SOFA, Chicago&rsquo;s art fair fixture, (it has 21 years to EXPO&rsquo;s 3), brings a unique experience to Navy Pier each November. Its focus on sculpture, fiber, glass, jewelry, wood and more 3-dimensional art is eye-opening to even the most seasoned visitor. Design has also been making a logical and welcome mark on the fair in recent years, since the ties between art and function are so visible at SOFA.

Watch for museum-style presentations by renowned institutions and organizations, including Cranbook Academy of Art, Pittsburg Glass Center, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and Collectors of Wood Art.

SOFA Selects, which features favorites of designers, curators and critics, includes Suzanne Lovell, Kara Mann, Emily Zilber and Davira Taragin, and James Yood.

Dates, details and info at <a href="http://sofaexpo.com">sofaexpo.com</a>

&nbsp;

Image at top:&nbsp;SOFA CHICAGO 2013, Photo by Cheri Eisenberg

SOFA at 21

Metropolitan Capital has been a local champion of Chicago art for several years now. The bank&rsquo;s ongoing quarterly series, Chicago Works, showcases local stars in its decidedly un-bank-like space in the former Tree Studios in River North. This fall they feature the colorful art of Richard Hull.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="438" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/438/original/hull-three-dreams-2003-72x60-copy.jpg" />

Hull&rsquo;s work is recognized as an abstraction of architecture, landscape, and the figure. Over the years his work has evolved from deconstructed and imagined maps of interior spaces, featuring bright, contrasting colors which animate the interacting forms, to more lyrical, organic compositions of looser, swirling shapes. Hull&rsquo;s most recent work explores the abstraction of the figure, using the composition of a traditional portrait as a base for his animated exploration of surface and form.

For more information about Richard Hull, his work and the Metropolitan Capital exhibition, please visit <a href="http://metcapbank.com">metcapbank.com</a> or contact Western Exhibitions at 312-480-8390 or visit <a href="http://westernexhibitions.com">westernexhibitions.com</a>

Richard Hull at Metropolitan Capital

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption="Clockwise from top left: Chicago, Millennium Park @HuffingtonPost; Paris, @SpotUArt; Milwaukee, WI @teachingkristin; Ravinia Music Festival, Highland Park, IL @BlairKamin" data-rich-file-id="427" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/427/original/jp4.jpg" />Spanish artist Jaume Plensa is primarily known in Chicago as the artist who created Millennium Park&rsquo;s Crown Fountain in 2004. It has been ten years since Plensa&rsquo;s think-global-act-local installation became a Chicago icon, and a favorite summertime splashing pool for children, and this summer Plensa introduced four new large scale sculptures, titled 1004 Portraits, to the park, on view through 2015. He also installed a new piece, Silent Music, at Ravinia Festival in suburban Highland Park.

His exhibition, Private Dreams, is on view at the <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/richard-gray-gallery">Richard Gray Gallery</a> through September 27.

You&rsquo;ll likely also catch his work on view at EXPO Chicago, September 18-21, at Gray&rsquo;s booth.

Because of the public, interactive nature of Plensa&rsquo;s work, his art is popular on Twitter and Instagram. Above are some of our favorite social media images from around the world.

The Ubiquitous Jaume Plensa

BY GINNY VAN ALYEA 
&nbsp;

Everyone has been itching for the beginning of summer to come along -&nbsp;who can blame us for&nbsp;having sunshine and above 50&deg; temperatures on our mind?&nbsp;Finally,&nbsp;the mercury is rising every day, and&nbsp;the art world is heating up too.&nbsp;

While this is always&nbsp;a busy weekend for people to escape work&nbsp;for a precious three days, there is actually quite a lot happening at home in our art world. If you&#39;re having a staycation&nbsp;and looking to make casual plans, we&#39;ve combed our calendar to bring you some highlights. From a&nbsp;$20 Cash N Carry&nbsp;sale to an opening of new works by mega artist Tony Tasset, to a puppet performance of the work of Edward Gorey,&nbsp;there is a lot to do and see.&nbsp;

Happy summer!

