Rita Grendze Opens Solo Exhibition 'Belly' at University of Illinois-Springfield
Alumna Rita Grendze (MFA Fiber 1994) will open a new solo exhibition on March 2 at the University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery, on view through April 9. A free, public reception will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
The installation centers on grocery bags collected during the pandemic, reconstructed into oversized, sagging vessel-like forms that suggest empty stomachs and shifting bodies. The work considers hunger in its many dimensions — physical, emotional, and existential — and reflects on how scarcity and sustenance shape lived experience over time.
Grendze’s practice draws from gathered materials and the layered meanings embedded in place. A Fulbright scholar, she spent a year in Latvia researching symbolism in folk costume, an inquiry that continues to inform her sculptural and installation work. She earned her BFA in fiber from the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Latvian National Library, and is held in both private and public collections. Based in the Chicago area, Grendze has also taught at institutions including the Maryland Institute College of Art and Jersey City University and remains active in regional arts initiatives.
Learn more:
UIS exhibition transforms grocery bags into a story about hunger – The State Journal-Register
