Halima Afi Cassells and Shanna Merola: Swan Song

By Steve Panton

FEB 2023 | ArtSeen

Swan Song, the exhibition, takes place in the Mike Kelley “Mobile Homestead,” a full-size replica of the eponymous artist's childhood home located on MOCAD's grounds. The venue is awkward, but the exhibition design, done by the artists, skillfully reimagines the space, transforming it into a seamless environment.

Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy of Modern Song

By Raymond Foye

NOV 2022 | Books

With Dylan, a few words go a long way. Nothing is belabored. When you are discussing songwriting, and you are arguably the finest songwriter of your era, it needn't be. I wouldn't call it shop-speak, it's more insider knowledge.

A Song for the Strivers in Evanston Salt Costs Climbing

By Billy McEntee

NOV 2022 | Theater

Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, directed by Danya Taymor and produced by The New Group, is a song for the striving: a love letter to those who feel too much, who can’t help but give and give of themselves even if it comes at their own expense. Such characters exist throughout Arbery’s other plays, including the wounded Emily in Heroes of the Fourth Turning and saintly Isabel in Plano.

Enrique Martínez Celaya: The Foreigner’s Song

By Irene Lyla Lee

OCT 2022 | ArtSeen

An expanse of dark is splattered with white. A figure walks beneath, turning back, as if momentarily, to wave. His reflection is held in a puddle at his feet; above him are large flowers and a vague map. The white spots are not stars, yet they guide us toward the concept of a night sky. C.G. Jung inferred that archetypes exist within each one of us. Our starry nights glimmer with ancient cosmic formations that can be understood, and as they are, we begin to discover our place among them. This painting is titled The Traveler’s Dream (2022).