By GINNY VAN ALYEAI first met the organizers, and&nbsp;cultural cheerleaders, behind<a href="http://www.diasporalrhythms.net"> Diasporal Rhythms</a> 5 years ago,&nbsp;on the occasion of their 10th anniversary celebrating art of the African Diaspora. When I got to know collectors D.E. Simmons and Patric McCoy in 2013 they each told me about the group's mission as well as the&nbsp;changes they had&nbsp;undergone during a&nbsp;decade of finding their collective identity and outreach efforts. When Diasporal Rhythms started in 2003, there were four founding members; today they number closer to 100.&nbsp;Back in 2013 when I first learned about the group and their tours, Simmons described the&nbsp;fall home tour series&nbsp;as&nbsp;uniquely&nbsp;reflecting&nbsp;the spirit of the South Side art community and having a goal of showing off the&nbsp;talented community of&nbsp;artists doing wonderful works worthy of notoriety, and more important, of being added to other collections. Simmons said at the time, “I always talk about us as the little organization that could, and can, and does."He also warned me&nbsp;then that&nbsp;tour-goers can get a little overwhelmed at first, but ultimately the sensory overload is productive. He was absolutely right then, and now, and I decided it was time to dive right in. All the sudden the group's 15th anniversary&nbsp;arrived this fall.&nbsp;I knew it was time for me to finally&nbsp;go on this year's&nbsp;art tour of the South Side of Chicago taking place in October. I invited a friend, a Hyde Park native who knew the area well but admitted she wasn't aware of how many private collections there were throughout the South Side, and we had a fun and surprising afternoon going behind the scenes of some very special and uniquely personal art collections.&nbsp;We met at the DuSable Museum of Art and boarded a cheerful, very Chicago, trolley at the south entrance to the museum. The tours offered this year&nbsp;went in three directions: Bronzeville, South Shore, and the South Suburbs. Our particular tour was just of Bronzeville and would encompass a museum as well as four private homes. You could go on one route in the morning and then another in the afternoon, but this year for me that was not to be (it was a miracle I could go at all, but my helpful husband took our two toddlers on a whirlwind visit through lunch in Hyde Park followed by stimulation overload at the Museum of Science of Industry for 3 hours). The variety of tours held on the tour weekend each year is evidence of the depth of art to be explored on this side of the city (I say side, since it certainly is not limited to a single neighborhood or ZIP code).&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3164/original/sb.jpg" alt=""></figure>Our tour leader did not join us for our first stop, which worked out well since that left our group without a minder to remind us that we were on a schedule. With our first stop at the Smart Museum of Art, we were able to take in&nbsp;all the exhibitions on view right now and we definitely went over our allotted time. The exhibitions at the Smart&nbsp;fit particularly well with the DR tour, as the museum's&nbsp;newest show, The Time is Now! Art Worlds of Chicago's South Side, which opened in September, recreates a visual understanding and context of how in&nbsp;the 1960s and 1970s Chicago’s cultural landscape was shaped by the South Side’s vibrant art worlds. Focusing primarily on African American artists in and out of the Black Arts Movement, the exhibition features approximately 100 objects assembled from the Smart Museum’s collection and other public and private collections. Artists featured include several who are gaining broader appreciation as of late:&nbsp;Gertrude Abercrombie, Ralph Arnold,&nbsp;Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu,&nbsp;Carolyn Lawrence,&nbsp;Suellen Rocca, Gerald Willams, Karl Wirsum, and Joseph Yoakum, among many others.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3155/original/kjm.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3161/original/nc.jpg" alt=""></figure>Also on view at the museum is&nbsp;Expanding Narratives: The Figure and the Ground,&nbsp;the first iteration in a three-part exhibition series.&nbsp;Expanding Narratives&nbsp;uses the formal relationship between the figure and the ground in Western art history as a conceptual springboard into discussions around visual representation, the museum space, and the role of the Smart Museum’s collection in fostering the exchange of diverse perspectives. The exhibition includes works by artists from Chicago and beyond, including&nbsp;McArthur Binion, Nick Cave, Rashid Johnson,&nbsp;Kerry James Marshall,&nbsp;Kehinde Wiley, and several&nbsp;others.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3154/original/1.jpg" alt=""></figure>Once our trolley driver herded us back on board, we were off to the home of an artist and collector, who also turned out to be my friend's former high school art teacher. Simmons' words all those years ago about art overload still didn't prepare me for the number of works hung in the collector's home. Right away she welcomed the group and began a room by room tour of the works she collected over the years, many by fellow artists and friends. Works both large and small are hung salon style on every wall, in every room,&nbsp;placed near African antiques as well as contemporary sculpture. We saw pieces by Sylvester Britton, Margaret Burroughs and Jae&nbsp;Jarrell, among others. The collector's enthusiasm was contagious – which embodies&nbsp;the point of the tours – to inspire visitors to look around their own communities to embrace creativity and make it part of day to day life. The collector said, as many do, that she buys what she loves and she loves it every day. She admits that once she got started, she couldn't stop, even when it seemed like there wasn't any more room.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3162/original/parker.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3163/original/parker1.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3156/original/burroughs.jpg" alt=""></figure>The next collection in nearby Kenwood was in a two story condo owned by an art historian, professor and lecturer&nbsp;who's even published a large book,&nbsp;African Art: The Diaspora and Beyond. His home was packed with many antiquities&nbsp;and artifacts from Africa as well as contemporary paintings and sculptures by artists working today. He grouped once such collection into a section devoted to contemporary depictions of African and African American men, who as he said, are not throwing a ball or playing a horn. Here we saw a unique framed brass sculpture by Richard Hunt as well as more works by Margaret Burroughs, Joyce Owens, Ralph Arnold, and Faith Ringgold.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3157/original/mccoy1.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3158/original/mccoy2.jpg" alt=""></figure>I saw Patric McCoy's remarkable collection several years ago and have never forgotten it, so it was a great opportunity to see how the collection has (somehow) managed to grow, even though it's hard to believe McCoy has an inch of wall space left in his Kenwood condo. McCoy, an environmental scientist, has amassed 1,100 works by more than 300 artists&nbsp;and he displays them all. Arranged in mini collections, such as music, evil eyes, bicycles, McCoy's passion is charming as well as infectious.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3159/original/mccoy3.jpg" alt=""></figure>We ran out of time to enjoy the final stop on the tour, but it was in a Victorian home featuring a great deal of contemporary work, in particular work by the stained glass artist who lives there (and whose work we saw in each of the other homes on the tour!)My friend and I enjoyed a gorgeous fall day in Bronzeville and left knowing we'd like to come back to spend more time exploring and appreciating these collections built by these warm and welcoming collectors. Each collection felt unique to the neighborhood as well as to Chicago itself, and enjoying home tours such as these emphasizes the message that art collecting is fun and enjoyable and most of all doable. There are no right or wrong ways to collect art or even to display it in your home. Art makes a home come to life and that is a joy to be shared.&nbsp;Back when I visited with Simmons, he explained that getting people to interact at home is more unusual than one might think. He acknowledged&nbsp;there is some reluctance to opening up one’s home, “There’s something about not letting people into your space. Socially, I think in Chicago people tend to say, ‘Oh I’ll meet you here,’ but I’ve noticed that many people won’t invite you over. This home tour is special. It’s not only on the South Side, but it makes people open doors...so others can experience passion in a personal space. It’s a rare opportunity.” Homeowners quickly find it to be a very positive experience. They enjoy seeing guests inspired by the abundance of artwork. To Simmons, “It is a wonderful exchange - you get to talk about your passion for your collection and answer questions. We’re asking people to join the conversation and explore the possibilities. That openness has made many people want to support our organization.”&nbsp;Top image: Margaret T. Burroughs, Faces (Faces a la Picasso), printed and signed in 1993, block carved circa 1960s&nbsp;

A tour of south side art collections with Diasporal Rhythms

Diasporal Rhythms Annual Art Tour Shows a Passion For Living With Art 

By GINNY VAN ALYEAMillennials don’t want things, they seek experiences. Who shops in a store? The things people used to swear they’d buy only in person have since gone online.&nbsp;When you bring a horse to water, the conventional wisdom is, you cannot make him drink. To address a challenging retail landscape, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/fashion-outlets-of-chicago-the-collection">Fashion Outlets of Chicago</a>, a shopping destination near O’Hare Airport in Rosemont, linked fashion and art in order to consistently bring shoppers to the 530,000 square-foot indoor campus to not only discover designer discounts but to find unexpected experiences and serious art – in person.In this era of lazy, but free, 2–day shipping, shoppers must make the effort to get to Fashion Outlets. If it sounds more shoe-leather than scrolling (this is where the Millennials come in) it’s worth it.At the onset of its opening in 2013, Fashion Outlets of Chicago unveiled a collection of curated site-specific contemporary artwork installed throughout the center’s common areas. Artists created pieces for unconventional locations – Daniel Arsham’s relief Falling Time is installed near a parking garage vestibule, while Jen Stark’s psychedelic mural, Drippy, transforms a central escalator. Altogether there are currently 16 large-scale commissions, and the program continues to expand.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3025/original/escalator.jpg" alt=""></figure>In November 2016 THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion launched with the unveiling of a permenant installation A Grand Love Story (analog love in a digital age) by Carlos Rolón/Dzine, and a rotating exhibition program has featured work by more than a dozen artists so far, including Aimée Beaubien, Sarah and Joseph Belknap, Nnenna Okore, and others.&nbsp;New additions for this fall feature Derrick Adams’ largest work to date, installed at the shopping center’s grand entrance near Saks OFF Fifth. Click <a href="http://&lt;iframe src=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCarolFoxAssociates%2Fvideos%2F238191173514299%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560&quot; width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; style=&quot;border:none;overflow:hidden&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowTransparency=&quot;true&quot; allowFullScreen=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;">here</a> to see a time lapse video of the installation in progress.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3077/original/adams.jpg" alt=""></figure>Edra Soto’s Open 24 Hours, a still-life format in three display cases, is composed of free standing shelves and glass bottles found by Soto in her East Garfield Park neighborhood. Soto's installation will open during a special event at the Fashion Outlets on <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/the-collection-unveiling-event">Friday, October 5</a> (note: this is an update from the CGN print version of this article).&nbsp;Artist and designer Chad Kouri is creating an interactive installation on the grand staircase, an extension of his Art For All series. Kouri will cover the staircase with colorful shapes, inviting visitors to text a number and receive a one-of-a-kind digital artwork composed of those very shapes, which will be texted to their phone. Each unique work will then be featured with the visitor’s initials on a monitor at the top of the staircase, across from J.Crew Factory and DKNY.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3078/original/chadk.jpg" alt=""></figure>While the premier shopping and high-end amenities have been a draw to Fashion Outlets from the start – today there are 130+ designer stores – the art program has elevated the experience to a more intellectual and visual level as Fashion Outlets seeks to distinguish itself from other retail properties by being a cultural destination that actively supports public art. On your way to Gucci, you’ll encounter work by Cody Hudson and Jim Drain. Head to Barney’s and Tory Burch and you’ll see Matthew Hoffman’s colorful You Are Beautiful construction, an artistic encounter that appeals to a new generation of selfie shoppers encouraged to pose for photographs in front of the singular work.Visitors leave Fashion Outlets with more than a deal, they’ve had an artistic enounter.REDEFINING “MALL ART”The installations at Fashion Outlets of Chicago are decidely not “mall art” but rather public art in an unconventional setting, which offers hope for encountering art in our every day lives and shows the benefit of increasing opportunities and exposure for living artists. The works shown below are part of the permanent collection. <a href="http://fashionoutletsofchicago.com">fashionoutletsofchicago.com</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3026/original/foctrio.jpg" alt=""></figure>&nbsp;Top image: Open 24 Hours, Edra Soto

The Fashion Outlets of Chicago blend art and design for a unique shopping and cultural experience.

Fashionable Art Surprises: An Invitation to See Artwork – And More – In Person

By GINNY VAN ALYEAFor the Chicago Artists Coalition, life on the other side of 40 has been busier than ever. As CAC prepares to open another edition of The ANNUAL&nbsp;this week, they've also been busy with a major relocation this year as well as undertaking their first capital campaign.Over 40 years ago, CAC began as a small group of&nbsp;artists advocating for rights, support, and visibility&nbsp;in the city’s cultural landscape and economy. CAC was helped to inspire&nbsp;the formation of Chicago’s Department of Cultural&nbsp;Affairs, the&nbsp;development of Chicago Artists Month,&nbsp;and the passing of the Percent for Art Ordinance (a City law that requires that&nbsp;1.33% of new construction or&nbsp;renovation budgets of public buildings be allocated&nbsp;to a public art&nbsp;fund dedicated to the commission, purchase, and&nbsp;maintenance of public art in Chicago.)&nbsp;Today, CAC is still focused on the needs of artists, but its programming has expanded and evolved. In 2011 they opened their West Loop space on Fulton Market and had space&nbsp;to launch&nbsp;much-needed artist&nbsp;residencies and professional development programs.&nbsp;CAC was the first to offer a residency with a curatorial&nbsp;component (HATCH Projects) and is still one of the&nbsp;only residency programs that offer onsite studio space&nbsp;and a guarantee of a solo exhibition to its 10 BOLT&nbsp;residents. Since then, 60 BOLT artists have had solo&nbsp;shows, 288 HATCH artists have participated in group&nbsp;shows, 2,950 artists have participated in professional&nbsp;development programs, and 24 curators have further&nbsp;developed their curatorial and exhibition making skills.&nbsp;As the Fulton Market neighborhood went from an edgy meatpacking center west of downtown to a trendy (and expensive) corporate center,&nbsp;the needs of CAC's artists and the larger artistic community changed as well. In response&nbsp;CAC decided to launch&nbsp;MAKING SPACE, its first capital campaign to&nbsp;raise $500,000 to&nbsp;directly support the nonprofit's ability to build a fully ADA accessible building in a new part of town, create a dedicated education space for professional development programs,&nbsp;remove fees for artists in CAC's&nbsp;BOLT and HATCH Residency Programs, and to establish&nbsp;a board designated cash reserve fund to&nbsp;increase the long term sustainability of the organization."CAC is the beating heart of the emerging art scene in Chicago. The lifeblood of artists, writers, and curators who have come through its programs courses through the city, creating a vibrant art town that I believe is one of the finest in the world to produce, see, and create a conversation around art," says&nbsp;Erik Peterson, HATCH and BOLT alum, Manager of Family Program and Student Engagement, Smart Museum at the University of Chicago.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2999/original/wiplookcropped-113628.jpg" alt=""></figure>In early June, a lively party to unveil CAC's new space in the Kinzie Corridor took place in an&nbsp;unconventional (and unfinished) space - the CAC's future home at&nbsp;2130 W. Fulton St. The 'under-construction' Work in Progress theme, which also honored veteran gallerist Rhona Hoffman,&nbsp;inspired many party-goers to, of course&nbsp;creatively, don orange attire as well as accessorize with construction tape. Despite the lack of a red (or orange) carpet, the event&nbsp;raised over $130,000 to support its year-round exhibitions, residencies, resources for artists, and its new dedicated education space. CAC Board&nbsp;Chair Emeritus and EXPO CHICAGO President and Director Tony Karman said, "I am extremely proud to be a part of an organization that fosters and supports a new generation of artists, arts professionals, and collectors, and one that contributes greatly to Chicago's arts and culture community."<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2997/original/screen-shot-2018-09-19-at-9-55-30-pm.jpg" alt=""></figure>Also at the event CAC announced the&nbsp;2018 MAKER Grantees: Cecil McDonald, Jr.,&nbsp;Emilio Rojas,&nbsp;Yvette Mayorga. The MAKER Grant Program&nbsp;is an award opportunity for three Chicago-based contemporary visual artists who demonstrate a commitment to a socially conscious, progressive and sustainable artist practice and career development. MAKER Grant Program’s unrestricted awards of&nbsp;$5,000 (Coney Family Fund Award)&nbsp;and two at&nbsp;$3,000 (OtherPeoplesPixels Award)&nbsp;are intended to recognize exceptional emerging or established artists working in Chicago, and support the advancement of their artistic careers.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2996/original/mixtapepromo.jpg" alt=""></figure>This fall, just in time for The ANNUAL (An Exhibition of New Chicago Art)&nbsp;CAC's home is at last not so under-contruction, and it's ready to welcome visitors to an open house&nbsp;and a behind-the-scenes look at new artist studios.This year's exhibition:&nbsp;Mixtapes for the Next Millennium, is curated by&nbsp;Jordan Martins and features&nbsp;work (all for sale!)&nbsp;by Marzena Abrahamik,&nbsp;Claire Ashley,&nbsp;ASMA (Matias Armendaris and Hanya Belia), Dan Devening,&nbsp;Marianne Fairbanks,&nbsp;Deborah Handler,&nbsp;Cameron Harvey,&nbsp;Daniel Hojnacki,&nbsp;Cathy Hsiao,&nbsp;Cody Hudson,&nbsp;Gina Hunt,&nbsp;Jessica Labatte,&nbsp;Rodrigo Lara,&nbsp;Damon Locks,&nbsp;Marissa Chris Zain Neuman,&nbsp;John Opera,&nbsp;Kaveri Raina,&nbsp;Kellie Romany Soo Shin / Sonnenzimmer (Nadine Nakanishi and Nick Butcher), and&nbsp;Brittney Leeanne Williams.&nbsp;Mixtapes&nbsp;brings together a wide variety of studio practices and backgrounds into proximity with one another to encourage surprising synchronicities or points of overlap between them. The exhibition operates with two notions of the term “mixtape” in mind: 1) an informal compilation of songs that reflect different backgrounds and trans-genre jumps, and 2) the hip-hop use of the term to refer to more raw conjunctions of artists that allow for playful, experimental collaborations or tangents sprouting out of an artist’s more formal output. The freedom and spontaneity of the “mixtape” is embraced here in what kind of work is shown and how it is displayed, eschewing polite spacing between works on white walls for playful molecular combinations that explore how the works of different artists can more directly speak to one another.The yearly sales exhibition celebrates&nbsp;cutting-edge Chicago-based artists, and&nbsp;the mission of the unique show is to create&nbsp;an accessible forum for collectors to discover affordable new work and engage directly with its creators. A public opening reception takes place&nbsp;Friday, September 21, 5-8pm, and&nbsp;The ANNUAL Breakfast happens during EXPO Art Week on&nbsp;Friday, September 28, 9-11am (an RSVP is required).&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3000/original/blarose-sauverlesmeubles-vertical.jpg" alt=""></figure>Beyond the CAC headquarters, the group is also participating again in EXPO CHICAGO at Navy Pier, with an exhibition of work by&nbsp;Benjamin Larose&nbsp;(BOLT Resident 2017-2018). Larose&nbsp;was selected by&nbsp;Anastasia Karpova Tinari,&nbsp;Director of Rhona Hoffman Gallery and an artist talk will take place Sept. 30 2:30–3pm in CAC's booth (#174)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/3001/original/unnamed.jpg" alt=""></figure>CAC staff has been working hard for well over a year to share a new physical and programatic vision of CAC with the artistic community as well as the general public, and over&nbsp;these past few months they have successfully laid significant groundwork for the group for years to come. The group continues to build its popular Chartwell Collectors Circle program, offering exclusive tours of private collections around the city as well as other art-networking events. CAC also launched the second year of its partnership with Chicago's Spudnik Press,&nbsp;“The New Printmakers Collection: A Collaboration between Spudnik Prints Cooperative and the Chicago Artists Coalition.” The program is designed to offer collectors a portfolio of prints by three artists on the rise. The artists invited to participate are new to printmaking, and all are former residents of CAC’s BOLT or HATCH programs. This year’s artists include&nbsp;Benjamin Larose&nbsp;(BOLT 2017-18 and EXPO 2018 CAC exhibitor),&nbsp;Caroline Liu&nbsp;(HATCH 2017-18), and&nbsp;Roni Packer&nbsp;(BOLT 2017-18). Prints are available at presale prices individually until 9/25 and as a suite until 9/26, and prices start at $175.&nbsp;No longer a work in progress but a foundational cultural center in the city,&nbsp;CAC&nbsp;keeps things moving and&nbsp;never stops supporting the arts from all sides by&nbsp;championing artistic careers, actively promoting professional advanacement, and&nbsp;enthusiastically engaging the public in the&nbsp;enjoyment of art collecting and support of the arts in general.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Chicago Artists Coalition undergoes many changes in 2018

