<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418900/nulpvenipyl0xheutmri.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editionschicago.com/about">UPDATE SUMMER 2021: EDITIONS WILL TAKE PLACE IN 2022</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;By CGN Staff via PRWhile EXPO CHICAGO is not taking place in person this coming September – fair organizers announced recently <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2021/4/expo-chicago-announces-return-to-spring-time-slot-after-a-decade-as-a-fall-mainstay">a permanent move to April</a> – EXPO's parent company Art Expositions LLC, led by Tony Karman, announced the launch of a new art fair that will take place this fall in the city: EDITIONS Chicago – The Print, Photography &amp; Art Book Fair. The new fair is set for September 23 – 26 at Navy Pier.&nbsp;EDITIONS Chicago will host international print, photography, and art book dealers and publishers to present an exceptional range of artwork, multiples, and books, alongside an expansive four-day program. The fair has been created in affiliation with leading international arts associations – the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) and the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) – and has been designed to engage a wide range of collectors and audiences.&nbsp;Having a fair in Chicago in the fall has become sort of a cultural and seasonal reference point, so while EXPO has moved to the spring, having a dynamic fair in town will be welcomed by many throughout the region and the print community.&nbsp;“With the increasing interest and scope of limited-edition prints, photographs, multiples, and art books, we felt that it was the right time to launch this fair to engage new audiences while developing an unprecedented collaboration between leading international associations," said Karman, President of Art Expositions LLC. “As we build EDITIONS Chicago, we look forward to working with the members of the IFPDA and AIPAD, broadening the scope of collaborations and exhibitors, and engaging our existing network of institutional partners and supporters in Chicago to add an exciting new event for established and emerging collectors in this region," he added.EDITIONS Chicago will collaborate with Chicago’s institutions, galleries, and artist-run spaces to herald Chicago on Friday, September 24th and Saturday, September 25th. Participating spaces will offer local and visiting patrons the chance to view a broad range of new exhibitions and participate in events taking place concurrently with the fair. Special Chicago events produced in partnership with Newcity are forthcoming."The tradition of printmaking has long been grounded in the Midwest with strong university-based programs, many community-based and collaborative workshops, and all the small press and independent publishers which make up the Chicago zine scene," said IFPDA Executive Director Jenny Gibbs. "The IFPDA is delighted to be a part of this inaugural celebration of prints and editions in the Midwest. After this most trying of years, we are especially happy to invite our members from across the United States to participate in this new venture and to provide collectors, curators, and friends new and old with an opportunity to experience the best of 500 years of printmaking in person!"“AIPAD is decidedly excited to emerge from this pandemic and long drought of art fairs to participate in EDITIONS Chicago," said AIPAD President Michael Lee. "The opportunity to show our pictures alongside so many other art professionals is a wonderfully unique opportunity. The inclusive and collaborative big tent EDITIONS is raising will provide a special platform for AIPAD galleries to bring the joys of photography to Chicago.”For more information on EDITIONS Chicago (September 23 – 26, 2021) visit <a href="http://editionschicago.com">editionschicago.com</a>&nbsp;Fair Schedule:Opening Night | Thursday, September 23: 4:00pm Opening Benefit • 6:00pm VIP Opening&nbsp;Friday, September 24: 11:00am – 7:00pm&nbsp;Saturday, September 25: 11:00am – 7:00pm&nbsp;Sunday, September 26: 11:00am – 5:00pm&nbsp;Ticket Prices: Single ticket $15 | Three Day $25 | Student &amp; Senior $10&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

EDITIONS Chicago Launches at Navy Pier

Via PRChicago Artists Coalition (CAC) announces today&nbsp;a total of 30 SPARK Grant awardees&nbsp;who will&nbsp;each receive $2,000 in unrestricted funds during the 2021 grant cycle. In its third year, the SPARK Grant program continues to expand the number of awards, in the effort&nbsp;to support more Chicago artists.The SPARK Grant&nbsp;began in 2019 as an annual, unrestricted award opportunity for Chicago-based visual artists who identify as ALAANA (Asian, Latinx, Arab, African diaspora, Native), an artist with a demonstrated need, an artist with a disability, or as a self-taught or informally trained artist who is striving to make their art practice a primary vocation.In its first year, the SPARK Grant was awarded to&nbsp;15 artists and in the subsequent year&nbsp;to 25 artists.&nbsp;Each year there is a continuous increase of SPARK applications indicative of the need within the artists community.&nbsp;With the generous support of the Joyce Foundation and an anonymous donor, the SPARK&nbsp;Grant&nbsp;this year expanded to 30 unrestricted awards of $2,000 each.Celebrating its 47th&nbsp;anniversary this year, CAC has a strong recent&nbsp;history of supporting emerging Chicago-based visual artists through unrestricted grant funds, and has administered&nbsp;a total of $140,000 in unrestricted SPARK Grants to 70 artists in three years.Congratulations SPARK Grant Recipients!SPARK GRANTS&nbsp;2021&nbsp;- $2,000 per artistA.Martinez Ariella Granados Cherrie Yu Cristian Roldan darien R Wendell Deborah Awwad Elnaz Javani Hankyeol Song Jada-Amina Jade WongJanelle Miller Jennifer Villanueva Jiayi Chen Jon Veal Jory Drew Joshua Jackson Kris Casey Mercedes Cardenas Miao Wang Qais AssaliSasha Phyars-Burgess Shirien Damra Sky Cubacub SUNGJAE LEE Sydnie Jimenez Tariyawn Knighten Tattiana Howard Youree Kim Yuge Zhou zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Chicago Artists Coalition Announces Awardees for Spark Grant 2021

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417676/viuo9hlcukvlb17jp8ap.png"><figcaption>Chicago artist Nick Cave. A retrospective exhibition "Forothermore" is coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 2022. (James Prinz / provided by MCA)</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-nick-cave-retrospective-mca-chicago-20210518-tnxxhgtyuffmdkp7eiiayayeuu-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1sK0Qln60ZfWkFzTX_u-YqJcWV_kUHlMqOogwYhBAIgztHzSUmbZSa2-4">Big Nick Cave retrospective, a first for the Chicago artist, announced for MCA next year</a>To be fair to the Chicago art world, Nick Cave has never been the easiest artist to contain within a single show. He’s not quite fashion, or dance, or sculpture. He’s not quite an installation artist, though his work includes all of these mediums and more. His Old Irving Park studio is not really even a studio but a kind of next-generation Warhol-ish Factory. He’s never fit that idea of the artist toiling away inside a warehouse space. In fact, though he’s been a staple of contemporary art collections for decades, his last major solo show in Chicago was about 15 years ago, for the Chicago Cultural Center.Via Chicago Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/love-monet-as-much-as-the-yankees-this-cap-is-for-you-11620827279?mod=searchresults_pos16&amp;page=3">Why Limited-Edition Art Merch for Monet and Van Gogh Keeps Selling Out</a>Worshippers of Vincent Van Gogh can feast their eyes on the painter’s 1889 masterpiece, “The Starry Night,” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but they’ll have no luck trying to nab a hat memorializing the painting in MoMA’s gift shop. For that, they might want to journey some 50-plus blocks south to Tribeca gallery Broadway.Via the Wall Street Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2021/05/ememem-street-mosaics/">Ceramic Mosaics Mend Cracked Sidewalks, Potholes, and Buildings in Vibrant Interventions by Ememem</a>Throughout his home city of Lyon, <a href="https://www.ememem-flacking.net/">Ememem</a> is known as “the pavement surgeon.” The artist repairs gouged sidewalks and splintered facades with colorful mosaics that he describes as “a poem that everybody can read.” Intricate geometric motifs laid with pristine tiles hug the cracks and create “a memory notebook of the city. It reveals what happened, the life in these public places,” he tells Colossal. “Here cobblestones have been picked up and thrown. There a truck from the vegetable market tore off a piece of asphalt…”Ememem’s first mosaic dates back 10 years when he found himself in a damaged alley in Lyon. At that time, he already was working in ceramic and translated that practice to revitalizing the outdoor area. Since 2016, he’s been consistently filling potholes and other divots throughout France.Via Colossal&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What We're Reading: 5/18

