TL;DR
The Department of Objects, an exhibition featuring work by Wyatt Hersey, Melissa Lakey, Esther Pearl Watson and Anna Valdez, is set to open in Chicago after a five-day winter residency at Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin. The residency was organized by Joy Machine and The Jaunt, and its title comes from a camp storage room filled with vintage objects and memorabilia.
The Department of Objects, an exhibition of work made by four artists during a five-day winter residency at Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin, is scheduled to open in Chicago on Oct. 23. The project was organized by Joy Machine and The Jaunt, whose residency brought the artists together at the historic camp and drew inspiration from its collection of vintage objects and memorabilia.
The participating artists are Wyatt Hersey, Melissa Lakey, Esther Pearl Watson and Anna Valdez. According to the report published by Colossal, they spent five days working in the camp’s lodges, kitchens and bunkhouses during a Midwest winter. The artists were invited from California, and the organizers described the conditions as a sharp change from the milder climate they were accustomed to, with frozen lakes, sledding and temperatures that reached 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
The exhibition takes its name from an attic storage area at Camp Wandawega. The organizers described the Department of Objects as a collection of old magazines, fishing lures, books, patches and other camp-related items. The artists used the room as a place to work and draw inspiration; the report says that some objects from the collection will also appear in the gallery.
Works identified in the report include Hersey’s View from Wandawega Lodge, a 2026 gouache painting on birch panel; Valdez’s Assorted Vintage Lures; and Melissa Lakey’s Vintage Radios, an acrylic painting on wood panel. The report also names Esther Pearl Watson as a participant, but does not list a specific work by her. It says all four artists are expected at the opening reception.
A Residency Becomes a Chicago Exhibition
The exhibition connects an out-of-town artist residency with a public gallery presentation, giving Chicago audiences a chance to see work shaped by a shared period of making and living at a camp. Rather than documenting only the landscape, the project’s stated source of inspiration was the camp’s everyday material culture: stored objects, old publications and keepsakes accumulated over time.
That focus gives the show a particular link to Camp Wandawega’s history and atmosphere. The organizers describe the setting as a traditional sleepaway camp and say the artists worked across its buildings and grounds. For viewers, the exhibition offers both individual works and a record of how a specific place and its contents informed a group residency. The source does not establish how many works will be shown or how long the exhibition will run.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Winter Camp to Gallery
The Jaunt has organized week-long artist residencies in destinations chosen by participating artists, according to the Colossal report. The report says founder Jeroen Smeets began a related Winter Camp program in 2024, bringing a small group of artists together for a shared stay intended to encourage the exchange of ideas and creative work. The Camp Wandawega gathering was described as the third iteration of Winter Camp and a partnership with Joy Machine.
Camp Wandawega is in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, north of Chicago. The report says the grounds are more than a century old and were used as a speakeasy and brothel during Prohibition before becoming a summer camp operated by the Latvian Catholic church. It now functions as a retreat. These details help explain why its historic buildings and accumulated camp objects became central to the artists’ experience, rather than simply serving as a place to stay.
“The warmest space we can reasonably be expected to work.”
— The artists, as described in the Colossal report
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Venue and Exhibition Details Remain Unlisted
The source gives an opening date and time but does not name the Chicago gallery or venue, provide its address, or state how long the exhibition will remain open. It also does not give a full checklist, the number of works on display, admission information, or details about whether the pieces are available for purchase. Those details should be confirmed with the organizers before visitors make plans.
The report says visitors can RSVP for the reception or sign up for a collector preview, but it does not provide links or explain the preview’s timing or access requirements. The exhibition’s opening is scheduled for Oct. 23, 2026; the available material does not say whether any arrangements have changed since the announcement.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Opening Reception Set for Oct. 23
The reported opening reception is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, with all four participating artists expected to attend. The source also directs readers to RSVP for the reception or register for a collector preview. Prospective visitors will need to check the organizers’ event information for the venue, reservation links and any updated attendance details.
Further information that would clarify the public presentation includes the gallery address, visiting hours, the exhibition’s closing date and a complete list of artworks. Until those details are published, the confirmed next milestone is the scheduled reception and the debut of work made during the Camp Wandawega residency.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What is The Department of Objects?
The Department of Objects is an exhibition featuring work by four artists who took part in a five-day winter residency at Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin. Its title comes from an attic storage room at the camp filled with vintage objects and memorabilia.
Who took part in the residency?
The artists named in the report are Wyatt Hersey, Melissa Lakey, Esther Pearl Watson and Anna Valdez. The residency was organized by Joy Machine and The Jaunt.
When is the opening reception?
The reception is scheduled for Oct. 23, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. The report says all four artists will be present.
Where in Chicago is the exhibition?
The source describes the exhibition as opening in Chicago but does not name the venue or provide an address. Visitors should check the organizers’ event information before attending.
What objects inspired the artists?
The camp storage room held old magazines, vintage fishing lures, books, patches and other camp memorabilia. The report says the collection informed the artists’ work and that some objects will be included in the gallery.
Source: rss
