<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418621/qwjzrquav6uc0csu1wdd.jpg"><figcaption>The auction wall at DARKROOM 2019</figcaption></figure>By CGN Via PRFall is moving quickly, and many plans for the winter 2020 arts season in Chicago are already shaping up. Today we received the announcement regarding the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago's upcoming annual benefit.&nbsp;<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=03c5f3e9bc&amp;e=58cea278c7">DARKROOM</a> is MoCP annual auction. This year's event, co-chaired by Cheryl Sandner and Ann Thompson, with honorary co-chairs Jeremy Efroymson, Elissa Hamid Efroymson, and Adnaan Hamid, will take place on Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the recently-opened Columbia College Student Center, with a VIP Reception from 5:30-6:30 p.m. preceding the event. Photography enthusiasts will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and music while perusing auction items by celebrated contemporary artists, including work by Teju Cole, Beate Geissler and Oliver Sann, Christian Patterson, Dave Jordano, and more. All proceeds raised at this event will support essential MoCP exhibition and education programs in 2020. 2019's event raised $230,000 for the museum's programs.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418622/si3qqafsl0o5adxldohv.gif"><figcaption>Kenneth Josephson, Chicago, 1961, Gelatin silver photograph. c. 1961 print. Signed, titled, dated and annotated 'vintage print' and '61-35-50-28' in pencil by artist on print verso. 6 1/32 X 8 15/16 inches. Courtesy Stephen Daiter Gallery</figcaption></figure> This year, the MoCP is pleased to present the seventh annual Silver Camera Award to Kenneth Josephson. The Silver Camera Award honors those who have made significant contributions to the medium of photography. Chicago-based Kenneth Josephson (American, b. 1932) is considered a pioneer of conceptual photography. His career was launched at the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, where he studied under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. Josephson was later a professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1960 to 1997, and a founding member of the Society for Photographic Education. He was the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship (1972) and two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships (1975 and 1979). His work is in the MoCP permanent collection as well as the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Bibliotéque National, Paris; and Fotograficka Maseet, Stockholm. Tickets to DARKROOM start at $150 for individuals and $300 for VIP Tickets. Visit <a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=2a36952da3&amp;e=58cea278c7">mocp.org</a> for more information.The complete list of 2020 Auction Artists is below:&nbsp;<ul><li>Aimée Beaubien</li><li>Vernon Cheek</li><li>Teju Cole</li><li>Beth Dow</li><li>Jess T. Dugan</li><li>Beate Geissler and Oliver Sann</li><li>Oliver Godow</li><li>Alice Q. Hargrave</li><li>Ethan Jones</li><li>Dave Jordano</li><li>Colleen Keihm </li><li>Jin Lee </li><li>Cecil McDonald Jr. </li><li>Noritaka Minami </li><li>Christian Patterson </li><li>Melissa Ann Pinney </li><li>Birthe Piontek </li><li>Whitten Sabbatini </li><li>Shen Wei </li><li>Larry Snider </li><li>Brad Temkin </li><li>Bob Thall </li><li>Millee Tibbs </li><li>Jay Wolke</li></ul></body></html>

Artist Kenneth Josephson to be Honored at MoCP's 2020 DARKROOM Benefit

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418621/iplqw0hvq5qizcscr0ue.gif"></figure><h2>Chicago’s West Town Arts District New Home For Major Contemporary Art Gallery</h2>After 15 years in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, internationally acclaimed <a href="https://andrewrafacz.com/">Andrew Rafacz Gallery</a> is relocating to a new 2,000-square-foot storefront space at 1749 W. Chicago Avenue, an historic building constructed in 1916 in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.By Julia Brenner, Forbes<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliabrenner/2019/10/10/chicagos-west-town-arts-district---new-home-for-major-contemporary-art-gallery/#68dfbf3ec4f4">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418622/ed3f7ypbirl8n9c6ymi6.gif"></figure><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Nick Cave Is the Most Joyful, and Critical, Artist in America</h2>Using materials that range from twigs to crystals to rainbow-colored hair, the artist makes sculptures that, for all their beauty, are visceral and necessary critiques of racial injustice.By Megan O' Grady, The New York Times Style Magazine<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/15/t-magazine/nick-cave-artist.html">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again exhibition back at The Art Institute of Chicago</h2>This major retrospective-the first to be organized by a US institution in 30 years-builds on the wealth of new research, scholarship, and perspectives that has emerged since Andy Warhol's early death at age 58 in 1987.Via abc 7 Chicago<a href="https://abc7chicago.com/entertainment/andy-warhol-from-a-to-b-and-back-again-exhibition-back-in-chicago/5613582/">Read More</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;</body></html>

News From Around the Art World: October 15, 2019

