MOUNT GREENWOOD — Artist Leslie Baum has invited Saint Xavier University students and others to literally walk all over her work.
The university's gallery will host Baum's “mountain and SEA” exhibit through March 22 on its Mount Greenwood campus. The display at 3700 W. 103rd St. is meant to honor Women’s History Month in March, according to university officials.
The floor of the gallery is entirely covered with a canvas painted by Baum. The exhibit takes its title and inspiration from a 1952 photograph of Helen Frankenthaler, where she sits in her studio entirely surrounded by paintings that will launch her career.
"In 'mountain and SEA,' I wanted to create a space with multiple perspectives, ultimately upending our sense of orientation, location and comfort. Gallery visitors are invited to walk on the drop cloths, to stroll on a painting that, during the darkest days of Chicago, conjures a vibrant landscape,” Baum said in a written release.
The image of an immersive painted environment on display at Saint Xavier also represents Baum’s current approach to have a painting engage with the whole architecture and experience of a space, university officials said.
The art gallery at Saint Xavier is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; from noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, visit the university’s website.
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