Chicago, Illinois – January 8, 2020 – Born in Japan, Noritaka Minami is a Chicago-based photographer currently exhibiting his unique and thoughtful SGN photo series, an investigation of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the current state of the steel lattice towers first erected there by the French as utility poles during the early twentieth century to facilitate the development of the Indochinese Union. Despite the passage of time and the tumultuous history experienced in this region since their construction, these lattice towers have endured and remained a consistent presence in the built environment of the city. SGN will open on January 9 with a reception from 5:30 – 8 pm, and runs through February 14 at FLXST Contemporary, 2251 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616. Due to COVID 19 precautions, reception attendance and viewing is by appointment only and can be booked here or on the TOCK app.

The major social, political, and economic developments within Vietnamese society in recent decades have also led to these structures becoming a truly extraordinary visual sight. The number of cables now supported by the lattice towers far exceeds the original capacity of their design and has transformed each one into a unique, sculpture-like object.

The overwhelming quantity of cables that have accumulated on the lattice towers is the product of the rapid socio-economic transformations that Vietnam has experienced since reforms were initiated in 1986 with Đổi Mới (Renovation). The photographs in SGN examine these overlooked remnants of French colonialism in the contemporary landscape of Ho Chi Minh City as structures that represent the historical trajectory of the region as it evolved from one of the centers of the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia to the economic engine of an independent and developing nation attempting to merge socialism with global capitalism.

At this moment, these lattice towers and the innumerable cables they support are also starting to be removed from sight as part of the modernization of the city’s landscape in the twenty-first century. This recent tide of urban redevelopment and the decision to remove what is viewed as “blight” has only increased Minami’s sense of urgency to document these structures before they permanently disappear. With Vietnamese society in the midst of major changes, this photography series meditates on the past and considers the imminent future of this landscape through the presence and disappearance of these lattice towers.

Noritaka Minami is a photographer based in Chicago. He received a B.A. in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine in 2011. In 2015, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Photography at Loyola University Chicago. He has also taught photography at Harvard University, Wellesley College, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine.

He is a recipient of grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Santo Foundation, and Center for Cultural Innovation. In 2015, he published a monograph titled 1972 – Nakagin Capsule Tower (Kehrer Verlag), which received the 2015 Architectural Book Award from the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt, Germany. Solo exhibitions of his works have been held at Kana Kawanishi Gallery (Tokyo), SFO Museum (San Francisco), USC Roski School of Art and Design, UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and UC Merced Art Gallery. He has also shown in group exhibitions at Aperture (New York), Somerset House (London), Photo Basel (Basel), Las Cienegas Projects (Los Angeles), New Wight Gallery (Los Angeles), and Kearney Street Workshop (San Francisco). Minami’s works are held in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, and Museum of Contemporary Photography Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois – January 19, 2021 – FLXST Contemporary a young but noted fine arts and photography gallery and an arts incubator in Chicago’s historic and transitioning Motor Row District will open their first 2021 group show Against Impossibility on February 13 with a reception at 5:30 pm. The show runs through March 28 and exclusively features five artists of color, three of whom are international artists representing China – Weiyang Gao, Kuwait – Latifa Alajlan, France and Mexico – Alexis de Chaunac; two of whom are African Americans from the South, a black man – Ajmal “Mas Man” Millar and a cis-gendered black woman Siena Smith. FLXST Contemporary is located at 2251 S. Michigan Ave. Suite 220, Chicago, IL 60616. Due to COVID 19 precautions, reception attendance and viewing is by appointment only and can be booked here or on the TOCK app.

Against Impossibility brings together these five emerging contemporary artists who work across the mediums of sculpture, fibers and textiles, mixed-media, and painting who, despite their precarious positions as MFA students in their final year of studies, continue to produce work influenced by the tumult happening around them. FLXST Contemporary intentionally curated MFA students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to showcase how the current moment has affected this new wave of contemporary artists in Chicago working under extreme constraints because of the pandemic, new modes of learning art, new spaces to produce art outside of the academic setting, and working against impossible conditions.

As young, emerging contemporary creators, these artists had to adjust to the conditions around them and have had to ask difficult and often existential questions about their art practice and their identities as artists. Against Impossibility is about the perseverance of these artists and their work offers possible answers to the question of why art matters during these moments of crisis.
FLXST Contemporary’s gallery director and founder Jan Christian Bernabe is a Filipinx American queer person of color based in Chicago. Jan has given an extensive curatorial statement about the show:

“We ended 2020 with signs of change in the United States, a new elected President, and two promising vaccines to battle the COVID pandemic. Change seemed to be on the horizon, a transformation in American culture that many believed could move us away from the hateful rhetoric against people of color, the LGBTQ community, and immigrants unabashedly condoned by President Trump, his congressional allies, and his supporters. The breakneck speed of the development and approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in December captured the global cooperation of doctors and scientists to finally combat a virus that by the end of the year had killed over 300,000 people in the US alone. The last two months of 2020 looked as though the new year would bring back a semblance of normalcy in the US and around the world.

