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James Hua-Zen Kao

Education

MFA, Painting and Drawing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2006.

BFA, Painting and Drawing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2004.

BA, Philosophy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1997.
One and Two Person Exhibitions
2011 Habitations, Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery, Center Sandwich, NH.
2010 Do it cuz you love it, China Projects, San Francisco, CA.
Possible Worlds
, Toomey Tourell Fine Art, San Francisco, CA.
2009 Ways of Worldmaking, Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2008 Frequencies:  New Paintings by Michael Ajerman and James Kao, Toomey Tourell Fine Art, San Francisco, CA.
Prehensile
, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College, Galesburg, IL.
2007 James Kao: New Paintings, Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Filaments, Lee E. Dulgar Gallery, South Suburban College, South Holland, IL.
Dilations, Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2006 James Kao: Recent Paintings, American Theater Company, Chicago, IL.
Group Exhibitions
2012 Landscape: A Fresh Perspective, Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery, Center Sandwich, NH.
B.A.D., curated by Molar Productions, Beverly Arts Center, Cicago, IL.
2011 MDW Fair w/ Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Peregrine Papers,
MDW Fair w/ Peregrine Projects, Chicago, IL.
Sexy,
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL.
Sexier
, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL.
Ox-Bow Winter Benefit Auction,
Architechtural Artifacts, Chicago, IL.
Abacus Asleep with James Kao, Mie Kongo, and Sarah Nishiura,
Art Igloo, www.artigloo.com.
2010 BamBUDDHAed, curated by Larry Lee, Portage ARTspace, Chicago, IL.
CPC Student Exhibition
, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Chicago, IL.
Next Art Fair
w/ Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Potluck
, The Op-Shop, Chicago, IL.
Hospitality House 25th Annual Auction,
Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2009 University-wide, juried by Allison Peters Quinn, DOVA Temporary,Chicago, IL.
Fest Fest Silent Auction,
Julius Caesar, Chicago, IL.
Seeking Art: 'Bargain Basement', a project by Hui-min Tsen,
Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago, IL.
The Diorama Show,
curated by Laura Schaeffer, HOME, Chicago, IL.
Third National Juried Exhibition,
juried by Susanna Coffey, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY.
Seeking Art: 'Bargain Basement', a project by Hui-min Tsen, NFO EXPO, Version Fest, Chicago, IL.
2008 (re)Visions, The O' Connor Gallery of Art, Dominican University, River Forest, IL.
Mutability: New Paintings by Sevando Garcia, James Kao, and Ann Toebbe,
curated by Patricia Courson, ATC
       Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Ten
, Toomey Tourell Fine Art, San Francisco, CA.
Bridge Art Fair w/ Toomey Tourell Fine Art, New York, NY.
sMART Benefit & Auction,
Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL.
artWork 5
, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL.
2007 Flow: Miami Invitational Art Fair w/ Toomey Tourell Fine Art, South Beach, FL.
Art Now Fair w/ Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Miami Beach, FL.
Plaza Art Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL.
Bridge Art Fair w/ Toomey Tourell Fine Art, London, UK.
Faculty Group Exhibition, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL.
Interstitial, Zhou B Arts Center, Chicago, IL.
Bridge Art Fair w/ Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Celebration of Faculty Work, Rebecca Crown Library, Dominican University, River Forest, IL.
Around the Coyote w/ Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2006

PooL Boomerang Art Fair w/ Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Miami Beach, FL.
Moreover: Practicing Representation + Abstraction, curated by Michelle Grabner, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
.
Slowness, Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL.
Gallery Artists, Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL.
SAIC Graduate Exhibition, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL.
Landscape, Seascape, Dreamscape, The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake, Nassau Bay, TX.

2005 Plaza Art Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL.
Experiment 400/5, Gallery 400, Chicago, IL.
Chicago Art Open, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL.
Strictly Drawing, Bloomingdale Park District Museum, Bloomingdale, IL.
Nippon Steel USA, Inc., Juried Show, Chicago, IL.
2004 Undergraduated Talent, ATC Gallery, Chicago, IL.
SAIC Undergraduate Exhibition, Gallery 2, Chicago, IL.
Nippon Steel USA, Inc., Juried Show, Chicago, IL.
2003 Galleria ISA, Group Show, Montecastello di Vibio, Italy.
Festival of the Arts, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Professional Activities
Juror, Space Coast Art Festival, Cocoa Beach, FL, 2011.
Visiting Artist Lecture and Critiques, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 2011.
Artist Lecture, 8 Days of Weeks: White Mountains Cultural Festival, The Branch: An Extension of the Jeanne Limmer Dance Center, North Conway, NH, 2011.
Artists Connect Lecture Series: James Kao connects with Tiepolo, Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chcicago, IL, 2011.
Artist Lecture, Ox-Bow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI, 2010.
Artist Lecture, Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2009.
Visiting Artist Lecture and Critiques, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2008.
Artist Lecture, Gosia Koscielak Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2007.
Visiting Artist Lecture, Whittier College, Whittier, CA, 2006.

