This fall, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan unveiled Recent Acquisition: Roger Brown Study Collection, an evocative exhibition celebrating the legendary Chicago Imagist’s deep archive of art, design, and everyday objects. The show marks the arrival of Brown’s expansive study collection to the Arts Center and its Art Preserve — a museum dedicated to artist-built environments and immersive creative worlds.

Roger Brown (1941–1997) was known for his bold, narrative paintings — vivid slices of American life rendered in rich color and sly humor — but just as compelling was the world he built around his work. His Chicago home and studio on North Halsted Street were filled floor to ceiling with what he called his “visual diary”: folk art, thrift-store finds, roadside souvenirs, toys, furniture, and artworks by friends and peers. Together, they formed a living environment that blurred the line between art and life, between collecting and creating.

“I was building a world to live in, not just pictures to look at.”
— Roger Brown

From Chicago to Sheboygan
The transfer of Brown’s collection from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to the Kohler Foundation and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center represents a major cultural moment. Installed at the Art Preserve, the collection now enters a conversation with other artist environments — immersive, hand-crafted worlds that reveal how artists think through space, time, and material.

The exhibition re-creates aspects of Brown’s domestic installation: shelves crowded with folk sculpture, thrift-store paintings, and bits of Americana. One vignette evokes the stairwell of his Chicago home, where each object was placed with curatorial precision and intuitive wit. These scenes demonstrate how Brown’s way of seeing extended beyond the canvas — his architecture of display was as intentional as his art.

Architecture, Art, and Everyday Life
Brown was not an architect, yet he understood the poetic potential of space. His layered environments anticipated contemporary ideas about spatial storytelling — the notion that how we organize and inhabit our surroundings reveals who we are. The Kohler exhibition highlights this connection beautifully, showing how Brown’s interior worlds serve as both subject and structure for his creative practice.

Walking through the installation feels like stepping into an artist’s mind — every object charged with meaning, every angle composed. It’s an experience that transcends nostalgia, instead celebrating the improvisational architecture of everyday beauty.

In Conversation with Optima®’s Vision
At Optima®, we see a profound resonance between Brown’s vision and our own design philosophy. His ability to integrate art, architecture, and the lived environment mirrors the way our communities blur boundaries between structure and landscape, indoors and outdoors, individual expression and collective experience.

Just as Brown’s collection reveals how objects tell stories of place and time, Optima buildings invite residents to shape their own layered narratives within spaces defined by light, texture, and connection. Both perspectives embrace the idea that design is not static — it is a living framework that evolves with the people and ideas it holds.

In Sheboygan, Recent Acquisition: Roger Brown Study Collection reminds us that every environment — whether a home, studio, or architectural space — holds the potential to become a work of art. Through attention, arrangement, and imagination, we give form to the worlds we inhabit.

Visit the Exhibition
Recent Acquisition: Roger Brown Study Collection
John Michael Kohler Arts Center / Art Preserve
On view through Spring 2026 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

For hours, directions, and visitor information, visit jmkac.org.

At Optima®, our approach to architecture is deeply informed by the ethos of Modernism—its commitment to experimentation, clarity of form, and the seamless integration of art, design, and life. Rooted in the legacy of mid-century innovation, we’re continually inspired by how Modernist principles adapt across cultures and disciplines. One particularly striking expression of this spirit unfolded in post-independence India, where a generation of artists reimagined Modernism to reflect the unique rhythms and aspirations of a newly sovereign nation.

In 1947, as India gained independence, a cohort of bold, visionary artists stepped forward to redefine what Indian art could be. They turned to Modernism not as a Western export, but as a global framework they could shape to reflect their own histories, myths, and modern realities.

Leading this charge was the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG), formed in Bombay the same year as independence. Founders F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, K.H. Ara, and others set out to dismantle the conservative aesthetics of colonial-era realism and the romantic nationalism of the Bengal School. Instead, they embraced expressive forms, experimentation, and an inclusive visual language that engaged with both local culture and international art movements.

Drawing influence from artists like Cézanne, Picasso, and Modigliani, PAG members crafted a synthesis of East and West. Their subjects ranged from mythology and folklore to the emerging complexities of urban life. Souza’s bold, confrontational figures critiqued religious orthodoxy and societal repression. Husain’s dynamic compositions brought ancient epics into dialogue with contemporary India. Raza, based in Paris, gradually distilled his visual language into symbolic abstraction, often centered on the bindu—a powerful motif from Hindu cosmology symbolizing origin and unity.

Outside the PAG, Modernism continued to flourish in diverse forms. Tyeb Mehta’s stark, gestural figures conveyed emotional intensity and meditations on violence and partition. Nasreen Mohamedi, now recognized as a pioneer of global minimalism, created intricate linear compositions that were at once architectural and deeply personal. Her disciplined abstractions—rooted in Islamic geometry and Indian visual tradition—prefigured global conversations around structure, space, and silence.

