Familiar face judging West Chicago banner contest
A familiar face in the West Chicago community, Ryan Hammer, co-owner of Kindred Coffee, has been named the art juror for the 2020 Art Banner exhibit called "Home."
All media are welcome, with no limitation to technique or subject matter, as long as it relates to the theme. Each selected design will be reproduced, at the city's expense, on 60-by-30-inch vinyl street banners.
Selected artists will receive credit on both the banner and in printed materials related to the exhibit. Additionally, they may submit a brief statement about their inspiration for inclusion in publicity materials.
The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1. More information and a link to the online submission form may be found at westchicago.org by searching art banner exhibit.
The exhibit is sponsored by the city's Cultural Arts Commission.
"I've been living in or regularly visiting West Chicago since starting first-grade at Indian Knoll," Hammer said. "That works out to roughly 32 of my 38 years living on this planet.
"The arts have been essential to my life here, and ever since the comic book characters I'd draw in grade school, I've been attempting to create works of art in one way or another, whether through the creation of songs, the crafting of poems and short stories in college, or the quirky social media work I do for Kindred Coffee."
He admits it can be challenging to maintain the level of creative quirkiness folks have come to expect from Kindred Coffee's online presence, which he describes as "creative and playful and funny and weird," but he enjoys discovering new ways to creatively delight himself and others.
Last year the success of First Friday's art events at Kindred Coffee proved the art niche runs deep in the community, with many local artists hosting receptions and sharing their work on the walls of Kindred's Community Room.
The collaboration with local artists from Gallery 200, People Made Visible, Gallery Theater and the West Chicago City Museum has brought renewed energy and vibrancy to venues throughout the downtown through monthly art offerings. Commission members hope such art groups will encourage their membership to tap their sources of inspiration for the universal theme, "Home."
"Home can mean so many things to so many folks," Hammer said. "For me, 'Home' brings to mind the uniqueness and particularity of the places in which we make space for ourselves. Space that allows us freedom to move and think and feel and breathe and express and unfold.
"I'm excited to judge the submissions this year, and I look forward to seeing the many interpretations of 'Home' that West Chicago and surrounding area artists will bring to this year's art banner project."