Hard at Work in 2018: CAC Makes an Impact by Changing

By GINNY VAN ALYEAIn a city known for bars that offer everything from dry ice in your martini to two dozen TV screens on at the same time, The Stony Island Arts Bank may soon manage to be the most socially relevant, and appealing, of them all.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2954/original/bankdoor.jpg" alt=""></figure>The Arts Bank, opened three years ago when the Chicago Architecture Biennial debuted in the fall of 2015, began as an ambitious and multifaceted endeavor of the internationally renowned, Chicago-based artist and community developer Theaster Gates. The Arts Bank’s mission and influence was quickly and widely recognized for the many connections and collaborations it has fostered within the local arts community as well as the neighborhood. Now Gates is moving the project, which is part art space, part architectural treasure and more than a little social mission, into an ambitious, much more public and lively second phase of his original vision, increasing the pace of his plans for the many ways the art center can impact the surrounding South Shore neighborhood. As he said on a late spring day during a tour of the Arts Bank before it reopened after four months of renovations, “We’ve learned a few things.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2953/original/yard.jpg" alt=""></figure>Housed in an imposing, abandoned stone structure on Stony Island Boulevard, far on the city’s South Side and miles from traditional art centers, The Bank, as it’s commonly referred to, gets its name from its home, the former Stony Island State Savings Bank, a classic structure built in the 1920s, which eventually fell into disrepair. In a building pretty much left for dead, Gates saw an opportunity to invest in something that would continually pay creative dividends. Just as a real bank accepts deposits from customers, raises capital and then makes loans and provides support for its clients, the Stony Island Arts Bank seeks to be a rock solid institution that can compound interest in order to benefit a range of community members long term.&nbsp;For many, Stony Island used to mean a connector to the Chicago Skyway on your way in or out of town. It was a section of town seen only in passing on the way elsewhere. When Gates wanted to build an arts center, he knew a location off the beaten path would be critical.&nbsp;Gates says, “The goal was to let the city see, and the world see, that there is beautiful architecture on the South Side.” He wanted to bring art to people living in the community as much as he also wanted to draw people to a neighborhood they were unfamiliar with. The building would be a lure that would draw people to a place where they would realize, as he explains, “that there was this work happening that was about capturing these moments of architectural beauty, so that beautiful things could happen on the South Side to black people by black people.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2950/original/moulding.jpg" alt=""></figure>He goes on, “It was a demonstration work for me, that South Siders didn’t have to go somewhere else in order to have a well-built, intimate space; those spaces were all around us, they just needed some care. And maybe we had some of the best architectural stock in the country, or definitely in the city.”The original bank is a mimic of one on the North Side at the intersection of Damen, Milwaukee and North Avenues, and its classic design is representative of what was in style at the time. Gates says now that using a structure like the bank was an experiment at the start, and he knew he’d have to try a range of programming to see what would attract locals as well as the art community. What at first seemed like the perfect expansive venue – it’s 20,000 square feet – for hosting exhibitions, performances, residencies and film screenings, sometimes simultaneously, was actually intimidating. The formidable, protective structure originally intended to safeguard money, seemed in its present form meant to keep certain people out, exactly the opposite of Gates’ welcoming vision.&nbsp;He realized, “We learned that the building itself has the potential to be uninviting for folk who live locally. It’s so big, that it had a way of making our neighbors feel more like it was made for someone else.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2951/original/smith.jpg" alt=""></figure>He came to see that while the beauty of the building can help draw people to a new destination, it’s more important to get people in the door and to make them feel as if they should be there. He says, “The building by itself isn’t a calling card for everyone. Another kind of invitation also needs to happen.”&nbsp;Essentially, Gates discovered that the best way to make friends with your neighbors is to invite them to your party.&nbsp;He shares, “Last summer we opened up the yard and began having movies and barbecues out there. We had food trucks coming through, and all of a sudden, the yard became its own little pocket park. Kids would bring their little dogs and they would stroll in the yard. It was amazing.”&nbsp;This maturing vision for the Arts Bank could not have been known at the start, and Gates acknowledges that being able to see such changes over the past three years has been remarkable, though he’s not entirely surprised that it’s taken time. He says, “We knew that we had a couple of amazing aspects right away – we had the Johnson Publishing collection, we had the Frankie Knuckles [house music] albums, and the [60,000] glass lantern slides from the [Department of Art History at] the University of Chicago, but we didn’t have a mechanism, yet, of making those things as accessible as we wanted.”&nbsp;As Gates points out, that accessibility required resources, which were very limited, to hire a librarian, a set of archivists, docents, and managers of the collection. They did have pride and excitement for what they had prepared to share. So they got creative, for instance starting a book club based on the Johnson Collection and inviting those who had a connection to Johnson to participate. In order to overcome limits, such as physically accessing the hundreds of books and albums stacked up to the library ceiling, Gates and his team decided they needed a kind of catwalk, which would allow staff to use the entire soaring space.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2952/original/uofcglasslanternslides.jpg" alt=""></figure>Next they devised a sound system that allows a DJ working from the catwalk to pump music through the building. For Gates, he says, “The building can function as a kind of resonator, allowing albums we have to both be digitized and also become a basic program in the Bank. If nothing else is happening, you’re going to hear good music – some house, some soul, gospel, you might hear comedy – whatever we have in this collection, because the music has to be felt.”The many, and sometimes unconventional, ways the collection can be experienced goes to the heart of what Gates is trying to use the space in the Arts Bank for at this time, as he is very interested in activating a place or material and engaging people on a relatable level. Gates refers to a fellowship he did at Harvard a few years ago, when he spent time thinking about something he calls ‘critical preservation.’ When considering the Arts Bank he asks out loud, “Are there ways adjacent to conventional preservation, where things are restored to their original hand? Is there an alternative to that, where you actually allow some of the truth of the history of the building to be evident? I felt if we let people see the truth of our buildings, then they can feel good about their own buildings, which is like, ‘Yeah, there was some rain damage, and I can’t afford to re-do it all, but I need a new kitchen.’”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2949/original/gates.jpg" alt=""></figure>When the plan to build the Arts Bank first came up, the city gave Gates and his Rebuild Foundation the building for $1, but as Gates explains, the building had a negative value at the time of $500,000 (there was a hole in the ceiling almost as big as the roof, and extensive water damage from deteriorating skylights). To fund the initial $6.2 million restoration of a space suitable for art, Gates raised private funds from many supporters. He recalls, “The bones of the building were in great shape, but it needed a new envelope and a lot of care.” Even the architectural artifacts that give so much character to the building, he points out, have their own history of trauma, which then creates an opportunity for dialogue between space and art. The completion of the initial restoration, for Gates, and even this second phase of development, where they have installed walls in the atrium space, is proof that the City of Chicago and the arts community helped to build the bank. Says Gates, “It feels really good. Projects can happen on the South Side, and they’re not city-incentivized; they’re just because a lot of people believe in them.”That belief drives Gates in his quest to preserve history while, as he says, at the same time, retrofitting a place so it fulfills a new purpose, in this case as a space for artists, scholars, for symposium, conferences, and music. Gates has built the house, while the art, artists and neighbors within it are making it a home.&nbsp;The Bank, even with its new walls, is not intended to be a white cube, and after the efforts to invite more members of the public in, especially not just art viewers but neighbors, Gates emphasizes that he wants people to feel at ease when they are there. He explains, “These are normal people’s lives, everyday folk. They don’t want an audience of journalists visiting when they’re trying to have a meditation class. So the challenge that we had with rebuilding the Arts Bank is that, as excited as we are to shine a light and share with the public the things that we do, we also want to protect people’s privacy.”&nbsp;The way to do this is a programmatic split that on the one hand allows the Bank to host ambitious, public events but also, for instance, allows space for neighbors and those who live in and around Dorchester Art Housing [mixed income housing that features an even distribution of artist, public, affordable rate, and market rate homes]. For Gates it’s key to say to the public, “Not everything is show and tell with the spectacle of a public event. Some things need to be just at the neighborhood, grassroots level and to just mature in their own time.”Back to the Arts Bank as an antidote to Chicago’s sports-centric bar scene.Gates’ theory behind a split that serves various needs extends to the business of the Bank too. He shares, “One of the ongoing jokes that I have with my alderman is I need to be able to sell a good drink here. However, even though not every space needs to be a bar, or a pop-up yoga studio, we do need some spaces that make money, so that the other spaces can be free.” When Gates thinks about future opportunities, he wants to be able to offer what some people want and others need, “We want people to say, ‘Yeah, a chicken sandwich costs $5, a good drink costs $10,’ and not apologize for having both programs. Hey, a person can go get a $10 Negroni then go do some free yoga and work it off.”Money is not the only reason to offer food and drinks at the Bank. It also creates an ongoing reason for coming to South Shore and being able to stay there. Says Gates, “People go downtown to have a good meal, and they go to Pilsen, or farther North to have a reasonable drink. We don’t want people to have to travel. We just want to have more amenities that say ‘yes’ to the people who live close.”Within the Bank’s 20,000 square feet there is ample space for casual gatherings that may have nothing to do with art or yoga. Gates explains, “Sometimes I’m building with ambition toward the future.” Pointing to a large, Victorian looking curved structure, backed by a wall-length mirror, he says, “This bar’s about 30 years older than the architectural promenades of the building – it’s from the 1890s – but the size was right, so we built the bar space into the building with the understanding that we would grow into it.” By thinking ahead architecturally, Gates says there’s room for growth. Plans are underway at the Bank to start a food program that will also invest in local entrepreneurs, as well as a beverage program. For Gates, “If there is good music and an espresso, we want to be a contender to Starbucks.” At the end of the day, that big, beautiful bar, with a backdrop of live music, will draw people looking to connect or unwind.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2955/original/library.jpg" alt=""></figure>So much of Gates’ time and practice is thoughtfully planned, but he says he’s also found himself as of late serving as a steward called to help in the aftermath of a tragedy. He got a call from Samira Rice, whose son Tamir was killed in Cleveland by a police officer in 2016. Recalls Gates, “She said, ‘I need help deinstalling the gazebo where my son was killed,’ and at that point, my job was to just help manage this moment. It wasn’t an art move; there was no personal ambition. She just needed someone who could have the logistical wherewithal to handle this object.”&nbsp;Gates and his team didn’t know what to do with the gazebo, but he says they knew they needed to remove it in its entirety or the City of Cleveland was going to raze it. Gates explains, “People were mourning, and these teddy bears are kind of part of the altar. People would remember others killed by police.” Samira asked if we would care for the gazebo for awhile, which became an opportunity to ask a national question, ‘What does it mean that all of these deaths happened?’ and ‘How do we grapple with this around the country.’” Gates began to see that the gazebo had one function in Cleveland and another at the Bank that would allow for reflection on peace, and questions about violence. He began to envision something adjacent to the gazebo with swings, a little park, a place, he thinks, “where young people can come and actually be safe. As we’re continuing to work on the violence in this neighborhood, could this be a space of peace, even temporarily?”This spring the gazebo’s parts were neatly organized and stacked up in a room at the Arts Bank not much bigger than the structure itself. Gates imagines, “Next, we clean up the parts, and we offer the gazebo back to the city of Cleveland, when they’ve had a moment to reflect on their own defensive reaction to this complicated moment. In this room, that gives us a chance to say, ‘Yeah, there’s Aunt Jemima, there are negative stereotypes, but there are also things that are too close to talk about – they just happened.' I see value in being the steward of those things. To number the roofing deck, to care for the steel – artists are well equipped to do that. Artists are probably more sensitive and more equipped to do it than the City of Cleveland could ever do it, because it’s part heart, and it’s part logistics. That’s art."&nbsp;The Stony Island Arts Bank is located&nbsp;at&nbsp;6760 S Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL.&nbsp;For more info visit the Bank's <a href="https://rebuild-foundation.org/site/stony-island-arts-bank/">website</a>&nbsp;Top image:&nbsp;The Stony Island Arts Bank was formerly the Stony Island State Savings Bank, built in the South Shore neighborhood in the 1920s. Photo: Tom Harris