Institutions like the Baroda School further expanded the movement’s reach. Artists such as K.G. Subramanyan championed a dialogue between craft and fine art, nurturing a generation of creators who saw no boundary between tradition and experimentation.

Collectively, these artists forged a truly Indian Modernism—at once cosmopolitan and grounded, spiritual and secular, experimental and enduring. Their work spoke not only to the conditions of a newly independent nation but also to broader questions of identity, form, and cultural synthesis.

Today, this legacy is being recognized anew, with major exhibitions and global institutions reevaluating India’s contribution to 20th-century art. At Optima®, we find resonance in their visionary spirit—their ability to honor the past while fearlessly forging a new path. Just as these artists integrated tradition with innovation, we continue to explore how modern design can elevate everyday experience while responding meaningfully to place and culture.

At Optima®, we are deeply inspired by the timeless tenets of Modernism—principles that extend far beyond architecture and into the realms of sculpture, painting, and design. Few artists embody these ideals as poetically and powerfully as Andrea Cascella, an Italian sculptor and architect whose work explored the relationship between material, form, and space with reverence and restraint.

Born in Pescara, Italy, in 1919 into a family of painters, Andrea Cascella inherited an early love for the arts—but it was stone, not canvas, that would become his lifelong medium. He trained initially as a painter before shifting his focus to sculpture, finding in the tactile solidity of marble and granite a path to express something elemental and enduring. Like many Modernist pioneers, Cascella sought to pare down his forms to their essential qualities, allowing material and proportion to speak volumes without ornamentation.

Cascella’s mature work is perhaps best understood through the lens of architectural integration. Much like the vision behind Optima®’s buildings—where form, function, and landscape are in constant dialogue—Cascella conceived of his sculptures not just as isolated objects, but as living components of space. His large-scale works are often placed outdoors, engaging directly with their environment. Whether positioned in a civic plaza or within a natural landscape, his sculptures encourage viewers to move around them, to observe the interplay of light, shadow, and scale from every angle.

This is particularly evident in his most iconic works, such as the Monumento ai Caduti di Kindu in Pisa, created in 1966 to commemorate the Italian aviators killed in the Congo. The monument’s geometric abstraction, constructed in pink granite and shaped like a massive horizontal arch, communicates solemnity and reverence without relying on figuration. The structure’s clean lines and precise engineering exemplify Cascella’s deep belief in Modernist ideals: that simplicity, material truth, and spatial awareness could convey meaning more powerfully than symbolism alone.

Cascella’s art aligns with a broader European post-war effort to redefine beauty and public life through the language of Modernism. His aesthetic is akin to that of architects like Carlo Scarpa and designers like Alvar Aalto—those who found spiritual resonance in tactile surfaces and honest craftsmanship. He was also part of a broader artistic movement in Italy that sought to recover and reinterpret ancient materials—like travertine and basalt—within a modernist vocabulary, affirming continuity between past and present.

This philosophy resonates strongly at Optima®, where architecture is not a backdrop but an active participant in daily life. Just as Cascella’s stone works invite interaction and contemplation, our spaces are designed to support seamless movement, dynamic light, and emotional connection. The relationship between natural materials and modern forms—a signature of both Cascella’s sculptures and Optima®’s residences—is key to creating environments that feel at once grounded and forward-looking.

Cascella passed away in 1990, but his work continues to stand as a quiet force across Italy and beyond. In public parks, cultural institutions, and civic plazas, his sculptures remain meditative, monumental, and unmistakably modern. They remind us that beauty can be both austere and generous, and that Modernism—far from being a historical style—is a living ethos.

At Optima®, we are proud to celebrate artists like Andrea Cascella, whose work expands the vocabulary of Modernism and continues to shape the way we see, feel, and inhabit space. His legacy is a powerful reminder that thoughtful design—whether architectural or sculptural—has the power to elevate everyday life.

At Optima®, we believe that art is not only a cornerstone of great design but also a vital part of building vibrant, inspired communities. Our commitment to supporting artists and celebrating creative expression is rooted in a deep respect for those whose work challenges, provokes, and endures. Among the most influential figures in Chicago’s cultural landscape is Ed Paschke—a pioneering voice of the Chicago Imagists whose bold, neon-infused vision reshaped the boundaries of contemporary art. In honoring his legacy, we recognize the power of art to both reflect and shape the identity of a place—something Paschke did with unmatched intensity and insight throughout his career.

