A group of three art faculty and six students spent Sept. 19 to 23 in Chicago for the annual Art Now Chicago experience.
The trip gives students studying art, art education, art and writing, pre-art therapy and graphic design a chance to see and critique artwork beyond their peers and hopes to inspire a bigger picture into their future artwork.
“Bluffton is a small town and Ohio is a difficult place to see the innovative contemporary artwork, so we do the Chicago trip to expose our art majors to the most contemporary art they can find,” said Phil Sugden, assistant professor of art. “This artwork challenges them and allows them to be able to see the art world outside of Bluffton.”
The group poses on the front steps of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Clockwise, from left: Andi Baumgartner, Mary Bias, Devon Bilimek, Phil Sugden, Loren Williams, Jim Fultz, Berlin Fuqua, Sarah Heydinger and Elizabeth Tabler.
Berlin Fuqua, an art major, went on a previous the Art Now Chicago trip but wanted to gain more experience after finding interest the first time.
“I am just so excited to be back,” Fuqua said. “There is something freeing and fun about Chicago. There is so much art and culture that it gives me so much emotion and brings so much excitement.”
After a five hour ride packed in a van, the group arrived at the Chicago Getaway Hostel where they stayed for the next four nights. Many of the students expressed enthusiasm as they were about to experience a very different setting than they have seen on the streets of Bluffton.
“I don’t know about anything in Chicago, so I am just ready to be surprised with this experience,” said Devon Bilimek, art major.
After dropping off the luggage, the group headed to the Red Line Subway station to purchase their riding cards for the next few days. The first stop was the Chicago Culture Center.
The Chicago Culture Center is a Chicago Landmark building operated by Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events that houses the city’s official reception venue. After observing the Culture Center, the group traveled across the street to Millennium Park to witness the famous Chicago sculpture, Cloud Gate or also known as “the Bean.” The rest of the evening was left for wandering and getting a feel for the streets of Chicago.
Day two the group made its way to Navy Pier for the Chicago Art Expo.
“The Art Expo is one of the largest contemporary art shows in the United States and European galleries, and it is only up for three to four days, leaving limited time to view this artwork,” said Sugden.
Students were encouraged to spend the next few hours at the Art Expo observing and discussing the contemporary artwork.
Following the Art Expo, the group split up for dinner and evening activities of their choice.
The group headed out early Saturday for a day of discovering more artwork. The first place they experienced was the Museum of Contemporary Art. Although there was a small amount of artwork throughout the museum, the point of the artwork was powerful and full of meaning.
Following the MCA, the group was given some time to relax in the hostel until they ventured out late afternoon to a few smaller galleries in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. The group had a chance to visit some Chicago stores and food places the rest of the night after viewing these galleries.
Sunday was set aside for the Chicago Art Institute.
“I am eager to see the Art Institute of Chicago because it is so big, and there are so many art genres to witness there,” Tabler said.
The professors encouraged the students to spend hours viewing and reflecting on the various pieces of artwork in their journals and getting pictures of artworks of interest. The Art Institute concluded the artwork that the students saw on the trip.
The group packed up the van Monday morning and took a brief detour to Lincoln Park to sketch or venture through the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo.
When the van pulled up to Bluffton University Monday evening, the small group walked away after a long weekend with a new view on artwork and memories from a once in a lifetime experience.
Editor’s note: Those on the trip included: Sugden, Fuqua, Bilimek, Associate Professor of Art Andi Baumgartner, Assistant Professor of Art Jim Fultz, art major Loren Williams, art education major Elizabeth Tabler, art major Mary Bias, and the author of this piece Sarah Heydinger, who is an art education major.
