This newsletter is divided into the following articles. To read any one of these articles, please click on the text of the article title.

• Letter from the Directors
• Move With The Times - Put Your Art Online Through WMG
• Artist Education Programs
• Letter to Woman Made
• Be A Part Of Spring Soirée & Art Auction
• Gallery News Briefs
• Poetry Reading & Youth Workshop To Explore Prejudice
• An Artist To Know
• Worthy Organizations
• Poetry Corner
• Artful Words
• Hey, Poets: It's A Call For Words
• Member Profile
• Woman Made Needs You…
• Special Thanks To…
• Please + Thank You
• Woman Made Gallery Calendar
• Dear Friends…
• Sponsor An Exhibit Or Purchase Award
• Call For Artists
• WMG Wish List
• Newsletter Contributions
• Newsflash
• Previous Newsletters

Letter from the Directors:

A recent Anne Elizabeth installation at Woman Made.

Happy New Year to all of our members and supporters - and to those who are reading about us for the first time in this newsletter. We had a most successful year in 2000 - thanks to memberships, donations and volunteer efforts, as well as grant support from the Illinois Arts Council, the Sara Lee Foundation and the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation. Eight group shows and six solo shows provided exhibition opportunities to 350 women. We presented informative workshops and hosted numerous poetry readings and lectures. Thanks to your continued support, our agenda for this new year is as expansive and provocative as ever.

Women, men and local area school children were invited to participate in the first exhibit of 2001, which opens January 19 and explores issues involving prejudice. A poetry reading as well as a youth writing workshop will accompany this important exhibition, which will be followed by our 4th International Open, honoring Women's History Month in March.

Solo shows for 2001 were awarded to Maureen Burdock, Lois Keller/Rachel Weaver, Colette Copeland, Sarah Hauser, Ayu Tomikawa and Judith Anderson, and we are finalizing group show themes and solo shows for 2002, our 10th anniversary year!

All upcoming shows with applicable deadlines are listed in our calendar section (just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to receive guidelines to any one - or more - of them).

The event which presently takes up all our efforts, ingenuity and talents is the Spring Soirée & Art Auction on March 9 at the Three Arts Club here in Chicago. Revenue from last year's auction made up one-third of our annual budget, and we are feverishly working to meet that goal again this year. Your personal involvement - whether in the form of volunteering time, providing a donation or attending the gala event - will be appreciated by the hundreds of artists who rely on WMG and its resources for exhibiting, networking and support.

There is a huge community of women involved with WMG, and it is both purposeful and inspiring to be a part of it. Please contact us at (312) 328-0038 or email us if you can help in any way with the spring art auction.

Woman Made Gallery is about giving to women. Our mission is about providing exhibition opportunities to women artists because they have something unique and special to say. It is about empowering women by offering a space where expression is safe and diversity is welcome, and helping women gain the knowledge and confidence to share their work and be professional artists in their own right.

For all these valuable things to happen we need you - as an exhibitor, a juror, a volunteer, a board or advisory board member - and as a supporting member in good standing. Be a part of Woman Made Gallery by getting involved. Thank you!

Move With The Times - Put Your Art Online Through WMG:

If you are a hard-working artist looking for ways to promote yourself and your art, consider being part of the WMG Online Artists' Registry.

If you have 15 slides of a body of work, you are ready to have your own WMG Web address: www.YOURNAME.womanmade.net. Your new "Internet Gallery" can help you connect with potential collectors and jurors from around the world.

Examine existing artists' pages and work by visiting the On-Line Registry Website and clicking on VIEW GALLERIES. All requirements and instructions are in the FOR ARTISTS section, but if you need guidance, call the Gallery at (312) 328-0038.

The cost for the first year, only $160, includes: hosting, setting up your site, scanning and color correcting 15 slide images plus one main-page image, and typesetting your personal information (resume, artist's statement, selected exhibitions, etc.). Exchanging older images with new work is $10 per image, and editing any amount of text is $10 per incident.

