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Greektown Chicago is proud to present its new outdoor art exhibit – a parliament of Little Wise Owls – showcasing the wild creativity of 19 local professional/emerging artists and students from 9 Chicagoland Greek language schools. A small group of these 28 painted, three-dimensional owl sculptures will be present at Elysian Field (401 S Halsted St) for the official ribbon-cutting on June 5 while others will already be roosting throughout the neighborhood along Halsted Street from Monroe Street to Van Buren Street. The exhibit will run through Spring 2025.
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Little Wise Owl artworks (left to right) by James Mesplé, Mark Nelson, Victoria Martin, Arlene Crawford, Bonnie Loboda, Rebecca Zaragoza and Koraes Elementary School
In Greek mythology, a little owl (Athene noctua) often accompanies Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Given this association, the owl came to represent intelligence, knowledge and wisdom. In classical times too, the owl was the emblem of the city of Athens and the goddess Athena was the city’s patron deity. Ancient coins (tetradrachms) from about 525 BC featured the head of Athena on one side and an owl on the other side. The Little Wise Owls sculpted piece is a soft take on this famous minted image.
“Owls are fascinating birds,” says Greektown SSA #16 Commissioner and Arts Committee Chair Eve Moran, “Important in ancient Greek culture, and widely considered throughout the world. The goddess Athena is sure to be pleased that local artists are celebrating her little owl with their gifted work. And I hope these symbols of wisdom, dressed in beauty, bring joy to all community residents and visitors in Greektown.”
Little Wise Owls is sponsored by Greektown SSA #16, the neighborhood’s business improvement district, in partnership with the Chicago Greektown Educational Foundation. Through this association, nine (9) Chicago-area Greek schools are participating in the Owl exhibit: St. Demetrios Pythagoras Greek School; St. George Greek School; St. Nectarios Greek School; Plato Academy; Koraes Elementary School; St. Spyridon Plutarchos Greek School, Holy Cross Sophocles Greek School; St. John Pythagoras Greek School; and St. John Guardian Angel School.
More details on the exhibit can be found at greektownchicago.org.
Names of Little Wise Owls Artworks & Artist Bios/Statements:
Artist: Arturo Barrera
Title of Work: The Seeds of Wisdom
Artist Bio and Statement:
Barrera is an educator in the Chicago Public School system. He has been a school Assistant Principal for four years and has enjoyed a career in art education for over 30 years (always encouraging his students to new ways of seeing and thinking). Barrera has a B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Art Education; a M.F.A. from Northern Illinois University in printmaking and painting; and, a M.A. in Education Administration from Governor State University.
As an artist, I use symbols to produce a sense of movement in my artwork. The sunflower flooring from top to bottom creates movement in the owl and the tree. The shapes in the center of the circles and partial circles represent humanity. Rectangles in the center shapes represent life and the dots are seedlings. The seedlings are wisdom planted in our life by Athena, and the wisdom growing is evidenced in the blossomed flower. This all represents the movement in the flow of life.
Artist: Juan A Cano
Title of Work: Andy, the Autism Owl
Artist Bio:
A contemporary graffiti artist from Logan Square, he is well-known for his “shattered glass” style. Cano participates in several art exhibitions each year and is an art philanthropist for charitable causes. He especially enjoys working on public art projects.
Artist: Ianna Christophell
Title of Work: And In Her Wisdom…
Artist Bio and Statement:
Christophell (she/her) is a Chicago mixed media artist who practices primarily sculpture and textile work. To her, art is an exploration of fantasy, whimsy, and escapism, that flows best when things in the world - and in her head - are good.
The owl is perhaps one of the most prominent symbols of the goddess Athena’s wisdom. Lesser known is the olive tree, Athena’s gift to the city of Athens that won her its patronage. The olive tree has served as a compelling symbol and inspiration to artists throughout history and worldwide, like Van Gogh’s “Olive Grove: Orange Sky”, which serves as inspiration for the decoration of this sculpture.
Artist Name: Arlene Crawford
Title of Work: “Whoo Knew”
Artist Bio and Statement:
Crawford works in the media of drawing, painting, printmaking, and Graphic illustration. She defines herself as a Visual Artist, Curator, Educator, Muralist & Cultural Activist. Along her life’s journey, Crawford became a Classroom teacher, University Administrator, Faculty & Student Affairs Unit Head; Grants developer & Institution builder; collaborator and mentor.
To me, art is a ritual, an attempt to interpret higher expressions of life. As an image-maker, my work is expressed through both realistic and symbolic forms. My images are created through the manipulation of form, design, color, collage, and assemblage. I have my grandchildren take turns reading to me every day after school and currently they are reading the Percy Jackson series, which is a take on Greek mythology tales. When I got the owl, I asked them if they knew which God or Goddess had an Owl for a symbol and my Grandson Richard said, "Yes, Athena!”
