John Fraser
John Fraser works within the disciplines of Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Photography. Fraser's earliest exhibited work was his photography, the primary focus of his practice from the mid-1970's through the mid-1980's. He received a BA from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a MFA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Fraser's first one-person exhibitions were in 1980, and to date, his work has been featured in one-person exhibitions throughout the United States, in Germany, and in Canada, and in group exhibitions throughout the United States, and in Germany, Spain, England, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, Hungary, and Iceland. Fraser has been awarded fellowships and grants from Arts Midwest /National Endowment for the Arts, and The Illinois Arts Council. As an educator, Fraser has held adjunct studio positions at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, and at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. In addition, he has been a visiting artist and lecturer at Colleges and Universities in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Utah, West Virginia, Michigan, Arkansas, Nebraska, and the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada.
STATEMENT
My work in mixed materials and processes is governed by a number of concerns, including geometry, materiality & formality, and intuition & memory. I employ geometry as a possible carrier of meaning, materiality & formality as vehicles within my process, and intuition & memory as touchstones for what I’ve learned and remember, as well as tools to challenge my thoughts and feelings as I move forward. My work in mixed media is accumulative and additive, and has required using found materials, for their laconic potential, as well as being “stand ins” for all who came into contact with said material. This material is charged with latent energy, and now, regardless of its previous function, has been altered and put into service of the new. As I travel, I have been affected by other individuals, not necessarily artists, who repair or restore rather than “do away with” objects and materials, and habitat that exist within their environment. My work in its physical form pays homage to those that repair & restore. I employ a builder’s logic in my reliefs and collages, the end results perhaps being suggestive of the walls and areas that have commanded my attention as I have traveled. Metaphorically, my works address both interior & exterior, and communicate their intent with restraint and in solitude. Ultimately, I would like my work to offer an opportunity for seeing, a moment for consideration and for prolonged investigation.
Photography
While I am an artist who works within a number of disciplines, my lens-based work is discrete and addresses the world in the most direct way. The formal and material relationships that exist in my photographs are evidence of the accumulated human contact with the built world, contact that has yielded a unique but shared entropic beauty specific to place.
I am in pursuit of subjects that have a timeless clarity and order. With an economy of means, I attempt to produce photographs that possess a formal rigor while being suggestive. I remain skeptical of special effects, and, as a producer of images, I consider my involvement with the camera a meditative act.
My photographs stem from a minimalist aesthetic. They are simultaneously factual records and abstract construction. I attempt to maintain a balance between my conception of a given subject, its image capture, its subsequent process of development, and ultimately its stasis. The reductive compositions that I have found, and arrested, are equally concerned with the problems of photographic vision, and the perception of concrete reality.
RESUME
Education
1989 M.F.A. Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
1975 B.A. Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL
Selected One Person Exhibitions
2018 Intuition & Memory, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Incident & Metaphor, Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, Chicago.
Time Well Spent, William Campbell Contemporary Art, in Fort Worth, TX
2017 ECRU, Traywick Contemporary Art & Projects, Berkeley, CA
2016 ARTMATTERS 16: John Fraser, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
2015 Interval & Ratio, Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL
Selected Works in Mixed Media1992-2013 Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
,2014 Material Witness: Recent Photographs, Toronto Image Works Gallery, Toronto, ON
Evidence: Recent Photographs, The Rangefinder Gallery, Chicago, IL
Recent Collage & Assemblage, Room 406, Chicago, IL
2013 Collection / Recollection, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
What Remains, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2012 The Built Form, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Recess & Relief, William Campbell Contemporary Art, Fort Worth, TX
Selected Works : 1991-2012 Draewell Gallery, Judson University, Elgin, IL
2011 Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
2010 Object Lesson; Continuations & New Combinations, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2008 More and Less, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
What Time Can Tell, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany
Structure & Surface, Form & Suggestion, James Patrick Gallery, Wiscasset, ME
