Jennifer Cronin

Best of Show in Water Street Studios 3rd Year Anniversary Show

Out of the many artists who submitted for the show, the jury panel selected one Best of Show within the 7 Honorable Mentions. Best of Show Artists will be awarded: Free two weeks Solo Show in Water Street Studios Kane County Chronicle Gallery, valued at $200.
Congratulations Jennifer Cronin!

Artist Statement

Wandering. Looking for something to follow. Hoping to find something to prove that everything is profoundly meaningful. Some sort of singular theory of life. In this quest, I seem only to stumble upon the inconsequential things. An annoyance, some confusion, a mistake that takes a long time to clean up, a stubbed toe, a dirty dish, hair-all of the little things that pile up until it becomes clear that the passage of time has been present only in the form of passing distractions. Maybe there is some meaning, but it seems to be an illusion that only luck may one day unveil.

It can be difficult to remain interested, excited, engaged, and true to oneself amidst the backdrop of routine, everyday life. My most recent work is about personal fantasy and escape amidst everyday experience. It is a reimagining of everyday life, based on often small, seemingly insignificant frustrations. A playful rumination on the little things, the subtleties, which can fill our lives for better or worse. Growths of the seeds of worry, fear, amusement, and minor upsets. Fruitless daydreams. It is about what a mind does with what it is given.

Education

2009 Study Abroad: Camberwell College of Art, London, UK
2009 BFA Art Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
2008 BFA Painting: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
2006 Summer course, Ox-Bow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI

Selected Exhibitions

• 2012
  
  • Anniversary Show, Water Street Studios, Batavia, IL
  • America: Now and Here, Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, IL
  • Explorations: New Works by Emerging Artists, Highland Park, IL
  • Urban Transmissions, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Art, Energy, Future, Regional Museum of Natural Science, Turin, Italy
  • Daydreaming, Solo Show at R. Hanel Gallery in collaboration with Elephant Room Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Facemask, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
  • Embody, Black Cloud Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • En Route: What She Saw, North Park University, Chicago, IL
  • Illuminate, Water Street Studios, Batavia, IL
  • Blue, Dispatch Gallery, Chicago, IL
• 2011
  
  • Stream of Consciousness, Dispatch Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Coyote, Flat Iron Arts Building, Chicago, IL
  • 7th Annual National Self Portrait Exhibition, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
  • Wandering Around in a Small Place, Solo Show at R. Hanel Gallery in collaboration with Elephant Room Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Impetus, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Get Real: New Figurative Realism in Chicago, 33 Collective Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Third Annual Evolving Artists Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
• 2010
  
  • At Home, Solo Show at UIC Art Lounge, Chicago, IL
  • Connected, Rumble Arts Center, Chicago, IL
  • Beyond the Coyote, Flat Iron Arts Building, Chicago, IL
  • I AM Fest, House of Blues, Chicago, IL
  • Gutter, Group Exhibition for Logan Square Arts Festival, Chicago, IL
  • The Peculiar Manifestation of Paint in my Life, Solo Show at Elephant Room Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Cabin Fever, Solo Show at Joie de Vine wine bar, Chicago, IL
• 2009
  
  • 33rd Annual Juried Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
  • Artists in Residence Group Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL.
  • Black Duckling Art Exhibition, Dream Theater, Chicago, IL
• 2008
  
  • 32nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center Chicago, IL
  • BFA Graduate Exhibition, Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL
  • Being(s) Senior Thesis Exhibition, Champaign, IL
  • Painting and Sculpture: A Show About Things, Link Gallery, Champaign, IL
• 2007
  
  • Student Juried Exhibition, Illini Union Gallery, Champaign, IL
  • Community Artist Exhibition, Robert F DeCaprio Gallery, Palos Hills, IL
  • P.S. Painting and Sculpture, Link Gallery, Champaign, IL
  • Family, Student Coalition Gallery, Champaign, IL
• 2005
  
  • Foundations Exhibition, Link Gallery, Champaign, IL

Publications

Poets&Artists: The Chicago Issue, review by Grady Harp, 2012
Bluecanvas, Issue 10, extended feature, 2011
New American Paintings, No. 95, 2011
Studio Visit, Vol. 10, 2010