Download for immediate release - Chicago Artists Resource

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: David Dimas
Marketing Director- Mozawa
[email protected] / 708.277.3884
Mozawa Presents the World Premiere of
Y PORTRAITS: Awakening
An interdisciplinary art gallery experience
July / August 2015
CHICAGO, IL (July / August 2015) – Mozawa presents the company’s second produced work, Y
PORTRAITS: Awakening, an interdisciplinary art gallery experience featuring a collection of selfportraits by international Millennial artists. Co-curated by Artistic Director Matthew Ozawa and Executive
Director Jodi Gage, this world premiere event features art ranging from visual art & photography to live
dramatic and dance performance to music and video experiences by Mozawa’s global network of artists.
The event will also feature the musical collaboration of Chicago Harp Quartet and Ho Etsu Taiko.
Y PORTRAITS: Awakening runs July 30th- August 2nd at Open Secret Studio, 401 N Racine Ave,
Chicago, IL 60642. Tickets are $25 and currently available Online at www.artful.ly/mozawa, or at the
door prior to each performance.
“Y PORTRAITS: Awakening is right in line with Mozawa’s mission of breaking the barriers that exist
between differing artistic media and cultures. We have not only commissioned artists from all artistic
mediums to create self-portraits for this gallery, but have done so through our global network. This
means that we are bringing artists from around the world together, letting their voices and art ricochet off
each other. This, in conjunction with our musical collaboration with Chicago Harp Quartet and Ho Etsu
Taiko will be completely unique to Chicago” comments Artistic Director Matthew Ozawa
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Title:
Curators:
Artist Liaison:
Y PORTRAITS: Awakening
Matthew Ozawa & Jodi Gage
Kaitlyn Majoy
Featuring Art By:
MUSIC COLLABORATION
Chicago Harp Quartet (Chicago)
Ho Etsu Taiko (Chicago)
VISUAL ARTISTS
Selena Carrion (Visual Art - Chicago)
Hope Hasan (Visual Art - Chicago)
Kristin Ingram (Visual Art - Chicago)
Angelina Keating "Artist Barbie" (Visual Art - Chicago)
Samantha Knott (Photography - London)
C. Murdock Lucas (Sculpture - NYC)
Joseph Ramski (Visual Art - Chicago)
Carolyn Mraz (Sculpture - NYC)
Dina Perez (Visual Art - NYC)
Alex Puryear (Visual Art - Chicago)
Elana Tenner (Visual Art - Chicago)
Eric Watkins (Photography - Chicago)
Jonathen Wikholm (Live Painting - Chicago)
SOUND ARTISTS
Laura Brenko (Australia)
Mika Hayashi Ebbesen (London)
Sara Heaton (New Hampshire)
Mike Vernusky (Texas)
VIDEO / PROJECTION ARTISTS
Kym Bernazky (NYC)
Ruth Coughlin (LA)
William Dwyer (Chicago)
Kristopher Lencowski (LA)
Jenna Pawlicki (Chicago)
Sonia Villani (NYC)
Jon Wes (Chicago)
Hannah Wolf (NYC / Alaska)
INSTILLATION ART (All Chicago based)
Taylor Bibat
William Boles
Anna Nilles
LIVE PERFORMANCES (All Chicago based)
Melissa McNamara
Sheridan Singleton
Charlie Wein
Nelia Miller
Nicole Richwalsky
Molly Corkins
Kiley B Moore
Corey Smith
Location:
Dates:
Tickets:
Open Secret Studio, 401 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Thursday July 30 – Sunday August 2
Gallery opens at 6pm
Event starts at 8pm
$25
Online: www.artful.ly/mozawa or in person at the door prior to each performance
About the Artistic Director:
American Stage Director, Matthew Ozawa, has an international career spanning all artistic disciplines
having worked for prestigious companies worldwide including Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera of
Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Macau International Festival, and Oregon Shakespeare
Festival. Additionally, Ozawa is the Founder and Artistic Director of Mozawa, a performing arts company
that generate creative and cultural hybrid works of art that explore the human identity.
His most recent acclaimed productions include: Tsuru (World Premiere – Houston Ballet / Asia Society),
Porcelain (Prologue Theatre Company), Snow Dragon (World Premiere- Skylight Music Theater), Fallen
(World Premiere - Mozawa), Les Mamelles de Tiresias / Le Pauvre Matelot (New Production - Wolftrap
Opera), Don Giovanni (Lyric Opera of Chicago – Ryan Opera Center), Canciones y arias (Lyric
Unlimited), A Little Night Music (Houston Grand Opera), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Lyric Opera of Chicago Ryan Opera Center), and the world premiere of The Memory Stone (Houston Grand Opera - HGOco).