2007 Accumulations, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
About Place, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
In Reserve, I-Space Gallery (brochure), Chicago, IL
2005 Work in Relief, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Current Collage & Assemblage, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College, Galesburg, IL
2004 Selected Works: 1990-2004, Benedicta Arts Center, St. John’s University, St. Joseph, MN
Neutral Value, Fluxion Gallery, Omaha, NE
2003 Close Values, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Selected Works: 1990-2003, Mills Gallery, Central College, Pella, IA
2001 Structure & Surface, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Scott White Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
Collages, 1995-2000, University Club, Chicago, IL
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
2000 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
1999 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Selected Works: 1990-1998, NIU Art Museum, Jack Olson Gallery, Dekalb, IL
1998 Gallery Juno, New York, NY
Material Issue, Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL
Hiestand Gallery, Miami University, Oxford, OH
Ecru, tidbit Gallery, Portland, OR
Perkinson Gallery, Millikin University, Decatur, IL
1997 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
1996 Bradley University, Peoria, IL
1995 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
1994 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
1993 Northern Illinois University Gallery(brochure), Chicago, IL
Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage(brochure), Glen Ellyn, IL
University of Minnesota at Morris, Morris, MN
1992 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
1991 Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
1990 Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, IL
1989 Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL
1988 Paper Press Gallery, Chicago, IL
1986 John Fraser : Assemblages, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
1985 University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
1982 Photographs by John Fraser, Kemper National Insurance Company Gallery, Long Grove, IL
1980 Photographs by John Fraser, Deerpath Gallery, Lake Forest, IL
Photographs 1977-1980 by John Fraser, Dunn Library Gallery, Simpson College, Indianola, IA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2017 What Lies Beneath: Collage-Montage-Assemblage (9 person), Old Jail Art Center, Albany, TX
2016 Close Readings : American Abstract ArtVanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery Collection, Nashville, TN
The LeGrand Collection: A Regional Reflection, Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA
Framed Occurrences (3 person), O’Connor Gallery, Dominican University, River Forest, IL
Artist Select(12-person), Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
PhotoSpiva 2016, Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, MO
PhotoMidwest 2016, Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI
Beyond the Pour II: The Creative Process San Francisco Museum of Craft & Design, San Francisco, CA
2015 Recycled, Repurposed, Reborn – Collage & Assemblage, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Work On & With Paper, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany
Framing Photography, Beard & Weil Gallery, Wheaton College Photography Biennial, Norton, MA
Juror: Kristin Gresh, Assistant Curator of Photography, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
3rd Annual Juried Membership Exhibition, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX. Juror: Russell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, New Orleans Museum of Art
PhotoSpiva 2015, Spiva Center for the Arts,Joplin, MO
Juror: Shannon Thomas Perich, Curator, Photographic History Collection, Smithsonian Museum, Wash. D.C.
Body, Image, Form, Rockford University Art Gallery, Rockford, IL
35th Anniversary Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2014 Traces of Creation : Recent AcquisitionsHafnarborg, The Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture & Fine Art, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Simply Drawn : Gifts from the Collection of Wynn Kramarsky, Columbus Museum, Columbus, GA
Remix: Selections: International Collage Ctr. Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, ME
Small Pleasures III(8-person), Foster Art Center, Austin College, Austin, TX
Summer Selections (gallery artists), Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2013 Papierwelten II – World of Paper II (6-person) Gallery Renate Bender, Munich, Germany
Art=Text=Art: Works by Contemporary Artists Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture & Art, Hafnarborg, Iceland
Minimal Intervention(7-person), Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY
Wall Reliefs(7-person), Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Majority Rules(12-person), McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Remix: Selections: International Collage Ctr Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
Brave New World: The Art of the Book in the Digital Age Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mt. Vernon, IL
The Story of the Creative (3 projections) See / Exhibition Space, Long Island City, NY
Exposure 2013, See. Me / On-Line Exhibition & Competition
2012 Views X “Paper and More” (6-person), QuadrART(Curated by Renate Bender), Dornbirn, Austria
