2016-17 Artists-in-Residence
Lauren Ash is the Founder and Creative Director of Black Girl In Om, a lifestyle brand focused on cultivating holistic wellness, inner beauty, and self empowerment for women of color. She is also a certified yoga instructor, wellness curator, and creative writer. She is passionate about building authentic and meaningful community amongst women of color, people of color more broadly, and creatives and inspiring all people to live by their intentions and chase after their curiosities with enthusiasm, faith, and vision.
Lauren’s work has been published in Design*Sponge, Blavity, and she has recently been featured in Nylon, The Cut, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, and Elle.com. She is currently loving all things sports luxe, red wine, travel, and the monthly black joy centered day party she co-founded: Party Noire.
Website: laurenash.co / Facebook: facebook.com/hellolaurenash / Instagram: instagram.com/hellolaurenash / Twitter: twitter.com/hellolaurenash
Seva Series: Cultivate Mindfulness
Join Artist-in-Residence Lauren Ash for an hour-long practice of Seva and mindfulness. Seva (say-va) is a Sanskrit word representing the act of selfless service. Lauren will offer Seva practice at the Arts Incubator on the second Tuesday of every month. All those who join will create and engage in meaningful exchange. Attendees will also cultivate mindfulness through movement, meditation, and guided activity. In alignment with the objectives of her residency, Lauren is crafting Seva as a space that centers the healing of self-identified people of color.
Stephen Flemister (born in Chicago, IL, 1977) is an interdisciplinary artist working in sculpture, printmedia and new media, with practices invested in modes of portraiture, influences of digital culture and their common forms of application. Through objects, installations, and experimental studies, Flemister explores methods of visibility and fabricated realities, among social systems. Flemister received his BA in Interactive Arts and Media from Columbia College Chicago and his MFA in the Low Residency Program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His works have been shown at Hyde Park Art Center, Columbia College, South Side Community Art Center, and Arts Incubator with public installations and performance throughout Chicago.
Website: stephenflemister.com / Facebook: facebook.com/sflemister
Stephen Flemister is working on several projects during his residency, including a fabrication of 3D models as working monuments and a digital projection installation. Stephen has created a closed-loop message board called Thread.City. Stephen envisions Thread.City as a method of capturing dialogue among neighbors. The platform allows a question or prompt to be asked and every response is captured in real time. Both the question/prompt and responses are projected at night. Thread.city is a platform that can also be utilized during public events to both ask questions and receive responses from the audience. The entire dialogue will be archived as a snapshot of changing climates. Stephen's final exhibition will include pieces from his monument sculpture project and documentation of the thread.city installations.
YAW has performed on both the theatrical and musical stage. He has toured in the play Red, Black and Green: a blues (MAPP) and performed in the world premiere of the musical, "Mister Chickee's Funny Money" (Chicago Children's Theater). The play features music from the Motown Great, Lamont Dozier. He has been featured on VH1's "Soul Cities", a show produced by Nelson George that showcases singers in cities all over the country, as well as on the Africa Channel's, "Soundtracks at Red Kiva", a program that focuses on artists of African descent. Currently, he is a member of the artistic collaboration, "Black Monks of Mississippi", headed by the dynamic and prolific, Theaster Gates.
Instagram: instagram.com/thursdayboy / Twitter: twitter.com/yawsmusic
Installation Shot by Sara Pooley.
Remain To Be Seen
July 13 - August 25, 2017
Opening Reception: Friday, July 13, 6-8pm
Remain To Be Seen showcases the culminating work of the 2016-17 Arts + Public Life and Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture Artists-in-Residence, Yaw Agyeman, Lauren Ash, and Stephen Flemister. The ten-month residency program, housed at the Arts Incubator in Washington Park, supports Chicago-based multi-disciplinary artists whose practices critically engage issues of race, ethnicity, and community. Remain To Be Seen exhibits Agyeman, Ash, and Flemister’s reflections on self, identity, power, and visibility through sculpture, painting, installations, video, and sound. For more information >>
installation and opening reception photos >>
RELATED PROGRAMMING
July 13, 2017 • 6–8pm
Opening Reception
Arts Incubator, 301 East Garfield Boulevard
July 13, 2017 • 8–10pm
After-Party at BING with special performances and DJ Selah Say
BING Reading Room, 305 East Garfield Park Boulevard
July 18, 2017 • 6–8pm
Seva: Cultivate Mindfulness
Arts Incubator, 301 East Garfield Boulevard
July 21, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard
July 28, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard
August 2, 2017 • 12–1pm
Artist Roundtable (RSVP required)
Arts Incubator, 301 East Garfield Boulevard
August 4, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard
August 11, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard
August 18, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard
August 25, 2017 • 12–2pm
Playlist Fridays curated by YAW at Currency Exchange Café
Currency Exchange Café, 305 East Garfield Boulevard