Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Kostenbader.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tracy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a visual artist with an active studio practice and a founding member of AnySquared Projects. I am currently AnySquared’s lead artist, producer, and principal curator, and organize most of our projects.
Raised in a family of nine children in both New Jersey and Florida, I moved here to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I spent the years after art school skill-collecting and organizing many social justice campaigns. Throughout my life, working with others to gather people together has been something that has come naturally.
Since the 90s, my part-time day-job life has included book conservation at the Adler Planetarium and graphic design at Spertus Institute. At the Planetarium, I repair astronomy books from the 1500s through the 1800s. As Spertus’ senior designer, I do most of the print, signage and exhibition design for the institution.
Art Plus Community:
Currently, my own art practice as both a studio and social artist is intricately intertwined with AnySquared Projects. My personal art studio and home for 26 years also serve as AnySquared’s headquarters.
After working on my own as a visual artist for years, then trying out various art groups, I wanted to create something different with other artists. 8 1/2 years ago I embarked on forming AnySquared with like-minded artists who also believed that creating a community of artists is a crucial part of their work. We have evolved as a group and each new member adds fresh perspectives.
Since 2010, I’ve produced many events, exhibitions, and community murals with AnySquared members and have hosted our weekly artmaking days at my studio. Through our collaborative network, I have had the privilege to work with 100s of artists and alongside many arts groups.
AnySquared’s core values and goals are and have always been, creating community, practicing mutual aid, and facilitating member participation while teaching each other. We also make our own opportunities while making opportunities for other artists.
We will always welcome artists to join, to collaborate, and to make art that changes the landscape of our world in a positive direction in ways big and small.
#AnySquared #StudioDay #Artmaking #MakeArt #OpenStudio #ArtStudio #ArtLife #PlotLiberation #artpluscommunity #spreadlove
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I formed AnySquared Projects with a few artists after being in a couple of other art collectives and working with organizations that did not have a united vision about the projects we produced.
In 2008, I was part of Neighborhood Artists in Logan Square (NAILS) where I helped organize a few art shows. The group has not been active for some time, but I credit NAILS for introducing me to many Logan Square artists that I have developed long-term relationships with — especially the founders and early members of AnySquared and my buddy Flash from ABC/Renegades of Funk who organizes the Project Logan murals.
In 2009, I co-founded the short-lived (about 9-months), but very active Chicago ARTillery collective with artist Victor Montañez. As a co-organizer, I helped produce many exhibitions and events in that year as well participating as a arts producer for the first full-scale 2009 Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival (MAAF). Chicago ARTillery organized an all-volunteer production crew for the many curated galleries in empty storefronts and non-traditional spaces that spanned from California to past Diversey along Milwaukee Avenue in a giant neighborhood-wide community arts festival. I credit Victor for recruiting me to MAAF, creating Chicago ARTillery with me, and teaching me many lessons even though we parted ways in January 2010.
AnySquared continued as a volunteer art production crew and curator of curators of MAAF in the 2010 and 2011 festivals. Because our hard work in those years, MAAF was voted Chicago Reader’s 2012 “Best Public Art Event.”
After 2011, AnySquared pulled our participation in MAAF — as did many other founding groups and visual artists. The festival no-longer reflected our values, focused less on visual art, was less about the whole community, and it was becoming more co-opted by developers. Eventually, MAAF became more music oriented, with a smaller visual art element, and geographically focused on the square (its current form is the Logan Square Arts Festival).
Being involved in groups that did not have the same vision was incredibly stressful, but I don’t regret one moment of the excellent work we did and loved working with the artists. Those experiences taught me many lessons about collaboration and networking. The enormous amount of volunteer-labor that I am willing to put into projects now guides me to identify organizational differences right away, make sure our collective gets full credit for our work, and make sure not to be utilized by people or organizations who do not have our same values.
Since 2010, I have applied those lessons of cooperation, care, and clarity to assure at the beginning of projects we have similar goals with those we collaborate with. After 8 years, AnySquared Projects has lasted longer than all of the previous collectives I have been involved in.
I hope to continue to learn lessons as AnySquared continues to evolve. Recently, I told another AnySquared artist “At least, I don’t make the same mistakes twice, I make new ones.”
Tracy Kostenbader’s Studio and AnySquared Projects – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
AnySquared Projects was founded by me and long-time member Brett Swinney (2010–2015) along with other like-minded artists in January 2010. We continue to be an all-volunteer organization that is “propelled by a deep sense of cooperation with artists, neighbors and the wider community” that serves visual artists and Chicago communities. “Our mission is to support, produce and promote collaborative projects that facilitate arts activities through inclusive participation. Our foundation is built upon the idea that we can do anything as long as we do it together.”
We specialize in group exhibitions, collaborative projects, community murals, and gathering artists together.
Wednesdays Studio Days:
One of the ongoing things we are known for is our weekly Studio Days that are open to the community. The core of AnySquared has always been our art-making sessions at my studio. Our Wednesdays’ function as an organizing tool for our group where we hatch ideas and meet up with people we collaborate with. Studio Days are free and we also provide supplies and share technical knowledge with each other. We have served many artists over the years as a place to make art, work on projects, exchange ideas, experiment, and connect with other people. Please check out our blog about studio day: http://ne2studioday.tumblr.com
Figure Tuesdays:
We also organize seasonal donation-based life-drawing sessions called Figure Tuesdays in collaboration with our friends at Agitator Gallery (our current season goes through June 12).
