Matthew Metzger lives and works in Chicago. He received his MFA from the University of Chicago and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Residency Program, both in 2009. His recent solo exhibition at The Renaissance Society titled Heirloomconcluded with a full monograph of the same name published in 2022.Other exhibitions includeCoda, a solo exhibition of new work in 2023 at Magenta Plains, New York,The Freedom Principle, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; andThe Works, Fondation CAB, Brussels; and is represented by Regards, Chicago. He has been an editor at Shifter Magazine.
He is Associate Professor and Acting Chair of Art at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In 2007, Scott Whitehair discovered the joy of sharing stories with his friends, neighbors, and fellow
Chicagoans. Ever since then, he has dedicated most of his time to spreading the love to as many people as
possible, in as many ways as he can dream up.
Scott proudly embraces a DIY punk producing ethic and enjoys working in found spaces. He spends as
many hours moving chairs around as he does speaking into a microphone. He believes storytelling is your
birthright as a human being, and that the only permission you need to be the storyteller you are is your
own.
He is the producer of This Much Is True, Chicago’s longest running monthly personal narrative series
(since 2008), where he carefully curates lineups of professional storytellers, fresh voices, and fascinating
people to share tales with an audience of attentive listeners.
Scott is the creator of Story Lab Chicago, a showcase based on the belief that if you give people the space
to be great, they will fill it. This belief has been validated every month since 2011, with 850+ new or first
time storytellers taking the stage. No one has failed at it.
He is also the director of Do Not Submit, a grassroots series of open mics in venues across the
Chicagoland area committed to creating community in an obnoxiously supportive environment. Please
note that this project would not exist without the contributions of a remarkable team of thoughtful,
passionate hosts.
In the fall of 2022, Scott created Solo Sunday, a long-form series taking place in a handmade, pop-up
theater located in the side dining room of an Irish pub. This artist forward series charges no rental fee for
the space and has partnered with a wide variety of creatives to put up memorable performances in an
intimate setting.
Scott is the co-host of Story Vroom Vroom, Evanston’s monthly storytelling party featuring storytelling,
sing-a-longs, trivia, and more. He also produced The Chicago’s Biggest Liar Contests, a trilogy of large-
scale immersive storytelling events taking place in a funeral home parlor, a church, and a secret “bomb
shelter” to which blindfolded attendees were transported on buses.
He is the originator of The Get-Together, a radically inclusive and ridiculously affordable hybrid of
retreat, conference, and house party. In 2023 & 2024, over a hundred people gathered in the greatest city
in the world to learn, play, work, daydream, listen, share, and enjoy some quality time with kindred
spirits.
Scott tells stories anywhere someone will listen, including festivals, showcases, and radio, but also on
front porches, around fires, and at dinner tables. He teaches an independent storytelling course that has
been consistently selling out for over ten years, and he has been a guest speaker at the city’s top
universities. He spends many of his days assisting individuals, companies, and organizations in
developing their stories and voices as storytellers.
At this very moment, Scott is still trying to process the fact that he was invited to join this extraordinary
roster of artists and is beyond grateful to everyone at The Meier Foundation for their belief in and support
of his ongoing work.
He is also deeply appreciative of anyone who has ever told him a story or listened to one of his.
Various disciplines, including walking, listening, teaching, improvisation, performance, recording, and composition, inform Norman W. Long’s practice. This approach engages audiences on memory, place, ecology, race, culture, value, silence, and the imperceptible. Long’s work is deeply influenced by the interdisciplinary practices and ideologies of 1970s artists, musicians, critics, and designers, mainly drawing from Rosalind Krauss’ seminal article “Sculpture in the Expanded Field” and the theoretical framework of acoustic ecology developed by R. Murray Schafer.
The sonic landscapes in Long’s oeuvre find inspiration in Black music genres such as house and techno, ‘free jazz,’ Great Black Music, Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi, Pauline Oliveros, King Tubby, Dub, as well as the experimental sounds of artists operating between and outside traditional genre boundaries. Long’s strategies for improvisation and composition are informed by Samuel R. Delany’s palimpsest text “Plague Journal” from the novel “Dhalgren” (Science Fiction) and “Atlantis: Three Tales” (Fiction), along with Mark Bradford’s artistic process as observed in his 2011 survey at the Museum of Contemporary Art: Chicago, which emphasizes collecting, collaging, scraping, and pasting materials sourced from his community in Los Angeles.
Norman Long received the 3Arts Award in 2011, the 3Arts Djerassi Artists Residency Fellowship in 2014, and the BOLT Artist in Residence at the Chicago Artists Coalition in 2014-2015. He was also honored with the 3Arts Fellowship at AS220’s Artist in Residence program in Providence, RI, in 2017, the 3Arts Fellowship at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France in 2024 and the ThreeWalls RaD Lab Fellowship for 2017-2018. His role as Guest Composer at EMS Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm, Sweden, was made feasible, in part, by the City of Chicago’s DCASE grant. Norman will be an artist in residence at the Hyde Park Art Center in 2025.
Norman has performed and toured with Angel Bat Dawid and the Brothahood, and collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including the Ali/Harris/Long/McKenna group, Spectralina, Jeb Bishop, Todd Carter, John Daniel, Xris Espinoza, Ben Lamar Gay, Carol Genetti, Damon Locks, Tatsuya Nakatani, Joe Namy, Cristal Sabbagh, Mai Sugimoto, and Sara Zalek. His compositions have been released on various labels, including Hausu Mountain, Reserve Matinee, LINE, Rural Situationism, and Room40, with his latest solo release, “Calumet in Dub,” available on Blorpus Editions.