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418901/vj87qbviqhxqjaead753.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/wangari-mathenge-the-expats-studies-impression-on-paper">Wangari Mathenge | The Expats Studies: Impression on Paper</a>Opening: Friday, May 21, 6 – 9&nbsp;pmMay 21 – July 25Epiphany Center for the Arts&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418901/aknwq1eq8q5gszj8pzuc.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/9th-annual-art-competition">9th Annual Art Competition</a>Opening: Friday, May 21, 7 – 10&nbsp;pmMay 21 – July 2Bridgeport Art Center&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418902/vfnasbtkubdviv1nelgy.gif"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/dennis-lee-mitchell-recorded-traces">Dennis Lee Mitchell: Recorded Traces</a>Opening: Friday, May 21, 4 – 7&nbsp;pmMay 21 – July 17Zolla / Lieberman Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418903/lmqjyymmtozx8bvsklbt.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/josh-garber-amorous-terrain">Josh Garber: Amorous Terrain</a>Opening: Friday, May 21, 4 – 7&nbsp;pmMay 21 – July 17Zolla / Lieberman Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418904/sdj5b9zi9y13nih3816x.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/nature-nurture-nature-deana-bada-maloney-jill-sutton-donets-v-s">Nature Nurture Nature: Deana Bada Maloney, Jill Sutton, Donets V.S.</a>Opening: Saturday, May 22, 1 – 4&nbsp;pmMay 22 – June 18Gallery Studio Oh!&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418905/mx6knvloqahy8wdw54ac.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/toward-common-cause-ab4c11d6-2286-4a00-b5e6-4c23dfe2548a">Toward Common Cause</a>May 21 – September 25Smart Museum of Art&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418905/rkakmasslesbpyk49nzk.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/mary-sibande-unhand-me-demon">Mary Sibande, Unhand Me Demon!</a>May 22 – July 31Kavi Gupta Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions Start May 21 - 22 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417661/htd50vdhqvxk7bstbrur.gif"><figcaption>Haig Aivazian: All of the Lights, installation view, February–March 2021, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Photo: Useful Art Services &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEALast fall we asked some local art world figures what their <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/9/mirror-mirror-on-the-gallery-wall-after-this-year-who-can-predict-2021">2021 Art World Predictions</a> might be. At the time I saw two main scenarios that could shape this year: Life with a vaccine, and life without. Fortunately, we are now several months into a remarkable vaccine development effort and rollout, holding tight to all the cautious optimism we can summon. With this progress in mind, I wanted to check in again with the local art community to see how things are actually going.&nbsp;As in the fall my questions seek everyone’s candid response to how they have been faring and to get their best guess at what’s next. Responses are grouped by topic. I am grateful to those who candidly shared their collective wisdom and hopes for the future as we move through another year.&nbsp;On 2021 vs 2020How are things going for you so far this year?&nbsp;&nbsp;Catherine Edelman, Catherine Edelman Gallery: It’s been a very sobering year, as the pandemic forced me to rethink the gallery model.Tom McCormick, McCormick Gallery: This year so far is a continuation of last, which was outstanding. We finished the year on par with any normal, good year, even with the gallery essentially closed. Almost all sales were out of town and I became a one-man shipping juggernaut. The FedEx store reserved a private parking spot for me (kidding). Demand for certain work, especially from our estates and most especially by women, is through the roof and we cannot meet demand.&nbsp;Julia Nucci Kelly, Asst. Dir. for Marketing &amp; Communications Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois: KAM has been open since February. Much of our staff is still working from home, but unlike last year, we’re able to have our major student art exhibitions (MFA and BFA) in person. That feels like progress. KAM is addressing multiple pandemics — not just COVID, but political division, racism and violence, and struggles for our environment — as much as we can through art, including exhibitions like Homemade, with Love: More Living Room that creates and holds space for Black girls, women, and femmes in the museum, providing space to gather and support one another with art space to create. In the community, we’re hosting Pandemics as a Portal to Change, a virtual community exhibition that gathers creative writing, visual art, music, and performance centered on hope, encouraging artists of all kinds to envision what we can make better beyond these struggles and pain.Kathleen Waterloo, artist: 2021 has been a whirling continuum of 2020, which proved to be one of my busiest years as an artist. I was very fortunate just prior to COVID-19 to open a solo exhibition in River North at Addington Gallery. The following week Mayor Lightfoot put the city in lockdown. My studio is isolated, so I was able to continue working almost daily on projects while maintaining social distancing. Currently I’m juggling works for a solo exhibition late 2021 at Circa Gallery in Minneapolis, in addition to a few commissions. As an artist during this bizarre time in our society, I am feeling very blessed.Karsten Lund, Curator: I don’t have a simple answer, but I’ve felt grounded by my work at the Renaissance Society throughout everything. I’m grateful to be at a nimble, resilient institution, and it has been energizing to be working very closely with a number of artists during the past year, even if most of our conversations have been over Zoom.At the Ren, we’ve been still able to do a lot, even against such headwinds. I keep returning to the fact that we have a strong close-knit team, and even before the pandemic our museum has been designed to really channel our resources towards our program and artist’s projects, which has made all the difference in a hard year like this.&nbsp;&nbsp;WORKING – OR NOT WORKING – WITH CLIENTSHave you been able to engage relatively well with current and new clients or patrons?&nbsp;&nbsp;Catherine Edelman: Many of our regular clients have stayed home, unwilling to venture to the gallery. But e-blasts, Zooms, etc. have helped us maintain a connection. Now that we are open by appointment only, new clients have emerged. I think the fact that they can have a private experience has been very powerful.Tom McCormick: Yes. One advantage to doing this for nearly 50 years is that you know a lot of people and they know you. A good reputation is the best thing one can develop, full stop, to weather any storm.Julia Nucci Kelly: Yes — our community has embraced the idea that the museum can be a safe in-person activity, and we know KAM plays a role in wellness both on campus and in Champaign-Urbana. Through our virtual programs, we’ve been able to engage a far broader geography vs. in person only. We know virtual programs are a different experience, but we are coming to understand that they supplement what we do in person and make arts programming more accessible.Kathleen Waterloo: Thanks to email, cell phones, the internet, and Zoom I’ve been able to engage with current and new clients in addition to gallerists quite well. Most are familiar with my work already, so communicating size, color preferences, budget, etc. are fairly easy to discuss. Digital images of a site, wall location, and surrounding space further helps a successful end result.&nbsp;Karsten Lund: Some projects, such as publications, can adapt relatively easily to working from home. We finished a 400-page book with LaToya Ruby Frazier this winter, which I still draw inspiration from. Now I’m working on a monograph with Kevin Beasley coming out later this year.&nbsp;It’s required accepting a lot of uncertainty and brought new challenges, for sure, but I’ve also opened three exhibitions this year, at least for more limited in-person audiences. That includes solo shows by Haig Aivazian and Jill Magid, and in ways that speaks volumes to their own resilience, both artists produced ambitious new works.&nbsp;We’ve taken this as a time to experiment too. As we’ve shifted to online talks and virtual exhibition tours, and also debuted a new digital platform, Renaissance TV, we’ve had viewers tuning in from many different countries, with great attendance. We will carry that forward and keep exploring these expanded possibilities for a global audience, or those who can’t visit us, even as we return to in-person programming.&nbsp;IT’S STILL HARD...What challenges remain for you and your business/space since the pandemic began last spring?&nbsp;&nbsp;Catherine Edelman: Creating engagement. Art fairs were a critical part of our business model. It’s been a challenge to introduce new work/artists without that network.&nbsp;Tom McCormick: Even though we are selling well I feel sorry for our contemporary artists (as opposed to the dead ones) as their exhibitions are not well attended. Even when attendance does not equate to sales it is still a great time for friends, family and interested collectors to see the stuff, and COVID has put a lid on a lot of that,Julia Nucci Kelly: I think holding our communities together and supporting one another are our biggest tasks ahead. We’re working hard to make every aspect of the museum’s work accessible to all, and our Curator of Academic Programs Liza Sylvestre is a leader for our staff in that area. We’re also looking forward to when we can do robust school and family programming again as well, so charting the path forward and doing it together in a way that is inclusive and just is an important challenge for us to meet head on.Kathleen Waterloo: Since many galleries temporarily went online and others, sadly, closed their doors due to COVID-19’s economic impact, a few galleries now show my work online only. My work is best viewed in person. If a potential client is only viewing my work digitally some things get lost in the translation – the translucency of the encaustic medium, intimate details that are lost due to the small scale of a cell phone or computer screen, and the experience of seeing the artwork itself which is an ‘object’ in its own right.&nbsp;Karsten Lund: Certain challenges have been unavoidable but we were able to work around them, such as the fact that artists mostly haven’t been able to come on site to install. But more importantly, I think we need to be responsive to the widely varied challenges and hardships different people are facing this year, whether artists, our audiences, or our collaborators. Care feels like an important word and a way of being, more than ever, now and into the future. I continue asking myself how as curators we can meet our moment and what are the best ways we can support artists’ work as our larger contexts shift and so many pressures continue.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417662/qoaswcuammt86rewbt45.gif"><figcaption>Kathleen Waterloo, Texter Road Revisited, 2020, Encaustic on panel18” x 18”, courtesy Addington Gallery. Photo by Tom Van Eynde</figcaption></figure>WHAT ABOUT ARTISTS?How are your artists – or your contemporaries – doing?&nbsp;&nbsp;Catherine Edelman: I started a monthly Zoom meeting with my artists, in an effort to bring everyone together. It’s been an amazing experience for everyone, as we work together to advance the mission of CEG.Kathleen Waterloo: Ex-studiomates and artist friends stay in touch and we give each other critiques, opinions, moral support and pep talks. We like each other’s social media posts. It’s all been vital during the past year. Early during COVID–19 some artists were locked out of their studio buildings for months – a devastating blow. Those who had studio access and continued working did so diligently; it was the fuel needed to keep them going mentally. Most were prolific. Now many of us are also prepared to face the future with a toughened stamina, honed during this pandemic. I’ve seen a few artists, not previously working, who have emerged from isolation producing new and ridiculously stunning work that comes from being either on lockdown, in fear, actually sick, or recovering from 24/7 child care and home schooling – a situation which has affected many artists and non-artists alike. They are exploding with creativity and waiting impatiently to rock the town.&nbsp;Tom McCormick: The dead ones are still dead, but thriving in the market! My living artists, mostly from Chicago, seem to be getting on OK, at least they are not complaining to me. &nbsp;IF THE GLASS IS HALF FULL IS IT ONLY BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING?What are you optimistic about?&nbsp;&nbsp;Catherine Edelman: December in Miami. I believe collectors are hungry to see art in person, and the art fairs in Miami will be a barometer of the return to some semblance of normalcy.Amy L. Powell, Krannert: We are excited to reunite with objects and continue to build community in our spaces. In addition to A Question of Emphasis: Louise Fishman Drawing opening this fall with questions of queer feminist drawing and abstraction, we’re opening Crip*, a group exhibition and symposium curated by Liza Sylvestre that addresses disability and intersectional thinking. Things cannot “go back to normal,” and we are excited to center artists and our audiences to figure out ways of transformation, together. We’re optimistic about the lessons we learned for virtual content and programming, and hope to take those forward.Kathleen Waterloo: Galleries, museums and even art fairs will fully reopen their doors in the near future. Perhaps a few precautionary measures from COVID–19 will remain, but I’m eager to see public space become just that again, with people able to become the social animals they are. I’m still concerned about the galleries that cannot, or won’t, reopen and will only have an online presence. I recognize that for many that digital business model works, and it might be here to stay. The virtual world has been a lifeline for many attempting to keep the arts afloat. I’m hopeful that physical galleries are also here to stay. Fund the arts now – visual, dance, theater, music, film – let’s get them back on their feet.Karsten Lund: I draw so much optimism from artists, and this year is no exception. As much as ever, I’ve been reminded of how they help us see the world differently, almost in real time in some cases. LaToya Ruby Frazier, Haig Aivazian, and Jill Magid’s projects will all stay with me in that way.Maybe most of all though, this feels like a moment when so many things have the potential to be recalibrated, for museums and other institutions and in our individual lives. Change feels possible when it comes to systemic racism, inequality, accessibility, and our looming climate crisis, though that work will have to carry on long beyond this year.Tom McCormick: Oh, I’m very optimistic about everything. While many, many people were devastated economically by COVID, many collectors and others with financial means have been willing to spend more than ever. This will surely level out once things return to some sort of normal, but something good is always just around the corner.&nbsp;That from Mr. Rose Tinted Glasses!&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Taking the Temperature in 2021: How Is It Actually Going in Chicago's Art World?

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417623/xhzsnoykulx0gkc6r3qf.jpg"></figure><a href="https://hebrubrantleyxmcastore.org/a/pre-launch">The MCA Has an Exclusive Collection Drop from Hebru Brantley</a>Check out the dedicated site for Hebru Brantley × MCA Store and mark your calendars for May 27, when the MCA will open their digital store featuring products designed by Chicago artist Hebru Brantley.<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=b45269295f&amp;e=95b957c616">Shop</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-saic-cancel-culture-class-20210505-p5cttxjf4vcsbgla3stp5zkoxy-story.html">Love the art, hate the artist? How a popular Chicago college class is reexamining Kanye West, Michael Jackson, Picasso and others in the era of cancel culture</a>Eileen Favorite has heard the word “problematic” more than any person should have to hear any word repeated, again and again. She has heard it applied to the obvious and to the unexpected. She has heard people say “problematic” so often that when she says it herself, the word doesn’t come as casually as it does for her students. It’s become an event. It bold-faces. It goes ALL CAPS. Sometimes it sounds like a chuckle. Sometimes like a death sentence. Sometimes it has an eye-roll attached. Sometimes an indictment.The point being, when Eileen Favorite discusses the life and work of problematic artists with her students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one size refuses to fit all.Via Chicago Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/creative-time-project-rashid-johnson-will-give-local-artists-literal-stage-reemerge-1967832">Rashid Johnson Will Give Artists a Literal Stage to Reemerge From the Pandemic as Part of a New Project With Creative Time</a>One year ago, Rashid Johnson was holed up in a makeshift workspace in the basement of his Long Island home, churning out a series of apocalyptic oil stick drawings the color of a fire alarm. They belonged to his ongoing “Anxious Men” project,&nbsp;<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/how-artists-are-addressing-pandemic-1842672">the artist told Artnet News at the time</a>. He&nbsp;sounded&nbsp;anxious—as we all did then, a month deep into the pandemic, uncertainty still the dominant mood.Now, as we prepare to return to a semblance of normalcy, Johnson has once again turned to that same anxious red color—but this time, he’s doing so to a more optimistic end.Via Artnet&nbsp;<a href="https://news.artnet.com/multimedia/shattering-the-glass-ceiling-mariane-ibrahim-1967027">Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Art Dealer Mariane Ibrahim on the Power of the Right Relationships</a>In the final installment of Artnet's mini-series Shattering the Glass Ceiling, Artnet News’s art and design editor Noor Brara spoke with pioneering gallerist Mariane Ibrahim, founder of her eponymous gallery. Ibrahim opened her first outpost in Seattle, later launching another outpost in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.&nbsp;Now, as the last year’s turbulence begins to level off, Ibrahim is taking another giant leap—this time, overseas—to open a location in Paris.Via Artnet&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 5/12

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417655/opxqnu5ng5wjmr59qpde.gif"><figcaption>Balancing work and life with one of CGN’S top interns, pictured here on an official outing to the Art Institute with publisher Ginny B. Van Alyea, spring 2021 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEARemember when many businesses and corporate leaders declared that women “lean in” to achieve professional progress as well as a work-life balance? I think at some point we started to lean so much we tipped over. I physically did this at the time Sheryl Sandberg’s book of the same name was published, and I was a few months pregnant with my daughter. I was leaning in to admire something at an art fair, and I didn’t yet understand how my own bodily center of balance had shifted. My mother had to help me stand back up and I had to brush off my embarassment.For me, eight years after that art fair and two children later, the center of many things has continued to shift. 2020 was basically one big lurch in another direction for all of us. Settling into 2021 I’m not sure I will ever go all the way back to the late night multi-tasker I was before the pandemic. I’m finding I’m a better mother, wife and publisher when I lean back – I get more sleep and I keep my to-do list short and my social calendar more limited. Leaning, for me, is balancing, not falling over or getting whiplash.&nbsp;*When the pandemic hit last spring, I fretted about what to do at work – how could CGN help galleries and artists? Should we organize a benefit auction? A crisis symposium? Would CGN even survive? Should we find a way to build e-commerce into our website? How could I fix everything?&nbsp;Ultimately, in the CGN office Emily and I decided to just keep doing what we always do: cheerlead the arts. Doing one thing for over 38 years has worked. We haven’t taken over the world, but it also hasn’t managed to take us over either. Leaning back this past year is what kept us on track and balanced as we navigated unpredictable, sometimes scary times. &nbsp;In this summer of 2021 issue we’ve tried to seek balance and perspective once again, grateful to be publishing according to our usual schedule, not under lockdown, and with a host of exhibitions and news to cover, all while keeping our eyes open for good news and green shoots.&nbsp;So far we have seen a <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2021/5/expansions-plans-forward-momentum-after-a-hard-year">notable number of galleries</a> moving and smartly expanding this year, deepening roots in the creative economy long term. Mayor Lightfoot also announced “Arts 77” — a citywide arts <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2021/4/we-built-this-city-on-the-arts-city-of-chicago-pledges-60-million-for-recovery-and-reopening">recovery and reopening plan</a> with an initial investment of over $60 million to ”place the arts at the center of our city’s recovery efforts.” We are back to posting new (and in–person) events and exhibitions on chicagogallerynews.com every day.&nbsp;If 2020’s flood almost wiped us out, 2021 is a year of replanting ahead of what we hope will be a cultural harvest in 2022 and beyond.&nbsp;For now openings still look different and are fewer in number, and the art fairs and large events haven’t officially returned yet, but we do see people seeking out art in person this summer, visiting galleries in small groups, buying timed tickets to museums, and hitting the road on weekend trips to Midwestern cities and towns that offer art and culture within a couple hours drive. A year of leaning back has helped artists and dealers reevaluate plans as well as resources, and it has helped me build up the resolve, not to mention appreciation, to wade back into the water and enjoy our city again. I see I don’t have to do it all, but I will strive to do it well.Grateful to be able to continue publishing CGN as we approach our 40th anniversary next year, we’ve recommitted to making sure this lovely magazine continues to exist and connect to many in our little part of the art world.&nbsp;As long as I can keep my balance, and my head, we can stay right where we are. That is good, and it’s enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Summer 2021 Publisher's Letter: When Leaning Back Moves You Forward