With the odds stacked against FLXST Contemporary’s survival in 2020, we rolled into the new year working harder than ever developing an art program for 2021 that aligned with our mission to support and exhibit the very best of contemporary art by artists of color, LGBTQ artists, and immigrant artists. Last year showed us that art matters tremendously during times of crisis. Our art programming last year offered Chicagoans a means to cope with all that was happening in the world and ways to think about and to make meaning of moments of racial and social unrest that was happening all around us through the artwork exhibited in the gallery. The insurrection that occurred during the first week of January that we witnessed at the U.S. Capitol fomented by the conservative media, Republican legislators, and the President of the United States proves to us that we continue to live in a state of precarity—a moment of impossibility that as a gallery and as artists, we continue to work against.”

October 8, 2019 Houston, TX – The Clark Hulings Fund (CHF), which helps professional visual artists compete in an increasingly complex marketplace by providing them with strategic business support and training, is bringing its message of artist empowerment to stARTup Art Fair Houston with a panel on Saturday October 12, at 4:30pm, at the Hotel Icon, 220 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002.

Entitled “Artist as Entrepreneur: Becoming the CEO of your life,” the panel will be moderated stARTup Art Fair founder Ray Beldner, and will feature Adreon Henry an Austin based artist and 2019 CHF Art-Business Accelerator Fellow, Susan Morrow, a Dallas based strategic communications consultant and the chair of CHF’s advisory board, and Startup Art Fair exhibitor, Little Rock-based artist Jeff Horton.

CHF has organized this panel to discuss how artists can take charge of their businesses in today’s art market. With gallery disintermediation, social media, and other modern concerns, how can artists take advantage of new ways to reach collectors, show their work, and run their art business to maximize both their vision and their bottom line?

“We’ve been working with the stARTup Art Fair for almost two years now, and are happy to partner with them again for their inaugural Houston event,” notes Elizabeth Hulings, CHF’s Co-Founder and Executive Director. “We love that they are so aligned with our mission of helping artists become self-sustaining entrepreneurs, and are looking forward to expanding our partnership with them even further.”

“CHF’s panels at our Los Angeles events have been so informative,” says stARTup Art Fair Founder Ray Beldner, adding, “we’re thrilled that they are able to bring their unique message to our fair since our goal is also to empower artists’ success outside of the gallery system. We are looking forward to planning other ways we can work together to help artists succeed as entrepreneurs.”

The stARTup Art Fair takes place from October 11-13, at the Hotel Icon, 220 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 concurrent with Texas Contemporary, just three blocks away.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the legacy of American painter Clark Hulings (1922-2011) by equipping working visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Founded in 2013, CHF showcases Hulings’ life and work as an example to today’s artists, and offers them a comprehensive art-business education so that they can thrive as he did. Because they are self-employed, visual artists are necessarily entrepreneurs, but like all business owners, they need training and real-world experience to achieve financial prosperity. CHF equips working artists with critical entrepreneurial skills, business tools, technology, and networks of peers and experts. We make it possible for artists to thrive and ensure collaboration among artists, collectors, other members of the industry, and the wider world of which they are part. A healthy social ecosystem is one where all of its members can connect, and artists are the key to building these vibrant communities. Without artists, we’re all left culturally stranded. When artists flourish, we all flourish.

About stARTup Art Fair
stARTup Art Fair is a unique contemporary art fair for independent artists. This intimate boutique fair provides artists and art enthusiasts with direct access to the art world, fostering new relationships and creating a new exhibition platform for thought-provoking contemporary artwork.

Fredricksburg, Virginia – The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists is excited to announce that it will be hosting an Art-Business Conference at the University of Mary Washington November 7-9.

The conference will kick off Thursday, November 7th, with a Thriving Art Exchange event featuring working artists and other industry stakeholders including municipal, college, and nonprofit arts administrators, collectors, gallerists, retailers, and others on Thursday, November 7th, from 12 – 5:30pm, at the Belmont estate, which was the home and studio of famed American painter Gari Melchers.

Noted organizational change leader Shem Cohen, the president of Change Events, Inc., will facilitate the event. His strength is creating a collaborative journey of discovery and learning. He helps groups achieve shared meaning, make well-informed decisions, and energize their system around possibility, vision, and hope. The purpose of the Thriving Art Exchange is to examine the art industry’s current reality, dynamics, and trends, and foment discussion and ideas to shape a flourishing local arts economy that serves all of its members. This interactive process will involve spirited inquiry and dialogue, as the group works towards the discovery of shared goals, values, and strategies.

Cohen notes, “We are especially looking forward to delivering this program and being part of building a sustainable ecosystem of artist-entrepreneurs. The arts contribute almost $17 billion to Virginia’s economy, over 3% of the state’s GDP, and employ over 76,000 people in almost 17,000 business. We are excited to bring the stakeholders of this vibrant economic engine together to plan for the future growth of visual art in Virginia.”

Programming for the following two days of the conference will be held at the University of Mary Washington’s Stafford Campus, from 8 am to 5 pm, and consists of high-level presentations and interactive sessions designed to educate and support artists in becoming self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Topics include setting a viable business objective and action plan, honing a brand story, understanding sales channels, and effective pricing, developing sales strategies, and building a dynamic peer network. The program will be led by Elizabeth Hulings, CHF director and co-founder; Carolyn Edlund, CHF sales director, and events manager; and Daniel DiGriz, CHF education director.

