Archive of Essays, Exhibitions, Reviews and Q&A’s with Artists, Musicians, and Arts Professionals
The following is a chronological list of the materials dating back to the inception of The COMP Magazine in 2014. The content consists of 1-on-1 interviews, exhibition reviews, concert coverage and the occasional rare oddity. Enjoy browsing this diverse array of materials focused upon aesthetic practices in Chicagoland, the Midwest, and beyond. To view article, please click on the hyperlink below.
Oli Watt – A Bit of Mischievousness Anyone?, 9/28/24
Country Thunder Wisconsin 2024, 8/4/24
Kun Zhao – A Collision of Cultures & Consumerism, 7/26/24
Winston Gambro – Flying Saucers, Bigfoot, and a Love Story, 7/21/24
Tim Lowly – Perhaps, A Mystical Realism, 7/12/24
2024 Spiraling Aimlessly, 4/28/24
2024 Art & Design Thesis Exhibition, 4/25/24
2024 Art & Design Honors and Awards Exhibit, 4/13/24
Looking at Women’s Fashion from the 1940s to the 1950s, 4/11/24
Paula Scher – From Pentagram to Painting, 4/10/24
Paul Rand – Next to Next, 4/8/24
Jim Terry – Wrestling Demons: Imaginative & Real, 3/31/24
Kelly Reaves: Pushing A Slug Up a Mudlside, 2/2/24
2024 High School Art & Design Scholarship Exhibition, 2/1/24
Sold Out Crowd Gathers for HARDY in Peoria, 1/27/24
Glenn Wexler – An Enduring Studio Practice Above & Below, 11/17/23
Zachary Weber – Porcelain to Spray Paint Concoctions, 9/22/23
Matt Davis- Perfectly Acceptable Printing & Publishing, 9/9/23
Paul Erschen: Leachfield, 8/29/23
Crowd Gathers in Anticipation for Girl Named Tom, 8/11/23
Country Thunder Wisconsin 2023, 8/3/23
Pitchfork Music Festival 2023, 7/26/23
CoJo Nation Shows Up to the Quad Cities for Cody Johnson, 7/23/23
Josh Turner Brings Country Music to Romeoville, 7/20/23
Louise LeBourgeois – Translating Water & Sky, 7/13/23
Matthew Bandsuch – Isolated Aesthetic Excavations, 6/7/23
CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) 2023, 6/4/23
Matthew Allison – Psychedelic Mayhem in a Colored Nightmare, 5/31/23
The National @ Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, 5/24/23
Anime Central 2023 – Images & Notes, 5/23/23
Ash Huse – Queer Digital Transformations, 4/27/23
2023 Art & Design Senior Thesis Exhibition, 4/17/23
Expo Chicago 2023 – Some Afterthoughts & Pictures, 4/17/23
SUSE-USF Virtual Art & Design International Symposium, 4/13/23
C2E2 2023 – Post-Pandemic Plundering, 4/5/23
Milo Christie – Retroreflective Pseudo Volumetric, 3/30/23
Millicent Kennedy – Ephemera, Labor & Stories About People, 3/25/23
Sam Jaffe – Pattern-Based Dizzying Effect, 3/10/23
Salvidor Dalí – The Image Disappears, 3/6/23
Heather Cox @ the USF Art Gallery, 3/1/23
Kelly Reaves – Intuition, Meditation & Exorcising Demons, 2/28/23
Jill Birschbach, Secrets of Interior Worlds, 2/18/23
Crowd Saw the Light when Wynonna Judd took the stage, 2/16/23
Miguel Cortez – Recurring Abstract Themes: Tactile & Virtual, 2/7/23
Scotty McCreery – Audience Requests “Five More Minutes”, 2/2/23
Steven Carrelli, Complexity in Our Visual Experience, 1/28/23
Monika Plioplyte – Cyclic Pagan Patterns & Universes, 12/19/22
Cody Johnson Brings Cowboy Country to Hoffman Estates, 11/24/22
