Chicago is a city filled with creativity, from our acclaimed museums to our neighborhood street art. And it’s a city filled with artists, using their works to share their unique perspectives and celebrate all the amazing things that make Chicago a city unlike any other.
Choose Chicago’s Artist of the Year program celebrates the city’s creative community by seeking out and recognizing a diverse array of talent from all over the city. Meet this year’s winners and learn more about the program.
Dan Gardiner is a Chicago-based photographer whose work captures the city’s dynamic beauty, from iconic architecture to the vibrant lakefront. Gardiner shared, “It is an honor to be named one of Choose Chicago’s Artists of the Year. As an artist working in a highly competitive medium, any opportunity to broaden my reach and my audience is incredibly impactful, and I look forward to sharing my work with the professional organizations and event clients that Choose Chicago partners with.”
Dan’s journey into photography took off in 2017 with a five-year project of daily shooting and curation, sharpening his eye for composition and storytelling. His work spans urban landscapes, drone photography, fine art, and wildlife, drawing inspiration from his travels to places like Africa, Scandinavia, and Cuba. Closer to home, his most common haunts include the Montrose Bird Sanctuary and the Chicago lakefront – especially from the water, having spent the past 20 years racing sailboats on Lake Michigan.
Laura Lee Junge is a painter and sculptor whose work encompasses a broad range of styles and subjects, including what some critics describe as “surrealistic expressionism.” “I am both an artist and the owner and operator of the Jackson Junge Gallery, so I definitely understand how challenging it can be to identify and connect with new customers and audiences,” said Junge. “This program is such a great way for Chicago artists like me to make new connections that we otherwise might never make.”
Taking her inspiration from life experiences, Junge firmly believes that “the most honest painting is what one knows”. This is clearly a philosophy she transfers to both her canvas and sculpted works. Junge’s chaotic childhood years due to her father’s bipolar illness were split between Minnesota and Oklahoma. On her own she applied and was accepted at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After graduation Junge has exhibited across the United States, often winning awards and gleaning accolades for her unique interpretative work. She is currently the proprietor and “in house” artist at the Jackson Junge Gallery in Chicago. Despite the time constraints of the gallery, Junge maintains a heavy schedule of competitively juried art fairs across the country.
Damon Lamar Reed’s work encompasses multiple media, including public art, studio art, and music. His portfolio includes over 400 public art projects, and he was named the Chicago Public Art Group’s 2024 Artist of the Year. “Whether it’s through murals, my studio work, or my music, I always aim to use the power of my art to inspire hope, resilience, and forward progress,” said Reed. “I love partnering with organizations like Choose Chicago because it allows me to inspire wider audiences through my work while promoting everything that I love about my city.”
From hip-hop to public art, Reed strives to create messages that reach the depth of the human condition. Ever since moving to Chicago, he has immersed himself in the culture and invested in the people. After graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago( SAIC) in 1999, he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Artist Residency. Damon is the inaugural recipient of Chicago Public Art Groups 2024, “Artist of the Year Award.”
Since 2000, the Artist of the Year program has been part of Choose Chicago’s broader efforts to highlight and support the city’s diverse community of working visual artists.
Each artist is recognized for the unique perspective their work lends to the Chicago experience for both residents and visitors, and for the shared passion and love for our city expressed through their work.
The program is spearheaded by Choose Chicago, the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination.
2024: Vashon Jordan Jr. and Billy Nesnidal (Photography)
2023: Vashon Jordan Jr. (Photography and videography)
2021: Paul Kolenda/Jackson Junge Galleries
2019: Anastasia Mak & Paul Kolenda/Jackson Junge Galleries
2018: Anastasia Mak/Jackson Junge Galleries
2017: Michael Cheney/Atlas Galleries (Post-modern impressionist paintings)
2015 & 2016: Nick Ulivieri (Photography)
2013 & 2014: Jamie Link (Photography)
2011 & 2012: Michael Cheney/Atlas Galleries (Post-modern impressionist paintings)
2009 & 2010: Joseph Catanzaro and Kathleen Patrick (Contemporary paintings)
2008: Cesar Russ (Photography)
2006 & 2007: Nancie King Mertz (Original Oils & Pastels, prints and cards)
2004 & 2005: Laurie Woolverton (Watercolors)
2003: Jack Simmerling (Watercolors)
2002: Andrew Lidgus (Three Dimensional Totems)
2001: Vito Palmisano (Photography)
2000: Jack Simmerling (Watercolors)