- CGN

&nbsp;

<h3>&bull; Gallery Openings</h3>

<h4>gallery receptions&nbsp;takE&nbsp;place Friday night. Our full list is <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar?tag=opening-receptions">here</a>. &nbsp;</h4>

&bull; The Chicago Printmakers Collaborative in Lincoln Square offers a few signature sales and events during the year, and now is the time for their very popular <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/annual-ginormous-20-cash-n-carry-sale">$20 Cash &#39;N Carry Sale</a>. Works by the dozens of artists who are members of the collaborative can be yours to take home right away. This is a great place to find inexpensive art for yourself or to give as a gift. The sale opens Saturday and Sunday 11-6 and runs through June 21.&nbsp;

&bull; Enrique Santana is a popular painter of ethereal Chicago landscapes (often lakescapes). He has a new show opening at <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/santana-new-paintings-lake-shore-drive">Maya Polsky Gallery</a> Friday evening from 5-7:30 in River North. (Image at top of page: Enrique Santana,&nbsp;By the Aquarium, 2014,&nbsp;Oil on canvas; 36&quot; x 60&quot;)

<img alt="" class="right" data-caption="CJ Pyle, &quot;Playmate,&quot; 12 ½ x 12&quot;, 2013, Pen, pencil, colored pencil on LP album verso" data-rich-file-id="300" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/300/original/cjp-63-playmate-small.jpg" />

&bull; Carl Hammer Gallery will be exhibiting new pen and pencil drawings by self-taught artist CJ Pyle. The show,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/cj-pyle-saints-and-sinners">Saints and Sinners</a>, features new works drawn&nbsp;on the backside of LP albumcovers.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&bull; In the West Loop <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/william-eckhardt-kohler-judith-mullen">Linda Warren Projects</a> opens a show Friday evening featuring side by side solo exhibitions&nbsp;of two gallery artists: William Eckhardt Kohler,&nbsp;Portals, Passages and Vessels,&nbsp;and A Good Wander&nbsp;by Judith Mullen.

&nbsp;

Two&nbsp;galleries at 835 W. Washington&nbsp;are opening Saturday night: <a href="http://www.kavigupta.com">Kavi Gupta Gallery</a> opens Tony Tasset&#39;s Spill Paintings (at Gupta&#39;s Elizabeth St. location&nbsp;McArthur Binion:&nbsp;DNA Study opens.)&nbsp;<a href="http://www.andrewrafacz.com">Andrew Rafacz Gallery</a> has two artists exhibiting in his space: Kelly Kleinschrodt: Murmelte Instrumente - a show of new objects and photographs&nbsp;exploring notions and depictions of motherhood, is in gallery 1. &nbsp;In gallery 2 is April Street: Runner. Street&#39;s show is comprised of the artist&rsquo;s black hole paintings and an installation of 150 cast bronze birthday candles running in and out of the gallery walls.

&nbsp;

&bull; Grimm seems to be popular now, thanks to the TV show with the same name. <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/a-grimm-fairy-tale">Galerie F</a> in Logan Square&nbsp;opens a show Friday evening from 6-10 in honor of the 200th anniversary of Grimm&#39;s Fairy Tales. Two artists,&nbsp;Shawn Knight and John Vogl mark the anniversary in their work.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&bull; The suburbs also offer art this weekend. At <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/identity-interpreted-and-assumed">Tall Grass Arts Association</a> in Park Forest, stop by Friday evening for Identity Interpreted and Assumed: National juried exhibition of self-portraits beyond mere physical appearance; curated by Tom Lanham. Opening reception Friday, May 23, 7-9pm. At the <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/paula-palmer-michael-brown-digital-photography">College of Lake County Robert T. Wright Gallery</a> in Grayslake you&#39;ll find Paula Palmer &amp; Michael Brown: Digital Photography. Palmer constructs compositions of disparate images that reference the four elements.&nbsp;Brown creates &ldquo;lenticular&rdquo; images that change with the viewer&rsquo;s vantage point. Opening reception Friday, May 23, 7-9 pm.

&nbsp;

<h3>&bull; Other events</h3>

<h4>markets, screenings and puppet shows</h4>

&bull; <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/randolph-street-market-festival">Randolph Street Market May Days Sale</a>, Saturday and Sunday 10-6 in the West Loop. Get an early start on your summer shopping by scouring this sunny outdoor market where many amazing vintage and antique finds may be discovered.&nbsp;

&bull; MCA Sunday&nbsp;screening of <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/mca-screen-takashi-murakami-jellyfish-eyes">Jellyfish Eyes by Takashi Murakami</a>. This screening is sold out, but if you were fortunate enough to get a ticket, lucky you!&nbsp;Acclaimed artist Takashi Murakami visits the MCA to introduce his first live-action feature film&nbsp;Jellyfish Eyes&nbsp;(2013) as part of an eight-stop screening tour of major art institutions across the United States. &nbsp;