The most commonly asked question is, "Will my WomanMade.net page get listed on search engines?" Your unique address (URL) is designed to permit you to submit your page to search engines as a unique Web site. For $25, our Web hosts will manually submit your Web page to at least 20 search engines and directories and donate 5% of each order to WMG.

For more information about the Online Artists' Registry, visit our Services Website or contact us by email

Artist Education Programs:

Call (312) 328-0038 or email us for more information about the following professionalism workshops. Pre-registration is required.

EXHIBITING PROFESSIONALISM

Presented by WMG's gallery directors, this workshop (which includes the Exhibiting Professionalism manual) offers information on slide quality, artist statement and bio, pricing, which galleries to approach, packaging, insurance and more.

Artists may choose from the following workshop dates: Saturday, March 31; Saturday, June 9; and Saturday, September 15. All workshops are from 10 a.m.-Noon. Cost of the workshop is $20 for WMG members and $25 for non-members.

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Call to reserve a Saturday morning with WMG Executive Director Beate Minkovski, who will offer individual portfolio advice. Bring three artworks, slides, and an artist statement and bio. The cost is $45 for members; $60 for non-members.

CAREER DAY

Artist and WMG Senior Advisor Janet Bloch leads this full-day, advanced-level program on Saturday, February 17. Bloch is a recipient of national, state and local art grants and has exhibited nationally and in solo shows.

The workshop begins at 10 a.m. by exploring portfolio materials, including slides, resume and artist statement. After lunch (included), a group critique will focus on the presentation of finished works. The workshop will close with tips for finding the right gallery for your art.

Cost is $95 for members; $115 for non-members. Bring five slides, a current resume, an artist statement and two or three pieces of work.

FREE ART CRITIQUES

Artist Mary King leads our free Women's Art Critique Workshops on the fourth Sunday of each month, 2-4 p.m. The critiques are for both advanced and beginning artists. Bring work to share (finished or in progress), ask for feedback, or exchange tips for presentation, places to exhibit, sources of supplies, etc.

Upcoming dates are January 28, February 25 and March 25. Gallery members only, please.

Letter to Woman Made:

DEAR WOMAN MADE GALLERY:

I am impressed. Last week it was recommended that I call Woman Made Gallery. I was chosen to appear on the PBS show, Artbeat. However, it was on short notice, and I needed to find a spokesperson who would make a statement about my work.

I did not know where or how to turn. I have spent much time working on my art and little on becoming connected in the art community. When asked to supply an art establishment person to validate my art, I realized how much importance is placed on networking.

It seems to me that once I stated my purpose to those involved at Woman Made Gallery, an alert went out. All whom I spoke with through the Gallery were kind, helpful and willing to take the time to assist me in figuring out just what I needed to do. When talking with all of you I felt that I could say exactly what I wanted to say and be understood. I was not kept at a distance but drawn in.

I write to tell you that this experience is a definite part of my history as an artist. All of you have made a lasting impression. The experience was much more than finding a "talking head;" I do feel that the taped PBS segment transcended what was asked of us. It was very real, truthful, spontaneous and fearless.

As I move forward with my vision I can only hope that I am a good example of all that women can be. I will give much attention to fostering the dignity, grace, sensitivity, trust, courage and strength that is true of all of us.

Thank you very much.
Lee Tracy

Be A Part Of Spring Soirée & Art Auction:

A print of Two Possibilities of Love, a painting by Sandra Beck, will be available at the Spring Soirée & Art Auction. Click here to view more of Beck's work.

Woman Made is preparing for our major annual fundraiser, a live art auction/silent auction on March 9th, 2001 at the Three Arts Club. Following are ways you can help to make the event a success:

1. buy or sell event tickets ($60 per person);
2. take out an ad in the event booklet;
3. sell raffle tickets ($5 each or 6 for $25);
4. donate a silent auction item/service;
5. become an event sponsor (by selling from 5 to 10 tickets) and be listed in our event literature; and
6. volunteer time during or before the event.