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEACGN has conducted dozens of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/interviews">collector interviews</a> over the years, and they continue to be some of our most popular features. The chance to see works of art in people’s homes is an opportunity to see art outside of a commercial or institutional space and to understand the personal nature of collecting.We wondered what works continue to join an evolving collection? The following four collectors were kind enough to update CGN on what they’ve recently acquired.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418595/tt6magll9g755xjuurj2.gif"><figcaption>Chris Uphues, The Happy Garage</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Collectors: BRIAN WESTPHAL AND MICHAEL MCVICKARArtist: CHRIS UPHUESRead CGN's 2016 interview with Brian and Michael <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2018/5/building-a-home-for-art-reviving-an-industrial-space-in-ravenswood">here</a>“We started talking to Chris about creating a new piece in January of 2018. The prior installation, known as ‘The Happy Garage’ has its own Instagram following (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehappygarage/">#thehappygarage</a>) and had suffered some vandalism and was showing some wear, so we were interested in getting a refresh, but Chris had a bigger project in mind. Because the side of the garage is corrugated, he proposed preparing a dozen 4’ x 8’ panels with his mural, which would then be affixed to the garage. He began work on the piece (at least the painting part) in early June 2018, and it was completed at the end of the month. The new piece is approximately 24’ x 14’ and has become a well-known backdrop for photographs, including fashion shoots and weddings.2018–19 has otherwise been a dry year for new acquisitions but a great year for travel.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418596/ksnf1jjstpavhnpse6t2.gif"><figcaption>Brian Calvin (b. 1969) SAIC MFA 1994, Untitled, Marker and pastel on paper, 25.5 “ x 19.75”, 2018. Purchased from Corbett vs. Dempsey (Chicago)</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Collectors: NANCY AND BOB MOLLERSArtist: BRIAN CALVIN&nbsp;Read CGN's 2016 interview with the Mollers <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2016/4/nancy-and-bob-mollers-down-to-earth-collectors">here</a>“This is the second work by Brian Calvin in our collection, and is hanging in our home now. We do not keep works of art in storage.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418598/njog0sxso3qdcmzqp9jc.gif"><figcaption>Devan Shimoyama (b. 1989) Yale MFA 2014, Sensitive, oil, color pencil, jewelry, flashe, collage and glitter on canvas stitched over panel, 48” x 36”, 2018. Purchased in 2018 at EXPO CHICAGO from De Buck Gallery</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Collector: TIM GARVEY&nbsp;Artist: DEVAN SHIMOYAMA&nbsp;&nbsp;“I’ve always been interested in and collected works by outsiders — self-taught visionaries like Henry Darger and Martín Ramírez. More recently I’ve been complementing their work with that of new ‘outsiders’, trained artists who represent viewpoints and subjects not traditionally seen in museums or mainstream galleries. Recent purchases include works by Devan Shimoyama, a young artist who recently had a great solo show at the Warhol Museum, and who is represented by Kavi Gupta and David De Buck; and another by David Alekhuogie, a recent Yale MFA repped by Commonwealth and Council in LA.” &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418599/sbgsdjzhnnvc5ktjjqzj.gif"><figcaption>Ari Norris, Bushing Hammer, 2018, Cast Resin, Paint, 9 x 8 x 4”</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Collector: JASON PICKLEMANArtist: ARI NORRISRead CGN's 2016 interview with the Jason <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2016/8/collector-jason-pickleman-s-creative-life">here</a>“I purchased this recent acquisition for $400.00 from David Salkin Creative. It is currently installed at my gallery, Lawrence &amp; Clark – where all my newly acquired works first go!”&nbsp;</body></html>

The Newest Thing: What Collectors Are Buying Now

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418621/xjobxphjvurbmf47zjfm.gif"></figure>By CGN Office via PRSOFA CHICAGO has released its list of exhibiting galleries for its 26th annual edition, October 31–November 3, 2019&nbsp;at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. The full list is below, as well as online. The fair's October 8 announcement lists 68 participating galleries, primarily from around the United States, plus several participants from Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, and more and other countries.&nbsp;Always a crowd favorite because of the reputation for being an accessible, yet high-end fair, built up over the course of more than 25 years, fair organizers said at the end of last year's fair that 2018 was their most successful fair to date. What distinguishes SOFA from other top art events is its focus on three-dimensional artworks that cross the boundaries of fine art, decorative art and design.