The things I am most proud of throughout the years of AnySquared have been our larger projects that included exhibitions and Community murals. This is because they reflect our mission, include collaboration with groups of people, and bring art to places where those who don’t always seek out art can experience it.
Exhibitions & Events:
AnySquared is also known for our exhibitions with coalescing events in traditional and non-traditional spaces. Here’s a run-down of some of my favorite exhibitions:
2010: LIP (Life in Progress) Art Series
We asked artists to explore definitions of progress, critiques of “progress,” and how we progress. Their works were featured in two art exhibitions and a video screening at venues that were part of the landscape of Logan Square in 2010. LIP was also selected as a “Featured Program,” one of twelve highlighted in the Chicago Artists Month’s publication. http://anysquared.com/LIP/Lip.html
2012: SQUARED! Art Plus Community
An art walk AnySquared organized with Sulzen Fine Arts Studio, the event celebrated what happens when a community defines itself by the people who live and work together, rather than by wards and neighborhood names.” Squared! featured 130+ artists in a collection of exhibits and events created by and for our community. http://anysquared.com/squared.htm
2013: Fugue Space
A group exhibition in collaboration with the Charnal House. Fugue Space showcased contrasting sensibilities where the 7 artists use memory, layers, or repetition of image or technique to create distinct atmospheres. http://anysquared.com/fuguespace.htm
2014: SALVAGE
The exhibit was presented by AnySquared Projects and G Studio in cooperation with The Plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. SALVAGE was not merely a “recycled” art exhibit as the title suggests. Each of the 9 artists explored and reinterpreted materials, objects, and/or concepts into something new. Stimulated by the notion of transformation, each of their works expressed varying visions through conceptual methods, aesthetic tools or through reuse of physical materials.
http://anysquared.com/salvage.htm
2014: Because Art, AnySquared’s Residency at Hairpin Arts Center
We occupied the Hairpin for nearly 2 months with programming that encouraged artists and community participation with exhibitions, workshops, talks, artmaking days, “ART + Community” events, performance, and screenings. http://anysquared.com/2014residency.html and http://becauseart.org
2015: Hearts & Minds
This project was an art collaboration of Attitude 7 with 25 other artists. Hearts & Minds was a combination of gallery exhibition at Hairpin Arts Center produced by AnySquared, and a city-wide street art installation. http://www.anysquared.com/heartsandminds2015.htm
Community Murals:
Since 2015 we have organized murals as our group community project each year.
2015: Project Logan Community Mural
A collaboration of AnySquared and ABC (Artistic Bombing Crew), the mural faces Milwaukee (behind the bank parking lot) on Medill near Fullerton. We organized the priming, production, and hosted a community paint day for this mural where about 100 people helped us paint it. We also organized the previous mural on the same wall in 2010. http://anysquared.tumblr.com/post/125380871754/community-mural-weekend-2015-paint-day
2016: Logan Square Dog Park Mural
We painted this epic mural project with our partners, ABC and Renegades of Funk, along with more than 40 artists, many crews, and nearly 200 people who participated in our community paint day. The Dog Park is located between Western and Artesian at Logan Blvd. on the south side of the highway. This project was funded by and organized in cooperation with the Logan Square Dog Park. I am especially proud of my Double Danes piece on the mural and the other big dogs. http://anysquared.tumblr.com/post/144794867989/follow-the-progress-of-the-community-mural-wall
2017: Becoming Mural
The Northwest Arts Connection asked us to create mural near Kilborn Park at Rocoe and Kostner last fall. The daily interactions with neighbors made painting fun in the cold through November and worth the extra efforts of our AnySquared artists. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1911896192187878.1073741851.108828282494687&type=1&l=2a97afee29
The breadth and depth of what we have been able to accomplish as a relatively un-funded collaborative is what sets us apart. We occasionally receive in-kind donations of art supplies for Studio Day and host mini-fundraisers for specific items. Artists come first in AnySquared and the rare times when we’ve received commissions for a group project, it goes directly to the artists involved or a tool we need to purchase for all of us to use. The other thing that makes us unique is our willingness to put large amounts of labor, both physical and mental, into our projects to make them concrete. That is how all of the above happens and is what really gets everything done in this world.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
The relationships I make through the projects I complete is how I define success. This is part of the reason I consider myself not only a visual studio artist but also a social artist.
Working on projects where many can actively create, participate, cooperate, and be part of a community is also another criterion for AnySquared’s success.
Contact Info:
- Address: Tracy Kostenbader’s Studio & AnySquared Projects, 2328 N. Milwaukee, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60647
- Website: http://anysquared.com
- Phone: 773-712-0590
- Email: projects@anysquared.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracykostenbader
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnySquared
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnySquared
- Other: http://tracykostenbader.com
Image Credit:
Gretchen Hasse, Miguel Guzman, Agnes Wang, Holiday Gerry, Andrea Kaspryk, Helen Sanchez, Kat C Zea Photography, Tracy Kostenbader
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