<img alt="" class="right" data-caption="A still from LUMA's Art of Edward Gorey performances" data-rich-file-id="303" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/303/original/vinegar.jpg" />

&bull;&nbsp;The Vinegar Works: Puppet Show Inspired by the Art of Edward Gorey, Saturday afternoon, <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/the-vinegar-works-puppet-show-inspired-by-the-art-of-edward-gorey--3">LUMA</a>. Enjoy a fun-filled time of puppets and Gorey tales. Audience members, young and old, will delight in the magical world created by Chicago&#39;s own&nbsp;Blair Thomas &amp; Company, known for combining puppets and visual theater. Goreys stories filled with wild animals, imaginative creatures, and odd folks are an invitation to the imagination. LUMA will host a toy theater staging of The Vinegar Works.

An Arty Holiday Weekend

BY GINNY VAN ALYEA

If you&#39;re still looking for Mother&#39;s Day celebration ideas, we have rounded up a few of the most art-focused ones from our events calendar. Even if you&#39;ve waited until the last minute, your procrastination just might pay off - these celebrations are sure to be creative!&nbsp;

Happy Mother&#39;s Day!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h4>&bull; In the Secret Garden -&nbsp;4th Annual Mother&#39;s Day Tea at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum</h4>

<img alt="" class="right" data-rich-file-id="293" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/293/original/tea-large3.jpg" />The Museum offers an elegant setting for a&nbsp;Mother&rsquo;s Day Tea! Celebrate this special day in the Museum&rsquo;s historic ballroom where you&rsquo;ll be transported to a magical garden and enjoy a special tea service&mdash;featuring a delicious an array of fine teas, petite scones, finger sandwiches, and butter cookies. Complimentary tours of the Museum will be available following the tea. <a href="http://www.driehausmuseum.org/programs/view/in_the_secret_garden_4th_annual_mothers_day_tea">Details and tickets here.</a>

<h4>&nbsp;</h4>

<h4>&bull; Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Photography.</h4>

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption="Image Credit: Melissa Ann Pinney, Donna and Jaime Sommers (Mother and Daughter), from Changing Chicago, 1988." data-rich-file-id="292" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/292/original/mocpmothers.jpg" />

Special Mother&#39;s Day events coincide with the exhibition. Enjoy tea and cookies as you view the exhibition&nbsp;Home Truths:&nbsp;Photography and Motherhood.&nbsp;MoCP docents will be on hand to speak about the exhibition and a special selection of motherhood-related photographs from the MoCP permanent collection will be on view in the print study room. <a href="http://www.mocp.org">Details...</a>

Before your visit&nbsp;have brunch at&nbsp;Brasserie by LM&nbsp;at 800 S. Michigan. Mention MoCP and get 10% off your meal. To make a reservation call&nbsp;Brasserie by LM:&nbsp;312-431-1788.

&nbsp;

<h4>&bull; Brunch at the Art Institute of Chicago</h4>

<img alt="" class="right" data-rich-file-id="295" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/295/original/cal-museum-brunch-food-2014-480.jpg" />Dine in one of two stunning venues, and then afterward take your mother on a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.artic.edu/event/gallery-talk-highlights-art-institute-5?did=18">guided tour of collection highlights</a>. We recommend that you enjoy a stroll in Millennium Park when you leave the museum!&nbsp;

*In the cafe:&nbsp;experience the first-ever brunch, featuring classic favorites, in the renovated Museum Caf&eacute; and adjoining McKinlock Court. Mimosas and Bloody Marys will be available for the special toast to mom.&nbsp;10:30am-2:30pm. Prices vary. <a href="http://www.artic.edu/event/mothers-day-brunch-museum-caf">Details...</a>

*In Terzo Piano:&nbsp;enjoy the gourmet brunch buffet.&nbsp;$54 members, $60 nonmembers, $20 children under 12. 10:30am-2:30pm. <a href="http://www.artic.edu/event/mothers-day-brunch-terzo-piano-0">Details...</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>&bull; AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART:&nbsp;A MOTHER&#39;S DAY CONCERT</h4>

Miguel de Le&oacute;n&nbsp;and his musical group perform&nbsp;in honor of Mother&#39;s Day on&nbsp;Saturday,&nbsp;May 10,&nbsp;2 pm.&nbsp;

FREE ADMISSION.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/events/mothers-day-concert-starring-miguel-de-león">Details here.&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>&bull; Find the Perfect gift at the MCA Store</h4>

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption="Chrome Brush Vase designed by Harry Allen" data-rich-file-id="297" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/297/original/190728web.jpg" />Everyone&#39;s favorite museum store has something for every type of mom.

