DEKALB, IL.- The Northern Illinois University Art Museum is pleased to present Location Uncertain, a collaborative exchange between Berlin and Chicago artists on display in the South Galleries of Altgeld Hall. On October 18th, artists Tom Denlinger, Karen Lebergott, and Mary Patten will return to present the lecture “Collaboration and the Individual Artist” in Altgeld 315 from 5-7 pm.

The artists featured in the exhibit are Berliners Jan Bauer, Werner Gasser, Helga Natz, Karina Nimmerfall, and Daniela von Nayhauss, and Chicagoans Karen Lebergott, Tom Denlinger, Michael Piazza, and Mary Patten. Location Uncertain will consist of new artworks created collaboratively in pairs and trios including at least one German and one American. Some projects document actions which took place simultaneously in both countries. The resulting work seeks to reveal the specific and separate locations of the artists and what commonalities transcend those differences. “The experimental premise of Location Uncertain showcases how a university museum can function as a laboratory for contemporary artists,” explained NIU Art Museum Director Jo Burke.

Location Uncertain is the second component of an artistic exchange which began in November 2005, as an exhibition in Berlin titled “Location Matters” featuring the artwork of four Chicagoans and four Berliners. “It was through this interaction that new possibilities for cultural exchange presented themselves and resulted in a deeper commitment to build upon our ongoing dialogue. New work is now being made that either draws directly from our experience or through collaborative strategies,” stated the artists in their original exhibition proposal. Berliner Karina Nimmerfall was added to the grouping for this second exchange. This exhibition and programming were sponsored in part by the Illinois Art Council, a state agency; Friends of the NIU Art Museum; the NIU School of Art; the Arts Fund 21; Lake Forest College; and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest.