Emily Rapport
Inspired by the urban landscape of Chicago, Emily Rapport paints vacant lots, El tracks, neighborhood houses, fast food restaurants, and construction sites. These ordinary scenes share a strong sense of locality but also belong to a larger American landscape and culture. Painting is an active practice for her, an exploration of beauty and resonance in daily life.
Emily studied painting at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York (94-95), and received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2005. Additionally, she has exhibited her work in numerous non-traditional spaces, organizing and promoting pop-up shows and open studios for Chicago Artists’ Month, as well as participating in group and gallery shows in New York, Los Angeles, and Amsterdam. Her work can be found in private and corporate collections across the United States, France, Germany, and Japan.
An active participant in her community, Emily was significantly involved in building what has become the “Ravenswood Art Walk,” an annual tour of arts and industry in Ravenswood Corridor from 2005-2007. She has worked with representatives of the arts community including the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Artists’ Resource to try to help reform burdensome city ordinances as they relate to creative practices. In 2011, Emily was awarded the “Ravenswood Arts Advocate” award by the Ravenswood Art Walk.
Most recently, Emily’s work was published in the Winter 2018 edition of American Scholar Magazine and Issue #42 of Studio Visit Magazine. Emily’s work was selected for exhibition in the 2018 Rockford Midwestern Biennial at the Rockford Art Museum and the 2018 Evanston Art Center Biennial. In October 2018, Emily opened her storefront studio and gallery space, Eat Paint Studio.
