<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418788/nhcxtznlzju9ow1wq0lz.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAMany of us have come to rely on easy online reservation systems for making dinner reservations and personal service appointments without having to (gasp!) make an actual phone call. Now, amidst the COVID-19 sea change that has hammered businesses at every level, Tock, headed by CEO Nick Kokonas, of Alinea and Next fame, has started to offer its booking service to area galleries. Currently there are six – primarily West Town – spaces online <a href="https://www.exploretock.com/arts?fbclid=IwAR2QUXguXesglxs048UAc7-yyiNXlZncdYyb08h0wLn7hPoC6jDJ-PbBmFw">under 'arts'</a>: The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Western Exhibitions, DOCUMENT, Volume, Rhona Hoffman, Andrew Rafacz and PATRON. These art spaces also appear among the general list of restaurants offering in-person dining as well as carry-out.Users who visit Tock can enter the number of people in their party, the date and time they would like to visit. Available results will appear, you can select your time frame and make your reservation. On the back end, galleries can provide their own availability and any individual restrictions.&nbsp;According to a spring 2020 article in Forbes, Kokonas galvanized his team to build a <a href="https://www.exploretock.com/join/togo">delivery and takeout platform</a> that would enable easy setup for restaurants who were becoming reliant on to-go ordering, once diners were no longer coming in to restaurants. More associated with reservations for fine dining establishments like Alinea, Tock saw the need to pivot to support restaurants' changing needs and offerings.Kokonas told Forbes, “We built this all in a week, utilizing Tock's existing data structures and back end. But we really had a team going 24/7 because we anticipated this shut down,” explained Kokonas.&nbsp;“It wasn't difficult to watch what was happening in Italy and realize it was likely to happen here as well.”Now businesses beyond restaurants (galleries and museums) are able to use the platform as a means of streamlining the process of private appointments that are now so necessary in order to visit spaces that were closed for so many months and that are also unlikely to have the staff to handle complex scheduling.&nbsp;As galleries in the Chicago area begin to re-open one by one and host exhibitions in their physical spaces again, we encourage you to pay them a visit to engage with art. Tock offers a new way to make your visit to several of them even easier.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Tock, the Dining Reservation System, Now in Use by Local Galleries for Private Appointments

<html><head></head><body>By CGN StaffSummer camp plans that were made in the first couple months of the year all dissolved as it became apparent that 2020 might become known as the summer that wasn't. Now, a few months on, with a host of new regulations in place, we can see that many organizations that pivoted quickly to offer at-home learning and engagement during the lockdown have now changed their summer offerings as well. If you are still looking for some art-focused plans for your child this summer, have a look at our summary of area programs from a range of local organizations. The benefit this year, unlike any other, is that you may do them from anywhere.&nbsp;Participation is an affordable way to beat the summer slide and engage with art on your own time. There are also plenty of classes for adults as well. Your participation at any level will also give much-needed support to these area groups.&nbsp;Enjoy the summer, and stay creative!&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417595/mxiwvh8opk6w3tabfdvp.jpg"></figure><a href="http://www.architecture.org/learn/families/camps-and-classes/summer-camps/">Chicago Architecture Foundation</a>Save your spot for <a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzE0ODgwXzk4NTMzXzcwMDA&amp;l=73ccae6b-0ab7-ea11-bf4f-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MKTG_March2020_CAC%40home_June25_members&amp;utm_content=version_A&amp;sourceNumber=107635">Design Your Neighborhood 1.0</a>, for campers ages 8 to 10, and <a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzE0ODgwXzk4NTMzXzcwMDA&amp;l=74ccae6b-0ab7-ea11-bf4f-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MKTG_March2020_CAC%40home_June25_members&amp;utm_content=version_A&amp;sourceNumber=107635">Design Your Neighborhood 2.0</a>, for campers ages 11 to 14. Younger campers are encouraged to hone their observational skills through introductions to sketching and model-building, while older campers attend virtual tours and talk with design experts about their planning decisions.&nbsp;The deadline to join us CAC Summer Camps for the week of July 20 is Wednesday, July 8 at 5pm.&nbsp;Also coming up is: Girls Build! Tiny Homes, where future 'starchitects' can learn how to think big and design tiny in this interactive camp for girls ages 11-14. Campers will draw and build to create a sustainable tiny home that serves a Chicago neighborhood and has a small carbon footprint.<a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzE0ODgwXzk4NTMzXzcwMDA&amp;l=72ccae6b-0ab7-ea11-bf4f-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MKTG_March2020_CAC%40home_June25_members&amp;utm_content=version_A&amp;sourceNumber=107635">REGISTER</a>CAC is also sharing family projects online as well, like the most recent one about brainstorming and sketching out green spaces: Practice your problem solving skills by planning and designing (or redesigning) a green space for your community, inspired by the efforts of Sofia Valdez in Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty.&nbsp;<a href="https://theartcenterhp.org/online-classes">Art Center Highland Park</a><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417596/hiatvuhhrc3wp9p4prxz.jpg"></figure>This summer experience creative fun and construct unique and original projects through a wide range of intriguing mediums. Have fun exploring self-expression and experimentation while learning the fundamental principals of art through drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media. There are classes for kids and adults, or for a child and an adult to take together. Some classes began last month but other sessions begin next week (July 13) with 12 sessions running through August.&nbsp;Options include: Mixed Media Art Camp; Ceramics at Home; The Georgia O'Keeffe Summer Challenge (In five sessions your instructor will guide you through a step by step process for creating Calla and Roses 1926); Abstract Painting; and Illustrated Words. <a href="https://theartcenterhp.org/online-classes">Register here.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://reg129.imperisoft.com/hydeparkartcenter/Search/Registration.aspx">Hyde Park Art Center</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/e0e61f61601/636fd59f-6b50-4c9d-923e-cd235d82a163.png" alt=""></figure>Creativity Camp is online, and you are encouraged to "contribute what you can". Camps started this week, July 6, and run through Sept 4, for ages 6–12. Online camps take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10am–11am, and include additional offline activities to be done on the campers' own time on off-days.<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BeexOJTwwwuOveP-7C5gwx-Lvd_uBd89cp_4MeAleC3MIa0ddKWr3m_ECy2mro9Zp7m87VEQ3as83-CLdne_Tlq9uLiszntUawMGor2NZlxpqN_ogJDSdLuIarTfqNeGkG622LsYNNAmQp4uwiOQ8JqntrLDs_kAXwQnMTZ8ec3ZdRxhAL0krFqw==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg==">• Circus Week</a> with teaching artist Terah Weddington takes place July 20–24. In this circus-themed performance camp, campers will explore song making, soft choreography, playwriting, and culminate with a group dance party! Register <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BeexOJTwwwuOveP-7C5gwx-Lvd_uBd89cp_4MeAleC3MIa0ddKWr3m_ECy2mro9Zp7m87VEQ3as83-CLdne_Tlq9uLiszntUawMGor2NZlxpqN_ogJDSdLuIarTfqNeGkG622LsYNNAmQp4uwiOQ8JqntrLDs_kAXwQnMTZ8ec3ZdRxhAL0krFqw==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg==">here.</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BenB1A1Fy2Nk1FasYjNTz6g8H1iKp-GoGGFjBA65vcwYZQbM_S0FqR3Rv04JFedex58flyKW-47UGHbS5tvqoq10zOYKECIBHxn_S2-WxGeOkBtEQfjbSlANz7MZRGDYe0bVJoYhUOR8oBn6UqU_hU76FVUpu8qpnh21EU7M7CZstxo3p0fI9DDw==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg==">• Music Video Parody</a> with teaching artist Kirstin Franklin, July 27–31. Campers collaborate and design a one-of-a-kind parody music video, learn a variety of filming techniques, choreography, lyric writing and explore other art forms to create their very own finished product to share with family and friends. Register<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BenB1A1Fy2Nk1FasYjNTz6g8H1iKp-GoGGFjBA65vcwYZQbM_S0FqR3Rv04JFedex58flyKW-47UGHbS5tvqoq10zOYKECIBHxn_S2-WxGeOkBtEQfjbSlANz7MZRGDYe0bVJoYhUOR8oBn6UqU_hU76FVUpu8qpnh21EU7M7CZstxo3p0fI9DDw==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg=="> here.</a><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BeAVGcHkyMMJK6sf9fS102U8hsguU3SeEMPjoLMfERQYp0ZKRey4qI2_NkPHhRjE9-92UPjZ1wOzrhT1KFaBbt4iSyEHyLZeqwrH94f1O_RjREmbYH4GcC2Ax58esOARePseYLUdtD3JJgToJCLP3ABo87xwjvyN97tMJA8ft-vgxqIVwjwNVuew==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg==">• Masterpiece Re-makers</a> with teaching artist Kirstin Franklin, August 3–7. Campers will use found household objects and smartphone cameras to make creative and funny interpretations of master works of art. Register <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Z6JkGz7j7u_e9-RD7NPg7KTodAZglcYlqU4vIVkne7kZ3k73gU0V91vdFJvGB8BeAVGcHkyMMJK6sf9fS102U8hsguU3SeEMPjoLMfERQYp0ZKRey4qI2_NkPHhRjE9-92UPjZ1wOzrhT1KFaBbt4iSyEHyLZeqwrH94f1O_RjREmbYH4GcC2Ax58esOARePseYLUdtD3JJgToJCLP3ABo87xwjvyN97tMJA8ft-vgxqIVwjwNVuew==&amp;c=zdkH_hIy5CsQIY_VLRjUyFRwr6NK-XGPiIHJW5svLHykdIuH3xBUjQ==&amp;ch=2noczcMLaCxjwygou7NMtow37zL1ocsdPu5RgtqTsmvoIPe4oidSSg==">here.</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417597/tyj3prdy3tbragcrxrkn.jpg"></figure><a href="http://www.riversideartscenter.com/new-birthday-parties-to-go/">Riverside Art Center</a>While not exactly a camp offering, you could take advantage of Riverside's Party in a Box for your own camp, for kids or adults, or of course for a party. Each box will supply you with all you need to create painted masterpieces with your guests (Canvas (11″ X 14″), Paint, Palettes, Paint brushes, Project and instruction sheets). Boxes are available to <a href="http://www.riversideartscenter.com/new-birthday-parties-to-go/">order online</a>. The Center will arrange for delivery or pick up of your Painting Party Box on your specified day. Pricing ranges from $68 for 5 people to $150 for 10 if you are not a member. They also offer a clay-based version.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417597/xp33na07b73bske4mqkk.jpg"></figure><a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/classes/camp">Elmhurst Art Museum</a>Summer Break Art Camps take place for one week sessions, June 15 - Aug 14 Also offering Full &amp; Half days for our Junior camp (ages 5-7). <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/classes/camp">Sign-up here.</a>Elmhurst Art Museum’s camps are popular every year – kids love getting together and making messes and our inspiring camp counselors help guide them through the creative process.At EAM Summer Camps, each week’s curriculum is uniquely themed, so no two weeks are the same. Campers also find inspiration through a variety of hands-on activities in our Education Center and outdoors in Wilder Park. Building sculpture and painting with multimedia, pottery, printmaking, and experiencing first-hand the art exhibitions at the Museum help kids develop new skills in a fun and energetic environment. These camps are IN-PERSON with many modifications for current COVID-19 safety. More info may be found <a href="https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/education/camps/?fbclid=IwAR1yCGjC_ouLzLl6UzGXBst1rtevPrLcstFP4SSz8eIEFESRXVduMffYTzQ">online</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

An Art Filled Summer Camp Round-Up

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417864/yqffvfjnah6flb0wei4h.png"></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAA few weeks ago <a href="https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/from-home/you-are-beautiful/">Elmhurst Art Museum's</a> John McKinnon shared a new community project to me that felt like exactly what I, and countless others, needed at the moment: a movement to spread positivity.&nbsp;In 2015–2016 (a lifetime ago!) Chicago-based artist Matthew Hoffman was part of the museum's inaugural Biennial, Chicago Statements, which provided 19 artists with a wide-reaching public platform for their messages, their voices and their revelations that address imbalances of power, access and resources. Through drawings, sculpture, video, photography, text and documentation of public projects, the Biennial intends to raise awareness, encourage discussion and promote the power of individual and collective expression and healing.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417865/vkrtoefyquy3mthllmgh.png"></figure>Five years later, EAM is collaborating again with Hoffman, known for his You Are Beautiful project, to spread positivity in the community. A new display in the museum’s south windows will add to his permanent outdoor installation on the museum's main building. Visitors are invited to embark on a social distanced walk through Wilder Park.Participation in the exhibition is also encouraged and is a means of supporting the museum as well as local healthcare workers. <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/online-shop/products/you-are-beautiful-outdoor-yard-sign">Order a yard sign</a>, window cling, or <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/">another work from the series</a> to extend the uplifting display to your own community, anywhere in the world. The <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/">Museum Store</a> also has the full line of You Are Beautiful gear and outdoor display pieces – I've noticed several of the We're All in This Together signs stuck to buildings around Chicago since hearing about the program. 10% of the proceeds benefit the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation through July 3rd.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417866/xgtwdobrvrxditzaboia.png"><figcaption>You Are Beautiful Wall Art, Rainbow Wood Piece, <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/online-shop/products/you-are-beautiful-wall-art-rainbow-wood-piece">$15-$30</a></figcaption></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417867/isjihurxp83wkkgh50ux.png"><figcaption>A portable, mirror reminder is for sale in the museum <a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/online-shop/products/you-are-beautiful-wall-art-mirror-multiple-colors-sizes">shop</a></figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Matthew Hoffman has created large scale public installations for municipalities, museums, and private companies around the world. The large outdoor piece at the Elmhurst Art Museum is one of <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1dj-KWrHARSrEBJAyk07QkJj7J68&amp;ll=41.92231453389445%2C-87.4079685&amp;z=9">his 30 outdoor installations </a>currently in the Chicagoland area.Learn more about The Little Sticker That Started a Worldwide Phenomenon on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXznLlpEPR4&amp;feature=youtu.be">Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday</a>, <a href="https://wgnradio.com/bill-leff-wendy-snyder/matthew-hoffman-the-you-are-beautiful-project/">WGN radio</a>, and <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/ct-xpm-2014-05-25-ct-oped-zorn-0525-20140525-story.html">The Chicago Tribune</a>. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417868/md4spunciuiagljkkygm.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417869/awz0tln53hymky57kixx.png"></figure></body></html>

