Jurors: Pia Cruzalegui & Mia Garcia-Hills
EXHIBITING ARTISTS (in no particular order)
Christina Cosio, Amy Hanks, Ruby Figueroa, Greta Olson, Lee Blake, August Miller, Suzy Chan, Mercedes Cardenas, Deborah Paige-Jackson, Abel Berumen, Lily MacLachlan, River MacLeod
During Pride Month in this critical election year, the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) aims to spotlight the values of the broader community; celebrating inclusion, diversity and equity, during this time in our nation’s history when these very ideals are blatantly under attack.
The artworks are by underrepresented voices from diverse population including BIPOC, immigrant, veteran, disabled, incarcerated, queer, and transgender artists and reflect these experiences at this particular time when diversity, equity and inclusion are suppressed more than ever before.
This exhibition acknowledges that each artist’s journey is different and aims to celebrate contemporary expressions of artists from diverse backgrounds, identities and communities, understanding that these terms encompass a rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and perspectives.
Judge’s selections for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, cash awards
Exhibition dates: May 31 - June 28, 2024
Artist Reception: Friday June 14, 2024, 7-9pm
Pick up/ Return work: Week of July 1
About the Jurors:
Pia Cruzalegui
As an independent curator, Pia Cruzalegui (b. Peru) places special focus on contemporary issues related to the environment, women, and LGBTQ+ community. She has organized exhibitions in Chicago, Miami, and abroad, and is the producer of Oral Fixation Art Podcast. Pia received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016) and a BA in Video, Film, and Multimedia from Florida Atlantic
Pia was given a recognition award by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage of Quito, Ecuador, for her work Rojo Rosa Rosado, in 2019, and her video documentation project, “American Tales in the Making” (2020), funded by the National Endowment of the Arts Big Read, was commissioned by and archived at the Freeport Art Museum, in Illinois. Pia Cruzalegui was born in Peru. She lives and works in Chicago where she works as an artist, curator and producer.
Mia Garcia-Hills
Mia Garcia-Hills is a trained artist, educator, trauma-informed yoga teacher and activist scholar. Her work in and beyond the studio often draws on her various areas of interest, which allows her to integrate mindful movement, creativity and critical reflection.
Mia was a Coca-Cola Foundation Museum fellow. Prior museum and gallery experiences include internship and professional positions at the Chicago History Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Gallery 400 and GBU Gallery. Mia has taught art courses at Morton East High School, Lake Park High School, Multicultural Arts School, Social Justice High School, Yollocalli Youth Museum, Gary Comer Youth Center, Morton College, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Concordia University Chicago. Mia served as an external program evaluator for Representations: A series on Culture, Politics and Aesthetics a year-long program that was developed by Theaster Gates and Lee Ann Norman and hosted by Experimental Station. Mia was a founding board member of Positive Fields, a 501(c)3 nonprofit makerspace that provided free access to technology to youth and entrepreneurs in the rural community of Hogansville, Georgia.
Mia has exhibited her work at Around the Coyote Arts Festival, Mars Gallery, UIC’s GBU, Montgomery Ward and Art Lounge Galleries, and Concordia University’s Ferguson Art Gallery. Mia has presented research on the essential role art can play in human, community and cultural development at Wheaton College, American Education Research Association Conference, University of Illinois Chicago, and National Art Education Association Conferences.
Mia earned her BFA’s in Art Education and Studio Arts from University of Illinois Chicago, MAAE in Art Education from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her PhD in Leadership: Higher Education from Concordia University Chicago.