Nate Otto is versatile visual artist from Chicago. He has a BFA from Columbia College and also attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Kansas. In addition to several years of teaching experience, he has worked as a graphic facilitator. He is also a frequent artistic contributor and blogger at 37signals, a Chicago based software company. Nate has shown his art at several galleries and alternative spaces in Chicago. Nate’s first solo show is scheduled for spring of 2014 at Tony Fitzpatrick’s AdventureLand Gallery. Not only is Nate a dedicated artist, but he also has a passion for sharing his knowledge with others. He is a strong believer that art is something everyone can enjoy.
The expressive ink paintings of Allison Svoboda are both ethereal and ominous at the same time. Finding this edge of beauty in nature, she lets the hundreds of brush strokes speak for themselves. After several years of working in architecture and as an ethnographic art dealer, Allison has turned to painting to express her love of the geometry in nature. Her work can be found in corporate and private collections throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East including the Hyatt in Dubai. Her large-scale installations have been on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the lobby of Prudential Plaza in Chicago. Allison teaches at Lillstreet Art Center and specializes in workshops in Asian ink painting.
Gwendolyn Zabicki is a painter from Chicago. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2005 and her MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in May 2012. She is the 2012-2013 painting and drawing artist- in-residence at the Lillstreet Art Center. Her work has shown at Robert Bills Contemporary, Spoke Gallery, Offwhite, and Gallery 400 in Chicago. Learn more about Gwendolyn and her project The South Logan Arts Coalition: www.southloganarts.org
Gwendolyn Terry is a Chicago-based installation artist. She received her BFA from the University of Colorado and worked professionally designing and installing theatrical sets, architectural facades, and retail window displays. In addition to creating commissioned objects and installations, she piloted an artistic internship program for a national company, and mentored and trained emerging display artists. Gwendolyn is also a Teaching Artist at Marwen, a nonprofit center in Chicago that educates underserved young people in the visual arts.
Shira Leon is a Chicago based ceramic artist. She earned her BFA in photography and painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004 and has worked in a variety of arts related businesses ever since. She started taking classes at Lillstreet in 2010 and currently enjoys being a monitor in the ceramics department. Shira loves connecting people with art and believes everyone has the ability to benefit from the creative process.
Samantha is an artist and educator living in Chicago, Illinois. She received a BFA from Santa Clara University in 2004 and Master’s in Education from DePaul University in 2007. Her artwork primarily consists of handthrown, functional objects in which she uses surface design to explore our continuous search for novelty and distinction within the structure of day-to-day life. When not covered in clay or surrounded by students, Samantha enjoys traveling abroad and investigating new and unfamiliar situations.
Dr. Moser specializes in the art and science of communications training for professionals in financial, business, engineering, medical, design, and advanced technical fields. He holds a PhD in Performance Studies from the School of Communication, Northwestern University where he currently lectures in communication studies at the McCormick School of Engineering and in the program for Leadership and Organizational Behavior.
Pancoast attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she received her Masters of Art in Art Education. She has a BFA in Photography with an emphasis in medical photography from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Kimberly also holds a BFA in painting from the University of Kansas. She has been a collaborator and education director for Until Architecture since 2010.
As a former songwriter, adman and network news producer, Rick Leslie has been telling stories of one kind or another for over 35 years. In his travels for the Today show, he rode with the Canadian Mounties (in a Ford Mustang), shared Thanksgiving with the Navajos, and was exposed to cosmic dust at NASA. In 2008, Rick retired from the communications business and enrolled at Northwestern University just for the fun of it. But it inadvertently led him to an unexpected fourth career—storytelling. He presently performs his stories at various venues in the Chicago area and hopes to spin his yarns well into the future. Or at least until a fifth career arises.