Say it Loud: You Are Beautiful

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417848/si9eck50pxxps8fd5tdn.jpg"><figcaption>Mural at the Family Focus Building in Evanston, created by Juan Carlos Perez and students from Family Focus's after-school programs in 2019</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEA &nbsp;via PR<a href="https://www.artencounter.org/">Art Encounter</a> is a non-profit arts education organization devoted to help people engage with and learn about art, usually in person. As for most of us, these past few months have forced the group to adjust how they fulfill their mission of educating, empowering, and connecting people of diverse ages and backgrounds through interactive encounters with visual art. Ways they have continued to help people connect with art is through online tours and outreach programming.&nbsp;A recent program has focused on public murals outdoors. One creative, free artsy activity (with a prize!) in Evanston this summer, for all ages, is Art Encounter's <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vXhN9e3vqkpmB64EliGvui8d748ll9oMdC-hnetomRaA9tMkxWabrLsNL9SEIzaevVBrC4jwd6fqmbjtX5t-XO1TUlzzb5MHEfvehpgkuQ0QqM50MOuXkh4UWhf_81AAQXVJfJSpi4Q2blIHsfTW9JSkewPNLOvDn9dznibm8IlFxJJx8vuMj2vgPFKK2NE-knBEJvy_Y7Ap5NugK_qjFSwWzD4fyB7i230KS-bGY5ygixU15CSY0NcJ4b58avaoskCbAUZK77XL_pN6EntVDw==&amp;c=nudl-Wi2ryKyC0mBY6j8skjz11q5LlYWWpve5I5ekck-i_0L6i80Jg==&amp;ch=_Kuv5CFYfp77fLtxwVIyRXagIB_t8_pkBxS362gU-IZN48_29xNk3w==">The Big Picture: A Mural Treasure Hunt!</a> Follow the group's custom Google map across 17 of Evanston Mural Arts Program murals while answering fun questions and following prompts by phone, then submit a completed form by August 30 for a chance to win gift cards and other prizes from Blick Art Materials. Learn about the murals as you visit them, and discover the many ways to see them on your journey. You can also tag @art.encounter and @evanstonmuralartsprogram on <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vXhN9e3vqkpmB64EliGvui8d748ll9oMdC-hnetomRaA9tMkxWabrI5FHxkuQQkRJg6s5hZ2yAZ2asdi3dnoxJgcIAY2JqqEATkXINfBuzjdx3rjpHdTuaPcAZK1CY-KK8crfQsU1la8cSR7TE32EXDmYE79Q70n5B08duvWg3g=&amp;c=nudl-Wi2ryKyC0mBY6j8skjz11q5LlYWWpve5I5ekck-i_0L6i80Jg==&amp;ch=_Kuv5CFYfp77fLtxwVIyRXagIB_t8_pkBxS362gU-IZN48_29xNk3w==">instagram</a> and <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vXhN9e3vqkpmB64EliGvui8d748ll9oMdC-hnetomRaA9tMkxWabrBUzHyEvaMoE7x-9ym_SsVCK2e96pdExlW3j62gbMDGUSsKjjVTfLBWdQ8xAEQaRSYai1TV5azbIw-Jl1mTyfs_q0gDoIiIeusgdyW6S-fX8VHrD6KFYeU0=&amp;c=nudl-Wi2ryKyC0mBY6j8skjz11q5LlYWWpve5I5ekck-i_0L6i80Jg==&amp;ch=_Kuv5CFYfp77fLtxwVIyRXagIB_t8_pkBxS362gU-IZN48_29xNk3w==">Facebook</a> when posting your mural photos, and hashtag #TheBigPictureEvanston.<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vXhN9e3vqkpmB64EliGvui8d748ll9oMdC-hnetomRaA9tMkxWabrLsNL9SEIzaevVBrC4jwd6fqmbjtX5t-XO1TUlzzb5MHEfvehpgkuQ0QqM50MOuXkh4UWhf_81AAQXVJfJSpi4Q2blIHsfTW9JSkewPNLOvDn9dznibm8IlFxJJx8vuMj2vgPFKK2NE-knBEJvy_Y7Ap5NugK_qjFSwWzD4fyB7i230KS-bGY5ygixU15CSY0NcJ4b58avaoskCbAUZK77XL_pN6EntVDw==&amp;c=nudl-Wi2ryKyC0mBY6j8skjz11q5LlYWWpve5I5ekck-i_0L6i80Jg==&amp;ch=_Kuv5CFYfp77fLtxwVIyRXagIB_t8_pkBxS362gU-IZN48_29xNk3w==">CLICK HERE TO START HUNTING</a>The Evanston Mural Arts Program exists to make art available to all. Now entering its fourth year, the goal of the program is to uplift and beautify neighborhoods with mural art through creative partnerships with community organizations, youth groups, schools, and business districts. Art Encounter pairs professional artists with community members and youth groups to create large scale public works of art to last for years to come. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vXhN9e3vqkpmB64EliGvui8d748ll9oMdC-hnetomRaA9tMkxWabrOyUm34-VwXmXPDb6RZ-ALwm8n7bl602uSFNT_ub-5iWr6KDZdQcD6LXlAKPRgI_f9MilLtTz715_Dk3EUA0PwpHfpUYwMzh0PpCKLi-XQO0xNC_nlOJsHXO3aMgSW3OQcYR0m4eHwmP&amp;c=nudl-Wi2ryKyC0mBY6j8skjz11q5LlYWWpve5I5ekck-i_0L6i80Jg==&amp;ch=_Kuv5CFYfp77fLtxwVIyRXagIB_t8_pkBxS362gU-IZN48_29xNk3w==">Visit AE's website</a> for more information, including links to their Minute with a Muralist series, where they share interviews with the artists behind the murals.﻿<figure class="image"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/4fd15233201/1da90fc2-6bfa-4650-baa8-9b7a9bb1b103.png" alt=""><figcaption>Mural by Dustin Harris on the South Blvd. Metra/CTA Viaduct at South Blvd. and Chicago Ave., 2018</figcaption></figure>﻿<figure class="image"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/4fd15233201/8f61eea7-c3f6-4ae8-b81c-64d8eec57c9e.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Artist Anthony Lewellen poses in front of his 2018 mural on Church St.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

The Big Picture Mural Hunt Connects the Public with Evanston's Outdoor Art

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417784/ndk7l51qw2vry9q96uqj.jpg"><figcaption>Via Instagram: “Spike Marks and Mirrors”, a durational installation art piece by Jeffrey Augustine Songco at FLXST Contemporary. Songco’s installation changes over time, inspired by the patterns of self-portraits on the fabrics that he customized. The mirrors evoke a sense of presence for the viewers. They are asked to take selfies of themselves reflected in the mirrors. In a timely way, the piece also evokes sense of communal belonging in a moment rife with forces or pandemics that seek to disconnect us from one another.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By JACQUELINE LEWISIn the middle of the most challenging market circumstances, I talked to two galleries in Chicago that were both practically brand new at the time. The owners of both spaces – Ice House Gallery and FLXST Contemporary – were candid about what it takes to open and run a new art gallery, as well as how to meet obstacles head on. The directors of each gallery allowed us a peek into their experiences by answering questions about successes and difficulties, and they gave sage, and hopeful, advice to anyone considering opening their own art space.&nbsp;Publisher's note: This feature was printed in our 2020 summer issue. Unfortunately Ice House did end up closing permanently at the end of May 2020, just after the summer magazine came out. Owner Hannah shared with us that she just couldn't make her young gallery work amidst the financial headwinds of COVID-19 and the extended state-wide shutdown. We are including her insights here for you anyway, since she took the time to speak with us, and we wish her well on her next endeavor.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417786/u49kortgp6gfmxwtmso5.png"><figcaption>Patrons at FLXST</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/flxst-contemporary">FLXST Contemporary</a>FLXST Contemporary is a fine art and photography incubator located in Chicago’s Chinatown. Jan Christine Bernabe, Chief Creative &amp; Operations Director, launched the gallery in June 2019. The gallery holds evocative and uncompromising shows full of emerging and mid career artists. FLXST primarily focuses on diasporic, im/migrant artists, LGBTQ identified artists and artists of color based in Chicago.Why: When working in academia, Jan taught and wrote about persons of color and LGBTQ artists. After, she independently curated shows for the same demographic. This experience demonstrated a need to open a commercial gallery space specifically for these historically underrepresented artists who deserve a legitimate place in the art market. FLXST aims to expands this often ignored space within the Chicago community.Background Planning: Jan admits that there are many challenges when opening a gallery. She had to simultaneously and successfully manage the business’s fiscal, and curatorial sides. Galleries need municipal and state permits and licenses to run. To receive help with some of these bureaucratic matters, Jan consulted with a small business mentor at the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She also made sure to create a solid exhibition program and enlist the help of a trusted gallery assistant.Besides business logistics, Jan has also built solid partnerships based on trust with new contemporary artists.Challenges: Staying fiscally afloat and covering expenses like operational costs are challenges that FLXST has had to overcome. Unfortunately, money does dictate how most art institutions must approach programming and that is no different for FLXST. That being said, Jan says that being patient with sales and being frugal without compromising quality is helping FLXST grow. They may not be able to enter large art fairs or hire an extensive staffing team yet, but they are creative with what they have.Successes: Though simply keeping the gallery open is a success in itself, a few moments stand out in Jan’s memory. Last fall, Harvard University acquired four Roberto Jamora prints from the FLXST’s collection, a powerful affirmation of Jan’s gallery goals. FLXST has also had the opportunity to work with many talented, emerging artists like Laura Kina, Jason Dunda, Yasmin Spiro, Jeffrey Augustine Songco, and Oli Rodriguez amongst others.Tipping Point: FLXST is working towards becoming established. It could be right around the corner, but Jan would rather focus on the “now” rather than the “what ifs” of the future.Advice: “Every potential gallery owner should understand what they’re getting into and to have the confidence and creativity in navigating any of the challenges that will come their way.” Jan advises anyone who is thinking about opening a gallery to truly consider all the expenses involved. You must be prepared to cover start up costs and other financial issues that will most likely arise. Unless you are independently wealthy, this could be very difficult. Consider consulting a business advisor and always diligently follow the art market as a whole!<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417787/tieyaq2mocfnyivtcllq.jpg"><figcaption>Art by FLXST artist Jeffrey Augustine Songco</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417788/ltt368wxkl4xkxhgqtnv.jpg"></figure>Ice House GalleryGallery Owner and Director Hannah Litvan opened Ice House Gallery in late 2017 to support, connect and celebrate all things art in Evanston. The gallery is multifaceted. They currently offer community classes and exhibitions while continuing to expand their programming.Why: Hannah noticed that the Evanston area art scene was in need of a gallery that catered to local artists. She hoped to create a space for artists of all levels to showcase their work and gain gallery experience.Background Planning: Before opening, Hannah networked and developed relationships with area artists and other art spaces in order to generate buzz around Ice House’s grand opening. First there was a lot of administrative work to sort through to even reach that point. Originally, Hannah searched for a smaller space, but after finding its larger, current location, she saw an opportunity for future expansion. Ice House could grow beyond its original vision or open additional avenues for income based on the space’s evolving needs.Challenges: Hannah believes that marketing and media are extremely important for any business, especially in today’s climate. “Marketing is always changing and you really have to self educate to stay on top of it.” Ice House’s team overcomes this ever evolving situation through a solid team of employees that seamlessly blend imaging and public presentation. Coming together as a community also lessens the stress of running a new business.Successes: “Staying open for any small business, let alone an art business, is a major accomplishment!” Through flexibility and by listening to the community’s needs, Ice House has survived and thrived. Hannah hopes to be able to update the gallery’s space to look sleeker, as well as add a professional stage for live performances. They are also planning to expand their programming with Art Maker’s Outpost, a new space for creative workshops that will utilize recycled materials from the community.Tipping Point: “It’s happening right now!” Renovations could shift the gallery towards a more “high-end” vibe, and Hannah wants Ice House to enter its next phase to become an established fixture in the Chicago area art scene. COVID-19 has put plans temporarily on hold.Advice: “It’s not easy, but that’s okay! Art is a fluid world and you have to find your niche. Devote yourself to your vision, but listen to your artists and patrons to ensure you’re opening a space that can fill gaps in your art community.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Running a New Gallery in a Challenging Climate

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417632/cdcytmefkjevlw6aflqg.jpg"></figure>By CGN Staff via PRWe heard this week about an artist rounding up a group of artists available for hire (with no cost to business owners) to paint area store fronts that are currently boarded up. &nbsp;Pigment artist&nbsp;Barrett Keithley is working to replace images of desolation and destruction with images of hope and unity. Keithley enlisted over 75 artists to paint murals on nearly 15 boarded up buildings over the last week. He and his partner Missy Perkins conceived&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wvDETeF7EsUYd_SNWd3j2ewsHQSmGwXnojIxidMUczvrlDre_Jbr9o1j97KwgOE3KtlYImkOO41dkbHxTUkqKRPEynMGXVVADMMCSiJu1twvuuW64FHHpQul2jbOTN0tkmcx5BvhckLDPiRpe6bKpHgsl5f8ezQKOUWxvYyvIYu0XogtLpDZoL8hNErdo16feSpGYvKeEzFNeewajKbbxoM-tUKNc9GjbzxAEECNF1p-KT2mgkRYPIvTFyTg0F6qFXtWD5_5fAxYr6MJvi1iOD0ldgSgBjTC&amp;c=q-s-_bXdFRPTz6LESDHlKPF4uk-ihQwoLomsdbVEfQ0G3L2UJOUBiQ==&amp;ch=hzoFuRW277PMrMJ2vlSFTL2tJvLyw7OXwQGiH_utJ6isuvz8q4S_8g==">“Paint the City”</a>&nbsp;project to help the city move forward as peaceful protests, ignited by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, turned to looting across Chicago. Their stated mission is to create inspiring works of art that support equality and show that&nbsp;Black Lives Matter.&nbsp;Keithley and his group of artists have painted 10 buildings so far, mostly on the south and west sides, and they anticipate doubling that this week.&nbsp;“Paint the City” is our way of helping our city heal,” said Keithley, a self-taught artists who grew up on Chicago’s South Side.&nbsp;“We want to help heal and restore our community and transforming boarded up buildings into an art gallery of sorts is one way to do that.”&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417633/hzpcsjimc9or0ucdsg4r.png"></figure>Once a business contacts the team, they meet with them to decide what they’d like on the building.&nbsp;&nbsp;It could be something of the owners choosing or they can give the artists license to create.&nbsp;&nbsp;Keithley says most people are just looking for something uplifting.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most importantly, these are local artists contributing to their local community.&nbsp;&nbsp;And residents are supporting their effort by dropping off food and refreshments to the artists while they work.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Keithley says the long-term goal of “Paint the City” is to create equal opportunities and resources for Black people within the art community and support local businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;Turning outdoor spaces into galleries, he says, is one way the arts community can rebound post COVID-19.&nbsp;&nbsp;The service is free to business owners who may contact Missy Perkins via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Missygem13@gmail.com">Missygem13@gmail.com</a>.&nbsp;They have also started a GoFundMe campaign&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wvDETeF7EsUYd_SNWd3j2ewsHQSmGwXnojIxidMUczvrlDre_Jbr9o1j97KwgOE3KtlYImkOO41dkbHxTUkqKRPEynMGXVVADMMCSiJu1twvuuW64FHHpQul2jbOTN0tkmcx5BvhckLDPiRpe6bKpHgsl5f8ezQKOUWxvYyvIYu0XogtLpDZoL8hNErdo16feSpGYvKeEzFNeewajKbbxoM-tUKNc9GjbzxAEECNF1p-KT2mgkRYPIvTFyTg0F6qFXtWD5_5fAxYr6MJvi1iOD0ldgSgBjTC&amp;c=q-s-_bXdFRPTz6LESDHlKPF4uk-ihQwoLomsdbVEfQ0G3L2UJOUBiQ==&amp;ch=hzoFuRW277PMrMJ2vlSFTL2tJvLyw7OXwQGiH_utJ6isuvz8q4S_8g==">“Paint the City”</a>&nbsp;to cover the costs of supplies and provide artists’ stipend.&nbsp;&nbsp;The goal of the campaign is $10,000 and so far, they’ve raised just over $4,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;About the Artist:Barrett Keithley is a self-taught artist born on Chicago’s South Side. His passion for art began when he was a child reading and writing poetry. His early influences were poems and writings by Langston Hughes and James Baldwin. Like Hughes and Baldwin, Keithley conveys stories within his body of work. He paints stories about growing up in the area of the south side known as the “Wild Hundreds” that depict the lack of opportunities and resources within his neighborhood. He combines the negatives and positives of his upbringing to construct his own original style of painting. Keithley chooses to use characters that are abstracted, frontal, and flat. In addition, at times he will combine a realistic image to depict complex themes in a pattern technique.&nbsp;He uses colorful imagery to showcase themes such as poverty, death, prosperity, and tranquility.&nbsp;</body></html>

Artist Spotlight: Barrett Keithley's Images of Hope and Unity Replace boarded Up Store Fronts

