<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1778089982/nh8kxevp4ddricwapcoq.jpg">A rendering of the Obama Presidential Center site and Julie Mehretu’s commissioned artwork, an 83-foot-tall painted glass window titled Uprising of the Sun.&nbsp;Image Courtesy The Obama Foundation. By ALISON REILLY&nbsp; The expansive, 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park will open to the public on June 19 after nearly five years of construction. The Center features an ambitious art program with more than 25 commissions of new work from some of today’s most prominent contemporary artists – like Carrie Mae Weems, Mark Bradford, Julie Mehretu, Jenny Holzer, and Richard Hunt – along with recent School of the Art Institute graduate Lindsay Adams, Washington D.C.-based artist Nekisha Durrett, and Mexican and American painter Aliza Nisenbaum. These permanent works will be installed throughout the campus. For example, Maya Lin’s Seeing Through the Universe serves as a focal point in an outdoor space dedicated to President Obama’s mother, while Mark Bradford’s immense City of the Big Shoulders scales the three-story west wall of the museum atrium. Together, the commissions articulate a vision of the Center as a cultural hub where art, civic life, and education intersect.&nbsp; I spoke with Dr. Louise Bernard, Founding Director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum, and Virginia Shore, Curator of the Obama Presidential Center Art Commissions about the Center’s innovative art program. Our conversation explored how these commissions shape the institution’s identity, reflect the Obamas’ longstanding commitment to artists and arts education, and expand the possibilities of what a civic and cultural institution can achieve. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1778089984/ououbwcnfs4lxvmwrlrn.jpg">Installation in progress of Julie Mehretu’s Uprising of the Sun at the Obama Presidential Center. Image Courtesy The Obama Foundation. CGN: How do the artist commissions for the Obama Presidential Center shape the institution’s identity compared to what we think of as a traditional presidential library? Louise Bernard: The Obama Presidential Center is in many ways a living legacy. We think about the continued work of the Obama administration, the work that the Obamas did together in the White House, the relationship between the West Wing and the East Wing, and Mrs. Obama’s initiatives. The Obamas lifted up the importance of art, not only rehanging the collection within the White House, but really thinking about the important relationship between the arts and education. We know that there is a positive impact through arts education in terms of curricular development, the impact that it has on young people, and so that was a particular focus and emphasis for the Obamas, thinking not only about the visual arts, but the arts across disciplines. That’s something that we wanted to continue and lift up through the foundation’s mission, which is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We’re building this 19.3-acre complex rooted in community on the South Side of Chicago. We know the arts are engaging, uplifting, and energizing. We really thought about how art in public spaces can continue to foster that sense of connection and possibility.&nbsp; Virginia Shore: It is a community center. It is a cultural hub. It’s a museum, library, auditorium, recording studio, cafe. It’s the first of its kind in terms of calling it a presidential center and what that means. The spaces are spectacular, and the art brings it to life in this whole other way. Each artist has a different vision, different materials, and a different focus. CGN: When you look at the breadth of artists involved from Carrie Mae Weems to Theaster Gates to Nick Cave, is there a unifying vision that connects them? You spoke about possibility, but are there other themes that emerge from bringing these artists with very different practices together? VS: There’s an underlying thread that connects them all. They are changemakers, civically engaged, and trying to build community. Through each one of the works, regardless of theme or material, the artists themselves are changemakers in their own right.&nbsp; LB: We wanted to ensure that we had a mix of luminary figures as well as emerging artists. To your point, there is a real mix of materiality, the various practices that the artists bring to bear on very site-specific spaces. Virginia was also thinking about artists in relationship to space and scale. We were often asking artists to really push their own practice, working in materials that they hadn’t necessarily worked in before. Julie Mehretu was working in glass for the first time, which has impacted and shaped her continued practice as she’s working with new materiality around transparency or translucency. We also thought about the full range of diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, queer identity, Indigenous representation. We wanted to ensure that we had artists from Chicago with a connection back to the city and its rich history of the arts and civic engagement. &nbsp; It’s also important to note that while the commissions are understood to be permanent, they’re site specific, they will have real longevity and presence at the Center. They will be activated programmatically so that they are brought to life in new ways. We really think about placing these artists in dialogue with other artists, across disciplines.&nbsp; CGN: For Julie Mehretu’s work, Uprising of the Sun, what guided your decision to commission her for that significant space in the museum tower? What made her work and her approach right for the Obama Presidential Center? &nbsp; VS: One of the many exciting things about working on this project was that it really became a dialogue. The President, Louise, and the team were open to my suggestions. That window wall looked like this perfect space for art to transform the museum tower and become a beacon of hope for the Center, the north facing wall of the museum. I presented a couple of ideas in terms of artists that might be able to address that window wall, and we all landed on Julie. Julie was both excited and, as she has said, a little daunted by it, because she had never worked in glass before. But there’s an incredible fabricator [Franz Mayer Studio] that I had the opportunity to work with a few times in my previous career. They are one of the most renowned artist glass makers in the world. I think that helped allay her fears as well. She was really excited by the challenge. &nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1778089985/qro0sstogxlnl8mm5xul.jpg">Aliza Nisenbaum, Reading Circles/ Weaving Dreams/ Seeding Futures (detail), 2025. Oil on linen. Photo by Izzy Leung. Courtesy the artist, Anton Kern gallery, and Regen Projects. CGN: When you are commissioning someone like Mark Bradford for a monumental painting, what is the process like? Where do you begin? VS: Mark was unique because that space inside the museum is incredibly complicated. From the ground level all the way looking up, it’s interrupted by floors and balconies jutting out, so it’s not a symmetrical space. But Mark is so fluid, he’s able to take over monumental spaces. LB: With Mark we saw the evolution of his piece. He worked and reworked it for several years with rounds of concepting, testing, prototyping, and modeling. He built a model of the space in his studio so that he could really understand the scale and how the idea of the mapping played out–the connection between Chicago, the city and the lake. I think it’s been a remarkable journey for him. He also worked on other projects simultaneously and so his work evolved across time and these pieces spoke to each other. That was also remarkable to see.&nbsp; CGN: Did anything surprise you in the way the artists responded to the Obama legacy or to Chicago itself? VS: There are so many thoughtful concepts that we did not anticipate. Spencer Finch [Memory Landscape (Nairobi, Chicago, Honolulu, Jakarta)], the way that he incorporated the president’s story, by reading all of the President’s books and using color [in the tile wall mural installation] to connect back to place, history, and his personal memories. The artists who have been commissioned for this project have spent serious time thinking about how best to make this connection to the Center.&nbsp; LB: I would add one example of the frieze, the large-scale works by Theaster Gates [To See What They Could See and American Vista in the Forum Atrium]. Theaster is local to Chicago, born and raised on the West Side, very much rooted on the South Side in terms of his artistic practice and Rebuild Foundation. But within Theaster’s practice, he thinks a lot about the figure of the Black woman, the idea of the Black Madonna, being able to lift up this idea of blackness and beauty, Black modernity is central to his practice. He is thinking through the legacy, the idea of the first Black first lady and how that resonates in terms of Mrs. Obama being born and raised in South Shore, adjacent to the Center itself. We see these references to the idea of blackness and beauty and power and presence in these wonderful archival images drawn from the Johnson Publishing Company archive and from the personal collection of Howard Simmons. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1778089985/vwmkxh94h5aex6s0wfqe.jpg">Theaster Gates, Studies for Gates’ installation at his studio in Chicago, 2025. Courtesy of Theaster Gates Studio. CGN: You have commissioned works that are tied directly to Chicago’s cultural history, like the Gates frieze you mentioned. How did you approach selecting work that referenced Chicago and its history? VS: There was always intent to include artists with connections to Chicago. Aliza Nisenbaum, for example, is creating this fantastic expansive mural for the public library. She works in community and shines light on people who are not always front and center through her portraiture. She spent so much time doing research about librarians, about the purpose of the libraries in Chicago, how expansive they are, thinking of it as a place for people without homes, and then what is possible inside a library and looking at it as this community space that’s free and open and a space to go and learn and feel welcome.&nbsp; To an artist like Tyanna J. Buie who has done a screenprint piece [Be the Change!] inside the Forum building. She grew up in many different foster homes. Now she is the head of printmaking at RISD. She was in a Bud Billiken parade [on the South Side of Chicago] when President Obama was running for Senate, and so her work has this other history of being connected to him in this way as a young adult. There’s so many different stories like that where there’s a connection that maybe wouldn’t be anticipated.&nbsp; LB: We think again about the power of place in the most dynamic sense. The Center is rooted in community. The connection to Chicago’s rich history is very much front and center. But at the same time, we tell a national story with an international reach. We’re always thinking about the synergy between the local and the global, the way in which we’re drawing people in, we’re bringing the world to the South Side and the South Side to the world. There is that exchange that takes place. I think that is embedded throughout many of the works. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1778089986/gmnsndqmtlkezbjnhjg3.jpg">Spencer Finch, Obama Presidential Center Forum Garden Level, Rendering. Image Courtesy The Obama Foundation. CGN: Chicago has a long history of investing in and supporting public art. I’m curious how you see the Center’s art program entering into that civic tradition. LB: We are obviously not a traditional art museum, we’re a non-traditional platform for the arts. But we have this global reach in terms of the foundation’s international sensibility as well as a connection to the idea of locality and proximity. We have a public high school literally across the street. We think about how through our engagement with the arts, we’re also able to lift up the idea of the business of the arts, which is to say that the arts are themselves a billion-dollar, international industry, and there’s a whole ecosystem of career pathways within this industry, which continues to evolve and change over time. Through the foundation’s mission, we’re able to model for young people connections to careers they may not have anticipated and really lift the hood, so to speak, on how this particular ecosystem works. We think about the city as a school. We want to ensure that young people have a behind-the-scenes understanding of how different cultural institutions work.&nbsp; CGN: In what ways does the art program reflect President Obama and Mrs. Obama’s own relationship to culture, creativity, and civic imagination? VS: Looking back at their time during the White House and all the artists that they included, both in the residences and in the West Wing, they highlighted the arts throughout their eight years in office. There were more artists that performed in the White House during the Obama administration than at any other time. This is their legacy. It feels like an extension of their time in the White House and of the power of arts to transform possibility. LB: We saw how the National Portrait Gallery portraits by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald looked unlike any other presidential portraiture before them. Kim Sajet, who was then the director of the National Portrait Gallery, talked about the “pilgrimage effect” of those portraits, their power to draw people to the National Portrait Gallery, to the museum, to pay homage to that history and everything they represent. At the same time, President and Mrs. Obama speak about the idea of on whose shoulders we stand. They’re very mindful of the fact that their journeys were only made possible because of the many people, the movements, the milestones that came before them. The arts are tapping into that sense of possibility and collectivity, but they have a way, as we saw with the National Portrait Gallery portraits, of pushing the envelope of what is possible and how that resonates with the power of representation itself. We think of that wonderful photo of the little girl captured looking up at the Amy Sherald portrait with a sense of wonder and awe and also seeing herself reflected back. While the President and Mrs. Obama are phenomenal figures and iconic in their own right, we always want to ensure for the museum experience that everyday people, visitors, see themselves reflected in their stories. The President began his career as a community organizer. Mrs. Obama was born and raised on the South Side. And so, again, there is that sense of possibility.&nbsp; VS: The President said, “We believe that the arts and the humanities are, in many ways, reflective of our national soul. They’re central to who we are as Americans–dreamers and storytellers, and innovators and visionaries.” I feel like that says it all. Visit <a href="https://obama.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">obama.org</a>

Art at The Obama Center: Raising the Future of Art and Possibility 

<h3>In spite of the influencer times we are living in, where daily life is shared and documented by everyone with a phone, fine art photographers still have wide-reaching power to accessibly share viewpoints and realities through images that, not long ago, were not even considered art. A handful of photo-centric exhibitions take place this season amidst some big milestones and news. –CGN</h3><h3> </h3><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777864478/tistmommwstclzrgvc2o.jpg">Nelson W. Armour, Teaching #2 Perspective Photo Gallery in Evanston presents Teaching, Nelson W. Armour’s ode to the challenges, triumphs, hard work and effort of classroom teachers. This photographic essay resulted from a two-year residency with Artists in the Public Schools, formerly CPSLives. On view Apr 2-May 3. Opening: Sa, Apr 4, 5–7pm&nbsp; <a href="https://perspectivegallery.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">perspectivegallery.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777864479/xgaf2zvcmy5dmrrkqmwz.jpg">Widline Cadet (Haitian, b. 1992), Seremoni Disparisyon #1&nbsp;(Ritual [Dis]Appearance #1), 2019. Inkjet print. 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm). Collection of Anne-Laure Lemaitre © Widline Cadet&nbsp; Currents 40: Widline Cadet is the first solo museum exhibition in the U.S. by artist Widline Cadet and the first full presentation of her nearly decade-long project Seremoni Disparisyon (Ritual [Dis]Appearance). Coming to the Milwaukee Art Museum the exhibition is both a defining moment in Cadet’s career and a major contribution to contemporary photography and media-based art Cadet explores Black diasporic life through themes of migration, memory, absence, and belonging in her photography, video, and installation. On view May 8–Aug 9 <a href="https://mam.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mam.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777864480/wlvzhr1ybvskkloodroq.jpg">Dan Tamarkin at Tamarkin Camera Tamarkin Camera has been a family business since 1971, and it was Dan Tamarkin who took over the oldest Leica dealership in the U.S. in 2010 and moved Tamarkin Camera to Chicago. An authorized Leica Camera and Sport Optics dealer, today Dan also runs Rangefinder Gallery in River North, which showcases images made with the legendary Leica M. Dan sometimes offers neighborhood walking tours, and you can bring or borrow a Leica to take photos. And while you can visit Tamarkin Camera online, Dan says he doesn’t have an e-commerce site, since he prefers to talk to customers and fellow Leicaphiles face-to-face. The German-made Leica has endured as a coveted and collectible brand, and there is much to talk about and admire in-person. Don’t miss Dan’s alter-ego on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bosco_arnack/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram @bosco_arnack</a> <a href="https://www.tamarkin.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tamarkin.com</a>&nbsp;•&nbsp;(800) BUY-LEICA <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777864480/yvahquiuxvf8nvwb5re0.jpg">Raul Corrales, Maria and Mario. Dos Fotografos, Dos Epocas, Dos Estados, 1980. 2006:296 The Museum of Contemporary&nbsp;Photography turns 50 in 2026. Since opening in 1976 and initiating collecting in 1979, the MoCP has acquired over 18,000 objects by more than 2,000 artists. The variety of work collected has allowed the museum to engage in conversations across political, social, and cultural landscapes. The milestone exhibition MoCP at Fifty examines the evolving practice of building a dynamic collection that reflects on the role of cultural institutions in shaping the photographic canon.&nbsp;•&nbsp;Thru May 16 <a href="https://www.mocp.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mocp.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777864481/jlpdbo22pvhgvq4kpd9r.jpg">Photo by&nbsp;Nolis&nbsp;Anderson Newly open in Chicago is the&nbsp;Leica Store and Gallery Chicago, the newest addition to Leica’s global network of corporate-owned stores. Situated on Michigan Avenue near the historic Water Tower, the flagship location aims be a space where visitors and tourists will find rotating gallery exhibitions showcasing established and emerging artists as well as workshops and educational programs offered through the Leica Akademie.&nbsp;The Leica gallery in Chicago is directed by Lucas Zenk, who previously worked at Stephen Daiter Gallery in River North for 20 years. <a href="https://leicacamerausa.com/leica-store-chicago/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">leicacamerausa.com</a>