Member appreciation days (ie: double discounts of 20%) run through Sunday, so you can even do some really last minute shopping.

Look for distinct flower vases, jewelry, scarves, art books, and more.&nbsp;<a href="http://www2.mcachicago.org/event/member-appreciation-days-4/">Details...</a>

An Artful Mother's Day

Summer in Chicago means many things - sailing, enjoy the beach and lakefront, music festivals, street fairs, fireworks and more. While we welcome many tourists and visitors all summer long, Chicagoans also make their own plans to get out of town. CGN offers many opportunities to enjoy art on your travels -whether you are staying close to home, exploring a new neighborhood, or taking a road trip to Wisconsin, Michigan or Indiana.

Happy travels!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>CHICAGO</h3>

<h4>June 7-8&nbsp;</h4>

&bull; Hyde Park

67th Annual 57th Street Art Fair &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

57th Street in Hyde Park, Between Kenwood and Woodlawn

Saturday, 11-6; Sunday, 10-5.&nbsp;Admission is free. 250+ Exhibitors.

<a href="http://www.57thstreetartfair.org">www.57thstreetartfair.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>June 14-15</h4>

&bull; Old Town

65th Annual Old Town Art Fair&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Old Town Triangle: 1763 N. North Park Ave.

Saturday and Sunday 10-6. $7 admission.&nbsp;250 Exhibitors &nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.oldtownartfair.com">www.oldtownartfair.com</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>June 21-22</h4>

&bull; Downtown

Gold Coast Art Fair

Grant Park&rsquo;s Butler Field, corner of Monroe and Lake Shore Drive. Saturday and Sunday 10-6. 350 artists&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.amdurproductions.com">www.amdurproductions.com</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>July 11-13</h4>

&bull; Downtown

23rd Annual Chicago Tribune North Michigan Avenue Art Festival&nbsp;

Downtown, Pioneer Court

435 N. Michigan Ave. in front of the Tribune Tower.&nbsp;Friday and Saturday 10-6; Sunday 10-5. 200 Artists

<a href="http://www.artfestival.com">www.artfestival.com</a>

&nbsp;

<h3>SUBURBS</h3>

<h4>May 10-11, June 7-8, July 12-13, August 9-10&nbsp;</h4>

&bull; Grayslake&nbsp;

Zurko Grayslake Antique Markets

Lake County Fairgrounds. 1060 E. Peterson Rd. Grayslake

Antique markets, flea markets and specialty shows take place throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, all year long.

<a href="http://www.zurkopromotions.com">www.zurkopromotions.com&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>May 17</h4>

&bull; Oak Park

What&rsquo;s Blooming on Harrison Street Art Festival

Harrison Street, between Highland and Taylor

Saturday 10-8.&nbsp;90 Artists&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.oakparkartsdistrict.com">www.oakparkartsdistrict.com</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>May 17-18</h4>

&bull; Riverside

Riverside Arts Weekend

Central Business District: E. Quincy St., inside Goethe Park

Saturday 10-5; Sunday 10-4. 70 artists in all media

A cultural weekend in this national historic landmark community. Art, well-known musicians, a fashion show, art projects for all ages.&nbsp;

<a href="http://RiversideArtsWeekend.org">RiversideArtsWeekend.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>June 21-22</h4>

&bull; Winnetka

Art in the Village Fine Art Fair

Downtown Winnetka - Lincoln &amp; Elm. Sponsored by North Shore Art League.

Saturday 10-6; Sunday, 10-5. 80+ Exhibitors &nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.northshoreartleague.org">www.northshoreartleague.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>June 28-29</h4>

&bull; Evanston

35th Annual Evanston Fountain Square Art Festival

Sherman Ave. and Church St. &nbsp;

Saturday and Sunday 10-6.&nbsp;225 exhibitors

&nbsp;

<h4>July 3-6</h4>

&bull; Crystal Lake&nbsp;

35th Annual Lakeside Fest

401 Country Club Rd.

Thur 4&ndash;11, Fri and Sat 12&ndash;11, Su 12-10 (Fireworks at Dusk)&nbsp;

Live bands, food, carnival, family activities, beverage garden. All proceeds benefit Lakeside Legacy Foundation and support the arts, historic preservation and community events and programs.

