Chicago, Illinois Woman Made Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of “The Child in You” and solo exhibitions by Chicago artists, Roberta Reb Allen and Karen Rechtschaffen.

In addition Woman Made's Artisan Gallery shows works in ‘Contents Include: Metal Clay,’ an exhibition that continues the exploration of the materials and techniques being used by women artisans.

Please join us at the artist reception on April 6, 2007, 6-9pm at 685 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Works will be on display until May 17.

Regular Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12 to 7pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4pm.

Roberta Reb Allen, a Chicago artist who served as juror for the exhibition writes, "I was looking for works which captured some aspect of a child’s experience without overly revealing the hand or thought processes of the adult artist. There were works which touched on the darker, more confusing and scary side of childhood as well as works which made me laugh out loud in delight. I hope I have succeeded in putting together a show that appeals as much to the child in you as it did to the child in me.”

Included in the exhibition, Heather Klinkhamer's "No, I Didn't Eat Your Lipstick" from her SPAZ series recalls a child's fascination with makeup and inculpability. Klinkhamer explains, "The SPAZ series is based on my childhood experiences, mostly humorous. Each painting explores moments of blissful naiveté, in which a child is confident that she has mastered an appropriate way to navigate the world but is grossly mistaken in her calculation. Her brash enthusiasm contrasts with her obvious failure to achieve desired outcomes."

Participating artists include: Pilar Acevedo, Jaime Andersen, Lynda Andrus, Lisa Marie Barber, Mary- Glynn Boies, Ya Ya Chou, Cynthia I. Cloutier, Gail Flack Crandus, Pamela Deitrich, Nitasha Deogun, Jenn DeWald, Jennifer Drucker, Pat Dumas-Hudecki, Phyllis Edelstein, Tina Marie Garcia, Elizabeth Featherstone Hoff, Sarah Kaiser, Sarah Kargol, Laura Kaufman, Mary King, Karen Klein, Heather Klinkhamer, Elaine Langerman, Sharon Lee, Laura Sherrill Ligon, Rosemary Luckett, Marianne McCarthy, Shervone Neckles, Joline Paulson, Judith Pollock, Shannon Robinson, Carol Ross, Vanessa Shinmoto, Eden Stern, Tamara Tarasiewicz, Pamela Tarbell, Susan Tecktiel, Rachael Van Dyke, Rosalind Faiman Weinberg and Nancy Williams.

Image: 'No, I Didn't Eat Your Lipstick' by Heather Klinkhamer, oil on board, 13 x 8 inches

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Roberta Reb Allen is a self-taught artist who has experimented with many media and styles and has exhibited works both locally and nationally, but her favorite and most widely exhibited has been the series of small watercolors which depict a young girl at play which she began over ten years ago.

Roberta Reb Allen comments: "In creating this series I was interested in three things. First was to convey the exuberance and sense of freedom which children find in play. In recreating these feelings from my own childhood experiences, I also wanted to express the unique physical sensations which each different type of play produces.

Secondly, I was challenged by the idea of producing the works from a child’s artistic perspective. I have tried to capture the loose style, expressive brush work and imaginative use of minimal detail and bright colors typical of children’s art.

Finally, I wanted to produce strong images of a young, active girl as a counterweight to the images of passive females found in so many fine art and popular images. I vivdly recall sitting down to read my daughter a popular children’s book which illustrates words only to find that all the active words like “jump” and “throw” were portrayed by male figures and the words associated with sedentary activities were are depicted by female figures. There is still a conscious need to present a more balanced and realistic picture of growing up female."

Image: 'Superwoman' by Roberta Reb Allen, watercolor on paper, 16 x 20 inches

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Karen Rechtschaffen is a self-taught artist who gives discarded items a new life. She originally started painting to entertain herself– a pleasant diversion after 30 plus years of direct social service and advocacy work.

Karen Rechtschaffen comments: "As a self-taught artist I see my work as highly accessible. For some it will be the colors that compel the eye to look more deeply; for others the intricate designs or detailed narrative will be the reason to look further.

Part of my creative process is to locate discarded items. Whether I find the item at a garage sale, thrift store or abandoned in the street I know that every piece has a story. My challenge is to rework these items to have a new tale, often with a written message and a piece of my own interpretation of the past, present and future."

Please join us at the opening reception on April 6 from 6 until 9 p.m. Works will be on display through May 17, 2007.

Image: 'Carnaval' by Karen Rechtschaffen, wood, bottle caps, acrylic, 12 x 6 x 5 inches

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Metal Clay artists include Mary Ellin D'Agostino, Carol Hammerman, Julia I. King, Mary Mintich, Gail Mutoza, Elizabeth Parrock, Melisse Reichman, Olga Sanchez, Jackie Truty and Michela Verani.

Other exhibiting Artisan Gallery artists include: Angela Askin, Beth Bartley, Molly Bitters, Jill Buckingham, Sarah Chapman, Lori C. Coan, Linda Deardorff, Judy B. Freeman, Sandra Golbert, Judy Gray, Caroline Haurie, Laura C. Hewitt, Dorothy Hughes, Stephanie Marder, Natalie Prevost-Mero, Emily McCormick, Emily Murphy, Kimberly Nikolaev, Carmen M. Perez, Elizabeth Rhoads Read, Karen Roberts, Kristi Sloniger, Liz Vercruysse, Emily Watson and Lisa Williams.

'Contents Include: Metal Clay' will be on display through June 21, 2007. 'The Child in You' group exhibition and solo shows are up through May 17.

Image: 'Vintage Floral Button Necklace' by Elizabeth Parrock, PMC, Swarovski Crystal, Sterling Silver

Artisan Gallery

Woman Made Gallery is a tax-exempt, not for profit organization founded in 1992. Its goal is to support women in the arts by providing opportunities, awareness, and advocacy. It specifically accomplishes this through monthly thematic exhibitions which raise public awareness and recognition of women's cultural contributions.

Woman Made Gallery is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; a CityArts Program II grant from the City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs; The Chicago Community Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; the Polk Bros. Foundation; the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation; the Efroymson Fund, a CICF Fund; and the generosity of its members and contributors.