Chicago, Illinois-- Woman Made Gallery announces the opening of the "11th International Open" a group exhibition juried by Barbara Koenen. Artwork by 42 women from across the United States, Canada and the UK will be featured in the show. In addition we are happy to present solo shows by Mary K. Connelly and Shelly Jyoti. Our Artisan Gallery continues with "Speaking to My Ancestors," a group exhibition curated by Mary Stoppert and Carmen M. Perez.

Please join us at the artist reception on Friday, February 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 685 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Works will be on display until March 27, 2008.

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

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Barbara Koenen earned her M.F.A. at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is an exhibiting artist, curator and writer. In 2007 she curated the group show "Consuming War" for the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago. Koenen serves as Project Director for the Cultural Planning Division at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. She has exhibited at Rhona Hoffman Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

11th International Open artists include: Louise Atkinson, Claudia Berns, Audrey Brown, Corinne Butler, Mo Cahill, Margot Ceddia, Sharon Davie-Barrett, Rachael Marie Demeo, Tracy Featherstone and Krista Connerly, Stephanie Fosnaugh, Rachel Gibson, Sharon Gilmore, Sara Holwerda, Beth Kamhi, Phyllis Lear, Yen-Hua Lee, BiLan Liao, Joetta Maue, Lily Mayfield, Sonia McKenna, Monika Merva, Heather Muenstermann, Althea Murphy-Price, Aria Newton, Sarah Nguyen, Mary Lou Novak, Beth Oberholtzer, Pamela Paulsrud, Bonnie Peterson, Joyce Polance, Jennifer Reis, Marybeth Rothman, Vlasta Smola, Kristina Sparks, Melissa Steckbauer, Victoria Szilagyi, Susan Tennenbaum, Vadis Turner, Jessica Vaughn, Erin Williams, and Marjorie Woodruff.

Opening reception: February 29 from 6 until 9 p.m. Works are up through March 27, 2008.

Image: "Red Dress" by Vlasta Smola; acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 inches

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"Inspired by my reading of The Poetics of Space, this current body of work is entitled Topophilia--small paintings of room interiors that convey an intimate sense of "love of place". I agree with Bachelard's notion that "the house is our first universe, a real cosmos in every sense of the word."

My paintings are a distillation of perception and memory, where color and light convey a world psychologically and spiritually charged. Interior space is presented as a chamber for mediation, evoking memories or daydreams of a beloved solitary place. As "home," the interior is fraught with conflicting feelings of entrapment and private repose. Architecture is used in this series as a formal and conceptual devise to represent a tension between the interior and exterior world. The empty interior can also be viewed as a metaphor for consciousness-a container for my ruminating, restless mind."

Opening reception: February 29 from 6 until 9 p.m. Works are up through March 27, 2008.

Please join us for a Gallery Talk with Mary K. Connelly on Saturday, March 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Image: "Garvey's II, 2007" by Mary K. Connelly; oil on wood panel, 20 x 14 inches

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"My present body of work represents a fantasy of heritage: the patterns and confluence of traditional art forms and references to embroideries and embellishments from India. I like to explore and reinterpret indigenous decorative traditions within my art practice. The decorative style of art that I create is like revisiting the past. As a contemporary artist and a creative individual, my heritage refers to all that I have inherited. The ideas, designs and patterns eventually become my connection with visual media and other creative expressions."

Opening reception: February 29 from 6 until 9 p.m. Works are up through March 27, 2008.

In addition to her solo show, with more than 15 paintings, Shelly Jyoti is offering insights into the inspiration for and creation of her art at a workshop on March 15th. Included will be a lecture, slide presentation and the creation of a piece of art.

Workshop with Shelly Jyoti: Madhubani Art of "Mithila"
March 15, 2008 / 10am-4pm / Fee: $90 for WMG members, $120 for non-members. All materials and refreshments are provided. Registration is necessary and space is limited. Call 312-738-0400.

Image: "Omnipresence - 03" by Shelly Jyoti; inks/acrylic on handmade paper, 30 x 23 inches

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Curated by Mary Stoppert and Carmen M. Perez, represented artists include Adrienne Blum, Susan Breeland, Helga Dangel, Toni Bennett Easterson, Ruth Ann Howden, Pepper Johnson, July L. Kahle, Denise Labadie, Dory Maier, Diane Masi, B.J. Morgan and Judith M. Osmer.

"Speaking to My Ancestors" artworks will be on display through March 27, 2008.

Image: "Rotten Apple" by Helga Dangel; bronze, patina, 13 x 16 x 8 inches

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About Woman Made 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 Hugh M. Hefner Foundation; the Efroymson Fund, a CICF Fund; a major anonymous donor; and the generosity of its members and contributors.