The Long Dream
Artists help us see our world more clearly. What aspects, which might have gone ignored in the past, can they help us see now?
Featured images
Lise Haller Baggesen refuseniks in the wild, 2017 Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Photo: Federico del Vecchio. Courtesy of the artist.
Nick Cave, Arm Peace, 2019 Cast bronze and tole flowers 83 × 24 × 12 ¼ in. (130.8 × 48.3 × 31.1 cm)
Photo: James Prinz. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery
Mariano Chavez The Caller, 2015 Wasp paper, honeycomb, bees wax on plaster form with encaustic and pencil
Courtesy of the artist.
Jesse Howard The Bewitching Hour, 2015
Mixed media 30 x 29 1/2 in.
Kevin Weil still from Demonstration, 2019 Single-channel video 12 min. 1 sec.
Courtesy of the artist.
Edra Soto Tropicalamerican, 2014
Inkjet print on silk 5 pieces, each: 67 x 43 in. Photo: James Prinz. Courtesy of the artist.About the Exhibition
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a renewed reckoning over racial justice and inequality, The Long Dream invites visitors to see the city of Chicago, the world, and themselves, through the eyes of more than 70 local artists whose work offers us ways to imagine a more equitable and interconnected world.
Named after the 1958 novel by socially committed author Richard Wright, The Long Dream brings together work by both emerging and established Chicago artists, and includes painting, performance, sculpture, video, and sound art. The exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls into the digital space, culminating in a live arts event in January where artists from across the exhibition will share their work.
The Long Dream is organized collectively by the Artistic Division, which includes the museum's curatorial, learning, and content teams. It is presented in the Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art on the museum's fourth floor.
Artists in this Exhibition
- Alberto Aguilar (Mexican and American, b. 1974)
- Madeleine Aguilar (Mexican and American, b. 1998)
- Candida Alvarez (American, b. 1955)
- Jeanette Andrews (American, b. 1990)
- Selva Aparicio (Catalonian, b. 1987)
- Lise Haller Baggesen (Danish, b. 1969)
- Sarah Bastress 1 (American, b. 1989)
- Jonas N.T. Becker (American, b. 1982)
- Dawoud Bey (American, b. 1953)
- Nick Cave (American, b. 1959)
- Mariano Chavez (American, b. 1974)
- Diane Christiansen (American, b. 1958) and Jeanne Dunning (American, b. 1960) with Steve Dawson (American, b. 1965)
- Jessica Christy (American, b. 1986)
- Mike Cloud (American, b. 1974)
- Bethany Collins (American, b. 1984)
- Experimental Sound Studio (collective, established 1986)
- Brendan Fernandes (Canadian, b. Kenya, 1979)
- Julia Fish (American, b. 1950)
- Joanna Furnans 1 (American, b. 1980)
- Max Guy1 (American, b. 1989)
- Andres L. Hernandez (American, b. 1974)
- Paul Heyer (American, b. 1982)
- shawné michaelain holloway (American, b. 1991)
- Jesse Howard (American, b. 1952)
- Aaron Hughes1 (American, b. 1982)
- Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford (American, b. 1983)
- Manal Kara1 (Moroccan and American, b. 1986)
- Jin Soo Kim (American, b. Korea, 1950)
- Wesley Kimler (American, b. 1953)
- Kirsten Leenaars (Dutch, b. 1976)
- Riva Lehrer (American, b. 1958)
- Tony Lewis (American, b. 1986)
- Tonika Lewis Johnson (American, b. 1979)
- Damon Locks1 (American, b. 1968)
- Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle (American, b. Spain, 1961)
- Derek McPhatter (American, b. 1979)
- Miller & Shellabarger (American collective, established 1993)
- Devin T. Mays (American, b. 1985)
- Cae Monāe (American, b. 1993)
- Corinne Mucha (American, b. 1983)
- Floating Museum (American collective, established 2016) with Cecil McDonald Jr. (American, b. 1965)
- Ryan Nault (American, b. 1991)
- Jeroen Nelemans (Dutch, b. 1974)
- Gladys Nilsson (American, b. 1940)
- Jim Nutt (American, b. 1938)
- William J. O’Brien (American, b. 1975)
- OTV – Open Television (collective, established 2015)
- Chris Pappan (Kanza/Osage, Lakota, b. 1971)
- Kamau Amu Patton (American, b. 1972)
- Nereida Patricia (American, b. 1996)
- Ebony G. Patterson (Jamaican, b. 1981)
- Claire Pentecost (American, b. 1956)
- Jefferson Pinder (American, b. 1970)
- Cheryl Pope (American, b. 1980)
- William Pope.L (American, b. 1955)
- Quarantine Times1 (American collective, established 2020)
- Eduardo F. Rosario (Puerto Rican, b. 1988)
- Jason Salavon (American, b. 1970)
- Moises Salazar (American, b. 1996)
- Farah Salem (Kuwaiti, b. 1991)
- Darling “Shear” Squire
- Andy Slater (American, b. 1975)
- Edra Soto (Puerto Rican, b. 1971)
- Leonard Suryajaya (Indonesian, b. 1988)
- Selina Trepp (Swiss and American, b. 1973)
- Jina Valentine (American, b. 1979)
- Kevin Weil (American, b. 1990)
- Rhonda Wheatley (American, b. 1972)
- Amanda Williams (American, b. 1974)
- Bernard Williams (American, b. 1964)
- Sadie Woods (American, b. 1978)
- Derrick Woods-Morrow (American, b. 1990)
SANTIAGOX (Koasati and Chamoru, b. 1982)- Guanyu Xu (Chinese, b. 1993)
- Debra Yepa-Pappan (Jemez Pueblo and Korean, b. 1971)
- Nate Young (American, b. 1981)
- Kiki Jia Qi Zhen (Chinese, b. 1996)
- Artist withdrew from the exhibition.