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418774/wk4mrgcmo2iza1qftwdp.png"><figcaption>Jeffrey Gibson, FOREVER ALWAYS, 2018. Glass beads, artificial sinew, metal studs, tin jingles, acrylic felt, over wood panel, 50" x 43" x 4". Courtesy the artist and <a href="http://kavigupta.com/artist/jeffrey-gibson/">Kavi Gupta Gallery</a>.</figcaption></figure><h3>&nbsp;</h3>By GINNY VAN ALYEACGN has always been, and will continue to be, here for our community. Our mission is to make the arts accessible to all and to be an available and evolving resource. We are committed to make a conscious effort to spotlight voices that are marginalized and to give artists the platform to say what they need. Right now we understand the need to make sure black voices are heard and that the art of black artists is seen. CGN stands against racism, all forms of discrimination and abuse. We have said before that art can save lives, but we understand now, more than ever, that art serves as an essential tool to show the world how cultural narratives matter. We see our local art community, once again, joining together to ensure this truth and hope that more people will be willing to see it. We will always support our partners making these critical efforts.&nbsp;An artist’s view of the world will be seen and experienced through a constructed object, a performance or a concept. This can serve as a powerful resource educating audiences today and in the future . A work of art can connect with the past be it to memorialize tragedy, preserve beauty, or provide a vehicle for&nbsp;participation in a community. It can build a bridge. We know that art can be positively transformative, and we need it now more than ever to raise people up, bring them together and have impactful personal experiences and conversations.&nbsp;#It seems like ages ago already (<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/4/creative-digital-outreach-from-local-art-spaces-during-covid-19-part-iv">April 9</a> to be exact) that I asked in a late night semi-panic what would be left when we get out from under lockdown? I wanted to find the ever-elusive crystal ball that could tell me what was next, of course I was hoping for a more or less happy ending, a bright light at the end of the tunnel.Almost three months on, there are a few more turns to navigate before we emerge from the events 2020 has unveiled thus far. As we can now tell the landscape we originally knew in early March is now dramatically different. One constant is that I miss my art colleagues. CGN is a tiny office of two, just Emily and me. Our wider network consists of dealers, artists, curators, freelance writers, nonprofit administrators, and many more. I've been home all this time with my two young, yet highly energetic "interns" (read the CGN masthead), and we've all stayed sane. We have had a lot of fun. Now every day is 'take your kids to work day,' and my 6 year old let me know she has to work on a vaccine to fight the virus. There will be a day soon where I will miss being with these two new 'colleagues' all the time.&nbsp;#Phase 3 in Chicago means that businesses may reopen. Many galleries are cautiously and safely doing just that – they are making sure their spaces are safe to enter (masks, sanitizer, all that) so you may once again engage with art in person to support artists and the culture that is so vital to furthering our appreciation of and understanding of the present times. Galleries are also being mindful and considerate of the events of the past several days, with many abstaining from celebrations to ensure the focus is on protesting and coming together throughout the city.&nbsp;#As we have learned so well these past months, art is still available for viewing online 24/7. Virtual shows are not going anywhere as of right now. Choosing to view them and purchase art on your own time and from the safety of home continues to be an excellent option. Spend some time on CGN viewing the full range of in-person as well as virtual programming taking place now and throughout the summer. We will be updating individual hours as we can, but most spaces are beginning to open in some capacity now.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418775/r9dbdwwfp21w1ru8ovr2.jpg"><figcaption>The <a href="https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/from-home/">Elmhurst Art Museum</a> is collaborate with Chicago-based artist Matthew Hoffman, known for his You Are Beautiful project, to spread positivity in the community. A new display in the museum’s south windows will add to his permanent outdoor installation on the building. Visit while on a social distanced walk through Wilder Park.</figcaption></figure>We miss being with you and want everyone to stay safe and to feel supported during this time. It is important to know that galleries will always be a space for connecting and reflection.&nbsp;The power of art knows no limits.&nbsp;We will see you again very soon.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Letter from the Publisher  |  Here We Are: Changed but Reopening

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418774/fsyt46boz6eqaejcteu8.jpg"><figcaption>Performance still of Agentic Mode at EXPLODE! Queer dance: Midwest. Image credit: Al Evangelista.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By RILEY YAXLEYThe first time I meet Marcela Torres, I make a complete fool of myself. For our interview, we meet at The Clayton, a cigar lounge in the West Loop. I have never been to a cigar lounge and feel overwhelmed following Marcela around the cramped, glass humidor. We stop to let a group of three businessmen squeeze in front of us and, after admitting that I know nothing about the various cigar options, she chooses one for me. We sit at a small, round table in the corner of the lounge and Marcela demonstrates how to properly light a cigar using the matches the host gave us.“You want to hold it at a little bit of angle,” she says, and takes a drag from hers. I forget to regularly smoke my cigar during the interview, allowing the smoldering embers to die out, and attempt to relight it several times with my dwindling supply of matches. After the fourth or fifth time, Marcela graciously fetches a torch lighter from the host and offers it to me. “Here. This might be easier.”A colleague invited me to attend Marcela’s second professional cage fight at Joe’s Live in suburban Rosemont in early March. I wasn’t able to make it to her fight, but nonetheless I was introduced to Marcela’s work and was intrigued by her use of martial arts as a way to explore the “mental space of fear” that makes violence possible.During the past year, I have spent a significant amount of time writing and thinking about whether or not art can affect change, specifically as a way to achieve justice for marginalized communities.Marcela has been performing Agentic Mode, a 45-minute movement performance incorporating Muay Thai martial arts, literature, and oral history, for the past two years. Most recently, she performed for EXPLODE! Queer dance: Midwest at Northwestern University, and she was scheduled to perform at the Rose Wagner Theater in Salt Lake City and at The Momentary in Arkansas this spring, until the COVID-19 pandemic upended public events for the foreseeable future.When I ask Marcela about her process of recreating violence in a gallery setting and how she avoids removing violence from its very real contexts, she pauses before cautiously answering, “I do want people to have intense experiences, but I also want it to be a ‘slow consensual experience.’”Agentic Mode is structured into five segments based on Jeff Cooper’s “Color Codes” of awareness (the code was originally four colors used to describe one’s mindset during a lethal confrontation: white, yellow, orange, and red.)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418775/gznjeif8wfe5lknio5dx.jpg"><figcaption>Installation image of Agentic Mode. Image credit: Jonathan Bagby.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;The “Color Codes” allow her to achieve this gradual, immersive experience, beginning with the white section of the performance, which represents being unaware or inattentive. Here the gallery is brightly lit and Marcela performs a dance that demonstrates elements of Muay Thai form, showing how the martial art can be used for self-defense and as a way to inflict violence. She also reads a series of monologues in between repetitions of the dance, reciting for her audience:“The combatant was not an isolated individual: his actions were taken on behalf of the nation, a hierarchical military establishment, and an intimate, interdependent platoon—this was what distinguished martial combat from murder...”During this monologue, Marcela alludes to the title Agentic Mode, exploring how individuals can commit gruesome, horrific acts on behalf of a nation exploiting nationalistic beliefs to trigger them to act in primal self-defense.Next comes the yellow section – alert, but still relaxed, no immediate threat. The lighting changes. Marcela creates hand symbols and movements referencing guns and fight techniques before the room goes dark for the orange section, where an immediate potential threat is acknowledged.“I wanted [the audience] to feel a little trapped,” Marcela says about the dramatic lighting change. At this point, viewers are likely feeling unnerved, perhaps a little claustrophobic at just how close they are to the unfolding performance. Marcela begins punching the boxing bags she built herself. They are embedded with microphones and attached to loop and reverb pedals that record and distort each strike to form a cacophonous soundscape that reverberates through the gallery.The intensity builds as the performance enters the red section, which represents a definitive lethal threat. Marcela, her voice a riotous shout, recites from memory the lyrics of American hip hop duo Mobb Deep’s “Survival of the Fittest.”“There’s a war goin’ on outside no man is safe from. You could run but you can’t hide forever...”The use of the song shifts the audience’s attention to how urban communities may often be forced into survival mode to act in different ways. Cooper’s “Color Code” becomes a means of understanding how living in a constant state of fear – whether orange or red –causes people to act with a different code of ethics than other communities living under white or yellow.Bathed in crimson light, Marcela straddles the vaguely human-shaped body bag, walloping it over and over again. She hits it for as long as she can while the uproarious, looped sounds continue to ricochet throughout the gallery, reaching a deafening crescendo. The room goes black and the sound continues for several moments before disappearing completely. The last section of the performance has begun.Marcela takes off her tan, desert camo pants and wraps them around the body bag. She cradles it for a minute before crawling towards the crowd, dragging the bag behind her. She rubs her sweaty body against audience members. Some back away, their panicked, repulsed expressions detectable in the dark. Others gently touch her shoulders or back. Eventually, she finds a lap to sit in, asking to use their cell phone as a light so that she can read a final text.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418776/rlzwscsubfeakahzzeme.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;When I ask Marcela about this portion of the performance, she says “meekness or asking for help can be really disgusting to people.” Our instinctive reactions as audience members are revealed. Do we offer assistance or comfort? Do we revile her? Do we look for a way to escape? We have lost control of the situation.The relentless pace and length of Agentic Mode feels like an exercise in endurance, intended to exhaust both Marcela as well as her audience. However, Marcela adds that the shape of her work has also been determined by career pressures. She jokes she wasn’t getting as much gallery attention earlier in her career, explaining how she realized she needed to make a performance “at least 30–40 minutes to be on the bill by itself.” She adds that there must be objects incorporated as well in order to call it an exhibition.Marcela is insistent, “I strive for performance to be a really technical machine. I don’t want to be thought of as only a performance artist. I also want to be considered an athlete, a theorist, an educator.” To me, the faint, discolored bruises on her face from the fight a few nights prior remind me that she is challenging herself in a different way than other artists do.She shyly admits to feeling like an imposter in the fight community that she has borrowed inspiration from and expresses an earnest desire to understand what it means to be a member of that community.“I lost the fight”, she says sheepishly, adding quickly that it made her realize, “Maybe I’m finally doing the thing I said I was. Having somebody that strong trying to hurt me, I couldn’t fall back on my plans or training. Instead, I used my instincts.” Despite her loss, Marcela explains how terrifying it was to have a person taller and stronger than she more or less attempting to kill her.“Oh my God, my performance is beating me up,” she says about the experience, laughing. ”But, I asked this person, ‘Please, beat me up.’”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418776/bgntkcyu0njh39vdklz6.jpg"><figcaption>Octagon ring at Joe’s Live in Rosemont, Illinois.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;In order to make a work about violence, she wanted it to be real – something that the audience could feel. During her fight, Marcela experienced the instinctual fear she has aimed to recreate with Agentic Mode.Curious about how the experience will influence Marcela’s work, I ask her a question in this vein and take a last puff of my cigar. After two hours, I am getting better at relighting it, besides accidentally starting a small blaze in our ashtray by dropping a still lit match into the heap of used matches.Marcela begins to talk and pauses, taking a moment to consider what she’s going to say. “I think a fight can be art, but I don’t want people to think of [my fight] as art because it takes away from the art that’s already there. This is a martial art people study their whole life for.”Our conversation comes back to my original question: How do you create artwork about violence that helps audiences understand violence as a lived reality?“Performance, the idea of making something experiential, is the only thing you can really do.” Marcela speculates, “You’re explaining it in a way that hopefully doesn’t shove it down their throats like ‘We die every day.’ Maybe that’s the only way you can understand, because you’re still making the choice.”I think again of her describing Agentic Mode as a “slow consensual experience.” Violence is rarely consensual. Like Marcela putting herself in a fighting cage, where she could get seriously harmed, to understand what it feels like to be a part of the fight community, her audience chooses to witness her performance—trusting Marcela to make them experience the mental space of fear that makes violence possible.“It’s a sport. It’s over. She just wanted to win,” Marcela says soberly, sitting back in the leather armchair.Her observation, while strikingly succinct, is perhaps the best answer to my questions. We can watch Agentic Mode unfold, allow it to unsettle us and help us understand our instinctual, bodily responses to situations of fear, but it is simply a performance. It ends. Marcela has posed the questions about violence that she wanted to. We have to choose to find the answers.&nbsp;</body></html>

Marcela Torres Wants Us To Experience Violence

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418153/l7qlu7rzv3gsmgchncyw.jpg"><figcaption>BOB FAUST, Michael Workman / Landing Projects. 2858 W. Belle Plaine Ave. Chicago, IL 60618 Vinyl lettering on glass, 23” h x 21” w. Not for sale. Artist’s Note: From a foundation that is at best precarious, we enter 2020 with an uncertainty that requires our own power and focus to remain upright. The number “2020” is both a date focused on this political moment in time, as well as a measurement as a call for clarity of vision. By siting “Hope &amp; Peace” in Landing Projects’ windows and playing on the transparency between inside and out or what is “mine” vs. “ours,” it is a super direct reminder of what we need both domestically as well as communally.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By CGN Staff via PRThe past several weeks have made many artists and art world players think very differently about how to make and share art with a public that is largely unable to gather in one place. The organizers of a new initiative, based out of Chicago but with a global reach, were inspired by the generosity of artists and the power of art to transform and connect us.&nbsp;ART-IN-PLACE (AIP) is an initiative of <a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=a88b693967&amp;e=a71d7765a5">CNL Projects</a> (founded in 2016 by Cortney Lederer) and <a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=5c111d8104&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Terrain Exhibitions</a> (a nonprofit founded in Oak Park Illinois by the late artist Sabina Ott and author John Paulett.) At the onset of the pandemic, these art connectors noticed so many artists began to create and offer to send small artworks in the mail to anyone that asked. Artists were using Instagram as a platform to share this generous offering. They shared collaged postcards (<a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=489ef5137b&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Kelly Kristen Jones</a> and <a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=7f4ea96c6d&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Melissa Oresky</a>), "corona rings” (<a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=8435e0cb9c&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Laura Davis</a>), seeds to grow (<a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=d4b2de050b&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Anna Brown</a>), plant clippings, and other creative works. CNL says they received about five different artworks in the mail within a couple weeks. Art became a way to connect, inspire and bring hope during a moment when we were all so suddenly disconnected from one another. We&nbsp;felt moved and inspired. We wanted to create a platform to share this generosity and consider what we all need right now—connection to others outside the virtual. There is no better tool for this than art. Visit <a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=323cfea47f&amp;e=a71d7765a5">https://www.cnlprojects.org/artinplace</a> to view participating artists. The organizers note that due to&nbsp;the fact that over 275 artists are participating (including artist living in Berlin, Canada, Japan, India, Israel and Peru) they are still in process of uploading artists' image details and websites. Click on each artist's image to learn more about each artist and locate an address of where to tour art in your community. A live map is being developed for release next week.&nbsp; Collectors have the option to purchase a beautiful set of curated postcards showcasing a collection of every ART-IN-PLACE participating artist (forthcoming). Artists collectables, editions and original works of art are available for purchase. Please contact <a href="mailto:cortney@cortneylederer.com?subject=NEWSLETTER">cortney@cortneylederer.com</a> if you are interested in a work of art.&nbsp;&nbsp;From each artwork sale,&nbsp;artists receive 80% and&nbsp;donate 20% to the <a href="https://cortneylederer.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=209edfd3257df90385f531e52&amp;id=1ff9d0b750&amp;e=a71d7765a5">Arts for Illinois Relief Fund,</a>&nbsp;which provides financial relief to workers and organizations in the creative industries impacted by COVID-19.&nbsp; All proceeds from postcards sales will also support this fund.ART-IN-PLACE will be on view from May 20–June 20, 2020&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418154/tb8cjxwf5xylalk8yle7.png"><figcaption>AIMÉE BEAUBIEN 2443 N. Francisco Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 &nbsp;Size variablePrinted banner material, paradord $3,500 Artist’s Note: What happens when a plant closes its eyes, when it loses its leaves? What will the last leaf look like?For After the Last Leaf, I took stock of my immediate landscape and photographed specific leaves plucked from plants growing inside of my home and in the garden that surrounds. Qualities of the garden run parallel to the nature of photography: they are spaces defined by interactions of the scientific, the accidental and the temporal. Wild, fast growing vines slink through the yard and climb around our house. In my home studio, plants mingle with huge tangles of cut and woven photographs that dangle down from the ceiling in various states of progress and decay. I photograph the ever-changing conditions as plants dry and projects grow.Vines trail, ramble, lean, flop, twine, weave, root, grasp, cling and climb. I translate my responses to the vitality of vines by pushing color while imagining how energy is harnessed from the sun in photosynthesis. I reorganize the scale of my photographs to amplify the ambition of vine movements while translating their enviable ability to embrace everything near in acts of remarkable adaptability. Vines are tenacious. Vines will win.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418155/s6215hoqdcirvqlpgc0t.png"><figcaption>CECIL MCDONALD, JR. 10026 S. Wood Chicago, IL 60643 40” x 30”Mylar and pigment ink$3,000 Artist’s Note: Car garage wrapped in Mylar, waited for the colors of night, street lamps, car headlights, brake lights and the green of the surrounding nature to reflect in a spectacular fashion for the photograph. The goal was to explore the transformative power of photography.</figcaption></figure></body></html>

