Opening Reception: Friday, March 13, 2026, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Exhibition Dates: March 13 - April 11, 2026

Exhibition on view: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 1:00 – 5:00 PM

The Riverside Arts Center's FlexSpace is pleased to present a group exhibition of art by our teaching artists Christine Blanek, Diane Claussen, Erin Hayden, Corrine Miller, Tariq Tamir, Shawn Vincent, and Daiva Walz, curated by Joanne Aono. Please join us for a reception for the artists on the evening of Friday, March 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public with light refreshments served.

The Riverside Arts Center is pleased to present a group exhibition of art by our teaching artists Christine Blanek, Diane Claussen, Erin Hayden, Corrine Miller, Tariq Tamir, Shawn Vincent, and Daiva Walz. We are fortunate to have these talented teachers who provide our amazing classes to students of all ages in mediums encompassing painting, sculpture, ceramics, mosaics, and so much more. This exhibition provides a glimpse into their personal artistic practices outside of their educational services, revealing what their passion pulls them to create.

Shawn Vincent's mastery of ceramics and glass is displayed in her assemblage of hanging discs and gleaming vases, while Diane Claussen's colorful paintings show her influences of abstraction and expressionism. Christine Blanek's stoneware pieces are an extension of her ceramic knowledge combined with sensitivity to nature, while Corrine Miller's embroidery is an unexpected reveal of creativity and expression in response to our times. Daiva Walz's interests in the environment are shown through ceramic vases and a large fiber wall hanging, while Erin Hayden's grouping of ceramic tea pets and small paintings of orcas and butterflies depict her desire for slowness and reflection. Tariq Tamir's intense installation of paintings and a dramatic dragon sculpture capture his immersion of art with life.

These seven teaching artists are all respected educators with experience and skill in their mediums of ceramics, painting, assemblage, glass, mosaics, drawing, and jewelry. The Riverside Arts Center values the professionalism they bring to our classes and the enthusiastic students they gather. The art these teaching artists make in their studios is often a result of their influences from educating, but is largely from what lies inside them - the art they have a passion to explore and express. We are grateful to have these artists be a part of the RAC Family.

–Joanne Aono, curator

Christine Blanek | *Coldness In Earth*, ceramic, dimensions variable

Christine Blanek studied Fine Arts with fiber mixed media, figure drawing and ceramics for many years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago through their weekend programs, early college and then college. Growing up with artistic and musical parents, art and music has been a huge part of her life - taking her to work many years at Marshall Fields, Macy’s then Neiman Marcus in the Visual Department. Blanek’s love of art and working with students with disabilities has brought her to work at her local middle school as a Paraeducator. She is the RAC Ceramics Studio Director and currently teaches Ceramics for Kids, Weekend Wheel Workshops for Teens and Adults, and Spring Ceramics Class for Teens.

“My work is inspired by the earth and its natural beauty. I tend to show my ceramic pieces not always fully glazed. I enjoy seeing the original clay form in my work and the rawness of the clay. Hoping you see the juxtaposition of the two mediums. In glazing my work, I study how each piece flows and experiment in my glaze work to continue that movement.
I want the viewer to experience a sense of calm and peace when looking at my work.”
–Christine Blanek

Instagram: @becreativeuniqueyou

Diane Claussen | Oil on Canvas, 22.75 × 32.5 inches

Diane Claussen has been an artist, teacher, and art therapist for over 40 years. Although she was raised surrounded by musicians and artists, her parents encouraged her to obtain a degree in anthropology and psychology. She eventually found her calling with a Masters Degree in Art Therapy from George Washington University. Over the past five decades Claussen has taken classes in painting, drawing, basketry, weaving, papermaking, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and lapidary arts, to name a few. She leads RAC’s Senior Art Club at the Riverside Parks and Recreation.