Artist: Taylor Fujisawa
Title of Work: Nocturnal
Artist Bio and Statement:
My name is Taylor Fujisawa and I am a traditional and digital artist. I enjoy learning and collecting new art skills and have tried working with many different mediums ranging from drawing to working with welding and stained glass and everything in between. I am always looking to learn new skills and particularly enjoy comic creation and costume creation and design.
The inspiration for this piece came from the symbolism and ideas often associated with owls. When I think of owls, I think of the symbolism of wisdom and silent flight in a midnight sky. Because of this I wanted to use color schemes that fit the midnight sky. I wanted to make the viewer think of the night sky lit up by the stars and the moon and the mystery that comes with that.
Artist: Emily Graslie
Title of Work: Adaptive Strategies of the 17-year Periodical Cicada and the Common Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)
Artist Bio:
Graslie is an artist, science communicator and writer, video host, and educational media producer. In 2013 she created the natural history-themed YouTube channel The Brain Scoop as a way of exploring and sharing the behind-the-scenes research and collections of museums, and in 2020 took the nation on the adventure of a lifetime with Prehistoric Road Trip on PBS. Her paintings are reflective of the places she's filmed, and topics covered along the way. Read more at www.emilygraslie.com
Artist Name: Bonnie Loboda
Title of Work: “Sweet Mel”
Artist bio:
Loboda began painting as a young child in Poland. Soon after, she learned to embroider and was creating intricate pieces for export. Art remained her passion even after she moved to Chicago in 1994. Over the years, Loboda has stretched her imagination and taught herself new techniques. Today, she paints on glass, canvas, wood, walls and more. Many times, Loboda works well into the night shaping and re-shaping each new artwork.
Artist Name: Victoria Martin
Title of Work: “Comet Owl”
Artist Bio and Statement:
Martin is a large-scale mystical painter. She combines symbols from new science with illustrations of ancient magical texts. (FYI some of those prayers really work!). She also teaches art as a spiritual praxis at workshops and events. Martin holds a BA in Art Education and an MFA in Performance from the School of the Art Institute, Chicago.
Comet Owl is in sync with the sighting of major comets in 2024 and in line with the astronomy theme the owl was once the constellation ‘Noctua’ perched on the tale of Hydra the water snake. I hope the design from an ancient Greek coin, and the owl as nocturnal, will combine to enhance the nightlife of Greektown.
Artist: Molly McGrath
Title of Work: Monty the Owl
Artist Bio and Statement:
McGrath has an extensive body of work: collages, children’s (and other) album covers, drawings of Chicago transit system signs, fiber art, painted bottles, portraits of dolls–and Sesame Street memorabilia. Her work directly responds to her environment, with her everyday experiences becoming a starting point. McGrath is an artist at “Project Onward,” a nonprofit studio and gallery in Chicago dedicated to the career development of visual artists with mental and developmental disabilities.
He’s green because I was inspired by the color of the treetops.
Artist: James Mesplé
Title of Work: “Athena’s Wise Owl”
Artist Bio:
Mesplé has exhibited his Classically Surreal paintings in local, national, and international exhibitions. His work focuses on spiritual, visionary, mythological, and historical subject matter as a generative source for Contemporary Art. Athena’s wise owl could predict eclipses and other natural phenomena, such as the emergence of millions of cicadas this year. Mesplé has painted a number of sculptures for Chicago’s Greektown over the years. In 1999 his “Classic Cow” stood in front of the Wrigley Building in Chicago’s famous Cows on Parade. He designed ballet sets for Maria Tallchief’s Chicago City Ballet to celebrate the 150th birthday of Chicago in 1987. He also created a painting that included an owl and a cicada for the cover of Bestiary, a book of poems by Maria Tallchief’s daughter, the poet, Elise Paschen. His newest work for Greektown focuses on Athena and her owl but also includes allusions to his Osage (Native American) heritage.
Artist Name: Mark Nelson
Title of Work: "Automata"
Artist Bio and Statement:
Nelson was raised in a Navy family overseas and began his formal arts education in the Republic of Panama where he was mentored in painting and live theater. On return to the continental USA, Nelson studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a BFA and received an MFA at the University of Illinois in Chicago. His artwork can be found in private and public collections, including a mural at the US Embassy, Republic of Panama. Nelson was awarded many grants and fellowships as an artist and educator from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs-Office of Fine Arts, Illinois Arts Council, the Golden Apple Foundation, and the Oppenheimer Family Foundation. A resident of Chicago's historic Pilsen neighborhood and arts community, his Gringolandia Studio and home is open annually to the public in participation with the 18th Street Pilsen Open Studios.
My piece is named after the ancient Greek’s movable machine engineering used to animate figural sculptures, open gates, vending machines for water, mechanical dioramas and so much more! Heron of Alexandria, a great mathematical engineer and inventor stated the creation of Automata was already an ancient craft in his time (c. 10-70 CE).