The greatest incentive to attending or otherwise supporting the event is knowing that you have contributed to a special place, one that cultivates and supports women in their creative endeavors. Please call us at (312) 328-0038 for more information. Thank you!

Gallery News Briefs:

If at First I Don't Succeed, (gouache & mixed media) is by Janet Bloch, WMG's new Senior Advisory. Click here for more of Janet's work.

WMG BOARD & STAFF NEWS

• Janet Bloch served as WMG's Gallery Director from 1993-2000, before deciding to give 100% of her time and energy to her artmak-ing. We have long thought on how to honor her for her years of work benefiting the Gallery. We decided to name her our Senior Advisor, because she continues to provide much valuable advice, and her ongoing contribution to the success of the Gallery is undeniable. Thank you, Janet, for your dedication and commitment to WMG.
• We are welcoming Sabrina Fesko, Kathy Greenholdt, Marian Jones and Amy Stoeffler to our Board of Directors. All four women bring a variety of experiences and talents to Woman Made, and we are looking forward to their participation.
• Member and artist Teresa Witek has been selected from a group of very able graphic artists to design our quarterly Woman Made Newsletter, starting in Spring 2001.

CALL FOR ART, POETRY & SPONSORS: Her Mark 2002

With the successful debut of the 2001 Her Mark calendar, Woman Made is already looking ahead to the Her Mark calendar for 2002. It will be an extra-special edition, as it marks the 10th anniversary of the Gallery.

• The 13-month, spiral-bound datebook will again include both art and poetry created by women.
  

• Poetry will be selected via an open call.
  
• Visual art will be chosen through a juried competition.

In addition, we are looking for sponsors to underwrite the calendar's production. Sponsor names will be printed in the calendar and in our newsletter. Please call us at (312) 328-0038 or email us for more information about sponsorship details and to help us celebrate our 10th anniversary in style!

Poetry Reading & Youth Workshop To Explore Prejudice:

Poet Tara Betts will lead two poetry events - one for adults, one for youth - during WMG's Prejudice exhibition.

On Saturday, February 3, 10 a.m.- Noon, students in grades 9-12 are invited to take a free Writing Workshop to explore the images and nuances of prejudice in our everyday lives. Betts will lead exercises inspired by artwork in the Prejudice show. Participants will examine what prejudice means to them and write about moments when they experienced it.

Betts will also host a Poetry Reading and Open Mic on Sunday, February 11, 2-4 p.m. All are welcome to attend and read a poem relating to the theme of prejudice or listen to a powerful group of featured readers, including Lucy Anderton, Evelyn Delgado, Lani Montreal, Nikki Patin and Selly Thiam. The event is free; donations are encouraged.

Both events will take place at the Gallery. Pre-register for the youth workshop. Call (312) 328-0038.

An Artist To Know:

Artist Stephanie Rose Bird in her studio.

STEPHANIE ROSE BIRD

Stephanie Rose Bird's hat rack is overflowing. In fact, Bird wears so many hats, it's hard to keep up - artist, writer, herbalist, professor, wife and mother. "When I turned 40 I realized what it is I have to offer; I think I'm developing clarity," said Bird in a recent interview. "The key to success, happiness and ultimate fate lies within the palm of your hand."

HISTORY OF ART
At 14 Bird studied with a talented art teacher, Trudy Bilderbach, who prepared her for art school. She received a BFA cum laude from Temple University's Tyler School of Art and holds an MFA in Visual Art from the University of California, San Diego. Today, Bird is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. "I love teaching and being a mentor to women pursuing feminist issues and to people of color," Bird said. "I tell them to work hard and to make their art their profession, not just a hobby."

NATURE & FEMINISM
Bird's art is nature-oriented with feminist overtones. "These two issues come together to honor ancient ritual traditions of matriarchal societies such as the Native Americans and the Celtic people," she said. "My art is nature-based from the West African point of view. I use natural materials - handmade paper, cattails, straw, leaves, shells, beads and found objects. I incorporate everything I love into who I am."