Artist Theaster Gates' vision for the future of his Stony Island Arts Bank 

The Evolution of a Vision: What’s Next for the Stony Island Arts Bank

FALL 2018My mother owned a glittery pin that she used to wear in the 90s that said ‘Art Saves Lives.’ I always liked it, especially since at the time it was very tween-trendy to collect pins featuring clever sayings and places and pin them on your backpack or jean jacket (I also had one that said ‘Be careful, or we shall banish you to the Midwest!’) I still see that Art Saves Lives pin every day on the bulletin board above my desk.&nbsp;We say CGN is a cheerleader of the arts, and, as many in the art world experience an unpredictable market, I have been thinking about how to better communicate why art is important in my own life as well as how to make the case for why people should actually buy it.&nbsp;As art occupies more of the public space than ever, which is a positive thing, it still needs to be invested in and supported. The general points about why it’s good for individuals to buy art are because you love it, because it supports an artist, because it makes a statement, because it’s unique. However, to buy art costs money. So what justifies the financial outlay, when we are often able to enjoy images and the fruits of creativity for free at a time when many of us generally want fewer things?&nbsp;There is a new generation of art collectors coming of age. Baby Boomers still make up half of art buyers, but Millennials are the fastest growing group, according to a 2018 study by US Trust. More women are also buying art, and more new collectors seek to invest in art that will appreciate, as they are more likely to sell pieces than previous generations. &nbsp;Today both time and money are precious, and so is an attention span. While this rising demographic approaches a great deal of things in a more personally relevant way, how they value art may be more market–based, or even crowd–sourced as they seek to build a personal brand and rely more on data to inform their everyday lives. Millennials are also more likely to buy art online or to discover emerging artists via platforms like Instagram. They are engaged, but it may not be in person on a regular visit to a gallery.&nbsp;This brings me back to why art is important to me and how art can save lives. An artist’s view of the world, seen and experienced in person through a constructed object, a performance or a concept, can be a powerful learning resource as well as a lens through which to view history or what is happening right now. A work of art can memorialize a tragedy, and it can preserve beauty; it can provide a vehicle for&nbsp; participating in a larger community and also connect with the past.In this fall issue of CGN, artist <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2018/8/artist-suellen-rocca-a-life-story-through-art">Suellen Rocca</a> shares her experiences of working with young children in museums as well as public schools. Observing the world around her informs her own art and has allowed&nbsp;her to help others think creatively. Art of the past also offers an ongoing and critical connection:&nbsp;"I believe—I’m sure many other artists do too—when an artist looks at a work of art from any period or culture and feels a connection with it, is drawn to it, it becomes a part of them and comes out in a very personal way."Dealer Catherine Edelman has started a nonprofit after more than 30 years running her own gallery. CASE Art Fund will award&nbsp;biannual grants to fine art photographers who are working on humanitarian issues. Edelman believes in the power of art and says, "It is our hope that when viewers see the work in a non-traditional manner, they will stop, think, ask questions and act. We firmly believe photography can effect change."Artist and community developer Theaster Gates opened the Stony Island Arts Bank three years ago. He is making a new community in the South Shore neighborhood while he also takes on new projects in his own artistic practice. When considering an artist's larger role in the world he says, "It’s part heart, and it’s part logistics. That’s art.’&nbsp;My message to buyers entering the market is to consider why art is what is left behind once we are gone. Art is not part of a personal brand that changes with the wind. Art that survives the ages should connect us to someone or some thing. To buy a work of art is to invest in an artist’s unique talent and be able to admire and learn from it everyday.&nbsp;– Ginny Van Alyea, CGN Publisher&nbsp;Pictured from left: Suellen Rocca, Bareshouldered Beauty, 1965, Oil on canvas, 83 1/4 x 59 3/4 inches, 213 x 158 cm.&nbsp;©️Suellen Rocca, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery;&nbsp;Theaster Gates at Stony Island Arts Bank with deinstalled materials from Cleveland gazebo where Tamir Rice was killed in 2016;&nbsp;©️Omar Imam, CASE Art Fund artist. Courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery

Publisher's Letter: Art Saves Lives

By MIA DIMEO

For more than 25 years, the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) has been devoted to creating quality architectural programming and exhibitions from within a terra cotta, Beaux Arts Railway Exchange Building at 224 S. Michigan Avenue designed by Daniel Burnham, the architect who started it all.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="The new home of the Chicago Architecture Center can be easily spotted by the prominent CAC logo above the site of the center's popular river cruises." data-rich-file-id="2943" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2943/original/download-2.jpg" />

On Labor Day weekend the rebranded Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) opens in a new home, the modernist, glass and steel One Illinois Center (111 E. Wacker Drive), one of the last designs of another one of Chicago&rsquo;s architectural lions, Mies van der Rohe. When CAC decided to acquire the new space they set out to implement a fresh vision and identity that would expand outreach and encompass all of the tours, talks, exhibitions, camps, classes and special events that attract 690,000 visitors annually.&nbsp;

One of the top attractions, for tourists and local architecture lovers alike, in CAC&rsquo;s former home was the Chicago Model, a 320-square foot miniature metropolis envisioned by President and CEO Lynn Osmond and completed in 2009. The process of creating the Model began by making a digital map of Chicago and 3D printing each of its 1,300 buildings before meticulously placing them in situ.&nbsp;

The Model is now the centerpiece of a larger exhibit in the new headquarters, and with 3,000 buildings it is more than twice its previous size, paralleling the Chicago&rsquo;s more recent growth upward and outward. It is set within an examination of the city&rsquo;s built history&mdash;from a phoenix of innovation rising up from the Chicago fire, to the epicenter of modern architecture today. The immersive Chicago Model Experience also highlights architects of note, explores the area&rsquo;s diverse neighborhoods and includes a laser light show.&nbsp;

Take that, Navy Pier.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="The CAC's new lobby welcomes more visitors than ever" data-rich-file-id="2944" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2944/original/chicago-architecture-center-lobby-3b-credit-courtesy-caf.jpg" />

Daniel O&rsquo;Connell, CAC&rsquo;s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, stresses that the big strides the organization has made will gain momentum in the new space. &ldquo;It gives us room to be more ambitious in our educational initiatives,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We work with Chicago Public Schools, host an engineering festival and present a range of programming for young women in the field. We are eager to draw everything together in a holistic way, in a space designed for us to fit our focus on public engagement.&rdquo;&nbsp;

In addition to several exhibition spaces, the 20,000-square foot center, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, also features a new lecture hall and a design studio, all perched above the dock of the much-lauded River Cruise aboard First Lady Cruises.&nbsp;

&ldquo;CAF started the cruises in 1983, back when no one did anything on the river,&rdquo; says O&rsquo;Connell. &ldquo;So, we&rsquo;ve been part of that change which has come to fruition with River Walk. Making our new home above the dock feels like we&rsquo;re coming full circle.&rdquo;&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="The lecture hall allows for more public programs" data-rich-file-id="2946" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2946/original/lecturehall.jpg" />

Visible from the street through 40-foot windows, the second-floor exhibition space debuts with Building Tall, a display of supersize skyscrapers models investigating how and why skyscrapers are built, and how engineers and architects keep making them better. Familiar local towers, along with many from around the world, are featured in the exhibit, including Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Jeddah Tower, which will be the world&rsquo;s tallest building when completed in 2020.&nbsp;

Why was it vital for Chicago to have a center dedicated to architecture? The fact that CAC has made 85 tours happen 7,000 times a year says something about the city&rsquo;s buildings as important cultural landmarks. With deep roots planted by CAC (as well as the Chicago Architecture Biennial, which launched in 2015) Chicago&rsquo;s status an architecture capital is flourishing.&nbsp;

O&rsquo;Connell agrees. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been around 50+ years, and in that time the city has only burnished its image as the center of innovative architecture. The first skyscraper was built here, and we have a great design heritage,&rdquo; he says.

CAC&rsquo;s new location is directly in the heart of the city, at the intersection of the Magnificent Mile and the Cultural Mile, atop the site of Fort Dearborn, where Chicago was founded in 1803. The river-side spot has evolved as the city has, from grain elevators and railroads to its present modernist structure, and now the Chicago Architecture Center is a part of that story.&nbsp;

A grand opening weekend celebration takes place at 111 E. Wacker, Aug 31&ndash;Sept 3.

Visit <a href="http://www.architecture.org">www.architecture.org</a> for details.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h4>Open House Chicago: OCTOBER 13 AND 14</h4>

Covering more than 200 sites, Open House Chicago is CAC&rsquo;s most geographically expansive program, offering behind-the-scenes looks at architectural gems, many of which are not normally open to the public throughout the city. The annual weekend initiative allows easy access to diverse spaces including civic buildings, theaters, mansions, office buildings and places of worship.&nbsp;

OHC&rsquo;s sites present a broad picture of the area&rsquo;s cultural environments &mdash; a 1928 firehouse recently renovated by Chicago Filmmakers; the Italianate mansion home to Palette &amp; Chisel Academy of Fine Arts; Oak Park Art League&rsquo;s former carriage house gallery; and the Pilsen studio of muralist H&eacute;ctor Duarte, to name a few.&nbsp;

This year, new sites include Garfield Park&rsquo;s ArtReach Chicago, a recently opened nonprofit providing mobile and studio art access (including glass blowing) to under-served Chicagoans, and the soon-to-be-completed University of Chicago&rsquo;s Green Line Arts Center in Washington Park. Still under construction, OHC visitors will get an early look at the space dedicated to performance, theatre residencies, rehearsals, training, and education, as well as showcasing work by emerging and established artists. For complete details visit <a href="http://openhousechicago.org">openhousechicago.org</a>

&nbsp;

Editor&rsquo;s note: The Chicago Artists Coalition also goes by CAC.

&nbsp;

Top image:&nbsp;THE CHICAGO MODEL EXPERIENCE, GREAT FIRE, COURTESY CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION
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The Chicago Architecture Foundation rebrands as the Chicago Architecture Center and opens a new headquarters in Chicago

Rising Up from the Roots: New Chicago Architecture Center Builds Engagement

By APRIL LANE

The Other Art Fair (TOAF),&nbsp;presented by Saatchi Art and heading into its 7th year in business,&nbsp;will make&nbsp;its first appearance in Chicago September 28-30, 2018&nbsp;at Mana Contemporary Chicago&nbsp;in&nbsp;Pilsen.&nbsp;TOAF&nbsp;has become&nbsp;known as the leading art fair for emerging artists in the United Kingdom, and with Chicago being an epicenter for art -- brimming with historic museums, theatres and galleries -- there&rsquo;s also an ever-growing population of independent, up-and-coming visual artists who would like to gain exposure by having their work featured in a big-name fair&nbsp;but who aren&rsquo;t yet connected with an established&nbsp;gallery or exhibitor who can get them in the door.

&ldquo;What we&#39;re trying to do is give a voice and a creative platform to those artists,&rdquo; says Ryan Stanier, founder and general manager of TOAF.

TOAF has received more than 500 applications for the Chicago fair, and its team of seasoned art world partners and staff are&nbsp;hand-selecting 120 artists to exhibit their work in the upcoming exhibition&nbsp;this&nbsp;fall. Exhibiting artists come largely from Chicago and throughout&nbsp;the Midwest, but also from as far&nbsp;as Beijing, India, Colombia, Toronto&nbsp;and London.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Left; Moksha Kumar, Vadodara, Gujarat, India; Right: Alvaro Galindo, Chía, Colombia" data-rich-file-id="2928" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2928/original/art1.jpg" />

What TOAF says sets it aside from many&nbsp;bigger name fair competitors is that it explicitly&nbsp;tries to invite&nbsp;first time art buyers and&nbsp;novice collectors&nbsp;to search for original artwork alongside&nbsp;artists who are at the fair&nbsp;to speak for and represent themselves and their work. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re connecting local artists in Chicago to an art buying audience by&nbsp;saying, &lsquo;If you&rsquo;ve got $100, you can come to The Other Art Fair, and you can find an artwork which you can fall in love with and talk to the artist about, and then you can own it,&rsquo;&rdquo; explains&nbsp;Stanier. &quot;It really does make [the fair] accessible, and&hellip; that really is a big point of difference for us.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption="Left: Pamela Staker, Chicago; Right: Raphaella Lima, Niterói, Brazil" data-rich-file-id="2932" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2932/original/art2.jpg" />

What started off in 2011 as a smaller fair that took place once a year in London to draw attention to emerging artists&nbsp;has ballooned into an international success. Over the past seven&nbsp;years, TOAF has held a total of 22 fairs and has featured more than 1,000 exhibiting artists. This year&nbsp;TOAF is hosting a total of 10 fairs in cities throughout the United States, UK and Australia.&nbsp;Moving forward in 2019&nbsp;Stanier says TOAF&rsquo;s plan is to increase the number of fairs per year&nbsp;to 15.

There&rsquo;s more to TOAF than just&nbsp;supporting local artists by selling art: the fair is meant to be an interactive experience for everyone who visits. The fair allows for visitors to spend a number of hours enjoying interactive art installations as well as&nbsp;various amenities, including&nbsp;music, numerous restaurant partners, virtual reality and tattoo projects. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like when you go to a museum -- you almost want to experience something unexpected, and that&rsquo;s what we are really try getting across during the fair,&rdquo; says Stanier. &ldquo;Even if you come and don&rsquo;t buy anything, it doesn&rsquo;t matter. Ultimately, I want everyone to walk away saying that they had a really good day out.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

<h3>Other events at TOAF to note:</h3>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h4><img alt="" data-caption="Limited edition print by Chicago artist Hebru Brantley" data-rich-file-id="2929" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2929/original/hebru.jpg" /></h4>

<h4>GUEST ARTIST HEBRU BRANTLEY PRESENTED BY LITTLE BLACK PEARL</h4>

Purchase a limited edition print, exclusive to the fair, by acclaimed Chicago artist Hebru Brantley. All proceeds support our Charity Partner, Little Black Pearl.

&nbsp;

<h4><img alt="" data-caption="TOAF After Dark is Sept 29" data-rich-file-id="2930" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2930/original/nightout.jpg" /></h4>

<h4>TOAF AFTER DARK SPONSORED BY THE COOPER SOUTHBANK</h4>

The Other Art Fair and&nbsp;The Cooper Southbank&nbsp;give you Art&#39;s biggest Saturday night on September 29,&nbsp;6&ndash;10pm. Enjoy a late evening of art, live music, drinks and special programming. Tickets start from $13.50 and permit re-entry to the fair on Sunday September 30th.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Art activities and offerings for the youngest visitors" data-rich-file-id="2931" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2931/original/pages.jpg" />

<h4>THE LITTLE ART PAGES</h4>

Younger visitors explore the fair with a free creative newspaper suitable for all ages.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://theotherartfair.com">The Other Art Fair</a> takes place September 28-30, 2018 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/mana-contemporary">Mana Comtemporary</a>&nbsp;(2233 S. Throop St.) in Pilsen. 

It happens to coincide with the 7th edition of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/expo-chicago">EXPO CHICAGO</a> at Navy Pier.&nbsp;

Visit <a href="http://chicago.theotherartfair.com">theotherartfair.com</a> for more info.
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The Other Art Fair comes to Chicago for the first time Sept 28-30, 2018

The Other Art Fair is coming to Chicago

By Franck Mercurio

The best art engages viewers on multiple levels&mdash;emotional, intellectual, and spiritual&mdash;and the art of Renee Robbins does just that. Her colorful, faceted forms, inspired by nature, capture our imagination while prompting us to care about the environment and our own relationships with the natural world.

<img alt="" data-caption="Comma Size, gouache, watercolor, and colored pencil on paper, 15&quot; x 22&quot;, 2017" data-rich-file-id="2905" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2905/original/comma-size-72.jpg" />

A selection of Robbins&#39; paintings, prints, and multimedia works is currently on view in&nbsp;Hidden Worlds, a solo exhibition at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (now open through October 20). The show features five of the artist&#39;s recent series, showcasing her creative range:&nbsp;Sea Change,&nbsp;Wunderkammer, Biota,&nbsp;The Love Letter Etchings, and&nbsp;Galactic Lagoons.

<img alt="" data-caption="Drawbridge 48&quot;x72&quot;, acrylic on canvas, from Sea Change series" data-rich-file-id="2903" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2903/original/drawbridge-72.jpg" />

Robbins&#39; work explores scale in particular, referencing everything from sub-atomic particles to cosmic bodies, often within the same piece. These visions of nature constitute the artist&#39;s &quot;hidden worlds&quot;&mdash;some too small to see without a microscope&mdash;others so vast and distant that only a telescope can reveal them.

This contrast of scale and form sparks curiosity in viewers. Why are certain forms repeated in nature? What are the connections between those structures? This questioning is akin to a scientific observer exploring a query in pursuit of knowledge.

In this way, Robbins&#39; art inspires wonder about the natural world, but also subtly informs viewers about environmental issues. In her&nbsp;Biotaseries, the artist investigates the flora and fauna of a distinct region, often through multiple views within a single painting. In addition to inspiring appreciation for the shear diversity of life within a given habitat, the&nbsp;Biota series also examines the ecology of those life forms&mdash;how they relate to one another and their natural environment.

<img alt="" data-caption="Lure 30&quot; x 30&quot;, acrylic on canvas, 2014. From the Galactic Series" data-rich-file-id="2906" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2906/original/galacticlure.jpg" />

Similarly, in her series&nbsp;Galactic Lagoons, Robbins examines the interconnectedness of natural forms in unconventional ways, while subtly communicating messages about conservation. In the artist&rsquo;s own words, this series &ldquo;brings together aquatic and celestial spaces to explore natural wonder.&rdquo; These paintings reflect Renee&#39;s fascination with aquatic life&mdash;but also suggest the importance of water as the giver of life. As such,&nbsp;Galactic Lagoons carries a universal conservation message: the importance of clean water for our own survival and the survival of the planet.

