Exhibition Panel
Brendan Fernandes: In the Round Artist and Curator Talk
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Charting the influence of the Judson Dance Theater, a pioneering collective of choreographers, composers, filmmakers, and artists who revolutionized contemporary dance in the 1960s, Brendan Fernandes and Stephanie Cristello will present how this exhibition expands upon legacies for open collaboration and collective creation. Dissolving the boundary between audience and performer, both will discuss these themes in the context of the newly-commissioned performance work Score for the Murphy Auditorium—inviting visitors to experience history, performance, and space from multiple perspectives. Presented in partnership with EXPO ART WEEK.
This event is free and open to the public, with donations gratefully accepted in support of continued cultural programming.
Lead support for Brendan Fernandes: In the Round is provided by Cari and Michael J. Sacks.
Major support is provided by the Driehaus Trust Company, LLC, Anne L. Kaplan, and Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson.
Generous support is provided by Elizabeth Liebman.
Additional support is provided by Friends of Brendan Fernandes.
About the Artists:
Brendan Fernandes is an internationally recognized Canadian artist based in Chicago whose work merges dance and visual art to explore race, queer culture, migration, and collective movement. Blending ballet, queer dance, and protest, his collaborative projects create spaces of agency and solidarity. A graduate of the Whitney Independent Study Program, he has received major honors including the Platform Award (2024) and Creative Voice Award from Arts Alliance Illinois. His work has been shown at leading institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, National Gallery of Canada, and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Fernandes is Associate Professor of Art, Theory, and Practice at Northwestern University and is represented by Monique Meloche Gallery and Susan Inglett Gallery.
Stephanie Cristello is a Chicago-based contemporary art critic, curator, and author whose work explores visual culture, mythology, and conceptual art since 1960. She was Senior Editor US at ArtSlant (2012–18) and founding Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN (2013–20), with writing in leading art journals. Cristello has organized and spoken at major international programs and biennials, taught at institutions including the University of Chicago and SAIC, and participated in curatorial exchanges across Europe. A SAIC graduate (2013), she was Artistic Director of EXPO CHICAGO (2013–20) and is Director/Curator at Chicago Manual Style & P.S. Publishing Services. She has curated exhibitions in the US and Europe, authored several catalogues and monographs, and received a 2020 Graham Foundation publication grant.
Image: Brendan Fernandes and Stephanie Cristello in the Murphy Auditorium, Driehaus Museum, 2026. Photo: Bob.