<html><head></head><body>We’ve all heard of doubling down. It’s harder than it sounds to face adversity, take a big gamble and make it happen. Amidst a challenging pandemic fortunes have been varied in Chicago’s art spaces, but everyone has been adversely affected in one way or another. CGN has been seeking out the gallerists and others who decided to make some lemonade out of 2020. Each effort is a testament to the enduring power of art and the creative people behind it all. This summer visit these spaces and places to see what’s new and to wish those leading the charge well. – GV&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417619/s7j4ovqvfa46ahjob7yo.jpg"><figcaption>Patron's new home at 1612 W Chicago Ave</figcaption></figure>PATRON has been talking about a move from its original River West location for quite some time, but 2020 put plans on hold. As of April 2021 they have moved to a fabulous new space in a reclaimed theater in West Town.&nbsp; •&nbsp; <a href="https://patrongallery.com">patrongallery.com</a>&nbsp;The Golden Triangle held an epic sale to clear out its 18,000 sf. Clark Street space in River North to move to West Town. Co-founder Doug Van Tress says, “Our new space is a more industrial space, a combination of gallery and atelier-workshop where things are not just sold; they are made.&nbsp; •&nbsp; <a href="http://goldentriangle.biz">goldentriangle.biz</a> &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417620/efghayafgyxxtsapcxrn.png"></figure>2020 dealt the vintage mainstay Randolph Street Market a near-fatal blow, with the cancellation of in-person events. With construction planned this summer for the market’s traditional Plumber’s Hall home, Schwartz moved the market to Three Oaks, MI for five weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day.&nbsp; •&nbsp; <a href="http://randolphstreetmarket.com">randolphstreetmarket.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417621/jsugau4tohjuhhbxk5iq.jpg"></figure> Kavi Gupta Gallery has two expansions happening. They recently announced plans for a new, multi-functioning art space on the main strip of the lakeside town of New Buffalo, MI, a common spot for Chicagoans to vacation. Plans include an exhibition space, outdoor sculpture garden, as well as art storage facilities.&nbsp;The gallery also announced in April plans to expand their 2nd floor space at 835 W Washington down into the ground floor space where <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/carrie-secrist-gallery">Carrie Secrist Gallery</a> was prior to moving nearby to 900 W Washington. Gupta owns 835 W Washington. This expansion creates a new, multi-purpose, museum-quality exhibition space. In addition to our new rooftop sculpture garden, the space&nbsp;will allow us to host expanded programming and events, as well as a curated bookshop that extends our art publishing arm, Kavi Gupta | Editions."The inaugural exhibition in the new street-level space, opening May 22, 2021, is the gallery’s debut solo show with South African artist Mary Sibande. The gallery still has its nearby Elizabeth St. warehouse as well. •&nbsp; <a href="http://kavigupta.com">kavigupta.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417622/azrjtijfon8mmzkhgjla.jpg"></figure>ALAN KOPPEL GALLERY expanded beyond their downtown Dearborn Street space to open a satelite gallery in <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/alan-koppel-gallery-north">suburban Glencoe</a> April 1. Their first show featured photographs by Diane Arbus, along with works by artists she influenced.&nbsp;&nbsp;Art De Triumph &amp; Artful Framer Studios, based at 2938 N. Clark since 2000, announced it is expanding to a gallery / artist retreat / learning center in their historic home in Rockford, &nbsp;85 miles from downtown Chicago. They're inviting clients and fellow artists to come for the day, or come for a stay. • <a href="https://artdetriumph.com/pages/about-us">artdetriumph.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417622/nxxq6hrhkgawpozv844j.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Gard</figcaption></figure>Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) opened 3D4D by CSI on April 16 at 1912 N Damen Ave. The space's program focuses on sculpture, time-based and performance art and is an experimental art space run by artists with the mission of showcasing fresh perspectives through unique programming. 3D4D aims to engage young emerging artists and curators whose work drives attention to current issues affecting our society. Community philanthropy is embedded in all programming, and 3D4D by CSI is under the direction of Chicago based artists, composed of women, LGBTQ+ and people of color. &nbsp;• &nbsp;<a href="https://www.3d4dbycsi.org">3d4dbycsi.org</a> &nbsp;</body></html>

Expansions & Plans: Forward Momentum After a Hard Year

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/mouumso74b34bfbedlff.jpg"><figcaption>Architect Helmut Jahn, seen here in 2011, in his office in the Jewelers Building. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune 2011)&nbsp;</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-helmut-jahn-architect-dead-20210509-gijjprpk6jd4baxm4roohm2z3a-story.html">Helmut Jahn, Chicago’s ‘star-chitect’ to the world, was the visionary behind United’s O’Hare terminal and Thompson Center</a>Before the architect Helmut Jahn designed United Airlines Terminal 1 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the late 1980s, travelers coming or going from one of the world’s greatest architectural cities made a quotidian trudge through a boring portal. Jahn replaced that grim trajectory with a sensually thrilling explosion of light, sound and excitement, designing a rhapsodic experience that emulated the great railroad hubs that once defined Chicago. He put the romance back in travel, even for the humblest traveler, signaled Chicago’s cultural centrality toward of the dawn of the 21st century and created a much-copied model for new airports all over the world.Jahn, who was 81 and died Saturday from injuries suffered in a <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-helmut-jahnfamed-architect-dies-20210509-t4co2a6zd5fxzfiyon2hvcud24-story.html">cycling accident</a> outside west suburban St. Charles, would become its preeminent designer of high-profile public spaces and a full-throttle Chicago celebrity replete with the Porsche Carreras, big yachts, bespoke tailoring and all the other accessories of youthful 20th century fame.Via Chicago Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/5/8/22425352/karl-wirsum-obituary-artist-hairy-who-lori-gunn-art-institute-chicago-teacher">Karl Wirsum, visionary, ‘utterly original’ artist, dies at 81</a>Karl Wirsum first began drawing when he was 5 and stuck for weeks in a hospital room, recovering from a fractured skull.And he never stopped — not even after he’d had several strokes and could barely move his hand.“Even if it was just wiggly marks and circles and little angles on paper,” said his wife of 53 years, Lorri Gunn Wirsum. “He did it every day. He looked out our back window at an apple tree, and all through the winter with the tree skeletal, he just would draw the branches – his version of it.”Via Chicago Sun Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artforum.com/news/turner-prize-2021-shortlists-five-artist-collectives-85705">Turner Prize 2021 Shortlists Five Artist Collectives</a>For the first time since the award’s inception in 1984, the organizers of the Turner Prize have announced that the five finalists under consideration are all artist collectives, with no individual artist being nominated. The prize, considered one of the world’s most prestigious, is named for nineteenth-century painter British J. M. W. Turner and awarded annually to a UK visual artist. This year’s prize has been eagerly anticipated, as last year’s was canceled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.Via Artforum&nbsp;<a href="https://rejournals.com/developer-thinks-outside-of-the-box-for-tricky-fulton-market-site-over-expressway/">Developer thinks outside the box for potential museum site on Fulton Market</a>Developer R2 Companies is marketing an opportunity to build a structure on a site that runs over the Kennedy Expressway near Fulton Market. Conceptual renderings in a marketing brochure depict a glass box surrounded by landscaped outdoor space at 708 W. Wayman Street.Currently, the site, which was one piece of a larger Fulton Market portfolio that R2 Companies purchased a few years ago, is being used as a parking lot. Because it’s a challenging and unique site, Zach Cupkovic of R2 Cos says that it’s an opportunity to think outside the box. He suggests that it could be a great fit for retail or maybe even a museum.Via RE Journals&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What We're Reading: 5/10

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417658/uatdzqaynkxt7w8p4ga2.png"><figcaption>via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/corbettvsdempsey/">Corbett vs Dempsey</a></figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEACorbett vs Dempsey, the gallery that has represented Karl Wirsum, an internationally known artist and co-founder of the Hairy Who, announced Thursday via Instagram that the artist has died at age 81.&nbsp;They shared, "We are mourning the loss of one of Chicago's true originals. [We] celebrate Karl Wirsum's joyful life and work and his profound generosity as a teacher and colleague. We are so proud to have known him and to represent his rich legacy."&nbsp;Wirsum passed away early in the morning of May 6th after a long illness.*Edited from Artic.edu:Wirsum, raised on the South Side of Chicago, was a member of Chicago’s Hairy Who, a group magically organized by a handful of artists in the 1960s and borne of a shared vision and electrified, figurative artistic style that is still highly recognizable today and forever associated with Chicago itself.Even as a child Wirsum was drawn to rhythm and blues music and the Maxwell Street Market, an open-air flea market. Inspired by his visual and sonic experiences and memories, drawing poured out of Wirsum in much the same way as sound does from an improvising musician. And like improvised music, his direct drawings rarely show correction or revision. He often depicted musicians in his artwork and took inspiration from source material he scavenged at the flea market.Wirsum enrolled at the School of the Art Institute in 1957 and was the first of the Hairy Who artists to graduate. It was through Wirsum’s friendship with Don Baum, the exhibition chairman of the Hyde Park Art Center, that he became part of the Hairy Who. Baum recommended that Wirsum be included in the small group exhibition that Jim Falconer and Jim Nutt proposed to him, and it was Wirsum who unintentionally coined the name Hairy Who. Over a period of four years the six artists of the Hairy Who—<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/110896/james-falconer">Jim Falconer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/34732">Art Green</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/36022">Gladys Nilsson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/36059">Jim Nutt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artists/36413/suellen-rocca">Suellen Rocca</a>, and&nbsp;Karl Wirsum—exhibited their work together, and as a group they began mounting unconventional displays of bright, bold graphic work in the mid-1960s, transforming the art landscape of Chicago, injecting&nbsp;their new and unique voices into the city’s rising national and international profile.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417659/c3inr5ydncqhijmohj2t.jpg"><figcaption>Karl Wirsum, Courtesy of Madison Museum of Contemporary Art</figcaption></figure>*The Art Institute of Chicago mounted the exhibition, Hairy Who? 1966–1969, in 2018, the first-ever major survey dedicated solely to the Hairy Who.When interviewed in 2018 about AIC's exhibition, Wirsum's Hairy Who colleague Suellen Rocca said of her relationships with the group, "Don Baum...had a series of thematic shows called Animal, Vegetable and Mineral. Each show had a wide variety of work with only a single piece by each artist. Jim Nutt and Jim Falconer went to Don with a proposal to have a show composed of Falconer, Nutt, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, and me. Don thought it would be good to add Karl Wirsum. We all were in school together but we didn’t know Karl. Our work was very compatible, and showing as a group gave us each the opportunity to show more work."Rocca credited the link with Wirsum and his work at the time as pivotal for her artistic future.&nbsp;"As a young artist getting to see my work alongside my peers’ work that I was excited and enthusiastic about was so important at that stage of my development. Then, of course, planning and installing the shows was a very creative experience. Together we made a comic book and poster for each of the shows."For decades after the friends remained in touch with each other, and, as Rocca who passed away in 2020 said, they continued to support one another by going to each other’s exhibitions, truly because of their shared interest in the work, not just out of good will. They were really interested in each other as artists.*&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417660/cbkfivta4qvylnc7bcxc.png"><figcaption>Karl Wirsum at the Art Institute of Chicago, via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zackwirsum/">@zackwirsum</a></figcaption></figure>Wirsum <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2011/1/artist-insights-karl-wirsum">shared with CGN in 2011</a> that it was a 1-month stay in the hospital, when he was a young boy, that first connected him to the wonder and escape drawing could offer. It was a love that would last his whole life. A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Instagram and came across some photos from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNGuIVYFEwd/">Zack Wirsum</a>, Karl's son, who is also an artist in Chicago. Zack and his dad had come back to visit the Art Institute of Chicago when it reopened and were able to get a tour of Bisa Butler: Portraits."Thank you James Rondeau and the entire @artinstitutechi extended family for arranging for Karl and the Wirsums to see the stunning Bisa Butler: Portraits exhibit today with ease and grace. We are all extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to enjoy this extraordinarily meaningful family experience at our home away from home and collective happy place. Thank you @litemootz for astutely recognizing that Karl would connect with Bisa’s creations, the parallels in sensibilities and for being instrumental in getting him in front of the wonderful work. Thank you @connoisseurofcomfort for taking the time to walk us through the exhibit and for providing insightful context to the incredible visuals. Appropriately, given their shared interest in the figure, color, shape and pattern, one of Karl’s favorite works was the 2019 cotton, wool and chiffon, quilted and appliquéd assemblage, Kindred. The artist suggested accompanying track of Sly and the Family Stone’s Family Affair also seemed poetically fitting. Karl told me during his second intense exploration of the work that the striped background and palette reminded him of his printed fabric inspired mid 60s Awning series and mused that using the actual eye catching textiles to construct the composition could be “a better way to do it”.&nbsp;Today was truly the kind of magic that can only happen at a museum and I am so happy this magic happened at our home museum."Wirsum will be greatly missed but his legacy is sure to continue on.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2011/1/artist-insights-karl-wirsum">Read CGN's 2011 interview with Wirsum HERE</a>&nbsp;Top thumbnail via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/corbettvsdempsey/">Corbett vs Dempsey</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Karl Wirsum Has Died at Age 81

