Art at The Acorn: Open House for Debbie Novak – And / Or

Saturday, Oct. 11 | 12:00pm ET (11:00am CT)

The Acorn Center for the Performing Arts transforms into a visual art space with our initiative, Art at The Acorn. We are proud to welcome our new artist Debbie Novak and her exhibit And / Or. In her new series, Debbie uses her work to communicate that most things in life hold multiple truths simultaneously.

Please join us for an Open House with the Artist on Saturday, July 12th from noon to 2pm ET with an Artist Talk and Q&A at 1:00pm ET.

The Open House is free and open to the public.

• Doors open at 12pm noon ET
• Artist Talk and Q&A at 12pm Noon ET

About the Artist:

A Graphic Design degree from University of Illinois Chicago expanded Debbie Novak's creative skills and interests and launched her into a world of visual communication. Photography, typography and composition dug deep under her skin and became a way of seeing the world and telling its stories. As editor of a music 'zine in the ‘80s and during a long career as a high school photography and design teacher, she has always made work that tells us something about ourselves or each other. It is the powerful ability of Art to communicate that sparks all of Debbie’s art, regardless of materials.

Since ending her teaching career, Debbie has dedicated her time to courses and projects in book arts and printmaking. And yet...there is always some odd box, or rusty material, or found object on the streets of Chicago that call to be re-invented as art. And so it goes.

Artist Statement

My work speaks of people, words and experiences, evoking feelings that are sometimes difficult to pin down, yet feel somehow familiar. The pieces have never been made to tell stories. In reality, they are often no more than small collections of the evidence of being human, bound together intuitively by materials and inspired by everyday language.

In the collage work are photos left at thrift stores, jewelry lost in the street, or messages torn from a notebook. Among the curiosities and good luck charms, I often include my own photographs of empty places and lost souls. These collage and constructed works are my reflections on events involving human hearts and overheard conversations. Each one tells me exactly what it wants me to know.

The print and encaustic works are made loosely and contain phrases, images and thoughts designed to delight or perplex. The letterpress work combines uncommon images and irreverent phrases. My handmade books are constructed to draw the viewer into the page and then press them to decipher the content. There are never any easy answers in my work, yet they are all inviting questions.

The Acorn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.