AWARD-WINNING ART
Bird has won many prestigious awards for her art, including funding from the Ford Foundation and The Pollack-Krasner Foundation. She also was given a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to study the art of the Australian Aborigines. Her work is held in many corporate and private collections and has been featured in art journals and magazines. "I have been honored by the fact that a series of my work has been selected by the ambassador to Benin, Africa, and the United States government's Arts-in-the-Embassies Program for the new collection at the U.S. Embassy in Benin. The work was selected because of its apparent engagement with animism, a form of spirituality highly regarded by many West Africans," said Bird.

AUTHOR
In addition to her professional career as a visual artist, Bird is writing a nonfiction book, Down Home Beauty - An Herbal Guide for Women of Color, and has been asked to write freelance pieces for Herbal Companion, Country Sampler and Natural Home magazines. She is also working on a manuscript of creative nonfiction prose entitled, Walkabout Home. "The stories explore experiences in and my relationships to the places where I've lived and visited in the U.S. and abroad," said Bird.

Bird and her husband, Damian, are the proud parents of three boys and a girl, ages ranging from 2 to 14. When asked what wisdom she will instill in her daughter as she grows up, Bird said, "I will tell her to always make her life so she can stand on her own two feet. Be independent. Never overcommit to the point where you give up your sense of self."

Worthy Organizations:

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly

This national, non-profit organization (with a local focus) is committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. People of good will have the opportunity to volunteer and join the elderly in friendship and the celebration of life. Call (312) 455-1000, or visit their website.

Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

This organization educates families, professionals and the public about early-onset bipolar disorders; maximizes the well-being of affected children while minimizing the adverse impact of bipolar disorders on the family; and advocates for increased services to families and research on the nature, causes and treatment of bipolar disorders in the young. Visit their website.

Junior League of Chicago, Inc.

The JLC is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through affective action. The JLC reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins. Call (312) 664-4462, or visit their website

Poetry Corner:

Breast Alert, an installation by Sharon Guy, was on exhibit in the Joy Darrow Memorial Wing at WMG in September, 2000.

The Sea Among the Prairie©

By Cin Salach

-for Maureen

There is just enough pink in this
blue room
now that I have found the sea among
the prairie
the sea among your cupboards
slick with knowing
and every where I look another opening
a dark that I am no longer afraid of,
a smell I can enter.
This womb of earth belly of god door
of you
that enters me, fingers spread wide
against sky, wet as a woman
weeping unburied gems
from the bottom of the sea
inside the cupboard.

The first time I heard you I was a man
or you were a child, or I was
the weather outside changing leaves
on trees
into schools of fish glistening in
wind, rain
asking how long can you hold your
breath underwater
because we are you know,
and I did know
there is no difference between sky
and ocean
light hovers either way
pulling our eyes up, our breath into
our soul
and always something dark beneath
our feet
pulling us down, gravity/god
into black roots, smelling birth
and I am just beginning to understand
not to save the cactus from the sun.
not to spend the sea to quench myself.
That's just how thirsty I was.

Artful Words:

Floating, a watercolor painting by Roberta Reb Allen. Click Here to visit her web site. The artist will donate one of her paintings to WMG's Spring Soirée & Art Auction on March 9th.

In WMG's quarterly workshop, "Exhibiting Professionalism," we discuss at length the art of writing the "artist statement." Some artists shy away from this necessary task, offering the argument that everything to be said is already visible in the work. Other artists go to great length to be their own critic, describing their work as "bold," "impressive" and "striking." Here are our tips:

• Keep it short and simple.
• Write in the first person and be sincere.
• Don't be your own critic; leave that to the viewer.
• Don't explain the obvious or go on and on with philosophical inquiries. Write what inspires you to do the art you do.
• If you are using an interesting process or method, describe it.
• Most of all, follow the guidelines outlined in a show's prospectus.

Following is an example of a good statement (by artist Roberta Reb Allen):

Over the past four years I have been working on a series of small watercolors of a child at play. In creating this series I was interested in three things.

