Chicago Public Library’s 2026-2027 Arts and Music Department Call for Artists exhibition cycle continues with a new exhibit, Visions in Glass by Julie Mars.
Mars uses light, reflection and reclaimed materials to create a sense of wonder and awareness. Visions in Glass continues an ongoing body of work that includes the Canopy and Outgrowth series, all of which are composed from an overhead perspective of our home world. This aerial viewpoint is intentional as it invites a shift in perception similar to the “overview effect” described by astronauts viewing the Earth from orbit, where boundaries dissolve and interconnectedness becomes visible. Mirrors represent the way computer algorithms and agents gather our preferences and habits, reinforce them, and seductively reflect them, back at us, while glass allows Mars to work directly with luminosity that captures, refracts and returns light in ways that delight and captivate. Mars weaves algorithmic beadwork to represent computer processes while adding in meaningful geometries, textures and glitches.
Julie Mars is a visionary artist and native of the Chicago suburbs with a profound dedication to environmentalism and upcycling. For over 30 years, she has cultivated a career as a creator, promoter and entrepreneur in the arts. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mars ran the Addison Center for the Arts for many years, where she passionately fostered and promoted the arts in the western suburbs. In the 90s, Mars found inspiration in environmentalism and upcycling, leading her to craft vibrant bottle tree fruits by embellishing single-serving juice bottles. Over the years, she has created a collection of unique woven bead mosaics on mirrors, glass vessels and other objects.
Visions in Glass will be on display October 11, 2026 through December 26, 2026 in the eighth-floor exhibit cases at Harold Washington Library Center.