ART-IN-PLACE: A Project to Connect, Inspire and Bring Hope While We Are Disconnected

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417879/al4yzksibpsvkvtuqrhu.png"><figcaption>Artist Mark Yee with patrons the Williams family</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAEvery three years, the Hyde Park Art Center relaunches its famed artist–patron matchmaking endeavor. It's a multifaceted, immersive art experience and benefit for the center, and its return is always greatly anticipated. In the best of times, the program gives much needed exposure and support to area artists, while also introducing new collectors to the world of commissions and artist relationships. It also raises funds for the art center and its programming. NJAPF facilitates lasting relationships between artists and patrons, a new base of support for artists, and investment in the vitality of Chicago’s cultural community.Now, with the majority of working artists now unemployed or without their usual financial lifelines, HPAC launched a special COVID-19 edition of the program (the most recent edition of the program concluded at the end of 2019.) &nbsp;The Art Center was inspired by one of its Board members who purchased art as a way to support artists through this difficult time.&nbsp;Taking place every three years, Not Just Another Pretty Face is a collaborative commissioning project created by Hyde Park Art Center. The Art Center arranges commissions between patrons and artists who create engaging personal works of art (from the traditional to the very untraditional).The project has been a successful way for the Art Center to cultivate a very important part of the “ecosystem” that artists need in order to thrive – collectors – by embracing, and encouraging, the idea of patronage in contemporary art. The goal of the program, according to HPAC staff, is guided by the belief that artists need not only consumers (i.e., collectors) of their work, but also need a community of people who know and support them and value what they do.To date, the Art Center has raised over $900,000—half of which goes directly into the hands of artists, with the other half going to support Art Center programs. Through&nbsp;Not Just Another Pretty Face, 375+ original works of art have been commissioned by 275 new and established collectors interested in investing in Chicago’s artists.For this edition, here's what you need to know:<ul><li>No art collecting experience is necessary, and there's something for every budget and style. Peruse the roster of artists available <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001TBk5YFyprmE0a__vTXvUvNKwau55DKeuJfYbTCxdLVmR7reqo6pQLhAdn-89cE6M5VkG7g31LgAWU53YAu91qCeFO8qo1eWFtCTeptu5-5AC2yK9Gy8vJCTmJqyUEFXII9mVIyb2r5vE2ScX-jyYceUaoc6Plh_W&amp;c=IMSoXDtN6YQF6maGwUYgs20dwPJ_-RTRApk7C8WhOuKjbIc0LFxzMA==&amp;ch=W7jSJB2Yvzt0RKsGy2D2sX-_HlEyuy2ROlrDZseflSkM3a4TytR5ug==">here.</a></li><li>Art Center staff will arrange virtual studio visits with artists and facilitate commissions and sales over the next few weeks.</li><li>The commission and/or sale fee will be split 50% to the artist and 50% as a tax-deductible donation to the Art Center’s relief fund, which will go directly to pay artists through our programs.</li></ul>If you are interested in learning more, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001TBk5YFyprmE0a__vTXvUvNKwau55DKeuJfYbTCxdLVmR7reqo6pQLhAdn-89cE6MqXiDZxXmRohALCXwq--_6zdKI_b8iZUUjlxB2xG2TGYrTyVrAO2Qfp7YUJi8Iwp_ZSf9CiWMobD0GVPtKMnS6aKglu3HxqFRb343XCVcu1zBlg6cLdXBaA-jg0oGLt5rK2QwgHwxAlQpobOWlDD8PSGnE-ED5Ofl0IvXy55Oj6R2F3-LSxaLaVGl0xzRgnHF&amp;c=IMSoXDtN6YQF6maGwUYgs20dwPJ_-RTRApk7C8WhOuKjbIc0LFxzMA==&amp;ch=W7jSJB2Yvzt0RKsGy2D2sX-_HlEyuy2ROlrDZseflSkM3a4TytR5ug==">please fill out this form</a> and someone from HPAC will be in touch.Since its inception in the mid-1990s, Not Just Another Pretty Face has maintained its pursuit of three primary goals:<ul><li>To support Chicago’s artists;</li><li>To make collecting and patronage accessible to a wider group of people; and</li><li>To explore the idea of portraiture in contemporary art.</li></ul>My husband and I participated in the program several years ago and commissioned a wedding present that was a gift from my parents. We loved the selection process as well as the unveiling event and exhibition, and we have kept in touch with "our artist" Mel Watkin. Many people who have participated in NJAPF do so again, and again. This is proving to be a time that will be challenging for artists for a very long time. It is also a time when hopefully we recognize the importance of art in our lives and how it can help us during dark and uncertain days. The NJAPF COVID-10 edition offers opportunities for all.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hydeparkart.org/njapf-2019">SEE THE ARTISTS AVAILABLE FOR 2020 COVID-19 EDITION OF NJAPF</a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hydeparkartcenter/sets/72157673842514364">SEE IMAGES FROM THE 2019 NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE UNVEILING</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/e0e61f61601/4eb1a619-da30-479a-85f5-3b47cb848640.png" alt=""><figcaption>Chad Kouri, Support Structure, hand cut vinyl on black paper, 11x14, 2019. Commissioned by Onyx Montes for the 2019 iteration of Not Just Another Pretty Face.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

Hyde Park Art Center Launches Special COVID-19 Edition of Art Matchmaking Program

<figure class="image"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/e0e61f61601/fd572b4f-0c47-4f8b-b3a2-f2c34ef7584a.png" alt=""><figcaption>“Stay Home, Make Art" Design by: Kari “Kasmos” Black. Artists: Dorian Sylvain, Kari “Kasmos” Black, Kahari Black and Katon Black.</figcaption></figure>By CGN via HPAC Staff&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/">Hyde Park Art Center</a> just sent us a reminder that, as they say, distance can't stop us from caring. One artist, who lives with her family not far from HPAC, decided to create her own art during lockdown. Not only did she get creative, but she wanted to make it public as well as use it as a means to cheer others while reminding them to say safe but also busy and inspired at home. Those in the neighborhood can pop by on foot or by car to admire the mural while the Art Center's doors are closed. – CGN&nbsp;When one sees a white wall, another sees hope, and&nbsp;Art Center&nbsp;teaching artist/Center Program alumna&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Kkm9bKppjOkdZwUPKBRdeSDTnq78Tlrw5qh0CgiC_smnBoATccWC0emGrxNwHxlaUpd55T8J8T8uJ9LiavNl1-kWXgmGexluRtRJ93n0ODqhqnAMAiFfhC3b7jZTo_FLyUundtCMa33bvgMJMr4jEg==&amp;c=e67iZzZR19_iMz2PfvJ8uVy1towYYcTN_D8dVqiH3V9SsCrEQ2GjNA==&amp;ch=weIn88dDbSKgUb_Fa23UuSJOgb5K07rQYOnaD-fDzHHEeFoGUSOqBA==">Dorian Sylvain </a>knows this very well.&nbsp;She&nbsp;along with her sons&nbsp;Kari Sylvain&nbsp;(mural designer),&nbsp;Kahari Sylvain,&nbsp;and Katon Sylvain are the artists behind the temporary quarantine-time mural "Stay Home, Make Art" which you can see&nbsp;on the north wall of&nbsp;our building. We had a chance to chat with&nbsp;Dorian, who told us about the inspiration for the mural.What motivated you to create&nbsp;the mural?DS: During the early&nbsp;days of the quarantine, my boys and I talked a lot about what message we could send to our neighbors. We were&nbsp;all under so much stress, I felt color in our "new" desolate landscape could be healing. Remembering that Hyde Park Art Center had a white wall...we thought let's do it! It was kinda spontaneous. My son has a sketchbook full of adorably cute&nbsp;characters...we thought a light message would be well received.What do you hope people take away when seeing the mural?DS: We wanted to send a&nbsp;message of love; bright colors to heal the spirit, playful characters to lighten the mood, and of course a message of caution..."Stay Home."What has helped you stay creative?DS: I somehow&nbsp;feel a responsibility, as a public artist, to attempt to use my skills to educate (many people are not getting the message) and maybe to bring a little joy to a passerby with the subtext..."I miss HUGS!" I think most of us share that sentiment!&nbsp;You can also "visit" Hyde Park Art Center <a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/">online</a> (they give you lots of ways to make art from home!)&nbsp;

Artistic Family Creates Temporary Quarantine-time Mural at HPAC

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418761/ywv7x7b3dpn5gq4tlblm.gif"><figcaption>Marina Zurkow, Mesocosm (Wink, TX), 2012, real-time generative software animation on monitor.© Marina Zurkow, courtesy of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, rendering still by bitforms. From CGN's summer 2020 interview with the Thomas.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAChicago Gallery News was founded in 1982/1983 as a means of promoting openings in the then-brand-new gallery district of River North. From a group of 16, the number and locations of galleries exploded over the years. Friday night openings were the place to be.That tradition continued until COVID-19 obliterated the familiar art rituals and gatherings we took for granted – art fairs, summer markets, gallery walks, artist talks, preview parties, end of year MFA shows – the cultural connectivity that powers the art scene has been put on hold.Now all plans are subject to change. Physical proximity to art – not to mention other people – is harder to achieve, at least if it requires private admission or means being in a crowd. Digital ingenuity has constructed some virtual bridges for the time being, but the significance of in-person encounters, dialogues and exchanges cannot be replaced, or held off forever. Adrift in the digital deluge, I’m in search of higher ground.I remember the economic rout of the 2008 crisis, one year after I bought CGN, but these headwinds are stronger. CGN is proud to be a resource to the arts community and its supporters during this time. We committed to printing this summer issue, despite great challenges, because I wanted to offer a life boat in order to ride out the storm. The magazine has always been a tangible testament to all the art alive here. Now many of our dealers and artists are trying so hard to adapt and survive.&nbsp;It helps me to look back as well as ahead. CGN has digitally evolved over the decades, but we were founded in and continue in print. While we can reflect fondly on the early ‘80s we don’t need to go all the way back there (I predate CGN’s founding by a couple of years, so at that time I was excited to get my first bike). Time and people move ahead, in spite of market crashes, fires, wars, recessions, and yes pandemics. We cannot be static. Artists still make art. Dealers, curators and collectors will still connect. The creativity that endures must be recognized and supported.<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418762/im8ldb8jwolres45ii2u.png"><figcaption>Steve Jobs in 1984 via The Verge</figcaption></figure>With two months of lockdown behind me, so far, I’m looking ahead to what today will look like decades from now, when face masks and Zoom screenshots from 2020 will look as dated as that picture of Steve Jobs holding the first Macintosh computer does today. Photos of my family’s quarantine will show us with long hair wearing weird white earbuds. We cannot avoid looking dated.As we scramble to be digitally current and connected while we are physically apart, I am also learning, from artists like <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/5/ebony-g-patterson-the-interactivity-of-visual-appeal">Ebony G. Peterson</a>, whom Alison Reilly interviewed for this issue, the benefits of just being and tuning out the world. It makes me hopeful that the pendulum will swing towards a more deliberate, in-person, albeit less crowded, landscape when this is “over.”&nbsp;We are learning so much about virtual possibilities in life and business, but maybe local galleries could be regarded as precious gathering places to connect in person and view art. We have had more than enough time on our screens. Maybe fairs will be less market-obsessed, devoted to gallery survival over notoriety. Small businesses will be treasured over the mega and the convenient. The shifts that began long before COVID-19 – to art fair dominance, email overload and social media bingeing – could be a memory.Of course all of this depends on the art market actually surviving the category 5 financial hurricane we are in. Already since we went to press on this issue (May 4) EXPO Chicago has <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/5/expo-chicago-to-move-from-september-to-april-8-11-2021">announced</a> they are moving the 9th edition of the fair from September to April 2021. One new gallery owner we spotlighted in print has decided she must close her doors for good. There are others who will follow. Our partner galleries and businesses, like so many out there, need your support. Artists depend on your engagement. Please do what you are able in order to hold on to your interest in art and keep investing in creativity financially as well as emotionally. Stay with us so that we can look back someday and remember the experience but be grateful for the hope, the innovation, and the change.&nbsp;</body></html>