First was to convey the exuberance and sense of freedom which children find in play. As part of recreating these feelings from my own childhood experiences, I also wanted to express the unique physical sensations which each different type of play produces.

Finally, I wanted to produce strong images of a young, active girl as a counterweight to the images of passive females found in so many fine art and popular images.

Reb Allen's statement enhances her art and satisfies the curiosity the viewer feels when looking at her work. To learn more about writing quality artist statements and other requirements for professionalism, sign up for one of our workshops.

More help for your artist statement:

Member Beth Ann Bryant-Richards is a qualified writing teacher who works with artists. She charges $50/hour (two hours is typical). Call her at (773) 792-9699.

Hey, Poets: It's A Call For Words:

Her Mark Calendar: Woman Made Gallery invites contributions of poetry by women writers for our 2002 Her Mark Calendar featuring words and artwork. This second annual edition honors WMG's 10th Anniversary, with poetry entries to be juried by Maureen Seaton and Cin Salach. The entry deadline is June 15, 2001. Please send three poems, $5 entry fee and SASE to: WORDS, Woman Made Gallery, 1900 S. Prairie Ave., Chicago IL 60616, or e-mail poems only (no attachments; send entry fee via U.S. mail) to: callaloo@earthlink.net. Note: calendar page size is 6"x7". Poets selected will receive two copies of the calendar.

Member Profile:

Meet Roberta Reb Allen, secretary of the Woman Made Gallery Board of Directors. Professionally, Roberta is a curriculum director and an artist who works with watercolors and fabric.

I became involved with the Gallery...
RRA: Initially as a place to show my work. I was in the Pun Intended show.

If there's one thing about WMG that I think people don't know, it's...
RRA: How unstuffy the place is.

When people describe me they often say I am...
RRA: Organized, creative, full of energy.

My mother told me...
RRA: That she loved me. I was, however, raised by my father and aunt. They taught me that there is no contradiction between being a woman and being smart, independent and athletic.

Two women who most influenced my life are…
RRA: My aunt and my grandmother. They were such remarkable role models of independent, caring women. My aunt cared for her parents, her husband with Alzheimer's, and my brother and me when my parents separated - and still managed to have a distinguished career. My grandmother was widowed relatively young and had the responsibility of caring for my mother during mental illness. My grandmother only had an 8th grade education, but she was very curious and intelligent. She supported herself financially and kept up with current affairs.

The woman artist I most admire is...
RRA: Käthe Kollwitz. She was able to translate the unbelievable horror she lived through into such powerful appeals to our common humanity and sanity.

The best words of advice I've ever received are...
RRA: Do not put your art aside while raising your children. Make it a continual part of your life - even if only for an hour or so each week.

If I had to give advice to a struggling woman artist, I would say...
RRA: Seek support wherever you can find it, keep at it, and learn all you can about how to present yourself professionally. Also, very specifically, learn to take good slides of your work - or else have it done professionally.

In 10 years, I see WMG as...
RRA: A greatly expanded version of what it is today - and with a gallery on the Internet.

Woman Made Needs You…:

• Visit the Gallery, spend time really looking at the art, and see if you don't feel a little fuller, stronger and more connected when you leave. Come back for an opening, a reading or a lecture.

• Become a member of the Gallery and bring more art into your life. Benefit from a variety of services and discounts.

• Tell someone about Woman Made. And so on and so on...

• Distribute WMG newsletters at a café or bookstore in your neighborhood. Either pick them up at the Gallery, or call us and we'll send you some.

• Schedule WMG to present a lecture about women artists or a workshop on professionalism for your college class, community group or art network.

• Honor a friend or family member with a gift membership to WMG.

• Volunteer your services in the daily workings of a professional art gallery. This firsthand experience is valuable for artists and art lovers alike.

• Buy women's art and let it inspire you in your own environment while supporting local artists.

• Host a party at Woman Made! We have fabulous party space - for office gatherings, holiday affairs or simple luncheons.

