Edra Soto

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Edra Soto
Born
Edra Soto

1971 (age 52–53)
NationalityAmerican
EducationEscuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño de Puerto Rico [BFA]; School of the Art Institute of Chicago [MFA]

Edra Soto (born 1971) is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and co-director of the artist-run outdoor project space The Franklin.

Biography

Edra Soto was born in Puerto Rico in 1971. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico in 1994. After moving to Chicago, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2000. She has received several awards, including the Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship (2016)[1] and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Individual Artists Award (2017). She has curated numerous exhibitions, including co-curating Present Standard at the Chicago Cultural Center in 2016.[2] She is a faculty member in the Contemporary Practices Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[3] Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows both nationally and internationally.

The Franklin

In 2012, Soto and her husband Dan Sullivan founded The Franklin, an artist-run project space in the backyard of their home in Garfield Park, featuring installations and site-specific work by Chicago and national artists.[4][5]

The Franklin Collection of over 200 artworks by local, national, and international artists is also at the Garfield Park location.[6]

Works

Soto's ongoing site-specific GRAFT series, begun in 2013, incorporates the geometric designs of iron rejas screens popular throughout Puerto Rico.[7][8] In 2014, Soto and Dan Sullivan were awarded a public art commission from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) for the Blue Line Western Station.[9] Their work will be a large-scale installation for the stationhouse exterior.[10]

Selected recent exhibitions

  • 2015 DOMINODOMINO, with Dan Sullivan, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY[11]
  • 2017 Manual GRAFT, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal IL[12]
  • 2017 OPEN 24 HOURS, Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago[13]
  • 2017 Traduttore,Traditore, Gallery 400, Chicago[14]
  • 2019 Forgotten Forms, Chicago Cultural Center[15]
  • 2019 “Cross Currents: Intercambio Cultural”, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba and Smart Museum, Chicago (forthcoming)

References

  1. ^ "Efroymson Family Fund Awards Millionth Dollar to Contemporary Visual Artists". Central Indiana Community Foundation. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  2. ^ "City of Chicago: Present Standard". www.chicago.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  3. ^ "esotof". School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  4. ^ "The Franklin". Temporary Art Review. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  5. ^ "Meet Edra Soto of The Franklin in East Garfield and Humboldt Park - Voyage Chicago | Chicago City Guide". Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  6. ^ Soto, Edra. "The Franklin Collection". 3Arts: 3AP – MAKE ART WORK. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  7. ^ "Grafting Puerto Rican Architecture onto the Lower East Side". Hyperallergic. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  8. ^ "Review: Edra Soto/Terrain". Newcity Art. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  9. ^ "CTA Selects Your New Blue Contractor for Damen, Western and California station renovations". CTA. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  10. ^ "Public Art on the CTA". CTA. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  11. ^ "Exhibitions - Morgan Lehman Gallery". www.morganlehmangallery.com. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  12. ^ "Edra Soto | University Galleries - Illinois State". galleries.illinoisstate.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  13. ^ "The Commons Artist Project: Edra Soto: Open 24 Hours". MCA. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  14. ^ "Traduttore, Traditore". Gallery 400. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  15. ^ "City of Chicago: Forgotten Forms". www.chicago.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-23.

External links