{"article":{"id":9638,"title":"French Encounters: A Family Trip Through Art and History","excerpt":"","body":"

A view of Mathieu Lehanneur’s Olympic Cauldron in Paris in the Jardin des Tuileries, with the Musee D’Orsay, the Left Bank and the Eiffel Tower beyond. Photo by CGN.



By GINNY VAN ALYEA


My family and I traveled to France this summer, right after school let out, starting in Paris and winding our way down to Provence and then back to Paris. The occasion was to meet up and celebrate a dear friend’s birthday, but my planning also quickly focused on art. This was not my first time to France but it would be for our two children, who are young but also old enough to be excellent travelers. My husband and I wanted to share the highlights of a first encouter but also go beyond what we ourselves had explored previously. We visited many iconic and historic sites, but the trip offered something more: a repeated and often unplanned engagement with contemporary art in historic places. As someone who lives around and writes about art, I was attuned to these juxtapositions—but seeing them through the lens of family travel gave them a different kind of resonance.


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The newly restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral.


We decided to divide our time between Paris on the Left Bank, followed by a week in Provence with our friends, and two nights back in Paris on the Right Bank. It sounded like plenty of time, but while we realized quickly that there is never enough time to see it all, we still had a lot to do and enjoy. 


On our first afternoon in Paris, we visited the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which reopened in December 2024 following the 2019 fire. Lucky enough to grab free, timed entry tickets while still in the taxi in from the airport, we didn’t have to wait long to see the cathedral’s restoration work up close. Once inside we marveled at how the centuries old stone is clean and light, practically aglow. Outside on the river-side, towering crains and scaffolding show that there is more work being done to continue the restoration. The kids will never know for themselves how the fire that ravaged Notre Dame horrified the world. For me it was amazing to behold the difference before and after. After our visit, a walk to ice cream on Ile St. Louis allowed us to enjoy our arrival after so much planning and to look forward to what’s next.



The exterior of Fondation Louis Vuitton, designed by Frank Ghery.


A David Hockney self-portrait


A room filled with spring images by David Hockney


Hockney's opera sets animated in an immersive room



The next morning, we climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe—still one of the best views of Paris—and we spent time taking pictures as well as visiting the small museum devoted to military history at the top of the monument. Down on the ground again, amidst the city’s famous traffic, we took the navette (shuttle) out to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne, where friends joined us for David Hockney 25. The Fondation’s building, designed by Frank Gehry, resembles waves or a lotus blossom. We waited in line while holding custom white umbrellas, due to the intense heat at noon, our reserved entry time. My son had protested going inside to a museum with contemporary art (I have heard this before) but in the first gallery, taking in the large, bright canvases by Hockney from the ‘60s he turned to me and said, “Oh, I actually like this art.” The kids, joined by two friends we met up with, hopped from gallery bench to bench, taking every chance to sit but also observe the crowds and admire the art. They were very interested in Hockney’s iPad landscapes and his portraits of so many different faces done in appealing, cheerful colors. The highlight, though, was the chance for the us to find our own giant beanbag in the darkened, long gallery featuring projections of Hockney’s opera stage designs from over the years, including one for Puccini’s Turnadot, performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1992. Looking skyward, hearing captivating music and watching saturated, moving scenes tied painting and music together in a memorable way. 


After two hours in the air conditioned exhibition, we returned to the heat to unwind and find lunch nearby in the charming Jardin d’Acclimatation, an idyllic Parisian amusement park recommended by friends that offered good food, peacocks, a roller coaster, and shade. Great America this was not. The proximity of contemporary art to such a delightful outdoor destination that also appeals to children made me wish we had such a stimulating pair of sites at home. 



Visiting the Grand Trianon, where there were hardly any crowds.



Day three took us out to Versailles by train, where we rented bikes and explored the grounds—starting with a picnic made from provisions we picked out at the market in the town of Versailles. We took our time visiting the royal properties in reverse, first the Grand Trianon, then the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, and ending at the main palace. After a few hours in the heat on our bikes, the children briefly marveled at the gleaming gilt all around the gates and eaves of the palace, but by the time we reached the Hall of Mirrors, we had stood too close to too many people for too long. 