Photography Focus

Zolla/Lieberman: A Golden Vision for a 50th Anniversary

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121427/qka5vhmala60qrah6uei.jpg">Visitors to EXPO CHICAGO Thursday afternoon during preview hours By GINNY VAN ALYEA <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(13, 13, 13);" target="_blank">EXPO CHICAGO</a> 2026 wrapped with a steady energy that held throughout the week—consistently busy, but not overwhelming, and with a sense that people were there to look closely and engage. Early sales set a confident tone: GRAY reported placements including Theaster Gates’s 3 Women (2025) at $340,000, works by Candida Alvarez at $100,000 and $55,000, Torkwase Dyson at $55,000, McArthur Binion at $35,000, and a Rashid Johnson work at $25,000. Secrist | Beach, meanwhile, placed Luftwerk’s Open Frame (2025) with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art at $150,000, underscoring strong institutional activity from the outset. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121428/dt0iynns5f6kpkcbkjtb.jpg">A viewer studies Luftwerk's work at SECRIST | BEACH This year’s edition felt more streamlined, and that shift paid off. The fair was easier to navigate, and the overall rhythm encouraged longer conversations and repeat encounters. Familiar collectors were out in force, but there was also a noticeable presence of new faces—always a promising sign for the city’s ecosystem. Across the floor, the quality of work felt strong and cohesive. What stood out most, though, was a subtle but persistent thread: many artists seemed to be looking toward nature. In some cases it was direct—landscapes, organic forms, environmental references—but just as often it came through in palette, with earthy tones and atmospheric color dominating booth after booth. It’s a direction that feels very much in sync with the current moment, as artists continue to process instability, climate concerns, and a broader cultural shift toward reflection and recalibration. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121430/hebk2pyhshg36h5jbbnf.jpg">Youngwook Choi, Galley Dasun, Korea There was also a stronger sense of curatorial intention this year, with more tightly conceived presentations and projects that added texture without overwhelming the fair. Institutional presence felt particularly active, and conversations around placements and future collaborations seemed to be happening at every turn. As Sibylle Friche, Partner at DOCUMENT, noted, “The 2026 edition of EXPO was a real success for us; we placed several artists from our program into good collections. We enjoyed meeting new clients and connecting with the many curators participating in the curatorial and directors' program.” <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121431/ecsu4qfut860mhbgnrlo.jpg"><a href="https://www.regenprojects.com/artists/aliza-nisenbaum" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(136, 136, 136);" target="_blank">Aliza Nisenbaum</a> at a joint booth by Regen Projects and Anton Kern. Nisenbaum will have a monumental mural at the Obama Presidential Center when it opens. That sense of momentum extended to galleries across the fair, alongside positive feedback from collectors and museum groups. Valerie Carberry, President &amp; CEO of GRAY, pointed to the impact of new leadership, noting that Director Kate Sierzputowski’s first year has brought “dynamic partnerships” that reflect the collaborative energy Chicago is known for. Sales remained steady across a wide range of price points, with a mix of major placements and quieter, consistent activity—another indicator of a healthy, engaged market. Outside of the commercial market, EXPO also gave an early preview of the Obama Presidential Center's June opening, inviting fair visitors to view a scale model of the campus and to look more closely at works that have been commissioned for the collection. Taken together, this year’s EXPO CHICAGO felt grounded but optimistic: a fair that’s refining its identity while staying closely attuned to both its audience and the larger cultural climate shaping the work on view. Through its collaboration with the Obama Presidential Center, EXPO CHICAGO presented&nbsp;Embodiment,&nbsp;a curated section by&nbsp;Dr. Louise Bernard,&nbsp;Founding Director of the&nbsp;Obama Presidential Center Museum. The section presented a selection of galleries inspired by the architecture and commissioned artists of the Obama Presidential Center, offering visitors an early preview ahead of the Center's public opening on June 19, 2026.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121432/n6cvihvqqbruh4merh25.jpg">An installation of work by Melissa Leandro at Andrew Rafacz's booth Strong programming of course continues to be an important and centralizing element of EXPO CHICAGO. Curated by&nbsp;Katie A. Pfohl of the Detroit Institute of Arts,&nbsp;Focus&nbsp;highlighted emerging galleries and artistic practices, creating an accessible entry point to the fair. Titled&nbsp;Gathering of Waters, the section explored landscape, migration, and adaptive practices of craft and care, connecting artists and galleries from the Mississippi River Basin with work from across the African, Latin American, and Caribbean diasporas. Curated by&nbsp;Essence Harden,&nbsp;Profile&nbsp;presented solo booths and focused group projects by established international galleries, offering depth, context, and sustained engagement. The fair’s success has always mattered to Chicago and the broader Midwest art community, and even in a year without some of its usual components—like the nonprofit and print sections—its role remains essential. EXPO continues to serve as a central gathering point and calendar anchor, around which so much of the season takes shape, from the RenBen to the Intuit Art Museum gala, alongside the return of Barely Fair and the debut of Neighbors in the Gold Coast. It’s worth recognizing how important that consistency is—and to be grateful for the continued evolution of the fair under new leadership and ideas. # <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1776121433/z3epe9i5nbwgw2y0rmek.jpg">Michael DuMontier and Neil Farber at Patel Brown from Montreal

EXPO CHICAGO 2026: Focused, Busy, and In Step

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1775526730/pnfvcskghmzw9iztbkxq.jpg">Mark Wagner, Self-Styled, 2 color Letterpress print, Edition of 25, 17.5 x 22”, 2024. Published by Bert Green Fine Art. Note: this article appears in CGN's spring/summer 2026 magazine. To purchase a print copy or subscription <a href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);" target="_blank">click here</a>. By JACQUELINE LEWIS Prints have always held an interesting place in the art world. They can introduce new collectors to artists and galleries while also offering seasoned collectors the opportunity to pursue works by artists whose paintings or sculptures might otherwise be out of reach. In 2026, prints continue to occupy this wide range of roles within the art market. At the same time, shifts in the art fair landscape, particularly between events like EXPO Chicago and IFPDA Print Fair, are influencing where print dealers, galleries, and publishers choose to show their work. Looking at these decisions offers a window into the current state of prints, the collectors who buy them, and the spaces where they are most often encountered today. Prints – Thriving in the 2026 Art Market In 2026, prints occupy a solid and increasingly visible position within the global art market. Jessica Cochran from <a href="https://process-process.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Process/Process</a> has noticed, “The art market has cooled. Of course some of this is geopolitics and economic pressures, but some see this as a correction. Prices just got too high, and so now we are seeing a rebalancing happening higher up in the market. I don’t know that this has affected prints too much. I mean, most of the print market is well below $20,000 (or even $10,000!) where I think the collectors are still showing up and market data does indicate that.” Statistics back up her experience. The segment of the market under $50,000, where most prints and editions are priced, has grown steadily, with prints and multiples now accounting for roughly 7% of overall art market share and rising. There is a varying accessibility to prints that can attract a wide audience. New art collectors often begin their journey through prints since their nature often lowers the price since there are multiple copies available for purchase. As Jonathan Higgins of <a href="https://mannekenpress.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Manneken Press</a> states, “I have had families come to print fairs to purchase a first piece for their child’s collection, newlywed couples choosing a piece for their home. It is precisely because of the lower prices of prints that collectors can focus on pieces that really speak to them, rather than letting investment value enter into the equation.”&nbsp; Deborah Maris Lader and Lauren Steinert, Co-Directors of <a href="https://chicagoprintmakers.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chicago Printmakers Collaborative</a>, say they see a varied group of people walking through their doors in search of prints. To them contemporary artists have been selling, while once more established print artists from the 80’s are seeing a decline in market value. That being said, prints can sell for high prices and attract seasoned collectors. The fact that there may be multiple copies does not mean all prints are accessible for all buyers. Artists such as Rembrant Van Rijn, Albrecht Dürer, and many others are known printmakers with works that can be valued in millions of dollars, depending on quality. Collectors of these artists often look for early print impressions (pieces printed before the press was used many times, as evidenced through the quality of the line work) and highly preserved paper.&nbsp; Some print collectors work tirelessly to complete a collection. For example, there are collectors set on acquiring all prints in Dürer’s Life of the Virgin series of 19 woodcuts from 1500–1510 or his Apocalypse series of 15 woodcuts from 1498. Others are forever on the hunt for another Rembrandt to add to a collection. Prints are often the only works available to collectors because paintings and drawings by artists at this level have values high enough they are limited to museums or rare collections. Collectors in this market relied on R. Stanley Johnson at R.S. Johnson Fine Art, an Old Master and Modern Prints dealer in Chicago for decades. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1775526730/eexdlbke1xwxz8dgsc9r.jpg">Hiroshi Ariyama demonstration of screen printing at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative during Open House Chicago Fairs &amp; Influence on the Market in General Print collecting attracts a wide variety of art enthusiasts, from those just starting out to premier collectors, and in each case it’s prints that allow engagement with artists and artworks that may otherwise be out of reach in another medium like painting or sculpture. One major way that new collectors are exposed to the opportunities of prints, and collecting in general, is through fairs like IFPDA Print Fair in New York City and at EXPO Chicago. Over the years, foot traffic to art galleries has declined as online spaces for collecting have grown. This can be a great method for more experienced collectors to add to their oeuvre but it makes it more difficult for new collectors to learn about their possibilities and for galleries, dealers, and publishers to expand their clientele. Art fairs can play a huge role in finding and developing new collector relationships. Bert Green of <a href="https://bgfa.us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bert Green Fine Art</a> speaks on how integral, for better or worse, fairs have become to galleries. “Unfortunately, fairs have become one of the only ways to reach new collectors, as the primary way that many collectors engage with galleries is at fairs (if they are not already connected to the gallery). I have been in business for almost 27 years and have seen walk-in traffic largely disappear due to the internet and the pandemic. I’ve reduced my open hours to a minimum and the vast majority of people who come in reach out first and make an appointment. Random visitors and spontaneous discussion are much rarer than they once were.”&nbsp; Green states that it can be rough to rely so heavily on fairs because, “At their core they are fundamentally real estate operations and not curatorial projects. Galleries are somewhat constrained by them in that they need to get exposure via fairs, but the high cost is very risky. I’ve seen young galleries splurge on fairs thinking they would sell well only to find that they face insolvency. On the other hand, many established galleries thrive in the fair system. It’s complicated.” <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1775526731/g0z7xkd9vbrartlaxysl.jpg">Bert Green Fine Art’s booth at EXPO CHICAGO in 2025 Cochran from Process/Process feels that fairs are incredibly important to publishers. “They allow us to introduce our program to new collectors which is crucial. Each fair offers a slightly different opportunity to contextualize our work. At EXPO, for example, we could show our limited edition prints by artists like Candida Alvarez or Michelle Grabner (and others) who had paintings or art on view in other booths at the fair. This allowed us to tell the story of print and what we do: not only is our print an expression of that artist’s practice in the form of an original, signed artwork, but also it is probably more affordable (accessible) to more collectors.” With all of this in mind, it can be incredibly important for exhibitors to choose the correct fair to reach their target audience. There are a multitude of factors that print sellers consider when determining whether or not to show at an art fair. Most dealers I spoke with agreed about the top factors: cost and audience. Jonathan Higgins owns Manneken Press in Bloomington, Illinois and is a veteran at fairs. Most of the 31 he says he has attended since 2008 are independent (meaning they are not owned by a parent corporation like Frieze) because those tend to be very highly priced. “It has taken me years of trial and error to determine which art fairs are right for me,” he says. “One of the main considerations, of course, is cost.” Due to the nature of most print prices, dealers need to sell many impressions to be sure that they at least break even. Audience is also important. In a broader fair with many types of media, print booths can offer dealers an unique opportunity to inform and teach art enthusiasts about printmaking and its value, while print–specific fairs can be a great way to find active print collectors who may not be familiar with a specific gallery or publisher. Either way, before purchasing an expensive booth, dealers want to be sure that their art would be of interest for the audience of the fair and that it will meet the dealer’s goals for the show. Collector engagement is key. Other aspects Higgins considers are a fair’s reputation, regional market, location, and exhibitor list. He also cares how fair management takes care of exhibitors. If a fair is only taking booth money, he says, and not supporting exhibitors, with marketing, services or programming, it becomes less worth the cost and time, though he acknowledges that is hard to determine before arriving. Finally, there are travel logistics, costs and fair timing to balance. This year the IFPDA Print Fair in New York City is running simultaneously ith EXPO Chicago. Other than large galleries with massive inventory and a larger staff, most dealers had to choose one over the other, with the IFPDA fair considered very important to print galleries.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1775526732/kfclin3fiob4cumlapn3.jpg">Left: Glenn Goldberg: Empyrean (1), 2026. Etching and aquatint, edition of 20. Image size:“18 x 12”, sheet size: 27” x 20”. Published by Manneken Press.Right: Glenn Goldberg: Empyrean (2), 2026. Etching and aquatint, edition of 20. Image size: “18 x 12”, sheet size: 27” x 20”. Published by Manneken Press. IFPDA and EXPO CHICAGO – Direct Competition and the End of EDITIONS For the first time since 2014, EXPO Chicago will no longer offer its Editions + Books showcase. The section, which included 11 exhibitors in 2025, offered galleries that show a diverse array of print media and object-based practices a space to show their work at a lower rental cost. This was a benefit utilized by exhibitors such as Bert Green Fine Art, F.L. Braswell Fine Art, Process/Process, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Manneken Press, and the MCA, all from Illinois, as well as spaces as far away as Berlin and Dublin. Tandem Press, from Madison, Wisconsin was not part of Editions + Books last year, but they are a long-standing exhibitor at EXPO and they are opting to participate at IFPDA instead this year.&nbsp; The elimination of Editions + Books has shaken up plans for exhibitors who are used to showing at EXPO. Green is concerned what this means for the Chicago print community. “I had always participated in the Editions section and found it to be reliably consistent, with excellent engagement and sales. I am unable to participate [in EXPO] now because I would have to pay the higher booth cost. I’m also concerned that there is no decent alternative for the print community in Chicago. It would be very useful if there were a new, standalone print fair. I am hoping to work with some print publisher colleagues to make that happen.” Lader and Steinert of Chicago Printmakers Collaborative are also not exhibiting at EXPO due to the end of Editions but are considering other ways to continue showing a broader audience their prints. “We liked EXPO because it put printmaking on the international stage, and we easily held our own amongst the broader art world spectrum. We also did well financially,” says Lader. “We are disappointed to lose that opportunity this year, but we will continue to look for a way to bring more attention to the beauty of etching, lithography, screenprinting, monoprint, relief, and experimental and photo print processes to the world.” <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1775526733/xhozbolrdspwjxvkafx4.jpg">Alice Tippit, Flute, 2024. $ 1,800.00 (framed from $2,250). Courtesy of Process/Process Some dealers are opting to exhibit at IFPDA Print Fair instead. Higgins needs the fair to kick-start his revenue for the year. “Sales have been pretty sluggish these first two months of 2026. I will be exhibiting at IFPDA in April and hope that I, and my fellow exhibitors, do okay.” He also mentions that the IFPDA Print Fair is a great fair to be a part of and that the organization has a stellar reputation and promotional team.&nbsp; For Higgins, “EXPO Chicago was the pillar around which I built my publishing and fair schedule. The IFPDA fair has now taken that place. As the landscape of art fairs changes and the economy shifts, I may look more toward fairs run by dealer organizations, IFPDA, NADA, etc., which prioritize their exhibitors, rather than corporate entities whose motives can be pretty obscured.” Despite shifts in the broader art market and the changing structure of art fairs, prints remain one of the most accessible ways for collectors to engage with art and are often a gateway for those new to collecting as well as a means of deepening an area of interest for seasoned collectors. Prints are sure to balance the space between accessibility and expertise, beautifully connecting a wide range of collectors with artists’ work.&nbsp; #

Prints, Prints, Prints: Accessibility, Sales, Exposure and Fairs

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1777306664/jhvb6fcprwb2l3s0yw4a.jpg">On the cover:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/andrea-carlson-mapping-new-futures" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);" target="_blank">Andrea Carlson</a>.&nbsp;Pictured: The Host, 2025,&nbsp;Detail view. Courtesy of the&nbsp;artist and Jessica Silverman.&nbsp;Photo: Philip Maisel. By GINNY VAN ALYEA There has been a collective interest lately in everything analog. After years of living in an always-monitored, notification-saturated world many of us understand how constant digital attention can steal time and focus. It’s no surprise that people are beginning to seek out spaces and objects that offer a purposeful, slower, tactile disconnection. I’m encouraged to see a renewed interest in ephemera that draws people offline and, hopefully, toward a lasting commitment to the ecosystem of support that comes from engaging with artists and their ideas. One generation tends to repeat the natural cycle of rediscovering what appealed in the past — I’m waiting for Swatch phones, celebrity magazine collages, mix tapes, and thrift store corduroys to make a comeback any day now — but more than nostalgia, the desire to have objects and images that are personal, interesting to observe and touch, even repurpose or pass along, speaks to the particular satisfaction of making something common into something else unique through creative modification.&nbsp; Encountering art conceived and made real by human imagination is an important social connection. In this issue of CGN, we highlight places and exhibitions we hope you’ll see in person. William Lieberman reflects on the 50-year history of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/zollalieberman-a-golden-vision-for-a-50th-anniversary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zolla/Lieberman Gallery</a> and the many relationships that have sustained it across generations. What might sound old-fashioned about how the gallery began is also what some of us now find ourselves longing for: spontaneous lunches, cheap wine, good old-fashioned cold-calling, and pavement pounding. Sending emails into the void isn’t fulfilling. I know William will use his Rolodex to mail copies of this issue to his many friends — glad there is a printed magazine to page through and share. We also look ahead to the June opening of the Obama Presidential Center, the first center of its kind to emerge from a digital presidency but designed to bring visitors together in a physical space — not just to sightsee, but to connect and experience commissioned public works by some of today’s most important contemporary artists. Collector Kate Neisser shares her personal approach to discovering, falling in love with, and living with art that can surprise her. It’s what fills her home with life.&nbsp; I often say there isn’t enough time to see everything. But there may be more time than we think — if we make the effort to choose how we spend it. # To subscribe to CGN and receive the Spring/Summer 2026 magazine <a href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">click here</a>

