Zack Ostrowski

BIO

BEVERLY FRESH (Zack Ostrowski) is a contemporary artist and musician from the United States of America. He has broken several Guinness Book World Records; including breaking the most eggs on his head and compiling the tallest stack of rap tapes.

Beverly has exhibited and performed throughout the United States and internationally, including China, Japan, Peru, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, France and Germany. Recent notable exhibitions and performances include, REALLY SOMETHIN ELSE (2018), a solo exhibition at the DePaul Art Museum, MR MDWST - A REAL GOOD TIME (2015), a solo exhibition at the Cranbrook Museum of Art, TAKE THE BACK ROADS AND COLLECT MYSELF (2014) a solo exhibition at the Pavillon am Milchhof (Berlin), and A Study in Midwestern Appropriation, curated by Michelle Grabner at the Hyde Park Art Center (2014). He is the co-founder of sUPERIORbelly (1999), a multi-media art and design collective and record label based in Detroit, and cofounder of WILD AMERICAN DOGS (2013), an interdisciplinary art duo focused on producing experimental feature films and performance. In 2016, he co-founded the Archive of Midwestern Culture with Greg Scott.

He has a BFA in Graphic Design/Interactive Media from the College for Creative Studies and an MFA from the 2D Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he was the 2009 recipient of the Daimler AG Emerging Artist Award.

In 2017, he was the Visiting Designer-In-Residence and Head of the 2D Department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He is an Associate Professor and Area Head of Graphic Art at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

In 2021, Beverly Fresh was recognized with the Meier Achievement Award for mid-career arts professionals.

WRITING/PUBLISHING

REALLY SOMETHIN ELSE, is a 270 page experimental "expanded catalog" chronicling the recent work and 2018 solo exhibition of artist Beverly Fresh. The book not only documents and contextualizes the work in the exhibition, but also includes research, sketches, production stills, inspiration and other works not on view in the exhibition. Featuring essays by DPAM Director Julie Rodrigues Widholm, DePaul Humanities Center Director H. Peter Steeves, and DePaul Associate Professor of Sociology Greg Scott, and designed by Beverly Fresh himself, the catalog captures the distinct aesthetic of the exhibition. Currently available through the University of Chicago Press and fine bookstores everywhere.

Beverly has also recently published essays and articles for a variety of publications including a review of the CHGO DSGN exhibition for the polish magazine Architektura & Biznes, and published a series of experimental interviews titled Wandering Restless in the Midwest featuring: Calvin Lee Reeder, Crayola James, Jim Conley, and Peter Stampfel.

DESIGN

Beverly Fresh Co-Founded Associates Associates with his wife Ania Jaworksa. Associates Associates partners with institutions and professionals who seek alternative ways of approaching design. Together we disregard conventions in favor of bold and singular work. The work is many things: ideas, buildings, interiors, installations, furniture, objects, art, and experiences.