Our little bike group was no match for the throngs of bused-in, guided tourists who spilled in from the parking lot. 



Inside the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where the crowd was massive.


Back in Paris that same evening, we took a long walk home after dinner and stopped to take photos by the Louvre’s now iconic glass pyramid, beautifully lit and relatively empty in the late evening. Being mid-June it was still twilight. Turning away from the Louvre’s courtyard and towards the direction of the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin des Tuileries we were delighted by the glow of Mathieu Lehanneur’s Olympic Cauldron, which has remained in place since 2024’s summer games, when it would rise 60 meters into sky and its design symbolized France’s national motto, “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”. 


The cauldron is made of a 23 ft. diameter ring suspended from a helium balloon (also a hallmark of France’s innovation). The cauldron’s glow is not from actual flames but LED lights, which emit flame-like wisps because of 40 lamps backlit by mist from by 200 water jets. In a city with so many old icons, this is undoubtedly a new one.


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Waiting to tour the Palais des Papes


When we boarded the train to Avignon, our trip began to shift. In town the Palais des Papes, a massive Gothic structure near the Rhône river, dominates the city center. We considered a minute whether or not to buy tickets to tour the building, as the kids had been on the train or in the car for most of the day, but we were very glad we did, as we came away with quite a bit of knowledge about the time when the center of the Catholic Church was not in Rome but in France. The former fortress and palace is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was here that six papal conclaves were held in the 14th century. We also were lucky to visit the installation of work by Jean-Michel Othoniel to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city of Avignon’s designation as European Capital of Culture and the 30th anniversary of its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. On view through January 4, 2026, OTHONIEL COSMOS or the Ghosts of Love, is an expansive, artistic immersion hailed as the artist’s largest project ever conceived and the first on a national scale, spread across 10 unique locations, with more than 260 works for Avignon. Mirrored glass sculptures, iridescent aquamarine bricks and graphic interventions animated the medieval interior. The tension between old and new wasn’t just thematic—it was spatial, visual, and palpable.


An installation by Jean-Michel Othoniel


An installation by Jean-Michel Othoniel on the Pont Saint-Benezet in Avignon



The following days in Provence were spent resting a little more, adjusting to the southern pace and letting the kids recover from the more intense museum time. We still found ourselves busy each morning, setting out ahead of the heat explore the Luberon on planned trips to experience local food and culture, spontaneously jumping out to see the lavender fields or hiking around Roussillon and its Mars-like hills (where ochre, humankind’s first pigment used in art likely came from). Everywhere there was history, and there was art. We visited Château de Lourmarin, where I came across a library room featuring a collaboration between the Fondation des Treilles and the Fondation de Lourmarin Laurent-Vibert. Contemporary photography by international artists with portraits of everyday people in arresting natural settings were on display—quietly, without fanfare. The children were off on a scavenger hunt in the château with others from our group, which gave me time to enjoy the vaulted stone space uninterrupted. The town of Lourmarin itself was quirky and full of life: artisan boutiques, antiques, and a kind of layered charm you hope for in small towns but don’t always find.


The interns posing for another photo at the top of the hill in Lacoste


A surprise installation in Lacoste



In the hilltop town of Lacoste, we wound up the stone streets overlooking the Vaucluse and to the Château that was once the home of the infamous and exiled Marquis de Sade. The Château ruins were purchased by the late fashion designer Pierre Cardin in 2001, and today there is an arts festival that takes place in the town each summer. I did not know before our visit that the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has a campus in the tiny town. Though student residents were between installations, an American art school in this Provencal village felt both surreal and fitting. I thought how nice it would be to be a student again and reside in this creative, energetic place where centuries-old architecture was inspiring 21st century textile work juxtaposed with LED sculptures. It was a serendipitous travel moment, entirely unrepeatable. 