"The Senior Art Club has been a gift to me. As a senior, I understand and appreciate what we go through and our special needs. . . . As an art therapist and in my own artwork, I emphasize the creative process, spontaneity and liberation. I see my role as fostering a friendly, accepting environment while presenting spontaneous art and communication techniques as well art skills and concepts. To me, art is discovery. It is play, it is self-expression and becoming and doing what you love to discovering your own authentic self. This also leads to creativity in thinking, problem solving and emotional wellness.

For seniors in particular, art has cognitive, social and healing benefits which are needed for their stage of life. Life-long learning keeps us grounded and alive. . . .

Senior Art Club for some is a new or first-time hobby. For some, it is a way to rekindle the love of art from their past, catch up and go beyond where they left off. . . . Whatever motivates people to be in the Senior Art Club, everyone will tell you they come to stay active in their lives, to make friends, and feel a sense of community,"
–Diane Claussen

Instagram: earth2spirit4

Erin Hayden | Installation of *Clear Sky Series: Orcas* and *Tea Friends,* 2026, Acrylic, colored pencil, and ink on canvas and Cone 10 stoneware with red iron oxide, dimensions variable

Erin Hayden is an interdisciplinary artist and educator working across painting, performance, drawing, poetry, video, installation, and ceramics. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Stony Island Arts Bank, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Torino, Italy. She holds a BFA in Painting and a BS in Art Education from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University.

Erin Hayden creates small-scale animal sculptures and intimate paintings. Some sculptures function as ceramic tea pets, unglazed clay figures in dialogue with Chinese tea traditions, traditionally kept on a tea tray during service and nourished with poured tea. Over time, they absorb warmth and develop a patina, acting as quiet companions in moments of reflection. In addition to orcas and butterflies, she creates tea pets of horses and snakes in response to the cycles of the Chinese zodiac, reflecting on time, change, and symbolic renewal.

Her paintings, made with colored pencil, ink, and acrylic, share this small scale and sense of closeness. Orcas and butterflies recur throughout her practice. The orca embodies depth, intelligence, and ancestral memory; the butterfly carries metamorphosis, emergence, and the courage to transform. A dream in which two orcas circled and invited deeper swimming, along with the way butterflies appear throughout daily life, informs both mediums.

Across sculpture and painting, Hayden creates intimate ecosystems that invite slowness, freedom, and attentive presence.

She is passionate about sharing art as a tool for expression, reflection, and connection across all ages and communities. Erin has taught art to learners ranging from preschoolers to seniors, in public schools, universities, and community arts programs throughout the Chicagoland area. She currently teaches a Ceramic Talisman Workshop and Ceramic Surface Decoration for Teens and Adults, and will be expanding into classes in painting, drawing, and performance.

Website: erinkhayden.com
Instagram: @erinhayden @psychicorcas

Corrine Miller | *No One Is Illegal*, Hand embroidered mixed media on canvas, 12 × 12 inches

Corrine Miller earned a BFA from Northern Michigan University. Her body of work is mostly photography and mixed media with a concentration in fiber and paper craft. She loves sharing the creative process with children and has been teaching most of her adult life. The past four years she has taught at The Log Cabin Center for the Arts in Palos Park, IL. Corrine also works at The Pile Bookstore where she developed and runs the StArt (story + art) program, an art history/literacy program held at the bookstore once a month. She teaches Fun with Fibers and RAC’s seasonal Art Camps for Spring, Summer, Thanksgiving, and Winter Breaks.

Tariq Tamir affectionately called Mr Tee by his students, is an artist and educator who studied at Columbia College Chicago. He has exhibited his painting, assemblage, and found object art in solo and group exhibitions in local venues. He has been featured in numerous videos for RBTV’s People in Perspective, the Riverside Arts Center, Cultivator, and the Oak Park Public Library.