Only a few blocks east of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Robbins&#39; themes of water and hidden worlds play out in a big way. In her mural project&nbsp;Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds&nbsp;(2017), the artist imagines what lies hidden underneath the surface of Lake Michigan: the Morgan Shoal, reefs (past, present, and future) and the biodiversity of the lake. Located underneath Lake Shore Drive inside the Fullerton Avenue underpass, the murals&rsquo; imagery moves from small scale to large scale as pedestrians walk west to east towards Lake Michigan. In Robbins&#39; own words, the murals &ldquo;consider the complex relationships between humans, nature, and the cosmos.&quot; Many of the forms that Robbins creates in her paintings&mdash;microscopic images, molecular diagrams, cellular structures, and camouflage systems&mdash;appear at a much larger scale in the murals. To envision the &ldquo;hidden&rdquo; biodiversity of the lake allows us to better appreciate it&mdash;and then, hopefully, to act to conserve it.

<img alt="" data-caption="A Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds, Murals by Robbins on both sides of the Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton underpass" data-rich-file-id="2902" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2902/original/murals.jpg" />

Where is the human presence in Renee&#39;s work? Sometimes it shines through in very conspicuous ways, such as the WWI camouflage patterns that populate paintings such as&nbsp;Sanctuary (2017). But the human presence is also suggested in the way the artist mixes different natural forms from different sources; perhaps something that only a human observer might do.

But even the simple act of making images inspired by nature suggests that humans are actually a part of nature and not separate from it. Sometimes, it takes an artist to reinforce such a basic&mdash;yet vital&mdash;message.

<h4>Hidden Worlds, Paintings and Etchings by Renee Robbins</h4>

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum&nbsp;

Thru Oct 20, 2018

&nbsp;

Related events:&nbsp;

Artist walk and talk: Sunday, October 14, 2-3:30pm (talk starts at 2:30)

&nbsp;

Image at top of page: Sanctuary, 2017

For more info visit the Nature Museum <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/peggy-notebaert-nature-museum">website</a>&nbsp;and Renee Robbins&#39; <a href="https://reneerobbins.com">website</a>&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

Renee Robbins: Revealing Colorful Worlds

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417669/bv6pqcsdv5vj5x6tyqkw.jpg"></figure>BY RILEY YAXLEYIn 2009 Alex Williams complained in the New York Times that the word “curate” had been improperly extended to fashion, food, and entertainment, while he made the case that the action is more appropriately suited to the degree-holding curators employed by museums. A friend recently explained to me that they are an “event curator,” event curation being an elevated way of describing event planning. “Curate” is being widely appropriated to describe careers and work that are far from the realm of museums or gallery spaces, forcing many to reconsider what the term means and how people understand the storied history of curatorial practice.After talking to Graham, I began to question what it means to be an actual art curator. What does that process look like? How does an individual start their curatorial career? Where are they instructed in the practice and what are the early opportunities for emerging curators to establish themselves?&nbsp;I have been immersed in Chicago’s arts industry for about nine months, starting with an internship at Chicago Gallery News last winter and followed by internships at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. During my time at each of these institutions, I was incredibly fortunate to meet a wide variety of artists, gallerists, curators, and art professionals.However, I began to notice that arts publications don’t often highlight younger arts professionals and individuals early in their careers. The newsfeeds of Hyperallergic, frieze, or ARTnews are saturated with profiles, interviews, and appointments of chief curators, executive directors, established artists, and so on. The idea for this interview series for CGN, Art Is… emerged because of my own curiosity and as a response to this coverage dearth, and to draw attention to individuals who are still breaking into the art world.When I accepted a job in Visitor Services at the MCA and was introduced to Graham Feyl, also a Visitor Services Associate at the museum, we quickly developed a friendship. As the idea for this series took shape, I knew that he would be one of the first individuals I asked to interview.Graham is currently the curator-in-residence at The Overlook, a multidisciplinary art space, whose mission is to “provide emerging women artists, queer artists, and artists of color a platform to further their practice through residencies, programming, and collaborative projects.” He completed his undergraduate degree in Art History at the University of Illinois Chicago and is attending the School of the Art Institute this fall to earn his Master’s in Modern and Contemporary Art History.The Overlook was founded in July 2016 by Jenn Sova, an artist, curator and activist living in Chicago. I had the pleasure of meeting Jenn during a field trip to the Museum of Contemporary Photography where we were given a private print viewing of Breaking the Binary: Queerness and the Image, which included goading works by Robert Mapplethorpe, lush images by Alexandre Haefeli, evocative portraits by Zanele Muholi, as well as the evasive work of Laurence Rasti for There Are No Homosexuals In Iran. When I joined Jenn and a few others for drinks at the Chicago Athletic Association after the viewing, I was struck by her indomitable energy and drive, a sentiment echoed by Graham during our interview. “She knows how to network and support people,” he says. In two years The Overlook has already hosted 12 residencies, 11 exhibitions, and 40 events. It has shown work by 33 local, national, and international artists. Graham is The Overlook’s first digital curator-in-residence.Graham’s partnership with The Overlook began in fall of 2016, when a friend invited him to a photography exhibition where he met Jenn for the first time. Following the 2016 presidential election, their relationship deepened as they discussed the implications of being queer individuals in a politically turbulent time. Graham recalls that Jenn wanted him to do a curatorial residency with The Overlook for months, but it wasn’t until The Overlook relinquished their physical space that Graham developed the idea for his curatorial residency - object / item / material / me. Faced with the challenge of organizing art exhibitions without a permanent location, Jenn proposed a digital curatorial residency. Graham would select and write essays about each artist and their work, which would culminate in a pop-up exhibition of the selected works.The idea began with the work of Janelle Miller, a multi-disciplinary artist and archivist. Her collection/installation Building Virtue: A Study (2017-cont.) is a collection of fans that depict black people in various scenes: a boy and girl praying, a mother and child tending a garden, a young couple playing the piano together, and a mother with her children as they celebrate one child’s birthday. The fans from Building Virtue: A Study (2017-cont.) were originally placed in church pews and were used by churchgoers during services before Janelle began to collect and archive them for her work. Through Janelle’s practice, Graham began to understand how these objects and their materiality could begin to explain Janelle’s personal, artistic practice, as well as how the fans are visually significant objects to members of the black community and their religious practices<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2894/original/picture-20clipping.png" alt=""></figure>The eight artists represented in object / item / material / me were selected from online submissions that Graham reviewed. He was looking for artists who understood what he himself was grappling with as a curator. “I know it’s a simple idea, but I think it’s worth thinking about and talking about,” he says about the ideas of exploring how individuals have found themselves through objects - how someone has come to find their racial, sexual, gender or political identity through an object.I push back at the simplification of his idea. We are so accustomed to the idea of producing work that is groundbreaking and innovative, but where is the space to contemplate the simple? As a fledgling curator, He says that he’s had to challenge his desire to curate a groundbreaking show and explains, “There’s no instruction [at university] on DIY spaces. Everything is [from an] institution with all these resources - as if you should only be thinking at that level.” DIY spaces, like The Overlook, are providing the space and resources for curators early in their careers to establish their curatorial practice at the community level.Such alternative spaces give curators the room to experiment and fail without the pressures of a large art institution. Take Hans Ulrich Obrist for example. He describes his first curatorial exhibition, which was hosted in his own kitchen, as a project where “artists shared in all tasks relating to my exhibitions, not just their individual pieces.” The name of the exhibition World Soup was coined by Richard Wentworth, and&nbsp; Peter Fischli and David Weiss took the exhibition photographs.During the course of his residency, Graham has developed relationships with each of the artists included in object / item / material / me. He admits to wrestling with holding himself accountable in representing each artist accurately, but also exercising his objectivity and authority as the exhibition curator. Each artist submitted responses of their understanding of the terms “object,” “item” and “material.” Graham is&nbsp; also grateful for the group of artists that he’s working with. He says these relationships are challenging him to be “clear with what he’s doing and what he wants to do.”object / item / material / me explores ideas of materiality that are present in almost all exhibitions, but it is the community that has gathered to contemplate and discuss these ideas that strikes me the most important part of the curatorial process - the conversation surrounding the work. Jenn’s committed support gave Graham the confidence and platform to organize his curatorial debut for The Overlook. Each artist that Graham selected has made the conscious choice to trust him with representing their work. Graham is currently in the process of establishing a venue and date for object / item / material / me’s pop-up exhibition, and I look forward to seeing the culmination of his residency this fall.&nbsp;Top Photo:&nbsp;Courtesy of The Overlook&nbsp;Read Riley Yaxley's follow up interview <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/3/art-is-the-bittersweet">Art Is... The Bittersweet</a>, March 2019</body></html>

Art Is... Graham Feyl

Recently the West Town-based Conservation Center shared a story with its clients and CGN about some recent restoration efforts, one of which pertains the gorgeous exhibition on view now at the Art Institute of Chicago featuring the art of Charles White. Following is the post from the <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/the-conservation-center--2">Conservation Center.&nbsp;</a>

By THE CONSERVATION CENTER

&quot;Charlie said to me, on more than one occasion, to focus on making the best drawing or painting you can. The ideas will take care of themselves. After all, you are making a picture. Its power has to be projected by its presence. This is clearly the case with just about every work he made.&quot; &ndash;&nbsp;Kerry James Marshall

Charles White, born and educated in Chicago, was one of the preeminent artists to emerge during the city&rsquo;s Black Renaissance of the 1930s and 1940s. This year, White&rsquo;s hometown is recognizing his contribution to the portrayal of African American culture and history with a retrospective of the artist&rsquo;s paintings, drawings, and prints at the&nbsp;Art Institute of Chicago. After being on display in Chicago from now until September, the exhibition will travel on to&nbsp;New York&rsquo;s Museum of Modern Art&nbsp;and&nbsp;Los Angeles&rsquo; County Museum of Art.

<img alt="" data-caption="Charles White at home in Altadena, California, 1971. Image courtesy of The Charles White Archives." data-rich-file-id="2854" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2854/original/charles-2bwhite-portrait.jpg" />

In correlation with the exhibition, we wanted to share our recent treatment of a 1965 Charles White lithograph that came to us from a private client who had concerns about framing damage. The lithograph on paper, titled &ldquo;Juba&rdquo;, had been passed down to our client Stacy Robinson by her father Louie Robinson, who was a journalist,&nbsp;one of the founders of&nbsp;Ebony Magazine, and a friend of Charles White. &quot;My father&#39;s work put him in close contact with many prominent Black actors, sports figures, and influencers of the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s,&quot; Stacy shared with us.

<img alt="" data-caption="Louie Robinson in the 1960s. Image courtesy of the Robinson family." data-rich-file-id="2852" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2852/original/1.jpg" />

Stacy&#39;s mother worked for a state college, and enjoyed collecting art by African American artists. &quot;Her collection included works by Charles White, Ernie Barnes, Elizabeth Catlett, and a Chicago artist named Bob Lee. Most of them were artists she and my father knew personally, or met over the years,&quot; Stacy explained. When Stacy&#39;s father passed away in 2015, her mother moved to Chicago.&nbsp;It was at this time that Stacy and her sister began to adopt some of the collection.&nbsp;&quot;My sister chose a very large portrait of Satchel Paige by Ernie Barnes.&nbsp;The Charles White was always my favorite so I brought it home and hung it in my living room.&quot;

&quot;I just knew this artwork wasn&rsquo;t being displayed to show it&rsquo;s ultimate beauty and I was also worried about fading and deterioration over the years. I researched some options and found The Conservation Center. I liked The Center&rsquo;s background and it seemed like the perfect fit for us,&quot; Stacy explained.

Upon unframing the piece, our conservators noticed the work was signed with a dedication to Louie Robinson. &ldquo;To you, with warmest regards and many thanks,&rdquo; was written carefully next to the title, signature, and blind stamp along the bottom edge of the lithograph.

&quot;The added gift was when I saw the signature by Charles White and that it included an inscription to my father, Louie. It turns out that my father had written a series of articles on Charles White, and the most extensive was written for Ebony Magazine in the 1960s entitled,&nbsp;Charles White &ndash; Portrayer of Black Dignity.&nbsp;The piece was actually a gift from the artist to my father.&quot;

The piece exhibited mat burn and a light strike within the mat opening. One of our client&rsquo;s concerns was the mat margin, as the large mat borders extended into the piece and hid some of exterior edges of the lithograph&rsquo;s image.

The piece exhibited age-related discoloration and select handling dents throughout. There was also a layer of minimal surface soil, and residual pressure sensitive tape stains on the verso margin edges.

The frame itself exhibited a moderate layer of particulates, abrasions, and scratches. There were multiple dents throughout, and the glazing was not UV-filtering. The matting and backing board were non-archival and acidic. When we removed the piece from its frame, we discovered a 1968&nbsp;Los Angeles Times&nbsp;newspaper between the backing board and the print. Our client, who was unaware of the clipping before bringing the work to The Center, was delighted to learn of the news. &ldquo;It was dated 1968 with a picture of newlyweds Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis on the front page. It was kind of like finding a time capsule!&rdquo; she told us.

Our Paper Conservators began their treatment by surface cleaning the lithograph on the recto and verso using dry methods. Next, the adhesive stains on the verso were mechanically reduced. The piece was then water bathed and light bleached to reduce discoloration and staining, to raise the pH neutrality, and to relax the overall sheet.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2853" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2853/original/before1.jpg" />

Our client elected to keep the original frame and have the piece reassembled with new matting. Our Framing Conservators began their treatment by cleaning the frame using the appropriate solvents. Next, scratches and abrasions in the frame were retouched as best as possible. The piece was float mounted on an archival 4-ply mat, to allow for the full image to be visible.&nbsp;The piece was then reassembled in the frame with a conservation grade glass that protects against UV light rays. An acid free coroplast backing board was attached to the reverse to provide additional protection, and the hanging hardware was replaced. The newspaper was retained separately from the piece, and returned to the client to live on as part of the work&rsquo;s story.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2851" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2851/original/before.jpg" />

When the piece was returned to Stacy, she was delighted with the treatment results. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very excited with the results of the restoration. The work looks beautiful. The restoration team was able to not only restore the brilliance of the print, but reduce the discoloration caused by the haphazard mat and frame job we had before. The whole restoration process has really been an enjoyable experience of search and discovery.&rdquo;

Luis Serrano,&nbsp;a renowned artist and professor, attended the Art Institute&#39;s opening gala for the exhibition on June 8th.&nbsp;After the event, Serrano was kind enough to share his reflection on the piece we treated in relation to White&#39;s work.&nbsp;

&quot;Charles White&rsquo;s teachings and art transcend time, race, politics, and culture. His masterful use and distribution of tonal values, as well as the creation of harmonious atmospheric pictorial space create powerful poetic effects as evidenced in &#39;Juba.&#39;&quot;&nbsp;

Heather Becker, The Center&#39;s CEO, was also present at the Art Institute opening. As a graduate of the School of the Art Institute and a large advocate of Charles White&#39;s work, Heather was eager to show her support.

Becker shared, &quot;I highly recommend going to see this inspirational body of work by Charles White currently on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago if you have not already.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/charles-white-a-retrospective">Charles White: A Retrospective</a>&nbsp;runs through&nbsp;September 3, 2018 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
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The Conservation Center restores a Charles White lithograph from 1965

The Careful Conservation of a Charles White Lithograph 

Though Chicago may not be known as the &ldquo;City that Never Sleeps,&rdquo; it boasts one of the most remarkable public art collections in the world &ndash; one that is arguably best enjoyed in the summer months, at all hours, from early morning until late at night. Below are some of Chicago&rsquo;s sculpture highlights that certainly never sleep.&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h3>ELLSWORTH KELLY &ndash; I WILL</h3>

At the intersection of Fullerton and Cannon off of Lake Shore Drive, this thin, 40 foot tall stainless steel column honors the City&rsquo;s rebirth after the Chicago Fire in 1871.

Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton, Lincoln Park (pictured at top of page:&nbsp;Ellsworth kelly, I Will. Photo: Ron Cogswell)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2798" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2798/original/knowledgewonderlg-copy.jpg" />

<h3>KERRY JAMES MARSHALL&nbsp; &ndash; KNOWLEDGE AND WONDER</h3>

Before Marshall painted the back of the Chicago Cultural Center in 2017, he created this mural to celebrate the library as a source of wonder and higher learning.&nbsp;

115 S. Pulaski Rd., Legler Branch Library

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Louise Nevelson, Dawn Shadows" data-rich-file-id="2799" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2799/original/dawnshadows.jpg" />

<h3>LOUISE NEVELSON&nbsp; &ndash; DAWN SHADOWS</h3>

Next to the nonstop trains that circle the Loop, Nevelson intended that this work be viewed from all sides and especially from above on the El tracks.&nbsp;

200 W. Madison, The Loop

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Richard Serra, Reading Cones, 1988, Cor-Ten Steel, City of Chicago. Photo Marin Sullivan, 2013" data-rich-file-id="2800" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2800/original/serra.jpg" />

<h3>RICHARD SERRA&nbsp; &ndash; READING CONES</h3>

A break in the minimalist exterior allows for a narrow space through which to view the surrounding city. Oh, there&rsquo;s <a href="https://sculpturalthings.com/2013/06/06/that-richard-serra-in-grant-park/">a story</a> about how this piece became the City&rsquo;s in 1990. Grant Park

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Alex Katz working on Harlem Station mural. Photograph by Nick Maravell" data-rich-file-id="2797" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2797/original/alex-katz-harlem-station-mural.jpg" />

<h3>ALEX KATZ&nbsp; &ndash; HARLEM STATION</h3>

This freestanding painting celebrates hardworking Chicagoans from all walks of life. One of the largest and most complex pieces by Katz, this work is on the go, all the time. Harlem Station, CTA Blue Line&nbsp;
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Art at All Hours

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418589/jxtusrjkebxcy9rhqqdh.jpg"><figcaption>1709-1711 W Chicago Ave.</figcaption></figure>By FRANCK MERCURIOIn his poem, Carl Sandburg summed up Chicago’s rough-and-tumble reputation as a city concerned with only one thing: making a buck.Proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.But turn-of-the-19th-century Chicagoans were also involved in the commerce of art. Wealthy industrialists purchased art and encouraged artists to settle in the city, especially after the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition had ended. Philanthropists Anne and Lambert Tree even financed the construction of Tree Studios—still thriving at Ohio and State Streets—providing artists with live/work spaces on the Near North Side. Soon after, artists, writers, and musicians congregated in the neighborhood surrounding the Water Tower, then known as Towertown.As North Michigan Avenue developed into the commercial district we know today, the Bohemian types moved on, but artistic enterprises remained. Katharine Kuh opened her eponymous gallery inside North Michigan Avenue’s Diana Court Building, which ran successfully from 1935 until 1943, despite the economic challenges of the Great Depression.&nbsp;Writing in the Encyclopedia of Chicago, MCA Curator Lynne Warren elaborates on the city’s first gallery district: “North Michigan Avenue and its immediate environs were the prime location for commercial art galleries from the 1940s until the 1980s. Pioneering spaces included Madeline Tourtelot’s Gallery Studio, Benjamin Galleries, and the Frank J. Oehlschlaeger Studio.”Today, a few gallerists still call North Michigan Avenue home, most notably Richard Gray (though they opened Gray Warehouse, an expansive West Side outpost, in 2017). But, as time passes, neighborhoods inevitably change. When River North became revitalized in the 1970s, the heart of Chicago’s gallery scene shifted from Michigan Avenue to the intersection of Superior and Franklin, which became the new hotspot for art. Today the neighborhood supports a concentration of approximately 20 galleries, including veterans Carl Hammer and Zolla/Lieberman, one-year-old Gallery Victor Armendariz, and now a pop-up from Aron Packer Projects.As gentrification of River North increased, a new generation of gallerists went in search of less expensive space; many found home in the West Loop, just south of Randolph Street’s restaurant row. Now, as development in that area rapidly increases, several galleries are moving on, seeking larger spaces, less expensive rents, and new audiences in West Town.“Fifteen years ago, the West Loop was all meat packing,” said Anastasia Tinari, director of Rhona Hoffman Gallery. “Now there are cranes on either side of our [former] building; it felt prohibitive. But people already come to this neighborhood [West Town]; and with Rhona having just moved here, her gallery serves as an anchor, along with the galleries upstairs.”Hoffman Gallery recently joined Western Exhibitions, DOCUMENT, Volume Gallery, and Paris London Hong Kong in a large commercial building at 1709 W. Chicago Avenue, making the intersection of Ashland and Chicago the new art nexus of the neighborhood.&nbsp;A new restaurant coming to the same building will also draw regular crowds; Funkenhausen, touted as a big beer hall with traditional German dishes, is a project of the building’s landlord, Daniel Boyd, and chef Marc Steuer (El Che and Carraige House).&nbsp;West Town isn’t new to the Chicago arts scene. A loose confederation of experimental galleries, called Uncomfortable Spaces, was located in the neighborhood in the 1990s. Corbett vs. Dempsey has also been a dynamic presence here since 2004. But recent events have made West Town a magnet for even more galleries.“The West Loop is getting too dense,” said Scott Speh, owner and director of Western Exhibitions. “The landlord of our old space offered this building [1709]; it seemed like the best solution after looking for a year or more. We [the gallery owners] all live nearby and wanted to be on the western fringes of the West Loop.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2757/original/rhona.jpg" alt=""></figure>Hoffman has been in the gallery business for over 40 years, and in that time she has run six different spaces. Her philosophy is practical, keeping the needs of the customer in mind. “If you want to see galleries in Chicago, you have to spend a day getting everywhere,” she says, “So you need to have some kind of a center.”Just up the street at 864 N. Ashland, Jefferson Godard relocated his gallery, Aspect/Ratio, from the West Loop in 2017. Aspect/Ratio had been operating at 119 N. Peoria, directly across the street from Hoffman’s previous space, for several years. Known for cutting-edge video installations, Godard’s 3rd floor West Loop gallery had no street visibility. The new space has large windows looking onto Ashland Avenue and a 1,000-square-foot floor plan, nearly five times the size of the old gallery.&nbsp;“We decided to move to a better, more prominent location,” said Godard. “West Town/Ukrainian Village offered us a great space and community.”The community is growing as other gallerists relocate near the intersection of Chicago and Ashland Avenues, including Mongerson Gallery, Mickey Pomfrey (of Courtney Blades Gallery) and Monique Meloche Gallery.Architect Dirk Denison is designing Meloche’s new space in an expanded location in West Town. The gallery opens June 9 with a solo exhibition of Jeff Sonhouse’s works.“We’ve been looking for a couple of years to move, and we’ve always liked being on the west side in Wicker Park/Bucktown,” said Meloche. “So it was natural to keep looking in the same general area. My gallery has always been a destination, but we are happy to soon be within walking distance of some of our colleagues.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2756/original/5-install-handeye.jpg" alt=""></figure>“Like everything else, things change,” said Speh of Western Exhibitions. “Whenever I see articles about changing gallery districts, and bemoaning that, well this is historical. Every 10 to 15 years, things shift.”With ample street parking and multiple public transportation options, West Town has become a convenient and appealing art outpost. And with new restaurants and amenities continuing to move to the neighborhood, Chicago’s newest gallery district is becoming a destination to spend an afternoon or evening enjoying a meal and viewing art.&nbsp;West Town AREA Galleries:&nbsp;West Town’s general boundaries are considered Bloomingdale to Kinzie; the Chicago River to Kedzie. Neighborhoods within West Town also include: East Village, Humboldt Park, Kinzie Industrial Corridor, Noble Square, Smith Park, Ukrainian Village, and Wicker Park and nearby River West.For the purpose of identifying this new gallery center, we consider the West Town-ish arts boundaries to be between Augusta and Lake and the River to WesternThe list below is current as of May 2018.&nbsp;Aspect/Ratio:&nbsp;864 N. AshlandChicago Artists Coalition:&nbsp;2130 W. FultonChicago Truborn: 1741 W. Chicago&nbsp;Corbett vs. Dempsey: 1120 N. AshlandCourtneyBlades:&nbsp;1635 W. GrandDOCUMENT: 1709 W. ChicagoRichard Gray Warehouse: 2044 W. CarrollRhona Hoffman Gallery: 1711 W. ChicagoIntuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art: 756 N. MilwaukeeJohalla Projects: 1821 W. HubbardTHE MISSION: 1431 W. ChicagoMongerson Gallery:&nbsp;2251 W. Grandmonique meloche:&nbsp;451 N. PaulinaParis London Hong Kong:&nbsp;1709 W. ChicagoPATRON Gallery:&nbsp;673 N. MilwaukeeMatthew Rachman Gallery:&nbsp;1659 W. ChicagoRegards:&nbsp;2216 w. ChicagoRoots &amp; Culture:&nbsp;1034 N. MilwaukeeSpudnik Press:&nbsp;1821 W. HubbardLinc Thelen Galleries:&nbsp;1620 W. CARROLLUkrainian Institute of Modern Art&nbsp;(UIMA): 2320 W. ChicagoVolume:&nbsp;1709 W. ChicagoWestern Exhibitions: 1709 W. Chicago&nbsp;Top image: The&nbsp;1709–1711 W. Chicago Ave. building once housed a factory. Today it is home to several galleries that have moved from the West Loop.</body></html>

A New Westward Migration: Galleries Move in Search of Space and Community

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

The artist Alex Katz is well known around the world for his colorful, stylized portraits and bold natural landscapes. Prolific for decades, he marked his 90th birthday in 2017 and is still making art. His latest exhibition, Grass and Trees, opened April 12 at Richard Gray Gallery, featuring work that goes in a new direction, proving that we as humans never have to stop observing or creating.&nbsp;

Critic John Yau, in an essay on Katz&rsquo;s new work says, &ldquo;The list of artists who break through to a new way of making art after turning eighty is not very long. Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, and Willem de Kooning are among the few in this category.&rdquo; He points out that in this new series of work is, &ldquo;The feeling of not quite knowing where you are or where you are going, which is rather unsettling when you consider the artist&rsquo;s age.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2760" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2760/original/katz-2c-grass-5-2c-2017-0417018-a.jpg" />

When I visited the gallery on a cold spring morning, I entered the quiet, empty warehouse space and came face to face with a large scale vertical painting of a set of sun&ndash; dappled steps buffetted by thick green foliage. It&rsquo;s not clear whether the steps are going down, or up, since the destination is unseen. The lines are curved and the steps themselves are a bit fuzzy, perhaps from the perspective of someone who has spent 90 years on earth. Everything looks a bit broader and softer; the light is fresh and clear.&nbsp;

Yau emphasizes that the Grass paintings are &ldquo;Unlike anything Katz has ever done before,&rdquo; though he notes their art historical ties through &ldquo;a dialog with Franz Kline&rsquo;s black-and-white abstractions, but solely on Katz&rsquo;s terms. Katz&rsquo;s paint is thinner and the strokes are looser, more at ease with themselves. This is plein-air painting taken to a new level.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption="Alex Katz, Road 2" data-rich-file-id="2731" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2731/original/katz-2c-road-2-2c-2017-1017020-a.jpg" />

In 2015, when he turned 88, Katz told artnet, &ldquo;Most painters, when they get older, they get worse. And the real good ones get better. This is, like, my stab at saying &lsquo;I got better.&rsquo;&rdquo; Indeed he&rsquo;s like the rare musician who, instead of going on a greatest hits tour or taking a standing gig in Las Vegas, continues to write new and relevant music that audiences of all ages enjoy.&nbsp;

In addition to the first painting that greets visitors in the gallery, Road 1, another similar work is hung at the other end of the space, as well as several large scale Grass pieces. On a frigid April day &ndash; snowing, in Chicago, on opening day of baseball season &ndash; the expanses of intense sunny yellow and verdant green are like a caffeine boost after a late night. I feel as if I am standing under a light lamp, absorbing much needed nutrients after too much time in the dark.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="alex katz, three trees 2, 2016, oil on linen, 48 x 84 inches" data-rich-file-id="2732" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2732/original/katz-2c-three-trees-2-2c-2016-1017015-a.jpg" />

Standing close to Grass 5, which at a remarkable 108 x 216 inches is the largest work in the show, I view sections of the linen surface one at a time, noticing the many layers of oil paint in various shades and combinations: green on yellow, green on green, yellow on green, and dark green on lighter green. Marks from Katz&rsquo;s paintbrush bristles are individually visible, creating an effect of blades of grass. I imagin I am shrunk down to the size of a chickadee or suddenly on the lawn of a giant. If that were the case I might feel lost, but standing in the gallery I feel immersed in Katz&rsquo;s powerfully saturated and contrasting colors, moved by brushstrokes that give a feeling of blowing in the breeze.&nbsp;

Commenting on the surface coverage of the works, Yau notes, &ldquo;Katz does not paint even a sliver of sky; there is a feeling of being hemmed in, but it is never oppressive.&rdquo; His focus on the ground makes you look carefully at your surroundings rather than what might be above and beyond. In the case of the Road pieces, I look at what is in front of me, as if truly walking an unfamiliar path. For Yau, art history once again informs these compositions: &ldquo;Katz&rsquo;s Road 1 and Road 2 (both 2017) are in dialog with Paul C&eacute;zanne&rsquo;s La route tournante en sous-bois (Bend in the forest road) (1902&ndash;06). Whereas the road in C&eacute;zanne&rsquo;s painting bends before disappearing, overtaken by the forest, Katz&rsquo;s road goes straight back, narrowing as it rises up the picture plane, until it comes to a halt.&rdquo;

The week that Grass and Trees opened, Katz attended the opening at Richard Gray, and he participated in a talk at the Art Institute with Anne Goldstein, as well as a Q&amp;A at the gallery with Yau and Northwestern University&rsquo;s Ivy Wilson. At 90 Katz continues to push the limits of his own art, as well as participate in an important dialogue about the evolving role of art in our society.&nbsp;

Every year when spring finally comes in the Midwest, everyone knows to enjoy it while it lasts. Katz&rsquo;s career has been long and illustrious. We are fortunate that he has continued to make art that sheds new light on the people and spaces around all of us.

&nbsp;

Alex Katz: Grass and Trees

On view thru June 2

Richard Gray Gallery, Gray Warehouse

2044 W. Carroll, Chicago (60612)

<a href="http://richardgraygallery.com">richardgraygallery.com</a>

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Top image: Grass and Trees installed at Gray Warehouse on Chicago&rsquo;s west side &nbsp;
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Alex Katz at Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago

Seeing the Trees for the Art: Alex Katz Finds New Inspiration at 90

Art Encounter, a non-profit art education organization, is celebrating 40 years this year. Devoted to the mission of educating, empowering, and connecting people of diverse ages and backgrounds through interactive experiences with visual art, the nonprofit also offers art programs to bring greater understanding and connection to underserved youth and seniors at risk of social isolation.&nbsp;

The group is well known for their in-depth and behind-the-scenes art tours, including local day trips to galleries and private collections as well as international trips to see the world&rsquo;s best art. Recent destinations have included Cuba, Venice, New Orleans, Toronto, Detroit, and Brazil.

On May 6, 2018&nbsp;a special 40th anniversary gala, &ldquo;Art Impacts,&rdquo; honors&nbsp;William Lieberman, whose gallery,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/zolla-lieberman-gallery">Zolla/Lieberman</a>, pioneered River North as an art center when his mother Roberta Lieberman co-founded the gallery in 1976. &nbsp;The event is also a tribute to Art Encounter founder Joanna Pinsky&#39;s 40 years of leadership.

Proceeds from the event will help increase the depth and breadth of Art Encounter&rsquo;s future community outreach programming. One of the highlights of this year&rsquo;s Gala will be the art auction of master works by 35 prestigious artists, many of them represented by Zolla/Lieberman, including Phyllis Bramson, William Conger, John Fraser, Josh Garber, Vera Klement, David Kroll, Michael Nakoneczny, Ren&eacute;&nbsp;Romero Schuler, Buzz Spector, Jay Strommen, Maria Tomasula, Glenn Wexler, and others. The event also calls attention to the large number of women artists represented by the gallery.

Art Encounter was founded by three artists who believed that &ldquo;there are many ways to see&rdquo;, and that meaningful and collaborative encounters with art have many benefits. Program offerings, which annually serve over 3,500 people and reach people of all ages and backgrounds, engage with public school children and nursing home residents, residents of Englewood as well as Evanston, young parents and active retirees.

The Art Impacts Gala takes place Sunday, May 6 from 2-5pm at the Woman&#39;s Club of Evanston,&nbsp;1700 Chicago Avenue (Evanston). Tickets are&nbsp;$125.

You can bid in the auction online in advance via <a href="https://paddle8.com/auction/art-encounter/">Paddle8</a>.

Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://artencounter.org">artencounter.org</a>&nbsp;for details.