Mia Capodilupo – Cast-off Objects & Relevant Randomness, 10/29/22
Kim Piotrowski – Big Walls Need Big Brushes, 10/8/22
Luke Bryan – Raised Up Right Tour, 10/4/22
2022 Art & Design Alumni Exhibition, 9/22/22
Travis Tritt at the Rialto Square Theatre, 9/18/22
Cortney Lederer – Creating Platforms for Community & Public Art, 9/13/22
Elnaz Javani – Intersecting Craft, Ideas & Parietal Art Today, 9/8/22
Olivia Zubko – Lifecycles of Objects & Belongings, 8/13/22
A Revitalised C2E2 in 2022? Review & Photographs, 8/7/22
Fan Expo 2022 – In Review, 7/9/22
2022 Anime Central @ Rosemont, 5/31/22
Javier Jasso – A Nomadic Analysis & Existence, 5/24/22
ACRE Artist Residency Trip, Steuben, Wisconsin, 5/20/22
2022 Art & Design Senior Thesis Exhibit, 5/1/22
Chris Janson Halfway to Crazy Tour at the Rialto Square Theatre, 4/26/22
Vada Arndt – Fashion & Style in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 4/19/22
Veronica Navarrete – Disney & Tetzuka: A Legacy Impact, 4/5/22
Nick Munafo – Propaganda in the Modern Era, 3/31/22
Blues Legend Buddy Guy Brings Down the House at the Rialto, 3/6/22
Sherri Denault: From a Whirlwind, 3/1/22
2022 High School Art & Design Exhibition, 2/6/22
Jeff Jaskowiak – Jasko’ Filisko & Ortega, 1/5/22
Christmas at the Rialto with Josh Turner, 12/14/21
Unyimeabasi Udoh – Medium Agnostic in Image & Text, 11/30/21
Emily Torres – Musing on Beauty Product Identity, 11/21/21
Jaclyn Duske – Shooting from the Pit with David Bergman, 11/12/21
Zehra Khan, – Meditative Masks, Curious Quilts, & Engaging Travels, 11/4/21
Angelo Mantas – Traversing Technology, Time & America, 10/31/21
Dwight Yoakam @ the Rialto Square Theater, 9/6/21
Chester Alamo-Costello – Chicago Portrait Project, 9/2/21
Chicago Comics: A Primer in Contemporary Form, 7/19/21
A Bit of Speed Punk Metal Along the Chicago River Anyone?, 7/7/21
Alexey Brodovitch – Mid 20th Century: Art Direction Supreme, 6/22/21
E3 2021 – A Virtual Takeaway in Video Games, 6/15/21
2021 Art & Design Thesis Exhibition, 5/6/21
Susan Kare – Maximising 8-Bit Graphics, 4/23/21
Shepard Fairey – Street Level Infiltration Strategies, 4/17/21
El Lissitzky – Simplified Palette & Powerful Forms, 4/3/21
Cipe Pineles – Defining Glamour via Graphic Design, 3/26/21
Milton Glaser – Design & Sound in the 20th Century, 3/19/21
Nic Eckmayer – Perfect Imperfections in Stoneware, 3/7/21
2021 Art & Design Honor’s Exhibition, 3/6/21
20 Comics Read at Least Twice in 2020, 12/23/20
5 Games Played Obsessively in 2020, 12/17/20
Animal Crossing – Staying Safe & Healthy, 12/4/20
Innovations in Motion Capture Technology, 11/19/20
Portal 2: Puzzles and Humoir Combined, 11/12/20
Don Bersano – Building Elegant & Striking Forms, 10/30/20
Kindred Spirts: Kathie Shaw & Corey Postiglione @ USF, 10/15/20
Chester Alamo-Costello – A Two-Pronged Approach, 10/14/20
Documenting Place – Part 1, Details of an Office in 2020, 9/29/20
The Last of Us 2 – A Reflection on Ellie’s (& Our) Transformation, 9/22/20
Niki Granguth & James Kinser – “MUSE” @ USF Art Gallery, 9/1/20
C2E2 2020 – A Summary in Photographs and Word, 3/3/20
5 Games Played Obsessively in 2019, 12/22/19
10 Comics Read at Least Twice in 2019, 12/15/19
