Exhibit Opening with Joel Berman

A River Rat's View:
The Chicago Waterway, My Studio in Motion
Artwork by Joel Berman 

Joel's work is rooted in the process of Urban Sketching—a discipline of drawing on-site, in the moment, to capture what he sees and immediately process. The series Water is born out of his ritual on the Chicago River. As a self-proclaimed "River Rat," Joel's subject is kinetic, chaotic, and constantly shifting.
This exhibition showcases some sketches drawn directly from my kayak, a practice he calls "sketchyaking." The instability of drawing from the water forces immediate decision-making and rapid lines, stripping the urban scene down to its essential architectural and emotional elements. These sketches are conceptual tools, quickly translating the chaotic relationship between the natural world (water, sky, movement) and human infrastructure (bridges, piers, bulkheads, high-rises). The high-contrast, fast lines highlight the underlying skeleton of the city while accepting the unpredictable nature of the medium. The work is yin and yang: a structured architectural hand as a foil to the spontaneous energy of the water.Joel Berman is the Principal Architect and founder of Berman Architecture, a national design firm rooted right here in Andersonville. While his professional practice designs everything from complex retail franchise prototypes (including restaurants and bars) to adaptive reuse projects, his personal artistic pursuit is driven by capturing the immediate environment on site through rapid, expressive sketching.
A self-proclaimed “River Rat,” Joel lives on the Chicago River, which serves as a constant muse and backdrop for his artwork. He actively explores this unique urban ecosystem through kayaking, rowing crew with the Chicago Rowing Foundation, and dragon boat racing with the Greater Chicagoland Dragon Boat Club. His deep engagement with the river’s life and evolving landscape directly informs the lines and shadows of his creative work. Joel volunteers for the Swedish American Museum during Midsommarfest, and donates art for auction for their annual gala. Most mornings Joel walks across Clark street from his office for coffee and cardamom from Mormor's cafe.
Joel champions freehand sketching as an essential tool for conceptual design, embracing its speed and intimacy to translate ideas quickly and clearly. He has spent years sharing this passion as a frequent educator for professional associations across Canada (including the Royal Architect's Institute of Canada and the Ontario and Alberta Associations of Architects). Joel also instructs at Urban Sketchers Chicago and Urban Sketcher Nagpur (India). His teaching legacy includes instructing dozens of primary school teachers for the Chicago Architecture Foundation – National Endowment of the Humanities Landmark Series on how to foster visual literacy in their students.
His sketches, drawn with a keen architectural eye, aim to show the immediate, emotional truth found in the world around us.