Art=Text=Art, Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Remix: Selections; International Collage Ctr, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO
Summer Selections, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Exposure 2012, See. Me / On-Line Exhibition & Competition
2011 Drawn/Taped/Burned: Abstraction on Paper, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
Art=Text=Art: Works by Contemporary Artist, University of Richmond Museum of Art, Richmond,VA
Building The Collection: Lino Tagliapietra, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
Remix: Selections from the International Collage Center Samek Art Gallery, Lewis, PA
Bucknell University
The Matter of Words (3 person), Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, UT
Sculpture, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Allure: The Power of Subtle Attraction,William Campbell Contemporary Art, Fort Worth, TX
Papier, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2010 Human / Nature: Landscapes Real & University of Alberta Museums, Gallery A, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Normal Editions Workshop Collaborative: Prints, 1976-2008, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
Selections From The Permanent Collection Illinois State University Gallery, Normal, IL
2009 New York/New Drawings, 1946-2007 (catalog) Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Spain
Minimalist Works (5 person), Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
The Seamless Garment (8 person), Broadbent Gallery, London, England
Recent Acquisitions: Modern & Contemp, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
The First 100 Years: Collecting at BYU, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, UT
Gallery Artist Exhibition, Roy Boyd Gallery,Chicago, IL
Contemporary Works from the Cleve Carney Collection Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL
In Plane Sight : Wall Sculpture (5 person), Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
Gallery Artist Exhibition, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2008 Sculpture in 2D : Prints & Drawings…, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Papier=Kunst 6 (10 Person) (catalog), Neuer Kunstverein, Aschaffenburg, Germany
American Art Since 1945 : In A New Light, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Gallery Artist Exhibition, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
This is Japanese, The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
Art for Wine, Selections from Imagery Winery Carnegie Art Museum,Oxnard, CA
Paper Goods, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
40th Anniversary Invitational(catalog), William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL
Tranquilities, The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Papierwelten(5 person), Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany
Frontiers of Printmaking, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Summer Exhibition, Scott White Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
Simple Elegance, The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
In Context- Collage & Abstraction (catalog), Pavel Zoubok Gallery New York, NY
2006 Sculpture(5 person), Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Wood & Paper, The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
Building A Legacy: 1985-2007, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
Material Difference : Soft Sculpture and Wall Works(catalog), The Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Connected Worlds: Asia & The Americas, The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
The New Collage(catalog), Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY
Asian Inspiration, Robert Tobin Gallery / Asian Collection,Tokyo, Japan
Resident Exhibition (6 person), Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
2005 Abstract Vocabulary, Rockford College, Rockford, IL(in conjunction with Roy Boyd Gallery)
Faculties, O’Connor Gallery of Art, Dominican University River Forest, IL
Inaugural Exhibition, Bentley Projects/Works on Paper Phoenix, AZ
Prints from Normal Editions Workshop, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
2004 Highlights from the Permanent Collection, Northern Illinois University Art Museum, Dekalb, IL
Departures (12 person), Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, IL
By Appointment Only, Farm Art Space, Missoula, MT
Crux (3 person), Riverside Art Center, Riverside, IL
Grand Reopening, Scott White Contemporary Art Telluride, CO
Retrospective/Prospective Annual , Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2003 Retrospective/Prospective Annual, Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID
Art A Century Apart: 1903 & 2003 (brochure) Mississippi Museum of Art , Jackson, MS
2002 Rockford Collects, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL
Ingrained (4 person), Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
Natural Forms (5 person), Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL
Selected Gallery Artists: Summer, Scott White Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA
16th Vicinity Biennial, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
Inaugural Exhibition, Scott White Contemporary Art, Telluride, CO
2001 Underfoot (traveling, catalog), Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo, Brazil
2000 Without Parameters, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
