Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

M.F.A., Committee on Visual Arts, The University of Chicago Midway Studios, Chicago, Illinois.

B.F.A., Video. Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.

B.A., Anthropology with General Honors. The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

April, 2008: The Artist Project, The Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois.

June, 2007: "The Way of a Woman," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

July, 2006: "Body, Grace, and the American Hero," Page Brothers Building, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2004: Ravenswood Arts and Industry Walk, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2003: Ravenswood Arts and Industry Walk, Chicago, Illinois.

May, 2002: "John Wayne, c'est moi," Midway Studios, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2000: "Figure x 5," Stubnitz Gallery, Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan.

September, 2000: The Front Space, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

July, 1999: "Inventing the Ideal," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

May, 1989: "sTeVe," Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

October, 2009: Ravenswood Arts and Industry Walk.

June, 2009: Kansas City Art Institute Art and Design Auction, Kansas City, Missouri.

April, 2009: "Go Figure," Naperville Art League, Naperville, Illinois.

April, 2009: Artists Marketplace, Macy's, Chicago, Illinois.

May, 2008: "Chicago Looks," Chicago Riverwalk Public Art Project, Chicago, Illinois.

August, 2007: Faculty Show, Harper College, Palatine, Illinois.

July, 2007: "Constellation," Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Illinois.

July, 2007: Evanston Art Center Faculty Show, Evanston, Illinois.

February, 2007: "Metaphors for the Soul," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

November, 2006: 30th Annual Plaza Art Competition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2006: "Dressed in Black," Framingmode Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2006: "Something to Do with Failure," Moser Performing Art Center Gallery, Joliet, Illinois.

October, 2006: CCT Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

June, 2006: Hyde Park Art Center Faculty Show, Chicago, Illinois.

August, 2005: Evanston Art Center Faculty Show, Evanston, Illinois.

June, 2005: "Pleasure Little Treasure," Framingmode Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

October, 2004: "Home," Framingmode Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

March, 2003: ARC 30th Anniversary Show, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

January, 2003: ARC Affiliates, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

November 2, 2002: "Just Good Art" Benefit Auction, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Illinois.

June 7-15, 2002: "Longing for Bunny Mercer," M.F.A. Group Show, Gallery 312, Chicago, Illinois.

February, 2002: The Franke Institute for the Humanities, Chicago, Illinois.

July, 2001: Evanston Art Center Faculty Show, Evanston, Illinois.

April, 2001: "Artists of the Third Coast," Red Head Gallery, Toronto, Canada.

March, 2001: Amos Eno Gallery, New York, New York.

October, 2000: The Franke Institute for the Humanities, Chicago, Illinois.

February, 2000: ARC Members Show, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

December, 1999: "Millennium Melange-Art for the End of the Century," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

March, 1995: New Jersey Center for Visual Arts International Juried Show, Summit, New Jersey.

January, 1989: National Student Film and Video Festival, Rochester, New York.

GALLERY AFFILIATION

ARC Gallery, 832 W. Superior St., #204, Chicago, Illinois, 60642. 1999-2002.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Hyde Park Art Center, Instructor. Currently, since May, 2006.
Adult Education. Courses in Water Color, Oil Painting and Figure Drawing.
http://www.hydeparkart.org/alist/profile/brennan_dj/

Harper College, Palatine, Illinois.
Adjunct Instructor. August, 2007-June, 2008.
Instructor of Record for Ancient through Medieval Art History.

International Academy of Design and Technology, Schaumburg, Illinois.
Adjunct Instructor. since September, 2005.
Instructor of record for both studio and academic courses:
Drawing I, Figure Drawing, Mythology and Popular Culture.

Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois. Instructor. Currently, since Summer, 2001.
Adult Education. Courses in various levels of Drawing.
Teach various drawing courses focusing on perception, with still-lifes, life models, etc, and covering use of graphite, charcoal, and ink wash. Courses have also included conceptual exercises to develop personal themes, expression, and knowledge of media.

Pearson Education Corporation at Saint Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois. Part Time Instructor. Currently, since June, 2006.
Instructor of record for Drawing from Perception: Tapping into the Right Side of the Brain, a course designed for recertification of elementary school art teachers.

College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Part Time Instructor. since Autumn 2003.
Art History: Ancient through Medieval Art.
Instructor of record for first section of Western art survey.

