Artists from all over the world can send in their applications to have their work printed on vinyl and heat-wrapped to one of the City of Elgin’s downtown traffic boxes. This year we had over 20 submissions from artists to wrap one of nine boxes in downtown. The ECAC selected Chicago-based artist, Margie Criner’s, Float, which will be wrapped on the box title TS9 located at the corner of Riverside Drive and Highland Avenue. The box was wrapped earlier this month.
About Margie: Born in Detroit in 1968, Margie Criner resides in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. Her art combines architectural and geometric forms with play. Criner’s paintings begin as abstractions of her three-dimensional sculptural work. Her background in design and woodworking enable Criner to utilize a variety of materials. She received a Bachelor of Science in Textile Design from Michigan State University in 1991 and has exhibited her work in galleries and art centers throughout the United States. Her work will soon be at the WNDR Museum in Chicago and the Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, Illinois. You can find out more about Margie’s work by visiting her website, mcriner.com.
About Float: The inspiration behind this piece is the geographical location of Elgin, sitting along the Fox River. The Fox River serves to connect communities. Floatis informed by the notion that we are all connected. The abstraction of boat shapes used in the work is my expression of diversity and individuality. The palette is intended to offer a sense lightness, an ease similar to what it might feel like floating on calm water.
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This article originally appeared in BRAVO Magazine, an Elgin, Illinois ink-and-paper monthly magazine devoted to arts, entertainment, community events & dining.