&nbsp;Guests can expect to see an expanded collection of glass works, wood and metal sculpture, textile art, and contemporary jewelry alongside traditional paintings. The fair reports an average of 35,000 people attending, with sales at the fair are estimated at $15-20 million dollars per show.You can preview works at the fair via <a href="https://www.artsy.net/sofa-chicago?m-id=ca13&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=sofa-chicago&amp;utm_campaign=widget">Artsy</a>.And of course CGN will be on site all weekend from our booth at the Partner Pavilion, so please come and visit us to say hi, to subscribe and to get your copies of CGN. We will also have details on free shuttles running between Navy Pier, the MCA and River North on Friday and Saturday, as well as a host of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events?filter=openings">openings</a> taking place on Friday, November 1.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418622/yev4lntkfd8oyniltq2w.jpg"><figcaption>Sandra Davolio Vessel With Blue Edges, 2019, Porcelain. Image Courtesy of J. Lohmann Gallery</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<h3>Programming and Lectures</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418623/klqjrlaa5njgppfv1sgm.png"><figcaption>The Art History Babes</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;SOFA will also present its unique slate of on-site programming again this year, including new partnerships, lectures and one-of-a-kind experiences. A notable addition is this year is a partnership with the <a href="http://info.urban-expo.com/e/338151/2019-09-06/2vwc7z/559363263?h=izQtwMZrEjSLZ4tfMmyBXwTVWKQapznULsN-cFI22TU">Art History Babes</a> as part of SOFA 2019. The Art History Babes platform, presented by Corrie Hendricks, Natalie De La Torre, Virginia Van Dine, &amp; Jennifer Gutierrez, is a space for open-minded, unabashed discussion of art, visual culture, and creativity. While sipping wine and discussing all things visual culture, the Babes chat about everything from Paleolithic cave art, to the Renaissance masters, to contemporary internet memes, ultimately seeking to educate, encourage, and expand on the study of art history in an honest, entertaining, and accessible way.&nbsp;Join the Art History Babes in a live podcast at SOFA in the lecture hall:<ul><li>Friday, November 1st: 5:00PM - 6:30PM</li><li>Saturday, November 2nd: 5:00PM - 6:30PM</li><li>Sunday, November 3rd: 2:00PM - 3:30PM</li></ul>More programs will be listed <a href="https://www.sofaexpo.com/lectures-talks">online</a> soon.&nbsp;<h3>Special Exhibits</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418624/oryjlytlpswoxjpek2er.jpg"><figcaption>Liz Collins, Royal Embrace, 2019, USA</figcaption></figure>• One special exhibit happening this year is Female Design Council Presents Intricate: Complexity &amp; Beauty Sewn Up. Since its launch in 2016, Female Design Council has been dedicated to bringing together women in design and art to foster dialogue and spur action on the difficult issues facing women in a predominantly male industry as well as broadening awareness of exceptional, contemporary design and art made by women.&nbsp;Intricate: Complexity &amp; Beauty Sewn Up, a powerful group exhibition featuring 7 dynamic female textile artists weaving pathways to pertinent conversations through the exciting medium of fiber arts. These unique, collectible works highlight issues surrounding the view and function of the female body, the need for self-preservation, social impositions, sustainable materials, the appreciation of handmade imperfections, and a consistent vulnerability of being female. This body of work serves to capture and release a visual and meaningful conversation around the universal female experience using the lens of textiles to tell the story.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418625/uvvdyuzeingflunvcpc2.jpg"><figcaption>Detail from "Savage Liaisons"</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;• Savage Liaisons is an exhibition that is the result of an ongoing artistic collaboration between two artists who, through experimentation in sculptural mosaics, have developed a visual partnership in their respective studios 9,670 miles apart. This show explores aspects of identity through the artists’ processes of utilizing their shared language of storytelling through interpretations of masks and facades in both classical and unexpected mosaic materials.In Savage Liaisons, artists Karen Ami (Chicago, USA) and Pamela Irving (Melbourne, Australia) expand upon their individual practices and ongoing visual discourse manifested in their mosaics and drawings. Pulling inspiration from roles of characters in both American and Australian cultures, the artists explore dualistic qualities in the form of masks that reference contemporary icons and personalities. Ami and Irving each incorporate materials which challenge the norm; their methodology questions the traditions that exist within contemporary mosaic. This unique and shared language incorporates handmade ceramic pieces, broken china, byzantine glass, and miscellaneous objects that connects us viscerally to both the past and present worlds.