A Love Supreme: Norman Teague
About the program
A Love Supreme, a solo exhibition by Norman Teague inspired by legendary jazz musician John Coltrane, will have an adjoining installation in Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House by Chicago-based BIPOC designers. Teague uses Coltrane’s album “A Love Supreme” as a personal, cultural, and spiritual touchstone to consider design influences from his life-long home in Chicago, exploring how the power of bold improvisational jazz and unapologetic Black aesthetics have expanded the minds and inspired creative communities of color.
“I believe there is a quest for craft from the imaginations of Black America that needs to be heard, seen, and felt as safe, desired, and beautiful. And it can only come from us. This turning point of awareness in American history will only get greater as time goes on—and design history will follow,” says Teague.
The accompanying exhibit A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined seeks to provide a new narrative about the bold, bright, and vast number of designers who are the future of American design. For the McCormick House installation, curators Norman Teague and Rose Camara ask, “What is your Coltrane story? Who awakened you personally and artistically?” The exhibit celebrates a variety of jazz and jazz-influenced influences on Chicago design, and will include key musical performances throughout its run.
A Love Supreme is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. It is sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and in part by a grant from the League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd. With programming in partnership with Elmhurst University Department of Music.
A Love Supreme: McCormick House Reimagined is co-curated by Norman Teague and Rose Camara. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Chipstone Foundation.
This exhibition includes audio components. Your headphones and smartphone are recommended when visiting to provide a fuller experience.
Participant
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Norman Teague Design Studios / Tonika Johnson / Max Davis / Ernest Wong / Mejay Gula / Tanner Woodford
Chicago, United States
WebsiteLed by designer and educator Norman Teague, an acclaimed collective of artists, designers, and community activists speculates on plastic politics, wire mesh architecture, and recycling. Teague’s projects and pedagogies address the systematic complexity of urbanism. Collective team member Max Davis grew up in Oyster Bay, NY before moving to Chicago’s south side where he started several successful businesses that are inherently inclusive; Mejay Gula applies her knowledge of design and construction to ongoing building projects as architect of record at site design group; Tonika Johnson, creator of the Folded Map Project, is a photographer, social justice artist, and life-long resident of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood; Ernest Wong is the founding principal of site design group and has been instrumental in the success of the landscape architecture profession; and Tanner Woodford is founder and executive director of the Design Museum of Chicago, where he produces exhibitions, events, and projects. Norman Teague is an African American social practice artist, designer, furniture maker, and an assistant professor at University of Illinois Chicago School of Design. He is a Chicago based designer and educator focused on projects and pedagogy that address the systematic complexity of urbanism and the culture of communities.
Venue
View moreElmhurst Art Museum
Address
150 S Cottage Hill Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Description
The Elmhurst Art Museum was established and granted 501c(3) status in 1997.
Purpose
Foster community by cultivating a creative space where art is for everyone.
Vision
Be a cultural leader in the Chicagoland area for contemporary art, arts education, and mid-century modern architecture.
Mission
Spark creativity and cultural enrichment through the visual arts, education, and architecture by providing thought-provoking, diverse exhibitions and programming.
History
In 1981 a group of teachers, artists and community organizers, established the Elmhurst Art Museum with the belief that people from all walks of life can learn to see and think differently through meaningful participation in the arts. With initial focus on exhibiting and collecting works of primarily local artists, the Museum significantly expanded to feature nationally and internationally recognized artists.
In 1992, led by artist and educator Eleanor King Hookham, the Foundation purchased the unique Mies van der Rohe-designed McCormick House (1952), a private home in Elmhurst. With an ambitious and unprecedented undertaking, the house was moved from its location to the Elmhurst Art Museum Campus. The Museum commissioned Chicago-based architectural firm DeStefano + Partners to design a new building incorporating this unique architectural component with substantial exhibition, education, public and administrative spaces.
A new facility opened to the public in 1997 with 15,000+ square feet of exhibition and education space. Today, the Museum provides access to world-class exhibitions, the unique home by Mies van der Rohe, and an Education Center that serves the residents of Elmhurst and the surrounding communities.
