Seasons' Greetings!

Later-er Night this Friday!

Later-er Night Andersonville - December 16th, 5:00 - 10:00pm

Join us for our second night of Late Night Andersonville, just a little “late-er” than usual.  For four more hours, take advantage of the same discounts from Late Night Andersonville, plus once again enjoy free entertainment and refreshments.

 Late-er Night Andersonville Events

5:00-8:00pm	Pictures with Santa Andersonville Holiday Pop-up Gallery
6:00-10:00pm	Art + Design Exhibition Las Manos Gallery
6:00-10:00pm	Free Samples of Chef Martin's Alpine Brand Sausages, Spark of the Heart Soups and CounterCulture Coffee's Holiday blend. Urban Orchard
7:00-7:30pm	Holiday dance show & sweet treats Gus Giordano Dance School
7:00-9:00pm	Christmas carolers Room Service
7:00-9:00pm	Live music Marguerite Gardens
7:00-9:00pm	Sci-Fiber Friday featured movie: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Sifu Design Studio
7:00-10:00pm	Toffee tasting Terry's Toffee (at the Andersonville Galleria)
7:00-10:00pm	Live artist demos in the windows Andersonville Galleria
8:00pm	Meet characters from The Nutcracker Ballet Chicago Dance Supply

“Chinese Mountains” By Derek Ottens

‘Chinese Mountains’ references Chinese painters, and writers, copying manuscripts, ideograms, and

landscapes over and over. If I do the same I may eventually get it right…

Like the educated but underemployed Chinese scholars during the Mongol Yuan dynasty I sometimes

share the cultural ideals of a reclusive world and often try to translate those ideals through a symbolic
shorthand. 

Many Chinese mountain paintings were painted in shades of black and white to limit distractions and concentrate on the inner essence of energy and spirit. These mountains remain unfinished and with time will acquire a patina through handling and exposure to the elements.

Like the men for centuries wandering in mountains to purify spirit and find renewal, the making of these mountains seems to be a hike for me, realizing something that has no real purpose or function other than to be or to have been.

The inscription of the maker is inscribed on a Chinese landscape painting and each owner thereafter

adds their names or inscriptions as an ongoing response so the painting was not really completed when the artist put down his brush. 

That evolution I would hope will happen with these mountains as they remain unfinished but will continue to acquire a patina through the hands of each consecutive owner.

Andrea Chiu - Together in a Red Room

Artist Andrea Chiu installed her piece "Together in a Red Room" at Las Manos Gallery for this month's exhibition titled ART+DESIGN. Watch the video for a bit of insight into this incredible piece!

Together in a Red Room from Mieke Zuiderweg on Vimeo.

Art+Design Show!

Urban Mischief, Scout, Brimfield, Haymaker and Room Service!

Click on the image to launch the slideshow!

The Art+Design Opening at Las Manos Gallery!

Las Manos Gallery's ART+DESIGN show featured vignettes created by local Andersonville design shops. Each business staged furniture, lamps and objects in the space. The gallery paired art with each vignette.

People mingled and took the time to be in each space.

Sherry Elfstrom, left, the owner of Urban Mischief sits in the space she designed at the gallery. Artist Mitch O'Connell's paintings were paired with her boudoir-style setting.

Italian leather chairs were tested out and Ben Brant's piece made of Ipe wood was ogled.

Artist Christopher Ilth, left, sits with a few of his collage pieces on Friday night. At right Photographer Paul Clark talks about his 90-panel piece made up of small fuji insta prints.

Monika Wulfers and Derek Ottens discuss his piece "Chinese Mountains," at left. Ceramic vessels by Doug Reyes are seen in the image at right.

Artist Nathan Torrence tries out an electric guitar build by Phil Wright, who looks at artwork in the image at right.

Artist Jonathan Glick sits with a few of his "egg" candles. At left are his lanterns.

ART+DESIGN Show!

OPENING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2nd  7-10PM

In order to have good design you must have original art. Las Manos Gallery is embracing this concept by working together with independently owned design shops in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. Each business is invited to use their design method to create vignettes in the gallery.

Work by gallery artists will be paired with each unique installation. This gives the designers a chance to showcase their vision and give patrons an opportunity to understand how to incorporate new or existing artwork into their space with an eye towards good design.

