I A PS MAGAZINE
R E F LECT IONS ON CHIC AGO
BY EXHIBITION CHAIR SHIRLEY ANDERSON
This exhibition was c hallenging but extremely rewarding. Planning an exhibition takes a great deal of time, and planning an exhibition in the midst of COVID-19, even more so. In October of 2020, when we signed the contract for the space, we didn’t really know what the situation would be like when June 2021 rolled around. What we did know was that this was an amazing location and venue, and we hoped everything else would work out if we kept to our strict timelines and plans. To complicate matters, I live 700 miles away from Chicago. However, the Chicago Pastel Painters were our eyes and legs on the ground. We could not have done this without all of the volunteers from this society. I would like to especially thank Tatijana Jacenkiw and Mike Kolasinski who were a tremendous help to me personally, and to their “crew.” We are so grateful for all your hard work. IAPS had also decided to divide this exhibition into two divisions to encourage more artists to enter: The Open Division for artists who have not achieved Master Circle status and the Master Circle division for those that have. This venue at Zhou B made this decision easy since the space is so massive. This was the right decision. As a result, future exhibits will include both divisions. The most important thing I experienced in Chicago was the beauty and diversity of the art. You really need to see the exhibit in person. I felt it was so much more moving. Seeing the images online or in The Globe lets you see the beauty of the art — but seeing it in person lets you feel the power of the art!
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