The Art-Business Conference is presented by The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, the Stafford County Virginia Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the University of Mary Washington, and the Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

The event manifests CHF’s assertion that “Art is a business and artists should run it.” With the art market undergoing rapid and significant change—not only with regard to technology but also HOW art is marketed, bought, and sold—artists need to reclaim their rightful position at the center of the industry. The Art-Business Conference will help them to take charge of their careers, captivate their audience, and maximize the extraordinary professional advantages they already possess to sell their art effectively. With the inclusion of an industry-wide exchange, CHF provides a powerful opportunity for all sectors of the arts community to work together toward developing a stronger ecosystem in which artists can thrive.

The event fee is $795, but CHF is offering an early-bird price of $295 until September 8th. Tickets and info are available here. In addition to conference admission, registrants will gain automatic access to CHF’s Digital Campus and Learning Portal, a comprehensive online learning and community resource for working artists.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
Founded in 2013, The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips professional visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Because they are self-employed, visual artists are necessarily entrepreneurs, but like all business owners, they need training and real-world experience to achieve financial prosperity. CHF equips working artists with critical entrepreneurial skills, business tools, technology, and networks of peers and experts. We make it possible for artists to thrive and ensure collaboration among artists, collectors, other members of the industry, and the wider world of which they are part. A healthy social ecosystem is one where all of its members can connect, and artists are the key to building these vibrant communities. Without artists, we’re all left culturally stranded. When artists flourish, we all flourish.

Santa Fe, New Mexico – The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists 3rd Annual Santa Fe Art-Business Conference will be a three-day event taking place September 16, 17, and 18, 2019 at the Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy Street, Santa Fe, NM, 87501.

Programming for the first two days of the conference consists of high-level presentations and interactive sessions designed to educate and support artists in becoming self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Topics include setting a viable business objective and action plan, honing a brand story, sales channels, pricing, sales strategies and building a dynamic peer network.

Artists will be joined on the final day by art industry leaders and influencers, government and business owners, collectors and other stakeholders for a Thriving Art Exchange. The purpose of the exchange is to examine the industry’s current reality, dynamics, and trends, and foment discussion and ideas to shape a flourishing local arts economy that serves all of its members. This interactive process will involve spirited inquiry and debate, as we work toward shared goals, values, strategies, and action plans.

The Art-Business Conference is presented by The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists in partnership with the Santa Fe Arts Commission.

The event manifests CHF’s assertion that “Art is a business and artists should run it.” With the art market undergoing rapid and significant change—not only with regard to technology but also HOW art is marketed, bought, and sold—artists need to reclaim their rightful position at the center of the industry. The Art-Business Conference will help them to take charge of their careers, captivate their audience, and maximize the extraordinary professional advantages they already possess to sell their art effectively. With the inclusion of an industry-wide exchange, CHF will provide a powerful opportunity for all sectors of the arts community to work together toward a stronger ecosystem.

The program will be led by Elizabeth Hulings, CHF director and co-founder; Carolyn Edlund, CHF sales director, and events manager; and Daniel DiGriz, CHF education director. New for the Santa Fe event will be Shem Cohen leading the Thriving Art Exchange event. Shem is the CEO of Change Events, whose expertise is strategic planning, people, organizational systems, and change. His strength is facilitating a collaborative journey of discovery and learning. He helps groups achieve shared meaning, make well-informed decisions and energize their system around possibility, vision, and hope.

“We are especially looking forward to delivering this program at the Santa Fe Convention Center and to be part of building a sustainable ecosystem of artist-entrepreneurs in our hometown. Visual art drives tourism, creates jobs, furthers economic development in local and national spheres, and keeps capital in the region. With a vibrant gallery scene attracting visitors from around the globe, and an unparalleled wealth of local artists—1 in 6 residents according to the IRS—we are excited to continue delivering tangible business skills and training here, and to partner with the Santa Fe Arts Commission, who have long set a national example of how support for the arts enriches a community, state, and region,” says Hulings.

The event fee is $795, but CHF is offering an early-bird price of $295 until July 16. Tickets and info are available here. In addition to conference admission, registrants will automatically gain access to CHF’s Business Accelerator Portal, a comprehensive online learning and community resource for working artists.

About The Clark Hulings Fund
Founded in 2013, The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists (CHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips professional visual artists to be self-sustaining entrepreneurs. Because they are self-employed, visual artists are necessarily entrepreneurs, but like all business owners, they need training and real-world experience to achieve financial prosperity. CHF equips working artists with critical entrepreneurial skills, business tools, technology, and networks of peers and experts. We make it possible for artists to thrive and ensure collaboration among artists, collectors, other members of the industry, and the wider world of which they are part. A healthy social ecosystem is one where all of its members can connect, and artists are the key to building these vibrant communities. Without artists, we’re all left culturally stranded. When artists flourish, we all flourish.