The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Teaching Fellow. Winter, 2003. Visual Language 101, 2D Art.
Instructor of record for section of the undergraduate core introductory course on two-dimensional image making. This course fulfilled college Humanities requirement. Syllabus focused on studio practice, but also included theoretical readings, and slide lectures on Modernism and Postmodernism, and conceptual exercises, including improvisation.

The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Teaching Assistant. Spring, 2002. Visual Language 102, 3D Art.
Graded and critiqued student projects. Guided class discussions on readings in modernism and postmodernism.

Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Illinois. Instructor. Winter, 2002.
Beginning Drawing, adult education.

The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Teaching Assistant. Autumn, 2001. Visual Language 101, 2D Art.
Assisted in critiquing student projects and in slide lecture preparation. Gave a slide lecture and class project on color.

Gallery 37. Teacher's Assistant. Summer, 1997. Sponsored by the School of the Art Institute.
Assisted classes in watercolor and Chinese brush painting.

VISITING ARTIST LECTURES

2D FUNDAMENTALS, February 10, 2002. Daley College, Chicago, Illinois.
Lectured and led a self-portrait project.

PAINTING, April 4, 2001. Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois.
Slide lecture about my work.

PAINTING, November 2-3, 2000. Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan.
In conjunction with exhibition "Figure x 5," slide lecture and gallery talk on my work.

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE

February, 2007: "Metaphors for the Soul," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. Various media.

September, 2003: "I am not This," ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. Curated show based on the self portrait, with ten artists of media including sculpture, painting, video, and installation.

GRANTS, RESIDENCIES AND AWARDS

Illinois Special Assistance Program Grant, Illinois Arts Council, March, 2008

Illinois Special Assistance Program Grant, Illinois Arts Council, October, 2006

Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council Access Program, April, 2006.

Open Studio Program Residency, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, July, 2006.

Post MFA Teaching Fellowship, The University of Chicago, January-March, 2003.

Full Tuition University Fellowship, The University of Chicago, January, 2001-June, 2002.

Community Arts Assistance Program Grant, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council Access Program, April, 2000.

The Connie Griffiths Award for distinguished work by a graduating senior in the Department of Photography and Video, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, June, 1989.

Thomas Hart Benton Endowed Fellowship, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, August, 1986-June, 1989.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

The Neofuturists' Hall of Presidents, Chicago, Illinois; Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan; Dr. D. Collins, Chicago; M. Berg, Chicago; D. Friedman, Chicago, Illinois, J.W. Snapper, Chicago, Illinois; J. Macon, Portland, Oregon; M.N. Kennedy, Winnetka, Illinois; H. Sutker, Chicago, Illinois; S. Hermes, Des Plaines, Illinois; Paul Gallesian, Downers Grove, Illinois; B. Podgorny, Maywood, Illinois; G. Cunningham, Chicago, Illinois.

PRESS

"Heroic Notions," Chicago Sun-Times, July 16, 1999

ArtStyle, interview with Darrell Roberts, June 5, 2007
http://www.chicagoarts-lifestyle.com/interview-with-dawn-brennan-the-way-of-a-woman/#more-238

LINKS

www.hydeparkart.org/alist/profile/brennan_dj/

www.chicagoarts-lifestyle.com/gallery/dawn-brennan

PUBLICATION

"Drawing," in Media Theory Keywords, edited by W.J.T. Mitchell, 2003,
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/faculty/mitchell/glossary2004/navigation.htm

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Department Coordinator, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Currently, since November, 2008. My day job.

Member, National Gallery of Art Copyists Program, Washington, DC. July, 2005 spent one week doing on oil painting study of Titian's Venus with a Mirror.

Panelist, "Views of the American Presidency and how they are reflected in art and the theater." The Neofuturist's Hall of Presidents Presidents Day Celebration, Chicago, Illinois, February 18, 2002.

Member and Affiliate Member, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, January, 2000-June, 2001.
Served as Chair of the Publicity Committee, and assisted on Committees for Special Events and ARC's Regional Juried Show. Also reestablished, designed, edited and produced ARC's Newsletter.

Founding Member, Avant-Garfielde Improvisational Comedy Group, 1983-1986.
From modest beginnings at Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap, Avant-Garfielde developed into a professional troupe that performed throughout Chicago.