A day later on the way to Les Baux-de-Provence, we stopped at Glanum in the Alpilles, where ruins of what was once a wealthy city, including its spring and a triumphal arch, remain remarkably intact. It was a hands-on history lesson—city plans and advanced infrastructure visible in 2,000 year old stone, accessible without barriers. The kids were allowed to roam and interpret on their own. We wondered what it would have been like for citizens to abandon the walls and monuments they built by hand, stone by stone. 



The Maison Carrée in Nîmes



Our last full day in Provence was spent in Nîmes, where we saw the Maison Carrée, a nearly pristine Roman temple thought to be from the 1st century AD. Opposite the temple square is the glass, steel and concrete Carré d’art, opened in 1993 and designed by British architect Norman Foster. Though the building is nine stories, half of it is below ground to maintain scale with its temple neighbor. A short walk away is the city’s famous, 2,000 year old amphitheater, which continues to host performances today. These monuments were reminders of the scale and durability of Roman urban planning—and the continued effort France invests in preserving as well as using them.


On our drive home my husband pleaded with our kids to stop one more place–no small ask since everyone was eager to return to the pool as soon as possible. We stopped at Pont du Gard, where hundreds of people swam below the aqueduct, families gathering along the riverbanks and wading into the water. There are few places I have seen where ancient engineering so seamlessly accommodates 21st-century summer vacationers.


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Aya Brown at Galerie Gomis in Paris



The following morning we were up early in order to catch the train back for a full day in Paris. We dropped our bags and went straight to Marche Des Enfants Rouges for lunch. We stood shoulder to shoulder with everyone else who was hot and thirsty on a Saturday afternoon and opted for a delicious Japanese meal—cool udon, ramen, and beer—and then strolled home, gelato in hand, via galleries in the Marais. I stopped into Galerie Gomis when I unexpectedly noticed Aya Brown’s work on view as part of girls! girls!! girls!!! Brown recently exhibited her prints as part of a group show at Anthony Gallery in Chicago. The connection felt like a full-circle art moment.






We made some museum choices for this trip because we had the kids along. Had it just been my husband and me we would have covered more ground. Being an introductory trip, we chose the Louvre over the Musee d’Orsay. On our last full morning in Paris, we walked to the Louvre, feeling grateful that we avoided a museum strike a few days earlier. The crowd seemed even a little lighter than usual. In the spirit of first-timing, my daughter insisted we see the Mona Lisa. We found her easily, initially thinking we were in the wrong room because the crowd was small. There was a sign posted politely reminding visitors to be respectful to gallery staff. Once we had seen the famous smile we were free to wander to see many more highlights by artists such as Delacroix, Ingres as well as The Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Egyptian antiquities in the basement. We even got to peek at France's Crown Jewels.



The Crown Jewels at the Louvre


The perfect send-off on our final day in France.



One of our last quiet moments in Paris came on our final day, when we visited the Tuileries Garden and spontaneously rented a petit bateau—a little sailboat the kids pushed around the fountain with sticks. They named her Mona. The simplicity of the kids free in a park, eating gelato and people-watching, while afternoon sun reflects off the water was a reminder that delight in Paris will find you suddenly. It won’t be on a check-list or in a fancy restaurant. It can’t be planned. 


That evening, after excellent Roman pizza at a tiny place in the Marais, we walked home through warm city streets, past the glowing Bourse de Commerce. We hadn’t made it inside this trip, but we knew we have more to look forward to next time.


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Our Invader finds


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One more thread that ran through our adventure: before we arrived in Paris a friend recommended that we track the Invader tiles. The French street artist known as Invader has placed thousands of mosaic tile works across France (and beyond), each resembling an 8-bit alien character from the classic arcade game Space Invaders. Unlike Banksy, whose fame can overshadow the work, Invader’s pieces blend into their surroundings. You might see one tucked above a bakery, or high on a stone wall in Avignon. Our son in particular became a sharp-eyed scout, spotting Invaders everywhere—some chipped, some pristine, others invalid fakes. It was the kind of organic art experience that felt personal and earned.The discovery was better than any guided tour we could have planned or tourist trinket we could have bought.