• Make a tax-deductible contribution over and above your membership and play an important part in building WMG's ability to sustain programs and pursue our mission.

• Sponsor an exhibit or project in someone's name or in the name of your business.

• Leave a gift for WMG in your will to ensure visibility for women's art for years to come.

For more information, contact Woman Made at (312) 328-0038 or send us an email

Special Thanks To…:

WMG is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation and the Sara Lee Foundation.

• Ruby Barnes, designer, and Jackie White, poetry editor, of our 2001 Her Mark calendar.
  
• Antje Gehrken and Ellen Rosner for their continued work for the “Big Fish-Little Fish” project.
  
• All the musicians, production staff and sponsors of the “Big Fish-Little Fish” CD.
  
• Antje Gehrken, Ripley Caine and Summer Chance for musically entertaining shoppers during the Member’s Brunch and the Artist’s Reception.
  
• Beth Ann Bryant-Richards for donating her time and writing talents to our September
  Exhibiting Professionalism Workshop.

Woman Made appreciates the following individuals and organizations for their ongoing support of the Gallery:

• Our Board members for their continued hard work, devotion and board pledges.
  
• All Advisory Board Members for their support.
  
• Anne Elizabeth, for donation of a beautiful peacock feather dress for our Permanent Collection.
  
• Dan Fensin, Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, 300 South Riverside Plaza, Chgo. 60606 for free tax & audit services.
  
• Yvonne & Mason Galganov, Galganov & Associates in Cambridge, Ontario for design & upkeep of our Web sites.
  
• George Gehrken, Telpoint Communications for donations and maintenance of computer equipment.
  
• Kathy Greenholdt for doing a fabulous job in designing and editing our newsletters.
  
• Kendra Miller, for grant-writing efforts.
  
• Rebecca Targ for designing our exhibition invitations.
  
• Dan Waterloo from EZ Mail Services, (708) 488-9163, for bulk-mailing services.

WMG is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation and the Sara Lee Foundation.

Please + Thank You:

We would like to thank the following people who have renewed their memberships and have become new members, and all those who have donated money, items, time and talents.

Karen Abbott, Dinah Abram, Roberta Reb Allen, Ruth Andre, Judith Anderson, Marcy Baim, Kim Basile, Kristin Alana Baum, Dr. Sandra Beaty, Barbara Becker, Jennifer Van Beelen, Jane Benjamin, Cali Bergold, Mary Biddinger, Mary-Glynn Boies, Rebekah Boyer, Rae Bridgman, Maliaka Bugjo, Nancy Buik, Patricia Burke, Laurel Calvin, Catherine Cajandik, Laurie Schirmer Carpenter, Vicky Cervantes, Patricia Lee Cody, Carol Cole, Gigi Colson, Columbia College, Virda Towns Collins, Diane Cooper, Laura Cooper, Alicia Cozine, Venus Cramer, Claudia Cron, Sandra Wong Darroch, Michel Demanche, Ellen Roth Deutsch, Carla Dibenaletto, Constance Dugan, Anne Elizabeth, Rachel Fenker, Sabrina Fesko, Anita and David Flores, Claire Foreman, Nancy Freehafer (Seeding the Snow), Suzanne Garnier, Joan Geary, Krista Genovese, Gillian Lindahl Design, Andrea Greenfield, Kathy Greenholdt, Jeanine Griffin, Shirley Guay and Rosalie Koldan, Rosma Gutierrez, Patricia Guizzetti, Carolyn Gray, Barbara Grevengoed, Elizabeth Harbour, Angela Harken, Jacque Harper, Martha Hellander, Maggie Holmes, Jan Foust Hurt, Susan Ifergan, Melanie Jansen, Margo Jeanchild, Indira Johnson, Kristin Johnson, Patty Johnston, Marian Jones, Connie Juergens-Leber, Laura Junge, Angela Just, Jennifer Justice, Ursula Kammer-Fox, Catherine Keebler, Nancy Keiser, Diane Kelly, Adele Kiel, Jennifer LaCivita Kimbrough, Anya Kivarkis, Amy Landecker, Linda Lemon, Micki Leventhal, Susan Dragoon Levi, Margaret Lutze, Rosemary Luckett, Dali Machaidze, Velga Malek, Sheila Malloy, Debra Mancoff, Regina Maniaci, Christine Martin, Cheryl McArthur, Heidi Meads, Roberta Mezinskas, Lisa Ross Miller, Margaret Mine, Rea Mingeva, Henrietta Moraleda, Christine Mroz, Margaret Newman, Lauren Niimi, Cynthia O’Dell, Laura Ogletree, Kim Ohms, Lindsay Olson, Open Studio Project, Joyce Patterson, Cherri Pendergrass, Corinne Peterson, Stephanie Petrusic, Julie Pitzen, Mery Elyn Pocius, Jacqueline Pruitt, Diana Pulvirenti, Mary Lou Quinn, Karen Rechtschaffen, Gay Riseborough, Patrica Rodgers, Eva Rodriguez, Alexandra Rozenman, Martha Rusk, Jackie Schaefer, Mirian Schaer, Gina Schalk, Anne Schiff, Janet Schumacher, Mary Street, Nancy Sherer, William Siavelis, Rebecca Sive, Deb Sokolow, Alison Spiesman, Jenny Steinman, Eden Stern, Diana Steyalski, Monica Sund, Marsha Sweet, Ginny Sykes, Valerie Taglieri, Diane Thodos, Lee Tracy, Hollis Turner, E. J. Wade, Ann Wasserman, Patrice White, Judy Wickert, Valerie William, Virginia Woltzen and Liz Zorn.

