On Creative Practice brings together two artists in conversation to discuss studio practices, materiality and creation, and what it means to be a working artist today. Join us for this intimate conversation with Bryana Bibbs, current Elevate artist at 21c Chicago, and writer and cultural worker Erin Toale.

Bryana Bibbs is a Chicago-based artist who works at the intersection of textiles, painting, and community-based practices. Bibbs earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Fiber and Material Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the founder of The We Were Never Alone Project - a weaving workshop for victims and survivors of domestic violence, currently serves on the Surface Design Association’s Education Committee, and was named one of Newcity’s Breakout Artists of 2024. Bibbs has had recent solo exhibitions at the Chesterton Art Center (Chesterton, IN) and Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Chicago, IL). She has had recent group exhibitions at Chicago Art Department (Chicago, IL), Chicago Artists Coalition (Chicago, IL), Elmhurst Art Museum (Elmhurst, IL), Portland Library (Portland, ME), and George Marshall Store Gallery Portland, ME), and George Marshall Store Gallery (York, ME). Bibbs has participated in residencies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN), Surf Point Foundation (York, ME), the Lunder Institute for American Art (Waterville, ME), and Chicago Artists Coalition (Chicago, IL)

Erin Toale is a Chicago-based writer and cultural worker. She earned Dual MAs in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism - and Arts Administration and Policy - from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013, and a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design in 2006. She has worked for a variety of nonprofits, galleries, and research centers including the Rebuild Foundation, the Social Impact of the Arts Project, the Sullivan Galleries at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Hyde Park Art Center. She participated in both the HATCH Projects Curatorial Residency at Chicago Artists Coalition (2015) and the Center Program at the Hyde Park Art Center (2016). She is a Teaching Artist at the Hyde Park Art Center, a Contributing Writer for the Chicago Reader and Newcity, and Founding Director of the outdoor project space Bird Show.