Art & Art History
The Republic Reconsidered
Artists: Richard Binder, Barbara Blades, Christine Boos, Leslie Brack, Yvette Brackman, Nicholas Bruno, Patrick Collier, Tom Denlinger, Markus Dohner, Rita Halvorsen, Robert Hewitt, Nina Levy, Larry Miller, Dan Mills, Kurt Mitchell, Steve Olsen, Michael Piazza, Jon Pounds, Russ Redsville, Martha Schlitt, Susan Sensemann, Helen Tsatsos and Ellen Grimes, Tom Van Eynde, and James Warden
The Republic Reconsidered explores and redefines the established genre of the monument and the place of public art in the community today. The juried works in this competition are designed to encourage speculation, fantasy, and the reconsideration of public art. In an era of pluralistic art, architecture, and design, Gallery 400 ’s goal is to re-examine the history of the monument and to revise views on public installations and their impact on contemporary culture.
On exhibition in conjunction with the centennial of the 1893 World ’s Columbian Exposition, The Republic Reconsidered is inspired by the recently restored Statue of the Republic, a one-third scale replica of the one-hundred-foot statue originally created for the World ’s Fair, which depicts a laurel-crowned woman holding in one hand an eagle and in the other a standard adorned with a wreath and the word “Victory.” Both statues were created by the artist Daniel Chester French, who executed them in the Classical style, and covered them in eighteen-carat gold leaf. Using The Statue of the Republic, which now stands in Jackson Park at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Hayes, as a point of departure, The Republic Reconsidered focuses on the ever-shifting state of the monument and public sculpture, both in Chicago and beyond.
EXHIBITION CHECKLIST
Richard Binder
Untitled, 1993
Marker on paper, 20 x 29 1/4 in.
Barbara Blades
The Republic (reconsidered), 1993
Mixed media on paper, 30 x 22 in.
Christine Boos
Tut and Paddy’s Backstairs, 1993
Steel, copper, and wood, 59 x 10 1/4 x 13 in.
Leslie Brack
High Fives, 1993
Plastic and artificial grass, 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. diameter
Yvette Brackman
Deposed Monuments, 1993
Photographs, each 11 x 14 in.
Nicholas Bruno
The Republic Reconsidered, 1993
Paper, marker, and plastic, 12 x 24 x 24 in.
Patrick Collier
Discombobulate, 1993
Stocking caps, 17 1/2 x 33 in. diameter and 16 x 32 in. diameter
Tom Denlinger
Bert’s Bed and Breakfast, 1993
Glass, leather, metal, and paper, 16 x 21 x 7 1/2 in.
Markus Dohner
Reconstruction of Republic Statue As Water Goddess, 1993
Mixed media on paper, 20 x 30 in.
Rita Halvorsen
The Republic Returns to the Earth, 1993
Marker on paper, 20 x 30 in.
Robert Hewitt
Untitled, 1993
Metal, artificial grass, sand, and wood, 7 x 18 x 12 in.
Nina Levy
Proposal for The Republic Reconsidered, 1993
Carved resin with gold leaf, box, and artificial grass, 6 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1 in.
Larry Miller
Nipple to the Bottle or Safe as Milk, 1993
Glass, photo, liquid light, milk, and rubber nipple, 13 x 5 x 2 1/2 in.
Dan Mills
Stereo Types, 1993
Mixed media, 19 x 10 x 12 in.
Kurt Mitchell
The Republic Reconsidered, Quidpiam Pro Pecunia, 1993
Pencil and colored pencil on paper, 30 x 20 in.
Steve Olsen
The Republic Reconstituted, 1993
Mixed media on paper, 20 x 30 in.
Michael Piazza
Untitled, 1993
Mixed media, 15 1/2 x 14 x 10 in.
Jon Pounds
Exposition Ain’t No Personification, 1993
Ceramic, plaster, and fabric, 23 1/2 x 14 x 10 in.
Russ Redsville
Camera Plaza, 1993
Cement, paint, collage, and photo-reproduction, 7 x 8 x 4 in. and 11 x 8 1/2 in.
Martha Schlitt
The Statue of the Republic Covered in Paprika, 1993
Paper and paprika, 24 x 10 in.
Susan Sensemann
Beginning of Critical Thinking, 1993
Collage, 30 1/2 x 20 in.
In All Ages, 1993
13 x 26 x 24 in.
Helen Tsatsos and Ellen Grimes
Working Drawings for Scaffolding Monument, or, Speculation on Monumental Functions, 1993
Mixed media on paper, each 24 x 18 in.
Tom Van Eynde and Dan Mills
Don’t Know the Title (Greased Palm), 1993
Mixed media and grease, 10 1/2 x 8 3/4 x 10 1/2 in.
James Warden
Gold Leaf, 1993
Osco color photograph, 30 x 20 in.
PRESS RELEASE
The Republic Reconsidered
Gallery 400
Chicago, Illinois
September 27–October 16, 1993
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 29, 1993, 4–7pm
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
The Republic Reconsidered is supported by the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Art and Design’s College of Architecture, Art, and Urban Planning.
This project is also coordinated through: The City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago ’93, the Chicago Park District, and the B. F. Ferguson Fund of the Art Institute of Chicago and supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Phillips, Ada M. “Time to Reconsider the Republic Statue.” Chicago Defender, July 13, 1993, p. 14.
PRINT COLLATERAL
Flyer: The Republic Reconsidered
Postcard: The Republic Reconsidered