2015: New American Paintings: Midwest Edition @ Elmhurst Art Museum

Above: Michael Velliquette's "Radiant Signs" 2014, an iridescent coated acrylic mobile, as seen at dusk in the lobby of the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Today, visitors to the Elmhurst Art Museum (EAM) are greeted by the artwork of Michael Velliquette: he's installed an iridescent acrylic mobile in the lobby. Entitled "Radiant Signs," Velliquette's piece interacts with whatever sunshine filters through the building's glass curtain wall during the day, while reflecting overhead track lighting at night. Being playful, good-looking and potentially photogenic, it's enjoyable by a wide range of viewers and is therefore well-placed within the institution. Yet it's quite natural to wonder: Why has this kinetic, three-dimensional work been included in a show paintings?

Above: Michael Velliquette with his piece "Radiant Signs" 2014, an iridescent coated acrylic mobile, as seen in the lobby of the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

The show in question, "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition," is the concrete manifestation of "a juried exhibition-in-print," as the bimonthly publication New American Paintings (NAP) describes itself. Originally, EAM's Chief Curator Staci Boris was appointed to select 40 artists, from hundreds of applicants, for NAP's issue #113, which was available on newsstands in August of 2014. Subsequently, she brought those same artists into the museum which employed her. It's said to be the first time in NAP's twenty-year history that its featured artwork has been translated from magazine page to physical space, i.e., become a "real" show.

Above: Michael Velliquette's "Radiant Signs" 2014, an iridescent coated acrylic mobile, as seen in the lobby of the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

And even as Velliquette's artwork in the lobby is good-looking, so too the show as a whole is good-looking. There just isn't much that's wanting: whether one prefers geometric abstraction or figurative realism it's in the show and (arguably, of course) it's well-executed. For their part, the artists seem to be as diverse as the artwork. So while per title the exhibition has a geographical constraint, inclusivity is ultimately its defining characteristic. All are welcome here.

Above: Michael Velliquette with his piece "Radiant Signs" 2014, an iridescent coated acrylic mobile, as seen in the lobby of the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

But not everyone's in the show. Consequently, after paying NAP's application fee, many once hopeful artists were left to ponder their rejection. What's to become of them? Their plight seems worth consideration, inasmuch as such outcomes are writ large in the art world of which this particular exhibition is only a little part. And the situation is inevitable, as the market gives everything to a few stars while giving everyone else nothing, or so wrote Holland Cotter in the New York Times last month.[1]

Closer to home, two years ago, occasional Chicagoan Pedro Velez blamed not the "invisible hand" of pure market forces but rather a sort of crony capitalism, or nepotism, which resulted in "friends curating friends" to the exclusion of the majority of the city's artists.[2]

Here, neither explanation, alone, seems wholly satisfactory. For whether artworks do tend to increase in value after they've been shown in a museum, nothing is for sale in this museum; and it's improbable that the curator's social network extends across the eight state region from which applicants were drawn.

Above: Curator Staci Boris, at far left, in the lobby of the Elmhurst Art Museum, beginning the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015. Santiago Cucullu, background, in the museum's first gallery.

Searching further, there appears to be only one review of "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" already published. In the cultural weekly Newcity, writer and professor Alan Pocaro, himself a painter, offered that the show contains "a veritable who’s who of gallery-repped Chicago artists."[3]

Does it? In order to answer that question it's necessary to turn towards the artists' biographies--though such a tack is frustrated by its dependency on each artist's honesty, accuracy and timeliness in reporting, not to mention the faults of the reader.

Above: Santiago Cucullu, at left, Rachel Hellmann, center, and Josh Dihle, at right, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Caveat offered, it seems to be the case that 22 of the 40 artists (or 55% of the artists) chosen for "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" have in fact shown in a gallery in Chicago.[4] But, tellingly, many of those spaces are no longer operational, e.g., in the time since they showed Santiago Cucullu (see photograph above) both Julia Friedman and Rowley Kennerk have closed their galleries.

And of the 22 artists who have shown in Chicago, only 9 have verifiable gallery representation in Chicago: Elijah Burgher and Lilli Carré at Western Exhibitions; Dan Gunn and Ben Murray at Monique Meloche Gallery; Molly Briggs and Amy Casey at Zg Gallery; Emmett Kerrigan at Linda Warren Projects; Diane Christiansen at Kasia Kay Art Projects; and Cheonae Kim at Zolla Lieberman Gallery.