Volunteers:

Very special thanks to artist and WMG Board Member Roberta Reb Allen, who took it upon herself to organize a volunteer army for Woman Made. Her talents are paying off big time for WMG. We have wonderful women volunteering and making a difference in our work-load. It was a pleasure to meet and work with our recent volunteers:

Mary Ann Anthony, Paulette Boyd, Treatzie Dall, Kerry Doyle, Erika Fitzgerald, Anne-Bridget Gary, Lynn Greenholdt, Sharon Guy, Patty Johnston, Roberta Miles, Kristen Neveu, Joan Pantisios, Michelle Perkins, Joan Stachnik, Cherryl Troy and Ginny Sykes.

If your name does not appear in this thank-you section, watch for it in the next newsletter.

Woman Made Gallery Calendar:

This acrylic painting by Deva Suckerman is on her WMG webpage.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Dear Friends…:

Since 1992 Woman Made Gallery has played a major role in providing exhibition opportunities to women artists and educating the public about the artistic achievements of women. We are able to continue and expand our valuable programs due to your monetary contributions and resources. The donations we receive from you help us to fund eight annual group exhibitions and six solo shows as well as the following:

Guided Tours
Woman Made Gallery offers guided tours to groups of up to 30 people. Exhibition calendars are sent to university art departments, women's study programs, arts organizations and high-schools.

Slide Lectures
Woman Made Gallery conducts regular slide lectures, entitled: "Two Artists You Should Know." Each lecture offers a contemporary woman artist the opportunity to introduce her own work and the art of another noted woman artist who has inspired her. Past slide lectures included presentations by Chicago artist Mary Ellen Croteau who also presented the art by Artemisia Gentileschi, and Stephanie Rose Bird who shared her work and the art of Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Professionalism Workshops
WMG's professionalism workshops are for artists who want guidance on how to present their work to galleries. The workshops include tips on slide quality, writing an artist statement and biography, framing and pricing artwork, and approaching galleries. Artists who have participated in these workshops in the past have gained the knowledge and confidence needed to exhibit their work. Also offered are individual portfolio review sessions and free art critique workshops.

Research Library
Woman Made's expanding video and text library on women artists is available to any member interested in research. Videos are loaned to members without charge.

