Eleanor Spiess-Ferris currently lives in Chicago, Illinois
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (Selected)
2011
“Shallow Waters,” Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2010
Elgin Community College, Safety-Kleen Gallery One, Elgin, Illinois -
Sketches, Orchards & Dark Ponds – Catalog – essay by Ed Krantz
“Paintings of a Suffering Planet” – Western Illinois University, Macomb, Ill
2009
“Sorrows of Swans” – Printworks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Gouache on Paper
“Sorrows of Swans” – Chicago Cultural Center, Mich. Ave. Gallery, Chicago
Oils on Linen
“Sorrows of Swans – Survey of works from 1980 to 2007” – Elmhurst College,
Elmhurst, Illinois
Sorrows of Swans – Catalog - essay by James Yood
2006
“Water and Other Wise” – Packer Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
“The Magpie Chronicles” – Robert T. Wright community Gallery of Art,
College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
The Magpie Chronicles – Catalog – essay by Garrett Holg
2002
“Regeneration” – Zaks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1999
“New Works” – Zaks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1996
“The Goddess Series” – Shircliff Gallery of Art, Vincennes Univ,
Vincennes, Indiana
1994
“Works on Paper” – Zaks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1992
“The Goddess Series” – Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan
“Eleanor Spiess-Ferris: An Artist’s Journey” - Univ. of Wis. at Green Bay,
Green Bay, Wisconsin
“Eleanor Spiess-Ferris: An Artist’s Journey” – Charles Wustum Museum –
Racine, Wisconsin
Eleanor Spiess-Ferris: an Artist’s Journey – Catalog – essay by Estella Lauter
1990
“New Works” – Zaks Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1989
Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri
University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin
1987
“Beamish Mummery” – Chicago Cultural center, Chicago, Ill
1984
“New Works” – van Stratten Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
TWO PERSON AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS (Selected)
2011
“Art of the Book Jacket” – Printworks Gallery, Chicago Illinois
“Beat 2 the X” Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, Indiana – With Michael
Ferris Jr.
“A Remembrance of Awakened Birds:” – Johnson Art Gallery, Carthage
College, Kenosha, Wisconsin – With Nancy Mladenoff
2010
“Animal Farm” Gallery Project, Ann Arbor, Michigan
2007
“While All the Tribes of Birds Sang” – Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery,
James R. Thompson Center, Chicago, Illinois; Illinois State Museum,
Lockport Gallery, Lockport, Illinois
“Flights of Fancy” Printworks Gallery, Chicago – Curated by
Audrey Niffenegger
2005
“State of the Art 2005 National Biennial Watercolor Invitational” Parkland
College, Champaign, Illinois – Curated by Gladys Nilsson
2003
“Not Just Another Pretty Face” – Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
2002
“Ferris: A Family of Artists” Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois
2001
“Sextablos” – Traveling Exhibition
“Illinois Women Artists: The New Millennium” – Exhibition traveled to eight Illinois
museums and galleries – 1999-2001
2000
“The Lopsided Grin: Facing the New Century” – Bowling Green State
University, Bowling Green, Ohio
1999
“The End is Near, – Artists Looks at the 20th Century” – Wustum Museum,
Racine, Wisconsin – Invitational
1993
“Creativity and the Female Principle” – Northern Illinois University, DeKalb,
Illinois
“Haunting Images” – University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
1990
“The Chicago Show” – Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois
1988
“Watercolor 88” – Springfield Museum, Springfield, Missouri
1984
80th Exhibition by Artist of Chicago and Vicinity, Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, Illinois
SELECTED HONORS
2008
Illinois Arts Council Grant
2000
Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Grant
1991
Arts Midwest Fellowship Grant
1984
The Vielehr Award, 80th Exhibition by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, Art Institute of Chicago
1981
Illinois Arts Council Project Completion Grant
COLLECTIONS (Selected)
Block Museum at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois
James R. Thompson Center, Chicago, Illinois
Portland Museum of Fine Art, Portland, Oregon
Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois
Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin
PUBLICATIONS (Selected)
Drawing: Space, Form, and Expression, By Esynr Enstice and Melody Peters. 2nd edition, textbook published by Prentice-
Hall. Inc. Copy written in 1996
“Exploring Imaginary Subjects,” by Stanley Marcus, Watercolor ’88, Published by American Artist Magazine, Copy written 1988
Women as Mythmakers, By E. Lauter, Indiana University, copy written in 1984