Elmhurst Art Museum announces programs for Norman Teague’s ‘A Love Supreme’
The Elmhurst Art Museum will be hosting programs for “A Love Supreme,” a solo exhibition by Norman Teague inspired by legendary jazz musician John Coltrane, with an adjoining group exhibition in the Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House featuring over 30 Chicago-based BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists titled “A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined.”
Teague uses Coltrane’s album “A Love Supreme” as a cultural touchstone to consider design influences from his lifelong home in Chicago, exploring how the power of bold improvisational jazz and unapologetic Black aesthetics have expanded the minds and inspired creative communities of color.
Celebrating BIPOC designers and a variety of cultural influences in Chicago at a time when the country is reckoning with representation across industries and disciplines, “A Love Supreme” takes place from Jan. 20 to April 28, 2024, at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave.
“A Love Supreme” features new sculptural and installation-based works by Teague, providing a setting to heal, unify, and activate community.
Visitors are greeted by a collage of Teague’s personal influences, including John Coltrane, designer Chuck Harrison, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the Civil Rights era mural the “Wall of Respect,” sculptor Martin Puryear, and others.
With these cultural inspirations in mind, Teague presents new assemblage pieces with used brass instruments embedded in ceramics, and designed objects and sculptures that convey the power of jazz, such as a new, monolithic wood sculpture that references the shape of a horn.
Central to the exhibit are African-influenced objects, including a large-scale round house created as a gathering place to celebrate, experience, and discuss Black life and shared culture.
“I believe there is a quest for craft from the imaginations of Black America that needs to be heard, seen, and felt as safe, desired, and beautiful. And it can only come from us. This turning point of awareness in American history will only get greater as time goes on — and design history will follow,” Teague said.
In line with his highly collaborative practice, Teague uplifts other creatives while expressing joy through design.
For the adjoining exhibition in Mies van der Rohe’s 1952 McCormick House, co-curators Teague and Rose Camara, Charles Hummel Curatorial Fellow at The Chipstone Foundation, asked others, “What is your Coltrane story? Who awakened you personally and artistically?”
Works on display by over 30 artists include furniture, blown glass, and fiber art pieces that transform the house from the picture of upper-class, white suburban living to an alternative interior reimagined by BIPOC architects, designers, and artists.
The exhibiting artists selected by Teague and Camara include Oluwaseyi Adeleke, Germane Barnes, Cain Baum, Bryana Bibbs, Paul Branton, Steve Bravo, Brandon Breaux, Roger Carter, Funlola Coker, Summer Coleman, Shani Crowe, Max Davis, Juan de la Mora, Julius C. Dorsey, Brian K. Ellison, Stephen Flemister, Krista Franklin, Toni L. Griffin, Andres L. Hernandez, Roland Knowlden, Marvell Lahens, Roberto Lugo, Cedric Mitchell, Obiora Nwazota, Lola Ogbara, Rosemary Ollison, Daniel Overbey, Suchi Reddy, Tony Smith, Edra Soto, Jomo Tariku, Norman Teague, Raymond A. Thomas, Fo Wilson, and Sadie Woods.
“A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined” provides a new narrative about the bold, bright, and vast number of Black and Brown designers who are the future of American design.
The exhibition includes audio components. Headphones and smartphone are recommended to provide a fuller experience.
Public Programs
Opening celebration
Friday, Jan. 19, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Free to members. Non-member tickets $9-$23, online registration encouraged.
The opening celebration features a meet-and-greet with the artists, plus light bites, live music, signature jazz cocktails, and special performances by Elmhurst University Jazz Combo and Chicago House music pioneer DJ Celeste Alexander.
Panel discussion and performance
Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m.
Free with museum admission
A panel discussion that digs deeper into music, culture, and design influences of exhibiting artists, moderated by Ayana Contreras, cultural historian and host of the “Reclaimed Soul” program on WBEZ and Vocalo Radio. The panel discussion is followed by a performance by the Elmhurst University Jazz Combo.
Family Day: A Love Supreme Valentine
Saturday, Feb. 10, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Visitors are invited to create Valentine’s Day cards inspired by the sights and sounds found in the Elmhurst Art Museum’s current exhibition. With drawing and painting, visitors are asked, “Which of your muses will you send your Valentine to?”
Family Day: Designing Your Interior
Saturday, March 16, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Visitors are invited to discover the art of interior design inspired by the works found in “A Love Supreme.” Visitors can explore sculpture as personal expression and design and construct a domestic interior that tells their own unique story.
Curator tour of ‘A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined’
Saturday, March 23, at 1 p.m.
Free with museum admission
“A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined” co-curators Norman Teague and Rose Camara lead a tour of the McCormick House to explore how over 30 Chicago-based artists and designers responded to prompts about the effects of music on their work. Featured works include a variety of media such as fiber art, furniture, photography, and more. Teague and Camara share insights about the artists selected, as well as the songs they chose to accompany their works.
An Evening of Jazz
Thursday, April 18, from 6 to 9 p.m.
$30
The Elmhurst Art Museum presents an evening of jazz-inspired performances, beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and “A Love Supreme” exhibition viewing.
Family Day: Crafting with Music
Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Free with museum admission
The museum welcomes visitors to give music new life by creating a colorful weaving on reclaimed CDs. Visitors can explore the tactile works found throughout “A Love Supreme” and get inspired by the colorful world of music and craft.
McCormick House Tours
Sundays, Feb. 11, March 10 and April 14, at 1 p.m.
$23
On select Sundays throughout the run of “A Love Supreme,” the museum hosts a series of a docent-led tour to learn more about the unique history and design of Mies van der Rohe's McCormick House including the current installation.
“A Love Supreme” is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. It is sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and in part by a grant from the League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd. With programming in partnership with Elmhurst University Department of Music.
“A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined” is co-curated by Norman Teague and Rose Camara. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Chipstone Foundation.
ABOUT NORMAN TEAGUE
Norman Teague is a Chicago-based designer and educator using design as an agent for change and as a mechanism to empower black and brown communities. Teague was one of five artists selected to participate in the United States Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia 2023. He worked with Theaster Gates on “12 Ballads for Huguenot House for dOCUMENTA” (13) in Kassel, Germany. His participation in “Wall of Respect: Vestiges, Shards and Legacy of Black Power in Chicago,” chronicled the legacy of a seminal mural developed for Chicago’s Black South Side located at 43rd Street and Langley Avenue. With Folayemi Wilson, Teague was a partner in blkHaUS studios. blkHaUS blended contemporary aesthetics with locally sourced materials to create furniture, objects, and spaces that transform common typologies into original works representative of 21st century design. Teague was named a creative collaborator on the exhibitions team for the Barack Obama Presidential Library. He is an assistant professor of industrial design at University of Illinois Chicago. Norman Teague is the founder and lead designer of Norman Teague Design Studios.
ABOUT THE ELMHURST ART MUSEUM
The Elmhurst Art Museum is located at 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave. in Elmhurst, 25 minutes from downtown Chicago by car or public transportation (Metra). On the museum’s campus is the McCormick House, a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th century. The McCormick House is one of only three residences designed and built by Mies in the United States – and one of only two open to the public.
The museum is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular admission prices are $18 for ages 18 or older; $15 for seniors; $10 for students; and $5 for children. For information, call (630) 834-0202 or visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.
ABOUT ART DESIGN CHICAGO
Art Design Chicago is a special citywide collaboration and series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and arts organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago seeks to expand narratives of American art with an emphasis on the city’s diverse and vibrant creative cultures and the stories they tell. Learn more at artdesignchicago.org.
ABOUT TERRA FOUNDATION
The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives.