Northshore Black Artist Group - Summer 2025 Group Show “This Moment in Time”
EVANSTON ART CENTER
1717 CENTRAL STREET
EVANSTON, IL 60201
(847) 475-5300
OPENING RECEPTION
SUNDAY, AUGUST 24
Co-opening with the Biennial opening reception!
1-4PM
We are so excited and honored to be hosted by the Evanston Art Center again.
SHOW DATES:
AUGUST 2 -- SEPTEMBER 14
Fireworks on 47th Street, 2023
Alpha Bruton is the Chief Curator at Phantom Gallery Chicago Network, a project that connects artists with temporary installation spaces. She focuses on examining recent changes in curatorial practice and aims to develop innovative displays in virtual spaces. Her work, "Curatorial Practice," examines how the urban environment impacts artists and their creative output, as well as the contributions artists make to a city's vitality. Alpha holds a degree in art education from California State University, Sacramento, and an MAAA in Art Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
In addition to her curatorial role, Alpha is a painter and environmental installation artist who uses art installations as cultural mirrors, providing commentary on society. She curates for Phantom Gallery Chicago and participates in national initiatives to support artists and curators while organizing pop-up exhibitions. As the chief curator, she challenges artists to create temporary installations and encourages the public to interact with their work.
She was the inaugural Curatorial Fellow at the Evanston Art Center in Evanston, IL, in 2021, where she examined environmental issues through the exhibition titled "Either Wrong or Right Just Examine," as well as the upcoming 2024 exhibition "Artistic Expressions by Today’s Women." Additionally, she is a member of the newly formed North Shore Black Artist Group.
Over the past decade, she has traveled both nationally and internationally as an artist-in-residence, engaging communities in art-making. She has created temporary installations in a variety of locations, including city lots, pedestrian walkways, national forest preserves, land trusts, empty storefronts, and museum settings.
Illinois:
Phantom Gallery Chicago is my curatorial practice, offering a platform for emerging and established artists. From 2014 to 2025, the Bronzeville Art District has been a thriving center for artistic innovation, with various galleries.
Harvard University’s Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative presents the thought-provoking exhibitions “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth” and “Faces of the Divine,” curated by Tauren Webb. These exhibitions delve into themes of faith and humanity. 2021
The Common Grounds Overton Project features “Anarchitectural Library,” a unique installation that challenges traditional architectural concepts and is part of the Chicago Cultural Center Architecture Biennial.
Other notable venues include the Griffin Gallery, Experimental Station, and the Evanston Art Center, all of which contribute to the region's rich cultural tapestry.
The Museum of Science and Industry celebrates the “Black Creativity 50th Anniversary,” honoring the contributions of African American artists through diverse exhibits.
Additionally, the Murphy Hill Gallery, Tarble Art Center, Eastern Illinois University, and Roger Brown Gallery, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, showcase a variety of artistic expressions and narratives.
Mark di Suvero’s “Peace Tower” at the Chicago Cultural Center is a monumental sculpture that promotes hope and unity.
International Projects:
Art on Armitage in Chicago brings together local talent in a dynamic community setting. The Supermarket 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden, is an independent art fair that highlights innovative practices in the art world.
Berlin hosts the Independent Art Fair, alongside events in Pankow and East Berlin, where emerging voices in the global art scene are celebrated. The Global Art Space in Hannover collaborates with the Berlin Art Club and a diverse International Art Group to foster cross-cultural dialogue and artistic exchange.
The project “Encounters” takes place in various cities, including Vancouver, Canada; Sacramento, California; and Mexico City, Mexico, creating a platform for global artistic collaboration and cultural exchange.