The Visiting Artists Program resource guides contain upcoming speakers' biographies, articles, video and audio content, related publications in the Flaxman Library, and additional online resources. These guides may be used in the classroom in preparation for the event, research, or post-lecture discussion.
Carmen Neely: Tuesday, September 17, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. CT
The Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall, 111 S. Michigan Ave.
This event will be live captioned by Communication Access Realtime Translation services.
Join us in person for a lecture by artist Carmen Neely followed by an audience Q&A.
Carmen Neely delves into semantics through her art. Rather than mere formal inquiries confined to the canvas, Neely sees the distinction between lines as a means of grappling with personal and inherited histories. Her paintings, characterized by vibrant strokes against soft backdrops, evoke catharsis. They reflect a continual process of renegotiation and reiteration, suggesting a journey toward inner peace. Each brushstroke embodies layers of identity, values, and memories spanning generations. Neely's expressive use of color and gesture speaks to the fluidity of these elements across time and place. Through her work, she navigates the complexities of interpretation, offering a vulnerable exploration of selfhood.
Neely holds a master in fine arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is included in the collections of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and Plattsburgh State Museum of Art in New York. In September of 2023, Neely participated in a panel hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris with prominent artists Carrie Mae Weems and Glenn Ligon and Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Most recently, Neely was included in the 50 Paintings exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum, curated by SAIC Crown Family Professor in Painting and Drawing Michelle Grabner. Her forthcoming solo exhibition at Mariane Ibrahim will open in Paris this Fall.
Photo credit: Nolis Anderson. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City)
Artist Website
Carmen Neely's website
Gallery Representation
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
50 Contemporary Paintings at the Milwaukee Art Museum
Shane McAdams | Shepherd Express | November 28, 2023
AFRO inside look: thought leaders and creatives join Vice President Kamala Harris at her residence to celebrate Black visual artists
Savannah Wood | Afro News | September 22, 2023
Finding meaning in abstraction
Vasia Rigou | Chicago Reader | June 22, 2023
Discover Painter Carmen Neely’s Personal and Intimate Abstract Works
Lucy Rees | Galerie Magazine | April 12, 2023
Is Abstract Expressionism back?
Nicholas Nauman | Art Basel | November 1, 2022
A new home, a new energy
Kaylen Ralph | Chicago Reader | September 16, 2022
Carmen Neely collects words and phrases, then turns them into abstract art
Vanessa Infanzon | The Charlotte Observer | September 22, 2020
Carmen Neely – interview: ‘I'm interested in the process of what is lost and gained in translation’
Anna McNay | studio international | January 3, 2020
50 Paintings by
Celebrating the extensive aesthetic scopes, strategies and styles that shape contemporary painting From the Milwaukee Art Museum, 50 Paintings is a landmark survey devoted to the current discourse around painting. The book features 50 works created within the last five years by 50 international artists, whose practice illustrates painting's vitality and relevance in this moment in contemporary art.
Visiting Artists Program Lecture Recordings from the Archive
SAIC Visiting Artists Program video and audio lecture recordings (1977–present.) Available with SAIC login credentials.
SAIC Digital Collections: Visiting Artists Program
SAIC Visiting Artists Program publicity archive and audio recordings (1977–98).