Come see Tara Keating’s art work and hear from the artist and Friends of Big Marsh at this unique fundraising event! Raffle tickets for “Swoopy Berms” original art available at Friends of Big Marsh bike rental starting 7/5!
Celebrating nature’s return to former industrial sites is the theme of a new art exhibit at
the Ford Calumet Environmental Center (FCEC) in Big Marsh Park on Chicago’s
Southeast side, running May 30 to September 30, 2022. The Reclaimed Landscape
exhibition by Chicago artist Tara Keating explores post-industrial locations undergoing
environmental remediation and habitat restoration by the Chicago Park District.
A twist on the typical urban landscape show, the sixteen paintings focus on the city’s
renewed natural areas that now flourish despite their industrial heritage. Recognizable
Chicago landmarks and remnants of the region’s industrial past are occasionally seen in
Keating’s paintings.
The Southeast Side neighborhood of Chicago, originally a land of rivers and marshes,
has suffered under a legacy of industrial activity and pollution for over a century. Since
2011, The Chicago Park District and its partners have been restoring multiple tracts of
degraded habitat across the area between Lake Michigan and Lake Calumet. Keating
acknowledges that more environmental remediation and clean-up still needs to be done.
She hopes her paintings inspire viewers to experience the natural beauty found on
Chicago’s Southeast Side and encourages them to support ongoing environmental
restoration efforts in the region.
Keating is a painter and mixed-media artist in Chicago. Her new body of work based on
Southeast Side landscapes grew out of her paintings of Illinois prairies. She holds a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in painting and drawing from the
University of San Francisco.
An exhibition reception will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, when
Keating will share her inspiration and process. The reception will also include a raffle of
an additional painting to raise funds for Friends of Big Marsh, a 501c3 non-profit
organization.
The exhibition features landscape paintings of Big Marsh Park, Hegewisch Marsh,
Indian Ridge Marsh, Steelworkers Park, and Marian R. Byrnes Park. The show is open
Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until September 30, 2022.
The Ford Calumet Environmental Center at Big Marsh Park is located at 11555 S. Stony
Island Ave. Chicago, IL 60617. For questions regarding the location, call (312) 590-
5993. Parking is available.