Ed Paschke (1939–2004) was a towering figure in Chicago’s art scene, celebrated for his electrifying paintings and unapologetic imagination. As a leading member of the Chicago Imagists – a group of avant-garde artists in the 1960s and ’70s – Paschke forged a path that was distinctly his own​. He emerged as one of the important painters to emerge from America’s heartland during that era​, earning him the nickname “Mr. Chicago” for his devotion to his hometown’s creative community​. In the spirit of Optima’s commitment to supporting and celebrating art, we take a closer look at Paschke’s life, trailblazing career, and lasting impact on the contemporary art world.

From Chicago Roots to Imagist Fame
Born on Chicago’s Northwest Side, Paschke displayed artistic talent early on – inspired by comic strips and cartoons – and set his sights on becoming an artist​. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), earning his BFA in 1961 and later an MFA in 1970​. In between, he spent time in New York City where he encountered the rising Pop Art movement and began incorporating pop culture imagery into his own work. Paschke even worked as a freelance illustrator for Playboy magazine in the 1960s, blending commercial art with his fine art ambitions.

Returning to Chicago, Paschke joined a circle of like-minded SAIC alumni who would be dubbed the Chicago Imagists, known for their eccentric, figurative art that bucked mainstream trends​. While New York’s art scene was dominated by minimalism and cool Pop Art, Paschke and his Chicago peers embraced bold narratives, surreal humor, and influences ranging from comic books to folk art​. Paschke’s early exhibitions – such as the landmark Hyde Park Art Center shows in the late 1960s – announced the arrival of a new wave of Chicago artists unafraid to mix high and low culture. He quickly gained recognition for using the celebrity figure, real or imagined, as a vehicle for explorations of personal and public identity in his paintings. Though he never liked being confined to labels, Paschke became a defining figure of the Chicago Imagist movement and proudly represented this distinctive Chicago style of art​.

Paschke’s artistic style was instantly recognizable and deliberately provocative. Key characteristics of his work include:

• Vivid Neon Palette: He often painted in day-glo greens, yellows, and pinks that seem to glow like a television screen, a nod to the influence of electronic media on his art​. These electric colors give his work an intense, confrontational energy​.
• Distorted Portraiture: Many of Paschke’s paintings are close-up portraits of faces or figures, yet they are far from traditional. He blended photorealistic detail with abstract distortion – faces might be masked or feature hollowed eyes and fragmented forms​. This surreal treatment lends a mysterious, sometimes grotesque cast to his characters​.
• Pop Culture & “Marginal” Subjects: Drawing inspiration from mass media, Paschke depicted celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley alongside boxers, carnival performers, and society’s outsiders​. By portraying what he referred to as “the creepy flipside of celebrity” and the grit behind the glamour, he offered a sly critique of pop culture’s obsessions​.
• Psychological Depth and Humor: Under the fluorescent colors, Paschke’s work explored themes of identity, sexuality, and violence with a dark sense of humor​. His paintings invite viewers to confront what lies beneath public facades – a blend of fascination and unease that made his art both compelling and unsettling.

This fearless mix of influences – part Pop Art, part Surrealism – resulted in artwork that was as aesthetically striking as it was thought-provoking​. Paschke’s canvases broke boundaries, proving that fine art could absorb anything from the cultural zeitgeist and still make a powerful personal statement.

Influence, Teaching, and Enduring Legacy
Beyond his studio practice, Ed Paschke was a dedicated mentor and educator. In 1978 he became Northwestern University’s first full-time art professor, and he taught there for the rest of his life​. Paschke welcomed students into his studio and encouraged experimentation, even counting future art-star Jeff Koons among those he mentored in the 1970s​. His willingness to nurture young talent helped cement Chicago’s reputation as a hotbed of artistic innovation.

Paschke’s own career ascended to international heights. A major retrospective of his work at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989–90 traveled to Paris and Dallas, introducing his neon visions to a global audience​. Despite acclaim, Paschke remained firmly rooted in Chicago. After his sudden passing in 2004, the city honored him by designating a portion of Monroe Street as Ed Paschke Way, fittingly alongside the Art Institute where he had drawn early inspiration​. In 2014, a decade after his death, the Ed Paschke Art Center opened in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood to preserve his vibrant legacy and inspire future generations of artists​.

Today, Ed Paschke’s influence endures as an integral part of Chicago’s cultural DNA. His work and the Imagist spirit continue to inspire contemporary artists who prize color, individuality, and authenticity over conformity​. At Optima®, we celebrate the same creative energy and local pride that Paschke embodied. By championing visionary artists like Ed Paschke, we honor Chicago’s rich artistic heritage and keep its innovative spirit alive. Paschke’s legacy reminds us that supporting art isn’t just about preserving the past – it’s about fueling the imagination and character of our communities for the future.