Our family’s trip wasn’t structured just around art, but art was definitely a thru-line—everywhere from cathedrals and palaces, to gardens and châteaux, in contemporary interventions and ancient ruins. The blend of contemporary art in historic spaces wasn’t always announced. But those contrasts—between old and new, formal and spontaneous, monumental and small-scale—are what stuck with me. They reminded me that culture is a living continuum, not an itinerary or social media post. 


When you travel with kids, those moments can matter most when you stumble into them together as well as at your own pace. They have the potential to leave the impression that you cannot travel without enjoying art (sorry Tommy.) In fact, art makes the trip better.


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Stargazer (I remember you)

18\" x 16\" x 1 3/4\"

colored pencil on archival paper, framed with museum glass

photo credit: Nathan Keay




By SUSAN GESCHEIDLE


Duncan Robert Anderson has long been a steady presence in the Chicago art scene, carrying an identity that is impossible to miss. He stands well over six feet and is consistently dressed in black from head to toe, complete with boots and a signature wide-brimmed cowboy hat. His silhouette has remained unchanged since he arrived from East Tennessee in 1998, save for his long hair slowly turning grey. Since we first met back in 2002, I have never once seen him out of this attire. Yet whether encountering him at gallery openings or during visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where he works as building operations manager, that imposing visual style is always balanced by an easy, genuine warmth and impeccable manners rooted in his Appalachian upbringing. It’s an unpretentious demeanor that has earned him a quiet, lasting respect across the community.


Anderson is best known as a dedicated artist and a vital behind-the-scenes force at the MCA. His current solo exhibition, Messengers and Oracles, at the West Town Chamber of Commerce, offers a welcome look into his personal and creative practice. Featuring nineteen drawings, the exhibition focuses heavily on memory and how we are shaped by places and people. The majority of the works were already sold, despite being exhibited outside of a traditional commercial gallery space. Opening night also celebrated the release of his beautiful monograph of the same name, which is now officially available for purchase at the MCA Store. The artwork leans into Anderson’s Appalachian roots, bringing his childhood background into a direct conversation with his decades of lived experience in Chicago.


Stormlight

24\" x 20\" x 1 3/4\"

colored pencil on archival paper, framed with museum glass

photo credit: Nathan Keay


Anderson’s geography isn't just a straight line from the South to the Midwest, though. His marriage has introduced a deep Japanese influence to his life, adding another layer to the work. You can see this cultural mix directly in some of the drawings, portraits of anonymous Japanese figures set against a backdrop of familiar Chicago architecture and cityscapes.

While Anderson’s drawings have always stemmed from his own life and memories, this newest body of work has a profound focus on loss and grief. The exhibition serves as a tribute to his mother, as Anderson recently reached the exact age she was at her passing. This enduring grief is compounded by the consecutive losses of his dog Smokey, his artistic brother-in-arms Tony Fitzpatrick, and his art hero Don Meckley between 2025 and 2026. In light of these profound losses, his signature technique of mark-making on black paper feels especially fitting, giving these deeply personal images a darker, more forlorn feel.


Anderson's process makes perfect sense when you understand a love for German Expressionism that dates back to his childhood. In the spirit of that movement, his technique of coloring on black paper makes the bright colors jump, letting his animals emerge directly out of the deep shadows. You can see this dramatic mood across his landscapes and cityscapes—whether capturing weathered old houses, the dark silhouette of the John Hancock Center, or the towering form of the Willis Tower.


Anderson notes he is a \"huge fan of Symbolism and Romanticism,\" blending those traditions with \"a bit of dream-like revelation and vision\" to create a magical world of his own. He imagines solitary animals as protectors keeping watch over the people and places he has lost. Although only a few pieces on display feature human figures, many drawings are filled with bears, elk, wolves, birds, and dogs. By dropping these creatures directly into man-made settings, he creates a strange visual tension—granting the animals a powerful presence that disrupts an otherwise quiet human environment.


The Hospital Escape

24\" x 20\" x 1 3/4\"

colored pencil on archival paper, framed with museum glass

photo credit: Nathan Keay


Many of these drawings focus on a single, isolated figure. The Hospital Escape (18” x 15”) features a massive elk standing under a glowing streetlamp. This powerful image hints at a wild animal breaking free from an institutional space and stepping out into the city, tapping into timeless themes of survival and freedom.


