Held In-Person at the Jung Center
Instructor: Nancy VanKanegan
CEUs: 2.5

*Limited to 10 participants.

Jung’s theory of the unconscious includes investigation of the Shadow, which involves aspects of self that are clouded or hidden. The Shadow can be a wide range of ‘dark,’ a value scale that can have many steps of gray. Within this range of greys ever more shapes and patterns can emerge, alluding to the nuanced workings of the mind. In the unconscious the pattern edges can be difficult to find. This continuum of light to black has inspired artists, photographers and filmmakers to create works that can seem patterned, puzzled, and even threatening. This is most notable in the of movies German Expressionist films of the 1920s and in 1930-40s Film Noir. Investigating the shadows helps to understand the ‘dark’.

In this workshop we will investigate the formal and psychological ideas of positive/negative, figure/ground, subject/background. A few slides and guided meditation will be used as a path toward, but not completely into, the unconscious.  We will explore what shapes you see and what is between and behind. We will experiment  with charcoal and/or graphite drawing techniques to create a range of light to dark values.

This workshop is beneficial for untrained artists as well as those with an artistic practice. The media is messy so dress accordingly.

About the Instructor
After being raised in a big family in a small town in northern Illinois, Nancy VanKanegan earned a BFA from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Education from Columbia College Chicago. Her multi-disciplinary art is inspired by nature, dreams and yoga. Her works address personal and social enigmas and narratives derived from myth, legend and ritual as they weave into contemporary life. She has exhibited and performed locally, nationally and internationally. At present she teaches art and yoga courses at Columbia College, Northeastern Illinois University and DePaul University. In summer 2022 she will participate in the NEH Summer Institute at the Newberry Library “Making Modernism…Culture in Chicago 1893-1955.

*Please note, masks may be required depending on the status of COVID-19 at the time of the workshop.