Background Factors by Caryl Henry Alexander & Jesse Alexander Hits Chicago Calling

Background Factors is FUN FUN FUN at Chicago’s Little Black Pearl!

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w36D_69DIfU

“Background Factors” is a multimedia artwork created by Visual Artist Caryl Henry Alexander and Poet Jesse Alexander. The video piece interweaves paintings, poetry, music, photos, and sculpture. It examines the complex of social and cultural forces affecting the nature of an individual or community’s environment.

For the last month we have been hatching ideas for the exhibition “Chicago Calling” at Chicago’s Little Black Pearl Art Center. Our idea was to compose a short video that would be sandwiched between our live stream conversation with attendees at the gallery this past Friday night.

Big Up to Chicago based artist and organizer Alpha Bruton who invited us to participate in the show! Special thanks to Jeff Harrigfeld, tech dude extraordinaire. The result is a uniquely blended presentation of our individual creative works and collective perspectives.



Below you will find the Press Release and the exhibition announcement.





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Daniel Godston 312.543.7027 dgodston@gmail.com

THE THIRD ANNUAL CHICAGO CALLING ARTS FESTIVAL EVENT: The Third Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival (CCAF3) will take place October 1-12, 2008, featuring Chicago-based artists collaborating in performances and projects with artists living in other locations -- both here in the U.S. and abroad. These collaborations will be prepared, improvised, and some performances will involve live feeds between Chicago and elsewhere. Among the scheduled projects are: a Chicago-based musician/composer collaborating with a composer from the Philippines, Chicago-based poets connecting over the radio with poets from Hawaii, and a Chicago-based musician collaborating with a British visual artist. Venues for CCAF3 will include Elastic, The Velvet Lounge, Black Rock Pub & Kitchen, Heaven Gallery, Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center, WNUR (Northwestern University), Peter Jones Gallery, 32nd&Urban Gallery, AV-aerie, and other locations. Artists involved with CCAF3 work in a wide range of media, including music, painting, video, poetry, dance, and other art forms. CCAF3’s participants will include Lisa Abbatomarco, Tom Abbs, Josh Abrams, Jeff Albert, Jesse Alexander, Fred Anderson, Geejay Arriola, Ian Ash, Chris Avgerin, Renée Baker, Steve Barsotti, Ben Billington, Jeb Bishop, Chuck Bontrager, Alpha Bruton, Vittorio Carli, Chicago Phonography, Janina Ciezadlo, Chad Clark, Clean Boys, Boo Cook, Stephen Crall, Eric Cressley, Noé Cuéllar, Tim Daisy, Larry O. Dean, Christian Dillingham, Eric Elshtain, Michael Erzen, Marcus Evans, Douglas Ewart, Rachel Thorne Germond, Dan Godston, Jon Godston, Matthew Golombisky, Caryl Henry-Alexander, Alan Emerson Hicks, David Harrison Horton, Hamadal Issoufou, Jennifer Karmin, Donna Kiser, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Simone LaPierre, Eric Leonardson, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Bill MacKay, Joshua Manchester, Elizabeth Marino, Dave Marsalek, Jayve Montgomery, Robin Morrissey, Shelley Nation, Bruce Nelson, Charlie Newman, Carol Ng-He, Erin Obradovich, Donna Pecore, Divik Ramesh, Mike Reed, Matthias Regan, Timothy David Rey, Eric Glick Rieman, Ed Roberson, Larry Sawyer, Cathleen Schandelmeier, Alycia Scott, Seattle Phonographers Union, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Stajabuu, Laura Evonne Steinman, Katherine Stubbins, Craig Taborn, Hanah Jon Taylor, Erin Teegarden, $2 Cockroach, AJ Viola, Joel Wanek, Ann Ward, Della Watson, Michael C. Watson, Stan West, Matt Weston, Glenn Weyant, Paul Wood, the World Listening Project, Dave X, Sid Yiddish, Saalik Ziyad, Taalib-Din Ziyad, and others. http://www.chicagocalling.org