Publisher’s Letter: Spring 2026

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1773776270/bgezk61ajo4rvbkt8xv3.jpg">Marika Thunder, Demolition Derby (2025), metal and oil paint on aluminum, 24 x 36 in (61 x 91 cm) By SUSAN GESCHEIDLE Any show titled Demolition is bound to feel heavy in today’s climate. It’s hard not to think about the destructive forces around us or wonder if we’re staring down the “end times.” Fortunately, Marika Thunder’s solo debut in Chicago at M. LeBlanc pulls us back from the edge of those big, global fears. It’s a killer exploration of mechanical force—one where demolition isn’t a metaphor for global ruin, but a focus on heavy steel, machinery, and the grit of the American road. There is a badass, rebellious energy in seeing a female artist take on subjects traditionally claimed by men. Thunder, a New York-based artist born in 1998, leans into the raw, nostalgic world of graffiti-covered wreckage and the “boys’ games” thrill of a demolition derby. There’s a high-octane excitement in the idea of cars crashing, yet the paintings themselves feel surprisingly poetic and elegant. While most of the pieces in the exhibition are of abstract parts, one piece, Demolition Derby (2025),&nbsp;features a solitary figure leaning into a graffiti-covered car in a junkyard. It’s a beautiful, melancholic, quiet image that makes the discarded vehicle feel like it’s a story still being written.&nbsp; Thunder also filmed a video playing in the back of the gallery, of a demolition derby at the Lebanon Valley Speedway--upstate New York’s famous “Valley of Speed.” This obsession with the machine suggests the Cannes-winning film Titane (2021), which touches on the erotic relationship between people and automobiles. Thunder’s paintings are undeniably sexy in this same way, making the steel look almost like skin. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1773776272/wxgaa1s3wrojyjvak67g.jpg">Installation view at M. LeBlanc. On wall: Marika Thunder, Egyptian Chevy (2024 -2025), oil on canvas, 48 x 72 in (122 x 183 cm). In far room: Marika Thunder, Demolition Derby, (2025), metal and oil paint on aluminum, 24 x 36 in (61 x 91 cm). Photography by Ian Vecchiotti Thunder’s works all tap into a deep sentimental fondness for discarded things. All old objects tell a story--they are “has-beens,” whether they are old toys, vintage clothes, or, in this case, heavy American steel. Looking at these wrecks, one can’t help but wonder about their past lives: Who drove them? What road trips did they take? Were they once the pride of a driveway, driven to proms, weddings, funerals, or local parades? <blockquote>There is a badass, rebellious energy in seeing a female artist take on subjects traditionally claimed by men. Thunder leans into the raw, nostalgic world of graffiti-covered wreckage and the “boys’ games” thrill of a demolition derby.&nbsp;</blockquote> This appreciation for the soulful and the storied feels right at home at M. LeBlanc, a gallery that doesn’t shy away from deeper, darker, or more challenging work. The space has a decidedly European sensibility that adds an unexpected elegance to the grit of Thunder’s subject matter. Instead of the typical white cube, the gallery has a soulful character—from the built-in wood bench as you enter that feels like a church pew, to the old mosaic tiles on the front gallery space floor leading to an interior of warm wood floors. It’s a setting that feels purpose-built for showing solid, serious work. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1773776273/z5p5kcsbemduejylsjm2.jpg">Marika Thunder, Car Doors B&amp;W (2025), oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in (61 x 76 cm) Some of these paintings, like the 48 x 72-inch Egyptian Chevy, are massive in scale and anchor the room with their gleaming parts. Others are more intimate, inviting a closer look. This intimacy is captured in smaller works like the 16 x 20-inch Junkyard Snowday (2025)—an oil and coarse medium on aluminum—and the black and bubble gum pink Soviet Cartoon Wolf (2025), which is oil on canvas mounted on panel.&nbsp; Thunder, whose mother was born in Hungary during the Soviet era, tells us the title, Soviet Cartoon Wolf, is a nod to “Volk,” the chain-smoking, troublemaker wolf from the classic Soviet cartoon Nu, pogodi! As she puts it, she watched the cartoon growing up and “was obsessed with the wolf and his outfit. So, the color combination of pink and black is always associated with that for me.”&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1773776274/e8q6kgm6uoh5ilcxivtl.jpg">Marika Thunder, Egyptian Chevy (2024-2025), oil on canvas, 48 x 72 in (122 x 183 cm) It’s these kinds of personal touches that make the mechanical decay feel so human. This raw energy and Thunder’s technical skills are exactly what drew LeBlanc to her work; he notes he feels “very fortunate” to have met the artist, finding her a “natural fit for his program and taste.”&nbsp; That fit is evident in the work itself. These are real-deal painterly paintings; you can see the artist’s hand in every stroke, finding a haunting kind of beauty in twisted metal. It’s a reminder that even in the things we’ve tossed aside to rot, there’s still a story worth telling.&nbsp; <a href="https://marikathunder.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">marikathunder.com</a>&nbsp;•&nbsp;<a href="https://mleblancchicago.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mleblancchicago.com</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1773776274/vgosxbmy6scrvemqfa6h.jpg">Marika Thunder, Soviet Cartoon Wolf (2025), oil on canvas mounted on wood panel, 16 x 20 in (41 x 51 cm)

Demolition: Marika Thunder at M. LeBlanc

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1771087574/cbci3nvgpbrjtpnmybed.jpg">Eric N. Mack, And Re said: Ras Protective Collection, 2019. Silk scarves, fabric, thread, tape, pins, and wool blanket, 79 x 75 x 58 inches By SUSAN GESCHEIDLE I finally made it back to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hansgoodrich.com/" target="_blank">Hans Goodrich</a>, where those Sunday hours are a total lifesaver. I knew the current exhibit, “Bias Cut,” was fashion-focused, but was surprised at how much it resonated. It’s one of the more engaging exhibitions I’ve seen lately; while there is a strong fashion thread running through each piece, the way these artists’ histories and styles talk to each other across generations is what really makes it work. The gallery continues to hit its stride. “Bias Cut” is a perfect example of what Peter Anastos and Daisy Sanchez have been building in Pilsen since opening in fall of 2024. They’ve carved a niche by mixing emerging artists with mature and historical figures. It’s a smart balance. There’s plenty of room for newer voices, but it’s refreshing to see a gallery give this much space to mature artists and established legacies.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1771087575/espohfixcosnhcskzt5e.jpg">Installation view: Left: Antonio Lopez, New York City, Shoe Series with graffiti backdrop, Liliana Cavendish, 1976, Unique Kodak Instamtic prints, 13 x 14.75 inches. Right: Cheryl Donegan, Untitled (Dress, Kuba), 2011, Spray paint on canvas, 36 x 24 inches. Take Antonio Lopez, the creative force who defined the look of 70s icons like Grace Jones and Jerry Hall. His “New York City, Shoe Series”—specifically the grid of Kodak Instamatic prints of Liliana Cavendish—uses vibrant pink boots and yellow ribbons binding the model’s limbs, dragging subcultural eroticism straight into high fashion. Cheryl Donegan’s, “Untitled (Dress, Kuba,)” fits right in here; her spray paint depiction of a torso bound in red gingham mirrors Lopez’s ribbons but adds a sharper sense of physical constriction.&nbsp;That feeling of being boxed in is a direct cousin to Christina Ramberg’s famous sketches of corsets and girdles. A longtime staple at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her piece, “Untitled,” captures that tension where garments make you feel powerful yet physically held back all at once. The youngest artist in the show, Hannah Taurins, maintains the exhibit’s charged energy with her colored pencil drawing, “Runway Nurse.” Depicting Naomi Campbell in a clinical yet provocative Marc Jacobs-era outfit from the Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince Spring 2008 collaboration, the work bridges the age gap to veterans like Lopez, Ramberg, and Donegan through its shared use of pop culture, fashion, and sensuality.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1771087576/zcrlktgygwot8bhhrqbp.jpg">Andre Walker, Iggy and Bliss: Visible Timeline, 2016. Watercolor, thread, string, cotton. 21 x 13 inches (each), 21 x 26 inches (total) That high-intensity lens shifts from the clinical to the tactile in Andre Walker’s “Iggy and Bliss: Visible Timeline” diptych. Against a soft violet background, the green eyes and juicy red lips jump out at you—the lips have the hyper-real, silicone look of girls with fresh lip filler. Walker’s work sits in that sweet spot between fashion and fine art; instead of sticking to a flat canvas, he builds the piece by sewing on the watercolors and stuffing them like a quilt. It’s a clever, hands-on technique that hits the “Bias Cut” theme perfectly, playing with the way fabric—and art—can be draped and manipulated. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1771087577/gzdgkhnbzewgvkfejijh.jpg">Lil Picard, Burned Bow Tie, 1968, Unique edition from S.M.S. No. 4, Fabric bow tie, 2.5 x 4 inches Eric N. Mack picks up that tactile thread in “And Re said: Ras Protective Collection.” By mounting Pendleton blankets and silk scarves across the floor and wall, he nods to Walker’s DIY style and iconic Pendleton coat collection from 2018. He’s essentially painting with fabric; seeing his work next to Walker’s makes the influence feel like a direct conversation.That conversation takes a sharp turn with Lil Picard’s 1968 piece, “Burned Bow Tie.”&nbsp;The oldest artist in the show, a Madison Avenue milliner and avant-garde rebel who lived to 94, Picard proved that revenge is best served scorched. After catching her husband in an affair, she torched his bowtie collection, an act that led to her producing 2,000 singed pieces for the S.M.S. (Shit Must Stop) portfolio and cementing her role in the Destruction in Art movement. At first glance, the tiny polka-dot bowtie is charming, but the charred edges carry the weight of betrayal. It’s a “sleeper” hit that rewards anyone who doesn’t pass it by. “Bias Cut” works because it swaps formal gallery stiffness for the energy of a family reunion. The curation is so precise that you can feel the pieces talking to each other across generations—like the mother and daughter collaboration, “Restlessness and Life Does Not Exist,” by artist Susan Cianciolo and her daughter Lilac Sky.&nbsp;The exhibit is a rare look at an art world where the backstory is just as compelling as the aesthetic. Anastos and Sanchez have hit the mark here, showing that evolution of style belongs right alongside the history of fine art. # Bias Cut is on view through February 22, 2026Hans Goodrich1747 S. Halsted StreetChicago, IL 60608

Bias Cut at Hans Goodrich: History and Style Threads through Artistic Generations

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446706/wuwxbdrm8ngahnxlgxk4.jpg">Installation view of Throat. Photo by Robert Chase Heishman for Bob. By MAC PIERCE Illusions and allusions. A play across the shades of gray. Smooth surfaces and careful entrances. This is the dance of communication, the grammar of the sensual, and the visual language that KC Crow Maddux employs in the recently opened exhibition “Throat” at Tala gallery in Chicago. Curated by Susan Gescheidle, the artworks of “Throat” form a cohesive body of work that articulates the body in flux. The seven artworks in the show take the form of mid-sized wall-mounted dioramas consisting of smooth shallow frames that each bear cutouts in the shape of appendages (and other bits) of the human body in contour. Looking into the openings of each frame, the viewer sees collages of layered airbrush paintings on paper. Formally, the painting depicts abstracted greyscale motifs, composed in a way to illude a traditional depiction of depth. Which isn’t to say that these pieces come across as flat; the depth between the front plane of the box and the stacked paintings imparts perspective as the viewer investigates the cutouts. The contents of these paintings vary widely, with some containing suggestions of meteorological phenomena and others bearing distinct architectural motifs. Additionally, there are several details not immediately apparent that add to the refinement of this work. A detail that I particularly appreciated was the selected embellishing of some areas of the cutout through rounded edges, a small gesture that tickled the sculptor in me. Another was the high degree of finish on the construction of the box, leaving no visible panel gaps to distract from the content of the work. Content that, despite its sparing palette, is deftly composed.&nbsp; Through the sparing openings of the frame and their flat white treatment, Maddux draws the viewer to investigate the interior of the diorama, working through a confused mess of limbs to make out the overall composition. It is work that allows itself to be revealed to the viewer by denying apprehension from afar. You have to be close. You must look into the hole, if only to see what’s inside. The limited palette also works in favor of the content – it’s also a direct denial of the binary; whereby smooth gradients of tone allow for oscillation along a binary that resists bifurcated opposites. In addition, by restricting the whole work to shades of grey, the painted elements are bold without being overwhelming up close. It’s the distinction between the intimate vs. the explicit; inviting the viewer in close as opposed to demanding the viewer pay attention. The very structure of the work reinforcing this feeling–the prominent exterior frames that reference the outward body, while the contents of the diorama, a series of stack pieces of paper, a material classically used to convey the printed word–depicts abstractions of content that suggest an interior domain at the edge of language.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446707/w2yhqwqq7f61eratt6ok.jpg">KC Crow Maddux, The Garden, 2025 – Acrylic, Wood, Paper, Museum Acrylic – 24” x 19” x 1.5” - Photo by Tala In sitting with the work, my attention lingered on the openings in the diorama boxes. The average tone of the interior paintings skews towards darker values, which contrast well with the stark white of the box. The shape of the cutouts is unique to each diorama, but all feature repeating motifs of naked limbs, spiraling and entangled, distinct and too frequent to belong to any singular body. Attached to the messes of limbs are other recognizable profiles, like occasional pairs of breasts or the open gullet featuring dangling uvula, after the show’s namesake. Feet, hands, arms, legs, breasts, lips, throats – parts of bodies that never fully resolve into any individual, suggesting multiple bodies or plural identities. Maddux’s artist statement states that he views these works as being “about being trapped in signification,” a claim supported by the work through the illusory way it employs signs. The work is descriptive without being prescriptive, poetry not prose. Each piece takes on an inherent plurality, reflective of an artist who has defined gender on their own terms. Maddux, who is trans, has composed work that deploys sleight of hand against strict classifications – it is paintings and sculpture, spectrums of grey, figurative without a figure. All of which is rendered deftly within expertly constructed artworks. Even the peculiarities of Tala supported this multiplicity, with the gallery being home to white walls, a reading room, storefront, and dance floor. In speaking with Maddux after seeing the work, one of the reoccurring motifs of the show came into sharp focus – that of the maw, the open throat. Each of the works in the show has it depicted as an aspect of the frame cutouts. As explained by Maddux, the throat is a highly charged area, a bidirectional passage through which the individual sustains themselves, while also being the way through which an individual externalizes their own interiority – asserting being. Those two directions allow a person to be, in both the physical the self, and the locus of the throat constitutes an area “where concept meets body.”&nbsp; I struggled to find faults within the exhibition, a rare occurrence for me in a city that has a fetish for unpolished art. Almeda of Tala took a risk in working with a new-to-the-gallery curator, but the presentation of this work is precise and Gescheidle has created a tight presentation of Maddux’s art, a show that thrives in the grey areas it slyly depicts.&nbsp;The work is expertly crafted and thoughtfully composed, an excellent presentation by an artist who excels at his craft. ThroatExtended through February 7, 2026Open Th–Sa 1-6pm and by appt.Tala1644 W. Chicago Ave. (60622)<a href="https://talachicago.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">talachicago.com</a> # <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446709/d8do2rirx97fbld64heu.jpg">Detail of The Specter by KC Crow Maddux, 2025 – Acrylic, Wood, Paper, Museum Acrylic - Photo by Tala

Getting Head(y): "Throat" by KC Crow Maddux at Tala

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446776/usg6iwehkkdl03v88erx.jpg">Left: Amanda Williams. Right: Esther Grimm. Photo by&nbsp;Z Marciniak for Bob. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446778/ld9coeuzsfawohchawow.jpg">Left: Amanda Williams and Nora Daley. Right: Esther Grimm and Norman Teague. Photo by&nbsp;Z Marciniak for Bob. By GINNY VAN ALYEA In the busy lead up to the holidays, <a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/gala/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hyde Park Art Center</a> hosted its 86th annual gala at the Center on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The lively event honored arts leader&nbsp;Esther Grimm&nbsp;and artist&nbsp;Amanda Williams,&nbsp;and was co-chaired by&nbsp;Mirja Spooner Haffner, Founder of The Laksmi Project,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Christy MacLear,&nbsp;President of&nbsp;Good Chaos.&nbsp; More than 300 attendees wore&nbsp;“creative cocktail” attire and mingled with collectors, curators, arts supporters and of course artists. Cocktail hour was a chance to peek into&nbsp;resident artist open studios and explore various spaces on both floors of HPAC.&nbsp;At a packed, seated dinner in the Art Center’s main space, and amidst a buzzy, celebratory atmosphere&nbsp;Art Center leadership shared remarks about HPAC’s storied history of supporting artists at key moments in their career and how they have come to be one of the most significant creative incubators on the South Side and throughout the city.&nbsp;The large crowd was accommodated with seating in a large white tent that temporarily expanded HPAC's main gallery 1 space. When it came time to honor Grimm and Williams, both women were equally excited to be in each other’s company, with Grimm sharing how&nbsp;deeply humbled but also giddy she felt to be on stage with Williams. Williams emphasized just how important it is to watch what happens at Hyde Park Art Center. "Supporting artists makes this city&nbsp;great,” she said. “I can&nbsp;imagine no other&nbsp;pairing of organizations that have been as important 3arts and Hyde Park Art Center.&nbsp;We are so spoiled in Chicago. This is where it happens before it’s cute.” Williams pointed out that she got her first big award from HPAC in 2015, and that she hasn’t slept since. She said she’s not the only one, pointing to other artists like Edra Soto, Sabina Ott, Turtel Onli, Joyce Owens and Kerry James Marshall, all of whom were championed and invested in locally before gaining national reputations. “Things happen here,” Williams said.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446779/nhgf4nvotkj64eotmdr2.jpg">Aaron Rodgers and Jeannette Tremblay Chambers. Photo by&nbsp;Z Marciniak for Bob.&nbsp;During the event, the Art Center’s co-Executive Directors&nbsp;Jeannette Tremblay Chambers&nbsp;and&nbsp;Aaron Rodgers&nbsp;announced a partnership with 3Arts on a new residency program at the Art Center.&nbsp;Beyond Bodies of Work, a six-month residency for artists with disabilities who have previously completed a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency, will be held at the Art Center starting in 2026. Its first resident,&nbsp;Pooja Pittie, is a self-taught painter and fiber artist based in Chicago. Living with a progressive form of muscular dystrophy, Pittie’s work draws on the dynamics of a slowing body and an active, curious mind.&nbsp;The event saw its largest attendance since before the pandemic and also raised&nbsp;$515,000. According to the Hyde Park Herald, this significant number is particularly notable and needed, considering HPAC's decision in 2025 not to apply for funding from the National Endowment for the Arts because of federal guidelines that prohibit funding organizations that offer diversity, equity and inclusion programs. As a result HPAC knew they would grapple with a $100,000 funding deficit. The gala has a reputation as one of the city’s most “hands-on” art parties, and though I didn’t stay for the after-party in collaboration with Lumpen Radio, many others did, continuing the revelry and participating in Interactive Artist Interventions, enjoying&nbsp;performances, DJs, and late-night bites. The chance to be together was a night to celebrate artists as well as this special South Side institution and its impact for years to come.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446780/mirzbj2jwdrjlzuciizx.jpg">Artists in a HPAC studio space. Photo by&nbsp;Z Marciniak for Bob. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446781/pzpgkwa4baqimfpasi2g.jpg">Photo by&nbsp;CGN

