About
Colette Wright Adams
I’m a painter & mixed-media artist who curates spaces and creates experiences focused on visual art, meditation and poetry.
I’m drawn to the protected natural habitats that we build to save our environment and ourselves. I cherish the borders where culture and cultivation meet. Where we cultivate the land and ourselves.
An artist’s job is to tell a story that otherwise would not be told.
An artist’s job is to move us with that story
To trouble us with worries, lift us up with hope, to encircle us with abandon
Leaving somethings to chance & always staying true.
My artistic journey is deeply rooted in exploring the relationship between humans,the natural world and the profound connection between them.
Focusing on trees and botanicals, in natural landscapes and designed gardens, conservatories and other cultivated spaces, my perception of the world is a selective process, where I filter and interpret the sensory information around me. As an observational artist, I often unearth patterns in nature. Some are obvious and others are hidden. A regular part of my art practice is meditation and meditative walking which I utilize as a way to both enter a space and sense and select my source materials. This method can lead to artwork that appears representational and non-representational
-Bio
Colette Wright Adams
b. Mitchell Field, NY, 1953
After living and studying in France, Nebraska, Switzerland and New York the artist received a BFA from the University of Michigan, cum laude. In 1979 she completed a MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in painting. Her mentors were Ray Yoshida, Richard Loving and Martin Prekop.
She continues to work professionally as a painter and drawer. Along with raising a family the artist spent 10 years in the film business, primarily as a writer. Since 2006 Adams has had an active practice as a curator. She is the founder and past director of the Uptown Arts Center (2010-2020); collaborated with 10,000 Ripples and Indira Johnson on a residency, among other projects. Colette created “Insight Portrait”, ”ArtSpotBox” and “Rotisserie Poetrie”, all art & community projects, garnering support from a variety of nonprofits.
Colette’s current art studio is in Albany Park, Chicago which also houses BringWonder Arts, a community and art collaborative, bringing free and low cost art experiences to the public.
Colette Wright Adams
b. 1953, Mitchel Field, New York, USA
🌐 www.ColetteWrightAdams.com | ✉️ colettewrightadams@gmail.com | 📍 Chicago, IL
Education
1979 MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL
1976 BFA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI — Cum Laude
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2026 Natural Respite, Burnham Park Yacht Club, Chicago, IL
2025 Meditative Landscapes, Cityside Spiritual Center Art Wall, Chicago, IL
2023 Harvest, Austin-Irving Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL
2023 The Nature of Seeing, North Shore Art League, Winnetka, IL
2016 Mysteries & Loves, Uptown Arts Center, Chicago, IL — with Mariusz Zalesk
2011 Avram Eisen Gallery, Chicago, IL — with Janet Metzger
Selected Juried & Group Exhibitions
2025 Ten by Ten, Jackson-Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL
2025 Intertwined: Burns, Preserves, and Restoration, North Park Village Nature Center, Chicago, IL — Curator and Artist
2025 True Colors, Grove Gallery, Evanston, IL — Juror: Nina Weiss
2025 The Landscape is Changing, Bridgeport Art Center Gallery, Chicago, IL — Curator: Marci Rubin
2025 Terrain: Abstract – Contemporary Landscapes, 33 Contemporary, Palm Springs, FL (Online & Catalogue)
2025 Radiance, Grove Gallery, Evanston, IL — Juror: Sergio Gomez
2025 Drawing Painterly Conclusions, Forshay Gallery, Chicago, IL — Jurors: Dan Addington & Helen Dannelley
2025 Alma Gallery, Chicago, IL — Spring Exhibition
2024 CAVA Award of Excellence Exhibition, Alma Arts & Interiors, Chicago, IL
2024 CAVA Spring Exhibition, Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL — Juror: Marci Rubin
2024 Awakenings: Narratives of Spring, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL — Curator: Sergio Gomez
2024 CAVA Winter Exhibition, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