Other directing and choreography credits include scenes for the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Scenes, a
site specific Act III of Crowded House: The Winter's Tale for The State Theater, staged readings of The
Pride for Prologue Theater Company and the electro-theatre piece Radio Ghosts for New Leaf
Theater, La Boheme for Opera North, several student matinee performances and second casts for Lyric
Opera of Chicago, Falstaff for Opera in the Heights in Houston, and A Son at the Front at the Athenaeum
Theater in Chicago. Ozawa made his New York directorial debut, directing/ choreographing, writing,
conceiving and producing Bound Shadow. In addition, he has directed numerous theater
and opera productions for Oberlin College, including Tales from Ovid, Suddenly Last Summer, and The
Crane Wife (world premiere opera) among others.
As an Associate and Assistant Director, Ozawa has worked for Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera
of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Opera Theatre of St
Louis, Opera Colorado, Macau International Festival, Indianapolis Opera, and Off-Broadway. He has
worked with world-renowned directors including Peter Sellars, Francesca Zambello, David Alden, Bob
Falls, Gary Griffin, Francisco Negrin and James Robinson.
Besides working professionally in opera and theater, Ozawa is equally comfortable in the world of music
and dance having studied with world-renowned composer/director/choreographer Meredith Monk as well
as dancer Simone Forti.
A proponent of arts education, Ozawa has acted as Lecturer for the School of Music at DePaul University
and Lecturer / Stage Director of Opera for the School of Music at North Park University. As an acting and
movement coach, Ozawa has worked with young singers at the Santa Fe Opera, Ryan Opera Center
(Lyric Opera of Chicago), DePaul University, Rider University and North Park University.
Ozawa has received numerous awards, honors and fellowships. In 2012 Ozawa was the Judges' Winner
of the 24hr Opera Competition for Atlanta Opera. In 2011, he studied with Anne Bogart during the SITI
Summer Theater Training Program at Skidmore College. In 2010 he was a Charles MacKay Career
Development Honoree at Opera Theatre of St Louis. He was awarded a directing fellowship with Oregon
Shakespeare Festival in 2007, followed by a dramaturgy fellowship in 2008. Ozawa was also awarded
the James S. McLaughlin Memorial Prize in Theater for his work at Oberlin (BA in Musicology and Music
Theory), as well as being honored Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Lambda.
Upcoming Directing Engagements Include: Second Nature (Lyric Unlimited – Lyric Opera of Chicago),
Arizona Lady (Arizona Opera), and TBA World Premiere (Houston Grand Opera - HGOco).
www.matthewozawa.com
About Mozawa:
Formed in March of 2013, Mozawa is a Chicago-based performing arts company that builds unique
productions that highlight the commonality of what it means to be human. Mozawa uses a collaborative
process to generate our art with diverse artists from a variety of artistic disciplines and cultural
backgrounds. Mozawa artists hail from across the United States and around the world.
The company was founded by artistic director Matthew Ozawa who directs for both opera and theater
companies across the globe. In founding his own company, Matthew aims to create art works which
blend the artistic boundaries between theatre, opera, film, visual art, dance, fashion, and design while
simultaneously drawing inspiration from the history and texts of the world theatre.
Mission:
Mozawa is a global performing arts company based out of Chicago that seeks to break the barriers that
exist between differing artistic media and cultures. We create art across boundaries through an
incubation collabortive process, fusing together a diverse array of artistic minds from our global network.
Through visceral theatrical events, we challenge our audiences' perception of the world in which they
live.
Core Values:
HYBRIDITY
Our artworks are creative and cultural hybrids. By this, we mean that each of our art works will be a
hybrid of at least two different artistic forms and/or the stories, aesthetics, or viewpoints of two different
cultures.
COLLABORATION
We collaborate in a series of four interconnected, concentric circles: 1) We create within a collaborative
artistic atmosphere; 2) We collaborate between artistic disciplines; 3) We partner with other artistic
organizations in the creation of art works; 4) We engage with a variety of local, regional, and international
communities. As part of this ethos, Mozawa artists work with generosity, kindness, and a sense of fun.
TRANSFORMATION
Mozawa seeks to transform both our audience and ourselves as artists. Our goal is to wake people up
and expand the understanding of the world and our place within it. We aim to break barriers by
challenging perception and our expectations of what is considered theatrical.
EXCELLENCE
We aspire to produce works of the highest level of aesthetic and artistic unity, creating a total experience
for the audience and artists.
For additional information on Mozawa, visit www.mozawa.org
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