Hyde Park Art Center Honors Amanda Williams and Esther Grimm at Annual Gala

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054390/zhjdkb4rhtghf15fhlqi.jpg">Ten years of CGN Arts Guides. Artists from left: Carlos Rolon, Scott Reeder, Judy Ledgerwood, Bethany Collins, Tony Tasset, Andrew Holmquist, Amanda Williams, Christina Ramberg, Jonathan Higgins, Diego Marcon In 2018, when we published our second edition of the Arts Guide, we evolved our founding name, Chicago Gallery News, to the more inclusive CGN. This was partly to indicate that we not only include arts programming and events in galleries in our coverage but we also highlight museums, auction houses, studios, sculpture gardens and other places where art exists. It was also time to signal that our reach extends beyond Chicago’s city limits. The name CGN represents an evolution of key aspects of the publication while keeping our supportive mission very much the same. CGN has been around for over 43 years. This is the 10th edition of the annual Arts Guide, which we launched in 2017 as a replacement for our winter magazine. Celebrating milestones is also bittersweet. Some spaces listed&nbsp;in 2017 have closed their doors, but many more are still here, while others have opened and showcase new gallery and institutional models to promote the artists they champion and engage their communities. The staying power of CGN’s Arts Guide has become an important visual and physical representation of the art, creativity and culture that happens each year in Chicago’s neighborhoods, its suburbs and throughout the near-Midwest.&nbsp; * Continuing in print is part of CGN’s commitment to being a contemporary resource as well as a repository of decades’ worth of names and places recorded for history. Paging through past issues, you can look up who was open when and in which part of town, or point to which artists showed where, and what art fairs came and went. Future arts researchers can will trace institutional and gallery changes in the context of the local art scene at a particular moment–when Young Hoffman parted ways to become Donald Young and Rhona Hoffman; when the 1987 market crash shuttered many doors, and when the 1989 River North fire jumbled addresses and new districts were established. These ten editions of the Arts Guide complement our other, more editorial magazines. They stack up–annual volumes of art in the Midwest.&nbsp; Each year I am proud of what we produce in CGN. There is tremendous history and innovation in Chicago to draw from and an exciting next generation to engage with and support. Thank you for your support of CGN, and of the art community! Subscribe to the 2026 Arts Guide and to CGN all year long <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. &nbsp;– Ginny Van Alyea

Publisher's Letter: The CGN Arts Guide Turns Ten

<h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wbez.org/museums/2025/12/02/dusable-black-history-museum-chicago-director-kim-dulaney-whistleblower-lawsuit-perri-irmer" target="_blank">DuSable Black History Museum, CEO misused public funds, whistleblower alleges</a></h3> An ex-employee of the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center has filed a lawsuit against the institution and its president and CEO, Perri Irmer, alleging misuse of public funds, harassment and retaliation. The lawsuit is the latest in an ongoing whistleblower campaign by Kim Dulaney, a retired Chicago State University professor who joined the South Side museum in 2021 as director of education and programs. She later became the vice president of the same department. Via WBEZ <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/louvre-leak-strike-2725275" target="_blank">Louvre Workers Announce Strike After Water Leak Drenches Egyptian Archives</a></h3> Last month, a water pipe at the Musée de Louvre rained unexpectedly on scores of archival documents relating to Egyptian history. The Parisian museum’s latest misfortune has marked a breaking point. Today, employees announced their plans to strike. Via Artnet <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/arts/design/frank-gehry-buildings-photos.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7U8.Klvq.PlbVeHekki-B&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">Frank Gehry: 12 Essential, Stunning Projects</a></h3> The most celebrated architect of his age, a wry, pugnacious, singular genius, Frank Gehry, who&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/arts/design/frank-gehry-dead.html" target="_blank">died Friday at 96</a>, redefined American architecture and became so famous that he was even a character on “The Simpsons.” In Bilbao and Berlin, New York and, especially, Los Angeles — where the Canadian-born Gehry settled and became inseparable from the city — he left behind playful, polarizing, materially and technologically stunning buildings.&nbsp; Via NYT Image: Frank Bienewald/LightRocket, via Getty Images <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/martin-parr-dead-photographer-magnum-1234765602/" target="_blank">Martin Parr, Photographer of Tourists with a Wry Sense of Humor, Dies at 73</a></h3> <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/t/martin-parr/" target="_blank">Martin Parr</a>, a photographer known for pictures of tourists that were both genuinely curious explorations of their lifestyle and wry indictments of it, has died on December 6 at his home in Bristol, England. His death, at age 73, was announced on Sunday by the namesake foundation that he founded in Bristol in 2017. Via ARTnews

What We're Reading: 12/9/25

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054400/jdse4qciszasiermalfu.jpg"> By CGN Staff This season, we’re highlighting some of our favorite places to find artful, meaningful gifts — all while supporting Chicago’s independent galleries and cultural institutions. Part 2 here focuses on museum stores and markets offering unique objects, books, prints, memberships and curiosities. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/2025-cgn-holiday-gift-guide-part-1-museum-stores-markets" target="_blank">Part 1</a> spotlights museum stores and area markets. These sources offer gifts and works of art for even the toughest gift recipients on your list and buying art or shopping at local institutions also supports artists and other members of the cultural community. Of course it's wonderful to enjoy and buy art any time of year, not just during the holidays! You can also purchase a copy of CGN"s new 2026 Arts Guide or share an annual <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/products/cgn-gift-card" target="_blank">gift subscription</a> with someone! *<h2> </h2><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054401/wq6hvgbqjofs6njnrsas.jpg"> <h2>McCormick Gallery</h2> McCormick gallery hosts its Annual Holiday Sale with 50 works and terrific discounts, up to 50% through December 19 Pictured above is a work by Roy Lichtenstein&nbsp;(1923-1997), As I Opened Fire...color offset lithograph on heavy wove paper, 1966. Full price is $6,000. Sale Price $4,000. You can visit the gallery's website for the complete list of available deals and pricing. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thomasmccormick.com/exhibitions/164" target="_blank">Shop here</a> <h2><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054402/iaukcpszfo7piomdvshn.jpg"></h2> <h2>Kim Storage Gallery</h2> Kim Storage in Milwaukee's Third Ward is hosting a holiday sale and exhibition through December 20. Pictured above is a piece by Hector Acuna,&nbsp;12/30, Egg tempera on panel, 5 x 4”, $200. You can visit the gallery's website for the complete list of available deals and pricing. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kimstoragegallery.com/show/kim-storage-gallery-the-holiday-gift-guide-2025" target="_blank">Shop here</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054402/ke06qold69hlvwvxwf8i.jpg">Bunnie Reiss, Flower Magic, $450 <h2>Joy Machine </h2> This gallery's name makes it a happy place to find an artful gift. it's not too late to stop by&nbsp;General Strike, their inaugural matchbox show, up through December 20!&nbsp;If you're looking for a special gift this holiday season, the gallery has several&nbsp;works under $500 to make a certain recipient extremely excited. Scroll down to see the collection. And don't forget, they also have a selection of&nbsp;phenomenal silkscreen prints&nbsp;available in conjunction with The Jaunt.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joymachine.art/" target="_blank">Shop here</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054403/ipgbnwuhijiv2g60muub.jpg"> <h2>Oliva Gallery </h2> The Logan Square gallery's Timeless Bodies Holiday Gift Party is set for Friday, Dec 19, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM Timeless Bodies&nbsp;interprets the human form through sculptural realism and abstraction. Throughout history, the human form has been symbolized as a container of life, emotion, and spirit, reflecting both fragility and resilience. How does the body hold and convey our stories, memories, or cultural history? Artists were encouraged to celebrate the interplay of form and storytelling in clay. <a style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/timeless-bodies-holiday-gift-party" target="_blank">Details</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054403/rn0obuz19xd0yyexuyrd.jpg"> <h2>The Grove Gallery </h2> This gallery in Evanston just celebrated their first anniversary and is celebrating with a Small Works Holiday Show thru Dec 22 Celebrate the holidays by shopping for unique, affordable, small works of art handmade by local artists.&nbsp;This curated selection of paintings, drawings and prints range from abstraction, Impressionist landscapes, interiors and figurative work. Made to fit any budget.&nbsp;The gallery is collaborating with Evanston Made, a local arts nonprofit which celebrates community.&nbsp; <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/small-works-holiday-show" target="_blank">Details</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054404/nxcvpxuvcyou1aevcnmg.png"> <h2>Woman Made Gallery</h2> Woman Made Gallery's (WMG) 2025&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(45, 79, 101);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=859054d66c&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">Small Works Members Show</a> is an annual exhibition celebrating the creativity and achievements of WMG’s vibrant community of artists. Curated by&nbsp;Astrid Houzé&nbsp;de l’Aulnoit&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mary King, this year’s exhibition features an exceptional selection of small-scale works by&nbsp;107 member artists. Artworks measure under 20 inches, showcasing the power of intimate expression across diverse mediums—including painting, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, fiber, and photography. All works are priced at&nbsp;$400 or less, offering an ideal opportunity for art lovers and new collectors to acquire original pieces from local and regional artists. Closing Reception: December 20, 2025 | 2–4 p.m.&nbsp; <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/small-works-members-show" target="_blank">Details</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054405/bntf4gxzbr0hkini1duu.png"> <h2>Evanston Art Center</h2> EAC's 23rd Annual Winter Arts &amp; Crafts Expo is on through Dec 20. The&nbsp;Winter Arts &amp; Crafts Expo&nbsp;includes original, handmade works of jewelry, ceramics, fiber, metal, glass, painting, photography, mixed media, and more. All proceeds from the Expo will benefit the ongoing exhibition, education, and outreach programs at the Art Center. The Winter Expo is also the perfect opportunity for families to shop for everyone on their holiday gift list. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/23rd-annual-winter-arts-crafts-expo" target="_blank">Details</a>

2025 CGN Holiday Gift Guide, Part 2: Galleries

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054210/hfgvz5arowkclpepa5dt.jpg">Sabina Ott, “the weight of air”, 2016. Polystyrene, plastic, cloth, canvas, mirror, gauche, and spray enamel, 24 x 20 x 3 inches. Collection of Vincent Uribe. © Estate of Sabina Ott. Image courtesy of Jeroen Nelemans. By JEFFERSON GODARD How many artists have their first solo show at a museum (Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1983) just one year after finishing college and then go on to have an almost forty-year career all while influencing so many others in the process? Sabina Ott is the culprit here, and she is currently being celebrated at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in all this and not ordinary, the first solo presentation of her work since she left our material world in 2018. Sabina Ott was born in New York and raised in Los Angeles. Her first works were large figurative oil paintings that depicted natural settings with theoretical and poetic references. Some of these early works would become part of institutional collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art amongst many others. As her career progressed, Ott moved beyond painting to create installations, videos, screen prints, and sculptural works. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054211/qmo5zedmblc4dhxxdckl.jpg">Installation view of Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 2025. Photo by Mariah Monedah, courtesy of MMoCA.&nbsp; Throughout her career, Sabina was never one to focus on one material alone and often pivoted between media that included oil, acrylic, ink, video, encaustic, and polystyrene. all this and not ordinary focuses on polystyrene-based works that she first began showing at The Great Poor Farm Experiment I (2009) at Michelle Grabner’s The Poor Farm, an experimental residency and exhibition space in Manawa, Wisconsin. In polystyrene, she loved the malleable and lightweight properties as well as the ability to layer on it. Often, she would layer canvas, spray foam, and mirror, but she also layered meaning. In this regard, Sabina often turned to poetry and specifically Gertrude Stein for inspiration. In fact, all of this and not ordinary is also a line from Stein’s poem A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054211/ase595eo7o73deogtmjp.jpg">Installation view of Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 2025. Photo by Mariah Monedah, courtesy of MMoCA.&nbsp; all this and not ordinary focuses on works that were created in the last eight years of her life and includes printed excerpts from Gertrude Stein poems on the walls. These decisions were prompted both by the influence of Stein in her work but also echo Sabina’s own teaching practice. Sabina was a mentor to so many students at the institutions such as Columbia College Chicago, Washington University, San Francisco Art Institute, ArtCenter College of Design, California State University, and the Melbourne Royal Institute of Technology in Australia. Sabina not only charted a storied artistic and academic career that had international reverberations, but she left her most lasting mark on Chicago, the city that she called home for the last 13 years of her life. Mentoring students at Columbia College, where she served for over a decade, she wanted to do more for her community. In 2011, Sabina founded Terrain Exhibitions, an experimental exhibition space that ran out of her Oak Part home and hosted some ambitious artworks from acclaimed artists. One of the first iterations of the now storied Graft series from Edra Soto enveloped Sabina's porch, a sculptural painting installation from Michelle Wasson’s Red, Yellow, Blue began on top of the roof slowly dripping and landing on the front lawn, a 10-foot pink unicorn horn, Struck, was supplanted on the front yard by Iris Bernblum, and Cauleen Smith’s banner extolling Gwendolyn Brooks’ Conduct your Blooming, that now resides in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, all had their first showing at Terrain. Artist Tom Burtonwood continued Terrain after Sabina’s passing, and the Terrain Biennial still maintains an international presence today. Aside from his steadfast support of Terrain, I must also make mention that if not for the efforts of Tom and his collaborator Holly Holmes, many of the works included in this exhibition would not have been available to us. Thank you both for all of the hard work that you continue to do to cement Sabina’s legacy. # all this and not ordinary continues at the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mmoca.org/events/sabinaott/" target="_blank">Madison Museum of Contemporary Art</a> through February 15, 2026, and will have an opening celebration on December 12th, 2025, from 6:00-9:00 pm, with a gallery talk by Chicago-based artist Michelle Wasson on December13th at 1:00. Please consult the museum’s website for more details. Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary&nbsp;is organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and co-curated by Paul Baker Prindle, MFA and Jefferson Godard, M.Arch. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054212/zgtnitasiggc5sathkwn.jpg">Installation view of Sabina Ott: all this and not ordinary, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 2025. Photo by Mariah Monedah, courtesy of MMoCA.&nbsp;