Storm Light (18” x 15”) shifts into a quieter, more tense atmosphere, focusing on the weathered Victorian house where Anderson lived in the attic while a student at East Tennessee State University. Warm sunlight hits the front steps and grass, bathing the home in a serene beauty that contrasts with the dark, stormy sky. Perched on the peak of the roof is a massive black heron with its wings spread wide—completely dominating the structure as both a menacing hunter and a fierce, protective shield: an oracle keeping watch.


The mood shifts with The Pact (18” x 15”), created in memory of Fitzpatrick. A well-worn tombstone stands in an overgrown cemetery with a wolf sleeping peacefully in front of it. Rather than feeling ominous or macabre, the image carries a serene beauty, and the sleeping animal brings a gentle ease to Fitzpatrick's passing. Through this peaceful presence at the grave, Anderson cuts through the heavy grief of the exhibition with a rare moment of comfort.


The Silent City (18” x 15”) blends his two worlds through an intentional ambiguity. Featuring a female face rendered in deep purple and adorned with traditional hair ornaments, an anonymous Japanese figure looks directly at the viewer with a calm expression against the dark silhouette of the Willis Tower. Anderson notes she “may or may not be a ghost or emissary,” juxtaposing her against the landmark to seamlessly connect his current life with his family’s heritage.


Sunday Morning

20\" x 18\" x 1 3/4\"

colored pencil on paper, framed with museum glass

photo credit: Nathan Keay



A direct tribute to his mother is Sunday Morning (18” x 15”). Dressed in her Sunday best—a coat, scarf, gloves, and pumps—she stands against a soft blue glow as a white owl swoops toward her. The lights of the John Hancock Center glow as the iconic building rises in the background against a crimson and orange sky. This stunning juxtaposition brings her memory directly into the urban landscape he has inhabited for decades.


An atmospheric touch to the show is a collaborative sound loop by Paul Deuth. Anderson designed the audio to match the mood of what is on the walls, with Deuth shaping the sounds to be \"dark, magical, and other-worldly.\" It is a beautiful blend of sight and sound that completely pulls the room together. Ultimately, the exhibition stands as a quiet reminder of profound artwork built on real human issues, ignoring the fleeting, superficial trends that too often dictate the whims of the contemporary art world. 


#


Messengers and Oracles runs through October 23, 2026.

West Town Chamber of Commerce | 1819 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL


Open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.


Meet the artist for a special book signing on Saturday, October 17, from noon to 4:00 PM.

@DuncanRobertAnderson


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Professor Tony Jones and artist Andy Scott in the Driehaus Museum's Murphy Auditorium on August 29, 2026.



By GINNY VAN ALYEA


“Now in Chicago, we have a tradition of significant public sculptures, not without controversy,” Professor Tony Jones CBE observed during an August 29 conversation with Scottish sculptor Andy Scott OBE at the Driehaus Museum.


Hosted by Chicago Scots, the evening brought together artists, preservation specialists and members of Chicago’s Scottish community for a dinner and discussion about the cultural and economic importance of public art. It also recognized the restoration underway at the Robert Burns monument in Garfield Park, a gift to Chicago from its Scottish community in 1906.


Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, prepared an exceptional three-course tasting menu with whisky pairings. Following dinner in the museum’s newly-restored auditorium, Jones and Scott turned to the work behind public sculpture, from securing funding and solving engineering problems to seeing an artwork become part of a community’s identity.


Jones and Scott met during Scott's student years at the Glasgow School of Art, which Jones then led. A sculptor himself, Jones later served as president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a Chicago Scots board member.


A view of Scott's The Kelpies in Falkirk, Scotland



Scott is best known for The Kelpies, two 100-foot steel horse heads in Falkirk, Scotland, inspired by the Clydesdales that worked along the canals and on the land. Chicago audiences encountered their maquettes on the lakefront during the 2012–13 Chicago Sculpture International exhibition.