Artist: Patricia Owsiany
Title of Work: "OWL and the GODDESS”
Artist Bio and Statement:
She earned a BA in Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University. She has participated in many shows in Chicago and New York City. Her last solo exhibit was a mini retrospective at Space 900 in Evanston. She was born in Chicago and continues to live and create here.
My inspiration for the art came from old coinage struck in Ancient Greece. I have created two portraits of Athena and two of Owl...I imagine the dancers that are circulating the drum portion of the piece, are at a special ceremony honoring Athena.
Artist: Jesse Pace
Title of Work: Public Infrastructure
Artist Bio and Statement:
Pace is a painter, photographer, and musician. He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at The Cliff Dwellers, an arts club in Chicago.
City infrastructure is painted with high contrast, yellow and black stripes to increase its visibility. In an effort to get you to notice it any public art becomes a piece of the season for structure. And likewise wants you to see it. It is vying for your attention with all of the hustle and bustle and distractions of the rest of the city. by painting caution stripes on the basin of this sculpture it makes itself a part of the city infrastructure. Art and culture are as integral to the health of a functioning city as any road or bridge.
Artist: Terry Poulos
Title of Work: Bird of Trey
Name of Owl: Owlive
Artist Bio and Statement:
Poulos is a writer, artist, archaeological historian, fractal geometer, and more generally autodidact scientific investigator. Two of his sculptures have been exhibited at the National Hellenic Museum (NHM), and his Net Zero Coin numismatic is in the permanent collection of the British Museum and NHM. His works can be seen at Scientiquity.com
The Bird of Trey - guardian of wisdom, truth and knowledge - projects her third "mind's eye" chakra via the mechanism of an owl's stereoscopic vision to amplify counter-intelligence against the vast and dark disinformation campaigns of this post-truth, AI-infused and rapidly-disintegrating modern world. She wears the tattooed scars of the burning of the Library of Alexandria on her back as a constant reminder of the vigilance necessary to defeat untruths.
Artist: Jacqui Ross
Title of Work: Happy Hoota
Artist Bio:
Jacqui Ross is an artist with a passion for mosaics. And, she has worked in mosaics for over 15 years. Ross works with all types of tiles, stained glass and found objects, often at the same time. She is a member of Contemporary Mosaic Artists, an international organization.
Artist: Diane Thodos
Title of Work: Kaleidoscopic Owl
Artist Bio and Statement:
Thodos is a Chicago-based artist with a forty-year career in painting and printmaking that emphasizes both abstract expressionism and German expressionism. This comes from her study with Jackson Pollock’s teacher Stanley William Hayter in 1984, and study of the Speck’s German Expressionist print collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum over a 20-year period. Diane's work combines figure and abstraction to create a fertile ground for ever-new compositional and emotionally expressive possibilities. She is a 2002 Pollack-Krasner Grant recipient, has exhibited internationally, and has work in the collections of the Milwaukee Museum of Art, The David and Alfred Smart Museum, the State of Illinois Museum in Chicago, The Illinois Holocaust Museum and The Block Museum of Northwestern University, among many others.
An owl of many-colored hues and representing the need for eye opening expanded consciousness in today’s world. We need to care and think beyond our homes, neighborhoods and borders about what helps all humanity and the planet globally.
Artist: Chuck Walker
Title of Work: Wind Angel
Artist Bio:
Walker is a Chicago artist whose landscape, figurative and still life paintings are each, in some way, haunting and mysterious. His work has been exhibited at numerous venues, including the Rockford Art Museum; Hyde Park Art Center; Chicago Cultural Center; Chicago Botanic Garden; Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art; and Evanston Art Center. And Walker’s work is included in various private and public collections. Walker attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Artist Name: Rebecca Zaragoza
Title of Work: “True Wisdom”
Artist Bio:
Rebecca Zaragoza is a freelance artist and author. She engages with various art forms and strings words together to color the world. Sometimes Zaragoza uses discarded items to help keep them from landfills. Renewing, reusing and recycling can contribute to making the world cleaner and perhaps a shade sunnier. Zaragoza engages in art because it's a challenge that soothes her mind with a result that brightens the world. She takes every opportunity to ignite the light and believes everyone can do this also.
Artist: Holy Trinity HS students
Title of Work: View to Success
Artist Bio:
Students delight in stretching their imaginations.
About Greektown Chicago
Greektown is a dining, nightlife and cultural district located on the Near West Side of Chicago. A popular destination for tourists and Chicago residents alike, Greektown offers the best sampling of Greek heritage outside of Athens—from authentic restaurants, cafes and shops to the National Hellenic Museum and annual Taste of Greektown festival. Greektown Special Service Area #16 is the business improvement district for the neighborhood, administered by sole service provider the West Central Association and guided by a volunteer commission of local business owners, property owners and residents. For more information, visit greektownchicago.org.