An Exhibition in Madison Shows Artist Sabina Ott is Not Forgotten

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446623/kn7m3bjrekuoat8cyqnv.jpg">Mike Rea, The Woods are Lovely Deep and Dank, I have Miles to Go and Bongs to Rip Before I Sleep (detail) By SUSAN GESCHEIDLE Photos by Bertran Productions Learning that Chicago native Mike Rea, now teaching at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, was presenting a monumental solo show in Philadelphia necessitated a pilgrimage. Having followed his wild creative process for two years, seeing the culmination of three years of studio magic in “Mature Works” at Bertrand Productions was an unmissable event. It was a worthwhile trek. Words struggle to do the show's brilliance justice, but I will attempt to capture its essence by focusing on several standout pieces. In Rea's world, nothing is unintentional. The long, convoluted titles—nods to famous poems, novels, song lyrics, etc.—serve as a key entry point, leaving a delicious trail of breadcrumbs that hint at the intricate layers of meaning within each piece if you're willing to follow the path; indeed, a whole review could be written about the titles themselves. Ultimately, the exhibition functions as a form of personal storytelling, with a few pieces serving as subtle self-portraits offering viewers a glimpse into Rea’s very being. His defining characteristic, above the rich symbolism and historical allusions, is an absolute mastery of craft; he&nbsp;meticulously executes every detail with zero compromise, elevating the work through sheer technical precision.&nbsp; Tucked away in a former textile factory in the artsy Fishtown neighborhood, Bertrand Productions uses its raw architectural character—lofty ceilings and concrete floors—as a perfect backdrop for Rea’s show. This&nbsp;spacious, industrial-style&nbsp;venue, run by Joseph Leroux and his wife, Stacey Lee Webber, provides the necessary room for Rea’s sizable, grandiose, and mesmerizing pieces to breathe and command attention.&nbsp; Step inside, and you're immediately face-to-face with two towering, commanding sculptures. Their striking height and vibrant colors pop with the same larger-than-life energy as Rea himself, perfectly setting the stage for his signature, attention-grabbing style. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446624/lzldtca4xdj0ysxqsx5v.jpg">Mike Rea, High Tuffness Rea’s prior works have mostly been natural wood sculptures, making this intense color addition a new and surprising direction. For several standout pieces, he fully embraces “vivid veneers and garish paint finishes,” resulting in high-saturation, high-gloss surfaces with a brilliant, synthetic shine. The glass-like vibrancy is a "sugary spectacle," reminding me of glossy old-school candies like Skittles and Jolly Ranchers. This exciting shift bridges his established style with a fresh aesthetic, likely resonating with longtime admirers. While purists might find the color overshadows the wood's subtlety, within the current context, the color seems exactly apropos. First up, Rea delivers a witty, 'Giacometti-esque' punch with his emaciated figure, titled The Woods are Lovely, Deep, and Dank; I Have Miles to go and Bongs to Rip&nbsp;Before I Sleep. The 85” tall sculpture consists of approximately 46 carved, vivid bongs, with cannabis in the bowls (the piece is made of poplar and pine coated in shiny paints, dye, and polyurethane). Fondly known as the 'Walking Bong Man,' this figure might be interpreted as a lighthearted self-portrait referencing one of Rea’s favorite pastimes—what he refers to as a way of 'rounding the corners of the day.' This inspired work elevates mundane objects and countercultural themes, leveraging the visual language of a revered master in an unexpected way. While some viewers might miss the artistic and cultural commentary, the work successfully integrates pop culture with high art in an engaging way. Now, meet the legend: High Tuffness, a 16" x 16" x 27” dog sculpture also made entirely of bongs. This smaller companion piece is Rea's&nbsp;heartfelt—and aptly hazy—tribute to his most loyal canine companion, Doctor Tuffy. Mounted on a platform and accented with a wooden lighter, this cheeky sculpture perfectly encapsulates their inseparable bond. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446625/dchbugzmtsr3geirhben.jpg">Mike Rea, Everything Needs Something Holy Ghost Oxford Commas (A Simple Heart) Arguably the show's most intricate and deeply personal work is Everything Needs Something Holy Ghost Oxford Commas (A Simple Heart). Reaching an impressive 10 feet, 1 inch in height (32” x 23” at the base), this tantalizing sculpture alludes to a bold and unapologetic intimate experience. Its foundation is rooted in Rea's own anatomy, with the base created from four vivid blue replicas of his left leg that he cast himself, each detailed with a subtly sexy fishnet imprint. These 'legs' support a structure that evokes a BDSM or restraint-focused apparatus; a wooden vibrator sits centered atop the bench. The sculpture pulses with layered symbolism. While the tennis rackets are personal symbols of Rea's hobby, they could just as easily be interpreted as paddles. At the top sits an exotic parrot, wings spread, seemingly captured in a moment of intense excitement or pure ecstasy. The sculpture operates on multiple levels of intent; Rea notes the piece is “bound together aesthetically and literally structurally,” making it a compelling—and visually potent—focal point within the exhibition. The work is an audacious, unblinking piece that compels a reaction from every viewer. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446626/jdtqsxqh7lv7pmh8sm8i.jpg"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1774446627/bq0iuc0jw6e10lnvjdug.jpg">Mike Rea, Goal, Is É Sin an Saol (detail) Finally, Goal, Is É Sin an Saol stands out as an elegant, mysterious replica of Ned Kelly's iconic suit of armor, meticulously crafted by Rea from pine, steel, birch, and other materials. The title, Irish Gaelic for "Such is life," creates a poignant link between the artist's own heritage and the fatalistic phrase widely attributed to the Australian bushranger just before his 1880 execution. The sculpture invites interaction: viewers who peek inside the armor will discover words carved into its interior—perhaps Rea's private thoughts, perhaps other Gaelic phrases. This piece follows a historical practice of embedding messages in art, resulting in yet another deeply personal work by Rea that might serve as a meditation on both protection and vulnerability. The entire body of work pulses with life, demanding reflection and drawing on the artist’s authenticity and his eclectic library of influences. That potent energy lingered with me throughout my Philadelphia visit, right up to the final chaotic hours of my stay. A 1:30 AM fire alarm at the historic Penn View Hotel prompted a frantic evacuation; disoriented guests spilled onto the street in various stages of undress, creating a scene of unexpected commotion that, in its own unique way, mirrored the kinetic intensity of Rea’s dynamic exhibition. Both the show and the incident were intense and undeniably "lit." "Mature Works" successfully highlighted Rea's confident mastery just shy of his 50th birthday, bringing a powerful exhibition to Bertrand Productions and Philly. If you have an opportunity to see any of these pieces in the future, seize it: Just do it! Mike Rea earned a B.S., Education, Northern Illinois University; an M.A., Sculpture, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and an M.F.A., Sculpture, University of Wisconsin Madison. He lives and works in DeKalb, IL.&nbsp; Bertrand Productions4500 Worth StreetPhiladelphia, PA&nbsp; “Mature Works,” by Mike Rea ran from September 20 – November 7th, 2025.&nbsp;

Roadtrip to Philadephia: A Visit to See Mike Rea's "Mature Works"

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054251/ulxcswrb0yskxtvhe4vn.jpg">Esmé's light fixtures already resemble blank canvases. Photos by CGN. By GINNY VAN ALYEA On a warm Chicago evening earlier this fall, stepping into a Lincoln Park restaurant felt more like crossing the threshold of a gallery than a restaurant. Most of my days as&nbsp;publisher of CGN are spent in proximity to art, and I do eat at restaurants, but I can’t say I’ve had a meal or art experience quite like the one I had at Esmé. That is the point. From its earliest days, Esmé has set out to merge food, art, and philanthropy in an ambitious experiment. Now, with an Apple TV+ docuseries running and Michelin inspectors circling once again, the restaurant finds itself back in the spotlight. I had heard about Esmé since it was awarded a Michelin star in 2022, less than year after it opened in 2021. Esmé is the culinary artistic-collaboration of husband-and-wife duo Chef Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, who opened the restaurant as both a fine-dining destination and a mission-driven project. Their vision was that a restaurant could be more than an elevated place to eat — it could also be a civic space, an art gallery, and a philanthropic engine all at once. Esmé’s tasting menus change with each artist-in-residence collaboration, transforming both the dishes and the dining room into a temporary exhibition. Previous artist collaborations have been with Emmy Star Brown, Raspy Rivera, and Meghan Borah, and others. Proceeds from these seasons often benefit local nonprofits, creating a direct tie between indulgence and community impact. The current collaboration features Chicago-born, L.A. artist Lefty Out There (Franco Campanella), known for his looping, interlocking “polymorph” motifs. His work, which began in graffiti and street art, now spans textiles, sculpture, and digital installations — a rhythmic visual language that feels both infinite and playful. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054252/idihlwwnunjfhmlgpoo3.jpg">The surprise amuse: Meringue - Tomato, Peanut, and Osetra Caviar. At Esmé, Lefty’s work is hung salon-style on the wall when you first enter the space. While I waited for my dinner date to arrive, I was greeted by Chris, who offered a sparkling wine with fall-appropriate cherry incorporated – a bright, pink palate preparation to enjoy while I had a chance to look around the space, first at Lefty's art, including a projection piece, then at the professional staff moving quietly and efficiently among the tables and back and forth to the open kitchen. In the dining room large, white fixtures – flat panels suspended from the ceiling that resemble canvases – act as blank spaces that reflect light back onto where the art really was, on the tables and plates.&nbsp; Once my friend arrived we were presented with what we thought was a mutually favorite hors d’oeuvre: deviled eggs. In fact this was just the first surprise of the night, as it was not an egg, but a tomato meringue with caviar, peanut and delicate, edible flowers. There were two, placed atop a thick, gilded picture frame.&nbsp;The presentation of this first bite made the art-links of Esme’s menu apparent, but once we were seated at our table the unique collaboration with Lefty Out There was unmistakable. The current tasting menu–which began in August and it set to continue until March 1, 2026–is inspired by Lefty’s hallmark polymorphic shapes.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054253/g8i85eqzluir4cs6h0oe.jpg">A custom designed tray built from wood and moss serves Tuna — peach jam, otoro, sake sabayon, and tuna bone marrow, Uni — nori, sunchoke purée, fried kelp, and kelp oil, and Foie — whipped foie with hoja santa, cherry, nasturtium, and a butterfly tuile — a reflection of the land above. There is color, detail, intricacy in each dish, with many being served on custom made dishware and plates. A custom sculpture Hassun Tray built by Lefty from layered wood and moss draws on Lefty’s experience using LiDAR digital mapping and references contours that mirror map elevations and topography. As you eat each introductory bite you move through nature, from sea (tuna, also nori, kelp) onto land (whipped foie, cherry, nasturtium). The art presented in the tray’s design remains after each bite is gone.&nbsp; A two-bite course of smoked grapes, latticed over king crab-filling, is topped with fennel and presented atop a 3-D printed copper-hued dome that resembled a brain, though not in an unappetizing way. The serving piece looked like it would be heavy, made of metal, but it’s very light. The dish was the same, it looked heavy but was in fact delicate.&nbsp; Colors. Detail. Intricacy. Lefty’s art lends itself to repetition –&nbsp;certain shapes and curves are like disciplined doodles. You can’t quite always identify an exact pattern but you can pick out the shapes. The artist has broad experience in multiple mediums, from 3D printing and murals to fiber and painting. At Esmé you see Lefty’s presence everywhere.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054253/kzsypjhcuy6goiik8bvv.jpg"> Lefty's designs in clay. A dish of squab, foie, plum, tamarind, celery root and nihari. Photo by Sara Wright. For a dish of squab with plum, the vibrant tamarind sauce that accompanied it was baked in celery root inside of a clay vessel featuring Lefty’s squiggle designs. Our server used a special hammer to break open the clay and reveal the sauce. Next we had Wagyu beef, beet mole and charred lettuce, accompanied by an unusual, Italian-style wine from Mexico. Other dishes we had didn’t directly draw from Lefty’s art but still incorporated the creativity of local artists. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes of caviar and ice cream, with white chocolate and some sort of savory pepper paste, was served in a custom designed, ostrich-sized ceramic egg, chilled to best present and preserve the coolness of the ice cream.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054254/ym6bgd0waql4wkiwufrb.jpg">Shareable ice cream and caviar mid-meal. Mother of pearl — peanut miso, celery hot sauce, sweet potato ice cream, white chocolate, osetra caviar. Desert was part art heist, part treat, all surprise: cake was concealed beneath printed rice paper made to resemble a painting on canvas, framed in gold. To get to the sweet cake, I had to destroy the canvas.&nbsp; Each effect is immersive and unique: dishes appear not just plated, but staged, like performers in an abstract set. Signature forms ripple across everything, from custom placemats (more than two dozen in total, hand-sewn with 88,000 stitches), to laser-cut tray designs, and even the plating itself. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054255/kszymjaic35bencykk0b.jpg">Dessert is behind the rice paper canvas: blackberry vanilla opera cake, oat crumble, anise hyssop ice cream * To expand on where Lefty Out There’s art fits in a dining space, Allan Weinberger, director of VSG Contemporary, which represents Lefty, describes how this project is not unlike other collaborations and is well suited for an art experience.&nbsp; “Franco Campanella, Lefty’s formal name, loves integrating his art into culturally adjacent moments,” says Weinberger. “He’s collaborated extensively with John Summit on music projection mapping, Miami nightclub E11even, Formula 1, the Chicago Half Marathon and various fashion brands. His visual language adapts well to different environments. For the diner, the experience is unique and engaging, you get to learn about and be inspired by an artist while enjoying a meal. It’s immersive, playful, and unlike a traditional art encounter.” For Esmé’s latest residency Weinberger describes the partnership as a natural extension of the artist’s trajectory. “Since opening, Esmé has developed a Michelin-starred dining experience that deeply integrates art into its courses,” he says. “The restaurant transforms several times a year with new artist collaborations. Lefty Out There elevated this concept further, introducing custom design elements across the space, from windows and placemats to dishes, while curating the gallery with a selection of new works alongside pieces returning from his 2023 London exhibition, many of which had never been shown in the United States.” When I asked Weinberger how he would describe the partnership of having an artist exhibit in a dining setting, he explained, “As an art dealer, I’m not usually drawn to showing work outside spaces made for art. If people aren’t coming in conditioned to see art, the work rarely lands, and it definitely doesn’t sell. We looked at this opportunity carefully and felt that, with the right planning, it could really work. We just wanted to ensure it was presented as an art show.”&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054255/fhktjyorlkoy0a5mbdic.jpg">Lefty Out There works are installed in the front of the restaurant salon-style That was easy, he says, because of the creative leaders behind Esmé. “Jenner Tomaska is more than a chef, he’s a brilliant culinary artist and his collaboration with Lefty Out There felt like a genuine creative match. They both care deeply about their craft and it’s more than a business. At one point, while producing custom plates for a dish, they simultaneously decided the quality wasn’t good enough for service and the plates were pulled.&nbsp;This partnership wouldn’t work with just any restaurant; it had to be an exceptional one, like Esmé. Our goal was to make the presentation feel intentional and artistic, not just like restaurant décor.” Exhibiting art outside of a formal gallery space always takes creativity, but hopefully it results in many rewards because it invites and allows a different kind of access and has the potential to engage a new audience. I asked Weinberger what the challenges have been as well as unexpected outcomes of this kind of collaboration.&nbsp; “The biggest challenge was managing the logistics—shipping, installation, and planning for a project that’s inherently speculative. If the art doesn’t sell, it can be a tough financial situation. Fortunately, with the support of Frame Chicago, who helped curate the partnership, the opening week went very well in terms of sales, setting a strong tone for the rest of the collaboration. The collector response to this show has exceeded expectations and we’re thrilled. For years, Alisha, Shafiq, and Firoz have witnessed the transformation of the contemporary art scene, evolving Frame Chicago from a casual framing shop into a cultural hub. They have a pulse on what’s happening in the art world, and both Lefty and I deeply admire the artistic excellence they represent.”&nbsp; * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054256/nztujr1b6wzjztexsa3o.jpg">Cheese coral – aerated Epoisses and Gruyere, taiyaki, and honeycomb The Esmé dining room feels alive with visual rhythm. One late-meal course, dubbed “Cheese Coral”, arrives as a sculptural reef of airy cheese, honeycomb and red Taiyaki pastry shaped like a coy fish, simultaneously fragile and abundant. Another paired turbot with melon and corn, a geometric interplay of textures and tones that echoes Lefty’s looping patterns. These are not just bites; they’re compositions — edible artistic choices meant to be admired and then consumed. As a diner the specific presence of art forces you to sense details — the cut of a vegetable, the texture of a sauce, the angle of a garnish. Esmé transforms eating into something closer to observing. I thought about how each dish would be if it weren’t part of a chef + artist partnership and wondered why there aren’t more like it, since the creative synergy felt so natural. I also wondered, since this partnership with Lefty is so complete - on the walls, on the plates, in the serving pieces – what would other collaborations be like? Would they all be as successful? * This fall, Esmé’s story has been on the plate as well as the screen. On October 10th Apple TV+ debuted Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, an eight-part docuseries that follows chefs worldwide as they pursue, retain, or risk losing their Michelin standing. Esmé is one of the featured restaurants. The series aims to reveal the unseen side of fine dining: the relentless precision, the anxiety of inspection, the personal toll of an elusive rating system. For Tomaska and Bravo, the cameras arrive at a high-stakes moment. Michelin will announce its 2025 ratings next week on November 18th, when Esmé will learn whether it keeps (or loses) its single star — or potentially ascends to the coveted two-star echelon. With the recent news that a fellow Chicago restaurant, Alinea, has lost one of its three stars and now will boast two, the pressure is on for Esmé to move up and maintain the city’s overall star count.&nbsp; While diners at Esmé experience a serene, gallery-like dining room each week, viewers worldwide are tuning in to glimpse the sweat, tension, and vulnerability behind its closed doors. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054257/qyqwiup2zhejvcjh8axo.jpg">Wagyu - Red beet mole, romaine sauce, golden beet puree, pickled mulberries, confit beets What’s striking about Esmé is how seamlessly it toggles between the intimacy of fine dining and the spectacle needed to gain and keep global attention. On one hand, a dish like the turbot with melon feels like a deeply personal of the chef— the kind of course that asks for quiet. On the other, the entire concept of collaborating with an artist is inherently performative, begging for documentation and a wider audience. The docuseries heightens this duality. How does a restaurant designed to be immersive for those in the room translate when broadcast to millions of viewers? Will the art-dining fusion appear as sincere as it feels in the moment, or risk seeming contrived under the harsh gaze of editing? This is the tension at Esmé’s heart: the space between experience and performance, authenticity and ambition. *Esmé’s significance goes beyond its four walls. In spotlighting Chicago artists, and funneling resources into local causes, the restaurant positions itself as a civic player in the city’s cultural ecosystem. In Lefty Out There, Esmé found a collaborator whose Chicago roots mirror its own, creating a uniquely local resonance in a global fine-dining landscape. As Weinberger suggests, by placing Lefty’s work on dining tables instead of gallery walls, Esmé underscores Chicago’s ability to redefine the boundaries of cultural experience. Art was on the walls, certainly on the table, and in each dish. Maybe best of all, I had an inventive, magical setting for a long overdue catchup with a dear friend on a lovely fall evening in one of the world’s most creative cities.&nbsp; View past menus and artistic collaborations at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.esmechicago.com/our-food" target="_blank">esmechicago.com</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/esme_chicago/" target="_blank">@Esme_Chicago</a> Follow Lefty Out There <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/leftyoutthere/" target="_blank">@LeftyOutThere </a> #