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Art Encounter founder Joanna Pinsky, and Pagoda Red's Betsy Nathan" data-rich-file-id="2725" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2725/original/2.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Art Encounter participants" data-rich-file-id="2727" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2727/original/4.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Phyllis Bramson, The Good Keeper of All Living Things, 2017, collage/mixed media/oil on canvas, 70&quot; × 60&quot;" data-rich-file-id="2743" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2743/original/bramson.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Vera Klement, Vessel and Horizon, 1984 Oil on canvas 60” x 36”" data-rich-file-id="2742" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2742/original/klement.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Honoree William Lieberman" data-rich-file-id="2744" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2744/original/william-laughing.jpg" />

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Art Encounter celebrates 40 years with a gala on May 6 honoring William Lieberman of Zolla/Lieberman Gallery

Art Encounter Celebrates Four Decades Behind the Scenes

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

I have been to the Shedd Aquarium many times since having children. It&#39;s a wonderfully interactive and stimulating place to view so many fish and animals&nbsp;up close in gorgeous aquatic environments.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Shedd&nbsp;is ultimately much more than a Chicago destination for families and tourists. Scientists at the Shedd are devoted, both publicly and behind the scenes, to&nbsp;saving endangered species and their habitats. Their animal care experts rescue and rehabilitate wildlife in need, across the country and around the world.

An ongoing exhibition uses art to make the case for&nbsp;how important it is for all of us to work to save these beautiful animals, since there is a crisis in our waters.&nbsp;Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea is a&nbsp;limited-time installation featuring&nbsp;colorful sculptures of a 11-foot seahorse, a sinuous 13-foot-long eel, a 150-pound anemone and seven other gigantic aquatic animals.&nbsp;

The sculptures are fun to behold, but looking closely you see that they&#39;re constructed of our every-day refuse that often escapes the trash bin and ends up as a lethal obstacle in the water. It&#39;s important to notice that while this plastic material is being repurposed, it&#39;s not actually recycled - it was just discarded after (most likely) a single use. Trash used in the art includes plastic bottles, straws, lighters, toothbrushes, flip-flops, ropes, toys and other mostly plastic flotsam and jetsam. The things we don&#39;t give a thought to once we are done with them don&#39;t go away; they add up.&nbsp;More than&nbsp;5 tons that was&nbsp;washed up&nbsp;on West Coast beaches&nbsp;was used just in this exhibition for these few sculptures.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2686" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2686/original/seahorse.jpg" />

The traveling exhibition is an endeavor&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Washed Ashore Project,&nbsp;born in 2010 after artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi&nbsp;witnessed mounds of plastic trash piling up on formerly pristine beaches along her native Oregon coast. She organized all-volunteer cleanups and used the collected trash&mdash;washed and sorted&mdash;to create massive, realistic sculptures of the sea animals most affected by the pollution.

Since the project began, 10,000 volunteers have removed more than 38,000 pounds of plastic trash&mdash;largely single-use plastics&mdash;from over 300 miles of beaches. Ninety-five percent of the debris collected has been used in more than 60 sculptures so far. &nbsp;And who knew&nbsp;Americans use an estimated 500 million straws each day?

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2685" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2685/original/clownfish.jpg" />

Though the reality of floating trash is dire, there is whimsy and fun in these sculptures, which is fitting in a wonderous place like the Shedd. My family enjoyed this latest trip, and we have been making extra sure to bring our own water bottles wherever we go.

Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea&nbsp;runs at the Shedd Aquarium&nbsp;through September 2018. A behind-the-scenes video from Washed Ashore is below.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4V_RZ-p9-Y" width="560"></iframe>

<a href="https://www.sheddaquarium.org">Click here</a> for more info.

Photos courtesy Shedd&nbsp;Aquarium
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Washed Ashore at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium makes a statement through art using discarded plastic 

From the Sea to the Shedd: Art Makes a Statement

We&#39;ve all been hibernating this winter, and especially the last several days,&nbsp;so now we are eager to get out and visit local galleries and museums to really warm up.&nbsp;This Valentine&#39;s Day there are a handful of thematic exhibitions taking place that you can enjoy with a loved-one. There are shows at Weinberg/Newton and LineDot taking place this week, as well as a concert at the Driehaus, exhibitions at the Art Institute and&nbsp;the Block Museum, and an early reminder about MoCP&#39;s photography benefit party on March 1.&nbsp;

We know everyone needs some (last-minute) gift ideas too, and the Art Institute, the Driehaus and&nbsp;the MCA all offer great art-themed gifts.&nbsp;

Love is in the air, and in the art...&nbsp;

Happy Valentine&#39;s Day!&nbsp;

XOXO

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2595" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2595/original/weinberg.jpg" />

<h2>Haiku Your Love at Weinberg/Newton</h2>

The best gifts are from the heart, right?&nbsp;Spread some love this Valentine&#39;s Day at &quot;Haiku Your Love&quot; at Weinberg/Newton Gallery on Tuesday, February 13.&nbsp;At this fundraiser for the American Heart Association, attendees&nbsp;will participate in making haikus from various love-themed words that will be prearranged from large stencils provided by the David L. Hoyt Foundation. The Poetry Center will make recommendations for words to include in each of the haikus and suggestions for different haiku formats. Participants and attendees will vote on their favorite haiku, which will be framed after the event and put on display at the CLA for extended viewing.&nbsp;Tickets are&nbsp;$3.50 on&nbsp;Eventbrite&nbsp;and $5 at the door. Proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association. The event is open to the public. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/haiku-your-love">Details here.</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2589" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2589/original/lister.jpg" />

<h2>Anthony Lister Valentine&#39;s Release + Reception at LineDot Editions</h2>

Join LineDot on Valentine&#39;s night for the release of an exclusive collection of drawings by one of Australia&#39;s most renowned contemporary artists, Anthony Lister. Drinks will be served and the artist will be in attendance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/anthony-lister-valentine-s-release-reception">Details here.</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2594" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2594/original/driehauscgn18-2.jpg" />

<h2>Baroque Concert at the Driehaus Museum + The Art of Seating</h2>

Love is In the Air with a&nbsp;Third Coast Baroque concert&nbsp;in the always-romantic-setting of the Driehaus. The concert is Wednesday, February 14, 6:30 &ndash; 7:30 p.m. and features &ldquo;Chicago&rsquo;s most accomplished period instrumentalists and singers,&rdquo; (Chicago Tribune) who will present classical music inspired by Cupid&rsquo;s favorite holiday. While you&#39;re there, catch the recently opened exhibition/love letter to The Art of Seating.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.driehausmuseum.org">Details here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;

The Driehaus also has a very nice gift shop... Consider some French poster <a href="https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/collections/for-him/products/cuff-links-mucha-wallpaper">art cufflinks</a> ($54), or a <a href="https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/collections/for-her/products/mayil-peacock-porcelain-diffuser">porcelain diffuser</a> ($62)

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2592" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2592/original/mucha.jpg" />

&nbsp;

<h2>Rodin, Sculptor and Storyteller at Art Institute</h2>

Even though it&#39;s Valentine&#39;s Day, go beyond Rodin&#39;s famous The Kiss at this exhibition.&nbsp;At the beginning of the 20th century, Auguste Rodin (1840&ndash;1917) was the most famous artist in the world. On the centenary of his death, the Art Institute joins museums around the world in celebrating the renowned artist&rsquo;s life and work. Presenting rarely seen sculptures and drawings from private collections, as well as from the museum&rsquo;s rich holdings, this exhibition is the first devoted to the sculptor at the Art Institute since 1923. Rodin was a master of visual communication. His powerfully expressive sculpted bodies speak to us directly through cleverly constructed gestures and poses and in the carefully rendered surfaces of his bronzes and marbles. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/rodin-sculptor-and-storyteller">Details here.&nbsp;</a>

The Art Institute Gift shop features more gift ideas:&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2596" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2596/original/aicitems.jpg" />

A plate featuring Rodin&#39;s The Kiss (<a href="http://www.artinstituteshop.org/item.aspx?productId=7658">$108 for members</a>) and a sterling silver pin by SAIC alumnus Edward Gorey (<a href="http://www.artinstituteshop.org/item.aspx?productId=7265">on sale for $29.99</a>)

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="LAURA LETINSKY Untitled (Laura and Eric, Dress) (from the Inferred series), 1995. Part of MoCP Darkroom" data-rich-file-id="2598" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2598/original/mocp.jpg" />

<h2>Tickets to MoCP Darkroom, March 1</h2>

What&#39;s better than spending a night out together? We suggest buying two tickets to MoCP&#39;s annual benefit coming up on March 1 - go VIP and spend a fabulous evening enjoying photography and a grand party. You may also want to bid on one of the works of art up for auction. This one can be your ultimate last minute gift (buy tickets, print them out and seal with a kiss!)&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mocp.org/support/annual-benefit.php">Details and tickets&nbsp;here.&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2597" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2597/original/blake.jpg" />

<h2>William Blake and the Age of Aquarius at the Block Museum</h2>

This is a thinking-person&#39;s romantic outing, for sure. In the summer of 1967, more than 100,000 young people streamed into the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, as well as Greenwich Village in New York and Old Town in Chicago, to celebrate peace, love, music, and mind-altering drugs. Many of the artists, poets and musicians associated with the &ldquo;Summer of Love&rdquo; embraced the work of British visionary poet and artist William Blake (1757&ndash;1827) and used it as a compass to drive their own political and personal evolutions. William Blake and the Age of Aquarius&nbsp;will consider parallels between Blake&rsquo;s time and mid-twentieth-century America, touching on such issues as political repression, social transformation, and struggles for civil rights. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/william-blake-and-the-age-of-aquarius">Details here.&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<h2>Shop the Museum of Contemporary Art</h2>

The MCA store is frequently the answer to our gift-giving needs, and some of these new and best-selling&nbsp;items in store may delight your art-lover.&nbsp;

<h3>For the hot man in your life ($18.95)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Hotman Trivet" data-rich-file-id="2587" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2587/original/12596-default-m.jpg" />

<h3>Make your love pop-up ($14.95)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="I Love You Pop-Up by David Carter" data-rich-file-id="2591" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2591/original/mcabook.jpg" />

<h3>Say it with a Jeff Koons kiss... Or two ($29.95/ea)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Small Balloon Puppy" data-rich-file-id="2599" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2599/original/mca.jpg" />

<h3>Your love is surreal ($40)</h3>

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Top of page image: Chris Uphues&#39;s installation on a residential garage in Chicago
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Love is in the Air and in the Art 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417600/agqewx3cn0j0giuotfns.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;Following 2017's many cultural milestones in Chicago,&nbsp;a new initiative to highlight the city as an international&nbsp;hub and crossroads of visual culture manages to&nbsp;set the bar even higher&nbsp;in 2018. On Thursday, January 11 Art Design Chicago officially kicked off at the DePaul Art Museum to a packed house. Many art world figures,&nbsp;as well as representatives from the City of Chicago and the sponsoring Terra Foundation for American Art&nbsp;and The Richard H.&nbsp;Driehaus Foundation, were present to share why they think championing such an expansive and ambitious program is so critical to the future of not just culture in Chicago but the arts in general.&nbsp;The Terra provided $6 million in funding to the year-long event, in addition to a 1$ million donation from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and $1 million raised from smaller donors. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;A city-wide partnership of more than 40 cultural organizations,&nbsp;Art Design Chicago is&nbsp;intended to gather cultural powerhouses and mass creativity and collaboration under a very big virtual tent. ADC&nbsp;will explore Chicago’s art and design legacy through some 25 exhibitions and hundreds of public programs.&nbsp;Amy&nbsp;Zinck, Executive Vice President of the Terra Foundation, spoke about how&nbsp;a program like Art Design Chicago can elucidate Chicago’s rich art and design history for all.&nbsp;The Terra's goal in mounting and funding such an extensive&nbsp;program&nbsp;is to make ADC&nbsp;a cultural game changer by offering deep, impactful support to a range of organizations. Spurring various groups to combine their efforts and draw large crowds over the course of an entire year has the power to&nbsp;show that art can lead the way in changing lives in the city. As Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Mark Kelly proclaimed, "Art is an essential not tangential part of our lives." Despite Chicago’s thriving visual arts scene and those nearby who hold it in high regard, the city does not yet enjoy as high a cultural&nbsp;profile&nbsp;as&nbsp;the likes of New York, Los Angeles&nbsp;or San Francisco. Art Design Chicago hopes to change that for good,&nbsp;with ambitious and diverse programming that spans the calendar. &nbsp;The simultaneous&nbsp;opening of exhibitions at DePaul Art Museum – <a href="https://www.artdesignchicago.org/events/jose-guerrero-presente-a-memorial-print-portfolio">Jose Guerrero, Presente: A Memorial Print Portfolio</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artdesignchicago.org/events/barbara-jones-hogu-resist-relate-unite-1968-1975">Barbara Jones-Hogu: Resist, Relate, Unite 1968–1975</a>, both thru March 25&nbsp;–&nbsp;showed how&nbsp;printmaking in Chicago has been, and of course can continue to be, a meaningful&nbsp;vehicle for social change and experimentation, and it put on full view what a&nbsp;lasting impact artists can have on their personal as well as larger environments. The actual kickoff of the exhibitions on view was also bittersweet, as the artist Barbara Jones-Hogu passed away this past fall before she could see her own first solo exhibition. Jones-Hogu's family was in attendance at the opening, and DPAM Director Julie Rodrigues-Widholm said it was&nbsp;personally important to her to make sure that the&nbsp;exhibition would happen. Art Design Chicago was a crucial means for the dream to be realized.&nbsp;ADC also just announced a&nbsp;new partnership&nbsp;with Chicago Athletic Association Hotel's Live Storytelling Series,&nbsp;a monthly podcast taking place throughout 2018 in the hotel’s Drawing Room Library - a fitting combination of historic architecture meets new design and new media. For the podcast each live recording will feature an Art Design Chicago exhibition curator in conversation with a contemporary Chicago-based artist or designer to discuss the city’s art and design legacy, focusing on the ways in which contemporary creative practice is influenced by the generations of artists and designers that came before. Storytelling&nbsp;events are&nbsp;free and open and to the public. All sessions are recorded and made available for download and listening at&nbsp;<a href="http://ChicagoAthleticEvents.com">ChicagoAthleticEvents.com</a>&nbsp;and on&nbsp;iTunes.The first&nbsp;program takes place this Sunday, January 21 with&nbsp;Juarez Hawkins + Damon Reed from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Hawkins,&nbsp;curator of the exhibition&nbsp;Bill Walker: Urban Griot&nbsp;currently on view at the Hyde Park Art Center, will talk&nbsp;with artist Damon Reed about the legacy of Bill Walker and his influence on socially engaged art practice and street art of today.&nbsp;Looking ahead, in April, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will present Picture Fictions: Kenneth Josephson and Contemporary Photography,&nbsp;a consideration of conceptual and contemporary photography from a iconic figure from the field.&nbsp;The Art Institute of Chicago will be hosting a retrospective of African-American painter Charles White in June, through a partnership with the Museum of Modern Art, and they&nbsp;have also organized a highly-anticipated September exhibition about the Hairy Who, the comical and absurd cousin of pop art that became popular during the 1960’s and 70’s.Additional exhibitions will be shown at the Dusable Museum of African American History, National Museum of Mexican Art, The Arts Club of Chicago, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, and more.Elizabeth Glassman, Terra Foundation’s President and Chief Executive, says of the event that, “I would like people to recognize that Chicago has always been important and I would like them to think this is the first word on the subject.”Uniquely drawing upon the cornerstones of Chicago’s visual history, Art Design Chicago will be the first word in a very long conversation of the city’s enduring and underrepresented arts culture.More information at <a href="https://www.artdesignchicago.org">artdesignchicago.org</a>&nbsp;Top image:&nbsp;Barbara Jones-Hogu,&nbsp;Unite, 1969. Courtesy of Lusenhop Fine Art.CGN intern Riley Yaxley contributed to this article.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Art Design Chicago opens a year of artistic collaborations

Art Design Chicago Kicks of a Year of Collaboration

By RILEY YAXLEY

On Monday, The City of Chicago unveiled an impressive 100-foot mural painted on the western side of the Chicago&nbsp;Cultural Center. The mural, titled&nbsp;Rushmore,&nbsp;was commissioned for $1 dollar and created by&nbsp;Chicago&rsquo;s own contemporary art icon, artist&nbsp;Kerry James Marshall. The mural was a part of Chicago&rsquo;s Year of Public Art, a year-long initiative&nbsp;that spearheaded multiple commissions for new public art in each of the City&rsquo;s 50 wards. &nbsp; &nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Courtesy City of Chicago DCASE" data-rich-file-id="2507" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2507/original/marshallmural1.jpg" />

Kerry James Marshall currently lives and works in Chicago&rsquo;s Bronzeville neighborhood. His contributions to Chicago&rsquo;s cultural landscape were awarded with a Fifth Star Honor Award from the city on August 28, 2017.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel described the mural as &ldquo;a tremendous gift for the city,&rdquo; from &ldquo;one of the most renowned artists in the world today.&rdquo; The artist is internationally renowned, with his work fetching ever higher prices in the global art market. Here at home,&nbsp;&nbsp;Marshall&#39;s&nbsp;Still Life with Wedding Portrait&nbsp;sold for $5.04 Million during the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago&rsquo;s Benefit Art Auction last month. The painting depicted abolitionist Harriet Tubman at her wedding.

