In the Brushwood Gallery
The Brushwood Gallery hosts exhibitions that reflect diverse voices exploring themes on equity, justice, and the impact of nature on wellbeing.
In the Gallery Now
10th Anniversary Enriching Life: Botanical Art Exhibition by Heeyoung Kim and Brushwood Botanical Artists
The 10th Anniversary Enriching Life – Retrospective Exhibition showcases botanical works by artist Heeyoung Kim and current and invited students of the Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy she founded a decade ago at Brushwood Center. These exceptional artworks connect viewers to our wondrous planet by revealing the plant world’s most intricate details and its intimate relationships in a complex ecological web.
March 2 – May 4
Featuring the work of: Carole Cleaver, Joann Dinneen, Marcia Glenn, Edith Harte, Nancy Johnson, Sandra Kessel, Heeyoung Kim, Andrea Kirjassoff, Claudia Lane, Meredith Lincoln, Jean Meilinger, Monica Munaretto, Pamela Najarian, Ramiro Prudencio, Sandra Robinson , Barbara Rose, Rita M Rosen, Linda Schmitt, Jane Sturgeon, Kathy Walsh, Sandra Wilcoxon, Susie Williams, and Judy Woznyj.
Opening Reception: March 2, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Closing Reception: May 4, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
April Artist of the Month: Katelyn Patton
Katelyn Patton is a visual artist working in Chicago who was born and raised in the Midwest. Her practice focuses on the urban ecology and biodiversity of plants in the city and beyond, the ways that material and color can be naturally derived from them, and how this hyper-localized knowledge can be used as a vessel for connecting multiple overlapping histories, stories, and meanings.
Katelyn has been the Maker-In-Residence at the Harold Washington Library, received a DCASE award in 2020, and has had solo shows at Extra Projects, the Lillstreet Arts Center and the NEIU Fine Arts Center Gallery. In 2024 she received her MFA in studio art from UIC. She also received an award from the UIC Sustainability Fund to establish the Art Garden, a space for cross-disciplinary explorations with plants and alternative materials.
Coming Up Next
The Future Voyagers Exhibit
America has always had a fascination with exploration and the outdoors. We’ve memorialized it in paintings, history books & statues where proud explorers pose heroically—their foot propped on the prow of a canoe or rocky precipice, surveying the American west. But there’s one thing all of these artworks have in common:
They’re of Caucasian men.
In partnership with Chicago Voyagers, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower local, underrepresented youth through outdoor adventure therapy programs, seven Chicago-based artists will present an exhibition that visualizes the future of American exploration: one where adventure knows no gender or color.
Each piece features the portrait of a youth who currently participates in the Chicago Voyagers program. A youth is using outdoor exploration as a means to become a leader and impact the world in a positive way. A portion of the proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to Chicago Voyagers.
Featured Artists:
Mother Earth Market
Taking place every Mother’s Day weekend, the Mother Earth Market features and celebrates local artists, makers, vendors, and organizations who are inspired by “Mother Earth” and are working towards a more sustainable future. Check out the vendors, then join us for art, nature, and wellness activities at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods.
Current Calls for Art
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal: Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes
Application Deadline: June 8, 2025
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal – Botanical Treasures of the Waukegan Dunes
Located in the northeastern corner of Illinois, the Waukegan Dunes is an area of great environmental and historical significance that is home to hundreds of species of native plants worth celebrating. The fact that this scrap of nature has survived and thrived thanks to community engagement is significant not just for its biodiversity, but also because of its location next to a recently closed coal plant, where remaining coal ash ponds continue to leach toxic pollutants. What has proximity to pollution done to the site? What are the plants that survive, and why are they important? In this exhibition, Brushwood Center will celebrate the plants of the dunes that remain, and also address the Dune’s environmental importance and the dangers that it and the community that live around it face.
The subject of submitted artwork must include at least one species of native plant that can be found in the Waukegan Dunes. Traditional Botanical Art is welcome, but so are other styles and interpretations. All mediums are welcome, including but not limited to painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media, digital art, video, and poetry. Performing arts may also be considered for inclusion during special events like the opening reception.
Rooted in the Shadow of Coal will be presented at Brushwood Center in partnership with The Richard H. Driehaus Museum and their summer 2025 exhibition, A New Perspective on Nature, by Rory McEwen. Rooted in the Shadow of Coal is also part of the annual Smith Nature Symposium programming.
