Meet Illinois artisans at the Chicago Water Works Visitor Center and purchase one-of-a-kind art, made right here in the state. Presented by the Chicago Office of Tourism and the Illinois Artisans Program, this unique event takes place the second Friday and Saturday of every month, and is an opportunity to view live artmaking demonstrations by Illinois artisans and buy their wares.
September's Featured Artisans include:
Bud Greene, Highland Park, IL (Jewelry)
Bud’s artistic abilities were evident from an early age, and he received a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago while still a grammar school student in Wicker Park. After graduating from Colorado College and a stint in the United States Marine Corps, he worked on designing lamps and co-founded the Dearborn Wire and Cable company. He has studied enameling technique and metalsmithing with some of the Midwest’s finest teachers, and as an award-winning painter and custom jewelry designer, he incorporates dichroic glass with gold, silver and copper in his wearable art.
Meg Guttman, Chicago, IL (Fiber)
A lifelong dancer, singer and actress, Meg’s work as an artist’s model brought her in contact with people who make beautiful things, and inspired her to do the same. Her work combines her many obsessions, including vintage images, collage, textiles, accessories and décor, and her love for thrift stores, flea markets and rummage sales, where she gets most of her materials. Meg’s interest in photographing historic Chicago buildings has been a great new source of inspiration, with some of the distinctive ornamental and architectural elements finding their way into her work with fabrics.
Svetlana Kunina, Lake Villa, IL (Jewelry)
Svetlana’s work attempts to bring together opposite elements - conflicting shapes, textures, colors or materials – by finding a way for them to coexist and balance within each piece. Her art objects are unique, like stars within a universe, each with striking differences that speak its own language. Her favorite materials include beads and gemstones of various shapes and textures. She uses off-loom beading techniques like hand weaving, stitching and nettings, and even incorporates metalsmithing to creating components for her jewelry or to change textures within existing ones.
Susie Ryan, Metamora, IL (Ceramics)
Susie works best in solitude, when she feels she is in another place and only aware of the look, feel and smell of the materials she is manipulating, and the way they interact. She usually begins with a piece of clay which she puts on the wheel and works until it looks ‘just right’. She sometimes adds petals or carved designs, and often finds her designs inspired by nature. The attempt to control her work and the excitement of the unexpected that comes from continual experimentation is what keeps her working with clay. In this way, Susie sees her art as a reflection of the way she views the world.
About the Illinois Artisans Program
The Illinois Artisans Program, a program of the Illinois State Museum, was organized in 1985 to promote the fine craft work made in Illinois. The Illinois Artisans Program has over 1700 juried artists working in all craft media from traditional and ethnic to contemporary and folk. The range of crafts represented include assemblage, basketry, ceramics, drawing, book arts, fiber, glass, wearable art, dolls, jewelry, lace, forge and metal work, leather, paper art, oil painting, quilts, photography, sculpture, printmaking, woodcarving, watercolors, and decorative painting. Juries are held twice a year to select new artists. The program also works to educate the public about the richness and scope of Illinois craft through regularly scheduled craft exhibits, demonstrations and fairs.
