About
Carlos Flores (b. 1992 Guadalajara, Mexico) is a multidisciplinary artist and organizer working primarily in sculpture, collaborative installations, and community building. He holds a BFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work is informed by his experience as a queer Latinx immigrant on the West Side of Chicago and brings viewers face-to-face with issues of displacement, class, gender, and race. Currently he is focused on dismantling predatory practices by real estate investors targeting vulnerable populations in Little Village. He is also working on launching a startup that would be both a business and a critical artwork, to take on the growing problem of displacement.
In addition to being an artist, Carlos is the General Manager at Chicago Art Department, a community art center in Pilsen offering residencies for twenty artists and over a hundred free programs to the community per year. He is committed to growing opportunities for artists from all backgrounds and career stages.
Education
2019 –
Visual Arts Certificate Program, University of Chicago Graham School
2016 –
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago
Proffesional Experience
2018 - Present
General Manager, Chicago Art Department, Chicago, IL
2016 – 2019
Museum Operations, Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL
2014 – 2016
Studio Lab Assistant, School of Art and Art History, UIC, Chicago, IL
2013 – 2014
Visual Arts Instructor, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago, IL
Residencies / Fellowships
2017 –
Ox-Bow School of Art Fall Residency, Saugatuck, MI
The Center Program; Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
2016 –
Luminarts Visual Arts Fellow, Chicago, IL
LAUNCH Invitational Residency, Chicago Artists Coalition
Achievements / Awards
2017
Full Scholarship, The Center Program, Hyde Park Art Center
Fall Artists' Residency Stipend Award, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck, MI
2016 – 2017
Education Advisory Group member for the Chicago Artists Coalition
2016 –
UIC Faculty Award for Art, School of Art and Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago
Talent Tuition Award, School of Art and Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago
2015 –
Talent Tuition Award, School of Art and Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago
Exhibitions / Artist Talks
2019 –
Made In the Fab Lab, Link, Polsky Exchange, Chicago IL
Post Practice, Chicago Art Department, Chicago IL
Solo Exhibition, Chicago Art Department, Chicago IL
2017 –
Front & Center, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
2016 –
Project Zero Waste, Hostel Earphoria, Chicago, IL
Villarte, 11th annual Arts Festival, Chicago, IL
Luminarts Visual Arts Competition Exhibition, Union League Club of Chicago
As Little Defined As Anything Else, University of Illinois at Chicago
2014 –
Introspection: Anatomy of the Interior, 5th Floor Gallery, University of Illinois at Chicago