“Almost There” at Intuit

Published in Time Out Chicago / Issue 282 : Jul 22–28, 2010 

Peter Anton was painting portraits at the 2005 Pierogi Fest when he met filmmakers Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden. Impressed by the 78-year-old artist’s work, the duo visited him at his East Chicago, Indiana, home and were blown away when they found the daily journals and scrapbooks that Anton had kept for 60 years.

Organized by Rybicky and Wickenden with Anton’s cooperation, “Almost There: A Portrait of Peter Anton” presents this autobiographical material alongside the curators’ photos and videos of the artist, which they’re incorporating into a documentary. Photos of Anton’s scrapbooks make up most of the show. Newspaper clippings, talent-show programs and letters follow his career from the 1950s–70s, when he taught and organized talent clubs and cultural festivals. Anton’s life story overshadows the actual scrapbooks and few unremarkable paintings on display, but the books’ vibrant covers hint at the wealth of memories they contain.

At a July 10 panel with Anton at Intuit, Rybicky and Wickenden discussed the ethical implications of curating the show while resisting judging their subject’s shocking living conditions: piles of old newspapers, multiple cats and scrapbooked walls ruined by a leaky roof. Rather than pitying Anton, they asked themselves, “What does this man want?”

Anton told the audience he hopes his story inspires others to persevere through hard times. His honesty about struggles including depression and attempted suicide eases some of the discomfort we feel at seeing his “roller-coaster” life laid bare on the gallery walls.

CW