Apparition, 2004 Latex on Fabric

Formerly a resident of Crystal Lake and now living in Chicago, Alberto Aguilar is the only 2-time Blue Sky Resident Artist. His 2005 project "Interruptions" explored the love of life through a blend of performance and visual expression.

Alberto is a painter by formal training. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been shown throughout the Midwest since 1993. Alberto has two mural commissions in the area, one in West Chicago and the other in Hammond, Indiana. In the summer of 2003 he taught painting in Florence, Italy.

Having completed two years as a full-time instructor at McHenry County College, in the fall of 2006 Alberto joined the faculty of Harold Washington College in Chicago, where he hopes to spread the Blue Sky collaborative experience.

"When I first moved to McHenry County to start a new job teaching art at the local college I was worried that I would have no contact with engaging contemporary artists. Blue Sky Project gave me the opportunity to dialogue and exchange ideas with interesting artists from Chicago and all over the country. The dialogue with the youth participants was equally engaging. I was not asked to act as a teacher, rather as a collaborator, which I translated as hanging out, getting to know one another and making art that incorporated all of our presence and ideas. Blue Sky Project is the best thing going for McHenry County in terms of art. In fact in all of my experience as an artist I have not seen an artist residency program/youth mentorship/art community such as this one. My experience at Blue Sky has taken my work to new and exciting terrains, invigorating my studio practice, my methods of teaching and my daily life. I believe in the philosophy of the program so much that I plan on starting something similar at my new post at Harold Washington College in downtown Chicago. Blue Sky Project is an extremely generous program, giving in all direction-to artists, youth and the community. I look forward to watching it grow."