Salas’ art featured on cover of Newcity Art Chicago magazine

Rafael Francisco Salas’ 2021 painting “The Pioneers”

Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas’ 2021 painting “The Pioneers” is featured on the cover of the July/August 2025 issue of Newcity Art Chicago magazine.

The summer issue devoted to “Art in Wisconsin” also features an essay Salas wrote titled “Out on the Farm: Rural Art Residencies Thrive in Wisconsin.”

About six years ago, Newcity contacted Salas to write reviews of art exhibitions in Wisconsin and Chicago, and since then, he has contributed multiple pieces.

More recently, Newcity’s editor inquired if he could feature Salas’ painting on the cover, as the content of the painting captures the diverse range of ideas presented in this Wisconsin art-focused edition.

The painting is a representation of a sculpture by Clarence Shaler in Waupun, Wisconsin, according to Salas. Shaler also sculpted “Lincoln the Dreamer” and “Genesis,” both of which are installed on the Ripon College campus.

“The image of pioneers and of westward expansion is the traditional Eurocentric narrative of American history and of manifest destiny,” Salas said. “I have painted the figures to be more ghostly and ephemeral to contradict this supposedly heroic narrative and to question its autonomy in history. It allows for additional contexts and narratives to be explored.”

His essay in the magazine explores the wealth of art residencies that exist in rural Wisconsin. Within the feature, he describes a recent residency program that existed in Ripon.

“Exposing my artwork to and writing for the public is exciting,” Salas said. “Being able to share my ideas and inspiration with others is one of the most important goals of my artistic practice.”