<a href="http://www.lakesidelegacy.org">www.lakesidelegacy.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>August 31-September 1</h4>

&bull; Lake Forest

60th Annual Art Fair on the Square

Historic Market Square and Western Ave. next to train station&nbsp;

Sunday and Monday 10-5. 170 Exhibitors. Free admission, free parking.&nbsp;Sponsored by the Deer Path Art League.

<a href="http://www.deerpathartleague.org">www.deerpathartleague.org</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>MICHIGAN</h3>

<h4>July 12-13</h4>

&bull; St. Joseph, MI

Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff

along Lake Michigan

July 11 kick-off party 5-9. Saturday 10-6; Sunday 10-5.&nbsp;216 Artists

This juried fair overlooks Lake Michigan, giving you a visually enthralling vista filled with creative works of art. Run by the Krasl Art Center you will see artists in a setting they love in the heart of the art fair season.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.krasl.org">www.krasl.org</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>INDIANA</h3>

<h4>August 16-17</h4>

&bull; Michigan City, IN

33rd Annual Lubeznik Center for the Arts Lakefront Art Festival

Washington Park. 115 Lake Shore Dr.

Saturday 10-6; Sunday, 10-5. 110 Exhibitors

<a href="http://www.lubeznikcenter.org">www.lubeznikcenter.org</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>WISCONSIN</h3>

<h4>June 20-22</h4>

&bull; Milwaukee, WI

Lakefront Festival of the Arts

Milwaukee Art Museum grounds.&nbsp;700 N. Museum Dr.

Friday 10-10; Saturday 10-7; Sunday 10-5. 170 Exhibitors

For 50 years, the Lakefront Festival of Arts has been bringing art to life on Milwaukee&rsquo;s lakefront. Started in 1963, this three-day fundraising event has evolved from a gathering of a handful of artists to a vibrant, exciting, and wide-ranging festival with something for everyone.

<a href="http://www.lfoa.mam.org">www.lfoa.mam.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>July 12-13</h4>

&bull; Madison, WI&nbsp;

Art Fair Off the Square

Presented by Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. + on the Monona Terrace. Convention Center Esplanade.

Saturday 9-6; Sunday 10-5. 140 Wisconsin Artists

The two day art showcase includes food and unexpected, spontaneous happenings. Ceramics, art glass, painting, fiber, sculpture, jewelry, graphics, paper-making, photography, wood, and more.

<a href="http://www.artcraftwis.org/afos.html">www.artcraftwis.org/afos.html</a>

Midwestern Summer Art Festivals and Fairs

Next weekend&nbsp;antiques, art and jewelry&nbsp;will be abundant in the city when the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagospringshow.com">Chicago International Art, Antique &amp; Jewelry Show</a>, presented by the esteemed Palm Beach Show Group, debuts at Navy Pier&rsquo;s Festival Hall, April 24-28, 2014.&nbsp;

<img alt="" class="right" data-caption="SANTOS, London - Two extremely rare Chinese export porcelain ewers modelled as deer, decorated on the biscuit in translucent enamels from the famille verte (Wucai) palette in boldreversed colours, c. 1700, Kangxi reign, Qing dynasty. 8 5/8”. " data-rich-file-id="119" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/119/original/lgsantos-london.jpg" />The inaugural Chicago International Art, Antique &amp; Jewelry Show is the latest addition to the Palm Beach Show Group&rsquo;s national portfolio of ten fine art, antique and jewelry shows and will feature more than 100 of the finest and most prominent exhibitors showcasing their impressive collections of fine art, antique and estate jewelry, Asian antiquities, sculpture, textiles, American and European Silver, furniture, contemporary art and more.&nbsp;

Included on the exhibitor list (at press time) are Buccellati, M.S. Rau Antiques, Calderwood Gallery, The Silver Fund, Steven Neckman, Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, Rehs Galleries, Thomas French Fine Art &ndash; and from the Chicago area, N. Green and Sons, Douglas Rosin Decorative Arts and Antiques, Crescent Worth Art &amp; Antiques and Wellesley House. The Chicago Show is designed to meet the needs of galleries, antique seekers, art-buyers, interior designers and enthusiasts of all fine things.&nbsp;

