Alicia Forestall-Boehm

In today's world of COVID-19, experiencing life virtually is our new normal. From classes to work to cultural events we are living our lives while sheltering in place. Temporary closings, limited openings and social distancing, have forced artists, art galleries, art museums, and art organizations to think outside the box to find new ways to present art exhibitions. With that in mind, I decided to create an online virtual art gallery that can host an exhibition that is engagin g and informative. One that is visually appealing as well as interactive.  A virtual art exhibition th at can be used by a single artist to present a solo show or a gallery or art group to pr esent a group or member show. I am pleased to present the virtual art exhibition #FusedAtHome , a collection of artworks by the artist members of FUSEDChicago. I designed and produced this interactive art exhibition. It uses an appealing art gallery background. The viewer can travel between the many gallery rooms to vi

With much of my time spent creating new works, I have expended little energy on submitting to summer exhibitions.  The Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana has had an annual exhibition for the past 69 years.  The 70th Annual Wabash Valley Juried Exhibition includes the work of artists residing in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. Passages This year's exhibition was jurored by Carter E. Foster, the Steven and Ann Ames Curator of Drawings at the Whitney Museum of American Art.  The opportunity to position my work in front of this jurors eyes was all the motivation I needed to find the time to submit to this show. Unfulfilled Dream I entered three encaustic and fiber sculptures; "Unfulfilled Dream", "Passages" and "Living Together-But-Separate Lives". The first two were chosen and included in this exhibition.  Living Together-But-Separate Lives The exhibition runs from June 28-August 23, 2014.

Place (detail)   I’m sending two of my newest sculptures to Florida this month.   I am especially pleased that both were accepted as it was the first time I had submitted either for an exhibition.   Place is the largest work I have created to date, measuring 6’7”, twice that if it is laid out from end to end.   I plan to pursue Place as a series that will be hung as a multi-piece installation. Place   6’7”hx8”wx4.5”d    e ncaustic, cheesecloth, cotton cord, foam    Passages has been a work in progress.   I made the base last year and it sat off to the side in my studio waiting for inspiration.   Over time this base changed shape until I came upon the decidedly boat-like form it is today.   It then returned again to that “place of contemplation” off to the side in my studio until one day I spied the roll of copper wire I had in a container of wire and cords.   I really like the combination of metal with wax and fiber.   The small sections of copper wire impale t

The Power of Place                 9”hx18”wx11”d                    encaustic, fiber, hemp cord, wire       Inspiration can come from anywhere.   As an artist, I am inspired by the urban landscape. I am drawn to the innate sense of randomness, clutter and change that can define an urban existence.     The landscape of the city and its architecture can seem unwelcoming with its hard edges and its overflow of inhabitants.   In actuality, there is an inherent harmony that exists in a city.   The visual repetitiveness and symmetry of the buildings themselves to the city plans they fill.   The cacophonies of sounds that can, with their aspect of constancy, make for a soothing element of dependability.   And while certainly, there is a certain discordant relationship among some city dwellers, there is a remarkable interchange of order among the majority of inhabitants.  I am also inspired by those people, whose visions helped to create this world.       The Power of Pl