Erika Vazzana | That Was Then This Is Now | November 18, 2024 - January 30, 2025
What color do you live in?, 2024, Molding paste and acrylic, 40 x 30 inches
Exhibition Dates: November 18, 2024 - January 30, 2025
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: Friday, December 6, 2024, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm, During the Riverside Holiday Stroll
The Riverside Arts Center is pleased to present Riverside artist, Erika Vazzana’s painting exhibition at the Riverside Town Hall. Please join us for a reception for the artist on Friday, December 6, 2024 from 5:30 to 9 pm, during the Riverside Holiday Stroll. The Town Hall is located at 27 Riverside Road, a short block from the Riverside Arts Center. Refreshments will be served in RAC’s sculpture garden.
The River Throws Riverside a Curve, 2019, Molding paste and acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches
My art in this show is a glimpse from 24 years ago to today. I thrive on reaching out to the community to have a say and had asked them on a recent Facebook community page post, asking for residents to describe where they live by a color, and one of the pieces included addresses how I interpret their response. Honoring who we are today because of what we were or did yesterday was a driving force to connect me to the articulation of the work.
I am so grateful to be a part of this community and feel it’s so important that it shapes and inspires me on who I am, what and how I create. From the walks along the river, strolls in the summertime, chats with people walking by my house, hanging at the pool and being involved. It’s all food for my creation.
I personally wanted to acknowledge one piece in the show, “Nellie”. Nellie Brennan was an elderly Riverside resident recently tragically struck by a train and killed. Every-time I saw her we chatted and she too shaped the way I look at the world.
“Healthy as a horse, strong as a bull” -N.B.
–Erika Vazzana
Nellie, 2024, Paint palette pieces on paper, 16 x 12.5 inches
Erika Vazzana is a Riverside artist working predominately in acrylic. Her paintings have been shown in venues throughout the Chicago area, most recently at the Gwen Lux Hotel in Chicago and Art on 66 in Wilmington. The artist’s work can be found in Chicago area hotels, restaurants, hospitals, grocery stores, schools, churches, little league fields, libraries, homes, and more. Clients and organizations she’s participated with and donated artwork to include, the George Lopez Foundation, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Chicago Cares, Brushes With Cancer, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, 100th Club, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Bryan & Amanda and Bickell Foundation, Saint Jude, Navy Pier Flower and Garden Show, The GOOMBAY Bash, and the Chicago Dental Association & Foundation. Recent commissioned works include murals for Riverside Foods, handbags for Marc Jacobs, and numerous corporate and private clients. Vazzana has done art projects with Chicago Public Schools, recently completed a mural at Riverside Brookfield High School, and has been an artist in residence at Ames Elementary School. She is on the Board of RAW (Riverside Arts Weekend), and has been affiliated with Reach for the Stars and the Mark Sheridan Math and Science Academy. She holds a BFA from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Walk through the woods in Riverside, 2024, Acrylic, glitter paste, and paper paint palette pieces, 38 x 30 inches
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