VISUAL ALUMNI

Laura Pawson is an interdisciplinary artist originally from New York.   She recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA with a primary focus in photography and fibers.  Her work deals with representations of stereotypes and issues of race & prejudice.

The body of work that Pawson will create as one of LP’s resident artists should motivate a dialog that cannot escape conversations of race without class, class without money, money without education, and so on.  She will draw upon language and stories from daily conversations, movies, media, and a series of video interview she will conduct in order to build the content in her work. 

Sarah Lensink, recently accepted to finish her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she is a multi-medium visual artist creating works that dig deep into the subjects of mental illness. Her work draws on the experiences of people whom have been dealing with mental illness, whom have taken time in institutions to heal, and the projections the public has on these people.

She said, "...Mental illness is of some interest to me..." recalling the effects of treatment on someone she knew, "...[she] was subjected, involuntarily, to electro-convulsive therapy. It caused her to lose a great deal of her memory. Not only could she not recall extremely important details about her life but she couldn't recall words she needed to use and other things like that..."

Utilizing art as therapy or to address social issues has been both a common and problematic form of expression. Many choose to discriminate against this kind of work, possibly as a means of ignoring or denying the issues. However, for those that value the dialog that can be brought into light - there is potential for education, growth, and a better understanding of the full human experience.

POETRY ALUMNI

Gregory Pickett, is a 10x award winning slam poet & writer!  He won the 2005 Creative Writer’s Society Award for Poetry at Western Illinois University, & he has won 2nd place at the 2nd Annual Rootabaga Poetry Slam in Galesburg, Illiois and then 1st place this year.  He’s a 2x consecutive winner of the 1st place award at the ACUI Region 9 Poetry Slams in ’05 & ’06, 3x consecutive winner of the 2nd place award in the Online Virtual Poetry Slam helf by Citizens for Global Solutions ’06-’08, Poet’s Choice Award at the 2008 Rust Belt Regional Poetry Slam in Columbus, Ohio, and was a member of the Mental Grafiti National Slam team 2009!

He said, “...Gwendolyn Brooks told me to always right the truth.  The moment I stopped writing the truth, she said, I was no longer writing poetry… I wish to create a body of work that tells the world of my struggle through and eventual triumph over homelessness.” he continues, “…I want…to illustrate the truth about homelessness, that it can happen to anybody at anytime under any circumstances.  Furthermore, I want this poetry to give hope to anybody that is homeless or that is affected in some way by homelessness…I truly believe that [poetry] can renew the spirits of others, as I'm sure it will for myself!”

Please visit our press page to view all of the outstanding press that Gregory has recieved while he was a resident!!

Click here if you're interested in learning more about the residency program and how you can submit to our residency program.