&nbsp; Ami and Irving have the same veins of material training and education in art history, ceramics, sculpture and mosaics. The two met over a decade ago while leading their newly formed Mosaic Arts organizations in their respective countries. Both artists have become outliers and influencers in the modern mosaic movement. Their aesthetic connections- appreciation for fetish objects, underground humor, as well Paul Klee and Picasso- became the basis for an ongoing trade of work conversation and a visual chemistry, culminating in several exhibitions, despite their geographical differences.&nbsp; View all the 2019 Special Exhibits <a href="https://www.sofaexpo.com/special-exhibits">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418625/aoagsczdqe2v6nmh24xw.gif"></figure><h3>Fair Dates and Times</h3>Opening Night Preview Thursday, October&nbsp;31 |&nbsp; 5 - 9pm VIP Ticket Holders Only | 5 - 9pm Public Preview | 7 - 9pm General Admission Friday, November&nbsp;1 | 11am - 7pm (10 - 11am VIP hour) | All Ticket Holders Saturday, November&nbsp;2 |&nbsp;11am - 7pm&nbsp;(10 - 11am VIP hour) | All Ticket Holders Sunday, November&nbsp;3 |&nbsp;12 - 6pm | All Ticket HoldersLocationFestival Hall, Navy Pier 600 East Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418626/mydch1dzkp31apraxtda.gif"><figcaption>Jim Rose, Six Drawer Starburst Counter, 2017, Hot-rolled steel, found painted steel, 38 x 50 x 15 inches, Courtesy of Gallery Victor Armendariz</figcaption></figure><h3>2019 Participants</h3><a href="https://www.917finearts.com/">917 Fine Arts</a> | Miami<a href="http://www.aaronfaber.com/">Aaron Faber Gallery</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="http://www.adamargallery.com/">Adamar Fine Arts</a>&nbsp;| Miami<a href="http://www.aibogallery.com/">Ai Bo Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Purchase<a href="https://www.aricahilton.com/">Arica Hilton International</a> | Chicago<a href="https://www.artblend.com/">ArtBlend</a> | Pompano Beach<a href="https://www.ginomiles.com/">Awesome Art</a>&nbsp;| Santa Fe<a href="http://www.axiomcontemporary.com/">Axiom Contemporary</a>&nbsp;| Santa Monica<a href="http://www.bendergallery.com/">Bender Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Asheville<a href="http://www.bertrandproductions.co/">Bertrand Productions</a>&nbsp;| Philadelphia<a href="https://www.bluefineart.com/">Blue Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Delray Beach<a href="http://www.blueraingallery.com/">Blue Rain Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Santa Fe<a href="http://www.bluespiral1.com/">Blue Spiral 1</a> | Asheville&nbsp;<a href="https://luriegallery.com/">Bruce Lurie Gallery</a> | Los Angeles&nbsp;<a href="http://www.charonkransenarts.com/">Charon Kransen Arts</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="https://www.cube-gallery.co.uk/">Cube Gallery</a>&nbsp;| London<a href="http://www.duanereedgallery.com/">Duane Reed Gallery</a>&nbsp;| St Louis<a href="https://evanluriegallery.com/">Evan Lurie Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Carmel<a href="https://www.faustgallery.com/">Faust Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Santa Fe<a href="http://www.galerienoelguyomarch.com/">Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h</a>&nbsp;| Montreal<a href="https://www.gallerygiuseppe.com/">Gallery Giuseppe</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="http://www.gallerysp.com/">GallerySP</a>&nbsp;| Seoul<a href="https://www.galleryvictor.com/">Gallery Victor&nbsp;Armendariz</a>&nbsp;| Chicago<a href="http://www.georgebillis.com/">George Billis Gallery</a>&nbsp;| New York + Los Angeles<a href="https://www.gugsablackarts.com/">Gugsa Black Art Collective</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="http://www.habatat.com/">Habatat Galleries</a>&nbsp;| Royal Oak<a href="http://www.hellergallery.com/">Heller Gallery</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="http://www.hilton-asmus.com/">Hilton | Asmus Contemporary</a>&nbsp;| Chicago<a href="http://hivecontemporary.com/">Hive Contemporary</a>&nbsp;| Havertown<a href="https://www.hugogalerie.com/">Hugo Fine Arts Galerie</a> | New York<a href="http://www.igniteglass.com/">Ignite Glass Studios</a>&nbsp;| Chicago<a href="https://jg-fineart.com/">JG Fine Art</a>&nbsp;| Grand Rapids<a href="http://www.jlohmanngallery.com/">J. Lohmann Gallery</a>&nbsp;| New York<a href="http://natsoulas.com/">John Natsoulas Gallery</a>&nbsp;| Davis<h3>&nbsp;</h3></body></html>

SOFA Chicago Announces Participants and Programs for 26th Edition

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418621/gzjrcblzegybg7pporid.gif"></figure><h2>Wicker Park’s Beloved Vivian Maier Mural Was Tagged. Tomorrow, A Homeowner Will Finance Its Restoration.</h2>After two years of brightening up a stretch of North Avenue in Wicker Park, the neighborhood’s beloved mural of Vivian Maier was defaced last month — but neighbors are stepping up to fix it.On Tuesday morning, weather permitting, a mural restoration team will remove the graffiti and restore the original image, painted in 2017 by renowned Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra. The image depicts the late Chicago photographer Maier.By Hannah Alani, Block Club Chicago<a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/10/07/wicker-parks-beloved-vivian-maier-mural-was-tagged-tomorrow-a-homeowner-will-finance-its-restoration/">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418622/hymztapjyt74ilgjwp5k.gif"></figure><h2>Chicago project is growing a community for artist