Featured artists are Michael McGuire, Tricia Rumbolz, Patrick Manning, John Mosher, Ben Rosecrans, Rita Grendze, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz, Doug Reyes, Steve Green, Mieke Zuiderweg and James Peterson.

Manga book sculptures by Monika Wulfers

Artist Monika Wulfers creates a cone-shaped sculpture out of Manga - Japanese comic books for boys and girls. Wulfers originally started working with newspaper strips, weaving both American and foreign papers together but transitioned into this series after finding the colorful booklets intriguing. Several of her pieces will be on display during Las Manos Gallery's Art+Design show this month.

Upcoming show at the Gallery!

Incredible objects by Rita Grendze

Rita Grendze is a sculptor that lived and worked in New York City and now resides in Geneva, Illinois. Her sculptures are made from varying materials including steel and found objects. 

Grendze made the found object piece Fireplace after a long, tiring day of walking in the city. In observing the piece, it does exude a certain kind of hostile energy akin to the city; it's as if the piece might spontaneously burst into flames before the viewers eyes, just as Grendze felt like her feet were on fire after walking all day. Grendze’s steel sculpture Bountiful is more focused on contradiction, she uses welded steel in this piece to portray natural objects inspired by farming. The piece then becomes a bounty of obviously hand-welded steel as opposed to a bounty of homegrown food. This creates the contrast between city and country, man made and manufactured.

"Fireplace"

"Bountiful"

Lisa Whiting's Synapse

Lisa Whiting’s whimsical piece entitled "Synase" is entirely hand knitted, felted, and then stuffed with rice. The piece comments on the idea of meditating on knitting, and registering how the artist’s thoughts combine together both literally and metaphorically. Whiting says that in making the piece, “the knit became a montra”, she became completely absorbed in the process. Whiting is a local Chicago artist and she owns a knitting shop in Andersonville called Sifu Design Studio.

Click Here to connect to Lisa's site.

Each "synapse" was created by an individual pattern. The pieces were then felted- a process of running the knitted construction through heat and moisture to matt the fibers together. 

The tubes were also felted but fitted with electrical conduit to hold its form.

Photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg, Posting by Emily Eddy

Robert Burnier at Las Manos Gallery

Artist Robert Burnier's paper sculptures have graced the pedestals of Las Manos
Gallery for the past several months. The work was meticulously created by
observing the multiple angles and planes of a single crumpled piece of paper.
The lines were traced, transferred into Google Sketchup and augmented into
3D shapes. The possibilities of this single crumpled sheet are endless...

Yupo paper is a actually plastic material. It ranges from artwork to commercial
use. The top of tic-tac boxes are one example. It has strength, flexibility can be
recycled.



"CP 3B1"



A detail of CP 3B1.

Post and Photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg

Halloween at Las Manos Gallery!

Hundreds of parents and children took to the sidewalks of Andersonville on Saturday afternoon to take
full advantage of the candy available at the local businesses. Las Manos Gallery saw costumes ranging
from super heros to living iPods. Great weather lead to a great turn out...

A gaggle of tiny trick-or-treaters pose with artist Lisa Whiting's
work titled "Synapse."

A family of adorable gnomes posed outside the gallery during trick-or-treating.

A petite Abe Lincoln stands next to Robert Burnier's work made of Yupo paper.  

Gallery Assistant Jay Fernandez gives out candy to a trick-or-treater in the gallery.

Photographs and Posting by Mieke Zuiderweg

The Colossal Blog!

COLOSSAL

Check out this week's postings on the incredible art blog called "Colassal."
Michelle Peterson-Albandoz's artwork is featured!

Click here to view the Colassal blog.



TRENDLAND

Click here to view the Trendland blog.

New Works by Michelle Peterson-Albandoz

Pilsen Photo Shoot

Tommy J. Reyes, Director of Las Manos Gallery continues his

photo project capturing life as a Mexican-American living in

Chicago with a series of new images titled "Nessesicto Otro 

Mundo."

