{"article":{"id":13769,"title":"Road to the Farthest Room: Elizabeth Lalley + Dan Devening Collaborate","excerpt":"","body":"

Jobe Gemmell-Hughes, Towards Passage, 2026, oil on canvas, 10” x 15”



This interview is part of CGN's Fall 2026 issue. Purchase a copy or subscribe.



By Curtis Anthony Bozif


Upon learning that Dan Devening and Elizabeth Lalley would be co-curating a three-person exhibition at Devening Projects this fall, and that the show would explore inwardness, privacy, and the domestic, I was eager to find out more and get both of their thoughts on curation and collaboration, as well as to hear from Lalley about what it’s been like to return to the art world after stepping away from it for a while.


Curtis Anthony Bozif: Dan and Elizabeth, can you tell me what the impetus for this exhibition was and how it came together? Dan, can you talk specifically about your decision to collaborate with another curator? 


Dan Devening: For the opening exhibition of our fall 2026 season at Devening Projects, I had planned a solo show of recent paintings by Jobe Gemmell-Hughes, a young artist recently graduated with his BFA from SAIC. His paintings from this year seem acutely relevant to our times: dark, impressionistic, densely textured canvases that seem preoccupied with trying to capture a delicate balance between apprehension and euphoria. These paintings really resonate with me, more so because so much of what they express comes through his touch and sensitivity to his medium. I looked forward to debuting this work but had not yet considered an artist with whom to pair him. 


With two spaces in the gallery, I typically feature a pair of solo projects for each show. I had recently connected again with Elizabeth, as she and her husband Billy James Joyce moved into a studio space in the same building as the gallery. Elizabeth was talking about how she was looking forward to relaunching Slow Dance Projects now that she had returned to Chicago after living in Michigan for a year. I always loved Elizabeth’s curation at Slow Dance, particularly her focus on strong emerging artists. We’re also both deeply committed to the material integrity of the work. In her shows at Slow Dance it was the delicate atmospheres evident in the paintings of Noelle Africh as well as the visceral and primordial sculpture of Travis Morehead. I knew she would have a particularly interesting way to build a show with Jobe’s paintings as a starting point.


With my invitation to contribute ideas to how this show might evolve, we agreed that co-curating Road to the Farthest Room would lead to something fantastic. We considered several propositions that resulted in adding the Detroit-based painter Julia Firestone Callis and the Chicago sculptor Ben Driggs to the mix. There were threads in the work of each artist that suggested interiority, domestic spaces and uneasiness. From a curatorial standpoint, we began with the idea that each of the two painters would be showcased in a solo show, one in each of the two galleries. We asked Ben to consider making small installations for both spaces that would reveal something even more mysterious in the paintings of the other artists. Through the witchy, wonderfully eccentric constructions and castings he makes, we knew Ben would add a layer of depth and mystery to a show already thick with emotional and psychological undercurrents. 


Left: Julia Callis, A Chair in the room upstairs Pt. 1, 2024, Acrylic, colored pencil, on board, 31.5 x 15.5”

Right: Julia Callis, Pedestrian Equestrian, 2026, Acrylic on board, 36.75 x 26.6”



CAB: Elizabeth, your curatorial project, Slow Dance, is currently on hiatus. In different periods of my life, I too have stepped away from the art world, and my return to it, if I’m being honest, hasn’t always been easy. I wonder what this experience has been like for you. Did it clarify anything? How do you think your time away has influenced this exhibition? 


Elizabeth Lalley: The hiatus was really a hiatus from urban life, to which the art world was sort of inextricably linked. We moved to rural Michigan for a year, a bit impulsively, after fantasizing about it for a while. I think I was in a place, in terms of my relationship with the art world, where I was just moving through things a little robotically. I wasn’t seeking things out or exploring or being driven by my own curiosity the way I had been before. I was feeling too impressionable, feeling in a little bit of an echo chamber, and I was working at SAIC in Graduate Admissions, so I was also tired from juggling a creative practice and an intense arts administrator role. 


As soon as we moved, we found out we were having a baby, so that intensified the hiatus too. We were living with so much space around us—big skies, fields—and I spent a lot of time writing and just remembering my influences, the things I return to, the art I love. We came back to Chicago when our son was 3 months old and I felt immense renewed excitement and love for the city and the art scene here. 


I’ve respected Dan and his program for a long time, and the opportunity for this show had me spending a lot of time thinking about who I would want to work with, after this break from curation and after such a personal shift. 


Julia is someone whose work I looked at a lot over the past few years, and there’s a deeply personal resonance I feel with her practice, in terms of connection to Detroit, love for food and for home. And Ben, who is also a dear friend of mine and my husband’s, is one of the most creative, incredible makers I know and he doesn’t operate in a traditional gallery context. So there was also a vulnerability in inviting him to be part of this that felt very real and true to me, especially when feeling a vulnerability myself of coming back to something as a new mother, which can be such an isolating time. I feel more invested in developing true relationships and making things without affect or pretense than ever before.



Left: Ben Driggs, Cell Cage, 2026, steel, wood, cloth, 8 x 7 x 13”.

