Title/Description | Photo by NAME
Spring Open Studios 2025 at Mana Contemporary & HCL Meet & Greet
Hosted by Mana Contemporary in collaboration with the Monira Foundation, this building-wide open studio event, coinciding with EXPO ART WEEK 2025, is an invitation to meet the many artists who have made Mana Contemporary their creative home, including those who are in residence with High Concept Labs.
Guests are invited to emerge themselves in diverse art practices by visiting dozens of artist’s studios and creative businesses across the building’s nine floors, touring the current exhibitions, and of course, getting to interact with the innovative work of HCL Artists in Residence.
This free all-ages event offers a unique opportunity to meet local artists, experience diverse art practices and immerse yourself in the remarkable work of Mana Contemporary artists!
Event Schedule
Five bodies are moving across a blonde wood floor in front of a cinderblock grey wall. The boundaries between each individual are blurred through the use of long-exposure photography.
2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Bradford Chin | Access in Motion
Bradford Chin will present a looping installation experiment that uses disability considerations to explore how we move in our bodies, with each other, and through the world around us. This immersive presentation offers visitors a first look at Bradford’s forthcoming project with HCL: Access in Motion: Movement dreams for the future.
5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
HCL Meet & Greet
Join the staff and board of HCL to celebrate the 2025 Artists in Residence:
During this intermission between presentations, we invite our community to mingle with the cohort of current Artists in Residence, staff, members of our Board of Directors and Artistic Advisory Council, alumni, volunteers and fellow fans of HCL. We’ll share more about the projects supported by HCL, unveil how our Cash Reserve Challenge and new Strategic Plan are laying the foundation for the future of our sixteen year old organization, and share ways that folks can help steward HCL as a space for experimentation and risk taking.
Light appetizers and complimentary drinks will be served.
A computer in a gilded altar sits on a black stage. A round rug in front has an image of the earth. Three large projections in windows behind show uncanny AI-generated videos of dancing. A golden sunburst with a disco ball in the middle hangs above. Photo by Christopher Knowlton.
6:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Christopher Knowlton | Deus Ex Machina Doctrina
As a send off to the High Concept Lab's space, Christopher Knowlton shares an interactive installation from his project 'Deus Ex Machina Doctrina'. Developed during his residencies at HCL, the installation uses technology, designed objects and real-time interactive AI-generated visuals to explore the deification of new technologies, the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for dance, and the extractive forces underpinning generative AI.
Access Services
To learn more about the accessibility of our studio, please review our Access Information. For any other questions or requests regarding accessibility, please contact Angee Lennard, HCL’s Accessibility Coordinator, at angee@highconceptlabs.org or 312-374-1117.
Presented by High Concept Labs and the Monira Foundation in Joint Residency at Mana Contemporary.