Todd Reed – Polished Mechanised Optical Recall, 12/3/19
Dungeons & Dragons – A Return @Midlife (Anti-Crisis), 11/22/19
Andy Warhol – (Distinctly Altering Celebrity) A to B & Beyond, 11/12/19
Jeffrey Grauel – Life Cycles: Antiquated Patterns to Funerary Wreaths, 11/8/19
Todd Mattei – Highly Reactive Introspection, 11/2/19
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep – Into the Underbelly of the Moon, 10/13/19
Joe Tallarico – Spinner Racks to Inspired Portraits, 10/6/19
EXPO CHGO @ Navy Pier 2019 in Photos & Reflection, 10/1/19
NADA Art Fair 2019 – A Short Writing & Photo Review, 9/23/19
Elana Marte Adler – Exploring Transferential Colors, Forms & Structures, 9/18/19
Roni Packer – Interpreting Obsessive Moments in Yellow, 9/6/19
Jno Cook – Recalling Kitchen Conversations & Most Unusual Art Inventions, 8/3/19
Neal Vandenbergh – Figurative Power & Breaking Old Habits, 7/24/19
Jason Dunda – Examining a Rogue Gallery of Unflattering Portraits, 7/20/19
Scott Fortino – A Tour of Charged & Privileged Spaces, 7/11/19
Caleb Beck – Bent Paintings & an Impossible Shot, 6/20/19
10 Games from E3 2019, 6/13/19
Cindy Bernhard – Calling Attention to Illusionistic Form, 6/7/19
C.A.K.E.: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo 2019, 6/3/19
ACEN: Anime Central 2019 – A Review in Photos, 5/23/19
Matt Kayhoe Brett – Shifting Vision & Weird Phenomena, 5/16/19
Karen Azarnia – A Convergence of Fragments & the Cinematic, 5/7/19
2019 Art & Design Senior Thesis Exhibition, 5/2/19
Ji Su Kwak – Balanced Talk & Fluid Identities, 4/25/19
Ed Paschke – An Analysis of Two Paintings, 4/19/19
Star Wars Celebration 2019 in Review, 4/15/19
Yves Klein – An Analysis of Two Artworks, 4/11/19
Boris Ostrerov – Iniquitous Poo, Colorful Forms, and an Uzbek Voice, 4/2/19
C2E2 @ 10 – A Comic Con Transforming Identity, 3/26/19
Eric Stefanski – Paint Drips, death & humor, 3/19/19
Yinka Shonibare’s A Tale of Today @ the Driehaus Museum, 3/7/19
Brian Russo – Stages on Life’s Way, or: Become What You Are, 2/28/19
Holly Cahill – Propositions of a Female Craftsman, 2/19/19
Destiny – The Art of Play in Recurring Galactic Engagements, 2/5/19
Erin Smego – Navigating Sculptural Fashion, 1/25/19
KT Duffy – Giant Amoebas & A.I./Digital/Real Identity, 1/15/19
Leslie Baum – Mysterious Depths & Worlds Within, 1/10/19
Hairy Who? 1966-1960 at AIC: a Reflection 1/2/19
10 Comics Read at Least Twice in 2018, 12/20/18
Julie Weber – Subtleties in Light, Form, and Being, 12/13/18
Monica Rezman – A Persistent Winding Path, 12/4/18
Cody Tumblin – Nourishing Lambent Visual Provisions, 11/26/18
Michelle Wasson – A Sizable Unencumbered Aesthetic Approach, 11/20/18
Zachary Cahill – Contemplating & In Search of the Devine, 11/15/18
Allison L. Wade – Transformations of Language Into Form, 11/8/18
Ali Seradge – Synthetic Fables & Unorthodox Narratives, 10/30/18
Art Kleinman – The Cyclic Nature of a Long Career, 10/25/18
Orkideh Torabi – Revisiting Male Dominated Narratives, 10/20/18
Hương Ngô – Reflecting Winds of Perception & Change, 10/15/18
Susan Giles – Translating Hand Gestures & Space, 10/9/18
Alisa Swindell – Examining Notions of Desire, 10/5/18
Jeff Carter – Functional Formats of Occupying, 9/28/18
