Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Tall Grass Arts Association Gallery will reopen on June 19 with an exhibit called HOT WHEELS. This will be the first public exhibition at the Downtown art gallery since Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his first stay-at-home order in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exhibit will feature antique, vintage, classic cars, and motorcycles.
The works in the show of wonderfully designed and often beautifully restored autos and bikes, as well as the people and environments associated with them, ranging from super-real to richly expressive, from abstracted close-ups to collaged interpretations.
Twenty-four artists will present drawings, paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculpture, and glass pieces. They share with us their love of the visually addictive beauty – the forms, textures, reflections, patinas, and intricate details – of cars and motorcycles from decades ago as well as today. At the same time, they stir personal memories for each of us of family trips, the joy of owning first cars, musings on sitting inside a movie star’s luxury roadster, games of identifying brands by their logos or hood ornaments, the longing for earlier days when sighting a rusty truck abandoned in a field.
At times joyously vibrant, gaudy, playful, and at others, quietly respectful and nostalgic, some of the works in the exhibit were inspired by travels all around America, or to Cuba and to Italy. Some pieces began after artists experienced the abundance of inventive design on display at classic car shows and car museums. And still others came about through unplanned drives down country roads, discovering by chance the charm and appeal of a vintage ride.
COVID-19 has not passed, however, and the gallery will follow rules and suggestions related to face coverings, limiting the number of visitors in the gallery at one time, and keeping a distance from other people.
The gallery will provide face masks for all visitors who may not have their own.
“But the show will be so much fun,” the Arts Association said in a statement, “with works from some familiar artists as well as several who are brand new to our area.”
Artists included in HOT WHEELS are Anthony Abboreno, Jay Anderson, Mike Buchan, Richard Burd, Bill Dixon, Irene Ganas, Janet Glazar, Ken Hall, Dave Hanson, Fran Hollander, Pat Coffman Huss, Susan Johnson, Sandi Kozlowski, Dennis McDonough, Chuck Michaels, Bob Nardi, Gloria Payne, Stuart Pearson, Joan Quirke, Bill Schahfer, Ann Socha, Carol Thorner, Nance Tucker, and Christopher Tuscan.
“We hope everyone visiting the show will gain a new appreciation for not only these artists’ great skill at selecting and portraying their views and visions, but also for the artists and designers of automobiles and motorcycles through more than a century – for their original ideas, attention to detail, and long history of creating so many powerful objects of useful beauty,” TGAA continued in their release.
“Give yourself a reward for being so good during all these weeks and come see the show once it is open.”
Curators for HOT WHEELS are Deborah Craemer and Claudia Craemer, and jurors are Deborah, Claudia, and Richard Schmidt.
