Fresh Air: A Virtual Art Exhibition of Chicagoland Nature

Artists from Project Onward present Fresh Air, a virtual exhibition featuring Chicagoland natural treasures, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods and sites within the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Fresh Air captures the human yearning for connection to the outside, after months of shelter-in-place in Illinois and around the country.

“I enjoyed painting a natural landscape. The piece I made captures the serene peace of an early morning,” said participating artist Fernando Ramirez.

Prior to the spread of COVID-19, the artists of Project Onward, a nonprofit studio and gallery for professional artists with mental and developmental disabilities, visited Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods and the Trailside Museum of Natural History in Thatcher Woods to find inspiration in nature. This collaboration gave them an exciting opportunity to bask in the natural surroundings, learn about local wildlife, and experience close-up encounters with the animals on site. It was a memorable experience that fueled…