Right: Ben Driggs, Bath Light, 2026, copper, 41 x 16 x 16”



CAB: Could you tell me a little bit more about each of the artists and their practices? Dan has already alluded to how their work might suggest “interiority, domestic spaces and uneasiness.” What other ideas, states of mind, or feelings do you hope to explore or elicit in this exhibition?


DD:  As I said, Jobe’s paintings reflect a young painter’s desire to tease out the emotional and psychological states of searching and discovery through the process of making. It’s as if he’s mapping the inside of his own mind, looking closely at the circuits and neurons that interconnect to form what then reads as physical space. To me, his paintings suggest landscape, but rarely does a horizon appear. Instead, what he conjures are expansive chambers that feel both vast and claustrophobic—environments with so much surface activation that the air itself feels close, the space encroaching. That pressure could only come through the patient accumulation of his surfaces. Mark by mark, pigment layered and scraped onto an already heavily worked canvas. 


We love how Ben’s work suggests a different kind of intense focus—that of a hermetic tinkerer who takes what material is most readily available and breathes life into it with delicate craftsmanship and delightful whimsy. Everything is functional. Everything has specific domestic use. The work is clearly sculpture, but as Ben says, each object has a specific place in his home and functions with purpose. Although often highly peculiar, each sculpture has a reference and use that becomes more apparent as the work is experienced.


EL: And to echo this, there’s something about the intense specificity of Ben’s pieces that I think makes them even more mysterious, as they’re sort of “unhomed” and brought into the gallery. It makes me think a little about how, when you isolate a single word and poke at it, it can expand and expand the more you look at and investigate it. Ben is so deeply focused in his making, yet so expansive—he seems to hold so much at once. He’s also deeply invested and interested in outsider artists and artists’ homes and art environments. He and his wife, Ash, are intensely curious about the way people live with objects and put objects into the world. Something he said recently to me was that Ash showed him a picture of a door Ruth Asawa carved from redwood for her home in San Francisco, and how Ben was more drawn to it than to any of her better-known artworks. This interest in the sort of “non-professional” parts of an artist’s life—the parts that don’t seem to fit a prescribed space or arch—are important to Ben.


DD: For me, Julia’s paintings have a surreal lightness that’s less present in the work of the other two artists. Her paintings are graceful and open—there’s room to move, room to breathe. That sense comes through in how her characters seem to freely populate the work: they float and hover, not always in control of their own trajectory, but clearly active, buoyant, alive. That lightness carries through in her palette too, which ranges from colors grounded in nature to more richly saturated hues, bringing a wonderfully joyful energy to the work. Her paintings are important to this project because they offer a lyricism and cadence less present in the other two artists’ work.


Together, these three artists reveal how each might dig deep into their own inner states to tune into the frequency the times demand.



Jobe Gemmell–Hughes, Gulf, 2026, oil on canvas, 74 x 46”



CAB: Collaboration of any kind involves giving up some control and putting your trust in the people you work with. I’m thinking of your collaboration as co-curators, but I’m also thinking about how you’re working with artists, much of whose work I understand is still in progress. What is it like for both of you, giving up some control and trusting each other and your artists?


DD: From my experience running a gallery, collaboration has always offered more opportunities for positive gain than any real loss of control. Working with other curators and artists on projects and shows lets my ideas expand beyond my own limitations. There are always new angles from which to see a concept; I rely on my collaborators and co-curators to lead me in unexpected directions that make a show better, more rigorous, and more interesting.


This is especially true when working with artists showing at the gallery. When I begin working on an exhibition, I know the artist will already have ideas about what they’d like to show and how. My role is to offer thoughts on how that vision can be realized within the spaces of the gallery—that’s where I think my contributions are most useful. I know the possibilities and limitations of the rooms, how full or empty a show should feel based on the work, and how visitors tend to move through and around the installations. I share that with the artists, and together we arrive at a strategy that most successfully and accurately reflects their intent.


For this show, we’re in close contact with the artists as they fine-tune the work they’d like to feature in their installations. In most cases, we’ll have more work than we can show, which allows for flexibility and gives real collaboration room to happen. Each of the three artists, along with Elizabeth and I, will spend a good amount of time with the work in the galleries. For me, this is a chance to get to know the artists and their most recent work better—which is the greatest pleasure of collaborating: meeting the artists and growing closer to both them and their work.


EL: I love collaboration. Sometimes I forget how much I love it until I’m working on something with others, and then I realize how much I miss it when I’m working in solitude. Being together with artists in a space, watching how the space and the work are responding to each other, all of that is, to me, the very best part of the process. There can be real surprises, and the different perspectives that everyone brings make the space and the work feel really alive. Working on this with Dan as a co-curator has been such a wonderful opportunity for me because I have such respect for his program. He has an exquisite and incisive eye, and his tastes feel varied while also running deep and feeling very honest. 


Road to the Farthest Room is a three-person exhibition featuring the work of Julia Callis, Ben Driggs and Jobe Gemmell–Hughes, co-curated by Elizabeth Lalley and Dan Devening


Devening Projects

September 13–October 24, 2026

Reception September 13, 3 – 5 pm

3039 W. Carroll

Chicago, IL 60612



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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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