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/m4hvbuup0lnxp9qikg98.gif"><figcaption>Anywhere But Nowhere, installed at the Arts Club of Chicago, April 2021. Photo Credit: Michael Tropea; Courtesy The Arts Club of Chicago &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>By JACQUELINE LEWISAs The Arts Club prepared this past March to open its third exhibition since the arrival of the pandemic, Anywhere But Nowhere, by 2017 Turner Award nominee Hurvin Anderson, I sat down with the club’s Executive Director and Chief Curator Janine Mileaf to discuss Anderson’s new works, the artist’s ongoing barbershop theme, as well as the challenges involved with successfully mounting an international exhibition during the time of COVID-19.&nbsp;I was also fortunate to connect with Mr. Anderson for this interview, and he graciously added deeper insight to this exhibition in regards to his identity as a British-born artist, one step removed from his familial homeland in Jamaica.&nbsp;CGN: How did the Arts Club begin collaborating with Hurvin Anderson?Janine Mileaf: This exhibition has been on the books for quite some time. It was supposed to take place about a year ago, but the pandemic postponed it. I had met the Hurvin Anderson and did a studio visit in London a couple years a year ago, after which I offered him a show here. He graciously accepted.&nbsp;CGN: Can you give us an overview of the exhibition?&nbsp;JM: The exhibition includes two series coming together: brand new paintings on the subject of Jamaica and its sites of tourism, as well as ongoing work regarding barbershops. Hurvin’s barbershop work is very well known – it’s been going on since 2005 – but he’s made brand new, significant work in that series.By bringing the Jamaica and barbershop series together, he’s considering both his ongoing, formal aesthetic approach, while also thematically linking the two.&nbsp;The barbershop series has to do with the Jamaican diaspora in Britain. Hurvin is a UK–born artist with Jamaican heritage. While growing up in Birmingham, he went to barbershops with his dad. They were a sort of cultural, makeshift space that became a Jamaican hub for him. So they are a closed, interior space of Jamaican gathering within the UK. In contrast the Jamaican spaces depicted in Hurvin’s new paintings are all exterior landscapes. He wanted to bring together these two worlds and explore how they mirror each other in this new exhibition.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418895/hoq5xz6hasglc37tyspg.gif"><figcaption>Hurvin Anderson, Jungle Garden, 2020, acrylic, oil on linen, 71-1⁄4 x 59-1⁄8 in. Courtesy de Ying Foundation Photo: Richard Ivey</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How do the works depict the dualities of development and dereliction surrounding the Jamaican tourist sites? Can you explain how they happen simultaneously?JM: That was actually the impetus for this series of works.&nbsp;Hurvin took a bunch of photographs when he went to Jamaica in 2017. He was struck by the sites where he would see giant construction projects adjacent to places that were falling apart. There was this investment in the new without care for the existing. It struck him as problematic, so he focused on it visually.In the paintings, you don’t necessarily see the cranes and the active building, but you see a hotel site that’s built in limestone. He focuses on this perforated stone wall covered in foliage, and you cannot tell if it’s being built or torn down. There’s this constant need for redevelopment, growth and construction, but at the same time there’s neglect and decay.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418896/gfay0iidn9jqz2m4gj2w.gif"><figcaption>Chalet 1, 2019, ink and pencil on cartridge paper, 10-1⁄8 x 14-7⁄8 in (25.8 x 37.7 cm) Photo: Ben Westoby</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: What does the title “Anywhere but Nowhere” mean?JM: The title itself comes from a KC White reggae song of the same name. There are a lot of musical references in the titles of Hurvin’s works. But he’s also referencing the specificity of place – a kind of familiar view that is not specific in terms of its locale. A lot of Caribbean touristic sites are kind of treated in this same way.There’s a monumental landscape painting in this show titled No One Remembers, and for Hurvin, it’s extremely specific in terms of Jamaican context. It’s a combination of abstract planes and signage. To him it’s the visual imagery you see all over Jamaica. For someone familiar with that it would be very recognizable.Anywhere but Nowhere is also wrapped up in a concept of utopia Hurvin is playing with. There is this value placed on a homeland by those who are part of the diaspora, so he has a romanticized Jamaica that he’s never really lived in. He’s a foreigner there, yet he has this very close connection. There’s a paradise people get in their minds, including him, that doesn’t really exist.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418897/qcmm3ct8bv3yzifqtrhs.gif"><figcaption>No one remembers, 2021, acrylic on paper laid on Dibond, 59-1⁄8 x 354-3⁄8 in. (150 x 900 cm) Photo: Ben Westoby</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How does Anderson’s British Nationality and experience intersect with his Jamaican roots in this exhibition?JM: I actually spoke with Hurvin today, and he said that a goal of his is to merge them. In this exhibition they are still two separate things, but both are equally part of him. He wanted to see them together for structural and thematic reasons, but I think they still do remain separate.There’s a utopian view of both places: this internal community in a broader place like the UK, and then this image of a paradise that’s externalized in the Jamaican scenes. He plays them off each other conceptually.&nbsp;*&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418898/xlal1xuxcxv0tsmumv64.gif"><figcaption>Hurvin Anderson, Photo Credit: Sebastian&nbsp; Nevols &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>CGN: Mr. Anderson, will you please share your experience as a British citizen visiting your familial country of Jamaica?Hurvin Anderson: In this body of work I’m offering a representation of Jamaica as told to me through two generations of the diaspora. Although based on photographs of a real location on Jamaica’s North Coast, these works are also creations of my imagination and born of a powerful oral history.&nbsp; As such, I am always one step removed, trying to understand the visceral pull of a homeland I’ve never known but that has been so richly described. The Jamaica of people’s memory dominated conversations in my childhood, so representing these conjured images on the canvas is, I suppose, a way of filling a loss or void. Life in Jamaica was not my experience, but in recreating a version in my own language I can, in part, relate or share in it.&nbsp;The retelling of stories from Jamaica mythologised the country of my parents and siblings’ birth. On a visit in 2017, my mind was full of descriptions of the charm of the place while physically confronted with the beauty yes, but also the reality of economic hardship.&nbsp; The abandoned hotels became a metaphor for me for these mixed feelings of grandeur and loss, of a garden of eden, a lost city and the pain of nostalgia.&nbsp;&nbsp;* &nbsp;CGN: Since the artist is based in the UK, and international travel is difficult during the pandemic, did the Arts Club have to employ new ways to collaborate on this exhibition?JM: Happily I had been to Hurvin’s studio long before the pandemic, and he had basically sketched out the entire exhibition. We were lucky in that way. He just had more time to work on it.This morning we were looking at floor plans to figure out exactly where things would go, and we have FaceTime check-ins scheduled over the next couple days. We’ll do a little with the exhibition, show him virtually, and then repeat the process.Normally he would be here at this point. We’re hoping that he may still come in person this summer for a closing event. That would be nice. We’re all working on getting vaccinated, and travel may be possible, so we haven’t written that off yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418899/lkkzxlhrxs5hkjqv0jjn.gif"><figcaption>Hurvin Anderson, Flat Top, 2008, oil on canvas, 98-3⁄8 x 81-7⁄8 in., Collection Thomas Dane, London Photo: Hugh Kelly &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Do you think that technology like this could allow for even less separation and lead to a more interconnected, global art experience?JM: I mean, you can get things done, depending on the planning, but the richness of the artist’s presence is very much missed.&nbsp;CGN: How is The Arts Club approaching exhibiting art during an ongoing pandemic?JM: We were closed, then open, then closed, and then open by appointment. Now with Hurvin’s exhibition, I believe that we will be able to open at regular gallery hours. We are always watching and will respond based on the city’s guidelines.Unfortunately we cannot have a live opening, but we have been doing some public, mini tours instead of a big tour, as well as a public Zoom talk in April. In June we will have an open house with tours. Over the summer and depending on regulations, we may have another talk or event.&nbsp;CGN: What aspects of the exhibition are you most excited for people to experience?JM: I am excited for people to experience the tactile qualities of the art that you just cannot get on a screen. The scale and the embodied relationship between the viewer and the painting is also very important in these works, as well as those physical textures. There is also this structure under his paintings that reveals itself gradually, making time extremely important for his works.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hurvin Anderson: Anywhere But Nowhere, Thru August 7, 2021 at The Arts Club of Chicago • artsclub.org&nbsp;</body></html>

Hurvin Anderson's Artistic Translations at The Arts Club of Chicago

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/icidnpwsni8ianry0y4b.jpg"><figcaption>Frida Kahlo, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By CGN Staff via PRThe City of Chicago keeps rolling through its cultural to-do list this week. This latest update brings together Art on theMART, Cleve Carney Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Art on theMART announced in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, two major new additions to its summer program: The Obama Portraits (debuting June 17) and Frida Kahlo (starting July 5). All projections will be shown nightly at 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. The Obama Portraits, (June 17 – September 16) You thought the former President and First Lady hailing from Chicago were already larger than life?&nbsp;In conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago’s presentation of The Obama Portraits, Art on theMART will present a dynamically animated projection of the portraits of President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. Former Chicago residents, the Obamas have a unique connection to the city. Wiley painted President Obama against greenery, with chrysanthemums; the flowers have symbolic meaning as the official flower of Chicago. Amy Sherald captured the former first lady against light-blue ground, sitting and gazing directly at the viewer. Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald are the first African American artists commissioned to paint portraits for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery's collection of a former President and First Lady. &nbsp;A musical score will accompany the piece.&nbsp;The paintings can be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago June 18-August 15. Frida Kahlo, (July 5 – September 16) Frida Kahlo: Timeless, was originally planned for summer 2020. A lot of things were. However, its now back on for this June, and the downtime allowed for some extra collaborative plans.&nbsp;On July 5, the eve of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s birthday, a new piece celebrating her work will be unveiled. On the occasion of the Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage (June 5 – Sept. 6, 2021), the piece will feature several of Kahlo’s most recognizable works including Self Portrait with Small Monkey (1945) and Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress (1926). Accompanied by an orchestral score from Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, recorded by New Philharmonic, the projection commemorates Kahlo’s artistic legacy, which will be further explored in Frida Kahlo: Timeless, the most comprehensive presentation of Kahlo’s work displayed in the Chicago area in over 40 years. About Art on theMARTArt on theMART can best be experienced for free from the jetty section of the Chicago Riverwalk on Wacker Drive between Wells Street and Franklin Street, where accompanying audio is also available. Current social distancing practices, based on recommendations from the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, must be observed by all Art on theMART visitors. For more information, visit <a href="http://artonthemart.com/">artonthemart.com</a>. Art on theMART is the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, projecting contemporary artwork across the 2.5-acre river-façade of theMART. This expansive permanent piece of public art continues Chicago’s legacy of providing both residents and visitors with exceptional art that is both free and accessible to all. Projections are visible to the public from Wacker Drive and along the Chicago Riverwalk. The program content rotates seasonally and is selected with the assistance and expertise of the Curatorial Advisory Board. The City of Chicago and theMART work in partnership to manage and curate the projected artwork over the course of a 30-year agreement. Privately funded by Vornado Realty Trust, owner of theMART, Art on theMART marks the first time a projection of its size and scope is completely dedicated to digital art with no branding, sponsorship credits or messaging. The permanent projection system illuminates theMART with 34 state-of-the-art projectors totaling almost one million lumens.&nbsp;For more information, visit <a href="http://www.artonthemart.com/">www.artonthemart.com</a>.&nbsp;Thumbnail, from spring 2021: The Adler Planetarium, Astrographics 04. Photography courtesy of Art on theMART&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Preview of Summer's Art onTheMART: Frida Kahlo + The Obamas

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/rclduqx5yysvy9a6buzi.png"></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oldtownartfair.org">New this year, pre-registration will be required for entry to the Fair and will open Saturday, May 8 at&nbsp;10 AM.</a>&nbsp;CGN Staff via PRWe just heard today that the Old Town Art Fair and its sponsoring organization, the Old Town Triangle Association, plan to host an in-person event this coming June after cancelling the 2020 edition due to COVID-19, the first time the fair had to miss a year in 70 years.&nbsp;Last spring the fair and association looked ahead to an unpredictable summer and opted to return booth fees to the 250 participating artists and automatically invite all 2020 jury-selected artists to take part, they hoped, in the 2021 fair. As a result no new applications were accepted for this year.Now those plans for a re-do are happening. Organizers celebrated the announcement from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and DCASE that OTAF will return during the second weekend in June. The announcement recognized “the thoughtful application and adherence to city and state guidelines for re-opening.” Art Fair Chair Anne Giffels noted that more than 200 artists have confirmed their participation and are looking forward to returning to Old Town. Numerous visitors are also making plans to visit, after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 shutdown. “We are thrilled to share this great news with the many neighbors and visitors who have contacted us about planning their trip to Chicago. We receive messages daily, asking us if the Fair is a certainty and wondering when they can pre-register and make plans for the Art Fair. The Old Town Art Fair is a destination for the people of Chicago as well as out-of-town visitors and we are happy to welcome them.” Safety measures for the 2021 Art Fair include a larger footprint for adequate room to move around as well as to accommodate spaced artist booths, plus &nbsp;other measures that are standard practice by now. There will also be additional space for food vendors. The OTAF suggests a $12 donation to allow the Old Town Triangle to continue funding for multiple organizations throughout Chicago. Proceeds from the Art Fair are given to the community through grants to schools, charities, and other non-profit organizations. The OTAF is juried by local art professionals, curators, gallery owners, and artists and is offered by the Old Town Triangle Association, a 501(c)(3) Illinois corporation. First mounted in 1949 as the Old Town Holiday Arts &amp; Crafts Fair, the OTAF brings fine art to the tree-covered streets of Chicago’s Old Town Triangle neighborhood. Until 2020, it had been held continuously since its first offerings (on the fences of homes).&nbsp;In-person fairs have yet to make a solid return to Chicago yet, but this week has brought news from City Hall about attempts at loosening regulations and opening up the city in time for summer. The Hyde-Park based 57th Street Art Fair, the city's oldest, announced that it will be virtual now through May 2022. Other neighborhood fairs in the city and suburbs are bound to make a reentry plan in 2021.&nbsp;International expositions like Intersect Chicago (formerly SOFA) and EXPO CHICAGO plan to return in late 2021 (Intersect) and spring 2022 (EXPO).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Old Town Art Fair Will Return for 2021 on June 12

