sunflowers
Maddie May
2021
hand-woven cotton
27 x 31 in.
still, still
work by Maddie May
September 7 – 29, 2024
Saturday viewings, hosted by artist
12 – 2 P on Sept. 14, 21, and 28
On View Sundays
11 A – 2 P
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 7th
4 – 7 P
Join us in celebration of the opening of Maddie May’s solo exhibition - still, still
sunflowers (detail)
Maddie May
2021
hand-woven cotton
27 x 31 in.
still, still is an exhibition amplifying the residues of life and the permanence of loss through multimedia works by Chicago-based artist Maddie May. Delving into intimate narratives embedded in everyday Midwestern household items, May explores themes of death, touch, time, and the quiet persistence of grief.
Central to the exhibition is May’s "Grief Towels" series, featuring hand-woven textiles that depict worn hand and dish towels that evoke touch, privacy, and intimacy, speaking of tenderness and the traces of life left behind after death. Also featured is May's newest project, "Memorial," an ongoing documentary publication cataloging items from Chicago-based community members related to those they have lost.
In still, still, works explore grieving processes, memory, legacy, and love through everyday objects.
Works in this exhibition were funded by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Individual Artists Program.
yellow roses
Maddie May
2021
hand-woven cotton
27 x 31 in.
Maddie May is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago, IL. Growing up in a turbulent environment, May has lived in 26 houses, which instilled in them an investigative lens into relationships, everyday objects, and the spaces they inhabit. Their multi-sensory works magnify the emotional residue of Midwest lower-class households through textiles, sculpture, print, scent, and sound. Objects express intimacy, domesticity, turmoil, and discomfort, existing as characters that exemplify the physiological aftermath of abrasive events within the home. Influenced by childhood experiences and personal memories, May's work addresses cycles of trauma, addiction, grief, fear, and violence within the class-based systems of the United States.
May holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design. They have exhibited at Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA), Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (Grand Rapids, MI), and Ruschwoman (Chicago, IL) to name a few. Recently, they held solo exhibitions at Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL) and Wittenberg University (Springfield, OH). May received a City of Chicago DCASE Grant in 2023, was an artist in residence at The Residency Project (Pasadena, CA) in January 2024, and will be an artist in residence as a MASS MoCA fellow in December 2024.
memorial
Maddie May
2024
a page from “memorial” publication
12 x 12 in.