The Naked July Collection

There is more to the Naked July Festival than live performances, as visitors to the National Pastime Theater will notice as soon as they step into the lobby of the storefront theater on Broadway. The walls are covered with artwork done in a variety of media created by several local artists. The festival planners have created this gallery in part to showcase the work of these talented artists, but also to help prepare the audience for the live performances.

The gallery of art in the Naked July Collection will continue to grow in the weeks ahead, but here is a sampling of the artists and works on display:

Gary Schirmer is an instructor in the Art Department at the College of DuPage and also has experience with the development of museum exhibits and the production of the scenic designs for television and film. His web galleries feature several figure drawings similar to the work displayed in the National Pastime lobby, but he also has a strong interest in the Chicago urban landscape.

Nude figure studies constitute an important segment of Schirmer’s work, and he explains his philosophy in this way: ”I consider the human figure, as well as portraiture, to be an important staple of my artistic development and inspiration, stressing personal depiction, empathic response, anatomical fundamentals, and the expressive uses of both color and medium application.” For more information about Schirmer’s work or to learn how to purchase paintings or drawing that he has created, please click here to visit his web site.

David Denman is the founder of Clock Productions. This production company located in Chicago includes a staff of actors and artistic designers and has been producing theatre and video productions since 1997. Denman is the director of one of the performance pieces in the 2010 Naked July Festival, and several of his paintings are featured in the collection in the theater lobby. Like the example shown here titled Hallway, Denman’s use of colors and stark settings invite comparison to the works of Edward Hopper and they challenge the viewer to reassess familiar surroundings. More examples of Denman’s work can be viewed by clicking on this link to the Clock Productions web site.

Pete Guither has been amazing audience members for years with a unique and captivating art concept that he calls The Living Canvas. Guither works from the premise that the human form is beautiful in all shapes and forms, and then uses the nude bodies of his performers and models as “living canvases” on which to project colorful patterns of light. The first live performances of The Living Canvas took place on a stage at Illinois State University in 2001, and in more recent years, Guither has staged performances in the Chicago area at the Strawdog Theater, Chicago Actor’s Studio, Boxer Rebellion Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, and last year at the National Pastime Theater.

Some samples of Guither’s still photography work are on display in the theater lobby and will give audience members a glimpse of what is in store for them when they step inside the performance space to see The Living Canvas: Demons this summer. Whether he uses colorful projected patterns or the subtle use of light and shadow, Guither challenges the viewer to consider the beauty of the human body in a new way. Be sure to visit the Living Canvas web site to learn more about this unique art concept.

Look for the works by these artists and many more when you visit the National Pastime Theater this summer to experience Naked July in Chicago.