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/pwucyv9ktljitq5qyhiz.jpg"><figcaption>Balloon Girl, Courtesy of The Art of Banksy</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.theartofbanksy.com">Banksy Comes to Chicago... Sort of.</a>The Art of Banksy, the largest touring exhibition of authentic Banksy art works in the world, announced that it will open July 1 in Chicago. Hosted in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in the West Loop The Art of Banksy will feature 80 authenticated and certified original Banksy works from collectors across the globe, offering the public a rare opportunity to view art that is now privately held.&nbsp;The Art of Banksy is not authorized or curated in collaboration with the artist, but rather sourced from private collections. The exhibition features many of Banksy’s most recognizable images, including Flower Thrower, Rude Copper and Girl with Balloon, famously shredded at auction in 2018. The canvasses, screen prints, sculptures, one-off and limited-edition pieces on display date between 1997 and 2008. Banksy, whose identity is the art world’s biggest secret, is an enigmatic artist and world-recognized political activist. <a href="https://www.theartofbanksy.com">Tickets to see the works</a> – which normally you would once pass on the street for free – will go on sale at 9 a.m. May 6 and start at $39.99 ($29.99 for under 16.)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418895/p4zsxvftoin7ad6izhvj.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.terraamericanart.org/home/grantees-announced-re-envisioning-permanent-collections/">Terra Foundation awards 35&nbsp;grants to&nbsp;US&nbsp;arts and culture&nbsp;organizations for permanent collection projects</a>The Terra Foundation for American Art is pleased to announce the awarding of nearly $2.5 million in grants to 35 arts and cultural organizations across 30 cities&nbsp;in the United States. These grants support projects through the foundation’s new two-year exhibition grant initiative,&nbsp;Re-envisioning Permanent Collections: An Initiative for US Museums. The Terra Foundation established this grant initiative to encourage museums to delve more deeply into their collections to reveal a fuller multiplicity of artworks and voices that have shaped, in the past and up through the present, the artistic and cultural heritage of the US.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.57thstreetartfair.org/fair-canceled">57th Street Art Fair Announces It Will Take Place Virtually, Not In-Person as Hoped</a>The 57th Street Art Fair Committee announced they have made a final decision regarding the possibility of holding a scaled-down physical fair in June, 2021.&nbsp; Sadly, after much deliberation, they regretted that this will not be possible.There were many considerations behind this difficult decision, but the primary concern was for the health and safety of our artists, visitors, volunteers and community.&nbsp; And in the end, time and cost to implement a safely modified in-person event became insurmountable factors. &nbsp;Without the city permit and permission from CPS, and with only a month to go before the early June fair date, there will not enough time to implement any of the plans considered for 2021’s 74th Annual 57th Street Art Fair.&nbsp; The Committee felt they had no choice but to cancel this year’s physical event, and focus on the currently ongoing <a href="https://www.57thstreetartfair.org/virtual-fair">2021 57th Street Art Fair virtual event</a>, which is live through May 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 5/5

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418894/ghpdf0ipryjdifonjwkz.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/yannis-tsarouchis-dancing-in-real-life">Yannis Tsarouchis: Dancing in Real Life</a>May 7 – Jul 31Wrightwood 659Wrightwood 659 hosts the&nbsp;first U.S. exhibition devoted to&nbsp;the work of Yannis&nbsp;Tsarouchis&nbsp;(1910–1989), widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek painters of the 20th century. On view May 7–July 31, 2021, the exhibition will feature some 200 works, including paintings and works on paper from public and private collections in Greece and internationally. Together, these span the entire arc of the artist’s career, showing how he absorbed and transformed influences including Ancient Greek and Early Christian art; Byzantine mosaics, frescoes, and icon painting; Greek vernacular traditions: costume, ornament and shadow theater Karaghiozis; and also the new languages of modern art: Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418895/myp3opobkxz0dbpfd141.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/juan-arango-palacios-payasadas">Juan Arango Palacios: Payasadas</a>Opening: Friday, May 7, 2021 6 – 9&nbsp;pmEpiphany Center for the ArtsJuan Arango Palacios presents a new series of large-scale textile drawings that address the artist’s relationship to the Catholic church. These works critique religious archetypes and offer a personification of a queer narrative, exploring themes of fantasy, vulnerability, and performativity.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418895/jrn75jxzkpbjbxgu8ssq.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/ephemera-the-power-of-impermanence">Ephemera: The Power of Impermanence</a>May 7 – Jun 12 • Artist Reception: May 21, 5:30 (TBD: Zoom or Outdoor Weather Permitting)The Art Center Highland ParkThe Art Center Highland Park (TAC) is looking forward to bringing the community together for an ‘alive and well’ art experience. For the last year, they have been extending work outwards into the community, from virtual exhibits to art in their city-wide storefront windows. Now, TACHP invites artists to fill the center's walls (and floors) with the many ephemeral art processes that span the range of impermanence.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418896/zu43zfd2dutcvzzayrmg.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/rebecca-gray-smith-alphabet-numbers-the-pandemic-prints">Rebecca Gray Smith | Alphabet &amp; Numbers: The Pandemic Prints</a>May 8 – Jun 18. Opening Reception: Saturday May 8, 2-5 pm | RSVP requiredBert Green Fine ArtRebecca Gray Smith explores the presence of death in all human endeavors, using traditional signifiers of mortality such as the skeleton as a primary actor and subject. Each letter or number plate corresponds to a specific fatal activity or malady, highlighting the act of existence as a high risk activity fraught with peril. The artist examines how the Medusa of Death stalks us all, in all walks of life, while at the same time looking at the capriciousness inherent in the present: the absurdities, cruelties, and horrors of modern existence. The history of printmaking is elemental in the helix of human civilization, a taproot reaching back to the prehistoric dawn of mankind.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418897/pxcfvqzlksqm7gz5hq9n.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/opening-reception-for-kurt-kramer">Kurt Kramer</a>Thru May 30. Opening: Saturday, May 8, 2021 5 – 7&nbsp;pmPerspective Group + Photography Gallery, Ltd.While somewhat house-bound and experimenting this past summer, Kurt Kramer decided to print a few photographs on watercolor paper. He loved the retro look and decided to use it as the basis for this collection titled "Retrographs." For this exhibition, Kramer has drawn from images he has made over the past 22 years. He attributes his search for an old-fashioned sensibility partly to Perspective Gallery member Suzanne Metzel’s December 2019 exhibit of photogravure images.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418898/l3nqsd4jetoi80prwhdm.jpg"><figcaption>RIVA LEHRER</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/dis">DIS-</a>May 8 – Jun 26 • Opening: Saturday, May 8, 2021 12 – 5&nbsp;pmChicago Printmakers CollaborativeAn exhibition featuring artists who self identify as having a disability.&nbsp;Curated by Matt BodettArtists: Bri Beck, Justin Cooper, Timotheus “TJ” Gordon Jr., Riva Lehrer, Katie O’Neil, Reveca Torres, and Sandie Yi&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions Start May 7-8

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEAWhen we shared an update about the upcoming 5th edition of <a href="https://www.sculpturemilwaukee.com">Sculpture Milwaukee</a> back in February, plans were just beginning to be shared with the public. Now as summer feels like it's almost here – we're ready for anything happening outdoors not to mention as much public art as we can handle – the annual outdoor exhibition of public sculpture in the city's downtown has shared the roster of artists who are going to make it happen as well as an exhibition title chosen by co-curators Theaster Gates and Michelle Grabner.&nbsp;Sculpture Milwaukee launches next month and has an extended run this time, concluding in fall 2022. The exhibition has become one of the largest annual outdoor exhibitions to focus on​ ​contemporary sculpture and public art practices.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417624/ycfki1ci36fphmbyswxe.webp"></figure>there is this We, the title chosen by guest curators Gates and Grabner, refers to what perhaps can happen through collective creativity after a year largely spent apart, particularly at a time when artists are looking to the future and expressing their visions for change. The exhibition features exhibiting artists Kevin Beasley, Betty Gold, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, Allison Janae Hamilton, Kara Hamilton, Brad Kahlhamer, Deborah Kass, Thaddeus Mosley, Matthias Neumann, Virginia Overton, Dan Peterman, Jason Pickleman, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, John Riepenhoff, Christine Tarkowski, and Lauren Yeager.The exhibition will feature newly fabricated works by eight artists, including those by SMKE’s inaugural Guest Artist Lauren Yeager, the first large-scale sculpture by Jason Pickleman, and the debut of a new cast bronze work by Thaddeus Mosley.Of the exhibition, Grabner says:“The poetics of perseverance and determination vibrate in the art that Theaster and I have selected. There are exciting and palpable energies at work in these sculptures; we feel it in the sonic reverberations of Kevin Beasley's acoustic mirrors, in the foliage quietly growing in the bed of Virginia Overton's pick-up truck, and in the rattling cry of the tambourines that comprise Allison Janae Hamilton's tower. The exhibition's title reflects the collective power of the works included in the 2021 exhibition, and honors a belief in social change through the provocations of the artistic imagination."Sculpture Milwaukee has also rolled out a membership program. They state on their website that in order to bring an exhibition of world class art to Milwaukee each year, they rely on public support. Sculpture MKE memberships support the exhibitions, programming, and community engagement in place while also offering subscribers new opportunities to discover and experience Milwaukee. Individual memberships cost $29 and include sculpture tours with SMKE's expert team, partners, and artists, discounts on Sculpture MKE Merchandise, special offers from partners, and a digital exhibition catalogue. Business memberships start at $2,500.&nbsp;Illinois has classified Wisconsin as a 'yellow state' as far as COVID statistics are concerned, the city's downtown hotels have reopened, and a day or weekend trip to Milwaukee in the coming months is an ideal chance to see new public art outside of Chicago by artists known around the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417625/zauqgnqkk7yrpbtp4tex.png"><figcaption>Tony Tasset | Blob Monster | 2010, fiberglass | 96 x 96 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago. Part of Sculpture Milwaukee 2020</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Guest CuratorsTheaster Gates is a Chicago-based artist and curator whose practice encompasses sculpture, performance, and land development-based projects. His work has been widely exhibited in museums, galleries, and biennials nationally and internationally, including recent solo exhibitions at Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago and Gagosian Gallery, New York.Michelle Grabner is a Wisconsin-based artist, writer, and curator. She co-curated the 2014 Whitney Biennial and was named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. Her work has been the subject of several national museum surveys. She is presently represented by James Cohan, New York and Green Gallery, Milwaukee.Sculpture MilwaukeeSculpture Milwaukee is an annual outdoor exhibition of public sculpture in downtown Milwaukee that serves as a catalyst for community engagement, economic development, and creative placemaking. Sculpture Milwaukee is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization funded through private grants, in-kind donations, and sponsorships. ​All of the artworks are available for purchase.<a href="https://www.sculpturemilwaukee.com">sculpturemilwaukee.com</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Sculpture Milwaukee Announces 2021 Participating Artists Ahead of Next Month's Opening

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418887/chqveuqdovzqvnct8qt8.jpg"></figure><a href="https://nublockmuseum.blog/2021/04/23/outdoor-exhibition-behold-be-held-celebrates-the-power-of-community-and-connection/?mc_cid=a66c729a40&amp;mc_eid=64540e863b">Block Museum of Art Opens Outdoor Exhibition</a>In Fall 2020, as the Block Museum of Art's galleries remained closed to visitors due to the pandemic, staff opted to think imaginatively about engaging visitors through the permanent collection. While the past year has altered so much in our lives, it has also highlighted how art remains a vital window into our feelings and experiences. Behold, Be Held uses the facades of The Block, the neighboring Ethel M. Barber Theater, and the building of their community partner Youth &amp; Opportunity United (Y.O.U.) as an outdoor gallery. Reproductions of artworks from the Block Museum collection invite visitors to reflect on how art holds us through moments of crisis. These works capture gestures that we may have taken for granted prior to the pandemic, but we have missed dearly. The selection of works was guided by themes of self-care, self-authorship, and community. It also explores how subtle moments with others prepare and carry us on our journeys. On view through August 22, 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://exhibitcolumbus.org/?mc_cid=a27b4b186c&amp;mc_eid=f1e3638334">Exhibit Columbus to Highlight Indiana Town's Unique Place in the Architecture World</a>August 21 the third <a href="https://landmarkcolumbus.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df84ab7cdcbf760c8a4c43ae9&amp;id=5703a474d6&amp;e=f1e3638334">Exhibit Columbus </a>exhibition will open, featuring 13 outdoor, site-responsive installations by a diversity of architects, artists, and designers, publicly displayed photography, and a fresh graphic identity and wayfinding system. The installations celebrate the relationships between the built environment and the people and other species that inhabit it, in dialogue with iconic buildings, streetscapes, and landscapes around Columbus, Indiana. The theme of this third Exhibit Columbus is <a href="https://landmarkcolumbus.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df84ab7cdcbf760c8a4c43ae9&amp;id=ae3aa01153&amp;e=f1e3638334">New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis, What Is the Future of the Middle City?</a> Curated by Iker Gil and Mimi Zeiger, New Middles explores the future of the center of the United States.&nbsp;<a href="https://one.bidpal.net/cpslives/welcome">CPS Lives Hosting First Online Fundraiser and Art Auction</a>CPS Lives' first online fundraiser is May 5. They will be auctioning off some amazing items each day and will close it out with a&nbsp;Zoom panel discussion on May 12th at 6PM.&nbsp;New items are added daily and there is also a raffle. <a href="https://one.bidpal.net/cpslives/welcome">Preview artist works online</a> and stay tuned for more updates.&nbsp;CPS Lives is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that pairs Chicago artists, designers, thinkers and makers with a Chicago Public School during the academic year to collaborate on a project, sharing the unique and individual story of each Chicago Public School. &nbsp;Each story will be celebrated and exhibited throughout the city in local Chicago Public Library branches and other exhibition spaces, as well as existing on the CPS Lives social media and website as an accessible digital archive of public school history for students, families, community members, educators, administrators, policymakers &amp; the general public.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 5/3