Now, if the numbers are correct, it does seem significant that 6 of the show's 40 artists (or 15% of the artists) are represented by just three galleries in one city. But, with due respect for Pocaro, it doesn't seem like "a veritable who’s who of gallery-repped Chicago artists." Where, for example, are the painters represented by Corbett vs. Dempsey, Rhona Hoffman, Kavi Gupta, Shane Campbell, and Valerie Carberry / Richard Gray?

Above: Josh Dihle's "Say No More (Flowers for Vardaman)" 2015, oil on linen, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Having written that much, it was a useful detour through the artists' biographies which Pocaro provoked, as unexpected patterns were visible therein:

- 11 of the 40 artists (or 27.5% of the artists) in "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" had experience with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago;[5]
- 12 of the 40 artists (or 30.0% of the artists) in "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" had previously appeared in New American Paintings;[6]
- 17 of the 40 artists (or 42.5% of the artists) in "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" had some professional interaction with Michelle Grabner.[7][8]

In sum, amongst many of the artists who were included in the show a shared history was identifiable.

Above: Rachel Hellmann's "A Window to Lean On" "Down the Edge" "Mirrors on the Wall" 2014, acrylic and graphite on board. Josh Dihle at right, background, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Above: Rachel Hellmann, foreground, "A Window to Lean On" "Down the Edge" "Mirrors on the Wall" 2014, acrylic and graphite on board, background, in the museum's first gallery, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

And, while considering three of those artists who had previously appeared in NAP--Diane Christiansen, Amy Casey, Russell Shoemaker--a history shared by some NAP jurors became identifiable too.

Staci Boris (the juror for NAP #113, wherein "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" originated) had at one time been a curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. And it turned out to be the case that a number of her former MCA coworkers had also served as jurors for NAP, viz.: Dominic Molon, Lynne Warren, and Julie Rodriguez Widholm. More, while jurors for NAP, they chose to include some of the same artists who Boris chose to include:

- in NAP #59, Dominic Molon selected Diane Christiansen;
- in NAP #83, Lynne Warren selected Amy Casey;
- in NAP #95, Julie Rodriguez Widholm selected Russell Shoemaker.

Christiansen proved to be the most remarkable example, as she'd been chosen to appear in NAP a total of eight times.[9]

Above: Diane Christiansen with "Untitled Painting (product of a stop action animation) 2015, gouache and acrylic on paper, in the museum's second gallery, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

Nevertheless, there is no argument against Christiansen appearing here; rather, she's indispensable in the current museum show. For having included a hanging support and a small screen-based animation in her installation, Christiansen ties together the works of Elijah Burgher and Lilli Carré. And it's possible to make the case that it's Burgher who relates to Velliquette in the lobby, as both exhibit multicolored works formally determined by a code of symbols, built upon sheet material which depends from the ceiling.

Above: Diane Christiansen's "Untitled Painting (product of a stop action animation) 2015, gouache and acrylic on paper, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Above: Elijah Burgher's "Year of swords, conclude! (Neither peaceful nor monumental version)" 2013, acrylic on canvas drop cloth, foreground, at right; Eddie Villanueva's "I don't want to be a lawn cutter no more" 2015, wood, latex paint, found arcade cabinet, spray paint, mirror, large format print and found graffiti, background, at left; as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Continuing to think about the artists and their work: In addition to Christiansen and Velliquette, Burgher provides a formal linkage to Cheonae Kim: both presenting works which contain regular linear elements, rendered in primary color, turning at right angles to one another, within their respective compositions.

Above: Cheonae Kim's "Mom" 2013-2014, flashe on panel. "Dad" in the museum's first gallery, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Above: Allison Reimus' "Untitled (Circle #2)" "Circle Drip" "Content Contains" "Vesel with Possible Asbestos" "Hold Me" "Paint Pitcher" "Untitled (Black Vessel)" in the museum's third gallery, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Kim in turn might be linked to Allison Reimus, whose pieces contain grid-like patterns, albeit mostly rendered with a subdued palette in comparison to Kim, and Burgher.

Having made such critical connections between artists, it seems good to remark upon the actual distribution of the artwork within the museum.