Publisher's Letter, Summer 2020: Subject to Change

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAThis week's round of updates from what galleries are doing during stay-at-home contributes to the variety of ways people are thinking about how to share art and engage collectors, artists and supporters from afar. Each offering here can bring you the joy of art while hopefully inspiring you to support local spaces in any way you are able. There are opportunities to view as well as to create.Also, we want to share with you an initiative to come together to support Chicago art spaces. EXPO Chicago and other area art leaders are committed to uniting the local scene, <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=e1db0bf228&amp;e=b25d02ccd1">#chicagogalleries</a> connects commercial, artist-run, and non-profit spaces across the city to contribute to an ever-evolving landscape of online documentation and diverse digital programming. Follow the hashtag across social media platforms for the latest Chicago-based programs.&nbsp;Here for you are more ways that area arts groups and businesses are sharing art with you during this stay-at-home period.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418755/kgqnbllziacjaduu93eh.jpg"></figure><a href="http://lawrenceandclark.com/">Lawrence &amp; Clark</a>Jason Pickleman is asking you to send your mail art to Lawrence &amp; Clark. Why? The only art shippers with a crew of 600,000 is the United States Post Office! Let’s use ‘em! Mail art must be no larger than 4.2”5 x 9.5” (a standard business envelope). Pickleman says he will try to post everything that arrives, as well as go through his archive of past Mail Art shows and post some of personal faves. Mail art has a rich history of individual eccentricity and spontaneous generosity, and now is the time to make and share art. The shelter-in-place order is making the future of Lawrence &amp; Clark uncertain, so this might be the last hurrah. Step up, it will only cost you 55¢. If you don’t have a stamp, DM Jason your address and he will mail you one. More info via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jason.pickleman?__tn__=lC-R&amp;eid=ARCbc-2XT4_HnLjONPiY_v6BlU4NpV0PYfnr3ZKDnTAFlJLt-kYI-Hr2EAZreVrMwKSPHq1md9a6sWSB&amp;hc_ref=ARR2U-yM3TY2WzAsZdwO-RlpnsxgSRU1izV0s0G6hUeiQjy_Zl2EQhqXFfbdvjHwff0&amp;__xts__[0]=68.ARAyXzdgNxO3zBM1j3gVthLbrZFAjRJIJ9B8tNClvJ32RDs3z5Vlmb5yWPthfklWJq7xUAvnBDypZyElvDGIgz5VX1DQNT99REz1_HDGX2WrKu7qG9yk06rgadjTgPA1O0fs3wXbH1JaWrVIHjPtcpeprhXaCw2f0ekBMFEUGrFlOkXEimKYtqrcMUjquyY8JJwwkYLc6Mllj3J7kBnHsSuLpGl30Dhfkuk1KmeHLGqpxfAbOCXjJx55XPEB0XCZmVQiJ8TWhAhaahPGq2kIlpEHZ-FeZiyfcg">Facebook</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418756/oaznzynh5igmdpgs0c4z.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/krannert-art-museum">Krannert Art Museum</a>This week staff would have been hard at work at KAM preparing the MFA exhibition, and the galleries would have been full of students deploying the collection in their coursework. Instead, KAM is forging new bonds over the Internet and having interesting conversations about how to serve the community and to share work in new ways. Over the past few weeks, the museum's educators have added to their resources for learning about art. Here are a few of the activities you can access through the KAM website:<a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/QRJLxsEWHZT8cgBUNJADOw~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEQ2h0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9yZXNvdXJjZS9sZXNzb24tcGxhbi1jcmVhdGUteW91ci1vd24tY29taWNXA3NwY0IKACjhz5BevrKtg1IcZ2lubnlAY2hpY2Fnb2dhbGxlcnluZXdzLmNvbVgEAAAABA~~">Lesson Plan: Create your own comic</a><a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/BojkIG9LIaE-2PhKTM7yqA~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEQWh0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9yZXNvdXJjZS9hcnQta2lkcy1sYW5kc2NhcGVzLWFuZC1zZWFzb25zVwNzcGNCCgAo4c-QXr6yrYNSHGdpbm55QGNoaWNhZ29nYWxsZXJ5bmV3cy5jb21YBAAAAAQ~">Art for Kids: Landscapes and Seasons</a><a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/JcN5FsjcTAh3cJcC_kHA7Q~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEQmh0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9yZXNvdXJjZS9hcnQta2lkcy1hZnJpY2FuLWdhbGxlcnktYW5pbWFsc1cDc3BjQgoAKOHPkF6-sq2DUhxnaW5ueUBjaGljYWdvZ2FsbGVyeW5ld3MuY29tWAQAAAAE">Art for Kids: African Gallery Animals</a><a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/XrXxVj1Z9C529KLqd91bmQ~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEQGh0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9yZXNvdXJjZS9jb2xsZWN0aW9uLWNvbG9yaW5nLWFjdGl2aXR5LTFXA3NwY0IKACjhz5BevrKtg1IcZ2lubnlAY2hpY2Fnb2dhbGxlcnluZXdzLmNvbVgEAAAABA~~">Collection Coloring Activity #1</a><a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/HT-r1bIGAAgdj_4fXpF8dw~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEQGh0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9yZXNvdXJjZS9jb2xsZWN0aW9uLWNvbG9yaW5nLWFjdGl2aXR5LTJXA3NwY0IKACjhz5BevrKtg1IcZ2lubnlAY2hpY2Fnb2dhbGxlcnluZXdzLmNvbVgEAAAABA~~">Collection Coloring Activity #2: Home and Community</a>Explore All | <a href="http://links.illinois.edu/f/a/bRQ4vzrvTnS8vCBIOSqOPQ~~/AAMFlAA~/RgRgc1ThP0URVSBLQU0sVSBGQUEsVSBBQUhEOGh0dHBzOi8va2FtLmlsbGlub2lzLmVkdS9sZWFybmluZy9rLTEyL3RlYWNoZXItcmVzb3VyY2VzVwNzcGNCCgAo4c-QXr6yrYNSHGdpbm55QGNoaWNhZ29nYWxsZXJ5bmV3cy5jb21YBAAAAAQ~">Teaching Resources</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418757/u1ceoq2dxhcvyjh4xfyr.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-architecture-foundation">Chicago Architecture Center</a>Beginning with the debut issue of CAC@Home sent in March, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) offers a broad spectrum of timely opportunities for public engagement, through and beyond its temporary suspension of in-person activities.&nbsp;Alongside one-time-only CAC Live events featuring architecture experts, design practitioners, acclaimed authors and industry leaders, CAC Live also engages the organization’s corps of more than 600 docents and volunteers through online talks and virtual tours, stories to inspire Chicagoans to explore their own neighborhoods while spatial distancing, and submissions to CAC Recommends—the CAC’s new weekly roundup of media endorsements for design lovers.Coming up: Saturday, April 18 is <a href="http://www.architecture.org/">Women of the 1893 World's Fair</a> (also April 21)Read the full details <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/resources/200409_chicago-architecture-center--cachome-and-ca.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418757/btefuzbgketgcmbzzjfn.jpg"></figure>Brushwood CenterBrushwood Center is still striving to build a community around nature and the arts and is highlighting a different nature-inspired artist each week and sharing their story with you. This week they feature nature artist and printmaker <a href="http://www.cscarlson.com/?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=b9b998ab-cc30-42db-9103-f20e6cf6b1be">Carrie Carlson</a> of Orland Park, IL. She has degrees in Biology and Art, Scientific Illustration and Printmaking and she recently began a PhD in Art + Design Education at Northern Illinois University. Since 2001, she has been a full-time high school educator in the south suburbs of Chicago where she has split her years between the science and art departments; teaching Drawing, Painting, International Baccalaureate Visual Arts, as well as Biology, Biomedical Sciences, and Horticulture. She also teaches a variety of adult art courses at the Morton Arboretum including linoleum block printing, drawing birds, and field sketching. Watch a linocut demo <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_9aPxI_i4Q&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=b9b998ab-cc30-42db-9103-f20e6cf6b1be">here</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418758/ynvuzrtavevyyjrocakf.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/leslie-hindman-auctioneers--3">HINDMAN</a>If you've been busy cleaning closets and looking at the contents of your home after so much quality time with it, maybe you want to offload some of it.&nbsp;Hindman Auctions is pleased to offer virtual consultations and remote appraisal services with specialists via phone or video appointment. They are currently welcoming consignments in all categories for upcoming sales.Contact them to discuss including your property in one of the spring auctions, and to schedule a time to talk with a specialist. Hindman Chicago – 312.280.1212 <a href="mailto:chicago@hindmanauctions.com?subject=Discuss%20Consignment%20and%20Virtual%20Consultation">chicago@hindmanauctions.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418759/g26xjsowogugugxf9wr4.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/richard-h-driehaus-museum">Driehaus Museum</a>While the Museum remains closed the recent exhibition, <a href="https://driehausmuseum.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32343bbcd4e3063e18cdf64bf&amp;id=c31d26a98c&amp;e=d1db3f815c">Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany,</a>&nbsp;has come to an end.&nbsp;As these majestic windows quietly come down to make way for the installation of another beautiful exhibition for our reopen, we contemplate the motive behind their creation – the art of uplifting images in vibrant colorful glass to conjure strength, compassion, meaning, and hope in extraordinarily difficult times. Museum staff got together with our partners at Big Foot Media and Picosa <a href="https://driehausmuseum.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=32343bbcd4e3063e18cdf64bf&amp;id=651b2e333f&amp;e=d1db3f815c">to bring the exhibition to you</a> – a virtual journey through glass accompanied by the pastoral music of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. “Color is to the eye what music is to the ear.” ~Louis Comfort Tiffany &nbsp;</body></html>

Creative Digital Outreach Part V and #chicagogalleries

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEACombing through emails and social media posts to keep up with the various, clever ways galleries and museums are sharing their art during lockdown keeps me busy. While I genuinely welcome a slower social calendar and so much family togetherness, I desperately wish I could know not only when people can open up their businesses again and meet in person but when they can expect to start making sales and selling tickets. How long can we hold on? When will the relief arrive? And when we get out, what will be left?But that's the panic voice in my head. I mean, has anyone ever stopped making art? Or selling it for that matter? The Grinch may steal all the presents and the Roast Beast, but come Christmas morning, all the Whos down in Whoville will keep singing.Here for you are more ways that area arts groups and businesses are sharing art with you during this stay-at-home period.&nbsp;Note: The text for this post mysteriously disappeared during a security update to our website... I've posted limited text again in its place April 14, 2020.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418748/emjxtxl9959zk4eacysz.png"></figure>Elmhurst Art Museum Virtual TourThe museum has a special online guide about the <a href="https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/education/museum-from-home/">Sandra Jorgensen</a> exhibition that includes a virtual tour and more.&nbsp;A local real estate company helped the museum with the virtual tour. There is also a coloring page, and behind the scenes looks at &nbsp;research. Plus there are special offers to <a href="https://www.elmhurstartmuseum.org/support/membership/">Join/Renew Now</a> - Through April 30th, EAM will offer an additional 3 months to any new or renewed memberships.&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/collections/online-shop">Purchase an Art-ivity pack</a> for your child to do at home. Five hands-on projects designed by EAM's Education department are included in each pack. Special 50% Offer: Buy an Art-ivity pack at the special price of $25 with the purchase of a membership at $75 or higher.</li><li><a href="https://eam-shop.myshopify.com/products/gift-card">Purchase a gift certificate</a> redeemable for studio art classes, Summer Break Art Camps, museum store, and more.</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418749/glq3ykjuuzqzxllpotm3.png"></figure>Rangefinder Gallery Facebook VideosThe always cheerful Dan Tamarkin has been posting clever, behind-the-scenes videos from home, giving peeks at his personal Leica collection and more. Follow them <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tamarkin.camera">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418750/ngmsuceufsmhgrubjdqs.jpg"></figure>Smart Museum of Art – Coloring!&nbsp;Introducing...the <a href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=a4f0689ad3&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5">Allure of Coloring</a>! Interact with&nbsp;The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China from the comfort of your living room through a special series of coloring challenges.&nbsp;Each week, we will share a new coloring page adapted from a work of art from the Smart Museum and Wrightwood 659’s presentation of&nbsp;The Allure of Matter. This week’s sheet is inspired by Gu Dexin’s <a href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=0cf27e287a&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5">room-sized installation of melted plastic</a>.&nbsp;The companion website for <a href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=f65cb91786&amp;e=69d0084f18">The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China</a> is online and bursting with original interviews, behind-the-scenes images &amp; videos, and artist profiles. Be creative—when it comes to coloring, there are no wrong answers! Print the sheets out and use coloring tools like pencils or crayons, cut up an old magazine and make a collage, or use a digital coloring app on your device.&nbsp;If you post your creations to social media, be sure to include the hashtag <a href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=97c0a23956&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5">#theallureofcoloring</a> so we can find your work and share it with the world!<a href="https://uchicago.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aba2086a45b4ee8391b89447b&amp;id=db62d1105e&amp;e=a6ad3ea4a5">Download the coloring sheet (PDF)</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418750/drbbeu4c2mip93et15bg.jpg"></figure>The Block Museum of Art Digital Collection&nbsp;Join us as we #MuseumFromHomeExplore highlights from The Block right from home or from the digital classroom.<ul><li>Browse video collections featuring full-length programs and unforgettable museum moments.</li><li>Tune in to audio programs with recordings of lectures and conversations.</li><li>Read essays and publications offering deeper insight into The Block's projects.</li></ul>While our archived work has always been available through our blog <a href="https://northwestern.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=904f932038284b4d9eea69636&amp;id=98c2f35063&amp;e=64540e863b">Stories from The Block</a>, we are thrilled to be able to showcase some of our top picks on a new home page.<a href="https://northwestern.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=904f932038284b4d9eea69636&amp;id=29df793aef&amp;e=64540e863b">VISIT THE BLOCK FROM HOME</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Creative Digital Outreach From Local Art Spaces During COVID-19: Part IV