Art, Ambition, and the Weight of Stars: Dining at Esmé in Chicago

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054115/qpis1xsl2sq3jzzikjlj.jpg">A view of Mathieu Lehanneur’s Olympic Cauldron in Paris in the Jardin des Tuileries, with the Musee D’Orsay, the Left Bank and the Eiffel Tower beyond. Photo by CGN. By GINNY VAN ALYEA My family and I traveled to France this summer, right after school let out, starting in Paris and winding our way down to Provence and then back to Paris. The occasion was to meet up and celebrate a dear friend’s birthday, but my planning also quickly focused on art. This was not my first time to France but it would be for our two children, who are young but also old enough to be excellent travelers. My husband and I wanted to share the highlights of a first encouter but also go beyond what we ourselves had explored previously. We visited many iconic and historic sites, but the trip offered something more: a repeated and often unplanned engagement with contemporary art in historic places. As someone who lives around and writes about art, I was attuned to these juxtapositions—but seeing them through the lens of family travel gave them a different kind of resonance. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054115/bkktlv8bdpiu4snf9niv.jpg">The newly restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral. We decided to divide our time between Paris on the Left Bank, followed by a week in Provence with our friends, and two nights back in Paris on the Right Bank. It sounded like plenty of time, but while we realized quickly that there is never enough time to see it all, we still had a lot to do and enjoy.&nbsp; On our first afternoon in Paris, we visited the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which reopened in December 2024 following the 2019 fire. Lucky enough to grab free, timed entry tickets while still in the taxi in from the airport, we didn’t have to wait long to see the cathedral’s restoration work up close. Once inside we marveled at how the centuries old stone is clean and light, practically aglow. Outside on the river-side, towering crains and scaffolding show that there is more work being done to continue the restoration. The kids will never know for themselves how the fire that ravaged Notre Dame horrified the world. For me it was amazing to behold the difference before and after. After our visit, a walk to ice cream on Ile St. Louis allowed us to enjoy our arrival after so much planning and to look forward to what’s next. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054116/pgwhb6kwazjpebpndoit.jpg">The exterior of Fondation Louis Vuitton, designed by Frank Ghery. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054117/avjkilrfdjefiq0umxqi.jpg">A David Hockney self-portrait <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054117/wkmqznz7sp1ytjrjbnce.jpg">A room filled with spring images by David Hockney <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054118/qidpwxsc7riwtm5lipkh.jpg">Hockney's opera sets animated in an immersive room The next morning, we climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe—still one of the best views of Paris—and we spent time taking pictures as well as visiting the small museum devoted to military history at the top of the monument. Down on the ground again, amidst the city’s famous traffic, we took the navette (shuttle) out to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne, where friends joined us for David Hockney 25. The Fondation’s building, designed by Frank Gehry, resembles waves or a lotus blossom. We waited in line while holding custom white umbrellas, due to the intense heat at noon, our reserved entry time. My son had protested going inside to a museum with contemporary art (I have heard this before) but in the first gallery, taking in the large, bright canvases by Hockney from the ‘60s he turned to me and said, “Oh, I actually like this art.” The kids, joined by two friends we met up with, hopped from gallery bench to bench, taking every chance to sit but also observe the crowds and admire the art. They were very interested in Hockney’s iPad landscapes and his portraits of so many different faces done in appealing, cheerful colors. The highlight, though, was the chance for the us to find our own giant beanbag in the darkened, long gallery featuring projections of Hockney’s opera stage designs from over the years, including one for Puccini’s Turnadot, performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1992. Looking skyward, hearing captivating music and watching saturated, moving scenes tied painting and music together in a memorable way.&nbsp; After two hours in the air conditioned exhibition, we returned to the heat to unwind and find lunch nearby in the charming Jardin d’Acclimatation, an idyllic Parisian amusement park recommended by friends that offered good food, peacocks, a roller coaster, and shade. Great America this was not. The proximity of contemporary art to such a delightful outdoor destination that also appeals to children made me wish we had such a stimulating pair of sites at home.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054119/rs9xolvabgdtlafeq28b.jpg">Visiting the Grand Trianon, where there were hardly any crowds. Day three took us out to Versailles by train, where we rented bikes and explored the grounds—starting with a picnic made from provisions we picked out at the market in the town of Versailles. We took our time visiting the royal properties in reverse, first the Grand Trianon, then the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s hamlet, and ending at the main palace. After a few hours in the heat on our bikes, the children briefly marveled at the gleaming gilt all around the gates and eaves of the palace, but by the time we reached the Hall of Mirrors, we had stood too close to too many people for too long.&nbsp; Our little bike group was no match for the throngs of bused-in, guided tourists who spilled in from the parking lot.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054120/pj8c0olsmbh4vsiidljy.jpg">Inside the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where the crowd was massive. Back in Paris that same evening, we took a long walk home after dinner and stopped to take photos by the Louvre’s now iconic glass pyramid, beautifully lit and relatively empty in the late evening. Being mid-June it was still twilight. Turning away from the Louvre’s courtyard and towards the direction of the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin des Tuileries we were delighted by the glow of Mathieu Lehanneur’s Olympic Cauldron, which has remained in place since 2024’s summer games, when it would rise 60 meters into sky and its design symbolized France’s national motto, “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”.&nbsp; The cauldron is made of a 23 ft. diameter ring suspended from a helium balloon (also a hallmark of France’s innovation). The cauldron’s glow is not from actual flames but LED lights, which emit flame-like wisps because of 40 lamps backlit by mist from by 200 water jets. In a city with so many old icons, this is undoubtedly a new one. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054120/mvv9g2yar7hynkzdaupm.jpg">Waiting to tour the Palais des Papes When we boarded the train to Avignon, our trip began to shift. In town the Palais des Papes, a massive Gothic structure near the Rhône river, dominates the city center. We considered a minute whether or not to buy tickets to tour the building, as the kids had been on the train or in the car for most of the day, but we were very glad we did, as we came away with quite a bit of knowledge about the time when the center of the Catholic Church was not in Rome but in France. The former fortress and palace is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was here that six papal conclaves were held in the 14th century. We also were lucky to visit the installation of work by Jean-Michel Othoniel to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city of Avignon’s designation as European Capital of Culture and the 30th anniversary of its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. On view through January 4, 2026, OTHONIEL COSMOS or the Ghosts of Love, is an expansive, artistic immersion hailed as the artist’s largest project ever conceived and the first on a national scale, spread across 10 unique locations, with more than 260 works for Avignon. Mirrored glass sculptures, iridescent aquamarine bricks and graphic interventions animated the medieval interior. The tension between old and new wasn’t just thematic—it was spatial, visual, and palpable. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054121/ubatrhfxgqylfukaggsx.jpg">An installation by Jean-Michel Othoniel <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054122/hbh4xqfgkaip5otxqd5y.jpg">An installation by Jean-Michel Othoniel on the Pont Saint-Benezet in Avignon The following days in Provence were spent resting a little more, adjusting to the southern pace and letting the kids recover from the more intense museum time. We still found ourselves busy each morning, setting out ahead of the heat explore the Luberon on planned trips to experience local food and culture, spontaneously jumping out to see the lavender fields or hiking around Roussillon and its Mars-like hills (where ochre, humankind’s first pigment used in art likely came from). Everywhere there was history, and there was art. We visited Château de Lourmarin, where I came across a library room featuring a collaboration between the Fondation des Treilles and the Fondation de Lourmarin Laurent-Vibert. Contemporary photography by international artists with portraits of everyday people in arresting natural settings were on display—quietly, without fanfare. The children were off on a scavenger hunt in the château with others from our group, which gave me time to enjoy the vaulted stone space uninterrupted. The town of Lourmarin itself was quirky and full of life: artisan boutiques, antiques, and a kind of layered charm you hope for in small towns but don’t always find. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054123/cecnotfqvbsa42ucbpdz.jpg">The interns posing for another photo at the top of the hill in Lacoste <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054124/ekfqrhszmu3thnnd7myg.jpg">A surprise installation in Lacoste In the hilltop town of Lacoste, we wound up the stone streets overlooking the Vaucluse and to the Château that was once the home of the infamous and exiled Marquis de Sade. The Château ruins were purchased by the late fashion designer Pierre Cardin in 2001, and today there is an arts festival that takes place in the town each summer. I did not know before our visit that the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has a campus in the tiny town. Though student residents were between installations, an American art school in this Provencal village felt both surreal and fitting. I thought how nice it would be to be a student again and reside in this creative, energetic place where centuries-old architecture was inspiring 21st century textile work juxtaposed with LED sculptures. It was a serendipitous travel moment, entirely unrepeatable.&nbsp; A day later on the way to Les Baux-de-Provence, we stopped at Glanum in the Alpilles, where ruins of what was once a wealthy city, including its spring and a triumphal arch, remain remarkably intact. It was a hands-on history lesson—city plans and advanced infrastructure visible in 2,000 year old stone, accessible without barriers. The kids were allowed to roam and interpret on their own. We wondered what it would have been like for citizens to abandon the walls and monuments they built by hand, stone by stone.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054125/bbm0gfrmgq3bky3m2cqk.jpg">The Maison Carrée in Nîmes Our last full day in Provence was spent in Nîmes, where we saw the Maison Carrée, a nearly pristine Roman temple thought to be from the 1st century AD. Opposite the temple square is the glass, steel and concrete Carré d’art, opened in 1993 and designed by British architect Norman Foster. Though the building is nine stories, half of it is below ground to maintain scale with its temple neighbor. A short walk away is the city’s famous, 2,000 year old amphitheater, which continues to host performances today. These monuments were reminders of the scale and durability of Roman urban planning—and the continued effort France invests in preserving as well as using them. On our drive home my husband pleaded with our kids to stop one more place–no small ask since everyone was eager to return to the pool as soon as possible. We stopped at Pont du Gard, where hundreds of people swam below the aqueduct, families gathering along the riverbanks and wading into the water. There are few places I have seen where ancient engineering so seamlessly accommodates 21st-century summer vacationers. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054125/rt1vq6vlqpjxgojs2jsh.jpg">Aya Brown at Galerie Gomis in Paris The following morning we were up early in order to catch the train back for a full day in Paris. We dropped our bags and went straight to Marche Des Enfants Rouges for lunch. We stood shoulder to shoulder with everyone else who was hot and thirsty on a Saturday afternoon and opted for a delicious Japanese meal—cool udon, ramen, and beer—and then strolled home, gelato in hand, via galleries in the Marais. I stopped into Galerie Gomis when I unexpectedly noticed Aya Brown’s work on view as part of girls! girls!! girls!!! Brown recently exhibited her prints as part of a group show at Anthony Gallery in Chicago. The connection felt like a full-circle art moment. We made some museum choices for this trip because we had the kids along. Had it just been my husband and me we would have covered more ground. Being an introductory trip, we chose the Louvre over the Musee d’Orsay. On our last full morning in Paris, we walked to the Louvre, feeling grateful that we avoided a museum strike a few days earlier. The crowd seemed even a little lighter than usual. In the spirit of first-timing, my daughter insisted we see the Mona Lisa. We found her easily, initially thinking we were in the wrong room because the crowd was small. There was a sign posted politely reminding visitors to be respectful to gallery staff. Once we had seen the famous smile we were free to wander to see many more highlights by artists such as Delacroix, Ingres as well as The Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Egyptian antiquities in the basement.&nbsp;We even got to peek at France's Crown Jewels. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054126/cs2eft28lvz1afneyou8.jpg">The Crown Jewels at the Louvre <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054127/ztvsjrgolj6b0ad972qt.jpg">The perfect send-off on our final day in France. One of our last quiet moments in Paris came on our final day, when we visited the Tuileries Garden and spontaneously rented a petit bateau—a little sailboat the kids pushed around the fountain with sticks. They named her Mona. The simplicity of the kids free in a park, eating gelato and people-watching, while afternoon sun reflects off the water was a reminder that delight in Paris will find you suddenly. It won’t be on a check-list or in a fancy restaurant. It can’t be planned.&nbsp; That evening, after excellent Roman pizza at a tiny place in the Marais, we walked home through warm city streets, past the glowing Bourse de Commerce. We hadn’t made it inside this trip, but we knew we have more to look forward to next time. * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772054128/wa6gqj90l6h8uudrrjou.jpg">Our Invader finds * One more thread that ran through our adventure: before we arrived in Paris a friend recommended that we track the Invader tiles. The French street artist known as Invader has placed thousands of mosaic tile works across France (and beyond), each resembling an 8-bit alien character from the classic arcade game Space Invaders. Unlike Banksy, whose fame can overshadow the work, Invader’s pieces blend into their surroundings. You might see one tucked above a bakery, or high on a stone wall in Avignon. Our son in particular&nbsp;became a sharp-eyed scout, spotting Invaders everywhere—some chipped, some pristine, others invalid fakes. It was the kind of organic art experience that felt personal and earned.The discovery was better than any guided tour we could have planned or tourist trinket we could have bought. Our family’s trip wasn’t structured just around art, but art was definitely a thru-line—everywhere from cathedrals and palaces, to gardens and châteaux, in contemporary interventions and ancient ruins. The blend of contemporary art in historic spaces wasn’t always announced. But those contrasts—between old and new, formal and spontaneous, monumental and small-scale—are what stuck with me. They reminded me that culture is a living continuum, not an itinerary or social media post.&nbsp; When you travel with kids, those moments can matter most when you stumble into them together as well as at your own pace. They have the potential to leave the impression that you cannot travel without enjoying art (sorry Tommy.) In fact, art makes the trip better. #

