Public Work

The new Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, near Fort Sheridan Illinois, is 77 acres of varied terrain, including three lush ravines, towering bluffs overlooking sweeping Lake Michigan vistas, and an innovative interpretive plan of signage and site-specific art installations. Six artists were selected to create work. For her project, Olivia Petrides designed three triangular columns based on color notes made over four seasons of visits to the Preserve. Each sculpture reflects hues within its particular setting.

Openlands

Marwen Art @ Work 2012 : Prisms. This film is a result of a creative partnership between Marwen and Openlands. In the summer of 2012, eighteen high school students from Marwen's Art @ Work program were commissioned to create five short films based on the artworks at the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. This video highlights Olivia Petrides' Prisms.

Ed Hermann, Podcast : Leaf & Earth/ Bark Prisms. An interpretive environmental sound piece using elements of an interview with Olivia Petrides.

Barbara Brotman, Lines Between Art & Nature Blur at Fort Sheridan Ravine, Chicago Tribune Features, September 28, 2011.

Terrain Biennial

Terrain Exhibitions brings contemporary art where it is most needed and least expected: yards, front steps, windows, porches, and roofs in residential neighborhoods across the U.S. (and beyond). This is an act of radical decentralization, taking art from privileged urban centers and bringing it into everyday spaces. By forging partnerships between artists and citizens, we create greater access for new and underserved audiences for contemporary art, empowering neighbors to make private spaces public in a spirit of generosity and collaboration.

These color sequences are investigations for three metal color columns, a public commission Olivia executed for Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Here are two of those studies. Her husband, Tom Greensfelder, designed the layout to enhance the color design of their home facade.