Jeroen Nelemans in group show at Elmhurst Art Museum

Sat, Jan 18 - Sun, Apr 27  2014

From January 18 until April 27, 2014, the Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst, IL presents the group exhibition “Spotlight,” featuring ten artists whose use of light amplifies a specific site and its history, a private experience of place, or a response to an architectural space. The light-based sculptures, installations, and videos in SpotLight transform something ephemeral, commonplace or often overlooked into poetic statements about memory, perception, technology and the built environment. LED lights, laser levels, light boxes and neon tubes serve as sculptural material for some artists, others record or recreate the light conditions of a particular place or moment. SpotLight presents new and recent work by Paola Cabal, Dana Carter, Spencer Finch, Dana Major, Daniel Miller, Jeroen Nelemans, Jason Peot, Morgan Sims, Jan Tichy, and Monika Wulfers.

Free Public Programs

Friday, February 7, 6:30 pm
Artist Talk: Jeroen Nelemans
Jeroen Nelemans’ work exploring light is influenced by his Dutch heritage. For SpotLight he remakes images by artists Piet Mondrian and Johannes Vermeer using laser levels and digital collaging, investigating the “lifespan” of an image and contemporary notions of seeing. *Please note that this program’s date has changed from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7.

Friday, February 21, 6:30 pm
Artist Talk: Jason Peot
Elmhurst-based artist Jason Peot inserts geographic content into sculptural installations of light and wood. While their complex shadows reference population densities of U.S. cities, they also encourage a new awareness of space.

Friday, March 7, 6:30 pm
Book Discussion: Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day by Diane Ackerman
Celebrated storyteller-poet-naturalist Diane Ackerman explores a year of dawns across the seasons, from bird and animal behavior, to the light of dawn, dawn rituals across the world, and the many connotations of the word “dawn.”

Friday, March 14, 6:30 pm
Artist Talk: Dana Carter
Using the windows of her studio space, natural light, and art materials, Dana Carter stages “light events” that take form in a variety of media. Both observer and maker, Carter engages in various rituals that alter the light and shadow of her environment.

Friday, April 4, 6:30 pm
Artist Talk: Daniel Miller
Daniel Miller uses an array of technologies, integrating code and mechanical form, to investigate space, ecology, and the contemporary landscape. His domed scale model of Chicago simulates the full rotation of the sun and moon, demonstrating the shifting effects of light and darkness on the city.

Friday, April 25, 6:30 pm
Artist Talk: Jan Tichy
Jan Tichy explores contemporary sites and photographic histories through his innovative use of light-based media. He will discuss the influence of modernist László Moholy-Nagy on his practice, his projections at Mies’ Crown Hall, and his collaborative, public art installation Project Cabrini.

Free Events and Workshops for Families and Kids

Saturday, January 25, 10:45am
SpotLight Storytime
Ages 3 – 6 with adult
Come as a family to enjoy stories and a craft featuring the beauty of light and color.Librarians from Elmhurst Public Library will share fun tales, music, and action rhymes to help celebrate EAM’s new exhibition.

Saturday February 1, 10:30am
Shadow Puppet Workshop with Artist Dana Major
All Ages with Adult
Make shadow magic! Giants from miniatures! Dark from light! Put your magic in the movies! Exhibiting artist Dana Major will guide participants to fashion shadow puppets from paper and simple construction materials. Adventuresome puppeteers can make their own shadow scenery and record 2-minute movie shorts on a shadow screen using their own devices.

Saturday February 22, 10:30am
Family Workshop with Artist Monika Wulfers
Ages 5 and up with Adult
This workshop, inspired by the artist’s own work, will keep your brain limber and your neurons firing as you explore the intersection of math and art. Learn about grids, lines, and points, and how you use number values to make a drawing.

Saturday March 8, 10:30am
Tracing Cast Shadows Workshop with Artist Paola Cabal
Age 6-12
This workshop will encourage young artists to look closely at the interaction between light and the objects it hits. Participants will use clamp lights, colored papers, and dark and light media to trace cast shadows, studying how light passes around solid objects like our bodies and through transparent materials like glass or plastic.

Friday March 21, 4:00-5:00pm
Book Party!
Grades 1-3
Come to the museum for an afternoon of books, fun, and games celebrating art. In conjunction with SpotLight, museum staff and librarians from the Elmhurst Public Library will share stories and activities about using light as a way to make art. Register with the Elmhurst Public Library (630)279-8696 starting Saturday, March 1.