Lauren Levato, red-haired descendant of Vikings, was raised by a pack of wolves. She is also a classically trained artist. She is obsessed with insects and is interested in other natural curiosities, like humans for example. Her paintings and 3D insect assemblages are featured as book covers and in many anthologies. She has exhibited internationally and, at present, has more than 100 insect species in her studio. In addition to her art and exhibitions, Lauren has been working with Chicago galleries as a curator and director since 1997. Currently she is an independent curator. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, Marriage Bones (Fractal Edge Press, 2006) and at the hotel andromeda, a text/visual collaboration with Kristy Bowen (Dancing Girl Press, 2007). Levato holds degrees in Professional Writing and Women’s Studies from Purdue and in Political Journalism from Georgetown University. For more visit laurenlevato.com.
Poet, translator, and new media artist Francesco Levato is the executive director of The Poetry Center of Chicago. He is the author of Marginal State, a collection of poetry, and his work has been published internationally in journals and anthologies, both in print and online, including Drunken Boat, The Progressive, XCP: Cross Cultural Poetics, Versal, and many others. His poetry-based video artwork has been exhibited in galleries and featured at film festivals in Berlin, Chicago, New York, and elsewhere. More can be found at francescolevato.com or facebook.com/francesco.a.levato.
Exhibition Assistant
A new resident of Chicago, Audra Pratt is a recent graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Honors in Art History for her research on the role of “Oriental” textiles in French colonial representations of women—a project that took her to Paris and Morocco. Interested in how material and visual culture impact and construct our world, Pratt’s art explores the meanings of culture, knowledge, and construction through the juxtaposition of everyday objects. For more visit audrapratt.typepad.com.