Cole Pierce – Color Strategies & Vinyl Tape, 9/24/18
Buddy Damen and the Last Call – Closing Time Melodies, 9/21/18
Ciurej & Lochman – Evolving Histories and Processed Views, 9/13/18
Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford – Transient Sculptural Assemblies, 9/4/18
Hailing from Prison City: We are the Brigade, 8/21/18
Robin Dluzen – Bloodroot, Ameraucana & the Midwest, 8/18/18
Gina Hunt – From the Badlands to Azimuth, 8/12/18
Michelle Bolinger – A Visual Tug of War, 8/7/18
Larry Ross – The Riberenos & a Conversation, 7/17/18
Heather Mekkelson – Crepuscular Beam & Other Recent Works, 7/11/18
Mike Paro – Youthful Lived Experience, 7/2/18
Kyle Davison – Pristophone Arrangements & Live Performance, 6/25/18
10 Games from E3 2018, 6/20/18
Dan Gamble – Visual Meditations: Otherworldly & Quotidian, 6/11/18
CAKE 2018 – A Review in Photos, 6/4/18
Vesna Jovanovic – Foreign Bodies & Visual Prompts, 5/31/18
SaraNoa Mark – A Conversation with Ancient Objects, 5/24/18
Anime Central 2018: A Review in Photos, 5/18/18
Gwendolyn Zabicki – Disoriented & Reflective Moments of Pause, 5/10/18
James Kao – An Idea, Reference or Sensation, 5/6/18
2018 Art & Design Senior Thesis Exhibit, 4/24/18
Tom Torluemke – Blindfolded with Hands Stretched, 4/20/18
C2E2 2018 – A Review in Photos, 4/13/18
Kevin Blake – Disjointed Intervals of Paint Slamming, 4/5/18
Colin Sherrell – A Conversation, 3/22/18
CatieO & EC Brown – Shoulder-to-Shoulder, 3/18/18
Black Panther – Breaking from Tradition, 2/27/18
K.Flay @ the Concord Music Hall in Review, 2/16/18
Doug McGoldrick – Juggling Art & Life Challenges, 2/11/18
Colin Sherrell – That’s Right, It’s All About Me, 2/6/18
Jiba Molei Anderson – Afrofuturism & The Horsemen, 1/30/18
2017-2018 High School Art Competition & Exhibition, 1/23/18
Jason Reblando – Diaspora & New Deals, 1/12/18
Jay Wolke – Cycles of Observation and Time, 1/06/18
Melissa Ann Pinney – A Feminist Gaze, 1/02/18
10 Comics Read at Least Twice in 2017, 12/29/17
Dana Fritz – Terraria Gigantica & Other Views, 12/22/17
Colleen Plumb – Layers of Context & Experience, 11/26/17
Revisiting Matt Siber’s Floating Logos, 11/21/17
Regional High School Art Exhibit Application, 11/10/17
Chris Hodge – The Obsessive Narrative @ the USF Art Gallery, 10/24/17
Ben Baker Billington – Sonic Explorations & Bedroom Productions, 10/19/17
The Bleak Post-Humanism of Blade Runner 2049, 10/16/17
Jake Acosta – Variety Informs & Colors the Other, 9/15/17
Bob Thall – Navigating Chicago and Beyond, 9/5/17
“Barbara Eberhard: An Alternative View” @ USF Gallery, 8/22/17
“Bro” – a documentary on masculinity & the Brony fandom by Leah Jean, 6/7/17
2017 Art & Design Senior Thesis Exhibition, 4/20/17
Jesse Malmed – Translating Language & Sound, 4/9/17
Zelda’s Breathtaking Ascension, 4/5/17
2017 Art & Design Honors & Awards Exhibition, 3/30/17
Graham Foundation Presents: Spaces…depth, 3/13/17
Three Graces: Glass-Sula, Denault, & McWilliams @ USF Art Gallery, 2/21/17
Merce Cunningham: Common Time @ MCA Chicago, 2/15/17
Photo + Performance + Japan + 1960-1975 = “Provoke” @ AIC, 2/8/17
10 Comics Read at Least Twice in 2016, 12/30/16