Chicago, of course, offered an example of what ambitious public art could accomplish. Scott recalled using the city’s large-scale artworks as inspiration and to give his client team confidence in the project that became The Kelpies. That confidence was tested, he says. Scott described an eight-and-a-half-year process, prolonged by political impasses and funding difficulties. Some coverage became hostile. As the sculptures began to rise, however, opinions shifted in their favor.



Scott during fabrication of the Kelpies



“You need to tough it out,” he shared.


At one point, financial pressures prompted suggestions to reduce the sculptures to roughly a third of their intended size, or build only one horse head. Scott and his wife, Hanneke, resisted.


“We drew a line in the sand and said absolutely not,” he recalled.


The finished sculptures became a tourism landmark and appeared in campaigns promoting Britain, including advertisements in China and at a London airport. In April 2025, Falkirk Council reported that The Helix, the park home to The Kelpies, had welcomed one million visitors in the preceding year, helping attract business to the area. Over a decade since their construction there are measurable benefits directly attributed to the Kelpies, including a tourism boost to Falkirk of 73% and 1,380 local annual jobs. Falkirk's population is just 40,000 residents.


For Scott, the response extended beyond visitor numbers. He pointed to “that passion and ownership and pride” among people who had embraced the sculptures.



Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the Kelpies when the Queen officially opened the Queen Elizabeth II Canal in 2017.



Jones described a similar sense of attachment in Chicago. Recalling the opening of Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain, he noted how quickly children adopted its shallow pool, learning to anticipate the water pouring from the faces on its towers.


“It was an amazing moment that we could never have predicted,” he said.


Jones went on to highlight the numbers that back up the impact of Millennium Park and its public art on the City of Chicago. From 2003-2026 the estimated impact is $2.5 billion. The Kelpies have not been in existence quite as long but their impact will last for decades to come.



Jones shared a photo of the parking lot that Millennium Park and its public art replaced.


*


Public art was the theme of the evening, and not just because an internationally known artist from Scotland was in Chicago to discuss the Kelpies. The Chicago Scots have their own long history of supporting art that is part of the community. Chicago Scots, founded in 1845 as the Illinois Saint Andrew Society, joined other Scottish organizations in supporting William Grant Stevenson’s Robert Burns monument more than a century ago. Today, the organization is raising funds to supplement the Chicago Park District’s restoration budget and support ongoing maintenance of the ode to Scotland's national poet here in has a long history in Garfield Park.


Conservator and sculptor Andrzej Dajnowski, who attended the dinner, is in the process of recreating four stolen bronze relief panels that once belonged on the sculpture, as Burns’s missing quill. Dajnowski will quite literally help put a pen back into the poet's hand soon.


Andrew Schneider, the Park District’s director of historic assets, described its long-term stewardship partnership with Chicago Scots as the first of its kind in the district’s history and one that connects the creation of new landmarks with the responsibility of caring for those Chicago already has so that the public may enjoy art and its impact for the ages.


#


Publisher's note: Ginny Van Alyea has served on the Chicago Scots Board of Governors since 2009 and also attended the Glasgow School of Art in 2001.


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Collectors and artists attend the Not Just Another Pretty Face unveiling at the Hyde Park Art Center.




By JACQUELINE LEWIS


This year, Hyde Park Art Center is hosting the latest installment of Not Just Another Pretty Face (NJAPF). This special experience and exhibition began in the mid-1990s and occurs only every three years.


Not Just Another Pretty Face uses a matchmaking program to connect local patrons with artists. During this experience, patrons and artists choose each other, and the artist creates artwork specifically for that patron. Works range from traditional to experimental, depending on the artist chosen and the desires of the patron. At the end of the experience, the pieces are unveiled in an exhibition later this year before being purchased and taken home by the patron.


This matchmaking process differs from traditional art purchasing. Instead of collectors looking for works that already exist, purchasing them, and moving on, they become part of the artistic process and the work’s origin. Once matched, patrons meet with artists to discuss what they like and what they hope for from the final work, and the artist melds those desires with their own style.


The process cultivates a sense of generosity between artist and patron as they mutually share themselves and allow each other into their individual worlds. It facilitates lasting relationships that do not often develop naturally in gallery spaces and plays an important role in establishing broader financial support for the artistic community.


Director of Development Eric Thompson has been with Hyde Park Art Center since 2023, making this his second iteration of NJAPF. As this year’s program nears completion, Thompson offered insight into how the experience comes together.




A commission being unveiled at Hyde Park Art Center



Jackie Lewis: What is the process for artists and patrons to sign up for this experience?


Eric Thompson: For the artists, our team begins reaching out to invite them to participate about 18 months before the unveiling. For this iteration, conversations began in late spring 2025. They provide information on their artistic process, image examples of their work, and their commission rate. Our team then publicizes this information on our website and presents the artists at various salons throughout the city.


Several supporters of the Art Center host NJAPF salons and invite their own guests. Potential patrons learn about the artists and the project at large and express interest with our team. From there, we work to get the commission started!


JL: Once artists and patrons are chosen, what does the matchmaking process look like? Is there any process beyond the salons?


Eric Thompson: Much of the process happens after the salons. Patrons and the Hyde Park Art Center staff discuss artists who have piqued their interest. The HPAC staff sets up studio visits with the artists, giving the patron and artist a chance to meet, learn about each other, and discuss a possible commission. Sometimes artists may meet with multiple patrons through the project, and patrons will visit multiple studios before making a decision. Once a patron and artist agree to work together, the artist begins the work.


JL: What is your role in the process? How does HPAC support both the artists and the patrons?


Eric Thompson: NJAPF is a win-win-win situation for all parties. The patron has the opportunity to meet amazing Chicago artists, receives a unique commissioned work, and has that piece included in a public exhibition at the Art Center. The artist receives payment for the work, has the opportunity to expand their network of collectors, and often pushes their own practice through this process. The Art Center also benefits, as half of the commission serves as a tax-deductible donation that supports our mission to sustain Chicago art and artists.


JL: What aspect of NJAPF do you think has the greatest impact on the Chicago art community?


Eric Thompson: The project itself embodies the mission of the Art Center: it is designed for artists in Chicago to flourish. I think the greatest impact from the program’s ten iterations is the access it has created between artists and patrons. Relationships have been built. It is all about connection—a personal connection to the art and the connection between the artist and the patron. As a staff member, it is a wonderful thing to observe.



*

Sarah Nishiura, Inching



D. Lammie-Hanson, Agility to Surrender, 14k gold on Acrylic (wood panel)



A Word From the Artists


For a deeper understanding of the experience, artists D. Lammie-Hanson and Sarah Nishiura shared their own perspectives. Both have completed commissions for NJAPF in the past and are currently creating work for this year’s iteration.


JL: How did you first learn about NJAPF, and how did you become involved?


Sarah Nishiura: I have been teaching and exhibiting with the Hyde Park Art Center for over 15 years now, and I think it was through this affiliation that I was first invited to participate in NJAPF. I was lucky enough to receive two commissions the first year that I participated, and I think this success led to repeat invitations through the years.


D. Lammie-Hanson: I learned about NJAPF through an email invitation from Hyde Park Art Center. After I responded that I was interested, they placed me in their rotation to be presented to their patrons.


JL: How has working with NJAPF affected your artistic career? Did it fit within your practice?


Sarah Nishiura: My favorite thing about NJAPF is the opportunity to step outside my usual practice to try something different. Many of the commissions I have done in the past have involved working with materials given to me by the patron. This presents technical challenges that I wouldn’t normally take on, but I learn so much from stepping outside my comfort zone every few years. I have had continued relationships with patrons, and I have appreciated seeing the commissioned pieces in their homes. There is nothing better than seeing your work be part of someone’s life.


D. Lammie-Hanson: The patron trusted me to interpret their direction through my own lens. They gave me the subject and overall intent, and I stayed grounded by making creative choices around composition and focus that matched their goals while keeping my personal approach. Because metalpoint/silverpoint isn’t a widely known medium, working with NJAPF and Hyde Park Art Center helped me present my process to a wider audience. It also strengthened my broader portfolio by giving my work a strong platform and context.


