Women's History Month: Local Art Exhibits

Dawn Brennan, painting
Lincoln Park
Dawn Brennan has been teaching and exhibiting in and around Chicago since 1999. She currently teaches at Hyde Park Art Center and is the recipient of a 2011 Illinois Independent Artists’ Support Grant.

Molly Cranch, painting
Roden
Molly Cranch teaches elementary school art, and she exhibits locally, nationally and internationally. She has exhibited at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, John Michael Kohler Art Center and Kelleher Gallery in Galway, Ireland.

Melanie Deal, collage and multimedia
Independence
Melanie Deal has exhibited at multiple galleries, both in the Chicago area and nationally. Her work was featured in New American Paintings No. 95, and she was the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant in 2004.

Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite, installation art
Budlong Woods
Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite is a visual artist living and working in Chicago. She has participated in several public art exhibits, notably Cows on Parade, Chicago Looks and Fine Art Fridges, and her work is included in both private and corporate collections.

Jaime Foster, painting
Bucktown-Wicker Park
Jaime Foster is a local photographer who recently moved back to Chicago from the Pacific Northwest. She has exhibited at Zhou B. Art Center and was a 2012 artist in residence at Water Street Studios in Batavia.

Tiffany Gholar, multimedia
Harold Washington Library Center, Eighth Floor
Tiffany Gholar is a Chicago-based artist working in a variety of media. Her work has been exhibited in several Chicago venues, including the Chicago Children’s Museum and a solo exhibition at the Second Floor Gallery of the Fine Arts Building.

Kim Guare, installation art
Wrightwood-Ashburn
Kim Guare is an installation artist and environmental activist. In 2012, she was an artist in residence at the Wormfarm Institute in Wisconsin, and her work is currently on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Mairin Hartt, pencil and ink drawing
Bezazian
Born and raised in Chicago, Mairin Hartt works as a teaching artist at local universities. She has exhibited at Fulton Street Collective, Dispatch Gallery and Johnson Gallery in New York.

Ellen Holtzblatt, painting
Harold Washington Library Center, Eighth Floor
Ellen Holtzblatt is a Chicago-based artist working in the media of painting, drawing, printmaking and artist books. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally at diverse venues such as Inselgalerie in Berlin, Chicago Cultural Center and Woman Made Gallery.

Barbara Jaks, painting, multimedia
Roden
Barbara Jaks is a Chicago-based artist who works in oil, acrylic, water color, gouache and mixed media. She has exhibited her work in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Samara Kaufman, fiber art, beadwork
West Belmont
Samara Kaufman is an attorney and emerging artist who uses glass beads to create textured artwork. Her beadwork has been showcased at Swedish Covenant Hospital, the Museum of Fine Arts in Tallahassee, Fla., and ArtDC Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Laura Krause, photography
West Lawn
Laura Krause is a Chicago-area professional photographer. She has exhibited at the Chicago Photography Center, 1650 Studio and Gallery in Los Angeles and A. Smith Gallery in Johnson City, Texas.

Kaitlin Kostus, painting, sculpture
Lincoln Belmont
Kaitlin Kostus is an artist, self-publisher and maker in Chicago. Her work has been shown at ARC Gallery Chicago and Woman Made Gallery, and in Belgrade, Serbia.

Lialia Kuchma, photography
King
Born in Ukraine and raised in Chicago, Lialia Kuchma is a local weaver and photographer. She has exhibited at Woman Made Gallery and the Ukrainian National Museum Chicago, and she received a 2003 Illinois Arts Council Project Assistance Grant.

Elizabeth McCarthy, photography, drawing
Bucktown-Wicker Park
Liz McCarthy is an artist based in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. A founder of Roxaboxen Exhibitions Gallery and Studio Co-op, she has participated in artist residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and ACRE Residency in Wisconsin.

Mary Phelan, painting
McKinley Park
A former drawing instructor at the American Academy of Art, Chicago, Mary Phelan is now a full-time painter of urbanscapes. She was recently a featured artist at Galesburg Art Center, in Galesburg, Ill., and Quad City Arts Center, Rock Island, Ill.

Linda Platt, book and paper art
Blackstone
Linda Platt is a Chicago-based artist who makes books out of discards, junk mail and fabric scraps. She has won numerous awards and grants, and has taught at many public schools, local libraries, community colleges, the YMCA and the Mayor’s Office on Aging.

Kathy Blankley Roman, painting
Dunning
Kathy Blankley Roman has been involved with drawing and painting ever since she can remember. Recently she received a Top Ten Artists Award from Abstract Artists Gallery’s annual online competition, and she has exhibited at Morpho Gallery, Lillstreet Art Center and Woman Made Gallery.

Audrey Schlofner, drawing
Lincoln Belmont
Audrey Schlofner is an artist, illustrator and designer. She recently graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a bachelor of arts in art and design, and she has exhibited at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, Ireland, Chicago’s Central Artist Exchange and Manifest 2012, Columbia College’s urban art festival

Sandie Stravis, drawing and collage on wood
Edgebrook
Sandie Stravis is a Chicago-based artist and librarian. Her work has been shown at Forte Gallery and Salon Tress.