Remembering Velliquette's occupation of the lobby, there is otherwise a rough three-part division which is identifiable: (1) geometric abstraction being found in the first, or southernmost, gallery; (2) figure and landscape being found in the fourth, or northernmost gallery; with (3) mostly built works, collage and video filling the space between, i.e., the second and third galleries.

Above: Eddie Villanueva's "I don't want to be a lawn cutter no more" 2015, wood, latex paint, found arcade cabinet, spray paint, mirror, large format print and found graffiti, at center, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Above: Eddie Villanueva, lower left, facing camera, with "I don't want to be a lawn cutter no more" 2015, wood, latex paint, found arcade cabinet, spray paint, mirror, large format print and found graffiti, at center, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

In the center of the museum, in that group of works most challenging to the conventions of painting, is Eddie Villanueva. After the manner of some of those non-objective abstract expressionists who preceded him, compositional elements, here including both found objects and also facsimiles of popular culture, have been organized on a vertical plane within rectangular boundaries according to a scheme which originates in the artist's own sensibilities and not reality. The working method recalls Robert Rauschenberg--though, when it was put to him, Villanueva explicitly rejected any comparison to Rauschenberg in favor of Frank Stella.

Above: Craig Yu, foreground, facing camera, with Eddie Villanueva's "I don't want to be a lawn cutter no more" 2015, wood, latex paint, found arcade cabinet, spray paint, mirror, large format print and found graffiti, background, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Above: Craig Yu with his artwork as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

Considering the historical categories of painting which might have been underrepresented in this exhibition, landscape and still life were both relatively scarce. And it's interesting that while the natural world is a popular subject for contemporary photographers and installation artists, the contributors to "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" were much more likely to show concern for the human figure and products of the human imagination. Sophia Heymans and Craig Yu were notable exception, Yu's canvases being familiar from a January 2014 show at Devening Projects + Exhibitions.[10] That said, in the past Yu has allowed that his landscape compositions are filtered as appropriate by his own imagination; and, more obviously, the perspective which he offers is often available only by means of flight.

Above: Heidi Draley McFall with "Karem, Kristy and Isabel Practicing Sign Language" 2014, pastel on paper, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

Above: Heidi Draley McFall's "Karem, Kristy and Isabel Practicing Sign Language" 2014, pastel on paper, at left; David J. Eichenberg's "Aimee in Hoodie III" 2015, oil on aluminum panel, at right; as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Is naturalness, or is verisimilitude, worth anything today? Maybe, the inclusion of Heidi Draley McFall, David J. Eichenberg, and David Holmes--each producing work which springs from Photorealism in the 1960s--suggests an affirmative response. But it isn't so easy to say why these artists have been included in "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition."

NAP's published guidelines suggest that jurors can be expected to consider, blind, all work submitted, regardless of personal preference, so that every issue of the magazine (wherein this show originated) ought to cover a wide range of aesthetic viewpoints.[11] Given that information, teasing out any order of rank among the discipline's branches should be a challenging task; and it might be enough to write that the persistence of some modalities is chiefly an indication of their importance to the artists who employ them.

Above: Ricardo Manuel Díaz's "Head #1" "Head #2" "Head #4" "Head #5" "Head #8" "Head #9" "Head #10" "Head #11" "Head #13" "Head #14" 2013-2014, oil on birch wood panel, as seen at in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" opening reception on May 15, 2015.

Tongue-in-cheek, forgetting the juror, and the painters who were rejected, and the fact that all of this originated in a contest, it's a moment of egalitarian pluralism. And if Ricardo Manuel Díaz wants his expressionist impasto then he should have it; it's no better or worse than David Holmes' hyperrealism. The promise of NAP is to show the best of the work which is being made, not to "discriminate by style or yield to art-world trends."[12] All of which becomes increasingly complicated when taking seriously much contemporary activity, e.g., Raphael Rubinstein's notice six years ago "of a kind of provisionality within the practice of painting."[13] How does one pick the best from a genre underpinned by a philosophic opposition to the category and practice?

