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August 31, 2023. ST. JOSEPH, MICH. — Krasl Art Center is thrilled to announce its upcoming exhibition featuring Chicago-based artist Mariana Noreña. The exhibition will be free and open to the public in The Lab from September 23 – November 26, 2023. With her unique artistic practice rooted in the landscape, Noreña's work invites visitors to explore her captivating journey of belonging, entwined with the essence of Lake Michigan.
Born in Colombia, when Mariana Noreña moved to a new country, she saw the change as an opportunity to attune to a new environment and shift her process. The artist presents an immersion into the narrative of her experiences, weaving elements of her Colombian home and her current residence along the shores of Lake Michigan. Visitors will find themselves standing on the intersection of her two worlds, being lulled by the sounds of a tree that provides shade to her house, enveloped in the aroma of rosemary from her Colombian garden, and experiencing the constant motion of Lake Michigan, Noreña’s symbol of adaptation and change.
“I was raised in a country made up of the Andes mountains. Since moving to Chicago, I have found myself questioning recurrently the meaning of “belonging” and what I call “home.” I explore the answer in the process of meditating on the landscape that surrounds me and that is within me.” ~Mariana Noreña.
Mariana Noreña is a multi-talented artist with dual bachelor degrees in Design and Fine Arts, with an emphasis on Painting and Drawing from La Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She received a Master of Fine Arts from the Fiber and Material Studies department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Noreña has received the Colfuturo Grant and the Second Year International Graduate Scholarship at SAIC. Noreña has participated in group exhibitions in Colombia at La Feria del Millon Art Fair, Contemporary Museum of Art of Bogota, and SGR Gallery. In the United States, she has exhibited at venues including the LeRoy Neiman Gallery at Columbia University, New York City, and Gallery 1922 at SAIC, Chicago. Her work is in the collection of the Museo Bolivariano of Contemporary Art.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Krasl Art Center will host two virtual events that invite art enthusiasts to engage with Mariana Noreña and her creative process. The first event is "Live at Lunchtime." Streamed for free on Facebook Live on Thursday, October 12 at noon, this interview offers viewers a chance to learn more about Noreña’s turn from painting to textiles and natural materials, the impact of moving on her work, and her relationship with Lake Michigan. The second event, "Open Lab: Virtual Artist Talk with Mariana Noreña," is a free, private virtual event that invites the community to join the artist and Associate Curator of Engagement Laura Winkle on Zoom for an intimate gallery talk on Thursday, October 19 at 5:30 pm. For more information and registration details, visit krasl.org/in-the-lab-mariana-norena or visit in person 7 days a week at 707 Lake Boulevard, St. Joseph, MI.
2023 Krasl Art Center Exhibition sponsors are 98.3 The Coast, Boulevard Inn & Bistro, Honor Credit Union, Pella Windows & Doors Of Northwest Indiana, RMB Capitol, Starks Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Silver Beach Pizza, Storage of America, Tyler Automotive, The John Devries Insurance Agency, Kruggel Lawton CPAs, and Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant. Additional support provided by admission from the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.
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