Two Art Openings To Attend In April

By Julia Weeman in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 31, 2013 7:00PM

Start the month off artfully with two new shows that are opening.

"Plastic World" at Northwestern University's Dittmar Memorial Gallery opens on April 1 and there's an opening reception from 6 - 8 p.m. on April 8. The show features Chicago-based artist, feminist, and social activist Mary Ellen Croteau's critique on the environmental impact of society's waste. Croteau transforms refuse such as plastic bags, jar lids, and bottle caps into art to draw attention to how these things often go un-recycled. The exhibition will include nine installations, wall and ceiling hangings, and sculptures. Her work ranges from a self-portrait made of more than 7,000 bottle caps to a 175-foot long installation of about 600 plastic bags. The Dittmar Gallery is located on the first floor of Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

"for everyone a garden," an exhibition of new work by David Hartt, opens April 5 at Corbett vs. Dempsey. Hartt is best known as a photographer, but his work extends conceptually and materially beyond the medium of photography to include installation, video, and sculpture. This show will include three large glass sculptures, a diptych based on two of his drawings, and a single photograph. The work has stemmed from Hartt's research into utopian architecture, particularly the work of Moshe Safdie, the architect whose 1974 book lends its title to the show. The opening reception is April 5 from 5-8 p.m. at Corbett vs. Dempsey, located at 1120 N. Ashland Avenue on the 3rd floor.