2024 Open Canvas, Vibrant Cast Gallery, Chicago, IL
2024 Memory, Christopher Gallery, Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, IL — Curator: Beth Shadur
2023 CAVA’s “The Happiness Show”, Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL — Award of Excellence
2023 Oceans Between VI: Culture Flow, Oliva Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 Inspired Stories, Dwell Gallery Co., Chicago, IL
2022 Midwestern Biennial, Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL
2022 Nature vs. Nurture, Art Center of Highland Park, Highland Park, IL
2022 Later Impressions (CAVA), Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2022 Word in the World, Perkolator Gallery, Chicago, IL
2022 CAVA Winter Exhibition, Mayslake Peabody Estate, Oak Brook, IL
2021 Inspired Explorations, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL (In-vitational, CAVA Board Members)
2021 Opening (Online) — Curator: Sergio Gomez
2020 Urban Life, Scharpenberg Gallery, Dank Haus, Chicago, IL
2019 Terrain Biennial Uptown Hub (3rd Space), Chicago, IL — Artist & Co-Curator
Installation at Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL
2018 Our Art Working 2018, Japanese Consulate, Chicago, IL — Hokkaido & Chicago Artists Invitational
2018 CAVA Exhibition, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL
2017 Grassroots, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017 Later Impressions, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL — Best in Show
2014 Artists Breakfast Group, Chicago Cultural Center, Renaissance Gallery
2013 The Personal is Political, Koehnline Museum of Art, Skokie, IL
2012 Polish Arts Club Exhibition, Polish Museum of America, Chicago, IL
2011 University of Michigan Alumni Exhibition, Madron Gallery, Chicago, IL
2010 Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, IL — Juror: William Lieberman
2009 Drawing Attention, Tom Robinson Gallery, Chicago, IL
Residencies & Creative Projects
2025–2027 American Arbor — Self-directed residency along the Mississippi River
2023–Present Resident Artist, North Park Village Nature Center, Chicago Park District
Creating visual art and poetry; facilitator of public art-making workshops
2018–2019 DIY Residency, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL — Created 100+ mixed-media works and prose poems on-site
2020–2021 The Summoning… A 30-Day Collection (Online project during lockdowns)
2018–2020 Art Spot Box, Founder & Co-Curator — Public art project connecting artists and businesses in Chicago
2017–2018 Insight-Portrait, Director & Co-Creator — Collaborative drawing project with Northside Housing Men’s Transitional Center
2018 North Lawndale Arts Festival — Creator of Rotisserie Poetrie, a draw-write participatory game
Curatorial & Community Arts Leadership
2011–2021 Founder, Director & Lead Curator, Uptown Arts Center, Chicago, IL (Program of the Preston Bradley Center)
Created shared studios, exhibition spaces, and performance areas; curated 20+ exhibitions, including:
Pulp Painting Residency (collaboration with 10,000 Ripples & Indira Johnson)
Em(body) — three-part interdisciplinary exhibition co-curated with lead curator Eden Unluata; featured ekphrasis poetry workshops (Top 5 Weekend Picks, Bad at Sports)
The Sacred Show — Art & spirituality workshops with Rev. Adam Robersmith
The Tarot Show — Invitational
Urbs in Horto: 36 Views — Juried exhibition
2010–2020 Founder & Director, Just Good Art: The Comfort of Creativity — Drop-in drawing and poetry events in Chicago pop-up locations
Created Meditation & Drawing: The Artist’s Lair (featured on Airbnb Experiences)
Professional Roles & Current Projects
2021–Present Founder & Lead Artist, BringWonder: Art & Soul Experiences
Facilitator of visual art and meditation workshops in Chicago & Chicagoland
Creator of The Emotional Culture of Food, monthly community art conversation series
Awards & Honors
Award of Excellence, CAVA “The Happiness Show”, Epiphany Center for the Arts (2023)
Best in Show, Later Impressions, Evanston Art Center (2017)
CAVA Award of Excellence, Alma Arts & Interiors (2024)
Collections & Publications
University of Michigan Alumni Collection, Ann Arbor, MI
Al Qattan Family Foundation, London, UK