mothers</h2>When the Chicago artists Angela Lopez and Sara Holwerda became new mothers, they quickly realised that they had to change how they engaged with their work and their art community. Studio time became limited, as did opportunities to network at exhibition openings, which often occur during at children’s bedtimes. Determined to continue nurturing their creative careers, in 2016 they began Extended Practice, a project to increase the visibility of artist-mothers and to help address their needs, from child-care to securing shows of their work.By Claire Voon, The Art Newspaper<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/chicago-project-tries-make-art-world-more-accommodating-for-artist-mothers">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418623/ctpw1cxjdc2kdplggc32.gif"></figure><h2>The History of the Art Institute Lions</h2>From the Picasso to the Bean to countless city murals, public art is a vibrant part of Chicago culture. But for over a century, Chicagoans have taken special pride in a pair of sculptures watching over Michigan Avenue.By Quinn Myers, WTTW News<a href="https://news.wttw.com/2019/10/02/ask-geoffrey-history-art-institute-lions">Read More</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img></figure><h2>A Look at Russian Money Behind Art Institute Exhibit of Soviet Art</h2>A connection was disclosed but not detailed by the museum in 2017. It's now part of a New York Times expose of&nbsp;Russian influence on U.S. cultural institutions.By Steven R. Strahler, Crain's Chicago&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/nonprofits-philanthropy/look-russian-money-behind-art-institute-exhibit-soviet-art?utm_source=morning-10&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=20191008&amp;utm_content=article5-readmore">Read More&nbsp;</a></body></html>

News From Around the Art World: October 8, 2019

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;It seems September's early openings just happened, but here we in October, and a new slate of exhibitions opens tomorrow evening in galleries around the city.&nbsp;This weekend there are also several special seasonal events happening, including extended hours at Frank LLoyd Wright's Robie House, as well as Intuit. The Chicago Architecture Biennial also has a family festival on Saturday in Garfield Park.Enjoy this start to one of the most festive months of the year. Before you know it, SOFA will be back again at Navy Pier, and we will start to close in on the end of 2019. We are already busy planning the next annual <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/advertise">CGN Arts Guide</a> that will cover 2020 and are reaching out to galleries and advertisers to share their updates and upcoming plans. &nbsp;Obviously there is a lot of great art to see and even participate in; these&nbsp;are just a few&nbsp;highlights from this first weekend&nbsp;of the month around the city.&nbsp;Don't forget to view our full <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events">calendar of events</a>.&nbsp;Enjoy all the art, and we will see you in the galleries!&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418621/heuk8ggpd7snbkybne1a.jpg"><figcaption>Elizabeth Burke-Dain's installation, Carnivals, Cotton Candy, and You, at artist Claire Ashley's house for the Terrain Biennial 2019</figcaption></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/terrain-biennial-2019">Terrain Biennial 2019</a></h3>Various locations throughout the Chicago area and country through November 17.Opening weekend: October 4–7Block Party Opening Event: Saturday, October 5, 2–7pm 1150 Block of Lyman Ave, Oak Park, IL, 60304Terrain Exhibitions was founded in 2011 by the late artist, curator, and educator Sabina Ott at her home in Oak Park. The original format of the exhibition space existed as monthly installations in her front yard, from which grew the Terrain Biennial. Ott passed away in the summer of 2018.The Terrain Biennial takes place on lawns, in front yards, on porches, beneath awnings, and in windows. Residents partner with artists to bring striking, contemporary artwork into their communities. The Terrain Biennial challenges the way art is often confined to institutional spaces and class-specific audiences. Building on Chicago’s rich tradition of apartment galleries and artist-run spaces, the Biennial brings contemporary art into the intimate terrain of the front yard, fostering dialogue between neighbors and providing access to new art for a wide range of people. The theme of this year's Terrain Biennial is to take stock of the landscape that people are living in today. What is the terrain that we occupy? What is the topology of our moment? Artists and hosts have been asked to reflect upon the ways in which our environment changes us and how we are changing it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418622/oomddce089vskvqpdmv1.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/george-klauba-last-chance-tattoo">George Klauba: Last Chance Tattoo</a></h3>Hofheimer GalleryOpening Friday, October 4.&nbsp;George Klauba is self-taught fine artist. This show of new work at Hofheimer Gallery is a sort of return from retirement. Klauba was previously represented by Ann Nathan Gallery for many years.