November.

Tell Me A Story - St. Louis Artist Guild

The exhibition includes works of various styles and mediums that lead the viewer toward or through a narrative. Creative writers will be invited into the gallery and asked to connect with a piece of art and interpret and continue the stories that the artists portray in their work. Responses will be published in the gallery and on the STLAG website.

Juror: Caitlin Winner

Juried Artists:

C.B. Adams, Jared Barbick, Bob Barnett, Jill Beyder, Sarah Blumenfeld, Charlie Bosco, Susan Bostwick, Vivian Cavalieri, Mary Climes, Kathy Corey, Yolitzin Dominguez, Tamara Eberle, Dina Fachin, Timothy Hamilton, Thomas Herbst, Sara Hoffman, Saralee Howard, Mimi C. Huang, Mee Jey, Carolyn Karasek, Robert Kokenyesi, Renee Kuharchuk, Jillian Lauren, Casper Levi, Lynn Mackenzie, Joshua Osburg, B. J. Parker, Kristi Ponder, Cassandra Ronning, Victoria Rosenblatt, Marceline Saphian, Douglas Simes, Robindeep Singh, Nikolaos Trikalinos, Ria Unson, Lu Ray Waldemer, Joshua Williams, Chris Wubbena, Aly Ytterberg

Creative writers were brought into the gallery to continue the narratives they interpreted from the pieces on display. All narratives are beside the artwork. See their stories here.

Tell Me A Story opening reception at the St. Louis Artist Guild, St. Louis, MO

Tell Me a Story is the newest group show at the St. Louis Artists' Guild exploring narrative driven artwork. In addition to a wide array of mediums and ideas being presented in this collection of works, creative writers are also invited into the gallery and asked to interpret and continue the stories portrayed in the artists' pieces.

This exhibit continues through December 30th, 2022 at the St. Louis Artists' Guild. For more information please visit www.stlouisartistsguild.org.

Recent Works - Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art

The 43rd Annual Juried Exhibition for Lake County Artists at the College of Lake County, Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art includes all fine art media from local county artists.

Renee Kuharchuk with “Acceptance” her featured oil painting

August Artist

Our August artist, Renee Kuharchuk, will be here at the taproom on Thursday, August 25th, for a meet-n-greet and coaster art jam.

Come out and see Renee's amazing gallery of paintings, purchase anything you see and love, and meet the artist! While you're here, grab some tacos from Dia de los Tacos, meet some pups up for adoption from Starfish Animal Rescue, and support local art, food and beer.

No advance tickets needed. Just come by.

2022 IHSAE Annual Educator Exhibition

ArtConnected, along with the Illinois Art Education Association and BLICK Art Materials host an annual juried exhibition that recognizes the artistic talents of Illinois’ art educators from all across the state of Illinois. Participating artists range in experience from first time educators to seasoned veterans. Developed nearly a decade ago, the exhibition aims to reconnect Illinois art educators with their own personal artistic practice, create a sense of community while providing a professional exhibition experience. Each year a wide range of amazing artworks are featured in the show, such as painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber, glass, mixed media, digital arts, video, ceramics, jewelry and more. All works are original and have been completed within the last calendar year.