excerpts

From "Three Days and a Hardware Store," an interview with Anni Holm by Meghan Borato:

Meghan Borato: So, with your relative proximity to one of the largest cities in the US, what made you choose West Chicago for artXposium?

Anni Holm: I have been fascinated by the city of West Chicago since moving here in 2004. There is an interesting dynamic in this town, a large immigrant population, rich history as a railroad town, unique architecture, affordable housing, public transportation, walkability, convenient and inexpensive ethnic grocery stores, and one of my favorites, the thrift store; it really stands out from other Chicago suburbs. There is too, though, a sense of melancholy in West Chicago, paired with a lot of hidden potential. The old downtown that once stood proud and served as a lively center for the citizens of West Chicago now counts several empty and sad-looking storefronts that seem to scream for something to happen. Many want revitalization for the town, but it seems like people don’t know where to start. I am also interested in challenging the unspoken status quo of West Chicago, the invisible dividing line between immigrants and other local residents. Two of the organizers of artXposium, Irene Pérez and myself, are immigrants to the US. We want to contribute to an event that builds bridges in the community and encourages people to come out and get to know their neighbors. There is a certain quirkiness in the city as well; the industrial areas produce everything from cereal to gum flavors, they recycle e-waste, re-tire trucks, and make plastic mold injections. It all makes for an interesting study.

MB: What was the idea behind the initial artXposium?

AH: The idea for artXposium came after a few conversations between local artist Naomi Pridjian, former West Chicago City Museum Registrar Brian Reis, and myself. In the early stages, it was a simple idea that involved renting an empty storefront and turning it into a gallery one night. Around that time, I attended Version Fest in Chicago, an experimental art festival housed in an empty warehouse, and participated in the Nova Young Art Fair (now called Bridge), an event that transformed an entire hotel into temporary exhibition space for galleries from around the world. My personal art interests were also moving from more traditional gallery-oriented work into exploring, engaging, and interacting with an audience in the public realm. Besides, I had come to believe that art should be available to anyone, not only gallery and museum visitors.

From "Artist Impressions" by Angeline Evans:

In an effort to describe the experience of artXposium 2007, I sifted through photo archives and enlisted the help of several other artist participants. Our memories may have forgotten the details—with whom we talked, what we saw and artist names—but we remember how we felt about the experience. The general consensus of the artists involved was that artXposium was a rewarding experience. artXposium combined elements of geography, setting, art, and people, and expanded the context in which contemporary art in Chicago was presented.

The concept of landscape was a significant component of what made this three-day art symposium extraordinary. Conventional art events frequently take place in urban areas, where convenience, accessibility, and good turnout are more likely. West Chicago, while not rural, is a suburb some thirty miles west of Chicago itself. I remember driving to the former railroad town for the first time. Upon entering, I was greeted by a large sign that announced “West Chicago, Where History and Progress Meet.” I smiled while thinking how artXposium, in some ways, embodied that statement in an art context by “joining” (echoing the town’s original name of Junction) contemporary art with its local audience. Mary Rachel Fanning (of the Crush Project with Lauren Targ) describes how pleasant it was for her to return to the familiar. Fanning grew up in Alabama, in a place similar to West Chicago, and was accustomed to traveling for two hours to visit a museum. For her, West Chicago symbolized the reverse of that journey, and artXposium presented her with the opportunity to work “outside of a mainstream art environment.” Chicago artist Jesus Oviedo had similar sentiments about his reason for participating in the event, despite its relative distance. The unknown, unorthodox location, and its distance from established art venues, intrigued him. Michael Una and Renee Prisble Una (also Chicago artists) decided to take advantage of the setting and stayed with a fellow artist in nearby North Aurora for the duration of artXposium. They embraced the chance to participate in an art event outside of Chicago by spending part of the weekend exploring nearby towns, attending yard sales, visiting local art galleries, and investigating neighborhood restaurants. West Chicago was the backdrop that framed the exhibition’s success.