&nbsp;Born in 1938 on Chicago's southwest side to parents of Lithuanian descent, Klauba's father was a machinist by trade who moonlighted as a stage magician. His mother introduced him to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History, places Klauba says influenced his education more than traditional schooling. In 1956, just short of his eighteenth birthday, Klauba enlisted in the Navy, serving for three years. After being discharged, he pursued a commercial art career at Chicago's American Academy of Art and he was a graphic designer for the Sun Times for 27 years before becoming a fine artist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418623/nw0x3f2tfgewv5hmd22x.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/erwin-overes-round-2">Erwin Overes: Round 2</a></h3>Gallery Studio Oh!&nbsp;Opening Friday, October 4.&nbsp;Erwin Overes was born and raised in the Netherlands, where he worked as an RN.&nbsp; He changed his career path to cultivate his artistic side and moved to the US to go back to school. Erwin tried his hand at interior design, but realized that he was more of a director than a creator. He began to craft furniture that he wanted to place in these planned interiors. Working as a furniture designer/maker on his own for 2 years, he discovered that the restrictions of the need of functionality steered him more towards sculptural work. After receiving his masters, focusing on wood sculpture, he has been privileged to work in his own studio creating pieces with total artistic freedom.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418624/g2y2l2i1xohvyu0fxeq9.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/cornelia-arts-building-open-studio-f2412f08-64e3-4066-bc89-5d40317001bd">Cornelia Arts Building Open Studio</a></h3>Opening Friday, October 4.Established in 1986, the Cornelia Arts Building is one of the largest all-artist-studio buildings on Chicago’s Northside. CAB is located in the epicenter of three distinct Chicago Neighborhoods: Lakeview, Roscoe Village, and Ravenswood/North Center.More than 40 artists in the building host multiple open studio events throughout the year, featuring painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, metal smithing and more, plus hallway guest artist exhibitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418625/rmjmc3foawwrycrqvnk4.png"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/word-to-mother-solo-show">Word to Mother: Let Love Lead the Way</a></h3>Vertical GalleryOpening Saturday, October 5.&nbsp;“Let Love Lead the Way” assembles paintings created over the past two years in Word To Mother’s seaside studio — a collection of work that examines the virtues of a positive mindset, celebrating moments of happiness and kindness through the lens of primitive characters inspired by 1930's cartoons. The exhibition is split into two bodies — salvaged pieces and layered paintings — featuring cartoon animals united by a shared spirit of perseverance&nbsp;and positivity.&nbsp;A range of textures and objects including rusted metal surfaces and vintage wooden patinas (some in WTM’s personal collection since 2004) provide the perfect backdrop for the artist’s menagerie of characters, which he executes in a&nbsp;limited palette with minimal use of gold leaf. Gestural marks and layers of illustrations form the surfaces of the contrasting pieces, with WTM's singular line work exploring the optimism and joy that the character forms express.&nbsp;&nbsp;Born and raised in an English seaside town, Word To Mother studied illustration in art school, from there expanding into graffiti and tattoo art — pursuits that profoundly shaped his latter-day mixed-media work, which juxtaposes signature flourishes like hand-drawn personal sentiments and&nbsp;tight sign-written letters evoking vintage typography.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418626/xmslx7znnmucqw4einbx.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/autumn-after-hours-at-robie-house">Autumn After Hours at Robie House</a></h3>Friday, October 4, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmAutumn in Chicago, when a spectrum of russet colors transforms our surrounding parks and landscapes, is the best time to visit the Robie House. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style palette throughout the&nbsp;house exquisitely reflects the season. In this special time of year, the Trust announces a new 8-week program during October and November: Autumn After Hours at Robie House.Each Friday from 5 - 8 pm, guests have the opportunity to make the house their own, moving freely through beautifully restored rooms, socializing with friends, learning about the house from veteran interpreters, enjoying regional wines and seasonal brews, live music, and presentations by local artists and craftsmen. Join us as autumn comes alive at Robie House.Location: Robie House, 5757 S. Woodlawn Avenue, ChicagoAdmission: $40 General, $35 Trust members&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418627/j69mdiqztcz5yirn9xrd.jpg"><figcaption>Marvin Tate: Looking at You From a Distance Not Too Far is on view at Intuit through October 27</figcaption></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/fall-fridays">Intuit Fall Friday</a></h3>Intuit: Center for Intuitive and Outsider ArtFriday, October 4Another recurring Friday evening fall event (through November) is Intuit's new Fall Friday. It's hard to find time to visit your favorite museum, so Intuit is extending its hours each Friday during the fall to give you extra hours to enjoy everything Intuit has to offer. Same affordable admission, same exhibitions you love, now available for you at a convenient time.