Friday 24
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A catalogue of Walker Evans photos in the Smithsonian identifies each photo in the collection with a short utilitarian description. Jin Lee has taken some of this prose, mounted it on a white background, and framed it in white–to force the viewer to imagine what the photo looks like. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photos depict spectators inside movie houses; the theater and people are visible, but the screen is white. Lee and Sugimoto are two of eight featured artists in Problems With Reading Rereading, a new show at the Rhona Hoffman Gallery that encourages spectators to consider how they interpret and evaluate art. The free opening reception is tonight from 5 to 7 at the gallery, 215 W. Superior. Viewing is free Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 to 5:30 and Saturday from 11 to 5:30. The show runs through April 22. For more call 951-8828.
Thuy Thanh Vu came to the U.S. more than ten years ago as a Vietnamese boat person. Today she’s a reporter with the San Diego Union and a spokesperson for refugee concerns. As the mother of four and recipient of the National Organization for Women’s 21st Century Woman award for community service, Vu is a role model for the modern Southeast Asian woman. She’ll be the keynote speaker at today’s traditional celebration, Trung Sisters Day, which begins at 10 at Truman College. According to Vietnamese legend, the Trung sisters raised an army of mostly women who drove invaders out of Vietnam in 40 AD. Today’s free festival also features traditional rituals, a flower-arranging exhibit, a fashion show of traditional costumes, and Vietnamese food. It’s at the college, 1145 W. Wilson. Call 728-3700.
Bea Nettles wrote Breaking the Rules: A Photo Media Cookbook, considered by many to be the bible of photographic alternative processes–experimenting with, among other things, pinhole cameras, xerography, and magazine rubbings. But for all the boldness of her techniques, Nettles has been surprisingly tame in her choice of subject matter. “Life’s Lessons: A Mother’s Journal,” the project she worked on while on a 1988 National Endowment for the Arts grant, continues her focus on her experiences as a parent. The work is featured in “Photography Illinois: Barbara Crane, Robert Heinecken, Kenneth Josephson, Nathan Lerner, Ray Metzker, Joyce Neimanas, Bea Nettles and Charles Swedlund,” which runs through May 12 at the State of Illinois Gallery, 100 W. Randolph. There’ll be a reception for the artists from 5 to 7 PM on Friday, March 31. Viewing is free Monday through Friday from 10 to 6. Call 917-5322 for more.
Thursday 30