JL: What was your experience working with a patron? How did it differ from your usual process?


Sarah Nishiura: The two patrons came by my studio, and we immediately found we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. We shared some of our favorite artists, our experiences with travel, our love of craft and nature, and from these conversations they came up with great ideas for jumping-off points for the commission. At the same time, they let me know they really wanted me to have the freedom to go in any direction I wanted with the final piece. This experience only differed from my usual process because it began with conversations with other people rather than the conversation that usually happens in my own head!


D. Lammie-Hanson: The patron visited my studio while I was an artist in residence at Little Black Pearl, and we discussed his vision. He chose my silverpoint-on-black/metalpoint technique, and we developed the direction together. This differed from my usual process because I don’t usually enjoy doing commissions, but I enjoyed working with Hyde Park Art Center through this program. After we aligned on the creative direction for the artwork, the patron gave me the freedom to carry out the piece according to my own vision.


JL: Since you have participated in NJAPF before, what made you decide to do it again?


Sarah Nishiura: I love HPAC, and I feel like this is a great program that allows me to support their mission while also giving me a wonderful opportunity to work with collectors I might never meet otherwise. It is a win-win!


D. Lammie-Hanson: I enjoyed the opportunity to work with Hyde Park Art Center again. I submitted my interests without knowing which new collectors would be interested, but I was willing to take the chance, and I’m glad I did.


*


Unveiling party attendees at Hyde Park Art Center



From the Collectors


To understand more about another side of the program, Ginny Van Alyea, CGN’s publisher and a past participant of NJAPF, shared her perspective as a patron who commissioned a work by artist Mel Watkin several years ago.


JL: Before NJAPF, did you consider yourself an art collector? Had you ever commissioned a work before?


GV: NJAPF appealed to my husband and me because we had bought art separately and together, but we hadn’t commissioned anything. My parents gave us the commission as a wedding gift, so it was especially meaningful.


JL: Before meeting with the artist, did you have a specific idea for the artwork you wanted?


GV: We looked through a lot of artwork before deciding whose work would be the best fit. There were so many choices, but we liked Mel Watkin’s particular focus. It felt like a good fit for creating something that spoke to both of us and our families when we got married.


JL: What was your experience working with the artist like? Did it feel collaborative?


GV: Working with Mel on a piece that was just for us was so cool. We sent images, ideas, and references back and forth. We met for coffee. We gave a little feedback but also listened to what she suggested. It was definitely a collaborative experience, but ultimately it was still the artist who made the art.


JL: Have you continued your relationship with your paired artist?


GV: Yes! A few years later, for a milestone birthday, I commissioned Mel again to make two more works: one about our daughter and one about our son. Now all three works hang together at home.


JL: Is there anything else you’d like to add about the experience?


GV: I know many collectors who have participated in the program more than once, and I can see us doing it again someday. It’s a wonderful chance to work with a local artist while also setting the parameters—like price and size—up front, which is another unique benefit of the program. It’s also terrific to support HPAC and local artists at the same time. While there are some big artist names in the program, NJAPF is also a wonderful way to discover emerging artists.


*


This year’s unveiling reception will take place on December 11, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Hyde Park Art Center. Following the reception, the artwork will remain on display and will be accompanied by a catalogue documenting the entire process for patrons, artists, and visitors alike.


The success of NJAPF has extended beyond Chicago, with similar exhibitions adapted in Boise, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Salt Lake City. To date, the program has generated more than $2 million in sales. Half of the proceeds go directly to participating artists, while the other half supports Hyde Park Art Center’s programs and mission. With more than 400 works commissioned by over 300 new and established collectors, NJAPF has cultivated an ecosystem of patronage that enables artists to thrive.


By embracing and encouraging the idea of patronage in contemporary art, NJAPF has built a community of people who value not only finished works of art, but also the creative process behind them. If you missed your opportunity to participate this year, consider becoming a patron for the next iteration.


More details at hydeparkart.org/njapf-2026/

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