CAVA is a volunteer not-for-profit organization founded in 1988. It is dedicated to giving its nearly 200 other members throughout Chicagoland the opportunity to exhibit artwork in at least three exhibits annually in such notable venues as the Chicago Cultural Center, Evanston Art Center, Bridgeport Art Center, Beverly Arts Center, and the Leslie Wolfe Gallery in Old Town. Creating art is a solitary occupation—CAVA provides events for artists to come together through its salon, a member luncheon, a symposium, and special events. For more information, please visit our CONTACT page, and sign up for our e-newsletter.
CAVA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:
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Exhibit in the Annual Members Show;
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Enter the juried Later Impressions exhibition;
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Engage in various group and media-focused exhibitions
we organize throughout the Chicago area; -
Participate in membership social and
educational programs, including our
annual CAVA Symposium.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE SAYING
FEATURED CAVA ARTIST
SARA PEAK CONVERY
Sara Peak Convery is an activist interdisciplinary Chicago artist. Born in Iowa, she did her undergraduate work at University of Iowa and Rhode Island School of Art and Design, and later received a BUNAC VISA award to study overseas.
After returning from her time abroad, Sara settled in Chicago. She received an MFA in Photography at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where she also did post-graduate work in filmmaking. She produced and directed the documentary I Never Said I Wasn’t Happy in 2013, and the film has been screened at national and international film festivals, winning Best Documentary at the Black Earth Film Festival (Galesburg, IL), and Best Concept at the Red Dirt Film Festival in Stillwater, OK.
In 2012 Sara opened her studio practice in East Garfield Park. As her work grew in size, she eventually grew out of that space, and moved to Slacks Window Gallery, a large storefront space on North Milwaukee Avenue.
“The larger studio lets me to keep my work out and in the open, and work on multiple things at the same time,” says Sara. “The broader view enables me to see connections between pieces, and make decisions on where to focus my energy.” It also allows her to work on a larger scale, and with all methods and materials to best help express her concepts and ideas. This summer Sara
Mural, work in progress
collaborated with Kerri Mommer on a large scale mural for the Elgin Fringe Festival. When complete, it measured 12 ft. x 15 ft.!
Her work has appeared in many exhibitions, including this past summer at CAVA’s Forgotten Illinois, The Aesthetic of National Identity show at Oak Park Art League, and in the upcoming Later Impressions exhibition, opening at Evanston Art Center in October.
Concurrent with her practice creating original work, Sara has an active curatorial practice. She has organized and curated shows at A Shot of Art at Perkolator; the West Suburban Medical Center Gallery in Oak Park; and as well as in her Slacks Window Gallery, where the latest installation features work by Torri L. Thompson.
Click on these links to learn more about Slacks Window Gallery, and to see more of Sara’s work.