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418627/cmznyce9c1skte2lts8a.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/cps-lives">Positive Slope: Stories of Chicago Public Schools</a></h3>Firecat Projects&nbsp;Opening Friday, October 4.&nbsp;This group show with art by CPS Lives artists features photographs by Marzena Abrahamik, Kioto Aoki, Kris Brailey, Suzette Bross, Doug Fogelson, Scott Fortino, JimIska, Michelle Keim, Carlos Matallana, Janet Mesic-Mackie, Jeff Phillips, Eileen Ryan, Jaclyn Silverman, Sa Schloff, Jan Tichy &amp; Jay Wolke.Read more info about artist Suzette Bross's CPS Lives <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2018/7/cpslives-puts-artists-in-chicago-public-schools">here</a><h1>&nbsp;</h1><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418628/tng4ey0cu5yzuitcupw4.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/as-i-am-you-will-be-an-evocative-group-show">As I Am, You Will Be - An Evocative Group Show</a></h3>Chicago Truborn&nbsp;Opening Friday, October 4.&nbsp;This "Evocative Group Show" is inspired by Hunter S. Thompson just in time for The Witching Season. West Town's Chicago Truborn is celebrating with a spooktacular lineup featuring nearly 30 of their favorite artists. Participating artists were asked to create original (20"x20") works inspired only by the infamous Hunter S. Thompson quote "As You Were, I Was. As I Am, You Will Be." Two in store murals will be revealed as the show opens and will be on display through October.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418629/jq6eyuwpmvylbtjuzmvr.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/chicago-architectural-biennial-family-festival">Chicago Architectural Biennial Family Festival</a></h3>Saturday, October 5.&nbsp;In case you need a reason to visit the Garfield Park Conservatory, head to the Chicago Architecture Center's Biennial Family Festival, &nbsp;in honor of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, from noon to 4pm on Saturday. Families with children ages 5-12 are invited to come learn about architecture and design through hands-on activities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418630/e1rdfirmj7maci54woza.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tom-huck">Tom Huck</a></h3>Gallery Victor ArmendarizOpening Friday, October 4.&nbsp;Tom Huck was born on December 9, 1971 in Farmington, Missouri and grew up in nearby Potosi. &nbsp;He received a BFA in drawing from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993. He currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri where he runs his own press, Evil Prints.&nbsp; Tom Huck is a visual artist best known for his large scale woodcuts. His imagery draws heavily upon the influence of Albrecht Durer, Jose Guadalupe Posada, R. Crumb and Honore Daumier. He is a regular contributor to BLAB! and was the illustrator of The Roots’ Phrenology album art in 2003.&nbsp; Huck’s woodcut prints are included in numerous public and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Spencer Museum of Art, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, St. Louis Art Museum. Milwaukee Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Fogg Art Museum and New York Public Library.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Highlights of Early October's Art Events and Openings 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/hgzltenkcwcm54wd5mjc.gif"><figcaption> In-Session Maya Mackrandilal with Bhanu Kapil, Enid Muñoz, and Udita Upadhyaya</figcaption></figure>Via PRThreewalls announced that the organization has received a $1.2 million award from Surdna Foundation, enabling the non-profit organization to dedicate $300,000 per year for three years to further develop its already expansive programs helping to fund and develop projects from ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) identifying artists based in Chicago. Threewalls’ social justice fellowship, RaD Lab+Outside the Walls, will expand to support 12 artists per year with grants of $25,000, focusing on community-oriented research and public projects that reimagine racial justice and equity. The program was founded in 2017 to address the disproportionally inadequate funding and artistic support ALAANA artists typically receive.The multi-year nature of the grant opens up an expansive realm of possibilities for Threewalls to invest in artists and creatives who use radical imagination to practice a racially just society. The $900,000 will allow Threewalls to support&nbsp; ALAANA creative projects and non-profits with operational funding. All of the fellows will demonstrate alternative ways towards racial equity through the lens of radical imagination and social justice.The RaD+Outside the Walls program allows fellows to spend a year researching, developing and testing an idea that responds to the lived experience. Outside the Walls, Threewalls’&nbsp;exhibition model, presents the research as installations and interventions throughout Chicago in various neighborhoods. Outside the Walls prides itself on placing art in public spaces that do not typically host art exhibitions and are easily accessible to the public.