WAYS OF LIVING

Organized by Lele Buonerba and Marissa Macias

June 7, 5–10pm Opening Night

Sounds by: PXM (live) foghorn (live) Lele & Marissa (dj) June 8–10, 2026 by appointment

Objects by: Madeleine Aguilar Nick Anaclerio Bárbara Baron Katon Black Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Ana Ghalehbani Danielle K Gonnering Dave Kalesz Marissa Macias Jacob Polhill Ariel Prado MacGregor Salmon Larry Tchogninou

 

Madeleine Aguilar is a multidisciplinary artist + musician from Chicago. Their work is often mobile / modular / interactive and can be found in backyards, libraries, gardens, storefronts, homes, galleries, artist-run spaces & book fairs. They respond to existing environments, building structures + furniture + instruments that prompt users to actively reconsider & redefine their function(s) and freely engage with their sonic landscape.

Nick Anaclerio is a designer exploring ways of explicating the roles of broader social systems in shaping the objects with which we live, presenting artifacts as means to access latent social alternatives.

Bárbara Baron is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and media media collections specialist from Florianópolis, Brazil. In their artistic practice, which often embrace the imperfections of obsolete technology, they try to grasp the unifying elements holding systems together: a process of unraveling the ordinary and extraordinary by exploring life ‘in circuits’.

Katon Black is an artist, designer, and skateboarder working across photography, print, collage, objects, and furniture. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, his practice is informed by his upbringing in an artist family and by the material and cultural traditions of the African diaspora. Centered on designing, building, and curating playful spaces and objects, his work fosters community, culture, creativity, and connection.

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante is an industrial designer producing works informed by her professional experience in the manufacturing industry. Sara is a graduate of UIC’s School of Design where she now teaches while working in the commercial furniture industry. Bien Bueno is her evolving body of work with a focus on home objects and furniture.

Ana Ghalehbani is a product designer whose practice is grounded in the belief that design’s greatest influence often emerges through subtle change. She explores how objects can shape everyday experiences, translating observation and inquiry into tangible forms. Through her work, she seeks to create meaningful impact, demonstrating how small interventions can contribute to broader cultural, social, and environmental transformations.

Danielle Gonnering is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work bridges fine art and functional design. Specializing in housewares and accessories. Her practice centers on finding beauty in what the environment offers and what it loses.

Dave Kalesz is an American designer and musician inspired by the tone of folk music and a standard way of living.

Marissa Macias is a Chicago-based designer. Her approach to making is rooted in a deep appreciation for craft. She studied fine art at Milwaukee institute of art and design and is currently a graduate student at University of Illinois at Chicago in Industrial Design.

Jacob Polhill is a Chicago-based designer, educator, and DJ whose work lives at the intersection of people and the things they reach for — objects, spaces, sounds, and the moments those encounters create.

Ariel Prado is a designer and artist born in Houston, Texas (1999) and based in Chicago. They received a BDes in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois Chicago. Their practice sits at the intersection of materiality, research, and sustainability creating objects that feel grounded in process and fabrication.

MacGregor Salmon is a graduate student at University of Illinois Chicago with an interest in household objects, accessories, and stationery. He explores form language through material experimentation, playfulness, and social facilitation.

Larry Tchogninou is a polymath multidisciplinary creative, architect and industrial designer from Benin who has lived in Chicago since 2018. He has a Bachelors of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. His work is an ode to optimism. His goal is to constantly show that it is never late for new ideas.

Reception Counter-clockwise:

Katon Black Brush study #1, 2026 Stained poplar wood Katon Black Broom study #1, 2026 Stained poplar wood

Katon Black and Carina VargasNuñez Ashé, 2026 Ash wood

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Chamfer Low Table (Prototype), 2026 Plywood

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Bronze Candelabra, 2021 Bronze

Nick Anaclerio Shibari Chair, 2018 Oil-blackened steel rebar, hemp rope

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Bent Side Table, 2026 Aluminum

Bárbara Baron Bootleg Snoopy, 2026 Blow mold plastic, electronic components

Danielle K Gonnering Vessel, 2024 Cast glass, hand sculpted

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Flocked Candleholder, 2026 MJF nylon and nylon flock

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Helix Desk Toy, 2021 (2x) Bronze

Marissa Macias TV CAGE, 2026 CRT TV, conduit pipe

Nick Anaclerio Utopian Air Support, 2024 Craft paper, bamboo, hemp twine, paraffin, bees wax

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Helix Desk Toy, 2021 (2x) Bronze

Madeleine Aguilar RISO lamps, 2025 Discarded RISO ink tubes, lightbulb splitter

Sara V. Ramirez Bustamante Folded Tray 1, 2026 Silicone

Dave Kalesz Proun 2026 Oak, Galvanized steel, nylon string, leather

Marissa Macias cobwed broom, 2025 Wood, broom corn

Gallery Clockwise:

Larry Tchogninou Lamp, 2025 16-gauge carbon steel, 22-gauge aluminum mesh, rivets, screws, bolts, double bulb socket, E26 light bulb, toggle switch, PE sheeting.

Ariel Prado Invasive Matter, 2026 (2x) White oak, black locust, bronze

Katon Black In bloom, 2025 Found wood scraps

Katon Black Small Object Exploration, Spoon, Bowl, and Pick, 2026 Walnut wood, poplar wood

Larry Tchogninou Stool, 2025 16-gauge carbon steel, 22-gauge aluminum mesh, rivets, screws, bolts.

Danielle K Gonnering Vase 2, 2025 Ceramic

MacGregor Salmon Scholastic Lounge Chair, 2025 Ash wood, zinc bolts

Jacob Polhill Stool, 2026 Ash

Madeleine Aguilar tambjo, 2025 tamborine, pegboard, rubber tubing, wood, contact mic

Madeleine Aguilar rubberbandjo, 2025 IKEA plant dish, wood, rubberbands, paracord, contact mic

Ana Ghalehbani The Capillary Chair, 2025 Metal conduit, aluminum tubing, sheet metal

Danielle K Gonnering Pedestal, 2026 Green ash, black walnut

Marissa Macias Tambour Door Cabinet, 2025 Wood

Marissa Macias PRIOR, 2024 Recycled upholstery fabric swatches

Jacob Polhill Record Cabinet, 2026 Baltic birch plywood

Operating Room Clockwise:

Bárbara Baron Koko, The Gorilla, 2026 Blow mold plastic, electronic components

Marissa Macias tube pillow, 2026 Cotton, recycled fablic stuffing

Marissa Macias Pillow Square 01, 2026 Sherpa, linen, sequens

MacGregor Salmon Bounce Light, 2025 Tennis balls, nylon cord