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAWe are finding, maybe just like many of you, that we don't really want to focus on our actual work working from home, but we do want to keep busy. Here in the "New CGN office", where we are finally working day in and day out with our (truly) tireless 'interns' (have you read our masthead closely any time in the past 6 years? It's a family affair) we just keep on sharing all the news from art spaces doin' it for themselves, as Aretha and Annie Lennox sang. They're going virtual - inside and outside. Full collections are coming online. It just doesn't stop. It keeps me up late, but it's kind of fun.&nbsp;Seriously, I just posted a bunch of new ones <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/4/creative-digital-outreach-from-local-art-spaces-during-covid-19-part-ii">this afternoon</a>, but here for you are more. It's late. You're welcome.&nbsp;And speaking of the interns again, there are some creative ideas at the end of this post that up your family friendly art game (we've drawn Elsa, now we can do an Exquisite Corpse!)&nbsp;We will keep sharing creative COVID-19 work-arounds from our dealer and artist friends as we see them. All of them deserve your attention and support!&nbsp;Have a look, and be sure to connect with them directly.Stay home, and stay healthy!&nbsp;#artwillgetyouthroughthis&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418742/byaejlla6icdp5cibyzn.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.govst.edu/NMSP/">GSU Virtual Tours of Sculpture Park and Visual Art Gallery</a>Jeff Stevenson, Director and Curator of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate) and <a href="https://www.govst.edu/Gallery/">Visual Arts Gallery</a> at <a href="file:///C:/Users/shirsch/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/7FNLC92R/govst.edu">Governors State University</a>, is eager to bring the art from GSU into people’s homes by providing virtual tours––something he views as essential to growth.“The founder of theNate,&nbsp;Lew Manilow, recognized how art serves as one of our brain’s&nbsp;organizing systems, and that one of the reasons it has survived and thrived for tens of thousands of years is that art raises our aspirations and helps us to imagine and achieve great goals,” Stevenson said.By downloading <a href="file:///C:/Users/WaleyHalsh/Downloads/otocast.com">Otocast,</a> you can take a virtual tour of theNate, complete with photos of each large-scale sculpture and accompanying text, and even recorded audio from many of the artists discussing their works on display.Stevenson has also recorded a <a href="https://youtu.be/1I_1T6s8lW0">tour of The Visual Arts Gallery’s current exhibition</a>, Sarah Krepp: tatting &lt;--&gt; tearing. The exhibition’s timing in the gallery seems like a premonition, as the––now abundant––familiarity of home is juxtaposed to the fear and anxiety created by the harshness of reality.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418743/zjgnrrl193s3qtnop5iy.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/hyde-park-art-center-hpac">Hyde Park Art Center – Virtual Center Sundays</a><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDOnk690X_hzHS4ChBWdD5mY1OCRoyCXclCM3Hj2xtGIDPErG_YKeC6OUNb0UxjUDoiZ6SQ6SoLeJCkXdGkH-bF7bYGwiEfKzQIdEHUSnED8F7zsnbTrwWFiDXqbRwZzzrlTOXk1mzqNw6k866kCN5ae-HQIs7AZaZbRg003Y7unyQdegFCvvG0dfVehZrYZOKVKmLj06GJW8s1AWXwQqeN4DHtQg7JQVUXTyTYbY0c=&amp;c=ElbNeY2Oag-9EeQBc6siRQtcOHva8owYsFwLC0CXPsgUAvuunLPLGA==&amp;ch=zvlIQGj2nYkNt7tqe8nNJm-xJR-Q5fxaLdgGTtReunWOc6ONxKRdhA==">Center Sundays are back - virtually!</a> Join in on art making, workshops, and a performance all from the comfort of your home. Hyde Park Art Center is offering online programming Sunday, April 5 from 1 pm until 5 pm. More details at our <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDOnk690X_hzHS4ChBWdD5mY1OCRoyCXclCM3Hj2xtGIDPErG_YKeC6OUNb0UxjUDoiZ6SQ6SoLeJCkXdGkH-bF7bYGwiEfKzQIdEHUSnED8F7zsnbTrwWFiDXqbRwZzzrlTOXk1mzqNw6k866kCN5ae-HQIs7AZaZbRg003Y7unyQdegFCvvG0dfVehZrYZOKVKmLj06GJW8s1AWXwQqeN4DHtQg7JQVUXTyTYbY0c=&amp;c=ElbNeY2Oag-9EeQBc6siRQtcOHva8owYsFwLC0CXPsgUAvuunLPLGA==&amp;ch=zvlIQGj2nYkNt7tqe8nNJm-xJR-Q5fxaLdgGTtReunWOc6ONxKRdhA==">Center Sunday web page</a>.Activities include:<ul><li>Virtual Art Making activity with Katherine Fimreite via Vimeo</li><li>Black Lunch Table Virtual Wiki Editing Session via GSuite: <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDOnk690X_hzHS4ChBWdD5mY1OCRoyCXclCM3Hj2xtGIDPErG_YKeC6OUNb0UxjU226GkDbrGqA2oDjxjqGZx3cVlav2yQqmDwUHXPTRZmGa1lmYa619D4_TX-PrwheMOIBLmfntAuFWbugNefjBug==&amp;c=ElbNeY2Oag-9EeQBc6siRQtcOHva8owYsFwLC0CXPsgUAvuunLPLGA==&amp;ch=zvlIQGj2nYkNt7tqe8nNJm-xJR-Q5fxaLdgGTtReunWOc6ONxKRdhA==">The Black Lunch Table (BLT)</a> is an ongoing collaboration between Jina Valentine, Heather Hart and Eliza Myrie. Come learn how to edit and write articles on Wikipedia.</li><li>Virtual Tax Workshop for Artists with Krystal Boney via Zoom (RSVP required): RSVP to <a href="mailto:cmckissick@hydeparkart.org">cmckissick@hydeparkart.org</a></li><li>Virtual Poetry Performance with Visiting Resident Artist Joelle Mercedes: Kick off National Poetry Month</li><li>Experimental Sound Studio Quarantine Concerts via Twitch: The Quarantine Concerts are a collaborative endeavor from <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDOnk690X_hzHS4ChBWdD5mY1OCRoyCXclCM3Hj2xtGIDPErG_YKeEioaYlgwscKptX2_DA6MLHIEaeznYSJZoSGFoIA4KzUkNjrgZ64eTTvFiNaGZuDKcvlbLG_YnNwsHeSgrFWQj7G93lE7VWrWTuMby7_tFlFgdUnaOjOdMZDFyrmBNM9sGy8Z9nf4hORPMLv9HlA0zmd0PdaaFUTwg==&amp;c=ElbNeY2Oag-9EeQBc6siRQtcOHva8owYsFwLC0CXPsgUAvuunLPLGA==&amp;ch=zvlIQGj2nYkNt7tqe8nNJm-xJR-Q5fxaLdgGTtReunWOc6ONxKRdhA==">Artist Run Chicago 2.0</a> participant, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UDOnk690X_hzHS4ChBWdD5mY1OCRoyCXclCM3Hj2xtGIDPErG_YKeC6OUNb0UxjUrpcDVj4aFpM_Is1kaa1i-TGtI_gEFM_jw0RJDzLwbP9ypP2_xxf6gX1jTBEEc1P1zFFnhjat8J8=&amp;c=ElbNeY2Oag-9EeQBc6siRQtcOHva8owYsFwLC0CXPsgUAvuunLPLGA==&amp;ch=zvlIQGj2nYkNt7tqe8nNJm-xJR-Q5fxaLdgGTtReunWOc6ONxKRdhA==">Experimental Sound Studio</a>, meant to provide artists a space to share their work and continue to earn a living during this time when most live performance opportunities have been cancelled due to COVID-19.</li></ul>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418744/ubefogls0lkdnhgaaea5.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/mana-contemporary">Mana Contemporary</a>In the past few weeks, Mana has shifted public programming, classes, and workshops online. Don’t miss an endless stream of things to read, watch, and participate in—published daily on their <a href="https://manacontemporary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bbbc438ca4feefb32f50d69c2&amp;id=38dd18c719&amp;e=8148c381fc">website</a>.Workshop:Join Dani Cole for <a href="https://manacontemporary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bbbc438ca4feefb32f50d69c2&amp;id=14ec858359&amp;e=8148c381fc">move, connect, reflect</a>—a movement class with an improvisational warm up, and creative writing exercise. <a href="https://manacontemporary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bbbc438ca4feefb32f50d69c2&amp;id=09ccf87559&amp;e=8148c381fc">Streaming live Wednesdays at 3pm</a>Career Development:Looking to refine your social media strategy? Mana is publishing recent (and upcoming) career development programs, including <a href="https://manacontemporary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bbbc438ca4feefb32f50d69c2&amp;id=6980205a42&amp;e=8148c381fc">Digital Strategies for Artists</a> with Mark Rosen. <a href="https://manacontemporary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bbbc438ca4feefb32f50d69c2&amp;id=af73739843&amp;e=8148c381fc">Watch Now</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418745/gxvyo4xmxoa1bthkay8y.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.terraamericanart.org/">Terra Foundation</a>The foundation wants to stay connected with you through these difficult times. As you conduct research from home or are looking for teaching resources, explore our online offerings. The Terra's art collection, recent publications on art of the United States, and teaching tools to engage primary- and secondary-school students are available to you on <a href="https://terraamericanart.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=267a08a7bec1f099f2207f0ac&amp;id=3be21c7daf&amp;e=ed2e5b3048">terraamericanart.org</a>. Please reach out if you have any questions.Connect with works from the Terra Foundation's collection and explore its nearly 800 paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures of art of the United States up to 1980.Dive deeper into the collection with ArtNav. Explore works of art in greater detail and navigate through an array of associated video, audio, imagery, and texts to learn more about some of the foundation's collection objects with this digital interpretive tool.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418746/epbqowavkxgbbm0mn2py.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/oliva-gallery">Oliva Gallery – Virtual Opening on April 10</a>Never has a show title been more fitting! Follow the details in the gallery's next exhibition: hOMe with @vankaneganAn exhibition of art by Nancy VanKanegan. hOMe is <a href="https://www.lexico.com/definition/home">defined as</a>: A place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates. Whatever else hOMe is—and however it entered our consciousness—it’s a way of organizing space in our minds. (Verlyn Klinkenborg)The primary home is the body itself. The work of the body is to observe, sustain, protect, rebuild when necessary, and most important to create: and then to share.The word OM represents the creation of sound from deep within the body, the sound echoing in the chamber of the physical self-transmittal of the interior to the outside–and a return to silence. The silence of the home deep within.The gallery is hosting an opening on Friday, April 10, 5–10pm – virtual only. The opening will be a multi-faceted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/olivagallery/?ref=br_rs">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/olivagallery/?hl=en">Instagram</a> Live event and closed to the public. Opening date: Friday, April 10th, 5–10pm. You can also see the show via private appointments. Personal showings will require the attendee to follow the social distancing rules of Oliva Gallery.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://files.constantcontact.com/377af31a201/6c01b523-6ae8-46d6-91f1-6891ece1b406.png" alt=""></figure><a href="https://milanoartguide.com/the-colouring-book/candida-alvarez">Monique Meloche – Artists in Coloring Books</a>The gallery shared this week that Curator Rossella Farinotti and Gianmaria Biancuzzi have partnered with Milano Art Guide to invite contemporary artists to create pages for <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nbvVSzlovy_NFKIzDoqyHRF2igQ8H7VibO50UmVKypR9Yqyja0kplRqeE09RSfa2sAtQDCBFXEDPdO7zKT9DapQl68McET0gafvBjX_g_GOU2ma4T_cJli2QKlP86JsssjJ88wAdJp_qzlu6c6mdjA==&amp;c=fgmcey2I2IY0S1tTqCYef8YyWxe8kY8dMwIG_8aN2oFCD5iuF9V3VQ==&amp;ch=REKEdcIFdFEBV2-PcDT9dpEtwiP9BVWe40hAMelu7DxyJwxWv3wfhQ==">The Coloring Book</a>, a virtual album that visitors can browse, download, and color in on their smartphones, tabets, or by printing out at home. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nbvVSzlovy_NFKIzDoqyHRF2igQ8H7VibO50UmVKypR9Yqyja0kplRqeE09RSfa2JdJBm12XK3Hh3xAliGucEEsR5klNR_K472_KqX0FJL_0CftLYBv5V3kRN5_o5XF0FrxY9fORrQmtZkAlAJjfweyZXVVhwPCfPKUf_Eok3L-oll6h52RpCcuG3AGVuNIxTp4ZzbdoSx0=&amp;c=fgmcey2I2IY0S1tTqCYef8YyWxe8kY8dMwIG_8aN2oFCD5iuF9V3VQ==&amp;ch=REKEdcIFdFEBV2-PcDT9dpEtwiP9BVWe40hAMelu7DxyJwxWv3wfhQ==">Candida Alvarez</a> is the first MMG artist to be included. Stay tuned for pages from <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nbvVSzlovy_NFKIzDoqyHRF2igQ8H7VibO50UmVKypR9Yqyja0kplQV7vZniKHJp6sFG1nD5X_AK_Nw-KtjLwotk8MGSgvrdptejVDnK_ghVee5Y0dFk_dRs5XAeeP3Q6vuKZDCKfSDyPpkRekrde7lWMoM8aDo1qqE945wPXf5WK80cD7wDVQ==&amp;c=fgmcey2I2IY0S1tTqCYef8YyWxe8kY8dMwIG_8aN2oFCD5iuF9V3VQ==&amp;ch=REKEdcIFdFEBV2-PcDT9dpEtwiP9BVWe40hAMelu7DxyJwxWv3wfhQ==">Jake Troyli</a>, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001nbvVSzlovy_NFKIzDoqyHRF2igQ8H7VibO50UmVKypR9Yqyja0kplRA9JkUS2L_wlwyVuUZihyS4k1oVRSrCR41cQEZ5TGifeFuirM6veRVfpo1WLvu7_aKe15qXCiIF3ztuxNFOTXI9JbHdiHzvNx47VHemwhZFdJlohx3l81p1PpzK4OMtOTjEZd0Sq_2Q&amp;c=fgmcey2I2IY0S1tTqCYef8YyWxe8kY8dMwIG_8aN2oFCD5iuF9V3VQ==&amp;ch=REKEdcIFdFEBV2-PcDT9dpEtwiP9BVWe40hAMelu7DxyJwxWv3wfhQ==">David Antonio Cruz</a>, and more! If you can read Italian, it's even better!&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418747/yxc8hzpldhtfcsav6w0g.png"></figure><a href="http://www.lubeznikcenter.org/">Lubeznik Center for the Arts - Family Art Activities</a>Everyone can be creative! Follow along with Lubeznik Center for the Arts' (LCA) latest videos to find something fresh and fun to do with your loved ones, including making a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3NepQSuaHw">mini-zine</a>, go on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLP9M0rFUu8&amp;feature=youtu.be">Studio Tour</a> with Dorothy Graden, or How to Create an "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxpXbF8pZU&amp;feature=youtu.be">Exquisite Corpse</a>" with Friends (for those not in the know it's a collaborative drawing project invented by artists of the Surrealist art movement and still used by contemporary artists, including the Chicago Imagists.)&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Creative Digital Outreach From Local Art Spaces During COVID-19: Part III

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418376/zv33pf689ybowlhs3ufw.png"><figcaption>A new mural by Karl Jahnke will be unveiled at Chicago Truborn Saturday, April 4 &nbsp;– safe to view from the street, behind glass</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEASince we posted on March 30 about our art community's many new ways to continue to share art while places and spaces are physically closed, we can barely keep up with the offerings that are coming online daily.&nbsp;Galleries are installing shows and gearing up for virtual opening nights this weekend, while others have completed virtual walk-throughs so you can still feel like you're in the gallery. Some spaces are showcasing artists working solo, while others are hosting live broadcasts.&nbsp;For those in the art industry looking for a chance to share and learn from best practices of their colleagues, there are some helpful webinars coming up this month that will cover timely marketing information as well as online innovation tips. We will share those soon.Here for you are just some of our favorite programs of the past couple days. We will keep sharing creative COVID-19 work-arounds from our dealer and artist friends as we see them. All of them deserve your attention and support!&nbsp;Have a look, and be sure to connect with them directly.Stay home, and stay healthy!&nbsp;#artwillgetyouthroughthis&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418377/kpflpaz7zrq74airol4g.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-truborn">Chicago Truborn – Virtual Opening</a>If you've been to Chicago Truborn anytime in the last 6 years, chances are you've seen Karl Jahnke's work. From dark surrealism to portraits, animals, and still life - his work is largely characterized by a highly recognizable quality unique to his artistry. The gallery says it was quite an easy decision to provide this platform for Karl to debut his first solo show in the city of Chicago. And yes, there will be chickens!! Expect a wide range of price points to accommodate collectors at all levels - from mini's to larger works, framed and unframed. As always, two new window installations will debut the night of the opening. SATURDAY at 6 pm, just as the gallery would do for any other opening, they will unveil Karl's murals to the world. They share, "At this incredibly unique time in history... Being able to share these murals SAFELY - through the glass, to the people who pass these windows everyday on Chicago Ave...It brings a new sense of purpose to what we do. Further driving home what we already knew... <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/artisessential?source=feed_text&amp;epa=HASHTAG&amp;__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBu24Y_KOU7nu4nwUJwlGLcKeC1kjidtLzhAD3-nEmewUNr9O9DCr5EuAguO_Yv1rgv1qd5C_ec009w9hcRNggyMfOIjvPKMid_acge70PkYFbxU21t1cr1Zc0rbqxKvFCEI-kIdz72_bibCTuNZngOUdwkK-JFEnXfKEN1q6-LpO7chJaSHngVxQ-aSADTmk01mUdwUag1dRU7E-0tpu13Ufil1-8MzFpbUu5LBVHVdc0MREhuPXzFiJPETGTZs75lbt7MX481U6cXrtfrTDpiB1FFvd0upfzyyYEvB8GN2A68EvJldVY_kSPJPLihufHYhjhU6KNtg-UXyNbLAYEUKQYndn5rg2rETowkTa1J73O9tTZ6fVXd9e8DITFxOlmM1ZR4cfD-Okvb8e8wvGtBrD4_SNYnIuSz-_pTwu8gyI8&amp;__tn__=%2ANK-R">#artIsEssential</a> "&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418378/ipjpyp1qnkggmf6lbynw.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/seven-year-anniversary-group-show">Vertical Gallery – Virtual Anniversary Opening</a>The gallery will present work from Stikki Peaches for their 7-Year Anniversary Group Show. You are invited to <a href="sales@verticalgallery.com">email</a> them to be added to the digital collector’s preview. The show officially opens April 4th with a live virtual gallery exhibition, and digital collectors previews are being made available. More photos and details to come in the next few days. The exhibition runs through May&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418379/oiuofco6r36ttegbge5w.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/hilton-asmus-contemporary">Hilton | Asmus – Live Broadcasts</a>Since the gallery had to postpone their scheduled series of exhibitions this spring, we decided to bring people a special opportunity to meet artists and experts in the various fields of art, live, in their own homes, up close and personal, and launch&nbsp;HILTON|&nbsp;ASMUS&nbsp;LIVEbroadcast series.&nbsp;They begin with National Geographic photographer, and TED TALK favorite&nbsp;Paul Nicklen&nbsp;and&nbsp;National Geographic Woman of Impact&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;She's Mercedes&nbsp;spokesperson,&nbsp;Cristina Mittermeier.&nbsp; The official opening of their exhibition, ORIGINS was to be April 2nd &amp; 3rd.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418380/hcxgyubpghc8fgrtbdme.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/lee-grantham">Jean Albano Gallery – Online Opening</a>A show of new work by Lee Grantham was due to open Friday, April 3, but instead you are invited to join the gallery online. Many of&nbsp;his&nbsp;new and exciting works are available on the gallery's <a href="http://www.jeanalbanogallery.com/">website</a>. An official opening will follow in, they hope, the not too far future.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418381/vw365iepycv23ljng297.png"><figcaption>Roger Brown: Hyperframe</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/kavi-gupta">Kavi Gupta Gallery – Walk Through</a>The gallery is sharing a virtual exhibition tour of their current show&nbsp;Roger Brown: Hyperframe and granting everyone access to viewing the show in as many ways as possible as we continue to expand our digital outreach. They let us know that with the world&nbsp;in such a crisis art is of extreme importance now more than ever.&nbsp;Tour the show <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EYE-hVAYbVk8gEfOT7WMKJoLzpAYMNIJ/view">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418382/yj0wy62sf9razrdtpixr.png"></figure><a href="https://patrongallery.com/">PATRON – Walk Through</a>PATRON's Partings, Swaying to the Moon, a solo exhibition with Brooklyn-based artist Kaveri Raina is viewable on Vimeo. Because of&nbsp;the gallery's temporary closure to the public, due to COVID-19, the exhibition is extended through the end of April. You are invited you to <a href="https://patrongallery.com/">scroll for more installation images</a>, press coverage of the exhibition, and an interview between Sangram Majumdar and Kaveri Raina.Tour the show <a href="https://vimeo.com/402368269">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418384/yrcvlricems2g4ehbdrd.jpg"></figure><a href="https://mcachicago.org/The-Commons-Online">MCA – Commons Online</a>The MCA is temporarily closed, however, creativity is not canceled! The museum would like to share some creative ways to stay connected virtually during this time and says, "Let's take risks with our imagination rather than our health." &nbsp;The Commons Online is a digital extension of the MCA's <a href="https://mcachicago.org/programs/the-commons">second-floor community space</a>—this is a place to foster social belonging during social distancing. Join us for events, discussions, and creative content every day.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Creative Digital Outreach From Local Art Spaces During COVID-19: Part II