French Encounters: A Family Trip Through Art and History

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053996/lbaevjzmgo6zisnebtzp.jpg">The cover of New Sculpture By BIANCA BOVA In the Summer of 1986 the Renaissance Society mounted an exhibition entitled New Sculpture, featuring the work of three artists: Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, and Haim Steinbach. Curator Gary Garrels (who acknowledges having benefited from the assistance of an astonishing trifecta of counselors to the show: Richard Hoblock, Jerry Saltz, and Christopher Wool) characterizes it as follows: “There is a continuum set down here with Gober and Steinbach anchoring the ends and Koons balanced in the middle.” This is as discernable in the catalog as it seems to have been in the exhibition itself [n.b. I did not see this exhibition firsthand. Not having been born until 1992 I, once again, missed the party].&nbsp; The best catalogs are not just repositories of the collected photographs, images, and essays from a show, printed and bound. They are something at once companionate and singular. They carry the exhibition title, and at least something of its spirit. They are often the only record that remains after the show has closed.&nbsp; The catalog for New Sculpture is slim and strange, and my copy of it numbers among the prized possessions of my bookshelf. Measuring at 12 ⅜” by 6” it is a staple-bound and tightly delimited ten pages, inclusive of acknowledgements; a staff and board directory; a curatorial essay; the artists’ curricula vitae; and six black-and-white images, two of which are luscious full-page, full-bleed images of Gober’s The Ascending Sink and Koons’ New Hoover Convertible.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053997/z9ksxkuq1r1zgqyyfclo.jpg">Top: Haim Steinbach, security and serenity, 1985Bottom: Haim Steinbach, lead part, 1986 It was designed by the late Michael Glass, a seminal and dominant force in shaping the aesthetic identity of the Chicago art world in the late twentieth century. His influence remains legible in the iterative identities of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; in the logo that graced the entryway to Rhona Hoffman Gallery until the day it closed; and in the decades of work produced by his protégé, the late Jason Pickleman. The catalog for New Sculpture is as thoughtful a piece of his work as ever was made. The brush of the capital “S” in Sculpture against the lower edge of the cover, the unbroken rhythm of the two-column layout that repeats what it faces in Gober’s sinks, Koons’s vacuum cleaners, and Steinbach’s rubber Dracula heads, the austerity of the sans-serif fonts used throughout (which my untrained eye is too dull to correctly identify)–all thoughtful, careful gestures, executed with precision by the teams at Word City typesetters and Thomas Graphics printers. Its spareness begets clarity, its clarity is from where its communicative authority derives.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053998/muqbwzwqwdpwbcgmliaq.jpg">&nbsp;Robert Gober, The Ascending Sink, 1985&nbsp; The acknowledgements, penned by longtime Renaissance Society Director Suzanne Ghez (who was then roughly a decade into her tenure) buries the lede somewhat. New Sculpture constituted the first museum showing in the Midwest of these three artists. The lenders list is a veritable who’s who of relevant galleries of the day: Paula Cooper; International With Monument; Feature; Rhona Hoffman; Donald Young; the list goes on. Likewise, the CV’s of the artists are an astonishing snapshot of early achievement. Koons has just five solo shows to his name, and Gober only three, while Steinbach’s entry (the senior of the group) reflects his just-recent accession into the Saatchi collection. To read through them is to observe careers on the brink of tipping into greatness, poised to claim their place in the vast swathe of art history that would come to define those years at the end of the century.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053999/lqy9xhtmsdwdehj1tn6n.jpg">Jeff Koons, New Hoover Convertible, 1980 Garrells’ catalog essay is rigorously researched, conceptually airtight, and littered with quotes from the three artists that it’s noted are “taken from informal conversations between the artists and the author” in March of the year of the exhibition. These cut through the antiseptic overtones of the publication keenly.&nbsp; “It’s a prerequisite that good art demands that you wonder, ‘what the hell is this?’” Gober says, “People are afraid to enter that state, and so they come up really fast with reasons, equations for things.” On the subject of connoisseurship of consumer goods, Steinbach pushes gently back with the declaration, “I’m not involved with that kind of thing.”&nbsp; Koons, for his part, notes, “If I feel I can preserve the integrity [of an object], or most of it, then I say go ahead. If not, then I just have to work in another medium or find a different object.”&nbsp; Herein lies the balance; the stark power of Glass’ design and the harmony of Garrells’ curatorial eye anchoring the ends, and the humanizing inclusion of the artists’ own casual voices (all too frequently absent from these publications, then as is unfortunately, equally true now) holding fast in the center. A final twin, a mirror to the spectrum of Gober-Koons-Steinbach as Garrels articulates it. The catalog for New Sculpture is a self-contained unit; an all-encompassing gesture that serves conceptually as both complete sentence and as punctuation.&nbsp; # New SculptureThe Renaissance Society&nbsp;at the University of Chicago1986, 10 pp., 6 b/w illustrations, paperbackISBN 0-941548-11-2OUT OF PRINT Download a free PDF <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://renaissancesociety.org/media/files/NewSculpture.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;

Book Report “New Sculpture” – Time Travel to The Renaissance Society and the Summer of 1986

<h3>St. Louis has long been a hub for the visual arts, with a deep bench of contemporary galleries and museums, as well as thriving grassroots art communities. For those planning a road trip from Chicago or elsewhere in the Midwest, a few days in St. Louis this fall can yield a surprisingly rich art itinerary that blends institutional heavyweights with independent spaces.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>There is even a road trip-themed photography exhibition to enjoy on your road trip! “In Search of America” is on view at the St. Louis Art Museum through October 19, so get on the road!&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>&nbsp;– CGN</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053906/wzybpjivqtaf8ffgagvb.jpg">Anselm Kiefer, German, born 1945; Anselm fuit hic (Anselm Was Here), 2024; emulsion, oil, acrylic, shellac, gold leaf and sediment of electrolysis on canvas; 30 feet 10 1/16 inches x 27 feet 6 11/16 inches; Collection of the artist and courtesy Gagosian 2025.309; © Anselm Kiefer, Photo: Nina Slavcheva <h3>Where to Start</h3> Start your art wandering in the Grand Center Arts&nbsp;District, a walkable cluster of art institutions. • Pulitzer Arts Foundation: Housed in a&nbsp;Tadao Ando-designed building, the Pulitzer offers&nbsp;rigorously curated exhibitions. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pulitzerarts.org/art/jennie-c-jones-a-line-when-broken-begins-again/" target="_blank">Jennie C. Jones: A Line When Broken Begins Again</a> runs Sept 5–Feb 1, 2026.&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pulitzerarts.org/" target="_blank">pulitzerarts.org</a> • Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM): Next door, CAM champions emerging and mid-career artists with an international lens. Haegue Yang: Quasi-Heartland runs Sep 5–Feb 8, 2026. The exhibition marks Yang’s first solo museum presentation with a comprehensive selection of works in the midwest since 2009. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://camstl.org/" target="_blank">camstl.org</a> • The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) houses an encyclopedic collection. Don’t miss the 20th-century and contemporary wings, and plan for a stroll outside—the museum’s monumental front steps offer a panoramic view of the park’s autumn foliage. Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea opens October 18 (pictured above). <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.slam.org/" target="_blank">slam.org&nbsp;</a> • The St. Louis University Museum of Art, founded in 2002, is housed in a stunning Beaux Arts style building from the turn of the 20th century. The permanent&nbsp;collection includes artists such as Chuck Close,&nbsp;Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, Kiki Smith, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.&nbsp; <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.slu.edu/sluma/" target="_blank">slu.edu/sluma</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053907/ocnhcmheoihhtuklipow.jpg">Jennie C. Jones has an exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation <h3>The Grove &amp; Cherokee Street</h3> From the Grand Center Arts District you can take a short drive south to explore revitalized areas like The Grove and Cherokee Street, both known for their vivid murals, vintage shops, and artist-run spaces. Local initiatives nearby like Paint Louis have turned highway underpasses and brick buildings into open-air canvases. The Luminary is just one space that features forward-thinking programming, from installation, conceptual work, to socially engaged projects. The Luminary also supports residencies and has an on-site publishing initiative. <h3>Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum</h3> Part of the Sam Fox School of Design &amp; Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, this is one of the nation’s leading university art museums. A teaching museum, it serves as a center of cultural and intellectual life on campus and in St. Louis. The museum dates to 1881 and holds more than 8,700 works in its collection.&nbsp; <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu//" target="_blank">kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053908/mao9e5wic4pl0luekdlp.jpg">Stan Strembicki: Art History Revisited features work by the&nbsp;St. Louis-based photographer and is just one of four exhibitions on view at Bruno David Gallery Sept 13–Oct 25, 2025 <h3>Friday Nights and Gallery Hopping</h3> If you time your trip around First Friday, many galleries and museums in Grand Center stay open late, hosting free events. First Friday also extends into the Central West End, which was recently damaged during devastating May 2025 tornadoes. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.duanereedgallery.com/" target="_blank">Duane Reed Gallery</a>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.houskagallery.com/" target="_blank">Houska Gallery</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.squareonegallery.com/" target="_blank">Square One</a> stay open late each month and are within a 5 minute walk of each other. 15 or so minutes away is <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brunodavidgallery.com/" target="_blank">Bruno David Gallery</a> which has been showing art since 1984 and hosts openings on some Friday nights. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.shearburngallery.com/" target="_blank">William Shearburn Gallery</a>, a Midwestern mainstay, is also nearby. The co-op <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.soulardartgallery.com/" target="_blank">Soulard Art Gallery</a>, east by the river in the city’s oldest residential neighborhood also participates in First Friday, and it’s close to award-winning <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tuckersplace.com/" target="_blank">Tucker’s Place</a> steakhouse and the famous Soulard pre-lenten Mardi Gras celebration, which usually runs from mid-winter into spring. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053909/vgyqtnq5gp3bohdnssr2.jpg">Tony Tasset, Deer, 2015, fiberglass, steel, paint, 12 x 20 x 8 feet.&nbsp;On view at the Laumier Sculpture Garden. <h3>Where to Stay and Get Outside</h3> Art lovers will appreciate the funky, historic atmosphere of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hotelsaintlouis.com/" target="_blank">Hotel Saint Louis,</a> a boutique property in a restored 1893 building. A stay at the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.angadartshotel.com/" target="_blank">Angard Arts Hotel</a>, keeps your art experience running 24/7. Their rooftop <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.angadartshotel.com/restaurants-bars/art-bar/" target="_blank">ART Bar</a> offers great views of the city and the Mississipi River. If you have kids in tow (and even if not), get outside to the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/" target="_blank">Laumier Sculpture Garden</a> where everyone can marvel at 60 large-scale sculptures while enjoying fresh air and space to stretch in a 105-acre park in the heart of St. Louis. Free and open daily.&nbsp; Other creative ideas? <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.jbtelmuseum.org/" target="_blank">The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum</a> is an off-beat space featuring phones from the late 1800s to 2012. There is also the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.neonmuseumstl.com/" target="_blank">Neon Museum of St. Louis</a>, open certain dates each month.

Art Road Trip: St. Louis

<h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053797/pnk3evzmkfx0ba5aegvx.jpg"></h4>Pigment magazine on site at EXPO CHICAGO 2024 pictured in front of an IN/SITU installation<h4> </h4><h4>By JACQUELINE LEWIS</h4><h4> </h4><h4>This fall, Chicago will host the inaugural year of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.pigmentintl.com/pigmentedblackfineartfaire" target="_blank">Pigmented: Black Fine Art Faire</a>. Held at Zhou B Art Center October 30–November 2, the fair is the latest creation of Patricia Andrews-Keenan of Pigment International, a media and arts publication. Drawing on decades of storytelling and a deep love for the Black arts tradition, Andrews-Keenan has built a platform that amplifies artists and Black-owned galleries alike. In this conversation, she shares what inspired the fair, what visitors can expect, and why Chicago was always the right city to bring it to life.</h4><h4> </h4><h4>With the inaugural exhibition Andrews-Keenan isn’t just hosting an event, she hopes to build a legacy rooted in storytelling, community, and cultural preservation. As she looks to the future, her vision is clear: to create a platform that lasts well beyond her, amplifying Black art for generations to come.</h4> CGN: Can you tell me how your experiences led you to found Pigment International and now Pigmented: Black Fine Art Faire? Patricia Andrews-Keenan: It started with reading and writing in elementary school, and then I became a journalism major in school. I segued from there into corporate communications. The whole time I was there it was about doing articles, doing speeches, communications, annual reports, those kinds of things. From there I started doing media and PR on my own, but the thread that has always run through that has been my love of things surrounding Black art. When I was young, I would buy posters, really anything that had images of people of color on them. I would buy sheet music, go to thrift stores, go to the flea markets and look for things to hang on my wall. And as my career progressed and I was able to buy art, I began to buy prints and more. And then as I began to travel, I would buy even more art. That was always kind of the simultaneous thread. CGN: So how did that thread evolve into Pigment International? PAK: After I left corporate America around 2008, I found myself doing media and PR for events in Chicago. One of the first ones I did work for was the African Festival of the Arts, which has been happening here for at least 35 years. Through this experience, I started to meet the artists themselves. It was just very cool, because what I realized was that each of these artists had a story to tell. And in my mind artists don’t become famous unless people write about them. If no one wrote about Rembrandt or Picasso or any of those art history big shots, no one would know their name. Someone had to tell their stories and begin to cement them in history. So [in Chicago] I could see where there was a need for these [contemporary] artists to have their stories told, and it is within the Black art community. That’s when I began to fully realize the need to put together a platform for Black art and Black voices. I remember sitting in the office at home trying to come up with the name. I started looking up art terms and all these things. When I came across the word “pigment” which is what paint is created out of and thought about how it also represents the pigment in our skin, I just knew. That was it. It was perfect. And that’s what we’ve done for the last seven years. We’ve taken that platform and continued to build it with the printed publication, the digital publication, the events, the exhibitions, all of that. CGN: How did Pigmented: Black Fine Art Fair come about? PAK: One of my other great passions, in addition to art and writing, is travel. Since 2017, we’ve gone to see shows in Miami, Venice, New York, Morocco you name it. We’ve seen how shows are done. We’ve met the people running them. But what I found was, when we talk about shows that are run by people from the diaspora–Black people, whether they’re in Africa, the Caribbean, or the U.S.–there are very few. There’s PRIZM out of Miami, the Harlem Fine Art Show out of New York, Black Pony in the Caribbean. That’s about it. And people in Chicago were telling me there hadn’t been a show here organized by people of color in more than 40 years. [Artist} Nick Cave said nothing since the 2000 Colors show organized by Oprah and her partner Stedman, and the two traveling exhibitions by the Harlem Fine Art Show. CGN: Why did you choose Chicago to be the home base for this new fine art fair? PAK: Well, I’m from Louisiana, but a lot of my influence comes from people who were made by Chicago, Dr. Margaret Burroughs, for one. I’ve learned so much from the South Side Community Art Center and the arts organizations here. There’s so much history- from Archibald Motley to Charles White, from the Black Arts Movement to AFRICOBRA. And right now, there are two big anniversaries: the 85th of the South Side Community Art Center, and the anniversary of the American Negro Exposition, which happened here in 1940 to commemorate the end of slavery. When I realized that, I wanted to marry that history with a show that reflects where we are now. I also knew other galleries wanted to come here. Folks from Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis—they were saying, “If there was a show in Chicago, we’d do it.” So that’s where it came from. It’s the confluence of history, need, and willingness. CGN: And this year’s fair is being held in Bridgeport at the Zhou B Art Center? PAK: Yes, October 30 through November 2. We expect to have 10 different galleries, 10 different artists, and all kinds of programming. We’re doing things that reflect both the history of this city and the future of Black art here. We’re going to open with a reception that nods to the Black Renaissance. We’re going to have fun with that. I also found an image from the American Negro Exhibition that’s in the public domain, so we can reproduce it for merchandise. We want this to be a tourist destination. This is a perfect time to come to Chicago. CGN: What kinds of artists and galleries will be&nbsp;showing? PAK: We’re putting a big emphasis on Black-owned galleries and how they’ve contributed to Black artists’ careers. September Gray Fine Art Gallery out of Atlanta, Blackbird Gallery from Detroit, Waterkolours from Memphis. GangGang, the creator’s of Indianapolis’s successful Butter Art Show, will be curating an event during the show.&nbsp;&nbsp; We also have local galleries including Connect Gallery in Hyde Park, Faie Afrikan Art in Bronzeville and The Daniel Texidor Parker Gallery. Dan Parker’s been collecting art for 60 years. He came up under Dr. Burroughs in Chicago, and now has his own gallery.&nbsp; We’ve also confirmed artists including Dr. Thomas Lockhart out of Denver who is just finishing a residency in Martha’s Vineyard. Eric January, a local artist who was awarded the Derrick Adams Residency will be joining us, as well D. Lammie Hanson, whose work was featured during the 2024 Venice Biennale. Many of the artists who have been involved with us since 2018 will be showcased. The caliber of the creativity is exciting. CGN: What would be your ideal outcome after this first fair? PAK: I want people to say it was a wonderful event. I want it to be financially successful–for the galleries and for us. Our Pigmented Store will be fun and revenue generating, something we’ve learned from the shows we’ve attended.&nbsp;&nbsp; But really, we want to do it again. That’s the dream. CGN: And longer term? Where do you hope the fair goes in the next 5–10 years? PAK: The Harlem Fine Art Show has been going on for 17 years. PRIZM has been around about 10. I’d love for this to become that. But personally I also want to be able to go on vacation. I want this to be something the next generation can take on. We’re already working with organizations including&nbsp;the Flourish Fine Arts Accelerator, I Love Art (ILA), and Englewood Arts Collective, and these young people are doing amazing work in the arts. I’m honored to be associated with them. I hope they see this as something they can take further, and I’ll be there to help, but from the sidelines. It’s a passion for me. I think it’s something that needs to be done. And I hope people see that it’s something that needs to continue, even when I’m not doing it. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053798/gxlkfw10cxbldopxataq.jpg"> <h4>The Pigmented Black Fine Art Faire</h4>October 30–November 2, 2025Zhou B Art Center&nbsp;1029 W. 35 th St. Chicago, IL 60609<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.pigmentintl.com/pigmentedblackfineartfaire" target="_blank">pigmentintl.com/pigmentedblackfineartfaire</a>