Above: David Holmes' "Under the L" 2013, acrylic on wood, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

The conundrum of the moment is thrown into sharp relief at the exit of the last gallery in the show. There, Holmes and Alex Bradley Cohen have paintings hanging side-by-side. And both artists have chosen essentially the same subject matter: figures, street-side, before an architectural background which also contains trees. Considering the universe which might have been depicted, it's remarkable--as remarkable as the dissimilarity in their rendering of the subject matter.

How should Cohen's work be understood? as identity art? as provisional painting? Given the context, an understanding of identity art while blind to the identity of the artist seems as problematic as the struggle to identify the "best" provisional painting. And it doesn't matter.

At 25, one year after finishing a BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Cohen's work has been, and is being, shown around the city regularly in 2015: January 9-23 with Marissa Neuman at Roman Susan; June 5-July 25 with Kelly Lloyd at Carrie Secrist; May 16-August 23 at the Elmhurst Art Museum; and (upcoming) September 5-October 10 with Steve Ruiz at Roots and Culture. Even more activity is scheduled outside of the city.

Full-time undergraduate students at SAIC can expect to pay $43,140 for a year's tuition 2015-2016.[14] But, unlike Cohen, not everyone who attends the school will be given the opportunity to show their work. Consequently, many once hopeful artists will be left to ponder their rejection. What's to become of them?

Above: David Holmes' "Under the L" 2013, acrylic on wood, at left; David Holmes, center; and Alex Bradley Cohen's "Summertime" 2013, acrylic on canvas, at right; as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

Where there should be a discussion there's instead a deafening silence. In the end, that's the most difficult thing. Because it's really quite alright if someone, like Cohen, presents work which doesn't evidence technical virtuosity; that's been the case for over one hundred years. But, absent such a demonstration there's a greater demand for proof in writing, or in speech, of some wit.

It's not there. Yet he's been to school and earned a degree. So it doesn't seem right to consider his work as naive or outsider art--unless he was able to pass through SAIC without being affected by any education. And if that's the case then wherein does the value of the experience lie?

Even a little help from a critic, or a curator, or a gallerist, would be welcome. Once upon a time that sort of activity was called scholarship. And it was a bridge between the humanities and the fine arts. History, literature and philosophy facilitated our understanding of why things were done.

Frustratingly, as art has become more instrumental for politics and business, the demand for consensus has increased. And, bizarrely, the consensus itself demands cognitive dissonance: it's necessary to both support equality as a political value and also to refrain from questioning the fantastical hierarchy which is a function of the business of art. Not surprisingly, criticism is perceived as odious, while coverage is welcome, which goes a long way towards explaining the current state of affairs in the press.

Chicago particularly has tended to display a hypersensitivity to criticism, being additionally burdened by its comparison to other major American cities.[15] Whether Chicago does have fewer resources at its disposal than New York and Los Angeles, it, apparently, is believed to be needful for the city's activities to be coordinated in order to successfully compete in the national and international arenas--which sort of strategy only exacerbates the shortness of vision which causes culture here to stumble over the course of the long run.[16][17]

It's not hopeless. But too few people are invested in the activity of directly experiencing visual art, reflecting upon what they've seen, and sharing their thoughts. Even considering the city's curators, critics, et al., in most cases there's no sense of urgency to attend opening receptions, to read articles, or to ask questions in public, in Chicago.[18]

Above: Alex Bradley Cohen with his artwork "Summertime" 2013, acrylic on canvas, as seen in the Elmhurst Art Museum during the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" artists talk on May 16, 2015.

Postscript: To hear Alex Bradley Cohen's individual artist talk I returned to the Elmhurst Art Museum on August 22, 2015. Having done so, I don't think that my first impression was far off the mark. Cohen's companion slide presentation included work which he made before, during, and after, the time he attended SAIC. No significant change was obvious; maybe the early work was better.

Another insight previously unavailable was that Cohen tended to paint from photographic or video imagery, which only seemed to reinforce the appropriateness of the comparison between himself and David Holmes.

Also, Cohen made it known that he had taken a ceramics class at SAIC. I guessed, correctly according to Cohen, that it was with William J. O'Brien. And that's interesting both because of O'Brien's own career trajectory and also because of O'Brien's Art Brut aesthetic.[19]

Finally, if there are errors anywhere in this text then please do leave a comment and alert me. I'm thankful to Alan Pocaro for causing me to take a closer look at the exhibition, though I know that there are shortcomings in my report.