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418887/ay3b0wdah4hal35zhpjy.webp"><figcaption>“Kerry and Cheryl I,” 1993. In these larger format Polaroid works in the early ’90s, Bey photographed friends and members of his artistic community, including Kerry James Marshall and Cheryl Lynn Bruce.Credit...Dawoud Bey/Rennie Collection Via NYT</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/arts/design/dawoud-bey-whitney-museum-review.html?referringSource=articleShare">A Photographer Looks Deep Into America’s Past</a>Before he became a photographer, Dawoud Bey trained as a jazz percussionist, looking to John Coltrane as a role model for melding craft with a commitment to social justice. As a teenager in the 1960s, Bey was finely attuned to the social and political upheavals of the civil rights movement, staging sit-ins and demonstrations with his high school classmates and joining the Black Panther Party, whose newspaper he sold on the weekends. By 1968, the struggle for racial equality was converging with demonstrations against the war in Vietnam and the early stages of women’s liberation, forming a pattern of transformation and upheaval that culminated with the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Via NY Times&nbsp;<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/eli-broad-obituary-1963834?utm_content=from_&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=US%2010%20a.m.%20newsletter%20for%205%2F3%2F21&amp;utm_term=US%20Daily%20Newsletter%20%5BMORNING%5D">Eli Broad, the Proudly ‘Unreasonable’ Art Collector Who Changed the Cultural Landscape of Los Angeles, Dies at 87</a>Billionaire art collector, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Eli Broad—a towering figure in the cultural scene of the United States, and most of all, in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles—has died at 87. His reign culminated with the founding of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thebroad.org/">Broad</a>, a contemporary art museum showcasing the collection he and his wife, Edythe Broad, built together, which opened in 2015.Via Artnet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/ryan-ori/ct-biz-randolph-street-market-second-lost-summer-chicago-ryan-ori-20210430-xvsk4adt2zakjpip2ftanas4qi-story.html">Randolph Street Market is back — but this summer, it’s not on Randolph Street. It’s not even in Chicago.</a>After losing last summer to a pandemic, anyone itching to browse the wares offered by vendors at Chicago’s longstanding Randolph Street Market will have to make a road trip.The reason why boils down to one word synonymous with the Fulton Market district these days: construction.The 18-year-old market is moving to Three Oaks, Michigan, for the next few months while its Chicago home, the Plumbers Hall at 1341 W. Randolph St., becomes a construction zone.Via Chicago Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/black-creativity-museum-of-science-and-industry/Content?oid=88316675">Black creatives never stopped creating</a>&nbsp;At this year's "Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition," [at the <a href="https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/black-creativity-juried-art-exhibition/">Museum of Science and Industry</a>] two works by artist Lexus Giles—titled She's Healed and She is Me—invite visitors into the gallery that houses much of the exhibition's sculptures."I'm a storyteller," Giles says. "Those busts came from a poem [I wrote] called 'Tribulations of a Black Woman,' and there are actually three other pieces along with it that kind of broke down that poem."Via Chicago Reader&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What We're Reading: May 3

<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418887/o6fhj4djxr8d1ub2os2h.jpg"></figure><a href="LoopChicago.com/SundaysOnState">Sundays On State This Summer&nbsp;</a>Chicago Loop Alliance is launching an ambitious open streets project called Sundays on State that would see parts of State Street in the Loop closed to vehicle traffic for up to 12 Sundays this summer. The organization is inviting members of the community to get involved and share their ideas.In an effort to bring people safely back to the Loop, Chicago Loop Alliance will transform State Street from Madison to Lake into an open street on Sundays beginning July 11. For up to 12 Sundays, Chicago Loop Alliance will close this portion of the street to vehicle traffic to give pedestrians a chance to experience arts and culture, active recreation, retail, restaurants and bars against the backdrop of State Street’s iconic architecture. The closures will last from 7 a.m.-11 p.m., and the event itself will take place from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.&nbsp;<a href="https://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/current_edition/contributors?mc_cid=9a1836633f&amp;mc_eid=a673b99cd7">The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB)&nbsp; announced the initial list of contributors</a>The CAB announced the initial list of 29 contributors bring global design perspectives from cities around the world such as Cape Town, Caracas, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dublin, Paris, Basel, Tokyo, and more.&nbsp; For the 2021 edition, Brown has paired teams of&nbsp;global designers and Chicago community groups&nbsp;together to explore imaginative uses of vacant spaces in the city. Each pairing will respond to critical issues such as health, sustainability, equity, and racial justice.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.spudnikpress.org/event/the-hashbrown-re-hash-virtual-event-cookbook-launch/">Spudnik Press Cooperative is &nbsp;hosting The Hashbrown Rehash: Virtual Event and Cookbook Launch May 7</a>For the first time in “Hashbrown history,” Spudnik Press is moving their popular party into home kitchens with an exciting virtual event and a commemorative cookbook!Please join Spudnik as they continue to celebrate our tradition of enjoying food while raising funds for arts education and accessible printmaking.&nbsp;<a href="https://dnyuz.com/2021/04/29/new-david-hockney-billboards-to-brighten-4-cities-in-may/">New David Hockney Billboards to Brighten 4 Cities in May</a>Two suns will appear in four cities during the month of May — the real sun in the sky, of course, but also the chrysanthemum-like depiction of it in a video by the British artist <a href="https://www.hockney.com/home">David Hockney</a>. The 2½-minute animation will be broadcast on digital billboards in Times Square in New York and prominent locations in London, Tokyo and Seoul.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What We're Reading: 4/29

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418887/o0flruxy8rsfzse3vemm.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/just-above-my-wall-to-the-right">Just Above My Wall, (To The Right)</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, noon – 3&nbsp;pmSouth Side Community Art CenterDuring a time when Black artists and their work is in high demand, McKissick chose to highlight Black collectors who are invested in the preservation of Black art, much like the South Side Community Art Center’s mission and legacy. Collector, Tracie Hall, describes her collection as “living with the ancestors.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418888/gzybvq9p312e7sbobhpw.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/flower-power">Flower Power</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 2 – 4&nbsp;pmVale Craft GalleryVale Craft Gallery welcomes spring with a group exhibition of artwork with the theme of flowers by Chicago area artists.&nbsp; Discover colorful paintings, sculptures, and functional ceramics to lift your mood and brighten your home decor.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418889/qgwn5euwxe53tebjbmvt.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/color-splurge">Color Splurge</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 1 – 4&nbsp;pmHofheimer GalleryMauricio Ramirez's&nbsp;artwork is a contribution to the community; frequently a cultural icon that transcends rich intersecting historical and popular culture references that speak to the complex diaspora of the United States. The visibility of culture can lead to not only the growth of confidence, but also care within our communities.Sheri Rush's work responds to the global pandemic by exploring the relationship of personal history, landscape, the digital image and recollection.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418889/o4st4awl5wq9hdslvrnc.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/shan-wallace-erin-mitchell-duo-show-won-t-you-celebrate-with-me">Shan Wallace &amp; Erin Mitchell Duo Show: won’t you celebrate with me</a>May 1 – June 27FLXST ContemporaryIn this duo exhibition of two emerging contemporary Black women artists, there is a generative connection to Marx's "poetry about the future" to renowned Black poet Lucille Clifton's poem "wont you celebrate with me” that speaks to a racial and gendered self and the shaping of lives to these experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418890/fzdpyjvsqurabzawlv4n.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/louis-masai-meat-my-friends">Louis Masai: MEAT my Friends</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 11&nbsp;am – 6&nbsp;pmVertical GalleryThis one-of-a-kind exhibit also features a custom-built chicken-coop installation titled ‘What came first?’ complete with webcam-enabled, remote-control chickens — developed by Louis in collaboration with artist and creative engineer RoboJ — letting viewers experience the show and explore the gallery setting in real time from the comforts of home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418891/gdxsfjr0crzuxsh9qgmx.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jeanette-may-s-tech-vanitas">Jeanette May’s: Tech Vanitas</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 4 – 5&nbsp;pmARC GalleryJeanette May’s “Tech Vanitas” photographs embrace anxiety over new technology and love for beautifully designed, obsolete machines. Her still lifes suggest 17th Century Dutch vanitas paintings with their air of craft guilds, international trade, and personal wealth. Her carefully disheveled arrangements of familiar devices also allude to product photography and advertising. “Tech Vanitas” examines the present and the past of technology with a sense of wonder and trepidation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418892/haxcixmhgsiwnv4sygig.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/cat-crotchet-tethered">Cat Crotchet: Tethered</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 2 – 6&nbsp;pmAddington GalleryCat Crotchet is an innovative practitioner of pattern-based abstract painting. Using the medium of wax and pigment (encaustic painting), Cat's visual vocabulary includes stenciled shapes, layered patterns, and burned-in texture accomplished using heated metal much like a branding iron. Cat uses a bold but sophisticated color sense to engage the eye, and creates a sense of complexity through built up textures and layering.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418893/kduxwsidwssx395m35zi.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/before-during-after-new-works-by-janis-pozzi-johnson">BEFORE DURING AFTER –&nbsp;New works by Janis Pozzi-Johnson</a>Opening: Saturday, May 1, 1 – 4&nbsp;pmMcCormick Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions Start May 1st

<html><head></head><body><a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/armory-show-2021-exhibitor-list-1234590820/?fbclid=IwAR3ld2RAZkC4oEVhl3XQuks0Q58uX-FmU_CrhYixtnTxBIl3A_BsVRYU-vs">With Numbers on Par with 2020 Edition, Armory Show Names Galleries for In-Person 2021&nbsp;Fair</a>As large-scale, in-person events begin to resume in the United States, the Armory Show in New York, one of the country’s biggest art fairs, said it plans to gather together 195 exhibitors at its new home, the Javits Center. The fair is due to take place from September 9–12, 2021.Participants from Chicago include: Kavi Gupta, Rhona Hoffman, Mariane Ibrahim, Monique Meloche, Carrie Secrist, DOCUMENT and PATRONVia Artnews&nbsp;<a href="https://rivernorthdesigndistrict.com/designers/">The River North Design District Gallery Walk is Planned for September 2021</a>The River North Design District (RNDD) is proud to announce the 6th Annual River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk on Friday, September 10th, 2021. This year showrooms will feature a variety of fine artists and designer vignettes along with special events throughout River North.Each participating showroom and art gallery will be exhibiting artwork created by artists working today. This year Chicago’s top designers will be selecting their favorite art and creating inspirational vignettes in each of the participating showrooms.The 2021 lineup begins with a VIP kickoff party at Calia Stone Boutique at 5:30pm featuring design vignette and work curated by Yamini Designs and Interiors by Francesca. Headline artist is Linc Thelen also featuring art from philanthropic partner Aspire Art360. The walk concludes with an after party hosted by 210 Design House and PROjECT. interiors with artist Pat Sansone and philanthropic partner Digs with Dignity from 8-10pm. Participating showrooms include TOTO, 210 Design House, ARMAZEM.design, Artists Frame Service, Bulthaup, Daltile, Kohler Signature Store, Studio 41, eggersmann, Orizzonti, Ligne Roset, Oscar Isberian, Calia Stone Boutique, Roca and Chicago Luxury Beds. Information on special events in showrooms to follow.&nbsp;<a href="https://chicagoartistscoalition.org/resources/cac-grants/coney-family-fund?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Chicago%20Artists%20Coalition%20Announces%20Additional%20CONEY%20Grant%20for%202021&amp;utm_content=Chicago%20Artists%20Coalition%20Announces%20Additional%20CONEY%20Grant%20for%202021+CID_3be9e3e1243c7869a48d83f0e539fd87&amp;utm_source=campaign%20monitor&amp;utm_term=here">Chicago Artists Coalition Announces Another Coney Family Fund Award</a>Since 2017, CAC and the Coney Family have&nbsp;annually awarded one unrestricted grant of $5,000 to an outstanding visual artist&nbsp;in the city of Chicago who identifies as Black or African-American. Now in its fifth year, the prestigious and highly competitive Coney Family Fund will award two unrestricted grant of $5,000 each providing more direct support to Chicago artists.CAC will celebrate the two awardees for the Coney Family Fund during CAC's virtual benefit, WORK IN PROGRESS on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;Application&nbsp;for the Coney Family Fund Award program&nbsp;opens on&nbsp;April&nbsp;26, 2021&nbsp;and more information about the program can be found <a href="https://news.chicagoartistscoalition.org/t/i-l-mkyyda-dlvzir-r/">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artprize.org/for-artists/details#artists-artist-registration">ArtPrize Registation Open</a><a href="https://artprize.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=568226b22d477264c2318619f&amp;id=681db95e4e&amp;e=4296d6b5b0">Artist registration</a> opened on Monday, April 19, 2021 for the eleventh iteration of ArtPrize, to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan from September 16-October 3, 2021. Anyone over 18, working in any medium, from any place on earth is invited to enter their artwork into one of the world’s largest art competitions and to seek cash prizes totaling $250,000.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418887/rl1dyuwhpi2pvyxehjm7.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/237-E-Delaware-Pl-60611/unit-6B/home/174332419">237 E DELAWARE Pl Unit 6B - Art Filled for Sale @ $835K</a>Warning - this price is probably too good to be true in the era of bidding wars, but check out the interior photos to see works spotted by Dzine, as well as many objects that look like they may have come from SOFAVia Redfin/Sotheby's RE&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 4/27/21