<img alt="" class="right" data-caption="M.S. Rau Antiques - Important Paul de Lamerie Silver Soup Tureen. Outstanding artistry makes this important tureen a masterpiece. Crafted for the 3rd Baron Lilford, the tureen is a tour-de-force of Rococo artistry. Hallmarked London, 1741. 162.2 oz, 10” W x 17” L x 10” H" data-rich-file-id="120" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/120/original/lgmsrau.jpg" />The Chicago International Art, Antique &amp; Jewelry Show will kick off with a private Opening Night Preview Party, hosted by The Women&rsquo;s Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), on Thursday, April 24, offering museum patrons, high profile private collectors and elite attendees a first glimpse of the rare treasures available for purchase. Guests will be greeted with complimentary champagne and hors d&rsquo;oeuvres while admiring remarkable collections from all corners of the globe.&nbsp;

The show will be open to the public Friday, April 25 through Monday, April 28. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Chicago International Art, Antique &amp; Jewelry Show

presented by the Palm Beach Show Group

Navy Pier Festival Hall, 600 E. Grand Ave. (60611)&nbsp;

Tel 561-822-5440

<a href="http://www.chicagospringshow.com">www.chicagospringshow.com</a>

 Chicago International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show

BY GINNY VAN ALYEA

On Saturday, April 5 there&#39;s a dynamic fundraiser party and benefit art auction taking place at TUSK in Logan Square. The event is in support of&nbsp;<a href="http://summerforum.org">Summer Forum for Inquiry + Exchange</a>,&nbsp;a new&nbsp;discussion-based residency program.

The cause is in the name of dialogue and creative thinking, and the supporters run the gamut from collectors, curators, up and coming thinkers, and of course artists. A variety of artists, in fact, not just the visual, are part of this residency. At a time when most of us are so on-the-go that we are too fried&nbsp;to daydream, unless we&#39;re stuck somewhere with a dead cellphone battery, Summer Forum has taken up the cause to let people think. And talk. It&#39;s all about old school approaches to being creative.

The&nbsp;auction&nbsp;includes great works by artists such as Heidi Norton, Carrie Schneider,&nbsp;Paul Cowan,&nbsp;Jenny Kendler, Andrew Holmquist, and Alex Chitty, among many others.&nbsp;There will also be a whole bunch of unique raffle items, including limited edition LPs by artists Jason Lazarus and Michael Rakowitz. Plus, the party is guaranteed to bring out a host of Chicago art world players looking to catch up while ogling fun, affordable art.

Pre-sale tickets are&nbsp;$25&nbsp;online&nbsp;and include unlimited food and drinks, and a raffle ticket. Tickets are also available&nbsp;at the door for $35.

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption="Aron Gent, Material Scrap #46, Epson Ultra Chrome Ink on paper, 20 x 24&quot; framed, 2014." data-rich-file-id="208" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/208/original/gent.jpg" />Online bidding has already started and&nbsp;closes at noon on Saturday, April 5. After that you&#39;ll have to bid in person on Saturday night.&nbsp;

I&#39;m interested in Summer Forum because of my talented and super smart friend, curator Karsten Lund. Karsten and I endured the antics and quirks of a few crazy art professors together in college (including one who wore three pairs of glasses at a time, and another who changed her name to sound like a flattering adjective), and today he&#39;s one of the smartest, artiest people I know in Chicago. Anything he loves to support is a great cause.&nbsp;

Lund&nbsp;sums up the program&#39;s goals well:&nbsp;

&quot;The goal of this unusual residency -- happening every two years -- is to bring together artists, writers, scholars, and other creative people to discuss and explore the complex issues of the present moment in a different geographical location for a week in the summer.&nbsp;This coming July&nbsp;(6th-13th), thirty-four residents will meet in Joshua Tree, California to discuss the theme, &lsquo;Networks of Belonging.&rsquo; We have also invited four amazing guests to give a talk about the theme, including design theorist Benjamin Bratton, novelist Gina Apostol, architecture scholar Felicity Scott, and philosopher and prison activist Lisa Guenther.&nbsp;The first session in 2012, in New Harmony, Indiana, the site of a 19th-century utopian community, was incredibly successful and the sequel&nbsp;should be just as fantastic.&quot;

&bull; Please visit <a href="http://summerforum.org">summerforum.org</a> for more information about the residency.&nbsp;

&bull; To see the items in the auction or to buy tickets to the event, <a href="http://summerforum.org/auction/">click here</a>.

&bull; To lend your support via Kickstarter, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/summerforum/summer-forum-for-inquiry-exchange-2014">click here</a>&nbsp;(3 weeks left to go to $10,000!)