- Paul E. Germanos, August 22, 2015.

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EXHIBITION DETAILS:

New American Paintings: Midwest Edition
May 16 - August 23, 2015
Elmhurst Art Museum
150 Cottage Hill Ave.
Elmhurst, IL

https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/

Synopsis: "For the first time in its 20 year history, the critically acclaimed publication, New American Paintings, which presents a juried exhibition-in-print with each issue, will jump from the page to the Museum walls. New American Paintings: The 2014 Midwest Edition features 40 artists selected by Elmhurst Art Museum Chief Curator, Staci Boris. Boris selected from more than 400 works submitted by artists from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Iowa. The resulting exhibition offers a panoramic view of the disparate ways in which paint is used as a medium in contemporary art practice."

Quotation above from: https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/exhibitions/new-american-paintings-midwest-edition

Artists: Brandon Anschultz, Robert Josiah Bingaman, Molly Briggs, Daniel Bruggeman, Elijah Burgher, Timothy Callaghan, Terrence Campagna, Lilli Carré, Amy Casey, Diane Christiansen, Alex Bradley Cohen, Anthony B. Creeden, Santiago Cucullu, Ricardo Manuel Díaz, Josh Dihle, David J. Eichenberg, Linda King Ferguson, Curtis Goldstein, Kevin Goodrich, Dan Gunn, Dyani White Hawk, Rachel Hellmann, Sophia Heymans, David Holmes, Valerie Jenkins, Emmett Kerrigan, Cheonae Kim, David Lloyd, Heidi Draley McFall, Ben Murray, Mark Pease, Justin Quinn, Tom Reed, Allison Reimus, John A Sargent III, Russell Shoemaker, Michael Velliquette, Eddie Villanueva, Seneca Weintraut, Craig Yu

List above from: http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/issues/113

Above: Alex Bradley Cohen's "Summertime" 2013, acrylic on canvas, on the cover of New American Paintings issue 113.

NOTES:

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/books/review/the-contemporaries-painting-now-and-more.html
"And the market did what it always does: It created a few stars, gave them everything and gave everyone else nothing." Holland Cotter, June 25, 2015.

[2] http://art.newcity.com/2013/02/05/eye-exam-friends-curating-friends/
"And the idea that one can presumably create new contexts for a handful of friends while hundreds of artists in this artist-packed city of ours undeservedly never get a show is preposterous." Pedro Velez, February 5, 2013.

[3] http://art.newcity.com/2015/06/17/review-new-american-paintings-midwest-editionelmhurst-art-museum/
"Ostensibly selected via an anonymous jurying process, 'New American Paintings: Midwest Edition' nonetheless includes a veritable who’s who of gallery-repped Chicago artists. While I wouldn’t suggest that these artists are undeserving of additional exposure, their work’s presence in the show inevitably feels like a consecration of the previously anointed." Alan Pocaro, June 17, 2015.

[4] The 22 artists who have shown in a gallery in Chicago: Brandon Anschultz, Molly Briggs, Elijah Burgher, Terrence Campagna, Lilli Carré, Amy Casey, Diane Christiansen, Alex Bradley Cohen, Santiago Cucullu, Josh Dihle, David J. Eichenberg, Linda King Ferguson, Kevin Goodrich, Dan Gunn, Emmett Kerrigan, Cheonae Kim, Ben Murray, Mark Pease, Justin Quinn, Allison Reimus, Michael Velliquette, Craig Yu.

[5] The 11 artists who have experience (as a student, or a teacher, or a visiting artist, etc.) with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Elijah Burgher, Lilli Carré, Diane Christiansen, Alex Bradley Cohen, Anthony B. Creeden, Santiago Cucullu, Josh Dihle, Kevin Goodrich, Dan Gunn, Emmett Kerrigan, Craig Yu.

[6] The 12 artists who appeared in New American Paintings prior to NAP 113: Robert Josiah Bingaman (NAP Blog October 23, 2012), Molly Briggs (NAP 65), Daniel Bruggeman (NAP 4), Elijah Burgher (NAP Blog February 28, 2013), Terrence Campagna (NAP 101), Amy Casey (NAP 83), Diane Christiansen (NAP 17), Heidi Draley McFall (NAP 30), Justin Quinn (NAP 101), Allison Reimus (NAP 88), John A. Sargent III (NAP 17), Russell Shoemaker (NAP 95). Multiple appearances have not been noted. Appearances after issue #113 have not been noted, e.g., David Lloyd reappeared in NAP 117, and Elijah Burgher has received attention in NAP's Blog on multiple occasions subsequent to being chosen by Boris for NAP 113.