Prior to joining RAC, he taught young adults ages 14-21 with Chicago’s Gallery 37 and the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to being poetically inclined, Tariq uses art as a medium for self-growth and empowerment which he transfers to his students. As our Lead Teaching Artist, he has been an instructor at RAC for nearly two decades. He teaches RAC’s seasonal Art Camps for Spring, Summer, Thanksgiving, and Winter Breaks, as well as his popular Creation Station for Teens, Creation Station for Kids, and Intuitive Painting for Teens.

Instagram: @esotariq2

Shawn Vincent | Detail, *Balancing Chaos and Hope*, 2026, Ceramic, glass, flowers, 30 x 48 inches installation

Shawn Vincent received a B.S. degree from Western Illinois University with majors in both Fine Art and Biology. She spent many years working as an art director for an advertising agency and has also freelanced. Finding her true passion, Shawn has worked in ceramics for over 30 years and has been teaching for 26 years. She has exhibited her pottery at various galleries and venues throughout the Chicago land area and her work is collected nationally.

“I have been a practicing ceramic artist for the last 32 years. A majority of the work I do is functional. I work primarily on the wheel and strive for simplicity, elegance, and grace of form. Although my work is functional I have a tendency to make my pieces as unique as possible. After I throw my pieces I usually cut them down, carve them or take them out of the round. I also used found objects, gemstones, or Swarovski crystal and wire them into the bowls to create a sense of movement and balance. When I am making a piece I do it with the intent that it be used. I think using a piece daily keeps it alive.

I am also very involved in exhibiting and showing my work. When I have an exhibit, I tend to be more experimental and do many installations. I also have a degree in biology so much of my installation work deals with the body and how our everyday life affects our physiological make up. The interaction between our physical space and how we incorporate it into our system is reflected in my ceramic pieces. I regularly sell my pieces in stores in and around Chicago. My work is collected both locally and nationwide.

Along with my ceramic practice I have been a teaching artist for the past 27 years. I teach all levels of ceramics and many other mediums. I work within my community to set up artist in residency programs and create one of a kind installations in many schools in the surrounding neighborhoods. As an instructor I use creativity and innovation to motivate, impart knowledge, and facilitate learning. The ability to inspire people to stretch themselves and their work is something that I strive for every day.”
–Shawn Vincent

Her class offerings include Fused Glass Jewelry, Mosaic Making, and several levels of Pottery Explorations.

Instagram: @claymama

Daiva Walz | *Bloomwear*, Ceramics, 13 × 10 × 10 inches

Daiva Walz is a Chicago-based studio artist and emerging art educator whose multidisciplinary practice spans ceramics, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Working across two- and three-dimensional forms, she explores material process, surface, and structure through deliberate mark-making and constructed form.

Walz earned her Associate in Arts from Triton College and her BFA in Art, Media, and Design from DePaul University, with a concentration in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with anticipated graduation in May 2026.

Alongside her studio practice, Walz has developed experience teaching and mentoring across K–12 and adult learning environments. She has supported and led workshops at the Riverside Arts Center, Firebird Community Arts Center, and worked as an Artist Mentor at Arts of Life, where she facilitated demonstrations and supported independent studio development for adult artists with disabilities. These experiences inform her approach to both making and teaching, emphasizing attention to craft, experimentation, and personal interpretation.

“I am a multidisciplinary artist specializing in ceramics, painting, and printmaking based in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. My work is inspired by a deep curiosity about nature and our complex relationship with it. This curiosity fuels my desire to observe, reflect, and engage with our innate connection to the natural world. Through scale, color, design, and pattern, my compositions invite viewers to contemplate our relationship with nature. I aim to reveal the often-overlooked details in the natural world, those quiet moments and intricate forms that might otherwise go unseen. Much of the imagery in my work centers on organic elements, such as flowers and plants, combined with geometric and figurative forms. These elements, intertwined, convey spiritual themes and lived experiences that underscore the delicate complexity of nature, something I deeply admire, draw inspiration from, and continually seek to connect with.”
–Daiva Walz

Website: www.daivawalz.com