<a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/924184?fbclid=IwAR1H0LyxlrWhk4f-IfhyBfQtUITZmJpBjlCL0Pw0lGN9QUeLyrz01KS-74w">Illinois sculpture park in the running to be named No. 1 in the country</a>One of the nation's foremost collections of outdoor art is just 30 miles south of Chicago on the campus of Governors State University, and it's now in the running to be named the top sculptural park in the country.Via FOX 32&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and-culture/2021/4/20/22393862/chicago-arts-77-artists-grants-recovery-reopening-program?fbclid=IwAR0IEd7wbdEvjA8D93tOnN3HfW7GodHWfUyjZoZ7agUeX8CkXinwbYa2VI4">Chicago to spend $60 million to boost arts, artists</a>Chicago plans to spend at least $60 million to boost the arts and local artists citywide.The Arts 77 recovery and reopening program will focus on employing creative workers through city services and programs; increase public sector investments in the arts through financing and cultural policy; and expand involvement in the creative and cultural sector across the city’s 77 community areas.Via Chicago Sun Times&nbsp;<a href="https://rejournals.com/urban-infill-means-more-than-e-commerce-and-sometimes-public-art/">There’s more to urban infill than e-commerce—sometimes there’s public art</a>When Amazon announced plans to acquire a 70-acre site on Chicago’s Southwest Side for a future warehouse and distribution facility, the news underscored growing urban infill industrial demand. Creative developers and investors are navigating the complexity to bring urban infill projects to fruition for a diverse range of users. &nbsp;Via RE Journals&nbsp;<a href="https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/2126-N-Lincoln-Park-W-60614/home/12698037?utm_source=myredfin&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=recommendations_update&amp;riftinfo=ZXY9ZW1haWwmbD00NTg1OTA2MiZwPWxpc3RpbmdfdXBkYXRlc19yZWNvbW1lbmRhdGlvbnMmYT1jbGljayZzPXJlY29tbWVuZGF0aW9ucyZ0PWltYWdlJmVtYWlsX2lkPTQ1ODU5MDYyXzE2MTkwMTc0MzJfNiZ1cGRhdGVfdHlwZT05JmxpbHJfc2NvcmU9MC40NDk1Jmxpc3RpbmdfaWQ9MTMxMDg3MTM5JnByb3BlcnR5X2lkPTEyNjk4MDM3JnBvc2l0aW9uX251bWJlcj01">Design-Y Penthouse For Sale at 2126 N Lincoln Park West for $4 mil.</a>Check out the view, and the kitchen...Via @properties&nbsp;

What We're Reading: 4/22

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418232/bm4bo3rx2dvacmbdnfv7.png"><figcaption>The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCASE) accounted they are beginning a one year renovation of the Chicago Cultural Center's Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Memorial Hall and Rotunda. (Provided by DCASE)</figcaption></figure>Via PRCHICAGO, IL — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced the historic restoration of the landmark Chicago Cultural Center to reclaim two lost interiors decorated by the celebrated Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company: the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R) Memorial Hall and Rotunda. The museum-quality restoration of the art glass dome and decorative finishes is made possible by a generous grant of services valued at $15,425,000 to the City of Chicago. (The Chicago Cultural Center is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes; the restoration of the Tiffany dome in Preston Bradley Hall was completed in 2008.) The celebrated “People’s Palace” will reopen to the public on June 2, 2021, after closing its doors last March — with new health and safety protocols to be announced soon, new art exhibitions and new visitor amenities. Restoration work will continue until early 2022.“Throughout the pandemic, our residents and partners in the public and private sector have remained generous supporters of our cultural institutions,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Thanks to their support and this incredible grant, we will be able to restore and revitalize our landmark Cultural Center — which remains critical to our tourism and recovery efforts and our ability to bring our creative community together.”The grant (the largest private donation given to DCASE) provides access to a highly specialized team that are uniquely qualified to undertake the restoration. An intricate process will expose the original 1890s surfaces by methodically separating layers of paint. The project also includes the conservation of a 40-foot diameter, 62,000-piece, art glass dome that will return natural light that has been blocked since a renovation in the 1930s. Long-lost lighting fixtures that were custom designed for the rooms will be recreated using early photographs and original architectural drawings.“With its sparkling mosaics and hovering art glass dome, the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall has been a must-see attraction for decades. But it’s about to get some stiff competition when restoration of the G.A.R. rooms is completed next year,” said Tim Samuelson, Cultural Historian Emeritus for the City of Chicago.“This project reminds me of hunting for buried treasure. Instead of being buried under the ground, it’s a treasure of Tiffany coloration buried beneath layers of paint — and just waiting to be revealed in all its 1890s glory. This is no ordinary preservation project. It’s an undertaking beyond belief, assembling the absolute top talents in historic restoration to revive one of the great lost treasures of decorative arts.”When completed next year, the rooms will reflect their historic appearance, but also more ably facilitate a wider range of free and diverse cultural programming. This includes upgraded lighting, electrical, Wi-Fi and more as well as opportunities for artists and organizations to activate the space through a variety of performances and exhibitions.This project is part of Culture in My Neighborhood, a new collaborative initiative that supports cultural programming at the Chicago Cultural Center, 18 Chicago Park District neighborhood cultural centers, and the Chicago Public Library regional libraries — through grants and commission opportunities for artists and organizations. It seeks to expand access and participation in South and West Side neighborhoods that have lacked traditional cultural infrastructure such as museums and theaters. This program complements an over $40 million capital investment that will break ground in 2021 in the City’s network of cultural centers to upgrade theater, music, dance, and visual art presentation capabilities at these facilities. Artists and organizations will receive financial support — including those who were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic — and community residents will enjoy free and affordable, high-quality cultural experiences in their own neighborhoods. Culture in My Neighborhood is part of Arts 77, a citywide arts recovery and reopening plan for all of Chicago’s 77 community areas.“I am thrilled to see the magnificent restoration of the G.A.R. rooms come to fruition. The work will not only improve the building and physical structures, it will enhance the public programming in the building,” said Mark Kelly, DCASE Commissioner. “With this restoration, we also herald a new mission for the Chicago Cultural Center as we link our efforts with the 18 Chicago Park District neighborhood cultural centers and the Chicago Public Library’s regional libraries. We no longer stand alone, but instead are part of a citywide cultural center ecosystem, bringing cultural vitality to all of our citizens.”&nbsp;The Chicago Cultural Center will reopen to the public on June 2, 2021, with the exhibitions “Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford: League of Nations” and “what flies but never lands.” Soon after, “Chicago: Where Comics Came to Life, 1880–1960” will open on June 19. Visitors will also be greeted with new visitor amenities including a reimagined Welcome Center and Learning Lab — and Buddy, a new shop created with the Public Media Institute (online for now at <a href="http://hi-buddy.org/">hi-buddy.org</a>) to give Chicago's artists and small manufacturers a place to showcase and sell their goods and artwork. Visit <a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=Fx6ZlfogyykExOP4a2vWQ9uoiykuNvHH2UN6PS6y-2BNyfiuFdSrabk1CvrywjEZUL6GXW_BYLPtpUivDHORxxkVXshLCRT3wjV7CgXbLJWP9J5MP9LJ6jv7-2Bb0c97UF1yE1XeiKasl3Q0KHAlfCn9N7XONZksYe5OIXa5kf5eLUqZODuRSP9aq4SJ-2B49W0jH0wJ361QxVkZz8qTDmYI6mxUWhXz7Djal7qPD-2FaqDUTz-2FnSmI7J3mtB6UmcHjOGnPC9RkxqH6VkPN2frzk9GGSpsBJv9jEZvP16-2BoNx3SoOrsKUmAoWcbiEjpeTApfrOCNaBCZ0uGYsBR7g5UUUv6Tx6MYTjaOQUJ1m7n7-2B3jwq6C94p3Ng0Me0H8cnhdDP0pGSiwhrtnBwQ1lF88jHTCFttbA-2Bz-2F6UJWpTiSl9UxW70h-2FbIUWJlqSSuKs37OqhOB15zPZwoJpGoOm9bORIYQqG-2FJJN6A-3D-3D">chicagoculturalcenter.org</a> closer to the reopening for updated visitor information including reduced schedule.The Chicago Cultural Center restoration, which began in February following an intensive year-long study, will take approximately 12 months to complete. The G.A.R. rooms will remain closed to the public during this time. The project is being executed by Harboe Architects and a team of highly specialized preservation experts and artisans, in partnership with the Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS) in consultation with conservators and Tim Samuelson, Cultural Historian Emeritus for the City of Chicago. The Landmarks Commission reviewed and unanimously approved the project and will provide additional oversight.About the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Memorial Hall and G.A.R. Rotunda Dedicated in 1898, the rooms were created as a place of gathering for Union Civil War veterans and their families, and a place of memory honoring those who died. Reliefs in decorative plaster reflect iconography of war through the ages, richly finished in silver leaf shaded with layers of translucent color. The overall design was a collaborative effort of architect Charles A. Coolidge, partner in the Boston-based firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and the New York studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany — a respected and influential American master of color and decorative design.&nbsp; Local artisans executed the work under the supervision of Coolidge and Tiffany’s project manager J.A. Holzer, a notable participant being the Chicago art glass and decorating firm of Healy &amp; Millet who fabricated the 62,000 piece art glass dome. Healy &amp; Millet’s other notable work in Chicago included collaborating with architect Louis H. Sullivan in creating the art glass and painted decorations for the Auditorium Theatre and the trading room of the Chicago Stock Exchange — now reconstructed at the Art Institute of Chicago.The decorated plaster surfaces were created to meld with lower walls of rich natural marbles — a green-tinted Vermont marble in Memorial Hall and gray Tennessee marble in the Rotunda. All marble is to be cleaned and returned to their original polished finish&nbsp; Also restored will be massive richly-grained mahogany doors.Dark tinted exterior window glass installed during the 1970s will be replaced with protective filtered clear glass, allowing views of the room to be obtained from the outside.&nbsp; When illuminated at night by re-created period lighting fixtures, the G.A.R will be a highly visible attraction seen both from streets and sidewalks, as well as from Millennium Park.</body></html>