By GINNY VAN ALYEA &nbsp;CGN is proud to be a resource to the arts community and its supporters during this time. On chicagogallerynews.com we, and all our galleries, artists, auction houses, and art services are open for business.So much else - from spring art fairs to summer exhibitions – has already been cancelled, postponed or remains in limbo. CGN and our partner galleries and art spaces all need your support and attention now more than ever. Stay with us. Keep up your interest and investment in art. Behind all of it are kind, creative, hard working, passionate people. We are a community.We say CGN is a cheerleader of the arts. The general points about why it’s good for individuals to buy art have long been because you love it, because it supports an artist, because it makes a statement, because it’s unique. But more than that, behind that virtual image is something you can touch and feel and experience. It's unlike almost any other thing you can buy, bring home and live with.&nbsp;I once wrote about how art can save lives (it's written on a pin I have above my desk in my office, which I miss right now). 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 the fall 2018 issue of CGN artist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2018/8/artist-suellen-rocca-a-life-story-through-art">Suellen Rocca</a>, who passed away last week,&nbsp;shared her experiences with us 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."&nbsp; My message still to anyone who may be able to buy a work of art right now, in these seemingly worst of times, is to reconsider why art is what is left behind once we are gone or after what surely seemed like total destruction. Art that survives the ages has the timeless ability to connect us to someone, some thing, some time.&nbsp;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; Art is something that can never really be cancelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Letter from the Publisher: Art Cannot Be Cancelled

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAOur art community has been working overtime to devise the best ways to continue to share art while places and spaces are closed, often with little to no resources or on-site technology at their disposal. But that doesn't mean that all is lost. Dealers, museum and arts professionals have all continued to talk, film and interact from home, while communicating with their key networks and striving to do all they can to support artists and small arts businesses. People are podcasting, hosting virtual exhibitions, leading educational Zoom meetings. Others are taking time to reflect and share stories from their art careers. Some spaces are sharing existing video footage on hand from past or prematurely shut down exhibitions, while others are in overdrive posting images of art work that can be shared socially.&nbsp;Here for you are just some of our favorite programs and creative COVID-19 work-arounds from our dealer and artist friends. All of them deserve your attention and support!&nbsp;Have a look, and be sure to connect with them.Stay home, and stay healthy!&nbsp;#artwillgetyouthroughthis<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417677/josi92nbbxsvwu6qxkwx.jpg"><figcaption>Harry Callahan, Eleanor, 1947</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/museum-of-contemporary-photography-mocp--2">MoCP</a>While the Museum of Contemporary Photography's recurring series Photos at Noon has been put on hold until the museum reopens, they have introduced a new online photography course: Photos at Zoom!Every week, Photos at Zoom will explore different topics relating to photography, including sessions on the Fundamentals of Photography,&nbsp;Photographing the Domestic, Landscape and Place, and more! Find out the details <a href="https://www.mocp.org/education/resources/photo-at-zoom.php">here</a>.MoCP is also hosting Instagram Stories <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mocpchi/">@mocpchi</a> via&nbsp;<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=72830754b7&amp;e=58cea278c7">#AskMoCP</a> where you can ask questions about the collection, photography or whatever!&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417678/mhxarmymimzm3zmcctfo.jpg"><figcaption>McCormick's long-ago Kansas City Headquarters (Tom's dining room)</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/mccormick-gallery">McCormick Gallery</a>Tom McCormick has gone nostalgic, and with free time he's being free with his <a href="https://mailchi.mp/thomasmccormick/two-dollar-quilt?e=4e60073cbe">memories</a> of earlier days in his career as an art dealer. He's shared a handful of stories so far via email, but our favorite so far is an almost-sale with the woman who became famous on screen for being a bunny boiler (isn't that a clue?) Read the full story <a href="https://mailchi.mp/thomasmccormick/another-little-story-close?e=4e60073cbe">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417679/sja8jq8qceghtyjjuij3.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-architecture-foundation">Chicago Architecture Center</a>The Center has launched <a href="http://www.architecture.org/news/">CAC@Home</a>, a new mini magazine bringing design-centered stories and activities to your inbox every Thursday. CAC@Home is a way to keep you close through this important period of spatial distancing.&nbsp; Each issue includes video, reading material, fun for the family and more. At the end of each issue you will find The Latest: links to up-to-date information including when and how we expect to resume CAC offerings like programs and tours. In the first issue Lynn Osmond, CAC President and CEO shares her sanity-preserving, socially distanced <a href="http://www.architecture.org/news/happening-caf/west-loop-walking-tour-with-lynn-osmond/?utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MKTG_March2020_CAC%40home_March26_members&amp;utm_content=version_A&amp;sourceNumber=104960">West Loop</a> walking tour.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417679/jnuzkylkhw2huucsxolj.png"><figcaption>Jeffrey Gibson,&nbsp;ALL I EVER WANTED ALL I EVER NEEDED, 2019, found canvas punching bag, glass beads, plastic beads, artificial sinew, steel studs, acrylic paint, steel chain,&nbsp;85 x 20 x 20". The text on this piece comes from the song&nbsp;Enjoy the Silence,&nbsp;the1990 smash single by British synth-pop band Depeche Mode.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/kavi-gupta">Kavi Gupta Gallery&nbsp;</a>The gallery emailed last week to say that though their galleries are closed to the public and team members are working from home something that always helps them feel better is music. So they put together a digital journey&nbsp;through&nbsp;the musical inspiration that led to&nbsp;several works by gallery artists. Read the <a href="https://mailchi.mp/kavigupta/a-musical-journey-with-kavi-gupta?e=d64831a8d2">full email here</a> with many clever examples of side by side art and music...&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417681/hecsxnwz5adejajey8lv.jpg"><figcaption>Wandering the Midway, Artist Book: Risographs, Lithograph, box, ©2017, $200 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-printmakers-collaborative--3">Chicago Printmakers Collaborative</a>CPC has launched a new Covid-distraction and Visual art series: <a href="http://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/social_annotation_v2?permalink_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmyemail.constantcontact.com%2Fwelcome-to-FLATFILE-FRIDAY--Visual-gems-from-the-mixed-up-drawers-of-CPC---.html%3Fsoid%3D1102207044685%26aid%3Ds2fgra_TCC4&amp;image_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.constantcontact.com%2Fd4cc8a0a001%2Faf33d626-77e9-4fd0-8d85-da438645ca7b.jpg">Flatfile Fridays</a>. Each week, CPC's very own Flat Phil will take you snooping through the drawers and other hidden places to discover gorgeous work by gallery artists that you can buy (Phil would really like for you to support artists right now, many of whom are struggling to pay the rent). CPC is featuring one or two printmakers each week, and they point out that since Flat Phil has an amazing ability to explore very narrow spaces where prints may be hiding, he just discovered a recently-acquired stash of Karen Butler's work (one of CPC's first members, in 1989/90) – the first artist to be featured in Flatfile Fridays.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417682/tcsngfqxplb71fh2og4e.png"><figcaption>The Romance of Troy, Southern Netherlands, probably Brussels, C. 1450–1460</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/les-enluminures">Les Enluminures&nbsp;</a><a href="https://lesenluminures.podbean.com/">Les Enluminures&nbsp;podcasts</a> transform the past into the present with untold stories, research, science, and histories of Medieval and Renaissance artworks through illuminating lectures, gallery talks, in-house research, and interviews with collectors and scholars.The podcast is hosted by Sandra Hindman and produced and edited by Kristen Racaniello, with logo design and graphics by Fabio Epifani.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417683/sv4ergbimvnij3gm4egq.png"><figcaption>Featured here: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago's DURO OLOWU: SEEING CHICAGO. Photos: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago</figcaption></figure><a href="http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com">Corbett vs Dempsey</a>C&nbsp;vs D is sharing <a href="https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xMzg1NzE4Njk2MDQ3MDE5MzUxJmM9dTd4OSZlPTExNTc4NjU2JmI9MzMxODg4NzA2JmQ9cTN3MGs1eA==.gRNlVF0154GIwfn-MDRSTT4PaVa3Z-LqpDoSRWzoOfE">Instagram</a>&nbsp;posts "Ode to the On Hold or Closed Early," which feature our artists' recent exhibitions around the world that are currently paused or altered by the health crisis.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also, on the evening of Monday, April 6, a special event curated by Corbett vs. Dempsey and hosted by Experimental Sound Studio will take place as part of ESS's ongoing Quarantine Concerts&nbsp;series. Info on this series <a href="https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xMzg1NzE4Njk2MDQ3MDE5MzUxJmM9dTd4OSZlPTExNTc4NjU2JmI9MzMxODg4NzA4JmQ9bzRoMHM5aQ==.2OwLipoVF6tp6yuk2XnBHOJzbHUDiD1KI8Jxj2R4zaE">here</a>.&nbsp;Attend the Quarantine Concerts and help support musicians through this difficult time.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417684/b0rop59t620csmr8rqln.png"></figure><a href="https://evanstonmade.org">Evanston Made</a>The "<a href="https://soundcloud.com/lisa-degliantoni/art-in-the-time-of-corona-alice-georges-four-hands-collab">Art in the Time of Corona</a>" interview series features interviews Evanston Made members about the projects that have come to life during the Covid-19 outbreak.This series begins with artist Alice George who launched the Four Hands Collab, an initiative launched in 2019, and adapting now during the COVID-19 crisis—encouraging collaboration, including everything from parallel-play to co-creation. Special focus on art-makers living in Evanston, IL, but open to anyone.Alice invites creatives via prompts, to share work on her website gallery.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417685/crtikfyrdrfg7f3zv91p.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/gallery-victor-armendariz">Gallery Victor Armendariz</a>Victor went for a walk and thought of artists in the gallery whose work <a href="https://mailchi.mp/galleryvictor.com/three-at-a-time-gallery-victor-armendariz?fbclid=IwAR1T1jl3IVB6z2SlH6Cg0fszjT2eiMZp32i3w7n-WwyJ34iFgfV3x3k4Yow">reminded him of spring</a> and better days ahead. As he shared, "In a few weeks, winter will be a distant memory as we look hopefully towards summer. I took the photo above Monday morning while walking my dog and it made me think of the work of the three artists we present you with today.&nbsp; Their work captures the beauty that can be seen in the world around us at this time of year." Cheers to that!&nbsp;The gallery is also offering free shipping on art purchases through April 20.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417685/lsbcx8f6vbpoj2mkb87s.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-conservation-center--2">The Conservation Center&nbsp;</a>CC emailed a long message to share the history of the company and the challenges CEO Heather Becker has faced over many years. In an effort to help our community and those on the frontlines of the crisis, Becker shared that the team was able to donate the following supplies, normally used by conservators, to the Illinois Association of Hospitals: 65 N-95 masks, 27 Tyvek suits, and 2,650 sterile gloves&nbsp;</body></html>

Creative Digital Outreach From Local Art Spaces During COVID-19

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417928/rf1a3stu2h3wcw6o7pja.jpg"><figcaption>Neon by Jacob Fishman &nbsp;at Ken Saunders</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAChicago Gallery News was founded in 1983 as a means of promoting gallery openings in the then-brand-new arts district of River North. 16 galleries had recently moved to a former industrial area and were all located within just a block or two of one another. Within a couple of years, dozens of spaces were all located within that same small distance. And Friday night openings were the place to be.&nbsp;That tradition continues today, though galleries are not as concentrated as they once were, and a younger generation of collectors often encounters art first via social media such as Instagram. Openings are a public invitation to come out and see a show first, to meet artists as well as fellow art lovers.&nbsp;Suddenly, as we are all aware, openings are not the place to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417929/qitwchodgh6yivldryv3.jpg"><figcaption>Smalls, WTF, Aerosol on 11" x 15" , Wood Panel AP's - Signed. At Chicago Truborn</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;We desperately hope that things will return to normal as soon as possible, so we can once again enjoy art, and other people, in person again. We know that they will, but it's been unsettling to not know when. Meanwhile, while galleries and spaces that are home to so much art and that help support the careers of independent artists are left with their doors closed, their websites and social feeds are open 24/7. Each must find new ways to continue to make sales in order to support their artists as well as pay the rent.&nbsp;I implore you to remember that galleries are small businesses, and artists are all self-employed. What they sell does more than keep you in style for a season. It educates, enlightens, uplifts, reminds, humbles and transcends. And for each person it is different.&nbsp;I am looking at the art in my own home more often right now, spending time with favorite pieces – some of which were gifts from friends and artists, others that belonged to my husband before we were married and which add to the vibrancy and eclecticism in our apartment. Art has never left our home once it has come in. My children notice things in works that I have never considered before. Making art is keeping our spirits up daily right now. It's clear that art is a valuable part of our life and daily environment.&nbsp;Keep looking at art even while you're not attending openings, exhibitions and art fairs. Home in on what you like right now. And keep all those artists and art professionals WFH (working from home, in case you hadn't heard) actually busy – send them emails, share your social comments, or pick the phone. Ask to see images of an artist's work or shots of an exhibition installation.&nbsp;At least one dealer (Ken Saunders) has had the idea to encourage commissions while giving artists 75% instead of the usual 50/50 split - a dynamic, fun way to support an artist while collaborating on work for your home that will last way beyond this damn virus.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417930/ggdd8apz6rekotsrzkgv.png"><figcaption>Daniel Beltra in conversation with Catherine Edelman</figcaption></figure>Another dealer (<a href="https://vimeo.com/397652951?utm_source=Gallery+closed&amp;utm_campaign=message&amp;utm_medium=email">Catherine Edelman</a>) worked fast to do fresh interviews with artist <a href="https://vimeo.com/397652951?utm_source=Gallery+closed&amp;utm_campaign=message&amp;utm_medium=email">Daniel Beltrá</a>, who just opened a new show last week but whose work is now not visible in person for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.chicagotruborn.com">Chicago Truborn</a> has always maintained an active e-commerce site, but as of this week they've been offering curbside pick-up or they can easily ship art.&nbsp;So many artists, dealers and museums are communicating daily about their new digital offerings, which would all be intriguing and worthy of study during normal times but are now creative and cultural lifelines. One thing this industry does not lack is creativity.&nbsp;So, however you do it, diving into art while you're homebound doesn't have a downside. Chances are you'll gain confidence and knowledge in the process, sustaining your art affliction while boosting someone who needs your support right now.&nbsp;Dive in <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/alpha">here</a>!&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Publisher's Letter: Living a Post-Openings Art Scene

