High Concept Labs Announces 2022 Artists

High Concept Labs announces 2022 Resident Artists: Corey Smith, Juliann Wang, Maggie Bridger, Meredith Haines, and Shalaka Kulkarni. These multidisciplinary artmakers exemplify HCL's commitment to deepening the creative process and practice through artistic and cultural collaboration.

They represent a cross section of sound art, performance, design, dance, video, new media, architecture, and disability aesthetics and culture. Artists receive 12-month residency support and $1000 cash stipends; with access to no-cost studio space, and grant writing, curatorial, marketing, and production support, with the ability to show work or host public engagements at any stage of their process. Artists are selected by a diverse, multidisciplinary panel of highly respected artists who are committed to mentorship throughout the residency year.

"The 2022 artists do not shy away from grappling with the politics of access between spheres of power, and I sense a substantial amount of their artmaking will speak directly to issues marked by intertwining and diverging histories for years to come.", says Artistic Director Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla. "Some are situating female subjects, based on ancestors, living kin, diasporic identities, and deities. Others are leaning into open-ended, community-based, and collaborative modes pointing to emergent art. In certain projects, they are renewing attention to erased figures who have influenced generations. Other projects attend to the minute details in performance prompting viewers to look closer ponder the notion of ordinary and, think about how we live and what we see and do not see."

In response to the artists desire for regular public sharing, HCL is developing an ongoing monthly public showcase beginning in the spring, as well as supporting individual showcases, work-in-progress showings, and artist talks. First events of the year include Game Day, with 2021 Artist in Residence Kristin McWharter, a discussion and screening of the first full football game designed through experimental software and football simulator, Football Practice, February 13th at 10am. This will be followed by 2022 Artist in Residence Juliann Wang's participatory performance, Spring Celebration, an evening of music, tea, games, reflection, and spontaneous joy, February 25th at 7pm. Both events are free admission and will take place at the HCL studio at Mana Contemporary Chicago, at 2233 S. Throop St, Chicago, Il, 60608.

In addition to HCL's core Artist in Residence program, HCL hosts returning artists as Fellows. Fellows return to invest in the next stages of their projects and have access to no-cost studio space and opportunities to self-present with marketing support. 2022 Fellows include The New Quartet (Deidre Huckaby, Jessica Anne, Mabel Kwan, and Jasmine Mendoza), Aaliyah Christina, Aaron Wilder, Ayako Kato, Irene Hsiao, Ginger Krebs, Lional Freeman aka Brother El, Propelled Animals (Raquel Monroe, Esther Baker-Tarpaga, Barber, and Heidi Wiren Bartlet); Yoshinojo Fujima aka Rika Lin, and Vanessa Valliere. HCL additionally extends residency resources to artists participating in programs with HCL's valued partners. This year's recipient is Kinnari Vora through the Chicago Dancemakers Forum.

Visit highconceptlabs.org for more information.

Need more Chicago Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...