Hope Wang is an artist and creative entrepreneur based in Chicago, IL.
Through handweaving, photography, poetry, and printmaking, she develops what she calls (American) Midwest Melancholy as a visual language. In her work, she attempts to hold onto what is often already disappearing: the last seconds of the sun setting against a factory wall, the shadow of a locked gate cast by streetlights, or the wavering space between an open storefront and a vacant one.
Hope is also the founder and co-director of LMRM (loom room), a project space that blends art, research, and community programming around digital weaving. She is invested in equitable conditions for working artists, resource sharing, and moving at the speed of trust. Hope is a recipient of an Artists Run Chicago Grant from the Hyde Park Art Center, and a Chicago Community Fellowship Fund from the Breakout Foundation for LMRM’s contributions to the city’s art community.
Recent Highlights —
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Asunder/满地残阳—Glass Curtain Gallery at Columbia College Chicago, IL
2024
Hope Wang—Degroot Fine Art, Chicago, IL
Step 1: rid the pomelo skin of bitterness—Chinese American Museum of Chicago, IL
Group Exhibitions
2024
Beyond: Tapestry Expanded—The Richard E. Peeler Art Center, Greencastle, IN
Holding Space—Chautauqua Visual Arts Galleries, Chautauqua, NY
Gateways—Roots and Culture, Chicago, IL
2023
Supernova—Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Awards & Recognition
2025
Creative Accelerator Fund, Illinois Arts Council, Chicago, IL
$10,000 unrestricted grant. CAF recognizes and supports the vital role that artists play as builders and innovators in their communities that compose a significant portion of Illinois’ economic activity.
2024
Artists Run Chicago Fund, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
$8,000 unrestricted grant. The ARC fund acknowledges the important contributions of artist-run platforms to the Chicago art community and aims to strengthen their diverse and experimental programs.
2023
Chicago Community Fellowship Fund, Breakout Foundation, Chicago, IL
$10,000 Unrestricted grant. Gertie Chicago and Breakout Foundation Supports individuals and organizations dedicated to driving positive change, fostering connections, and creating lasting impact in Chicago.
Visual Arts Fellowship Grant, Luminarts Cultural Foundation, Chicago, IL
$10,000 Unrestricted Grant. The Luminarts Fellowship honors Chicago Artists for their excellence in Visual Arts, and provides Continued career support and future opportunities.
2021
Art Accelerator Grant, gener8tor Art, Milwaukee, WI
$15,000 Unrestricted Grant and A 12-week accelerator program. gener8tor Art helps artists achieve greater success by providing bespoke mentorship to build a sustainable art practice.
Featured Press
2024
Crafters of Today, September 2024
Weaving Community: Inside Hope Wang and Murat Ahmed’s Fiber Art Revolution
Newcity Design, June 2024
Hope Wang on Chicago’s only public access TC2 loom
Sixty Inches From Center, March 2024
2023
Field Notes: Artist interview with Hope Wang
Warp and Weft Magazine, April 2023
"In Wang’s practice, each material component is thoughtfully considered for its potential contribution to the overall concept. This aspect of her process is influenced by years of weaving, but also that of years in painting and photography, project managing for Chicago Textile Week, and collaboratively making through Spudnik Press. Now, she uses her artmaking knowledge and process to shape the infrastructure of her small business [LMRM]—growing slowly and moving toward pairings that feel right, layering newfound learnings with age-old self-knowing.”