Here is the press release information put together for Chicago Artists Month:
Open and Free: the Library as Studio, an Installation by Anne Hayden Stevens
Harold Washington Library Center, 8th Floor North Exhibit Case
Chicago Public Library
400 S. State Street
For many artists the public library acts as a studio, furnishing material for the eye and the imagination, as well as recording their history. Chicago artist Anne Hayden Stevens reveals her vision of the Chicago Artists' Archive through an installation of unique drawings and artist books inspired by local artists past and present. In the process she becomes archived herself, a living, breathing addition to the library's files.
Visual artist Anne Hayden Stevens creates an installation inspired by the Chicago Artists' Archive, a collection which chronicles the life and art of over 9000 working artists in Chicago from the early 20th century to today. Through drawings and artist books, Stevens will reveal the Library as a critical component of the 'city as studio' - a place that's a free and open archive, as well as a workspace.
One could see the Archive as a long list of artist names, most of them forgotten by history, and feel defeated by the anonymity of that amount of creative work. Instead, the Archive becomes a living source of inspiration, revealing artists, all throughout the city, laboring at their beautiful production and sharing it with their communities.
Artist Talk with Anne Hayden Stevens
Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 3:30pm
Art Reference Room, 8th Floor
