Biography
Jordan Keyes (b. 1999) is a Chicago-based artist working with textiles, photography and artist’s books. They examine labor, class, and sustainability to question current ways of life within the United States. Jordan received their BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2021. Keyes was awarded the Fred Endsley Memorial Fellowship, the Contemporary Practices Scholarship, and the Outstanding New Artist Award. Their work has been exhibited at Povos (IL, 2023), Mana Contemporary (IL, 2022), Fulton Street Collective (IL, 2022), The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL, 2021), Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection (IL, 2021), The Center for the Arts Bonita Springs (FL, 2018), and Naples Art Association (FL, 2018).
Artist Statement
My artist practice examines notions of labor, class, and sustainability through quilted and embroidered textiles. Both the process and the material reference traditional work while the imagery of culitvated land and bodies of water remind viewers of a more historic way of life. I explore current American labor practices and within my art, dissect how it contributes to class divide as well as the failing health and well-being of modern society.
CV
Born 1999, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Lives/Works in Chicago, IL
Education
2018-21 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Awards
2021 Fred Endsley Memorial Fellowship
2018-21 Honors Merit Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2018-19 Contemporary Practices Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
2018 Outstanding New Artist Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Marilyn R. Lightner Scholarship, Center for the Arts
Public's Favorite Piece, Naples Florida Chalk Art Downtown
2016 First Place Sculpture award, Quad City Arts Festival of Trees
Professional Experience
2024- Signage Production Technician, Expo Chicago, Chicago, IL
2022 Studio Assistant, Various Artists (Aimee Beaubien, Ellen Rothenberg), Chicago, IL
2021 Collections Assistant, Roger Brown Study Collection, Chicago, IL
2020 Collections Assistant, Randolph St Gallery Archives, Chicago, IL
Photography Intern, Chicago Corporate Photography and Video, Chicago, IL
2018- Freelance Photographer, Chicago, IL
2016-17 Gallery Assistant, Pleasant Valley Highschool, Bettendorf, IA
Group Exhibitions
2024 To What End, Second Room, Chicago, IL
2023 Bloom, Povos Chicago, Chicago, IL
2022 Tiny Works, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL
Lacuna, PhotoxCollective, Chicago, IL
Ten by Ten, Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL
Midwest Landscapes, Oak Park Art League
Fly on the Wall, Mana Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, IL
Art Inspired by Artists, Fulton Street Collection, Chicago, IL
2021 SAIC Senior Undergraduate Exhibition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Display Case Exhibition, Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, Chicago, IL
2020-21 Making It, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Wellness Center, Chicago, IL
2019 ArtBash, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2018 Early College Program Final Exhibition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The Center for the Arts, Bonita Springs, Fl
Artis Naples, Naples, FL
Naples Art Association, Naples, FL
2017 Early College Program Final Exhibition, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2016 Festival of Trees, Quad City Arts, Rock Island, IL
Bibliography
2022 SAIC On View Instagram feature, Chicago, IL
Collections
Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection, Chicago, IL