Chicks with Balls heads to Zanesville Museum of Art

Before the first Chick took off her shirt and hugged her first ball, I’ve been thinking about a solo museum show for my epic, now decade-old project, Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács paints unsung female heroes.

On February 13, 2020, that dream is coming true.

Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács paints unsung female heroes will have its (and my) first solo museum exhibition at the Zanesville Museum of Art in Central Ohio.

At the opening reception I will be launching and signing copies of the second book in the Chicks series, Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács keeps painting unsung female heroes.

Chicks with Balls, is a growing, traveling portrait exhibit that celebrates unsung female heroes, posing topless, holding balls to symbolize their strengths and struggles.

The project honors ordinary women whose daily acts of courage go largely unrecognized. I chronicle their stories at chickswithballsjudytakacs.blogspot.com and in the two Chicks books (the first one is pink, the second purple).

The women in my series are nurses, bookkeepers, magistrates, farmers, administrators, interpreters, activists, artists, advocates, philanthropists, creative souls, survivors, caregivers, authors, mothers, teachers, daughters, sisters, wives, obliging friends and ballsy facebook friends. Some have gone through traumatic and weighty life events, others keep a dizzying selection of balls in the air, facilitating the lives of those they love. All are persistent achievers…even those who don’t see themselves that way.

The portraits beckon the viewer to recognize everyday heroism in their own friends, moms, wives and sisters…and perhaps in themselves too. I shall be speaking on this topic at my Saturday February 15th Gallery Talk; Chicks with Balls: You, me, and every woman we know.

Designed as a traveling show, Chicks debuted at BAYarts in 2013 with 20 paintings and the launch of the first book (the pink one you’ve seen everywhere). In the following two years, it grew and traveled to Pennsylvania and back to Ohio for a 2015 exhibition of 38 paintings at Tri-C Gallery East.

Chicks took a hiatus following the death of my parents in 2016. During this mourning time, my detour from Chicks had me creating pieces with titles like, Guardian Angel of the Good Death, Serenity Prayer, The Final Chapter and Ephemera Collector.

But women kept volunteering to pose for Chicks, and I don’t pass up opportunities to paint beautiful souls.

The collection is now more than 50 paintings strong and all the newer works will be included in the sequel book (the purple one), Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács keeps painting unsung female heroes.

And, if everything goes according to plan, the Zanesville Museum of Art Show will also include a giant multi-figure triptych to honor some of the women who originally posed for Chicks and whose lives have taken torturous twists and turns since. They have gone through hell; some through hell and back, some still fighting their way forward.

This new, multi-figure piece has the working title, Love, Athena and serves to bridge the gap to my next series, The Goddess Project, where I re-examine stories and characters from the mythology of all religions, through a feminist lens. I blog about some of these paintings which have names like #Me(dusa)too, Arachne and Venus. I shall be speaking about this initiative at my Thursday night, March 19th Artist Lecture: Beyond Chicks with Balls: The Goddess Project.

For now, mark your calendars and head down to Central Ohio’s hidden gem, the Zanesville Museum of Art for the opening of Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács paints unsung female heroes. Thursday night, February 13, 2020 5:30 to 7:30m, where I’ll be signing copies of the new Chicks with Balls book. Show continues through April 4th.

Chicks with Balls: Judy Takács paints unsung female heroes
Open now through April 4th.
Zanesville Museum of Art
620 Military Road
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
(740) 452-0741
Zanesvilleart.org

Chicks with Balls Satellite Exhibition at The Art Loft Zanesville:
Featuring the epic Love, Athena Triptych.
Opening Reception at The Art Loft Zanesville First Friday Artwalk:
Friday, March 6 from 5:00 to 9:00

Artist Lecture at The Art Loft Zanesville:
Beyond Chicks with Balls: The Goddess Project
Thursday, March 19, 6:00 to 7:00

The Love, Athena Triptych shows The Art Loft Zanesville, through March 25.

The Art Loft Zanesville
26 North 3rd Street Rear
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
theartloftzanesville.com
740-704-2118