RAC's 30 Year Anniversary Instructors Exhibition | November 15, 2023 - January 25, 2024
Exhibition Dates: November 15, 2023 – January 25, 2024
Riverside Town Hall: 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546
Viewing Hours: Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Friday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Artist Reception: Sunday, January 21, 2024, 3:00 – 6:00 pm
In celebration of the Riverside Arts Center’s thirtieth anniversary, we are pleased to present Past Perfect: RAC’s 30 Year Anniversary Instructors Exhibition at the Riverside Town Hall. The exhibition features the art of past and current instructors; Jennifer Allen, Alex Brightbill-Velázquez, Allie Lawton, Ameera Pernebsati Lys, Theresa Paris, Tariq Tamir, and Shawn Vincent, on view through January 25, 2024.
Please join us for the artist reception on Sunday, January 21st from 3:00 – 6:00pm at the Town Hall, 27 Riverside Road. Refreshments will be served a short block away at the Riverside Arts Center located at 32 East Quincy Street.
Exhibiting Artist Instructors:
Jennifer Allen | Plate, 1995, Glazed earthenware, 7 x 7 inches
Jennifer Allen taught classes at the Riverside Arts Center in the 1990s. Jens Kids is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 on the wishes of Jennifer Lynn Allen. Jennifer brought her love of children and art together while teaching at RAC. At the age of 27, she succumbed to a courageous three year battle with pediatric cancer. In her memory, Jen’s Kids brings art activities to children under hospital care at the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center and Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Jen’s Kids is an outreach program of the Riverside Arts Center.
Alex Brightbill-Velázquez | Save the Bees, Linocut and Chine Colle, 16 x 20 inches
Alex Brightbill-Velázquez is a Mexican artist who immigrated to Chicago at the age of ten and now resides in Riverside. She earned a BFA from Northeastern Illinois University and has shown at numerous galleries and curated art shows and cultural events. Her artwork embodies the hybridity of growing up with two cultural experiences, her love of animals and nature.
Allie Lawton | Spectrum, 2023, Photography printed on Luster paper, 11 x 14 inches
Allie Lawton Also known as Alejandra Alvarez, Allie was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1994 and moved to Chicago in 1998. She’s had an affinity for photography her whole life with her uncle showing her the ropes at a young age. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion while simultaneously working for a multicultural marketing agency in the city. She now resides in Riverside with her beloved husband and son. Her specialty is family portraiture.
Ameera Pernebsati Lys | Ancestral Calling Series, 2022, Photography, 14.5 x 22 inches
Ameera Pernebsati Lys is a Haitian-American fiber and mixed media artist creating with textile design, indigo, Japanese Shibori, collage, stamping, painting, ink, sculpture, quilting, jewelry design, photography and graphic design. Ameera’s work is inspired by her Haitian heritage, traditional African culture and spirituality, and the injustices of racism. She has taught indigo and shibori classes for over 7 years at various arts institutions. Ameera has her B.A. from Carleton College and M.S.W. from Smith College School for Social Work.
Theresa Paris | Disc Florets, 2020, Gouache on paper, 17 x 9 inches
Theresa Paris is a local artist who has taught painting, drawing, and ceramics at the Riverside Arts Center.
Tariq Tamir | Grasshopper, Mixed media, 12 x 12 inches
Tariq Tamir is RAC’s lead instructor. He studied at Columbia College Chicago and has been involved in the fine arts for over 10 years. Tariq has taught young adults ages 14-21 with Chicago’s Gallery 37 and the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to being poetically inclined, Tariq uses art as a medium for self-growth and empowerment.
Shawn Vincent | Learning to Recognize, 2023, Earthenware, enamel, 13 x 13 inches
Shawn Vincent is RAC’s school manager and instructor. She received a B.S. degree from Western Illinois University with majors in both Fine Art and Biology. Shawn has worked in ceramics for over 30 years and has been teaching for 25 years. She has exhibited her pottery at various galleries and venues throughout the Chicago area and her work is in collections throughout the country.
Riverside Town Hall exhibitions feature work by area artists, celebrating the exchange of support and generosity between the community of Riverside and the Riverside Arts Center.
Riverside Town Hall
27 Riverside Road
Riverside, Illinois 60546
Riverside Town Hall Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9am-4pm, Friday: 9am – 3pm, Closed Saturday, Sunday, and major holidays