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Artist info

Anton WitekWrites Anton Witek: “The work I do is mainly collage, off the wall, and relief sculpture. I use found objects, circuit boards, resistors, computer chips, buttons, beads, and bottle caps - things that are disposed of in everyday life. The edges of the work I try to display like an arranged skyline, like Manhattan, Chicago, or Kuala Lumpur.”

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Ben BeyerleinBen Beyerlein earned an Associate in Arts degree from the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He is not only a visual artist, but a poet. His written work has appeared in The Awakenings Review, Prairie Light Review, and Plainsongs (Hastings College). Ben has been involved with the Awakenings Project since its inception. He says his artwork has had a healing influence on him and it continues to do so.

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Dori PoniComing to the U.S. at the age of five from Uganda, Dori Poni is a 29-year-old artist and writer living in Chicago, Illinois. She describes her art as ranging between surrealism and hyper-realism. Dori also works in sculpture and other forms of art.

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Irene O'NeillWrites Irene O'Neill: “Ever since childhood, I wanted to be an artist. I once found an ad in the back of a magazine to 'draw Winky,' which I did, and then they sent me a whole bevy of exercises to do. Whenever I have a free moment, which is not often enough, I make art with whatever materials are on hand, which generally means “mixed-media.”

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John RakowWrites John Rakow: “My art and writing are about the frequent awkward experiences of navigating through life and dealing with our world. My art is often about building and breaking relationships as we go. It is about moving from naiveté to wisdom through learning and letting go.

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Julie HoughSince a very young age, Julie Hough has created artwork. She earned a degree in Art Education at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. She has explored a style that has defined her artwork. While she paints mostly in acrylics, she has also explored the mediums of oil paints, colored pencils, marker, and collage. During a transition back into regular life from acute mental illness she discovered the Awakenings project.

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Kurt TaeckerPainting was the late Kurt Taecker’s means of survival. Since his diagnosis of mental illness at age 17, he had been compelled to create artwork. He grasped a brush, palette knife or spatula, oozing with oil paint, then worked the canvas until it reflected the twists and turns in his mind... and beyond.

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Mark HullMark Hull writes, “My fascination with fruit and vegetable still life paintings grew from my study of 18th and 20th century pieces where the trend generally moved towards a focus on the spatial relationships between the objects. In my paintings, I am looking for the visual and aesthetic enrichment springing from the textures, shapes, forms, and colors inherent in each subject. While painting, I like to explore what artists call line quality. My techniques include watercolor, gouache, ink, pencil, pastel chalks, scratching implements, and colored pencil sticks.”

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Michael AllenMichael Allen writes, “Back in the mid-1970s, I lost much of my eyesight, I was about 26 at the
time. My semi-interest in photography was dashed! Fast forward 30 years, I picked up my first digital camera and lo and behold, I was able to take a photo. Many of my photos are planned and pre-focused using the auto focus option. I can’t see through the viewfinder, but I am able to work with the LCD screen on digital cameras. it has been a fun, immensely, rewarding hobby!”

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Michael RudisWrote the late Michael Rudis: "I started painting in 2001, after my career in HVAC tanked, and I had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 1989. Sometime in 2002, I met Irene in Naperville and learned about The Awakenings Project.

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Peter Hallock AustinPeter Austin became fascinated with art under the tutelage of a 7th grade art teacher. In the following years, inspired to continue his studies, art classes became a road to self-discovery. During his college career, he explored many different mediums, from printmaking to drawing, from woodworking to sculpture. In the ensuing years, Peter has explored numerous mediums, and sees art as an outlet for expression and experimentation.

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Robert LundinRobert Lundin became enamored with photography as a high school student in the 1970s. He bought his first SLR camera, a Pentax SP500, at the age of 16 and thereafter became the photography editor for two of his high school's award-winning yearbooks. Robert also plied his photography skills as a photojournalist in the 1990s.

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Ryan ChaceyRyan Chacey graduated from Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1999, later earning a Masters Degree in Social Work from Aurora University in 2013. As a visual artist, Mr. Chacey says he has found community, structure and inspiration at The Awakenings Project. His art focuses on the abstract, found art and assemblages, and he's also a novice Polaroid photographer.

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Sandra Jo MazurekWrites Sandra Jo Mazurek: “Art was like medicine to me from an early age. I received my BFA and then MFA from The School of The Art institute of Chicago. In between I was diagnosed with major depression. It was travel that really influenced my work. I realized that it was not what or where I painted but how I painted that mattered. Awakenings has been a gift to me.”

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Sean LambAs a visual artist, Sean Lamb's favorite medium is woodwork. Having completed an apprenticeship with David Orth of Orth Furniture in May of 2007, he excels at designing and building distinctive furniture. Two of his unique designs are the fabrication of wooden Zen garden creations and distinctive "balancing" clocks. Prior to this work, Sean was a network administrator, and he still utilizes his computer skills for the benefit of the Awakenings Project.

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Trish EversThe late Patricia "Trish" Evers was a teacher, an award-winning artist, and a co-founder of the Awakenings Project. Throughout her life, Trish, who painted for much of her career under her married name, Patricia Cobb, was committed to the visual arts and education.

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William AlexanderOak Park resident William Alexander was a fixture on the local and Chicago-wide art scene. A lifetime member of the Oak Park Art League, he was responsible for helping the fledgling Awakenings Project obtain several exhibitions there, beginning in 1999. He was also a founding member on the planning committee of the first Awakenings Art Show in spring of 1997, for which planning began in fall of 1996.

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