Join us in May for a featured show with Chicago roots, showcasing jewelry by Rose Kotwas and mixed media by Nancy Hagler-Vujovic, Diane Staver, and Mike Rowe.
On display April 29-May 31, 2026
Opening reception: FRIDAY, MAY 1 (5-8:30pm)
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING ART?
Diane Staver: “I started painting with oils at age ten. My work has been shown nationwide in exhibitions, galleries, and art museums. I have been honored to receive awards for my work.”
Nancy Hagler-Vujovic:: “I have been making art for as long as I can remember. My mom painted and I wanted to be like her. She was very encouraging and tolerant of my earliest ‘experiments’.”
Rose Kotwas: “Ever since I can remember. In elementary school we got to color printed pages on Friday if it rained! I loved those afternoons. My Mom taught me to embroider and later sew which kept me interested in fabric, design and construction. I had my sewing machine in my dorm room. I was fortunate to have a talented and enthusiastic art teacher in high school and knew before I graduated that I would study art in college.”
Mike Rowe: “I have been making art most recently since 2020, concentrating on Abstract and Abstract Expressionism.. but in many ways art has always been my life.”
WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS/METHOD?
Diane Staver: “I don’t use pencil or paper for my concept work; I do everything digitally. Using Photoshop and original digital photos, I combine, manipulate, merge, add, and remove areas until the final image emerges. Once I am satisfied, I use the completed digital image as a visual reference for my painting. In some cases, it remains as digital art. The mediums I work with are acrylic, mixed media, and digital art. The overall connecting theme of my work is bold, bright colors and flattened forms. I prefer a nod to a comic book style. You can see some of this style in the Chicago Imagists, some of whom I studied with during college.”
Nancy Hagler-Vujovic: “My process usually evolves from the core of an idea that expands like the Surrealist game of ‘The Exquisite Corpse’ with one thing leading to another. At one time I may know where I’m going, at others it feels as if I were a passenger unsure of the destination but interested in seeing how things will unfold.”
Rose Kotwas: “My media choices have always been pretty traditional, drawing and painting initially, then printmaking in grad school. Once a high school art teacher I found I loved teaching design, fiber arts, and jewelry making along with the traditional media. When I retired I chose silversmithing and have enjoyed creating jewelry ever since.”
Mike Rowe: “My process is gathering my materials and see what I can create.. acrylics, pastels, markers on canvas, board, metal.. usually a big experiment as I go along.”
HOW DID YOU INTERPRET THE SHOW THEME/TITLE?
Nancy Hagler-Vujovic: “Living in Chicago I took the ‘L’ everywhere! A car was a liability. I love and miss the diversity and excitement of that city and visit at least twice a year.”
Rose Kotwas: “Even tho I haven’t lived in Chicago in decades, I will always consider it home. When I was little my dad worked in the Loop so we were down there often. In fact on my tenth birthday I took the L downtown alone to join my father for dinner. While in high school I took art classes at the Art Institute as well as st the American Academy of Art and visited art museums frequently. Although many relatives are long gone, my son and his wife live in the city, Wicker Park to be exact. My husband and I have traveled back and forth many times each year, and continue to be excited about the changes, growth, and opportunities Chicago offers.”
Mike Rowe: “'I Took The L To Get Here is a good metaphor for the pathways and journeys it takes to get where you want to go. The elevated landscape of life passes by on to the next stop, and the journey continues…”
WHO/WHAT ARE YOUR ARTISTIC INFLUENCES?
Diane Staver: “I love urban environments. I love cities; the bigger, the better! I love the people, the movement, the architecture, and the sounds that make up life in an urban environment. Some people love the serenity of the country, but not me. I lived near a major highway for years and slept like a baby!”
Nancy Hagler-Vujovic: “I was mentored and heavily influenced by the late Chicago artist, Joel Bujnowski who introduced me to Chicago Imagism and its adherents including Jim Nutt, Ed Paschke, Ruyell Ho, Hollis Sigler, and Christine Ramberg. My approach contains an undercurrent of themes I find in common in the work of these artists such as a critical view of society and the human condition, the longing for an idealized or unattainable past, and a humorous approach that seeks to upend established societal norms and expectations.”
Rose Kotwas: “From my teen years I had favorite artists. Hans Hoffman, an early pioneer in abstract expressionism, and French symbolist Odilon Redon, held my attention early on. Eventually I discovered an affinity for minimalism in sculpture so Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt were favorites. I keep visiting art exhibits and museums and am happy to appreciate the new media artists and their immersive installations.”
Mike Rowe: “My inspiration is from those before me, in front of me, who give me their own experiences through their art journey and from there I can make my own.”