In 2023, Norman’s multi-channel sound installations were exhibited at the Glass Curtain Gallery and the Ford Environmental Community Center in Chicago, IL, with generous support from Columbia College Chicago and ThreeWalls Gallery. Additionally, he has released two albums, “Calumet in Dub” (on Blorpus Editions) and “Re-membering Re-Presencing” (on Rural Situationism). Norman’s current iteration of Calumet in Dub is at Illinois State University’s University Galleries in Normal, IL.
Nick Pupillo is an award winning choreographer recognized for the power and versatility in his work.
A graduate of Indiana University and former dancer with Giordano Dance Chicago, Pupillo’s focus quickly became concentrated on teaching and creating.
In 2006, he decided to focus on training and mentoring young talent by developing the now reputable, pre-professional company, Visceral Studio Company. In 2007, he founded Visceral Dance Center to provide the Chicago community with a new venue for artistic and technical growth. This facility continues to be a Chicago dance landmark. TimeOut Chicago lists Visceral Dance Center as “A bustling, well-appointed facility…with instructors from top companies and in-demand guest teachers.” Utilized by a number of Chicago-based companies, Visceral Dance Center is home to its resident company, Visceral Dance Chicago.
Pupillo founded Visceral Dance Chicago in the fall of 2013. This repertory company presents his daring vision to explore the infinite possibilities of contemporary movement. The dancers of Visceral demonstrate this choreographic invention and are recognized for their technique, passion, and athleticism. Since inception, the company has developed a diverse and respected repertoire by new emerging voices and distinguished, world renowned choreographers. Visceral Dance Chicago has been named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, recognizing the company’s accomplishments and potential in the national community. Pupillo has led the company in a forthright direction, establishing a repertoire described as “expertly devised and stylish as they come.” (Chicago Tribune) He has created over twenty signature works for the company, as well as four collaborations with The Chicago Philharmonic.
Pupillo teaches master classes in the U.S. and around the world and has taught for the Jazz Dance World Congress, Culver Academies, Chicago Dance Connection, Texas Association Teachers of Dancing, and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, where he received the 2018 Artistic Achievement Award.
Todd Novak is the founder/owner/operator of Hozac Records & Books, an internationally renowned imprint representing underground artists from the past & present who may have otherwise slipped through the cracks of popular culture. Starting in 2006, Hozac Records has produced & distributed over 230 individual vinyl record releases as well as 25 book releases through the Hozac Books imprint since its 2014 inception. With releases connected to artists from such distant locales as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Japan, Sardinia, Canada, and all over Europe & America, the imprint has established a wide net of community of which its ecosystem thrives on.
Ursula Sokolowska was born in Krakow, Poland. She studied photography at Columbia College (1997-99), completing her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001. Although her work is deeply personal, her images also reflect the separation of the body from consciousness and objectification. Her photographs are in many public and private collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Tanqueray. Selected exhibitions include The Traveling Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saatchi Gallery, Zoo Art Fair, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom, Minnesota Center for Photography, and Schneider Gallery, Chicago, IL. Her work has appeared in CameraArts magazine, Light & Lens: Photography in the Digital Age, LENSCRATCH, Art Photo Index, and featured in People’s Photography China.
Tanya Calhoun unleashes short stories in her hot glue ‘Sculpture Illustrations’. Drawing upon her personal symbolic language, and influenced by geometry, perspective, and composition, her abstract narratives create landscapes, topographies, and Worlds, with hints of architecture, galaxies, and the chaotic forces of nature in play. Her creations are comprised of hot glue, wire, thread, and spray paint. During the making, this recipe of materials manifests into various ‘Series’ of work, including suspended, sewn, and wall-mounted presentations. Tanya Calhoun is a Chicago-based contemporary artist, currently represented by ALMA Art & Interiors. She is a BFA graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her studio is located at Subterra Studios & Gallery, in West Town, Chicago, Illinois.
Kenny Smith has deep roots in the blues tradition, having grown up in the same Chicago home where Muddy Waters once lived. Surrounded by the rich history of blues music, including the influence of his father, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, who played drums for Muddy Waters’ band, Kenny developed a passion for drumming from an early age. Inspired by a number of talented drummers who came before him, Kenny credits their contributions for shaping his own musical journey.
Throughout his career, he has had the privilege of performing on many respected stages and recording projects. While he has played thousands of live performances, he remains grateful for the opportunities to share his love for music with audiences.
Kenny Smith is committed to carrying on the rich tradition of blues music while also embracing innovation. By drawing on the legacy of his father and other influential blues musicians, he honors the roots of the genre through his performances and recordings. Kenny believes that understanding the history of blues is fundamental for any musician, and he shares this passion with younger generations.
In his teaching, Kenny emphasizes the importance of both tradition and creativity. He encourages youth to explore the foundational elements of blues, such as improvisation and expression, while also urging them to experiment with their own unique styles. By blending classic techniques with modern influences, Kenny inspires young musicians to push the boundaries of the genre, fostering a spirit of innovation that is essential for the blues to evolve.
Through workshops, mentorship, and community engagement, Kenny aims to instill a sense of appreciation for the blues tradition while empowering the next generation to make their own mark in the music world. His dedication to teaching and innovation ensures that the blues will continue to thrive, adapting to new influences while remaining rooted in its powerful history.