2016-2017 High School Art Exhibition, 12/22/16
Final Fantasy XV – The Long Long Drive…, 12/3/16
Thoughts on Retro Video Gaming Aesthetics, Pt. 1, 11/19/16
Alexandr Zhitomirsky – 20th c. Humanist Critic, 11/10/16
Tytia Habing – About a Boy, 11/4/16
Mitch Eckert – Natural History & Environmental Concerns, 10/19/16
Mike Norton – Battlepug, Revival & a Whole Mess More, 10/13/16
Moholy-Nagy: Future Present @ AIC, 10/7/16
Expo Chicago 2016 – A Reflection & Couple Questions, 9/30/16
Daniel Warren Johnson – Martok, Space Mullet & Beyond…, 9/22/16
Alison Ruttan – Investigating Instinct & Aggression, 9/16/16
Couteau Sang – A Conduit for Fear, Rage & Despair, 9/9/16
DEHD – Sunburn, Horses & a Love Song, 8/26/16
No Man’s Sky – Progen Exploratory Philosophies, 8/19/16
Damon Locks – Exploring Sound & the Urban Scene, 8/12/16
Ono – An Unabridged History in Conversation, 8/7/16
With a Wink and a Nod @ The Driehaus Museum, 8/1/16
Anya Davidson – Cultivating Freedom in Failure, 7/24/16
Alice Q. Hargrave – Memories & the Natural World, 7/18/16
Jill Flanagan – Rage, Fear & Despair, 7/14/16
Victoria Fuller – Strategies of Power Play, 7/8/16
Alan D. Caesar – Touring Destroit with Rena Rouge, 7/4/16
Tony Fitzpatrick: The Secret Birds @ The Depaul Art Museum, 6/23/16
CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) 2016 – In Review, 6/16/16
Andreas Fischer – Negotiating Function & Representation, 6/11/16
Ryan Richey – Making Lemonade From Lemons, 6/7/16
Kerry James Marshall: Mastry – A Dialogue in Review, 5/30/16
ACEN (Anime Central Midwest) 2016 – In Review, 5/21/16
Janae Contag – Evolving Apparitions & Environments, 5/12/16
Brad Temkin – Traversing Rooftops, 5/5/16
Doug Fogelson – Destructive Transformations, 4/29/16
Julia Haw – Comfort and Control & Other Paintings, 4/10/16
Barbara Eberhard – Gummin’ It Up & Other Investigations, 4/5/16
C2E2 2016 – In Review, 3/22/16
Aimée Beaubien – Collecting Within & Recent Works, 3/15/16
Vincent Uribe – Sugar Talk & Winter Chat, 2/28/16
Thomas Frank – Environmental & Urban Ruminations, 2/23/16
Claire Molek – Art Wing & Building a Base, 2/2/16
Roger Carlson – Painting in Reverse, 1/30/16
Anders Lindseth – Transitioning Points of View, 1/26/16
Lee Blalock – Re-Designing Bodies & Worlds, 12/14/16
Alex Gartelmann – Shit Guilty & Collaborative Efforts, 1/2/16
Darrell Roberts – The Intuitive Traveller, 12/30/15
Mika Horibuchi – Familiar Reality Translations, 12/18/15
Serhii Chrucky – Operating Principles & Programmatic Intent, 12/14/15
Paul Erschen – Mayor Daley & Store Brand, 12/8/15
Dan Rizzo-Orr – IGF & Alternative States of Being, 12/4/15
Nancy Lu Rosenheim – Swallow City & Other Investigations, 12/1/15
Deb Sokolow – Manipulative Individuals & Shadowy Histories, 11/17/15
Jennifer Greenburg – Revisiting Vernacular Contributions, 10/27/15
ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) Interview 2015, 10/20/15
Nancy Fewkes – Notes Along A Shallow Margin, 10/15/15
Lise Haller Baggesen – Mothernism at the Intersection, 10/8/15
William Conger – Constructing Multi-Layered Ambiguity, 9/18/15
Dan Devening – Manifestations of How and Why We Look, 9/10/15
Michelle Keim – Beauty, Power & Masculinity, 9/8/15