Out of Line, Drawings by Illinois Artists, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL (catalog)
Selections from Out of Line Union League Club, Chicago, IL
Do Not Touch, An Exploration of Delicate Obsessions Consolidated Works Contemporary Art Center Seattle, WA
Selected Gallery Artists: Summer, SOMA Gallery, La Jolla, CA
Synthesis: Collage and Mixed MediaSonnenschein Gallery, Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
Form Following Function Bradley University Heuser Gallery, Peoria, IL
1999 Work in Progress: Drawing by DirectionColgate University Hamilton, NY
Abstraction (4 person), Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Art, Mississippi Museum of Art , Jackson, MS
Benziger Imagery Series, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, C
Small Works, Gallery Juno, New York, NY
1998 American Drawing Biennial 6, Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, VA
In Shape (6 person) , (catalog), Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
Collage (5 person) , Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Fraser, Molero, Ohira, Segal, Gallery Juno , New York, NY
Abstract: Chicago 1998 (catalog) , Klein Art Works Chicago, IL
Selections from the Permanent Collection,Cedar Rapids Museum of Art ,Cedar Rapids, IA
14th Evanston & Vicinity Biennial Exhibition Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
4 Sculptors ,Roy Boyd Gallery ,Chicago, IL
1997 Small Works, Susan Cummins Gallery , Mill Valley, CA
Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
Insight (5 person), tidbit Gallery, Portland, OR
A Thought Intercepted: Drawings, California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, CA
Figuratively Speaking: Recent Acquisitions, Bradley University, Hartman Gallery, Peoria, IL
Addendum: Some Other Chicago Artists , Northern Illinois University Gallery, Chicago, IL
Choice Cuts, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1996 Approaching The Figure, Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago, IL
Abstract: Chicago 1996, Klein Art Works Chicago, IL
NIU Collected(catalog), Northern Illinois University Gallery, Chicago, IL
Small Wonder, San Francisco Craft & Folk Art Museum San Francisco, CA
13th Biennial Exhibition, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
1995 16 Chicago Artists (traveling), Szinhaz Galeria, Zalaegerszeg, Hungary
USA Within Limits, Galeria Millan, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bi-State Exhibition, Davenport Museum of Art, Davenport, IA
1994 Tangible Verification: Collage (4 person), University of Akron, Akron, OH
Abstract: Chicago 1994(catalog) , Klein Art Works, Chicago, IL
Selections from the Permanent Collection, University of Minnesota, Morris, MN
1993 The Garment as Metaphor(brochure), Suburban Fine Arts Center, Highland Park, IL
1992 51st Exhibition(catalog) ,Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA
8th New American Talent Exhibition (catalog) Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TX
NIU Alumni Exhibition, Northern Illinois University Gallery, Chicago, IL
Secret Voyages (3 person), Joan Robey Gallery, Denver, CO
1991 37th Exhibition, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
Sculptors on Paper(traveling), University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Works on Paper Invitational (4 person), Greater Lafayette Museum of Art, Lafayette, IN
Contemporary Works From The Permanent Collection Rockford Art Museum Rockford, IL
23rd Bradley National(catalog), Bradley University, Peoria, IL
1990 The Chicago Show, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Object / Obsession, Judith Racht Gallery, Harbert, MI
1989 New Acquisitions: Drawings, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH
Private Collections (4 person) , New Harmony Gallery, New Harmony, IN
1988 Collage at N.A.M.E.,N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago , IL
Endangered Species , Klein Art Works , Chicago, IL
Pulliam Hall Sculpture Exhibition,Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
1987 Fetish Art: Obsessive Expressions (catalog) Rockford Art Museum,Rockford, IL
1986 6th Rutgers National , Rutgers University, Camden, NJ
1985 81st Chicago & Vicinity Exhibition: Drawings Art Institute of Chicago , Chicago, IL
Basically Boxes , Klein Art Works,Chicago, IL
31st Drawing & Small Sculpture Exhibition Ball State University, Muncie, IN
37th Illinois Invitational Exhibition (catalog) Illinois State Museum , Springfield, IL
5/5 , Artemisia Gallery , Chicago, IL
1994 National Photography Invitational (6 person) Evanston Art Ctr. Lightfall Photography Gallery, Evanston, IL
1982 Photoregional Exhibition(Juror: Graham Nash) ,J. B. Speed Art Museum,Louisville, KY
Photoimage ’82, Illinois Department of Transportation Gallery Springfield, IL
Images in Photography (6 person) , David Adler Cultural Center, Libertyville, IL
1980 Inner Visions (6 person), Warrick Gallery , Evanston, IL
The Best of the Midwest, The Artist Guild of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1979 All Media Fine Arts Exhibition, The Artist Guild of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Selected Bibliography
2016 Bridges, Steven L., Juror’s Essay, New American Paintings # 125, August/September 2016, Open Studios Press.
2015 Dluzen, Robin, John Fraser at Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, Visual Art Source Newsletter, May 8th, 2015
Dallas, Ben, Interval & Ratio, John Fraser at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Brochure Essay. April 30-May 30, 2015.