Summer Forum 2014 Fundraiser and Art Auction&nbsp; 
Saturday, April 5, 2014,&nbsp;7-11 pm 
<a href="http://www.tuskchicago.com">TUSK</a> (Logan Square) 3205 W. Armitage Avenue

Buy Art and Support Inquiry + Exchange

By KEVIN NANCE

Every property of glass as an art medium&mdash;its translucence, its luminosity, its malleability, its ability to reflect, refract and distort&mdash;will be on full display in Chicago this week as the Glass Art Society holds its annual conference in the Windy City for the first time.

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption="Ignite Glass courtyard" data-rich-file-id="201" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/201/original/ignite-courtyard-2.jpg" />The 52-year-old Seattle-based group, which claims 2,100 members from 54 countries (including artists, collectors, curators and dealers), kicks off three days of workshops, seminars, demonstrations, exhibits and other events on Thursday through Saturday, March 20-22, at the Palmer House Hilton and other venues. About 1,200 people are scheduled to attend the conference, whose on-site registration fees range from $250 (for full-time students) to $395, plus membership fees of $40-$70.

Of particular interest to non-members of the Glass Art Society is a free pre-conference event on Wednesday, March 19, featuring glass-sculpting demonstrations, studio tours, exhibitions and other events at various conference venues (including Ignite Glass Studios and West Supply, both in the West Loop). &ldquo;It will be a day to introduce Chicagoans to glass art,&rdquo; says Glass Art Society executive director Pamela Koss.

That evening, a pre-conference fundraising event at Ignite ($200-$225) will feature special hors d&rsquo;oeuvres and drinks by Chef Thai Dang and Danielle Pizzutillo of Embeya and a dinner created by Chef Matthias Merges of Yusho, Billy Sunday and A10.

The conference will also offer live and silent auctions of glass art pieces by artists from around the world, most with a value of between $800 and $12,000. One piece will be a rare collaboration between leading glass artists in honor of this year&rsquo;s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Dan Dailey. The ceremony honoring Dailey, at the Palmer House on Thursday, will also feature a keynote address by Chicago artist Theaster Gates.

Several of the conference seminars will focus on entrepreneurship. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re working as a glass artist, you are your own business&mdash;or, rather, your skills are your business,&rdquo; Koss explains. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of the draw of being a glass artist: the fact that you are working on your own. In 2012, we celebrated 50 years of American studio glass, a movement started by people breaking out of corporate glass jobs, building their own studios in their garages and so on. The entrepreneurial aspect has always been important to this very independent group of artists, which is why we emphasize it in our conferences: business skills, marketing, everything you need to make sure you can sustain yourself in that way. The idea is to give people more operational tools to help them stay artists in uncertain economic times.&rdquo;

<img alt="" class="right" data-caption="Ignite Glass hotshop studio" data-rich-file-id="202" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/202/original/ignite-hotshop-team-working.jpg" />

Why Chicago, and why now? &ldquo;Chicago was always a perfect fit for us with its design, art, food&mdash;a popular city for artists to come to&mdash;but what we didn&rsquo;t really have for our conference was enough infrastructure, especially for our lecture-demonstrations,&rdquo; Koss says. &ldquo;We needed a pretty large glass studio with enough space for our attendees to view the demonstrations. Now we have that at Ignite, which is fantastic.&rdquo;

Ignite, a complex with a glass-art gallery, a 3,000-square-foot glassblowing studio and a 6,000-square-foot event space at 401 N. Armour, opened in November 2012, just before that year&rsquo;s edition of SOFA Chicago, the annual sculpture, objects, functional art and design show at Navy Pier. Among the SOFA attendees that year were Koss and other members of the Glass Art Society, which led to a partnership that ultimately brought the GAS conference to Chicago.

&ldquo;Many of the artists coming into Chicago for SOFA, domestically and internationally, were glass artists, so it seemed like a natural for us to have a reception for them that year,&rdquo; recalls Trish Tullman, who co-owns Ignite with her husband, Glen. (Glen&rsquo;s brother, Howard Tullman, is a noted Chicago art collector.) &ldquo;Pam was there, and afterwards the Glass Art Society approached us about them coming to Chicago in 2014. It&rsquo;s all worked out according to plan, which is great.&rdquo;

For more information about Ignite Glass Studios, visit www.igniteglass.com. To learn more about the Glass Art Society and its Chicago conference, visit <a href="http://www.glassart.org">www.glassart.org</a>

&nbsp;