[7] The 17 artists who have had some professional interaction with Michelle Grabner: Brandon Anschultz, Molly Briggs, Elijah Burgher, Alex Bradley Cohen, Santiago Cucullu, Josh Dihle, Linda King Ferguson, Kevin Goodrich, Dan Gunn, Cheonae Kim, Ben Murray, Justin Quinn, Tom Reed, Allison Reimus, Michael Velliquette, Eddie Villanueva, Craig Yu. "Professional interaction," here, means (a) to have been the subject of her review when she worked as a critic, or (b) to have shown in her exhibition space when she was a gallerist, or (c) to have taught in her department when she was a teacher and/or faculty chair, or (d) to have appeared in a group with her when she displayed work as an artist, or (e) to have been awarded a prize by her when she worked as a judge or juror, etc., etc..

[8] http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/issues/116
Michelle Grabner was tapped to function as the juror for NAP 116, which was available on newsstands in February of 2015, in the interim period between Boris' own work as juror for NAP 113 and the "New American Paintings: Midwest Edition" exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

[9] http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/artists/diane-christiansen
Diane Christiansen has been chosen to appear in NAP 17, 24, 29, 41, 59, 71, 83, and 113.

[10] http://chicagoartworld.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-craig-yu-devening-projects.html
Craig Yu, "Phantom Limb," January 26 - March 1, 2014, Devening Projects + Editions, 3039 W. Carroll Street, Chicago, IL.

[11] http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/artist-faq
"We use a 'blind' jurying process which means that the only materials presented to the juror are images, media and dimensions of your work, accompanied by the reference number that you are assigned. The juror will have no knowledge of your name, gender, age, level of education or any other personal information [...] The jurors are given strict instructions to consider all of the work that has been submitted, regardless of any personal preferences that they may have  Although each edition of New American Paintings is shaped by the likes and dislikes of a given juror, every book covers a wide range of aesthetic viewpoints."

[12] http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/about
"We work closely with renowned curators in order to select those artists whose work deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Unlike other art publications, New American Paintings does not discriminate by style or yield to art-world trends."

[13] http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/magazine/provisional-painting-raphael-rubinstein/
"...I’ve become increasingly aware of a kind of provisionality within the practice of painting. [...] works that look casual, dashed-off, tentative, unfinished or self-cancelling. [...] all deliberately turn away from 'strong' painting for something that seems to constantly risk inconsequence or collapse. Why would an artist [...] sign his or her name to a painting that looks, from some perspectives, like an utter failure?" Raphael Rubinstein, May 4, 2009.

[14] http://www.saic.edu/tuition/figureyourcosts/undergraduatestudentbudget/

[15] http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/April-2013/Rachel-Shteir-QA/
See above the backlash which Rachel Shteir experienced after discussing Chicago in relation to Detroit within the context of a New York publication.

[16] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/books/review/the-third-coast-by-thomas-dyja-and-more.html
The whole of the paragraph echoes Rachel Shteir's April 18, 2013, article. But the best example of said coordination might be the EXPO art fair.

[17] http://www.brooklynrail.org/2012/03/art/michelle-grabner-with-barry-schwabsky
Read paragraphs 11-16 of Barry Schwabsky's interview with Michelle Grabner. Compare the comments made by Grabner and Shteir; consider the contrast in reaction to those comments.

[18] The United States Census Bureau population estimates for 2014, for the eight states which comprise New American Paintings' Midwest region, given in millions: Illinois 12.88, Indiana 5.97, Iowa 3.10, Michigan 9.91, Minnesota 5.46, Missouri 6.06, Ohio 11.59, Wisconsin 5.76. The total is 60.73 million.

[19] http://paulgermanos.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-william-j-obrien-renaissance.html
William J. O'Brien, May 15 – June 26, 2011, The Renaissance Society, Bergman Gallery, Cobb Hall 418, 5811 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL.

IMAGES:

Above:
Photographs (1-25) May 15-16, 2015;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos