The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) announced their partnership with 606 Records (1808 S. Allport St.) to hold a special event in celebration of upcoming CCMA exhibiting artist Ayanah Moor and her collaboration with the International Anthem record company on the design for the new release Open Arms to Open Us by musician Ben LaMar Gay. The event is free and open to the public and will take place Friday, Nov. 19, 5 – 7 p.m. at 606 Records, located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.
The Open Arms to Open Us album, released that day, will be available for purchase that evening as well as a limited-edition bag designed by Ayanah Moor. The evening will also feature a live DJ and light refreshments. Both Ayanah Moor and Ben LaMar Gay will be present. Masks are required and capacity is limited.
Ayanah Moor's upcoming exhibition, I Wish I Could Be You More Often, at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art will be her first major exhibition of paintings. The exhibition opens Feb. 10, 2022, and will run through Apr. 10, 2022. Through her paintings, prints, drawings and performance, Moor operates within a visual field where notions of Blackness and gender identity take shape. She utilizes existing material and cultural artifacts to generate alternative histories, often repositioning the subject as a corrective gesture or to create counter narratives. Vintage advertisements, athletic competition, reimagined slogans, and healing practices have fueled recent projects. Her work engages subversive and demonstrative displays of blackness that locate love, fear, myth, and desire.
About Ayanah Moor
Ayanah Moor (b. 1973, Norfolk, VA) lives and works in Chicago. She earned her MFA in 1998 from Tyler School of Art, Temple University and BFA in 1995 from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her artwork is in the collections of the DePaul Art Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago); Soho House (London, UK); Agency of Unrealized Projects (e-flux.com); the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, (Pittsburgh) and the homes of many people she loves. Moor’s recent exhibitions include t/here or t/here at Intermission Museum of Art + Stand4 Gallery (Brooklyn, NY); Direct Message: Art, Language and Power, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Echoes: Reframing Collage, Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago); 4 Queens, Test Site Projects (Las Vegas); and in scenes of Universal Pictures’ 2021 film, Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele.
About Ben LaMar Gay
Ben LaMar Gay is a composer and cornetist who moves sound, color, and space through folkloric filters to produce electro-acoustic collages. His unification of various styles is always in service of the narrative and never solely a display of technique. A Chicago native, Gay’s true technique is giving life to an idea while exploring and expanding on the term “Americana.”
With the celebrated release of his debut album, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun (International Anthem, 2018) and multiple commissions, Gay is establishing his unique place and voice in the creative ecosystem. He has received artist residencies from Edgar Miller Legacy Glasner Studios and the Red Bull Music Academy. His range of performances and creative projects span from his hometown in Chicago’s very own Symphony Center and across the globe to places such as Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Poland and the Netherlands.
About 606 Records
A fixture in the Pilsen neighborhood, 606 Records is committed to highlighting the work of independent and underground artists and labels from across the world. Specializing in eclectic and hard to find albums 606 is recognized as vital creative space where musicians and music lovers can find a one-of-a-kind selection that reflects the rich and diverse community of Chicago. More information can be found at: www.606records.com
About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art
The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition, Selections from Cleve Carney’s Art Collection. In fall 2020, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art opened June 2021 with the highly anticipated Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition. The museum will maintain the standards set by the American Alliance of Museums. More information can be found at www.TheCCMA.org and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt.
The CCMA's current exhibition on view, Tony Fitzpatrick: Jesus of Western Avenue, may be viewed Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed Thursday, Nov. 25, and Dec. 24 to Jan. 5. The exhibition additionally may be viewed one hour prior to McAninch Arts Center performances in the Belushi Performance Hall and during intermission. For more information visit www.TheCCMA.org.