Dallas, Ben, On John Fraser’s Photography, Essay for Material Witness : Photographs 2010-2014. Blurb.com
2013 Michelle Jones, Geometric Shapes Invoke Memory, John Fraser at Cumberland Gallery, The Tennessean,
Sunday, April 21 Portfolio / Visual Arts Page 12E.
Nolan, Joe, John Fraser at Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, Critical I, Nashville Arts Magazine, May 2013, Page 98
2012 Pittman, Steuart, John FraserSelected Works 1991-2012, Draewell Gallery of Art, Judson University, Elgin, IL Brochure Essay (October 2012).
2011 Ullrich, Polly, Mapping the Contemporary Sublime, Restraining Order; John Fraser : Work in Mixed Media
1991-2010Monograph Essay, @ 2010, ISBN 978-14507-0098-6
Waltemath, Joan, Art=Text=Art, curated by Elizabeth Schlatter, The Brooklyn Rail, Reviews, ArtSeen Next Section, October Issue.
Schlatter, N. Elizabeth, (Art + Text) x Change = Art: Or How to Read an Artwork with your iPhone, On-line Catalog Essay, www.artequalstext.com, University of Richmond Museums
Zabrodsky, Sarah, On John Fraser, Catalog Essay, www.artequalstext.com, University of Richmond Museums
Keiter, Ellen, Drawing Conclusions On-Line Catalog Essay, Abstraction on Paper: Drawn/Taped/Burned, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY. On-Line catalog: www.aboutdrawing.org/drawntapedburned/
del Rivero, Elena, On John Fraser, On-Line Catalog Essay, Abstraction on Paper: Drawn/Taped/Burned. Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
2010 Viera, Lauren, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago Tribune, February 26th, 2010, On The Town (S-5, Page 8).
Dew, Spencer, Object Lesson: John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, New City ART, January 25, 2010
2009 Baroff, Jill, New York, New Drawings 1946-2007, Catalog Essay on John Fraser, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Spain. Nueva York. El papel de las ultimas vanguardias.
Romualdo, Ana San, Las Vanguardias Sobre Papel de la Coleccion Kramarsky. en el Esteban Vicente,
El Adelantado De Segovia Newspaper, February 29, 2009.
Alvarado, Carlos, Por Primera Vez Desde Nueva York, Nortecastilla Newspaper, Segovia, February 28.
2008 Claus, Elisabeth, What Time Can Tell, Papier=Kunst 6, Catalog Essay, Neuer Kunstverein, Aschaffenburg, Germany.
Artner, Alan, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago Tribune, September 12, 2008, On The Town (S-7, Page 13).
Wirth, Steven, Profile of the Artist: John Fraser, New City Newspaper, September11, 2008 (Page 13, Art Section).
Isaacson, Philip, John Fraser at James Patrick Gallery, Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram, August 31.
Buchen, Margaret, catalog essay, Harper College 40th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition. Palatine, IL.
2007 Artner, Alan, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago Tribune, July 27, 2007, On The Town (S-7, Page 13).
Yood, James, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Artforum Magazine, November 2007 (page 372).
Lopez, Ruth,John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, TimeOutChicago, Art & Design, August 2-8 (page 68).
Finch, Richard & Rives, Veda, Marks from the Matrix, Normal Editions Workshop at ISU. ISBN978-0-9795884-0-2.
Artner, Alan, John Fraser at I-Space…Chicago Tribune, February 16, 2007 (Section 7, Page 13).
Ullrich, Polly, John Fraser: In Reserve at I-Space, Chicago, brochure essay, January 27-February 24, 2007.
Mullarkey, Maureen, Abstract Jewels of Modernism, In Context: Collage & Abstraction at Pavel Zoubok Gallery,
The New York Sun, June 7, 2007 (Arts & Letters).
Heise, Rudiger, Papier-Variationen, at Galerie Renate Bender, Munich Germany. Applause! Magazine.
2006 Mullarkey, Maureen, Gallery Going [The New Collage at Pavel Zoubok Gallery], The New York Sun, June 29, 2006.
Ullrich, Polly, Material Difference: Soft Sculpture and Wall Works, exhibition catalog, exhibition wall-text.
