Image: Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago
The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago is presenting 'Home Grown Vol. III,' a contemporary art exhibition that brings together Midwest artists working with natural pigments, botanical dyes, handmade paper, plant impressions, mycelium and bioplastics. Curated by Lauren Iacoponi, the show turns the institute into what its newsletter describes as a living environment, with live plants installed throughout the space and an emphasis on the relationship between people, the natural world and sustainable artistic practices.
According to the institute’s exhibition announcement, many of the participating artists are committed to environmental stewardship and bioregional practices. Their work is tied to local ecosystems and native plant life, and the newsletter notes that beyond the studio they care for community gardens, restore native habitats, remove invasive species and lead workshops that share techniques for making natural dyes, pigments and handmade paper from locally grown plant materials. The exhibition’s materials list and framing place process and ecology at the center of the presentation rather than treating them as background concerns.
The institute is also showing 'Jacques Hnizdovsky: Selections from the Permanent Collection,' drawn from UIMA’s own holdings. Hnizdovsky (1915–1985) is described in the newsletter as one of the most celebrated Ukrainian-American artists of the 20th century, known for woodblock prints depicting cats, sheep, trees and other natural subjects. UIMA says the selection includes a large group of prints as well as several rare paintings, and that many of the works are being shown publicly for the first time, including recent donations made over the past several years.
The Hnizdovsky presentation is part of UIMA’s 55th anniversary celebration. The newsletter frames the display as both an artist-focused presentation and a reflection of the institute’s long-standing commitment to preserving and promoting Ukrainian art and culture. It also notes that Hnizdovsky’s work is held in major institutions including the National Museum of American Art and Yale University, underscoring the breadth of his recognition while keeping the current emphasis on the permanent collection material now on view in Chicago.
Alongside the exhibitions, UIMA’s newsletter continues its Artist Spotlight feature with a profile of Konstantin Milonadis. The text identifies Milonadis as one of the institute’s founders and describes him as a sculptor who believed sculpture should be alive rather than static. Using stainless-steel wire, he created kinetic works that responded to air currents or a viewer’s touch, producing shifting reflections and, at times, soft musical sounds.
The newsletter’s spotlight presents an untitled work by Milonadis, listed as an undated stainless-steel-wire sculpture measuring 28 x 13 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches and identified as a gift of Mr. Wasyl Kacurovsky. The text says Milonadis saw sculpture as a participatory experience rather than a fixed object, with each encounter changing through light, movement, space and human interaction.
UIMA lists its public hours as Wednesday through Sunday, 12 pm to 4 pm, at 2320 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago.