Launching Legacy: The Inaugural Pigmented Black Fine Art Faire

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758343910/makvftgw1lltogyaz3jt.jpg">Theaster Gates. Concrete slabs from Lorado Taft Midway Studios as installed at Listening House. Photo: Sara Pooley By ALISON REILLY Theaster Gates: Unto Thee opens September 23 at the Smart Museum of Art, marking the artist’s first solo exhibition at a museum in Chicago. This overdue presentation of his work will feature installations of materials that Gates acquired through two decades of involvement with the University of Chicago, first as a staff member and then as faculty. The materials include the Department of Art History’s glass lantern slide collection, concrete floors salvaged from the Department of Visual Arts’ Midway Studios, slate from Rockefeller Chapel, and hand-carved wooden pews from Bond Chapel.&nbsp; “Unto Thee,” Gates explains, “offers a reckoning with the ways in which true collaboration between the ‘local’ and the ‘institutional’ could result in deep transformation of both. Unto Thee allows me to return every material artifact given to me by the University in a new state of recognition by a larger, cultural context outside of the institution and the city of Chicago, thereby redeeming these discarded materials beyond their state of inheritance.” A series of public programs, tours, and film screenings at the university and Gates’s cultural centers will accompany the exhibition, including an opening celebration from October 4-5, 2025. Gates will participate in a panel off campus, followed by a performance at Bond Chapel by The Black Monks, Gates’s music project that merges Black musical traditions and Eastern monastic practice.&nbsp; Galina Mardilovich, curator at the Smart Museum, said, “The Black Monks are really one facet of Theaster’s practice that we’re so excited to feature. They originally formed as a response to an invitation by Charles Esche to respond to the Smart’s exhibition, Heartland, which connected Chicago-based- musicians with musicians in the Netherlands around the topic “music of the Mississippi.” It’ll be interesting to bring them back here, bring them back home, so to speak.”&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758343912/jfwwjwn4jniflarvijrw.jpg">Glass lantern slides from the University of Chicago’s Department of Art History, now in the care of Theaster Gates. Courtesy of the Rebuild Foundation. &nbsp;For Gates, collecting these pieces of the university’s history is not transactional. He said, “My access to the glass lantern slides depended completely upon my relationship with the facilities team at the University of Chicago. The vitrines from the Oriental Institute arrived at my step, because people were willing to build a bridge from their institution to an art studio. These objects represent stories, relationships, trust, and goodwill.” The concrete floors from Midway Studios, which are covered in layers of paint, showcase over a hundred years of artistic history. They tell the story of the early twentieth-century sculptor Loredo Taft, who moved his studio from downtown Chicago to the Midway Plaisance. Eventually, as Mardilovich explained, “It became a de facto art space, a studio space for faculty at the University of Chicago before there was an official space for them. Taft created this really interesting community of artists and is credited for supporting women sculptors. He was elevating unconventional and untraditional art makers at the time and supporting them as well as giving them space to create.” In the early 2010s, when the Logan Center for the Arts was being built, there was demand at the university to renovate Midway Studios. Gates, who was instrumental in the creation of the center, received parts of the studios’ concrete floors that were given away. At some point, he also collected surplus granite from the Logan Center construction site. Vanja Malloy, Dana Feitler Director of the Smart Museum and co-curator of the exhibition, said, “I think that it’s beautiful–the juxtaposition of the granite for a new chapter of the arts at the university that Theaster helped found, with the concrete, the foundational beginnings.” Gates’s art practice focuses on recontextualizing these architectural elements as sculptures and deriving meaning from the new relationships they create. “These objects are redeemed, and their redemption value is a demonstration of the work that I was invested in outside of the University,” Gates said. “I was trying to amplify the materials that sat in front of me. The amplification was not for my glory; it was simply to demonstrate that everyday things, even when unruly, excessive, inconvenient and without practical use, can be reimagined as intelligible, substantial, and absolutely necessary.” <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758343913/eh8yregpfttpctrtglix.jpg">Theaster Gates. Granite from the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts as installed at Listening House. Photo: Sara Pooley Along with the exhibition, Gates will be teaching a class called Unto Thee, giving students an opportunity to learn more about the material history of the university and its broader context on the South Side. “From what I’ve observed, Theaster is a beloved colleague to many but also a really inspirational professor,” Malloy said. “He’s really excited about sharing his knowledge and fostering the next generation.” The Smart Museum also commissioned Gates to create a new work, which will be on display in the museum’s lobby as part of their Threshold series until July 2026. The installation will feature an expansive shelving system showcasing a collection of African masks that Gates recently acquired and conserved, along with his personal record collection. Music will be playing in the lobby, and the museum will invite DJs to activate the space. While plans have not been confirmed, Malloy and Mardilovich are discussing community workshops focused on archiving and collection practices.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758343913/nqyvkjcyxodfbypvbkxd.jpg">Glass lantern slide from the University of Chicago’s Department of Art History,&nbsp;now in the care of Theaster Gates. Courtesy of the Rebuild Foundation. Unto Thee provides an opportunity to celebrate the richness of Gates’s generative art practice over the past 20 years and the connections that he has cultivated along the way. “The exhibition demonstrates something evident in the first book of the New Testament, Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of Talents,” Gates explained. “The ambition that I had at the University of Chicago was to find ways to use its resources and multiply those resources for the impact of the community that I lived in. In addition, I use these materials, transfiguring them from waste products to culturally productive works of art, with the intention of amplifying the University’s deep belief in the arts. In a moment when that belief seems in peril, this exhibition seems even more timely. It is a reminder that art is not a waste, and great art requires great administration, aesthetic execution, and an unwavering belief in artists.” Theaster Gates: Unto Thee is on view at the Smart Museum of Art&nbsp;at the University of Chicago&nbsp;September 23, 2025–February 22, 2026<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/" target="_blank">smartmuseum.uchicago.edu</a> #

Theaster Gates's first solo exhibition in his home town of Chicago takes place at the Smart Museum of Art

A Homecoming at the Smart Museum of Art: Theaster Gates

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053666/phjwcllz4qvqlrnusx2r.jpg">2024 By CGN Staff This fall, downtown Chicago will light up as the 11th Annual Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade takes over State Street on Saturday, October 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. Presented by LUMA8 and the City of Chicago, the free, family-friendly parade features music, dance, giant puppets, glowing floats, and dazzling performances. A project first dreamed up and co-founded by one of the City's previous Commissioners of Cultural Affairs, Mark Kelly, along with Sharene Shariatzadeh, the annual art-themed gathering downtown has proved it has staying power. Named one of the world’s best Halloween celebrations by Wanderlust Magazine and highlighted in USA Today’s top 10 parades, Arts in the Dark draws over 100,000 spectators and celebrates Halloween as the artist’s holiday. <h2>A Cultural Mosaic on Parade</h2> More than 5,000 performers from 100+ cultural organizations will showcase Chicago’s artistic diversity with music, dance, and spectacle. New this year are Creative Guilds—groups of architects, photographers, audio makers, writers, and other artists collaborating on imaginative displays such as a 50-foot cosmic serpent, 40-foot glow worm, and 16 towering skeletons. While inspired by Halloween, groups are encouraged to present their own identity and art form. Expect vibrant representations of Black, Mexican, Irish, Colombian, Brazilian, South Asian, Korean, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, Peruvian, and LGBTQ+ cultures, alongside dance companies, music groups, drag performers, circus artists, and more. <h2>Honoring Chicago’s Creative Spirits</h2> The parade will again recognize Creative Spirits, local cultural leaders including Tara Mallen (actor/director), Terry Hunter (Grammy-nominated DJ), Wilfredo Rivera (choreographer), Joe Cerqua (composer), Jimalita Tillman (theater producer), Eugene Bush (film producer), and rising street artist Clue. “Chicago is a hothouse of cultural ferment, and this parade will capture that creative spirit in a magical evening procession,” said Kelly, parade co-founder and artistic director. <h2>Join the Fun: DIY Costume Contest</h2> A new Haunted Runway Costume Contest, presented by Goodwill Greater Milwaukee &amp; Chicago, invites parade-goers to design their own look. Submit a photo by October 8 at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bit.ly/TheHauntedRunway" target="_blank">bit.ly/TheHauntedRunway</a> for a chance to win Goodwill gift cards and VIP seating for next year’s parade. Finalists will strut their creations during the event as the crowd votes for a grand prize winner. <h2>Event Details</h2><ul><li>When: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 6–8 p.m.</li><li>Where: State Street, starting at Randolph Street</li><li>Cost: Free</li></ul> Arts in the Dark is produced by LUMA8 and the City of Chicago with major support from Chicago Loop Alliance and Goodwill Greater Milwaukee &amp; Chicago, and is part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Fall Fest 2025. For full details, visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artsinthedark.org/" target="_blank">artsinthedark.org</a> or <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.luma8.org/" target="_blank">luma8.org</a>

Chicago’s Arts in the Dark Parade Returns for Its 11th Year of Halloween Magic

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053580/gorsump1oewjcfb9pdle.jpg">A celebratory EarlyWork dinner kicks off the weekend. By GINNY VAN ALYEA The third annual Chicago Exhibition Weekend, hosted by Gertie and EarlyWork, features 50 participating galleries and creative spaces across the city September 19–21, 2025 spotlighting Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape and artistic spirit. Last year’s edition attracted 5,000 attendees over three days.&nbsp; This year CXW25 expands its footprint with more galleries, demonstrating the vitality and diversity of the city’s growing commercial art scene. There are more partnerships in place, as well as a central hub space. At the heart of this year's event is a mission to take Chicago's reputation as the heart of "fly-over country" and bust it open, using art history as a means to show that Chicago is and has always been a vibrant, and most of all, significant player in the country's creative and cultural history. Part walk down memory lane, part super-party, and part civic flag-waving, CXW25 promises to be a busy, art-centered weekend that gathers more staying-power and vibrancy each year.&nbsp; September 18–21, 2025<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagoexhibitionweekend.com/" target="_blank">chicagoexhibitionweekend.com</a> * <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053581/kotpe3sasxnpbhj60urj.jpg"> <h3>Special Exhibition</h3> Over My Head: Encounters with Conceptual Art in a Flyover City, 1984–2015, curated by Iris Colburn and Gareth Kaye, will revisit some key moments of Chicago’s own art history in order to put them back on the map. The exhibition, which will run for three weeks and be free and open to the public, explores key post-conceptual exhibitions staged by pioneering Chicago dealers such as Rhona Hoffman, Donald Young, Feature Inc., Feigen Inc., and Robbin Lockett. focusing on works that marked pivotal moments in an artist’s practice, reflected enduring dealer-artist relationships, or engage themes of temporality, transmission, and memory. Located at 400 N. Peoria Street, CXW’s hub site,&nbsp;Over My Head&nbsp;examines Chicago’s oft-forgotten position as a nerve center for post-conceptual art in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, September 19, 2025 and is on view through October 11, 2025. <h3>CXW Hub and Opening Weekend</h3> 400 N. Peoria – CXW’s central hub – is set within a raw industrial site in Fulton Market. The site will host an exhibition as well as conversations produced in partnership with Independent Curators International (ICI), curator-led walk-throughs as well as programming in conjunction with the Chicago Art Book Fair. The space is intended to be a resource before and after visiting galleries, offering a look at history as well directions to participating local galleries. The exhibition’s opening weekend promises to be as layered as the art on the walls. Public hours run September 19 (12–8 pm), September 20 (10 am–6 pm), and September 21 (10 am–6 pm), followed by regular hours through October 11. A September 18 preview dinner—led by acclaimed chef Agustin Mallmann, traveling to Chicago just for the occasion—offers an intimate prelude and keeps up the weekend's super-party rep. Tickets are sold out. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053582/wfwerrrcw688njmzxfhh.jpg">Faheed Majeed and Monique Brinkman-Hill CXW is also launching a conversation series with Independent Curators International (ICI), curated by Scott Campbell, ICI’s Midwest Programs Manager. Two marquee talks bookend the weekend:<ul><li>Zoom Out: Sept 19, 6 pm: Faheem Majeed and Monique Brinkman-Hill reflect on the South Side Community Art Center’s historic and evolving role in supporting Black artists.</li><li>Zoom In: Sept 21, 3 pm: Hamza Walker and John Corbett revisit the friendships and cultural networks that helped shape Chicago’s conceptual art scene.</li></ul> Also don't miss: • Maintenance Works: Art, Labor, and Care, Saturday, September 20, 2-3pm at SECRIST | BEACH: 1801 West Hubbard Street Chicago, IL 60622 Artists Brendan Fernandes and Molly Gochman in conversation, moderated by Samara Furlong. Maintenance Works: Art, Labor, and Care&nbsp;will delve into caregiving, collective memory, and the role of art as an act of maintenance and connection. Together, Fernandes and Gochman will reflect on how performance, participation, and collaboration shape their practices—examining how undervalued gestures of care, cleaning, and tending become sites of dignity, connection, and transformation.<h3> </h3><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053582/f0chvazfhyi9pmoxauje.jpg"> <h3>Books</h3> Adding another dimension, the Chicago Art Book Fair (CABF) will set up shop inside the hub. Known for championing independent publishers, zinemakers, and printmakers, CABF offers an international yet distinctly Chicago showcase of experimental printed matter—from zines and books to limited-edition prints. The partnership this year with CXW will raise the fair's profile and be sure to exchange audiences. <h3>A Biennial</h3> CXW also coincides with the opening of the 6th Chicago Architecture Biennial: SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, which has a base at the Chicago Cultural Center but also offers programming city-wide out of a commitment to showcase the collective strength of&nbsp;over 60 citywide partners, fom museums and cultural institutions to architecture firms and government agencies. The Biennial officially opens to the public on&nbsp;September 19, 2025, with exhibitions at the&nbsp;Chicago Cultural Center,&nbsp;Graham Foundation,&nbsp;Stony Island Arts Bank, a site-specific installation on the grounds of the&nbsp;Griffin Museum of Science and Industry,&nbsp;and special performances throughout the day.&nbsp;In case opening weekend is busy enough, CAB is on view through February 2026. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053583/htiiww0aehjoe2nnaqyy.png">CXW's route curators <h3>The Invitation</h3> For CXW organizers and curators the hub is more than a venue. It’s a launch pad: a place to meet friends, soak up context, and set out to explore the city’s galleries and institutions during a weekend that celebrates the people and stories making Chicago’s art scene second to none –&nbsp;finally a destination in its own rite and not flyover on the way to somewhere else. There are also many opportunities to go into dozens of spaces and businesses that make Chicago what it is. Visitors will also have the option of choosing a curated route from one of Chicago’s cultural movers and shakers to help guide you to destinations around the city. Trust these route curators for their selections, from participating galleries and institutions to under-the-radar restaurants and shops. To view the full list of participating galleries and their own programs and exhibition openings, visit <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagoexhibitionweekend.com/" target="_blank">chicagoexhibitionweekend.com</a>.

Putting Chicago First: Round Three for Chicago Exhibition Weekend

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1772053438/dntr88khfhw7ozs926sx.jpg">Pictured: the fall 2025 cover of CGN featuring art by Jacqueline Surdell <h4>﻿To subscribe to receive a print copy of the fall 2025 issue of CGN <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</h4> By GINNY VAN ALYEA I say it regularly, but I am an optimist. I am not, however oblivious. I have worked at CGN for 23 years, through many market ups and downs, neighborhood changes, art fair evolutions and more. I go back through Chicago’s art world history often, and when I look to CGN’s founding in 1982, we have weathered a lot. I have been privy to several conversations this year about the current art market’s slower sales, high overhead and tightening margins. One question looms largest: where is the next generation of collectors? Today’s likely pool of art buyers doesn’t hesitate to snap up concert tickets or plane tickets. They go big for innovative experiences and dining instead of acquiring a lot of ‘stuff.’ However, plenty of people engage with artists on Instagram and tune in to the world’s current events through a conceptual lens. A young generation’s buying power has the potential for lasting impact: to put it in perspective, a month’s worth of $30 salads and $15 smoothies could instead be $800 towards a work on paper by a young artist. Thoughtful saving and spending can start an art collection, launch an artist’s career and sustain a new gallery.&nbsp; The money is out there. And so is the generational engagement. New collectors will still emerge—not from traditional wealth pipelines, but from creative industries, tech, and mission-driven professions. Entry-level collecting often begins with drawings, prints, photography, emerging art—mostly (hopefully) under $5,000. It also begins with love–when you find something you just have to have and will cherish for years to come. Also like falling in love, art shouldn’t be a trophy, it is a commitment—to the person who created it, and also a declaration to yourself to live with art and explore it.&nbsp; The art world is working towards meeting collectors where they currently are–improving pricing transparency and online buying, offering flexible payment options and outreach. Events that prioritize education, access and fun—not just exclusivity—go a long way towards making any potential buyer feel welcomed rather than intimidated. And buyers need to spend the time, speak up, and ask questions. Long-term sustainability means collectors and galleries supporting each other. This will depend not just on high-net-worth clients, but on broader audiences who see collecting as part of their cultural life—not just as luxury.&nbsp; This fall issue of CGN offers so many ways to discover and engage with art, from reading about our cover artist Jacqueline Surdell's September exhibition at Secrist | Beach, to following contributor Susan Gescheidle on her journeys to new and upcoming spaces. We interviewed Melissa Weber and Jay Dandy about their shared passion for supporting local artists and we also asked other area collectors to share their own stories and lessons. We also spoke with five people in the art world to see what they are looking forward to. And we have put together lists of highlights happening this season, from the return of Chicago Exhibition Weekend to a slate of dynamite exhibitions, art fundraisers and galas you won't want to miss. Future collectors–we know you’re out there and we encourage you to partake! CGN is always here as a friendly resource. We welcome you to the art world! # <h4>To subscribe to receive a print copy of the fall 2025 issue of CGN <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</h4> <h4>Read CGN's fall 2025 cover interview with artist Jacqueline Surdell <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/jacqueline-surdell-an-artists-voice-helps-scale-her-art" target="_blank">here</a></h4> Top cover image: Jacqueline Surdell, Suddenly,&nbsp;she was hell-bent and ravenous (after Giotto), 2024. Nylon cord, steel, polyester fabric, steel spool top,&nbsp;steel chain and meat hooks. 65 (body) x 252 (pole to pole) x 7 inches.