2005 Nugent, Bob, Imagery, Art for Wine, (forward by Donald Kuspit).
Artner, Alan, Fraser’sRigor is Captivating, Chicago Tribune, February 18, 2005, (Friday Section).
2003 Artner, Alan, …While John Fraser Shines, Chicago Tribune, August 8, 2003, (Friday, Section 7, Page 15).
Doe, Donald B. Measure for Measure, John Fraser at Mills Gallery, Central College, Pella IA, Brochure Essay.
Camper, Fred, Critics Choice, The Chicago Reader, July 25, 2003, (Section 2, Page 28).
Walker, Hamza, Visual Literacy: John Fraser’s Collages 1994-2002, Catalog Essay, ã 2003, ISBN 0-9727266-0-8.
2001 Artner, Alan, Fraser returns to intense process, Chicago Tribune, December 7, 2001, (Friday, Section 7).
2000 Artner, Alan, Its Taken 15 years, but Exhibit is Top Drawers, Out of Line, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Tribune, May 2, 2000, (Tempo 2, Section 5).
1999 Barilleaux, Rene Paul, Work in Progress-Drawing by Direction, Colgate University, Dana Arts Center, Hamilton, NY. Brochure Essay, 4-person exhibition, October 1999
1998 Brunetti, John, Uncommon Equilibrium, Brochure Essay, John Fraser at the Elmhurst Art Museum, February, 1998.
Doe, Donald B., In Shape, catalog essay, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, December 1998.
1997 Gragg, Randy, Body And Droll; Insight at tidbit Gallery, The Oregonian (Portland), July 25, 1997, Visual Arts, pg. 64.
1996 Meyer, Jerry D., NIU Collected, catalog essay, NIU Alumni in Chicago Area Collections, June/July 1996.
Swartz, Mark, Approaching The Figure, Roy Boyd Gallery. The Chicago Reader, June 21, 1996, (section 1, page 28).
1995 Schleifer, Kristen Brooke, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Dialogue Magazine, January/February 1995.
Camper, Fred, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, The Chicago Reader, September 22,1995, (section 1, page 30).
1994 Muster, Michael, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery. The New Art Examiner, November 1994.
Connors, Thomas, John Fraser at NIU Art Gallery, Sculpture Magazine, January/February 1994.
1993 Yood, James, The Art of John Fraser. brochure essay, NIU Art Museum Gallery in Chicago, October 1993.
1992 Morrin, Peter, 51st Exhibition, Sioux City Art Center, catalog essay, Sioux City, Iowa, 1992.
1991 Artner, Alan, John Fraser at Roy Boyd Gallery, Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1991, (section 7, page 53).
Krugel, Mitchell, Chicago Goes Abstract in January, The International Fine Art Collector, Volume I, 3, January 1991.
1990 Artner, Alan, Conflicting Agendas Hobble The Chicago Show, Chicago Tribune, May 6, 1990 (Art Section 13, pg. 14.
Findsen, Owen, Collages Demand Viewers Take Time..., John Fraser at Miller Gallery, The Cincinnati Enquirer, May 13, 1990.
O'Hara, Catherine, John Fraser at Miller Gallery. Dialogue Magazine, July/August 1990, (page 23).
Selected Awards, Grants and Honors
2016 Selected for: NEW AMERICAN PAINTING #125, Midwest Edition, Open Studios Press, Boston, MA
2015 Hafnarborg, The Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture & Fine Art , Artist Residency, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
2014 Illinois Arts Council IAS Artist Project Grant
2011 Illinois Arts Council IAS Artist Project Grant
2010 YADDO, Artist Residency, Saratoga Springs, NY
2007 Artist Residency, Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, Westport Island, ME
2006 Artist Residency, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NB
2005 Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant
2004 Normal Editions Workshop / Illinois Arts Council Print Project Grant
2003 Artist Residency, Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, Westport Island, ME
2002 Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship
2000 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Finalist Award
1997 Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant
1994 Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant
1992 Arts Midwest / National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship
1990 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Finalist Award
Selected Commissions and Projects
2011 Benziger Family Winery / Imagery Winery Artist Label Series Collection
2009 Artwork used for the book “Penury”, the 5th collection of poetry by Myung Mi Kim (Prof. SUNY Buffalo)Published by Omnidawn /Independent Publishers Group