Panelist, Painting: Issues of Color, "Wittgenstein, the Language of Color, and Painting", College Art Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2005.

Co-Director, Interlink Visiting Artist Program, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2005 - 2006.
Co-Curator, Drawn to Drawing, Betty Rymer Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2005.
Juror, Exhibitions and Events Committee, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2005.
Teaching Experience

School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Instructor in Painting and Drawing, Chicago , IL, 2007 - Present. 

Ox-Bow School of Art, Instructor in Painting and Drawing, Saugatuck, MI, summer 2010. 

SAIC, Early College Program, Instructor in Painting and Drawing, IL, 2006 - Present. 

Dominican University, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Painting and Drawing, River Forest, IL, 2006 - 2010.

Hyde Park Art Center,Instructor in Painting and Drawing, Chicago, IL, 2008. 
Evanston Art Center, Instructor in Painting and Drawing, Evanston, IL, 2006 - 2007. 
Indiana University Northwest, Instructor in Drawing, Gary, IL, 2006.

SAIC, Teaching Assistant (Nine Teaching Assistantships in Studio, Seminar, and Art History), Chicago, IL, 2002 - 2005. 

Private Tutor in Painting and Drawing, Chicago , IL, 2001 - 2008.

Academic Service
Faculty Representative, Part-Time Concerns Committee of the Faculty Senate, SAIC,, Chicago, IL, 2010 - Present (re-elected Spring 2012).
Faculty Representative, Admissions, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2007 - Present.
Senator, Student Governemnt, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2004.
Judicial Review Committee, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2002 - 2004.
Awards and Honors
Artist in Residence, Catwalk Art Residency, Catskill, NY, 2012.
Artist in Residence, White Mountain National Forest Preserve, Meade Conservation Center, Sandwich, NH, 2011.
Artist in Residence, Marina Abramović Institute-West, San Francisco, CA, 2010.
Best of Show, 31st Annual Plaza Art Competition, 2007.
Best Figurative Painting Award, 29th Annual Plaza Art Competition, 2005.
Nippon Steel USA, Inc. Presidential Purchase Award, 2005.
Incentive Merit Scholarship Award, SAIC, 2004 - 2006.
City of Hope Service Award, 2001.
Citations

The Laconia Daily Sun, "'Habitations' exhibit opens at Sandwich Gallery", Roger Amsden, September 1, 2011.

The Nashua Telegraph, Encore, "Being White Mountain artist in residence offers different perspective than Chicago, Los Angeles", Robbie Feinberg, August 7, 2011.
The Conway Daily Sun, "White Mountain National Forest artist in residence chosen", August 4, 2011.
Boston Globe, The Associated Press, "Chicago painter named NH forest artist", July 17, 2011.
Bailliwik, Issue 8, Autumn, 2010.
at Length Magazine, "Poetry/ Painting", April, 2010.
ArtSlant.com, "Not So Ordinary", Roby Farrell Roulo, September 28, 2009.
at Length Magazine, "A Correspondence with James Kao", Elaine Bleakney, September, 2009.
Dominican Star, "(Re)visions Showcases Faculty Artwork, November 19, 2008.
Time Out Chicago, "Mutability", Garin Pirnia, Issue 189, October 9-15, 2008.
The Knox Student, "Kao paints with mixed meanings", Anjali Pattanayak, February, 21, 2008.
The Villager, "BAC Auction Offers Original Art", February 2008.
The Villager, "Winners Announced for 2007 Plaza Art Competition",December 2007.
Flavorpill Chicago, Issue 132, March 31, 2007.
Chicago Reader, March 29, 2007.
Chicago Sun-Times, "'Classic Hits' from the past still a real blast", Margaret Hawkins, March 23, 2007.
"Time is on Our Side", Terry Myers, exhibition catalogue for Slowness.
"Returns to an Evacuated Site", Aaron Walker, exhibition catalogue for Slowness.
F News, "Drawn to Drawing", Katrina Kuntz, July 2005.
Collections
White Mountain National Forest Service, Campton, NH.
Nippon Steel USA, Inc., Chicago, IL.