The Lobby at One Two Pru Presents
African Diaspora: Chicago
An Exhibition Curated By
May 28, 2021 - May 2022
One Two Pru is proud to present African Diaspora: Chicago, a lobby installation curated by Chicago’s renowned Gallery Guichard. The exhibition tells the story of the city through thought-provoking, mixed-media art, from its long history of jazz and blues to the recent isolation and introspection as a result of the pandemic, finding opportunity amid adversity and the current homecoming to Chicago’s central downtown. A thoughtful collaboration between One Two Pru and Gallery Guichard, this exhibition is designed to create a much-deserved platform for underrepresented artists of African descent and foster a new, meaningful cultural experience at Chicago’s landmark address.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Saxing It Up!
Andre Guichard
Synchronization
Andre Guichard
Portal to a Better Place I
Andre Guichard
Portal to a Better Place II
Andre Guichard
Creation Series II
Stephen 'Sayo' Olalekan
Creation Series III
Stephen 'Sayo' Olalekan
Consent
Stephen 'Sayo' Olalekan
Great Migration Series “Journey"
Frances "Marlene Campbell" Guichard
Rainbow Coalition I
Andre Guichard
Rainbow Coalition II
Andre Guichard
Rainbow Coalition III
Andre Guichard
Great Migration Series: The City That Never Sleeps
Frances ‘Marlene Campbell’ Guichard
Great Migration Series: New Frontiers
Frances ‘Marlene Campbell’ Guichard
Great Migration Series: Nightlight
Frances ‘Marlene Campbell’ Guichard
Constant Motion
Adam Guichard
Kaleidoscope XX
Adam Guichard
Eden
Adam Guichard
Meet the Artists
ANDRE GUICHARD
Andre Guichard is the co-owner of Gallery Guichard LLC, Guichard Project LLC and Building Community Foundation Inc., and is a partner in the Bronzeville Artist Lofts. With over 28 years of experience painting professionally, Andre Guichard is the visionary behind a diverse portfolio of work that can be found in over 2,500 corporate and private collections globally.
Read moreFrom 2008-2018, Andre was the international curator and spokesperson for the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, and in 2012, was tapped by music legend Prince and Rebuild the Dream Village to create thirty 8’x4’ abstract paintings for the Welcome 2 Chicago concert. From 2011-2016, the Chicago Urban League commissioned Andre to create paintings of the prestigious Bill Berry honorees, including Louis Gossett Jr., Jesse Jackson Sr., Rev and Willie Burrows. Six of his original paintings have been featured on canvas totes for the Walgreens Community Corner program and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and he has a permanent jazz-inspired installation in the Bronzeville Jazz McDonald’s restaurant. Today, Andre’s partnerships include PepsiCo and LIFEWTR, AARP, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Riley Safer Holmes, and he currently serves on the boards of the Better Boys Foundation and Court Theatre in Chicago.
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FRANCES ‘MARLENE CAMPBELL’ GUICHARD
An entrepreneur and fine artist, Frances ‘Marlene Cambpell’ Guichard is the co-owner of Gallery Guichard and the Guichard Project LLC. Frances received her master’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1996 and worked in government for over 20 years before venturing into business with her husband Andre — first with Gallery Guichard in 2005 and later with the Guichard Project as co-developer of the Bronzeville Artist Lofts in 2013.
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ADAM GUICHARD
Adam Guichard is a self-taught artist from the Southside of Chicago. After graduating from Howard University in 2000, he decided to pursue a career in art and has since done various shows around the Chicago area and throughout the United States, Cuba and Europe. Adam uses mixed media to create abstract and three-dimensional artworks, and is currently working on seven different series that emphasize the African American experience from the Diaspora to the present day. He won the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago Black Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in Visual Arts for 2011-2012 and was one of the featured artists on the 2013 and 2014 Joyner Fantastic Voyag—e Cruise, among several other accomplishments.
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STEPHEN ‘SAYO’ OLALEKAN
Sayo Olalekan began his career as an artist at a tender age and won his first state and national award in art while in junior secondary school at Oyo State College of Education Model High School. In 2013, he was awarded a B. Sc Fine Arts in painting from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has participated in many exhibitions, including “The Impressionist” at Osogbo in 2011, “New Names'' at Obafemi Awolowo University in 2012, “Inception” at the University of Ibadan in 2012 and more.
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ABOUT GALLERY GUICHARD
Helmed by owners and artists Andre and Frances Guichard, Gallery Guichard is the most notable and respected gallery in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood — the largest African American art district in the country. Located on the first floor of the Bronzeville Artist Lofts, Gallery Guichard seeks to expose patrons to multicultural artists specializing in the African Diaspora and prides itself on being a safe haven for fine art enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in rich culture that touches the soul.
Learn MoreThe Lobby at One Two Pru
Set within the heart of Chicago’s bustling East Loop, One Two Pru is a destination in and of itself, home to an array of retail options, a distinct park-like environment and the city’s much-talked about art exhibition curated by Gallery Guichard.
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Let us know what pieces resonated with you most. Find us on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @gallery_guichard and @onetwopru. And don’t miss our guided audio tour of the exhibition on Instagram stories.