2003 Benziger Family Winery / Imagery Winery Artist Label Series Collection
2001 Artworks used for the CD, “Flirting With Twilight”, by Grammy Award Winning Artist, Kurt Elling. Blue Note Jazz.
1995 Benziger Family Winery / Imagery Winery Artist Label Series Collection
Selected Collections
Edward Albee, New York, NY
University of Alberta Art Museum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
John Ballantine, Chicago, IL
Joan Boyd, San Francisco, CA
Bradley University, Peoria, IL
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
BMO Harris Collection, Chicago, IL
Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, UT
Virginia Boyd, Little Rock, AR
The Brunnier Museum of Iowa State University, Ames, IA
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH
Elisabeth Claus, Aschaffenburg, Germany
The Cleve Carney Collection, Glen Ellyn, IL
The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, GA
Ben & Tricia Cox, Chicago, IL
The Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Colorado Springs, CO
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI
The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL
Kurt & Jennifer Elling, New York, NY
Gary Lee, New York, NY
Martin Friedman and Peggy Casey-Friedman, Chicago, IL
Tom & Loree Goffigon, Los Angeles, CA
Hafnarborg: The Hafnarfjordur Center of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnarfjodur, Iceland
Sharon & Arie Hoogendoorn, Steamboat Springs, CO
Don & Jane Hunt, Chicago, IL
Renate Bender & Peter Weber, Munich, Germany
Grinnell College / Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell, IA
The Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL
Illinois State University, Normal, IL
International Collage Center, Milton, PA
Sarah-Ann & Werner H. Kramarsky Collection, New York, NY
OlofK. Sigurdarottir, Reykjavik, Iceland
Eva and Harald Kroner, Pforzheim, Germany
The Greater Lafayette Museum of Art, Lafayette, IN
UnnurLeifsdottir, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
David Hunt & Doug Bella, Wayne, IL
Lawrence Colburn & Teresa Bondavalli, St. Charles, IL
Joanne Gustafson, Batavia, IL
The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
Millikin University, Decatur, IL
The Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Esteban Vincente, Segovia, Spain
The New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa, Fe, NM
Northern Illinois University Art Museum, Dekalb, IL
Lynda & Bob Nugent, Healdsburg, CA
Brent Carter & Sally Gilbertson, St. Charles, IL
Park Hyatt Collection, Chicago, IL
Trish & Tim Preheim, Chicago, IL
Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, Las Vegas, NV and Westport Island, ME
The Reinsdorf Collection, Chicago, IL
Brigitte & Martin Riesebrodt, Berlin, Germany
The Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL
John Ronan & Clare Lyster, Chicago, IL
Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL
Mark Stanley & Ellen Pettengell, Chicago, IL
Dominic L. Di Mare, San Francisco, CA
The Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA
Sonoma State University Art Collection, Rohnert Park, CA
Stanley Tigerman, Chicago, IL
Ovid Uman, Paris, France
The Robert Tobin Gallery / The Asian Collection, Tokyo, Japan
The University of Minnesota at Morris, Morris, MN
Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery Collection, Nashville, TN
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Winston & Strawn, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Chicago, IL and Charlotte, NC
International Art Expositions Featured
2017 Art on Paper, New York City, NY
9th Annual Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
2016 5th Annual Expo Chicago, Chicago, IL
8th Annual Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
2015 4th Annual Expo Chicago, Chicago, IL
Art Miami, Miami, FL
4th Annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair: Post War & Contemporary, Palm Springs, CA
Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
2014 3rd Annual Expo Chicago, Chicago, IL
Art Miami, Miami, FL
Miami Project Art Fair, Miami, FL
Los Angeles Art Show; Modern & Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
3rd Annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair : Post War & Contemporary, Palm Springs, CA
Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston, TX
2013 Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Los Angeles Art Show: Modern & Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Art Miami, Miami, FL
Miami Project Art Fair, Miami, FL
Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
artMRKTArt Fair, San Francisco, CA
Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston, TX
2011 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Los Angeles Art Show: Modern & Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, TX
Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
2010 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Art Miami, Miami, FL
San Francisco Fine Art Fair: Modern & Contemporary, San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles Art Show: Modern & Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Art Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Viennafair, Wien, Austria
2009 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Toronto Art Exposition, Toronto, Canada
Kunst Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Art Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Viennafair, Wien, Austria
Los Angeles Art Show: Modern & Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
Art Miami, Miami, FL
Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
2008 Art Miami, Miami, FL
Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kunst Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Red Dot Fair, Miami, FL
Art Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Kunst Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Art Miami, Miami, FL
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY
Art Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Red Dot Fair, New York, NY
2006 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Flow Art Fair, Miami, FL
2005 Art Chicago in the Park, Chicago, IL
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY
7th San Francisco International Art Exposition, San Francisco, CA
2004 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
6th San Francisco International Art Exposition, San Francisco, CA
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY
2003 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
5th San Francisco International Art Exposition, San Francisco, CA
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY
2002 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
4th San Francisco International Art Exposition(catalog), San Francisco, CA
2001 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
2000 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
3rd San Francisco International Art Exposition, San Francisco, CA
1999 Art Chicago (catalog), Chicago, IL
2nd San Francisco International Art Exposition, San Francisco, CA
1998 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
San Francisco International Art Exposition(catalog), San Francisco, CA
1997 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
4th International SOFA Expo(catalog), Chicago, IL
1996 Art Chicago(catalog), Chicago, IL
3rd International SOFA Expo(catalog), Chicago, IL
1995 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
1994 Art Chicago(catalog0, Chicago, IL
1993 Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Artfair/Seattle(catalog0, Seattle, WA
Art/LA, Los Angeles, CA
1992 Chicago International Art Expo, Chicago, IL
Artfair/Seattle, Seattle, WA
Art/LA, Los Angeles, CA
1991 Chicago International Art Expo, Chicago, IL
Art/LA, Los Angeles, CA
1988 Chicago International Art Expo, Chicago, IL
Chicago International New Art Forms, Chicago, IL
1985 Chicago International Art Expo, Chicago, IL
Teaching/Work Experience
2015 Visiting Artist Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
2013 Visiting Lecturer “Majority Rules” Exhibition, The McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX
2012 Visiting Artist Judson University, Elgin, IL
2009 Visiting Artist Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
2008 Visiting Artist Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
2007 Visiting Artist University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Visiting Artist Trinity Christian College Palos Height
2006 Instructor of Art Dominican University, River Forest, IL
Visiting Artist University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
2005 Visiting Artist School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Visiting Artist West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Visiting Artist Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Visiting Artist Knox College, Galesburg, IL
2004 Instructor of Art Dominican University, River Forest, IL
Visiting Artist Normal Editions Workshop/ Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Visiting Artist McHenry County College, Crystal Lake, IL
2003 Visiting Artist Central College, Pella, IA
Instructor of Art Dominican University, River Forest, IL
2002 Instructor of Art Dominican University, River Forest, IL
Visiting Artist Imagery Studio, Benziger Family Winery, Glen Ellen, CA
Visiting Artist Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
2001 Visiting Artist Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
Visiting Artist William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL
2000 Visiting Artist Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL
1999 Visiting Artist Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Visiting Artist Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
Artist/Teacher Vermont College of Norwich University, Montpelier, VT
Visiting Artist Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
Visiting Artist Hendrix College, Conway, AR
1998 Visiting Artist Millikin University, Decatur, IL
Instructor of Art Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL
1997 Visiting Artist Iowa State University, Ames, IA
1996 Visiting Artist Bradley University, Peoria, IL
1995 Visiting Artist Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Visiting Artist University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Visiting Artist Siena Heights College, Adrian, MI
Visiting Artist Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL
1994 Sculpture Instructor College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL
1993 Visiting Artist University of Minnesota, Morris, MN
Visiting Artist College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL
1992 Visiting Artist Rockford College, Rockford, IL
Visiting Artist Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL
Visiting Artist Highland College, Freeport, IL
1989 Drawing Instructor Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
1988 Drawing Instructor Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
1987 Drawing Instructor Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
1986 Visiting Artist Iowa State University, Ames, IA
1983 Apparel Designer Kell Kare, Inc. (no longer extant, employed 1975 – 1983), Chicago, IL
In-house Designer, VP Merchandising, and Warehouse Manager