<img alt="" data-caption="Photo Courtesy of MCA Chicago" data-rich-file-id="2508" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2508/original/mcakjm.jpg" />

Marshall described the $1 commision fee for the mural as an act of &ldquo;civic obligation&rdquo; (the mural was funded by Murals of Acceptance, a not-for-profit whose goal is to bring art to all peoples in a free, public setting.) He also reminisced that the project is a very personal&nbsp;return to his roots, because his first exhibition was held at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Rushmore&nbsp;depicts 20 women who have shaped the cultural landscape of Chicago. Included are literary icon&nbsp;Gwendolyn Brooks,&nbsp;Oprah Winfrey,&nbsp;Harriet Monroe, the founder of the Poetry Foundation,&nbsp;famed dancer&nbsp;Ruth Page,&nbsp;the&nbsp;City of Chicago&#39;s&nbsp;longest serving First Lady and cultural ambassador&nbsp;Maggie Daley, and many others.

The mural was started in September and took nine weeks to complete. Jeff Zimmerman, a Chicago mural artist, helped to execute Marshall&rsquo;s vision and design.

This is yet another milestone in Marshall&rsquo;s illustrious career. In 2016, his mid-career retrospective,&nbsp;Mastry,&nbsp;debuted at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and received rapturous praise. His work has also been featured in countless prestigious international exhibitions, such as the 1997 Whitney Biennial, the 2003 Venice Biennial, the 2009 Gwanju Biennial, and the 1999 Carnegie International.

As the Year of Public Art comes to a close, the unveiling of this mural feels like a culmination of the year&rsquo;s rich art programs. Rushmore will stand as another cultural landmark for a city that is already the envy of the world&nbsp;for it&rsquo;s extensive collection of public art, which includes works&nbsp;like Anish Kapoor&rsquo;s Cloud Gate, Jaume Plensa&rsquo;s Crown Fountain, and the Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plaza, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

Marshall&rsquo;s&nbsp;Rushmore&nbsp;is a timely reminder of the women who have been underrepresented for their contributions to culture and gifts the city with a work that continues to redefine and shape the way that we think about public art.

&nbsp;

Watch the dedication of Rushmore&nbsp;and a timelapse below:

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z3jA5C-fc1Q" width="560"></iframe>

&nbsp;

For more information, and to read news&nbsp;about the mural&nbsp;written from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tonight, and the official project statement from the City of Chicago see the links below:

<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-kerry-james-marshall-mural-unveiled-chicago-1204-story.html">Chicago Tribune&nbsp;</a>

<a href="https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/12/04/kerry-james-marshall-unveils-monumental-mural-loop">Chicago Tonight WTTW</a>&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/kjm_mural.html">City of Chicago&nbsp;</a>
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Kerry James Marshall Mural unveiled on Cultural Center

Chicago gets its own ‘Rushmore’ with new Kerry James Marshall Mural

By DENNIS CALLAHAN

With the advent of digital devices and smartphones that capture and distribute video with the tap of a finger, the genre of electronic art&nbsp;has become ubiquitous, but it most likely first got its start decades ago.&nbsp;Jean Tinguely (Swiss, 1925-1991) &amp; Marcell Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) may have been the first artists to use electrical/kinetic elements in their sculptures, and then in the late 1960s artists such as Nam June Paik, Dan Flavin, Bruce Nauman and Andy Warhol began to expand the presence of&nbsp;electronic components in their art. By&nbsp;the 1990&rsquo;s the practice became more widespread as&nbsp;artists began to frequently&nbsp;incorporate digital media into their work.&nbsp;

While the mediums are now&nbsp;omnipresent at contemporary art shows, they continue to inspire a degree of mistrust among some buyers, notes curator and journalist&nbsp;Judith Benhamou-Huet. A large part of that hesitation is acknowledging&nbsp;the&nbsp;maintenance and conservation these works&nbsp;require as well as what some perceive as a&nbsp;lack of expertise in this new field.

As old technology becomes unavailable or obsolete, keeping them operating becomes more difficult or even impossible. You have to anticipate problems with conservation. That is why files have to be updated every seven years or sometimes even at the same pace as the technology it utilizes. For example the fluorescent tubes which are the heart of Dan Flavin&#39;s sculptures are no longer being manufactured in the U.S. because of EPA restrictions. The glass tubes and coil amps as well as the CRT&rsquo;s used in the television sets of Nam June Paik are no longer available, and very few people know how to work with them. Transformers for high voltage neon tubes age out and the dangerous PCB&rsquo;s leak from them onto collectors&#39; home or&nbsp;museum floors, or worse. (See&nbsp;Figure 2.)

<img alt="" data-caption="Figure 2" data-rich-file-id="2406" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2406/original/figure-2.jpg" />

Digital drivers for computers controlling interactive LED and audio components wear out and are discontinued by their manufacturers. Recently for example, an expensive, no longer in-production Dell XPS Tower that was programmed with custom software designed by the artist more than ten years ago crashed. It was the beating heart of an interactive monumental sculpture in a large private collection open to the public with millions of viewers every year. With 18 large monitors and a huge, multi-ton steel &amp; LED the art measures over 30&rsquo; tall and 125&rsquo; long and 30&rsquo; wide. The components no longer functioned. After extensive on-site diagnostics, our firm, Callahan art &amp; associates,&nbsp;discovered that a single small capacitor on the motherboard had fried (Figure 3). We&nbsp;safely removed&nbsp;the motherboard, removed the bad capacitor, sourced&nbsp;a replacement for it, and soldered it back on the motherboard (see image at top of page). This saved the sculpture, which otherwise would have been de-accessioned and scrapped, as the operating program and software was too old and unique to operate on any other, let alone newer, machine.

<img alt="" data-caption="Figure 3" data-rich-file-id="2408" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2408/original/figure-3.jpg" />

Only a small number of universities&nbsp;offer training in time-based media conservation. At N.Y.U., Hannelore Roemich,&nbsp;professor of conservation science, and Christine Frohnert, of Bek and Frohnert conservation studio,&nbsp;are developing a graduate specialization that will be&nbsp;part of the 2018 curriculum; it&nbsp;will be the first of its kind in the nation. Compared with traditional art conservation, which deals with, say, restoring Impressionist masterworks or Renaissance sculpture, the preservation of these technologic and time-based media&nbsp;works can be even more demanding.

&ldquo;It becomes so much more difficult when it has a plug,&rdquo;&nbsp;is how Professor Frohnert put it. It is crucial, she said, for conservators to forge relationships with experts in related fields.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2410" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2410/original/figure-6.jpg" />

Callahan art and associates has restored many electronic components in-house. When we approach a work, we think of it as a work of art that is in need of conservation, not as a piece of outdated technology. Electronic or computer technicians see these works as simply old machines; they&nbsp;lack the experience, creative problem solving or patience to restore them as works of art. Potentially dismissing the machines as totalled, they may not&nbsp;recognize the important social and&nbsp;cultural value of the artworks. They only see disposable or sometimes replaceable technology.

&nbsp;

About Dennis Callahan:&nbsp;

The principal of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/callahan-art-associates">Callahan art &amp; associates</a>, Dennis Callahan, studied electronic art and holography in the early 1980&rsquo;s at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Studying under Steve Waldek Callahan designed and built solid state circuits to control his kinetic sculptures. He also studied holography and&nbsp;created holograms in the then-cutting-edge lab at SAIC as well as&nbsp;worked making neon signs and sculptures and solid state controllers (before they were available commercially) at a neon shop in Chicago.

Callahan has been fortunate to segue into electronic conservation today, providing the experience and technical know-how to maintain analog and digital based artwork. He is also sharing his knowledge with conservators and students in order to keep such works alive in the future and shares his&nbsp;ability to understand the perspective of the artists, collectors &amp; museums.

<img alt="" data-caption="Dennis Callahan" data-rich-file-id="2405" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2405/original/figure-0.jpg" />

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Contemporary Conservation Challenges: Electronic Art

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2415" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2415/original/50-save-the-date-20170526.jpg" />

The Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors at 237 East Ontario in October 1967, and a great deal of things have changed both inside and outside of the museum.&nbsp;This weekend on October 21 and 22, 2017&nbsp;the museum will once again be opening its doors to the public to invite everyone in to a major celebration&nbsp;to see and participate in the art that has been at the heart of the MCA&#39;s contemporary programming for five decades. The museum aims to share the role of the contemporary museum in today&#39;s community and to celebrate Chicago itself by highlighting history and fostering new creative connections all weekend long. Visitors can enjoy free admission and join Chicago artists and creatives in a range of mediums and fields to commemorate 50 years, celebrate the present and look to the future.&nbsp;

This weekend&#39;s events also inagurate the MCA&#39;s recent renovation, and visitors are invited to dine in the&nbsp;new restaurant, Marisol. The anniversary weekend also launches the&nbsp;museum&#39;s&nbsp;new&nbsp;community space, the Commons. Of course, there will also be a lot of art on view, particularly notable is&nbsp;a museum-wide exhibition, <a href="https://mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2017/We-Are-Here">We Are Here</a>, a&nbsp;three-part exhibition drawn from the MCA&rsquo;s significant collection of twentieth-&nbsp;and twenty-first-century art,&nbsp;organized by three of the museum&rsquo;s visual arts curators,&nbsp;that highlights the museum&#39;s permanent collection of art from 1945 to today.&nbsp;

The museum also opens a collaborative exhibition of&nbsp;two of the most important artists in the museum&rsquo;s history, as well as icons of the last 100 years.&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.org/Exhibitions/2017/Heaven-And-Earth-Alexander-Calder-And-Jeff-Koons">Heaven and Earth: Alexander Calder and Jeff Koons</a>&nbsp;finds common ground between these seemingly disparate artists, with Alexander Calder&rsquo;s weightless sculptures nominally representing &ldquo;heaven&rdquo; and Jeff Koons&rsquo;s celebrations of the mundane and concrete as &ldquo;earth.&rdquo; This pairing highlights both artists&rsquo; interest in playing with balance and gravity to make compelling sculptural statements, while reveling in the contrasts between high art aspirations and mundane material choices.

At the end of the day, the birthday celebration is just that &ndash; a party. The events planned promise to be festive and high-energy, and they will take place from morning until late-night. On&nbsp;Saturday evening, October 21, the key program samples the city&#39;s broad range of musical offerings, kicking off with DJ Calixta of CumbiaSazo!, and including showcase sets with theMIND and Kaycee Ortiz as well as a rare live performance by Lupe Fiasco. The evening concludes with Legacy in the Living, an immersive dance party with Kiara Lanier and Dj Duane Powell. that recounts Chicago&#39;s musical history. Visitors are encouraged to come in their best art-inspired dress and to immortalize the occasion with photography by GlitterGuts.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Lupe Fiasco Photo: Rob Norris" data-rich-file-id="2416" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2416/original/img-9366-credit-rob-norris-20-1-.jpg" />

Free reservations for the atrium concert featuring DJ Calixta, theMIND, Kaycee Ortiz, and Lupe Fiasco are available October 18 at noon. Museum galleries and artist projects remain open to all throughout the evening event and the atrium reopens at 9:30 pm for the museum-wide dance party.

A lineup of the anniversary weekend&#39;s events is shown below.*&nbsp;Read the list closely... There are going to be very special birthday cakes served,&nbsp;designed by Emily Nejad of Bon Vivant Cakes, in collaboration with Chicago artists Mari Eastman, Magalie Guerin, Paul Heyer, William J. O&rsquo;Brien, and Amanda Williams.

Here&#39;s to 50 MCA!

&nbsp;

Note: events marked as&nbsp;*Atrium mean that&nbsp;access is by pre-reserved free ticket for these performances. Ticket holders enter Atrium through Plaza steps. Tickets can be reserved starting Wednesday, October 18 at noon. Atrium reopens to the public at 9:30pm for the Dance Party.

MCA Hearts Chicago is co-organized by MCA Chicago and No Small Plans Productions.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

SATURDAY (10 am&ndash;11 pm)

&bull; 10 am&nbsp;Lykanthea&nbsp;(PLAZA) 
&bull;&nbsp;11 am Opening Ceremony, with the&nbsp;Chicago Children&#39;s Choir (PLAZA) 
&bull;&nbsp;Noon&ndash;2 pm&nbsp;Lou Mallozzi with Fred Schmalz,&nbsp;Tracking Shots (PERIMETER OF BUILDING) 
&bull;&nbsp;12:15 pm&nbsp;Liz McCarthy,&nbsp;Whistle Hang Out&nbsp;(ATRIUM and STAIRS) 
&bull;&nbsp;1&ndash;3 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Family Nook and Story Time with Drag Queens&nbsp;featuring Muffy Fishbasket (TERRACE) 
&bull;&nbsp;2 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Participatory Music Coalition&nbsp;(ATRIUM) 
&bull;&nbsp;3 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;South Shore Drill Team&nbsp;(PLAZA &mdash;&gt; ATRIUM &mdash;&gt; TERRACE) 
&bull;&nbsp;3:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Cake is served!&nbsp;Artist-designed cakes created by Bon Vivant Cakes (TERRACE) 
&bull;&nbsp;5 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;avery r. young and de deacon board perform&nbsp;protest pretty, followed by&nbsp;Jamila Woods in conversation with avery r. young and Tasha Viets-VanLear&nbsp;(THEATER)&nbsp;

After Hours in the Atrium&nbsp;(ticket required)* 
6 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;DJ caliXta of CumbioSazo! 
7 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;theMIND 
7:20 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Kaycee Ortiz 
7:50 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;DJ caliXta 
8:20 pm&nbsp;Lupe Fiasco&nbsp;with DJ Double L&nbsp;

9:30 pm&nbsp;Legacy in The Living 
Recount Chicago&#39;s musical history in an immersive dance party with Kiara Lanier and Dj Duane Powell.

SUNDAY (10 am&ndash;5 pm)

&bull;&nbsp;9 am&nbsp;&nbsp;Christa Donner,&nbsp;Guided, reservation required (ATRIUM)&nbsp;RSVP with names of attendees 
&bull;&nbsp;11 am&nbsp;&nbsp;Screening: Nobody&#39;s Here but Me&nbsp;(THEATER) 
&bull;&nbsp;11:30 am&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Chicago Authors Pop-Up&nbsp;(GALLERIES) 
&bull;&nbsp;Noon&nbsp;Michael Rakowitz,&nbsp;Enemy Kitchen&nbsp;(PLAZA) 
&bull;&nbsp;Noon&ndash;4 pm&nbsp;Teen Creative Agency: MCA 100&nbsp;(LAKE VIEW ROOM) 
&bull;&nbsp;12:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind &quot;the Stage&quot; Tour with Yolanda Cesta Cursach, Curator of Performance&nbsp;(4TH-FLOOR LOBBY and BACKSTAGE) 
&bull;&nbsp;12:30, 2, and 3:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Brendan Fernandes,&nbsp;Art by Snapchat 
&bull;&nbsp;1 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Aaron Hughes,&nbsp;Tea Performance&nbsp;(PLAZA) 
&bull;&nbsp;1 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Screening: Burden&nbsp;(THEATER) 
&bull;&nbsp;1:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Chicago Authors Pop-Up&nbsp;(GALLERIES) 
&bull;&nbsp;2:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind &quot;the Stage&quot; Tour with Tara Aisha Willis, Associate Curator of Performance&nbsp;(4TH-FLOOR LOBBY and BACKSTAGE) 
&bull;&nbsp;3 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Screening: Hairy Who &amp; the Chicago Imagists&nbsp;(THEATER) 
&bull;&nbsp;3:30 pm&nbsp;&nbsp;Young Chicago Authors Pop-Up&nbsp;(GALLERIES)

All details may be found on <a href="https://mcachicago.org/Calendar/2017/10/MCA-Hearts-Chicago">mcachicago.org</a>

Top image:&nbsp;MCA Prime Time: Off Rack September 23, 2017 Photo: Nathan Keay, &copy; MCA Chicago

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background-size: 14px 14px; background-color: rgb(189, 8, 28); position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; border: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">Save<span style="border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11px; line-height: 20px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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); 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The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago celebrates 50 years Oct 21-22, 2017

Happy Birthday MCA! 50th Celebrations Oct 21 and 22

By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;

If turning 50 means you&#39;re showing your age, then 50 sure looks good if you&#39;re the Museum of Contemporary Art.&nbsp;

Three quarters of the way through its 50th year in 2017, the MCA just unveiled the new building redesign by architects Johnston Marklee as well as opening of the highly anticipated restaurant Marisol, featuring the first US restaurant commission by British artist Chris Ofili.