City to Begin 12-Month Restoration of the Chicago Cultural Center

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418222/l3phi91cay1iokm5lzkh.jpg"></figure>CGN Staff via PRMayor Lightfoot and DCASE are banking on art. Eager to put the city back on track following a terribly challenging year, they've announced plans to invest in the arts to help bring people and businesses back via a program they're calling “Arts 77” —&nbsp;a citywide arts recovery and reopening plan&nbsp;for all of Chicago’s 77 community areas, representing an initial investment of&nbsp;over $60 million to support local artists and organizations. Additional&nbsp;updates regarding&nbsp;financial&nbsp;grants&nbsp;and programs to&nbsp;support&nbsp;arts&nbsp;recovery&nbsp;will follow&nbsp;in the upcoming weeks.There's even talk of a multi-million dollar, 30 Chicago-area artist public art plan as part of the Terminal 5 expansion project at O’Hare&nbsp;International Airport that would make art one of the biggest first impressions &nbsp;international visitors have of our city.&nbsp;"Before the pandemic struck, our arts and culture sector was a significant employer and economic driver that generated thousands of jobs and billions of dollars for our city," said Mayor Lightfoot. "With this incredible program, we will not only be able to revitalize this critical sector and provide support to&nbsp;our artists, creative workers and organizations, but also place the arts at the center of our city’s recovery efforts.”“Arts 77”&nbsp;signals&nbsp;a new direction&nbsp;for&nbsp;Chicago’s cultural policy,&nbsp;in which the arts are&nbsp;embedded in initiatives&nbsp;and strategies&nbsp;across&nbsp;City government.&nbsp;This&nbsp;plan seeks to expand access and participation in the arts citywide, prioritize employment of creative workers through City programs and services, and deepen public sector investment in the creative sector though financial support and cultural&nbsp;policy. Today’s&nbsp;announcement&nbsp;launches&nbsp;new and expanded programs including&nbsp;the&nbsp;Neighborhood Access Program, the&nbsp;Chicago Band Roster and Chicago Presents grant programs, Culture in My Neighborhood (a $40 million collaboration by DCASE, the Chicago Park District,&nbsp;and Chicago Public Library),&nbsp;Individual Artists Program&nbsp;grants,&nbsp;Artist Response Program&nbsp;grants, and $18.5 million in art&nbsp;and&nbsp;infrastructure investments.&nbsp;“Chicago’s arts sector has been decimated by the global pandemic. We have assembled an unprecedented array of resources to bolster our vital arts sector, and today's announcement is the first of several to follow,” said DCASE Commissioner Mark Kelly.&nbsp;“These new programs will strengthen the arts and culture landscape, support the City’s reopening, and advance Chicago’s economic recovery. DCASE will lead these comprehensive citywide efforts as we animate our neighborhoods with cultural life and position the arts as central to Chicago’s future.”“The arts are uniquely&nbsp;positioned&nbsp;to aid in&nbsp;Chicago’s&nbsp;recovery efforts, and&nbsp;creative&nbsp;workers stand ready,” said Amina J. Dickerson and Alison Cuddy, Cultural Advisory Council Chair and Vice Chair. “To thrive post-pandemic, the City&nbsp;must leverage the power of its arts and culture sector, putting&nbsp;artists&nbsp;to work rebuilding, reimagining, unifying, and healing&nbsp;our&nbsp;neighborhoods.”For details&nbsp;and upcoming Arts 77 webinars for the cultural community, visit <a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=Fx6ZlfogyykExOP4a2vWQ4TXG4aEpmBXWyior40nHaWAo1VE03LSQKj1M6FDUhuWuWJ9_BYLPtpUivDHORxxkVXshLCRT3wjV7CgXbLJWP9J5MP9LJ6jv7-2Bb0c97UF1yE1XeiKasl3Q0KHAlfCn9N7XONZksYe5OIXa5kf5eLUqZODuRSP9aq4SJ-2B49W0jH0wJ361JczapSvf6rbhPl3ofH-2F0oe7S01YlpSH23Pryiy4gAY8fw38eIs9J-2FbJWHRTvmSCMnvVd1mQZ2CICfFLzJBY5eoKuGOjLY7fqz4d4EE7SRvj0v-2Bq-2BvJLFN3pMpEo3Uu4qdxY-2BZn5isqNnFzRlPp186tcyURXdTVTCQGbVU0VcHfZPmDgXwc8hdYYPCMa-2BaEGoYvjaGBuylnfYtss-2Bd1ZFrXIkXfGMSkKqd30G1iWd2YYwLvk7jXxGifYEdUKn0QcvBBtXIi3nRHcckvTUvEqXbw-3D-3D">Chicago.gov/Arts77</a>.&nbsp;Expanding&nbsp;Access and Participation in the ArtsBeginning this summer, the City will&nbsp;rollout&nbsp;new guidelines, funding&nbsp;opportunities, and programs to increase access and reopen&nbsp;the cultural sector.&nbsp;DCASE&nbsp;is currently accepting&nbsp;idea&nbsp;submissions for its new&nbsp;Neighborhood Access Program, representing&nbsp;$1 million in financial grants (up to 40 grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000) designed to be responsive to the complex needs of individual communities. The program was created to support the&nbsp;cultural vitality in neighborhoods with a focus on those that have traditionally not&nbsp;received funding through&nbsp;the&nbsp;City’s&nbsp;Cultural Grants Program —and to collaborate with other City departments&nbsp;to make a collective impact in&nbsp;INVEST South/West communities. The application opens April 20&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=Fx6ZlfogyykExOP4a2vWQ-2FOfdVALjpYZsEGm6zCd-2Bgd4qbfTXA6h20a3N6YR0-2FVRPXdV_BYLPtpUivDHORxxkVXshLCRT3wjV7CgXbLJWP9J5MP9LJ6jv7-2Bb0c97UF1yE1XeiKasl3Q0KHAlfCn9N7XONZksYe5OIXa5kf5eLUqZODuRSP9aq4SJ-2B49W0jH0wJ361JczapSvf6rbhPl3ofH-2F0oe7S01YlpSH23Pryiy4gAY8fw38eIs9J-2FbJWHRTvmSCMnvVd1mQZ2CICfFLzJBY5eoKuGOjLY7fqz4d4EE7SRvhQmhR2vn8lMEFF8g0u7j4K1f-2BvcI0KBN-2F5p2km9aHtrRrRY0WQH2p8tkYziPS3GILk2ZQRB48rvUOdfrL7dNwFQOLgnocVY655Q5WEMO5NJ9iSQEBbw1EhHYL3xxy3WxglCOnCKLXMHPCSKnla1hrkVrwIx307-2F93DX15WvNOuVw-3D-3D">ChicagoCulturalGrants.org</a>.&nbsp;Through&nbsp;Chicago Presents, DCASE will provide&nbsp;up to 100 grants&nbsp;(ranging from $5,000&nbsp;–&nbsp;$30,000)&nbsp;to activate&nbsp;cultural&nbsp;programs&nbsp;that comply with public health guidelines&nbsp;in neighborhoods&nbsp;throughout Chicago in Summer 2021.&nbsp;Emerging and established cultural presenters are invited to submit proposals for free live, in-person concerts and events, spanning&nbsp;all music genres, performance,&nbsp;and dance that activate Chicago’s streets, plazas,&nbsp;and parks. Additionally, presenters may select up to&nbsp;two&nbsp;solo musicians and/or bands from the&nbsp;Chicago Band Roster&nbsp;to play at their event. The&nbsp;Band Roster is a new&nbsp;resource listing&nbsp;over&nbsp;200 Chicago-based musicians of all genres&nbsp;— created as part of the 2021 Year of Chicago Music.&nbsp;Application opens April&nbsp;20&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=Fx6ZlfogyykExOP4a2vWQ1JPtLnvcS2xUVsnlfkRMPHl2Bj2LDJ48-2Bx11LK-2FpTV-2BFLWC_BYLPtpUivDHORxxkVXshLCRT3wjV7CgXbLJWP9J5MP9LJ6jv7-2Bb0c97UF1yE1XeiKasl3Q0KHAlfCn9N7XONZksYe5OIXa5kf5eLUqZODuRSP9aq4SJ-2B49W0jH0wJ361JczapSvf6rbhPl3ofH-2F0oe7S01YlpSH23Pryiy4gAY8fw38eIs9J-2FbJWHRTvmSCMnvVd1mQZ2CICfFLzJBY5eoKuGOjLY7fqz4d4EE7SRvjqo6FZFqehQUjdkYTcpsoxTYhhGuaetBQp8S1kZSwtkj1a6vym92sesXIoONzeVI1j-2FhiGW-2B9y9bMa2BdiJmvynOuIam5YaWFg3QvqoE5KeGHpetDIS268hhP0OH3sAvg2Veupv650vSwmNh3T9dwVfOvys9dxz92Y3GDzVuYmlA-3D-3D">chicago.gov/music</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;Culture&nbsp;in My&nbsp;Neighborhood&nbsp;is a new&nbsp;collaborative&nbsp;initiative&nbsp;that&nbsp;supports&nbsp;cultural programming at the Chicago Cultural Center,&nbsp;18&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;Park District&nbsp;neighborhood cultural centers,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the Chicago Public Library&nbsp;regional libraries —&nbsp;through grants and commission opportunities&nbsp;for artists and organizations. It seeks to expand access and participation in South and West Side neighborhoods that have lacked traditional cultural infrastructure&nbsp;such as&nbsp;museums and theaters. This&nbsp;program&nbsp;complements&nbsp;an over $40 million capital investment&nbsp;that will break ground in 2021&nbsp;in the City’s network of cultural centers&nbsp;to upgrade&nbsp;theater, music, dance,&nbsp;and visual art presentation capabilities at these facilities.&nbsp;Artists and organizations will receive&nbsp;financial support — including those who were&nbsp;displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp;—&nbsp;and&nbsp;community residents will enjoy free and affordable, high-quality cultural experiences in their own neighborhoods.“Chicago parks have long provided affordable access to the arts,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly. “We are excited to partner with our sister agencies to expand existing resources. Culture&nbsp;in My Neighborhood and the broader Arts 77 plan will celebrate Chicago’s vibrant culture while fueling public engagement in our communities. From Austin to West Pullman, our 18 neighborhood cultural centers will continue to serve as important cultural assets for years to come.”Supporting&nbsp;Artists and Creative WorkersRecognizing that artists have always played an important role in advancing the causes of justice and racial equity, DCASE will support artists in developing projects that engage the public in a constructive, civic dialogue that will propel our collective action, facilitate progress, and make Chicago a model city for the nation as it faces the difficult work ahead.Through its new&nbsp;Artist Response Program, DCASE has awarded five artists and artist teams $100,000 grants. Artist awardees announced today are:&nbsp;Tonika&nbsp;Lewis Johnson; Santiago X; Kirsten&nbsp;Leenaars&nbsp;with Circles and Ciphers; Pilsen Housing Cooperative with Hector Duarte, Nicole&nbsp;Marroquin, and Gabriel Villa; and an artist team with Aquil&nbsp;Charlton, William Estrada, Andrés&nbsp;Lemus-Spont, and&nbsp;Marya&nbsp;Spont-Lemus. In addition to individual artist grants, seven arts organizations will receive grants ranging from $50,000 – $100,000 to re-grant funds to approximately 60 artists. Re-granting partners announced today are:&nbsp;ConTextos, Folded Map Project/Englewood Arts Collective, Full Spectrum Features, Greater Southwest Development Corporation, Jazz Institute of Chicago,&nbsp;Kartemquin&nbsp;Films, and the National Museum of Mexican Art. The Artist Response Program represents a $1.2 million investment, including&nbsp;over&nbsp;$600,000 in support available soon through re-granting partners.&nbsp;DCASE is also pleased to announce the 2021 recipients of its annual&nbsp;Individual Artists Program&nbsp;grants,&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;Chicago's practicing artists in creating work that develops their craft and elevates their careers while adding to the cultural vitality of the city of Chicago. This year, 162&nbsp;project-based grants between $800 to $5,000 will be awarded to resident Chicago artists over the age of 18 across all artistic disciplines including film &amp; media arts, literary arts, performing arts (theatre/dance), music and visual arts/design.&nbsp;In addition to the Individual Artists Program&nbsp;project&nbsp;grants, 13 high-qualified artists will receive the Esteemed&nbsp;Artist Award, a special $10,000 grant for expenses associated with an artist’s practice within the 2021&nbsp;grant period, including studio rental, supplies, travel and equipment. In celebration of 2021&nbsp;as the Year of Chicago Music, half of the Esteemed Artist Awards are going to local musicians –&nbsp;Afinca’o,&nbsp;Jeff Baraka,&nbsp;Billy Branch,&nbsp;Joelle&nbsp;Lamarre,&nbsp;Vivian McConnell,&nbsp;Matt&nbsp;Ulery, and&nbsp;Wanees&nbsp;Zarour. Award recipients in other disciplines are&nbsp;Colette&nbsp;Ghunim (Film &amp; Media Arts),&nbsp;Anuradha Rana&nbsp;(Film &amp; Media Arts),&nbsp;Natasha&nbsp;Tarpley (Literary Arts),&nbsp;Cat Mahari (Performing Arts),&nbsp;Daris Jasper&nbsp;(Visual Art &amp; Design) and&nbsp;Anke&nbsp;Loh&nbsp;(Visual Art &amp; Design).Investing in Arts&nbsp;and InfrastructureThe following programs recognize the talents of artists as creative problem solvers&nbsp;who&nbsp;can help inform, enhance, and support the work of City departments. They will also be significant jobs generators.&nbsp;Under the leadership of Mayor Lightfoot, the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Department of Assets, Information,&nbsp;and Services,&nbsp;the&nbsp;new multi-year, needs-based Capital Plan&nbsp;will not only leverage capital improvements to spur local economic development and job creation,&nbsp;but also mark a major advancement&nbsp;in&nbsp;the standard of public asset maintenance, and,&nbsp;consequently, the quality of life and livability of all Chicago communities.Public art will be integrated into the Capital Plan to turn the everyday into the extraordinary, physically,&nbsp;and symbolically communicating connections between neighborhoods, histories, people, and futures. Public art projects will become major destinations and cultural landmarks, contributing to the&nbsp;city’s economic development.&nbsp;For the first time, the&nbsp;City&nbsp;incorporated public art into the Capital Plan,&nbsp;investing&nbsp;at least&nbsp;$15 million in public art over the next&nbsp;five years.Additionally,&nbsp;DCASE and the&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;Department of Aviation today announced a $3.5 million public art plan as part of the Terminal 5 expansion project at O’Hare&nbsp;International Airport. The project presents a unique opportunity to celebrate the work of Chicagoland artists&nbsp;through large-scale commissions&nbsp;and acquisitions,&nbsp;and&nbsp;to provide international visitors a dynamic and welcoming first impression of our city. Up to 30 Chicago-area artists will&nbsp;participate in&nbsp;this program&nbsp;— the&nbsp;largest single acquisition of works by Chicago artists&nbsp;by the&nbsp;City&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;last 30 years.&nbsp;In the coming weeks, the City will launch more&nbsp;programs&nbsp;to aid Chicago’s creative recovery, including&nbsp;a new&nbsp;program to support arts education&nbsp;providers and students;&nbsp;additional grant programs&nbsp;to&nbsp;increase&nbsp;arts&nbsp;access&nbsp;for&nbsp;people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people living in institutions; workforce&nbsp;development&nbsp;programs&nbsp;to help stabilize and grow Chicago’s&nbsp;creative economy, including recommendations outlined in the report produced by the Chicago COVID-19 Recovery Task Force to support employment in the film industry; additional direct financial relief&nbsp;programs for individuals and organizations; artist engagement in We Will Chicago —&nbsp;the first citywide plan where artists will play a central role&nbsp;in creating public policy; and a public awareness and advocacy campaign reiterating the importance of the local arts sector, developed with global communications agency FleishmanHillard&nbsp;and the Cultural Advisory Council.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</body></html>

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