Suellen Rocca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suellen Rocca
|
|
|---|---|
Rocca in 1967
|
|
| Born |
Suellen Krupp
October 2, 1943 |
| Died | March 26, 2020 (aged 76) Naperville, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Spouse(s) |
Dennis Rocca
(m. 1962; div. 1975) |
Suellen Rocca (born October 2, 1943 – died March 26, 2020) was a talented artist from Chicago. She was part of a special group of artists called the Chicago Imagists in the 1960s and 1970s. These artists liked to create art that showed real things, not just abstract shapes. Suellen Rocca showed her art with them at the Hyde Park Art Center. Later, she became a curator and director of art shows at Elmhurst College.
About Suellen Rocca
Suellen Krupp was born in 1943 into a Jewish family. She started art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago when she was in elementary school. By age eight, she knew she wanted to be an artist.
She married Dennis Rocca in 1962. Her husband brought home jewelry catalogs. These catalogs helped inspire Suellen's unique art style.
After her early work with a group called The Hairy Who, Suellen had two children. She continued to make art. In 1970, she took a break from art for about ten years. She returned to the art world in 2015 with a show at the Matthew Marks Gallery in New York City.
Suellen Rocca taught painting, design, and drawing at Elmhurst College for 18 years. She also directed art exhibitions and visiting artist programs there. She was the curator and director of exhibitions.
Her picture is in a famous 1972 poster. It is called Some Living American Women Artists by Mary Beth Edelson. Suellen Rocca passed away on March 26, 2020, after an illness.
Her Education
In 1960, at age 16, Suellen started college. She went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There, two teachers, Whitney Halstead and Ray Yoshida, greatly influenced her.
In 1964, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from SAIC. Her main focus was painting, and she also studied print-making.
Her Art and Exhibitions
After college, Suellen Rocca joined The Hairy Who. This was one of the groups that made up the Chicago Imagists.
Suellen Rocca's art often mixed different materials. Her life experiences and interests also influenced her work. The Art Institute of Chicago described her art. They said her early work showed her personal taste. It also showed her experiences as a newlywed and young mother.
She used signs and symbols in her art. These came from many places. They included simple pictures from kindergarten reading books. They also came from jewelry catalogs from her husband's family store. Her art was often called "picture writing." It felt very immediate and direct.
Her art often had grid-like patterns of repeating symbols. She would add words like "ohh," "ahh," and "eek." Her pictures also often had a main image in the center. This image was framed by decorative borders. Suellen Rocca's unique and creative art stood out from other Hairy Who artists.
In 2015, Rocca's art was shown in New York City. This was at the Matthew Marks Gallery. It was her first New York show in over 20 years. The show featured her works made between 1965 and 1969.
In 2018, the Art Institute of Chicago held an exhibit. It was called Hairy Who? 1966-1969. Suellen Rocca's work was included in this important show.
Another exhibition, Suellen Rocca Drawings, took place at the Matthew Marks Gallery. This show featured her drawings from 1980 to 2018. It ran from September 14 to October 27, 2018.
Rocca also curated an exhibition. It was called The Figure and the Chicago Imagists: Selections from the Elmhurst College Art Collection. This show was at the Elmhurst Art Museum. It ran from September 8, 2018, to January 13, 2019.
Suellen Rocca's art has been displayed in many places. These include the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Matthew Marks Gallery. Her work is also at The Art Institute of Chicago. It has also been part of various traveling shows.