Web Site & Artists' Registry
WMG's website at http://www.womanmade.org provides information and services valuable to women artists and the public. Any woman artists can now be part of our On-Line Artists' Registry. Check out http://www.womanmade.net and let us know if you're interested.

Sponsor An Exhibit Or Purchase Award:

You can become an exhibit sponsor or give an exhibit purchase award! An example of exhibit sponsorship is providing a certain amount of money for printing and mailing expenses of invitations for the show you like to support. Your name would be printed on the invitations and in our newsletter.

You might also want to give a purchase prize for a select exhibition. This means that you would commit to buying one artwork from an exhibition of your choice at a price that falls within your designated purchase amount. Your name and /or company would be credited on all printed materials and on our Web site.

For more information contact WMG at (312)328-0038.

Call For Artists:

You have two options for obtaining guidelines for shows:

1. Send a note (with a self-addressed-stamped envelope) requesting the show prospectus of your choice to: Woman Made Gallery, 1900 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616.

2. Click on http://www.womanmade.org/calexhibits.html and print out entry forms in pdf format for the exhibition you wish to enter or print out a generic Entry Form: http://womanmade.org/entryform.html.

BEYOND THE SURFACE, April 6 - May 11, 2001
Deadline for Entries: January 24, 2001
Open to all women artists who are in love with surfaces and experiment with layers, glazes, textures and various materials in their art. One artist will be selected to receive a Juror's Award of $100 and a one-year contract to participate in the WMG On-Line Artists' Registry.
Juror: Melanee Cooper

DEAL WITH IT, May 18 - June 15, 2001
Deadline for Entries: February 14, 2001
This exhibition is for work by women that depicts confrontational subject matter. The work chosen will be challenging and thought provoking with a commitment to communicate without compromise.
Juror: Sharon Harper

CATS & DOGS, June 22 - July 26, 2001
Deadline for Entries: March 28, 2001
Art by women that depicts cats and/or dogs. All media (up to three works).
Juror: Gisèle Perreault

EIGHTH ANNUAL MEMBER'S SHOW, August 3 - 30, 2001
Deadline for Entries: May 3, 2001
Art in all media by women and men who are members of WMG.
Jurors: Pat Otto, Audrey Preuss-Blessman and Anna Tyler

HER MARK CALENDAR 2002, (publication date: October 2001)
Deadline for Entries, May 15, 2001
Open to all women artists. Artwork in all media and themes to be considered for publication in 13-month spiral bound weekly datebook honoring Woman Made Gallery's 10th Year Anniversary in 2002.
Jurors: Janet Bloch, Pamela Callahan

IMPORT/EXPORT, September 7 - October 4, 2001
Deadline for Entries: June 20, 2001
Open to all women artists who incorporate elements of their ancestral heritage into their artistic work or whose work engages in a dialogue between their native past and their present culture.
Juror: Fujiko Isomura

HONORING THE CRONE, October 12 - November 8, 2001
Deadline for Entries: July 25, 2001
There are very few strong images of the wise woman in our society. WMG is welcoming entries in all media by women that deal with this archetype.
Curator and Juror: Dayna Block

WMG Wish List:

• Books and videos about women artists for our research library...
• Copy machine in working condition...
• Exhibit sponsors or people to give purchase awards
• Exhibit sponsors or people to give purchase awards...
• Folding chairs & tables...
• Office supplies (pens, laser/copy paper, etc.)...
• Wine & soft drinks for opening events...

Donated items have to be in working condition and are tax-deductible.

Newsletter Contributions :

Woman Made News is produced quarterly. Send newsletter contributions to Cali Bergold, Woman Made Gallery, 1900 S Prairie Ave, Chicago, IL 60616. Or e-mail your entries to gallery@womanmade.org WMG reserves the right to edit articles for clarity and brevity. Entries for the Spring Newsletter 2001 must be received by February 15th, 2001.

Newsflash:

Please Note: The entry deadline for the "Beyond the Surface" exhibition has been extended to January 31st, 2001. For details and entry form go to: www.womanmade.org/calexhibits.html#beyond.

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