His first project titled "Memorias Mediadas y el Archivo"

explored the clash between his classical education, life in the

Midwest and his traditional Mexican upbringing. This new 

series, which takes place in his Pilsen (Chicago) neighborhood,

explores a magical realm and the reality of people's lives once

they come to live in America. A bus stop near Reyes' home 

inspired the series after he watched many people step foot onto

American soil for the first time, holding suitcases and a lot of hope 

with them...

A clash of culture. Sensible shoes slip into a traditional hoop skirt,

its size over-exaggerated to create a more dramatic visual.

Abdi (in costume) walks past a few onlookers on the way to the photo shoot location on Ashland
Ave in the Pilsen area of Chicago.

Tommy shows Rebecca how she needs to hold an embroidery hoop for the photograph. Embroidery
is often passed down through generations of women as part of family life and adds to a sense of
tradition in the image.





























Tommy looks through his camera's top-down-viewfinder to compose the image of a couple
arriving in Chicago after a long bus trip from Mexico. The couple looks past Tommy as if to
catch a glimpse of their future. The two traditionally dressed women to the couple's left
represent the history and culture they leave behind. Their expressions are of hope as well,
but apprehension is prevalent because they can see the future and the struggles it will hold.

To follow Tommy's project please click HERE for his blog.

Post and photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg

The Process

Tricia Rumbolz

Rumbolz writes quotes on tissue paper. These sentences are gathered over the years. Scientific facts,
books and conversations all add to her notebooks of ideas.

Each quote is cut down and layered on top of pre-existing words. The piece has taken several years
and is still in process.
Stop by the gallery this month to catch Rumbolz in process. Hours are Wed/Thur/Fri from
12:30-5:30 and Sat/Sun from 11-5pm.

Post and photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg 

Artist Linsey Greer at Las Manos Gallery

Lindsey Greer

 

Performance Artist Linsey Greer brought her piece 

"Augustine's Hysteria" to Las Manos Gallery's

opening as part of Chicago Artists Month.

Greer set up several multi-media slide shows and

short films outside the front entrance. The 

Augustine piece reflected old images of female

hysteria. Greer did "mimic dances" to each image, 

catching passerby's and gallery patrons off guard. 

Some were photographed with the "hysteric," a 

stethoscope provided for added drama...


Post and photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg 

Michelle Peterson-Albandoz Opening!

 Opening in D.C.!

Las Manos Gallery Owner
and Artist Michelle Peterson-
Albandoz will be having her
second solo show at Long
View Gallery in Washington
D.C. on Thursday, October
20th.

If you're in the D.C. area
please stop by!

Click HERE for more
information!

Las Manos Gallery Opening!

"Synapse" by Artist Lisa Whiting made of wool pods

filled with rice. The piece drew visitors into the space 

during the gallery's Chicago Artists Month Exhibition.

Artists Nathan Vaughn, left, and Robert

Burnier chat during the opening. Burnier's

sculptural piece made of Yupo paper is

in the foreground of the photograph.

Work by Michelle Peterson-Albandoz. The pieces are

reclaimed wood on panels.

Peterson-Albandoz used pieces of an old church organ

to create these rhythmic patterns. 

Work by Tricia Rumbolz titled "723 Colors," made of

paper paint samples and glue on wood panel.

Artist Tricia Rumbolz works on her piece

"Excepts from personal inquiries" which

hangs behind her.

Artist Nathan Vaughn, left, talks about his piece titled

"You're in Crop Circles" at the opening on Friday.

Work by Peterson-Albandoz is seen behind the crowds

attending the event.

Artist Steven Green stands with his work titled "City

Lights II" made with charcoal on paper.

Attendance was brisk- the event was part of 

Andersonville's Arts Weekend.

Friday was Andersonville's Night of 100 pARTies.

Performance artist Lindsay Greer poses with a passerby

as part of her "hysteric" piece.

Two men take a close look at one of Tricia Rumbolz's

pieces. Rumbolz takes quotes and sentences she 

hears and reads about in her daily life, writes them

on tissue paper and adds them to the work.

"Synapse" by Lisa Whiting.

The Gallery celebrated its 18th Anniversary with a

sugary cake. Thanks to all the artists that keep the

space going!

Tommy Reyes, right, the director of the gallery, walks

the cake over to owner and artist Michelle Albandoz-

Peterson. Happy Anniversary all!


Post and photographs by Mieke Zuiderweg