Corey Gearhart – The Consummate Collaborator, 8/19/15
Steve Sherrell – The Referential Painter, 8/16/15
Andrei Rabodzeenko – Technotropic Romance & Other Works, 8/10/15
Roxane Legenstein – From Chicago to Weinerwald, 7/29/15
Pitchfork Music Festival 2015 – In Review, 7/21/15
Corey Postiglione – The Minimalist’s Tango, 7/9/15
Revisiting – The Kingdom of Dreams & Madness, 7/5/15
Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo in Detroit, 6/23/15
Bob Kase – As We Gather, 6/9/15
Charles Ray – Sculpture, 1997-2014, 6/5/15
CAKE 2015 – Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, 5/14/15
Jno Cook – Saturnian Cosmology, 5/12/15
Jerry Cargill – Analog to Digital Transitions, 5/7/15
Ray Ellingsen – Chicago’s D.I.Y. Scene, 5/5/15
Kathie Shaw – Recurring Warning Signs, 4/30/15
Esau McGhee – Inspecting Urban Constructs, 4/23/15
Plastic Crimewave – Galactic Vision, 4/21/15
Dan Luedtke – Ideas of Dissidence, Difference & Negativity, 4/18/15
Lane Milburn – Cartooning’s Strange Cosmic Web, 4/9/15
Allison Glenn – Compelling Collaborative Selections, 4/2/15
Anthony Musiala – Talks Minty Fresh, 3/28/15
Ian Weaver – Black Knights’ Archive, 3/15/15
Nathan Mason – Curating, Slabbies & Squeezimals, 3/10/15
Potter & Puckett – Seeds Inservice, 2/24/15
Matt Siber – Consumer Desires, 2/19/15
Matthew Girson – Contemplating Libraries, 2/17/15
Soto & Sullivan – The Franklin, 2/3/15
Sierzputowski & Dye – Inside/Within Interview, 2/1/15
Onsmith – Poking the Fringes, 1/29/15
Assaf Evron – Image Space Philosophy, 1/25/15
Phyllis Bramson – Affectionate Arbitrary Anecdotes, 1/23/15
Susan Coolen – Scavenger Aesthetics, 1/19/15
Kirsten Leenaars – Fictionalized Real Experience, 1/15/15
Anna Kunz – Invitations & Reflections, 1/9/15
Meg Duguid – The Entropic Tramp, 1/5/15
Scott Dietrich – Eyes on SE Asia, 1/1/15
Miguel Cortez – Antena Styled Anarchy, 12/31/14
Ron Gordon – Preservationist Photographer, 12/30/14
Alberto Aguilar – Family Formations, 12/28/14
Victoria Martinez – Intuitive Interventions, 12/24/14
James Ensor – Temptation @ AIC, 12/17/14
Claire Ashley – Inflatable Absurdity, 12/8/14
Chuck Jones – Questioning Authority, 12/14/14
The MCA Deserves David Bowie, 11/30/14
Iris Bernblum – Power & Play, 11/23/14
Olea Nova – Spontaneous Dialogue, 11/20/14
Jesse Bercowetz – Nomadic Mystic, 11/15/14
ACRE – Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibition, 11/13/14
Paul Hopkin – The Slow Storyteller, 11/3/14
Joe B. Milosevich – Sacred Assemblage, 10/24/14
Carol Jackson – Epic Americana, 10/21/14
Ryan Wolfe – Engineering Abstraction, 11/14/14
Stripped – The Cartoon Documentary, 10/11/14
Lee Jeffries – Homeless, 9/29/14
Linda Adele Goodine – Elegant Tableaux, 9/23/14
The Passion of Jodorowsky – A Meditation, 8/28/14
Lollapalooza Lost? – In Review, 8/7/14
Guardians of the Galaxy – In Review, 8/2/14
Pitchfork 2014 – In Review, 7/1/14
Bob Mould at the Pritzker Pavilion, 6/25/14
Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal, 6/14/14
Josef Koudelka – Nationality in Doubt, 6/8/14
The National at the Chicago Theater, 5/17/14
Cardinal Cross – An Exhibition in a Warehouse, 4/12/14
Carlos Mendoza – My Association with Comics, 4/11/14