Installation Images
Installation view, The Long Dream, MCA Chicago November 7, 2020–January 17, 2021
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, The Long Dream, MCA Chicago November 7, 2020–January 17, 2021
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, The Long Dream, MCA Chicago November 7, 2020–January 17, 2021
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, The Long Dream, MCA Chicago November 7, 2020–January 17, 2021
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, The Long Dream, MCA Chicago November 7, 2020–January 17, 2021
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA ChicagoAdditional Resources
Online Video Gallery
Performance, music, documentation, and more were available in an online gallery space as an extension of The Long Dream’s physical presence in the gallery. The online video gallery was available during the run of the exhibition, closing to the public on May 2, 2021.
Label Writing Project
Meet the label writers and the organizations we partnered with.
Indigo Amaranth
Transcripts
Below are the transcripts for video works featured in The Long Dream.
Gallery Takeaways
Funding
Lead support is provided by the Mellon Foundation; the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris: Caryn and King Harris, Katherine Harris, Toni and Ron Paul, Pam Szokol, Linda and Bill Friend, and Stephanie and John Harris; Kenneth C. Griffin and the Zell Family Foundation.
Major support is provided by Anne L. Kaplan; Julie and Larry Bernstein; Citi Private Bank; Robert J. Buford; Lois and Steve Eisen and the Eisen Family Foundation; Becky and Lester Knight; the Kovler Family Foundation; Liz and Eric Lefkofsky; Gael Neeson, Edlis Neeson Foundation; Cari and Michael Sacks and Karyn and Bill Silverstein.
Generous support is provided by Anonymous; Jack and Sandra Guthman; Jana and Bernardo Hees; The Loewenberg Charitable Foundation, Robin Loewenberg and Mark Tebbe; Douglas and Yumi Ross; Carol Prins and John Hart/The Jessica Fund; and UnitedHealthcare.
Additional support is provided by Dr. John Edward Ellis.
Ad Image Credits
Image Credits
Featured artworks, in order of appearance:
- Floating Museum
Monument Reassembly, 2020
Courtesy of the Floating Museum - Alberto Aguilar
Quarantine Regimen 04.09.2020, 2020
Courtesy of the artist - Selina Trepp
Rotation, 2016
Courtesy of the artist - Aaron Hughes
21 Days to Baghdad/Chicago (Abu Ghraib & Homan Square), 2020
Courtesy of the artist - Claire Pentecost
The Library of Tears, 2016
Courtesy of the artist SANTIAGOX
GHOST TOUCH, 2020
Courtesy of the artist- Diane Christiansen and Jeanne Dunning with Steve Dawson
Documentation and excerpt of Birth Death Breath, 2016–ongoing
Courtesy of the artists - Nate Young
Theoretical proposition of time, 2020
Shawn Clark - Wesley Kimler
Ulysses In The Cave of the Cyclops, 2020
Courtesy of the artist - Farah Salem
Sub-Zero Distance and ‘Abaya Veiling Garment from the Disclosed series (2016–ongoing), 2018
Courtesy of the artist - Tony Lewis
Plunder, 2017
Courtesy of the artist's studio - Tonika Lewis Johnson
Folded Map (Jon & Paula, 6400 N Hermitage Residents), 2017–18
Courtesy of the artist - Tonika Lewis Johnson
Folded Map (Maurice, 5400 S Hermitage Resident), 2017–18
Courtesy of the artist