Kevin Nance is a Chicago-based freelance writer and photographer. Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinNance1">@KevinNance1</a>

Glass Art Society holds its annual conference in the Windy City

September = art. That sums up this month in Chicago's creative community. Beginning tonight things go full steam in galleries and art spaces around the city. Dozens of gallery receptions take place and you can plan whatever kind of arty evening strikes your fancy. Grab a copy of&nbsp;CGN&nbsp;to guide you on your artistic search, or just go where the crowds take you. Many galleries save their strongest shows of the year for this big opening season, while others take advantage of the chance to introduce their new stars to an engaged audience. Check out&nbsp;our list of who's opening&nbsp;where tonight - you'll be able to visit dozens of spaces in River North, West Loop, the suburbs and on the North Side. &nbsp;Join our&nbsp;Flickr group&nbsp;to post your opening night photos, or be sure to Tweet us&nbsp;@ChiGalleryNews&nbsp;and keep up with the crowds.If you can't make it out tonight, then go on a free Saturday tour of the galleries tomorrow - details here.- Happy gallery hopping!

The Fall Gallery Season is Here!

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418551/lsnfholubflo2n5ys0gx.jpg"></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAFor most Chicagoans, Picasso first "arrived" in Chicago in 1967 in a major, public way that still resonates with our city's citizens today. Now 46 years later, his influence may be seen as the beginning of this city's modern artistic identity.&nbsp;Picasso of course never actually set foot in Chicago, or in this country for that matter. He was very, very close - it is rumored that a plane ticket to Chicago for the sculpture's unveling had been purchased by Skidmore, Owings &amp; Merrill, the firm that commissioned the sculpture that today&nbsp;is&nbsp;the star of Daley Plaza downtown. While Picasso is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated, admired and prolific artists in the history of art, Chicago has a few of its own personal ties to the artist and his work. The new exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, the first major Picasso exhibition organized by the museum in nearly three decades, makes the case that long before his famous sculpture mystified and delighted Chicagoans in 1967, Picasso's artistic style and influence was key to launching local enthusiasm for embracing modern art.&nbsp;A lot of Chicago/Picasso 'firsts' are covered in the show: in 1913 the Art Institute of Chicago became the first American museum to show Picasso's work, after being a part of the innaugural Armory Show in New York that same year. Inspired by the Armory Show, the Arts Club was founded in 1916. In 1923 it presented Picasso's first US solo showing outside of a commercial gallery. One of AIC's most well-known collection anchors is the Old Guitarist, which was purchased by Frederic Clay Bartlett in memory of his wife Helen Birch Bartlett and given to AIC in 1926. It was the first painting by Picasso acquired by a US museum.&nbsp;The exhibition is vast, including 250 works done in a range of mediums and time periods. The works come primarily from AIC's own collection, and mostly they are not blockbusters (3 major paintings on loan from other museums are separated from the main exhibition and are hanging in the Modern Wing - something I found logistically awkward) but the many pieces in the show add up to an illuminating picture of how Chicago came to see itself in an artistic light as well as be known in the world as a progressive city committed to the arts. &nbsp;It is worth spending time with as many of the pieces as possible, while also seeking out new favorites.&nbsp;A highlight is the opening of the show, where a recording of Studs Terkel interiewing Chicagoans in the Federal plaza (now Daley Plaza) on the day the Picasso Woman was unveiled. It's delightful to hear the candid respones. One spectator was there for a baton contest. &nbsp;Someone else thought a statue in honor of someone who'd 'done something for humanity' would have been more fitting. &nbsp;One gentleman thought it resembled the 'pelvic structure of a prehistoric monster.' Others were worried it would rust and hoped it 'worked out.' &nbsp;Most seemed to gaze in awe that their city had put this project together and made such a show of being progressive. After I saw the exhibition, I learned another secret from SAIC's former president, Tony Jones. He recalled recently leading Paloma Picasso on a tour of the show before it opened. While they were examining the Picasso Woman macquette, she leaned her head into the sculpture and pointed out that her father wrote inside many pieces. For the Woman he had apparently been concerned that the piece would hold up because of the weight of the steel and the strong welding that would be required. Just to make sure the piece would stand the test of time and that the heavy head would not tumble down on visitors, he wrote some simple instructions for the welders in Gary, IN - basically, he said, make sure it's on there tight!&nbsp;Picasso never accepted payment for the commission, instead giving it to the city as a gift. That generous spirit is certainly still present here today.&nbsp;</body></html>

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