Below are details from the museum&#39;s press release:&nbsp;

&quot;Today&nbsp;Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, officially opened the dynamic new building redesign by Los Angeles-based architects&nbsp;Sharon Johnston&nbsp;and Mark Lee&nbsp;of&nbsp;Johnston Marklee.&nbsp;Grynsztejn says, &quot;Johnston Marklee understands the strength of our Josef Paul Kleihues-designed building, and they carry a deep respect of history throughout their architectural practice. Their legacy of stellar work-increasingly referenced as a leader in the field-resonates strongly with our interest in making thoughtful interventions to our building, including a new restaurant called Marisol. With this redesign, our distinctive space becomes even more welcoming and flexible for our audiences.&quot;

Johnston Marklee (JML) redesigned select public spaces of the museum to create three major new offerings: Marisol, the ground-floor destination restaurant with an immersive art environment by international artist Chris Ofili; a social engagement space called the Commons on the second floor with an installaion by Pedro y Juana; and a new third floor with classrooms and a flexible meeting space that puts learning at the very center of the museum. These new public spaces are connected by a dramatic new staircase that honors the MCA&#39;s original iconic staircase, and an elegant new vaulted ceiling that recalls the barrel vaults in the fourth-floor galleries. JML&#39;s design of these welcoming and vibrant new spaces reflects the changing needs of a 21st-century contemporary art museum while maintaining the integrity of the Josef Paul Kleihues-designed building opened in 1996. This major $16-million renovation converts 12,000 square feet of interior space and coincides with the MCA&#39;s 50th anniversary.&quot; 
 
<img alt="" data-caption="Photo: Kendall McCaugherty, © Hall+Merrick" data-rich-file-id="2302" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2302/original/jml-marisol-with-mural.jpg" />

Also today, Grynsztejn&nbsp;revealed&nbsp;Turner Prize-winning British artist&nbsp;Chris Ofili&#39;s first restaurant commission in the United States. For this commission, Ofili designed an immersive art environment for the MCA&#39;s new restaurant Marisol with a&nbsp;site-specific art mural as the centerpiece, carried through to every surface&nbsp;of the restaurant -- from line drawings on the walls and etchings on the glass, to all of the colors, fabrics, and textures in the restaurant. Grynsztejn says, &quot;This is not simply putting work from the collection on our walls. This is a&nbsp;full-scale, all-in, immersive art environment&nbsp;that&nbsp;surrounds you&nbsp;when you enter into the restaurant, for which Chris Ofili has&nbsp;decided on every surface.&quot;

The mural, called&nbsp;The Sorceress&#39; Mirror&nbsp;is exemplary of Ofili&#39;s incorporation of the imagined and the real in his paintings, and his unifying of these into a singular, vibrant, and sensuous visual narrative. Inspired by the vaulted ceiling designed by Johnston Marklee for the restaurant, Ofili has leaping figures arcing across the night sky, with two figures riding a beast in flight as it leaps over a red cave and into the stars. Beneath them, the sorceress in her cave seems to emerge from the water as she hunches over her mirror, observing the figures and canopy above.&nbsp;The sorceress&#39;s cave re-imagines the landscape of Trinidad, where the artist lives and works. Ofili drew from trips he made to Paria Bay on the north of the island, where a rock at the edge of the shore has been carved by the sea to create a natural arch through which the water flows. The transition of the sky from saturated black pigment to lighter washes punctuated by colorful glittering stars refers to the sense of an instant captured on the threshold between night and day.&nbsp;

Marisol features local chef&nbsp;Jason Hammel&nbsp;at the helm and&nbsp;re-imagines the relationship between food, art, and design in an immersive art environment created by&nbsp;Ofili.

Chef&nbsp;Hammel&#39;s menu is inspired by the muse of the new MCA restaurant, spirited French/Venezuelan artist&nbsp;Marisol --&nbsp;a star of the New York art scene in the 1960s with her friend Andy Warhol, whose artwork,&nbsp;Six Women&nbsp;(1968), became the first work in the MCA&#39;s collection of contemporary art.

<img alt="" data-caption="Marisol in Venice during the 1968 Biennale Photo: Jack Mitchell/Getty " data-rich-file-id="2301" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2301/original/marisol-2.jpg" />Built upon a twenty-year relationship with Midwestern farmers, chef Hammel&#39;s menu incorporates vibrant vegetables and handmade pastas, alongside meticulously sourced meat and seafood. Hammel has created a playfully designed menu that varies with the seasons, filled with imaginative, thoughtful, and contemporary flavors inspired by the artistic surroundings that fuel the mind, body, and soul. The menus reflect not only the seasonal availability of local ingredients, but the creative open environment of the restaurant and the museum. Further, a new area called the Street with the space&#39;s counter service offers coffee, pastries, and inventive small-bites welcoming both passers-by as well as destination travelers. 
&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Dry aged beef with spring onions and black currant vinaigrette Photo: Carolina Mariana Rodriguez, © MCA Chicago" data-rich-file-id="2300" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2300/original/cmr-mca-hires-111.jpg" />

The dinner menu showcases imaginative dishes including the&nbsp;Marisol Salad&nbsp;(apple, dill, macadamia nut, pecorino, Marisol&#39;s natural food salad dressing),&nbsp;Crispy Eggplant&nbsp;(roasted grapes, pistou, sweet and sour pork) and&nbsp;Steamed Swordfish&nbsp;(cauliflower, cherry tomato, uni hollandaise).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Lunch offerings include lighter plates of vegetables and sandwiches, full-bodied entrees, and signature sweets. Standouts on the lunch menu include the&nbsp;Marisol Sandwich&nbsp;(grilled skirt steak, spring onion jam, runny farm egg, avocado),&nbsp;French Omelet&nbsp;(cured salmon and cr&egrave;me fraiche, sourdough toast) and&nbsp;Fried Trout Sandwich&nbsp;(cherry tomatoes, bacon, bibb lettuce, gribiche).&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2017/4/takashi-murakami-at-the-mca">The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg</a>, Japanese artist&nbsp;Takashi Murakami&#39;s show at the MCA, closes on September 24. A new show featuring work by Michael Rakowitz opens on September 16.&nbsp;Stop by the museum to see both shows as well as to experience the new restaurant for yourself.&nbsp;

More info on the MCA is <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/museum-of-contemporary-art-chicago-mca">here</a>.&nbsp;

To read about more Chicago restaurants with an artistic environment, click <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2017/8/eat-more-local-see-more-local-discovering-art-in-chicago-s-restaurants">here</a>.

&nbsp;

Top photo: Kendall McCaugherty, &copy; Hall+Merrick

The MCA's building redesign and a new restaurant, Marisol

Enticing – And Appetizing – Changes Come to the MCA

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418572/yvxkqlsk6y7crdykrz6b.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;This fall the&nbsp;Chicago Architecture Biennial&nbsp;returns for its second edition with an exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center and a number of off-site installations and performances. With so much to see and do, CGN asked&nbsp;Gibran Villalobos, Public Programs and Partnerships Coordinator, to highlight the programs he’s excited about.&nbsp;<h3>white wanderer: creating a Climate Change Soundtrack</h3>Luftwerk, the renowned artistic collaboration of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, will discuss White Wanderer, an immersive public art installation that takes inspiration from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. Using real life recordings of the sounds and frequencies of melting and moving glaciers, the artists will create a haunting and contemplative soundtrack of climate change. The panel discussion features collaborators Rob Moore, a Senior Water Policy Analyst at NRDC and Doug MacAyeal, Professor in Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. It will be moderated by Neil Stevenson of Ideo.&nbsp;Sep 26, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center<h3>LAMPO Performance: MARK FELL</h3>Mark Fell premieres his new multi-channel project for the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Lampo. The UK composer will position 24 speakers around the hall and manipulate electronic sound in dialogue with the acoustic and architectural space—a conversation of geometries. This interplay forms a framework within which Chicago bassoonist Katherine Young performs Fell’s score.Sep 29, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center<h3>Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle &amp; Hannah Higgins</h3>In conversation with art historian Hannah Higgins, author of The Grid Book (MIT Press, 2009), the artist Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle discusses his use of the grid and its impact on contemporary practice.Oct 3, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center<h3>VAN ALEN INSTITUTE: VARIETY SHOW</h3>In a medley of music, provocation, and presentations, the Van Alen Institute will reflect on hangouts defined by both personal experiences and physical spaces. How do communities appropriate urban space? How is the experience of hanging out different for different people? The group explores a series of questions in a night of fast-paced performance and conversation.Oct 23, Garfield Park Conservatory<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2234/original/gilla.jpg" alt=""></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo: Anjali Pinto; Luftwerk, white wanderer, 2017SaveSaveSaveSave</body></html>

CGN highlights some of the events at the Chicago Architecture Biennial. 

Making New History: Chicago Architecture Biennial

By BRIDGET BROWNLEE AND JAYCEE ROCKHOLD

&nbsp;

Chicago is not lacking in two things these days: food and art. Whether you&rsquo;re grabbing a quick bite to eat or sitting down for a twelve course meal, Chicago is home to a number of restaurants that feature tasty cuisine alongside local art.

ALINEA

You don&rsquo;t have to just look at art, you can eat it, too. In this immersive restaurant that celebrates dining as an artistic experience, enjoy an avant-garde inspired menu, with everything from green apple flavored balloons to lily bulbs, all while admiring new renovations to the space itself, as well as paintings by artist and dealer Thomas Masters.

1723 N. Halsted, alinearestaurant.com

3 ARTS CLUB CAFE AT RH

In a Gold Coast building built in 1914, which was once home to female artists living at the Three Arts Club, the ground floor space has been converted to offer casual dining in an airy artistic setting. The popular cafe is located in the historic courtyard space where artists used to enjoy abundant light by which to paint, sculpt and sketch.

1300 N. Dearborn, 3artsclubcafe.com

THE ALBERT

The Albert, an Albert Einstein themed restaurant, was designed to showcase the intersection between art and science, and it features work by local artists, including murals from cartoonist Jonathan Plotkin, and Art Institute of Chicago Mathematician Dr. Eugenia Cheng&rsquo;s colorful chalkboard musings.

228 E. Ontario, hotelemc2.com/eat-drink

<img alt="" data-caption="GT PRIME, A RIVER NORTH steakhouse, FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHIC MURALS BY JEFF KAUCK. PHOTO: ANTHONY TAHLIER" data-rich-file-id="2246" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2246/original/gtprime-0916-4365.jpg" />

GT PRIME

GT Prime takes food appreciation to the next level with striking culinary-focused murals. Created by artist Jeff Kauck, these larger than life photographs, along with fur-topped bar stools and taxidermy displays, set GT Prime apart from your typical steakhouse.

707 N. Wells Street, gtprimerestaurant.com

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Photo courtesy of Alinea.&nbsp;

CGN highlights art-oriented, locally based restaurants around the city of Chicago. 

Eat More Local, See More Local: Discovering Art in Chicago's Restaurants

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418571/kh2w7e0szd2hu9cpdpun.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;By JAYCEE ROCKHOLDEven though the city of Chicago may be on the map, its photography community isn’t— which is exactly what Jennifer Murray, executive director of Filter Photo Festival and Filter Space, is trying to fix. A grad student turned Loyola University professor, Murray has always had her toes dipped in the Chicago photography community.Still currently the only photography festival in the Midwest, Filter Photo Festival (running September 21- 24, 2017) was founded by Sarah Hadley as a small operation in 2009, but now encompasses hundreds of participants, in-depth portfolio reviews, artist talks and interactive events. “Filter actually began about nine years ago as an annual festival,” said Murray. “This upcoming September will be our ninth annual Filter Photo Festival taking place at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel, just a short walk away from the Museum of Contemporary Art.” The festival draws both a Chicago centric and national crowd, as well as a few international photographers eager to get their work reviewed.Even though there are multiple facets of the festival, portfolio reviews make up a majority of the festival. Gathering a wide variety of artists and resources for both students and the public is one of the goals that solidifies Filter Photo Festival. It’s a high concentration of well-known artistic individuals in one area made available at a fair price.“The portfolio reviews happen with professionals like gallerists and curators,” said Murray. “We invite them to come from across the country. We usually have around 30 and about 10 of those are Chicago based. We really want people to take advantage of the fact that you have all of these professionals in one specific location as opposed to thinking that you needed to go to San Francisco, New York and different cities around the country in order to have your work looked at.” &nbsp;This year, Matt Austin, founder of Candor Arts, and Teresa Silva from Chicago Artists Coalition are among the Chicago-based reviewers.Murray’s background in teaching urged her to place a heavy emphasis on portfolio reviews (she currently teaches photography at Chicago’s own Loyola University). Proud of the fact that she could practically talk about a piece and workshop it all day long, part of her drive for reviews stems from her experience working in A+D Gallery, a non-photo gallery at Columbia College Chicago. “Teaching photography but running a non-photo gallery really helped me understand the place photography has in the art world,” said Murray. “I think we tend to think of photography as the subset or separate thing and it’s really not.”The public can purchase portfolio reviews in bulk, allowing the individual to spend 20 minutes discussing their work with multiple professionals, and runs on a first come first serve basis. Whoever submits a list of artists they wish to meet with quickly has more of a chance of speaking with the artists on their list.For Murray, the Filter portfolio reviews emphasize that photographers are artists, and should consider themselves so. Ranging from still life to street photography, each photographer has their own artistic value.Besides the public, portfolio reviews also attract plenty of students, who actually have an advantage for portfolio reviews. Not only do they get the chance to have their work reviewed by well-known artists, but they also can participate at a lower cost. Students who are faced with a tight budget can purchase single portfolio reviews versus the require bulk buy for others.&nbsp;“A lot of our local faculty will bring students and classes,” said Murray. “That’s really the goal; to create a festival, to create these four days of programming in Chicago that’s just not for people that can afford this. We really want it to be open to anybody. We want to provide opportunities to students.”Hand-in-hand with portfolio reviews, Filter Photo Festival also organizes artists talks. Topics range from searching for and finding photography opportunities to discussing and showcasing a particular artist’s work. Some talks implement tours or other interactive aspects, such as the Leica Camera walk organized by Chicago’s Tamarkin Camera, in which participants are lent a Leica camera to take photos while walking around the city. This free activity allows people to step out of their own specific area of photography and experience something they wouldn’t have been able to before, especially students who may not be able to afford a Leica camera.“It’s street photography and film based. It doesn’t have to be film, but it certainly could be,” said Murray. “It’s a nice community building opportunity. It’s a way to sample some gear but it’s also a way to be with other folks that want to walk around and take pictures.”Some of the artists speaking at the event this year include photographer Jeffrey Wolin and Catherine Edelman, owner and director of Catherine Edelman gallery in Chicago, both of which will lead a gallery tour of Wolin’s exhibition Pigeon Hill: Then and Now, which includes his photographs taken in a housing project in southern Indiana. Photographers Sara J. Winston and Terry Evans will also lead their own talks as well. Even though the content of each talk will differ, one can expect healthy discussions of what it means to take contemporary photographs, as well as an enlightening method to learn about the artist and their work.In addition to artist talks, Filter Photo also presents numerous opportunities for workshopping photographers. Following a similar formula to that of the portfolio reviews, some, like Filter Photo members and those who sign up when registration opens, get first pick on these workshops. Even though the workshops will give guidance like the reviews, they also take time to pose heavy questions to spur discussion. The workshop Getting Seen, Getting Shown: Professional Practices for the Fine Art Photographer With Sasha Wolf and Jess T. Dugan not only points out skills that a photographer should have to keep their head above water, but also questions when a photographer knows if when their work is ready to be shown, how to connect with others in the art world, and how social media intertwines with this all.“People that take those workshops have the opportunity to develop a peer group with the other people that are there and develop a relationship with that artist,” said Murray. “Most of the time people will bring their own work to the workshop, so they not only hear what the artist has to say about their own practice and how to move forward in this particular area, but also have the opportunity to have the artist look at their own work. [The artist] provides really direct one-on-one feedback.”Overall, the Filter Photo Festival, highlighted by portfolio reviews, artist talks, and workshops, bolsters a photography community. Murray, who hopes the festival continues to attract people from both Chicago and around the world, also intends the festival to stay around the same size as it is now in order to maintain the small, tight-knit community feel. The festival has definitely grown since its conception in 2009, but for now, it fill its own niche in the Midwestern photography community. At the end of the day, for Murray, the main concern isn’t the size of the festival, but the individuals that make it up. From amateur photographers to those who have decades of experience, from still life photographers to student photographers snapping pictures for their own personal project, Filter Festival provides a platform to aid them all.“We know you’re serious and that this isn’t just a passing fad for you,” Murray said. “We know that you’re genuinely interested in being a part of this community and that this is really a career for you. We want to nurture those people.”Photo: Courtesy of Filter Festival&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN interviews Filter Festival director Jennifer Murray.