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAIn this age of virtual experiences and digital convenience, I'm always advocating for art lovers to get out and explore art in person. Gallery openings are a great excuse to get out into spaces and to mingle with other art lovers and to meet with artists.&nbsp;But there are other ways to explore art spaces and to engage with culture without even leaving home. We have come up with a list of local spaces who are reaching around the world to share art and messages from artists via video interviews and other digital means of artistic engagement and education.&nbsp;If you happen to be self-quarantining right now, in between working from home, catching-up on reading and playing board games, take comfort in art no matter where you are.This is Part II.&nbsp;Read <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/3/art-spaces-go-digital-intangible-connections">Part I here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418729/petkmba36dpap1gkcung.png"><figcaption>Constance DeJong: Candle Night Radios Insomnia</figcaption></figure>Renaissance Society&nbsp;<a href="https://vimeo.com/rensoc">Readings and Performances</a>Lectures, performances and talks by artists exhibiting at The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418730/hjz7fq5xzyancdplmod3.png"><figcaption>A panel discussion at MoCP</figcaption></figure>Museum of Contemporary Photography&nbsp;<a href="https://vimeo.com/mocpchicago">Lectures and Symposiums</a>Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, which is home to a collection of 15,000+ works and is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography, come alive in videos of lectures, performances and educational posts. A recent panel discussion explored the segregated history of Chicago neighborhoods, in conjunction with the exhibition "Chicago Stories: Carlos Javier Ortiz and David Schalliol." Panelists include Natalie Moore, WBEZ South Side reporter, artists Carlos Javier Ortiz, David Schalliol and Tonika Johnson, and Lucy Baird, archivist and historian at Baird &amp; Warner, one of Chicago’s largest real estate companies.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418731/qwxv6bll8tyfizvnvs0k.png"><figcaption>Spaces by Donna Mondi (left) and Susan Ferrier (Right)</figcaption></figure>PAGODA RED&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pagodared.com/blog/">Stories</a>For the first time, Betsy Nathan and PAGODA RED offers expertise to designers and clients who wish to work with them on everything from homes to hotels through their <a href="https://www.pagodared.com/p/design-services">Design Concierges</a> service. The stories and design vignettes come to life online in an accessible and readable format.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418732/vpxfeocwoyyh9gzz63he.png"></figure>Poetry Foundation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts">Listen Series</a>The Poetry Foundation offers an audio series on its website, featuring a poem of the day as well as Poetry Magazine podcasts.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418732/gtrlvypbjrlgy2x9ifif.png"></figure>Bonhams<a href="https://www.bonhams.com/video/">Video Series</a>"Extraordinary Stories" goes behind the scenes of Bonhams' auctions. &nbsp;</body></html>

Art Spaces Go Digital: Virtual Connections to Art – Part II

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAIn this age of virtual experiences and digital convenience, I'm always advocating for art lovers to get out and explore art in person. Gallery openings are a great excuse to get out into spaces and to mingle with other art lovers and to meet with artists.&nbsp;But there are other ways to explore art spaces and to engage with culture without even leaving home. We have come up with a list of local spaces who are reaching around the world to share art and messages from artists via video interviews and other digital means of artistic engagement and education.&nbsp;If you happen to be self-quarantining right now, in between working from home, catching-up on reading and playing board games, take comfort in art no matter where you are.This is Part I. Part II will be featured next week.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418729/hjv5bkcg5qqveeynxdqh.png"><figcaption>Artist Theaster Gates at Gray Warehouse</figcaption></figure>Gray<a href="https://www.richardgraygallery.com/video">Artist and Gallery Talks</a>The gallery shares past gallery artist interviews as well as panel discussions between artists and curators, from Theaster Gates, to David Hockney, to Jaume Plensa.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418730/tyqsw0cuv2um4ulqrdz0.png"><figcaption>Sandro Miller and Catherine Edelman</figcaption></figure>Catherine Edelman Gallery<a href="https://www.edelmangallery.com/artist-talk.html">Artist Interviews</a>The gallery's ongoing attempt to understand why artists create the work they make launched Artist Talk in September of 2008, a video series which allows the viewer to hear, from the artist, the reasons behind making each piece on exhibit. Interviews are between Edelman herself and gallery artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418731/rvpgne39ke8r0nfsg6ng.png"><figcaption>Bernard Williams</figcaption></figure>The Arts Club<a href="https://vimeo.com/user22121927">Exhibitions and Behind the Scenes Videos</a>The Arts Club, a forum for established and emerging artists, and a celebrated venue for performers since 1916, interviews exhibitors about shows and installations at the Club.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418732/ctxg0m0mry3fc86tiyxd.png"><figcaption>Rockford's Carrie Johnson</figcaption></figure>Rockford Art Museum&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/rockfordartmuseum/videos/?ref=page_internal">Facebook Videos</a>RAM Executive Director/Curator Carrie Johnson frequently shares everything from behind-the-scenes exhibition info, to chats with artists, donors and local art figures. The Rockford Art Museum app also has some great artist lectures and gallery walks from the current exhibition: <a href="http://app.cuseum.com/rockford-art-museum?fbclid=IwAR0-B8WYitvDjxWREjRIks5_1KX2K2MXaYqXudoRYfzVuMBqpnwE_sd6QUM">app.cuseum.com/rockford-art-museum</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Art Spaces Go Digital: Virtual Connections to Art – Part I

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418729/zv4penkh5tjuruhufg32.jpg"><figcaption>Rendering of the 2021 edition of The Armory Show. Courtesy of The Armory Show and the Javits Center.</figcaption></figure>The Armory Show Announces Change in Venue and Seasons for Upcoming EditionsStarting in 2021 the Amory Show in New York will move to Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood to the Javits Center.&nbsp;The fair, which has taken place in March since it was founded in 1994 and serves as the anchor of Armory Week—during which time several other fairs and arts programming, including the Art on Paper, Independent, Spring/Break, and Volta fairs and NADA’s New York Gallery Open are scheduled—also revealed that it will hold its future editions in September.Via Artforum<a href="https://www.artforum.com/news/the-armory-show-announces-change-in-venue-and-seasons-for-upcoming-editions-82391">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418730/hkqxtadtvytea1gxgrrr.jpg"></figure>Art About Amazon Expresses Vulnerable Humanity In the Face of A Ubiquitous BehemothGeissler and others who make work about Amazon often seem to emphasize smallness and human vulnerability in their projects, in contrast to the behemoth they seek to understand.By Kate Durbin, Art in America<a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/art-amazon-vulnerability-resistance-1202679983/">Read More</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418731/cls3vipslb389k8odxt8.jpg"></figure>Rural German Monks Hope Their Abbey’s New Gerhard Richter-Designed Stained Glass Windows Will Help Convert Art Lovers to the ChurchThe contemplative life of the Benedictine monks from Germany’s Tholey Abbey is about to be interrupted by the jet-setting art world. This September, three stained glass windows designed by German artist Gerhard Richter will adorn their sixth-century place of worship in the small western town of Tholey.The art star’s new project is sure to replace the monastery’s relative quiet with swarms of curious art pilgrims seeking out the newest public work by one of the nation’s greatest artistic prides.By Kate Brown, Artnet<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/richter-tholey-abbey-window-1795800">Read More</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418732/ceac8xwdurhigzg2pek9.jpg"></figure>Security Guards Are Under Investigation as the $1 Billion Green Vault Heist in Dresden Increasingly Looks Like an Inside JobFour security guards are under investigation for their alleged roles in one of the largest European jewelry heists in recent history.Investigators and German prosecutors believe that accomplices inside the historic Green Vault in Dresden helped carry out the heist of priceless jewels. The theft took place on the morning of November 25, when two intruders broke into the museum through a small window, smashing the glass cases to steal the jewelry, and then taking off in a getaway car. The loot has been estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion.By Kate Brown, Artnet<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/dresden-green-vault-heist-guards-investigated-1797597">Read More</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

News From Around the Art World: March 10, 2020

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418729/bhplsji4k7quunveccfy.gif"></figure>By CGN Staff via CAC PRMarch 27 marks the birthday of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who influenced an entire generation of architects throughout his 60-year career. His office was responsible for some of Chicago’s most famous buildings—including 111 East Wacker Drive, the relatively new home to the Chicago Architecture Foundation. In honor of his birthday month, CAC is spotlighting a few mies-focused buildings and tours in Chicago.It’s difficult to imagine what the skyline of Chicago might look like without architect van der Rohe. He influenced an entire generation of architects while tenured as head of the architecture department at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). During his 60-year career, Mies established a design vocabulary that helped define <a href="http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/architecture-dictionary/entry/mid-century-modernism/">Mid-Century Modern</a>&nbsp;architecture.Mies did not design buildings with a particular style in mind. For him, the philosophy came first. How a building looked was purely an expression of its era&nbsp;and its materials. As he&nbsp;explained, “I am not interested in the history of civilization. I am interested in our civilization. We are living it. Because I really believe, after a long time of working and thinking and studying that architecture...can only express this civilization we are in and nothing else.”When Mies arrived in the United States in 1938, he was already internationally known and established in his field. He designed one of his most famous buildings—the Barcelona Pavilion—as the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Spain. It’s a magnificent example of his trademark emphasis on open space. Soon after that success, he served as the last director of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus">Bauhaus</a>, a seminal school in modern architecture in Germany. He elected to close the school in 1933 and eventually left his home country due to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2002/nov/30/architecture.artsfeatures">mounting pressure</a> from the growing Nazi regime.&nbsp;Mies emigrated to the United States to find a new home as well as architectural inspiration in the Midwest. He accepted the position to head the architecture school at the Armour Institute of Technology (later the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Institute_of_Technology">Illinois Institute of Technology</a>), in Chicago. From 1939 to 1958, Mies&nbsp;served as head of the architecture department of IIT, where he not only redesigned the department’s curriculum but also the university’s campus. A year after his appointment, he developed plans for the recently expanded 120-acre campus. Mies designed a collection of buildings with steel and concrete frames wrapped in brick and glass curtain walls, including his masterpiece: <a href="http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/building/crown-hall/">Crown Hall</a>. The campus was revolutionary at the time, and it perfectly expressed Mies’ design principles and “less is more” approach. &nbsp;In 1960, Mies&nbsp;was awarded the AIA Gold Medal, which is the highest award given by the American Association of Architects. Considered among the greatest architects of the 20th century, Mies’ influence can be seen throughout Chicago and certainly reaches far beyond his adopted hometown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In honor of the architect's birthday, learn more about this iconic figure and his impact on Chicago on related tours and in Mies-designed buildings around the city.Related tour:&nbsp;• <a href="https://www.architecture.org/tours/detail/chicago-modern-2/">Chicago Modern</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418730/dny0bwi0g218cfzpr8cy.png"><figcaption>330 N. Wabash is part of the Chicago Modern Tour</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Related buildings:&nbsp;• <a href="http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/building/860880-north-lake-shore-drive/">860–880 N. Lake Shore Dr.</a>• <a href="http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/building/farnsworth-house/">Farnsworth House</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418731/igicgeacbp0eti9ljtzz.png"><figcaption>The Farnsworth House in Plano, IL</figcaption></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418732/p6ynxkjqubo6s3czqpiv.png"><figcaption>860 and 880 N Lake Shore Dr.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Need a birthday gift for another Mies-lover in your life? Check out the CAC store and take home a decidedly modern coffee mug, tote or t-shirt designed by artist <a href="https://shop.architecture.org/csicsko-ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-mug.html">David Lee Csicsko</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418733/ozlielktcg7yoxe98cly.png"></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

Happy Birthday to Mies van der Rohe

<html><head></head><body>By CGN StaffFebruary is quickly drawing to a close, even with one more day in the month this leap year. This weekend there are a handful of notable exhibitions opening in galleries and art spaces around the city, from Friday, February 28 through Sunday, March 1.&nbsp;Our overview of highlights from this coming weekend is below, and our full calendar may be <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events?filter=openings">viewed&nbsp;here</a>.See you in the galleries!&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418724/vzb8azlg1dsrxuhl5vxn.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tony-tasset-the-weight">Tony Tasset: The Weight</a>Opening Friday, February 28, 5–8&nbsp;pmKavi Gupta GalleryA Post-Atomic visual troubadour, Tony Tasset continues to define the vanguard of Pop Conceptualism. From the monumental stoicism of a massive fiberglass Eye sculpture watching over downtown Dallas (but was also once sited in Chicago) like a Neo-Surrealist sentinel, to a slumping, exhausted Paul Bunyan (at suburban Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park) that pays sad tribute to manifest destiny gone awry, to the frailty and nuanced melancholy of a to-scale sculpture of a ripped Styrofoam cup, Tasset has demonstrated, time and again, a unique ability to memorialize the peculiar beauty and pathos of the American visual vernacular.For The Weight, Tasset mined the innermost provinces of the contemporary human psyche, responding to the anxiety of our times with wit, gravitas, and salt-of-the-earth sagacity.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418724/dgwpqeliwqpfxyprm1iv.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tenure-a-10-year-anniversary-celebration">TENURE</a>Opening Friday, February 28, 5–8&nbsp;pmVOLUME GalleryVolume Gallery has focused on design and art, with a strong emphasis placed on emerging contemporary designers and artists for a decade now. On Friday night they will open an exhibition to mark the milestone and spotlight the gallery's roster of artists, including Tanya Aguiñiga, Ross Hansen, Sung Jang, Ania Jaworska, Krueck + Sexton, Snarkitecture, Christy Matson, Jonathan Muecke, Anders Ruhwald, Sam Stewart and Thaddeus Wolfe.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418725/douayagsjdjskbuczfcu.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/nkame-a-retrospective-of-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayon-1967-1999">NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (1967–1999)</a>Opening Friday, February 28, 5–8&nbsp;pmChicago Cultural CenterThis landmark retrospective is the first in the&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;dedicated&nbsp;to&nbsp;the work of Belkis Ayón, the late Cuban visual artist and printmaker who mined the founding myth of the Afro-Cuban fraternal society of Abukuá to create an independent and powerful visual iconography. The exhibition’s 47 prints encompass a wide range of the artist’s graphic production including her signature calligraphy technique, a printing process combining materials of various textures and absorbencies.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418727/am7o69mbvq62ka4hwup0.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/miller-shellabarger-homo-entanglement">Miller &amp; Shellabarger: Homo-entanglement</a>Opening Friday, February 28, 5–8&nbsp;pmWestern ExhibitionsMarried artist collaborators <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gXZxQv0kNzKJlOZqXLLpdxJ_hIUkMNJL47XnraU5ZwpEhwSWlaBJROasGxYaL5vzsOSn_k2P99Bsm-n0Z0ucTNHkyVtgsrdp5dfrYnAe4lpXKSNyYwS0ZKeUIXK6eif8mx6YgSHYJd0CfuzZSebFooySf5Qbf_ekSyvduCIC3-YOZmkB02YllB018EJnIRdP&amp;c=ngQ78RgssXh0gDJFZrriIq7Y30AQzDaRWQ2DxRpQEXIibJEofx47Hw==&amp;ch=tgvPPaDzUNJ-MLVNOLIKaqiEmGVZ8SjRw2txPsDLHY_-zCXUOyYGmQ==">Miller &amp; Shellabarger</a> explore physicality, duality, time and romantic ideals in their multidisciplinary work. Performance, photography, artists’ books, sculpture and cut paper silhouettes document the rhythms of human relationships, speaking both to common experiences of intimacy as well as the specifics of queer identities. For their third show at Western Exhibitions, Miller &amp; Shellabarger present artists’ books, prints, photographs, and a cut-paper installation that address their ongoing concerns with an emphasis on entanglement, compression of time, mortality, and bodily and temporal limitations.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418727/lzhxwcr1melomot5upgu.gif"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/rene-romero-schuler">René Romero Schuler</a>Opening Friday, February 28, 5–8&nbsp;pmZolla/Lieberman GalleryRené Romero Schuler creates powerful images of strength and vulnerability that speak to the heart of the human condition: love, sorrow, solitude, and heartbreak. Through these depictions of difficult subjects, she aims to inspire her viewers with hope, fortitude, and ultimately, enduring strength. The figures Schuler captures are equal parts self-portraiture and portraits of the range of human emotions that she has experienced in her all-too-colorful life.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418728/bjtqgkeoxgwbhxu2fbgl.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/duro-olowu-seeing-chicago">Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago</a>Opening Saturday, February 29Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)Nigerian-born British designer Duro Olowu is internationally recognized for his womens wear label launched in 2004. Characterized by unique fabrics, evocative patterns, and impeccable construction, the London-based designer’s garments are informed by his international background and curator’s eye. Olowu’s multinational and multicultural viewpoint has translated into wildly popular platforms and projects from his dynamic Instagram account to his revelatory curatorial projects in London and New York.Now Olowu turns his cosmopolitan eye to Chicago. Drawing from the city’s public and private art collections including works in the MCA’s collection, Olowu curates a show that reimagines relationships between artists and objects across time, media, and geography. Moving away from traditional exhibition formats, Olowu combines photographs, paintings, sculptures, and films in dense and textural scenes that incorporate his own work.&nbsp;</body></html>