Lifestyle

We wanted the development and design of Xavier to be rooted in community and sustainability, so we worked with local organizations to identify artists and designers to help us bring the building to life. Taking a tour through the halls and our shared spaces, you’ll find one-of-a-kind and locally-sourced artwork at every turn.

RUBEN AGUIRRE

Ruben Aguirre is a Chicago based painter who has transitioned from graffiti writing to abstract painter/contemporary muralist. He has produced a number of murals in the Chicago land area. He received a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in painting in 2002.

Cabrini Breeze
Aerosol Mural
Location: 18th Floor Lounge

MULTIPLE ARTISTS

During World War II, emotionally stirring propaganda posters commissioned by the U.S. Government helped spur U.S. Citizens "to do their part" in helping to supply, arm and support troops fighting overseas. Green Patriot Posters, inspired by World War II posters, hopes to unite us all once again – this time to combat climate change. Launched by art collective the Canary Project in 2008, Green Patriot Posters invites designers, illustrators, photographers and artists to create poster-form artwork relating to any aspect of climate change and environmental justice.

To date, over 500 designs have been collected. This special exhibition at Xavier includes a selection of Green Patriot Posters.

Green Patriot Poster Collection
Location: Building Lobby

ROBIN DLUZEN + JOSUE PELLOT

Robin Dluzen was born and raised in Southeast Michigan. In 2008, the artist received a BFA in Fine Arts and Literature from Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, before coming to Chicago to pursue a graduate degree. In 2010, Dluzen received an MFA in Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently Dluzen maintains a studio practice in the city of Chicago.

Josue Pellot currently resides in Chicago. He received his MFA from Northwestern University and his BFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Pellot has received attention through a number of solo exhibitions, among them: Universidad Catolica De Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico; Chicago Cultural Center; and Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. His work has been included in group exhibitions at: Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Contemporary Art Society, London; Vane Contemporary, Newcastle, England.

Ass, Grass or Gas….Nobody Rides for Free
Wood, Lacquer, Enamel, Wood Veneer, Shag Carpet and Vintage Van Window
Location: Conference Room

SCOTT SIMONS + KEVIN SWALLOW

A collaborative mixed media painting by Chicago artists, Scott Simons and Kevin Swallow, this piece combines Simons’ abstract textures and lines with Swallow’s cityscapes and abstract graffiti. Both artists are influenced by architecture and draw their inspiration from the urban environment. This is their first collaboration.

The painting references a jazz song, Sunflower Slow Drag by Scott Joplin. Like jazz, the painting was improvised. They passed the painting back-and-forth over the course of a week—reacting to each other’s lines, marks, and colors. The panel was flipped and turned in various directions as they worked, until the painting unfolded into a finished composition.

Sunflower Slow Drag
Digital reproduction of a mixed media on panel painting
Location: Corridors

MICHELLE PETERSON-ALBANDOZ

Peterson-Albandoz sees her creative process as a kind of reversal of time and waste. Layers of old wood still containing the cracked paint and rusty nail holes begin to build up like a living tree once more. It is at the same time a reminder of the tree that once grew in the forest, the harvesting and manipulating of it into architectural structures and the ultimate rebirth as an aesthetic object.

Red X’s
Reclaimed Wood and Mixed Media
Location: Mail Room