Agency: Craft in Chicago from the 1970s–80s and Beyond highlights artists historically marginalized within mainstream art narratives, while recognizing the enduring influence of white male dominance without excluding it. The exhibition explores themes of colonialism, oppression, discrimination, and racism, framing craft as an outsider within the realm of "high art." The exhibition features work by Ukrainian and Chicago-based artists from diverse communities, including Latinx, Native American, African American, Asian, LGBTQ, immigrant, and others.
During the 1970s, craft became a powerful medium for artists advocating for change, challenging rigid artistic categories, shifting societal perceptions, and celebrating individual expression and identity. These issues remain relevant today, inviting a renewed examination of their contemporary implications.
Introduced by UIMA curator Adrienne Kochman, this walkthrough video includes discussions of works in the exhibition by artists Sharon Bladholm, Jason Wesaw, Judy Roston Freilich, Eric Bladholm, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Malika Jackson, Jaroslava Lialia Kuchma, Dorothy Hughes, Bryanna Bibbs, Melissa Leandro, and Yooshin Park.
Take a virtual tour through Ukranian Institute of Modern Art’s exhibition Agency: Craft in Chicago from the 1970s-80s and Beyond examining the artists and art of craft in Chicago through the decades.
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An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago is a series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
