Three exhibits connect Barbara Aubin to Chicago, the women's art world
ELKHART — Most people don't know the name Barbara Aubin.
But she is an important Chicago artist who made a name for herself as both a feminist and a teacher before her death in 2014 at age 86, says Museum of American Art Midwest curator Brian Byrn. Her work is on display in the exhibition 'Barbara Aubin: Hidden Secrets', until February 26, accompanied by two other exhibitions, 'Works on Paper by Chicago Imagists' and 'Works by Important Woman Artists of the 20th Century', to give the context where Aubin falls into the larger historical record.
“We're trying to preserve her legacy, because she has bigger connections as well,” he says.
Her artwork can be surrealistic, in watercolors, oils or mixed media, representative of the wider Chicago Imagism movement, which was known for grotesque imagery, surrealism and magical realism, created by Chicago artists in the late 1990s of 1960. The exhibition consists of 18 works spanning four decades of her life, Byrn says. Works such as “Me, Myself and Me,” a mixed-media self-portrait, show Aubin's love of costume jewelry with a vibrant drawing of herself, surrounded by the glittering trinkets, leaping off the page. “Untitled #98” is an abstract clash of circles dominated by shades of green, yellow and orange.
“My mantra is that an artist's legacy is important, especially after they've passed,” says Byrn.
Beyond her artwork, her legacy can be felt in her capacity as a founding member of the Chicago Chapter of the Women's Art Group. Byrn says Aubin's feminism and work with the caucus helped gain some equal status for women in Chicago's Imagist movement. It's one of the reasons why she combined her exhibition with one with other women artists, such as Ellen Lanyon, whose painting “Untitled (Machine)” is in the “Works by Important Woman Artists of the 20th Century” exhibition. Many of the female artists featured in this exhibition were friends and wives of more famous male artists, Byrn says. It's a growing trend to flaunt them.
“This report shows how the record has been corrected,” he says. “It is part of a new paradigm of gender equality in the art exhibition. We're trying to continue, from an education standpoint, the public's knowledge of what art is in the Midwest.”
Aubin was also known to many as a teacher, having taught for years at both the Art Institute of Chicago and Chicago State University. In fact, two MMAA members had Aubin as a trainer, Byrn says. In the third exhibit, “Works on Paper by Chicago Imagists,” Byrn connects Aubin to the broader movement by showing how her art fits into the two or three generations of artists represented in the show.
“For me, it's pulling threads back and forth between exhibits. They share an attitude. It's not always the same style,” he says, pointing to wildly different paintings, “but it's rough. Some say it's a pop art influence, but it's more than that. This gives a fuller picture and more historical context for the collection in general.”
Aubin is one of those artists who may not be well known to the public, but is well known to many art critics, says Byrn.
“I wish I had met her,” he says, standing in the gallery surrounded by her art. “He looked like my kind.”
• What: “Barbara Aubin: Hidden Secrets”, “Works on Paper by Chicago Imagists” and “Works by Important Women Artists of the 20th Century”
• Where: The Midwest Museum of American Art, 429 S. Main St., Elkhart
• When: Now through February 26th
• Hours: 10 am. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
• Cost: $5-$4? free for members, ages 4 and under, and on Sundays
• For more information: Call 574-293-6660 or visit midwestmuseum.us.
Gallery chat
Jane Stevens, curator and author of “Barbara Aubin, A Lifetime of Art,” will give a public lecture on Aubin's career at 2 p.m. on February 19 at the Midwest Museum of American Art. The book, a collection of essays on Aubin's work, will be available for purchase at a later date.