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/os2glibdmz9irsvlgyqf.gif"><figcaption>Jeffreen Hayes</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;“We are thrilled about our partnership with Surdna Foundation. It will help Threewalls continue to support so many Black Artists and Artists of Color in a holistic way for the next three years and beyond,” said Jeffreen M. Hayes, executive director at Threewalls. “It is my hope that this program will inspire big ideas from Chicago-based artists in the ALAANA community in advancing a racially just society. The radical imagination that Surdna encourages is what Threewalls practices every day.”“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Threewalls under the creative genius and leadership of Dr. Jeffreen Hayes!” said F. Javier Torres-Campos, Director of the Thriving Cultures program at the Surdna Foundation. “Dr. Hayes’ vision and track record of collaborative leadership have taught us about the real impact that is possible when we invest in the cultural assets of our communities with racial equity at the center of our approach.”Fellows will be selected through an open call process to open in January 2020 and reviewed by an external community-based panel. The community-based panel of five individuals will be a majority of Chicago-based individuals who identify as members of an ALAANA community. The panel will be designed to feature people actively involved in artistic work in this community, including program directors, assistants and teaching artists. Before the call opens in January, Threewalls will host two information sessions—one in October and one in November—to share more about the fellowship.In addition to the all-important funding, Threewalls offers technical and creative development assistance through the fellowship to include digital coaching sessions, creative counseling, and ethics workshops. Threewalls also works to handle any logistical problems, including securing the public spaces for the artwork to be shown and working with other groups in the city to gauge their interest in promoting and displaying the installations.About the Surdna FoundationThe Surdna Foundation seeks to foster just and sustainable communities in the United States -- communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures. Learn more at <a href="https://u56787.ct.sendgrid.net/wf/click?upn=vuRFHzTxfcKQnkGWizvvpGm6xSpqNL8rfzHb1IeXmGRDzdHHtzVf4ZJ7uEigl14NEU6u8BdmXePOnyLwa1AZuHX4K-2FbUn8cAzGYtgd1B09-2FqyEHERIamOKLyMUri0r8N_ccrt5mFyEURAsnSxeCM5PPo2atdxAGCaQlH-2BxhBeC2CXdtoRskmbVfOZI162ow-2FcFbRvHHXvmWFsiOTp9XtEo0OjuX5EiD9Xmkg0NMXMseShb2kEOcbbzH6oSmbTnTdMPBHdp1w7opatM7wJPGN91ZU6M9GwGNVgNCHpyZXxHlPHsb8F-2BahvQGK2uDAwzO7qhVamZtitZ6-2BQgL-2BvOtrPRAZY0Aio311umKiREYvRj-2BV8-2BFm9fi0gKz1shMuudy7v4IO-2FYGUtCeKpk4jqlcYTxzcRlxCct3nGLxMe2KxYHMYvrhgDjC3W9TE2JxdQGVBK-2Btx05-2BzxIXhHXWrEvZVRjhEV95UD4kC7YqQBcd65soqZsrVnE1aXhaPIIvR55SieE3cSR6Q-2Fnk9h-2Bpv5gVoptrBl9ItEzL7YQXj55ZcQXUFChsQgdptLTqUQU8nasT9K6KeYb3CltJCdCawXKBYifA-3D-3D">www.surdna.org</a>.About ThreewallsThreewalls&nbsp;was founded in 2003 to provide support and visibility for the visual arts community in Chicago. The founders wanted to encourage a greater awareness of Chicago’s art scene by inviting emerging professional artists to share in the city’s rich histories, resources and creative communities. Over the past fifteen years, Threewalls has been a center for artist-focused programming, critical writing, and direct support for artist projects. Threewalls hosts artists interested in working in and with diverse Chicago communities through their&nbsp;RaD Lab&nbsp;program; supports interactive work by local and regional artists in&nbsp;Outside the Walls; and programs salons to generate open dialogue, the presentation of new ideas and the publication of new writing. Threewalls partners with other organizations on exhibitions, publications, and education programs in an effort to broaden and contribute to the contemporary visual arts. For more information about Threewalls, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://u56787.ct.sendgrid.net/wf/click?upn=fpdTpsPuj4cuTwAs6ZeMTRJRTcYUVTe-2BSDXenC-2BxNvZzcjaeK34O63J7RZraR8wW-2B-2BjaBbrgrt8FfXuN2KyrjM4nof3ffLPzPpNKQImzts9XT5WofksSfr0z6s-2FSEkoP_ccrt5mFyEURAsnSxeCM5PPo2atdxAGCaQlH-2BxhBeC2CXdtoRskmbVfOZI162ow-2FcFbRvHHXvmWFsiOTp9XtEo0OjuX5EiD9Xmkg0NMXMseShb2kEOcbbzH6oSmbTnTdMPBHdp1w7opatM7wJPGN91ZU6M9GwGNVgNCHpyZXxHlPHsb8F-2BahvQGK2uDAwzO7qhVamZtitZ6-2BQgL-2BvOtrPRAZY0Aio311umKiREYvRj-2BXfD9fdoBiRIhqzl2UBuuvUSGcpgl-2FDiy-2B0hwAv-2B1JvMaTuGX6YC9oI-2Fz1K7zyUA3Z37jXIPWoxnpNw69NRvbPut7kOUSKpv8uutJVWeKyiDU9ldSodoKrqHPqnRxmt-2B5hTTSiXvjEH0LpZvDFciG9KzIe-2FTg078lyV1iby-2FON6kczKQno7ZPj4TRr4HhrW2gw-2BgovLDFiEpxSRQcbJWXHPEeWsCt5TY-2FBL1EqFwnf7sw-3D-3D">three-walls.org/</a>.</body></html>

ThreeWalls Nabs $1.2 Million, 3 Year Award to Expand Support for Underfunded Artists in Chicago

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEANine years in, Open House Chicago (OHC) has become a highlight of the fall cultural calendar. In the true spirit of Chicago, OHC has inspired so many institutions to open their doors and welcome in the public to experience behind-the-scenes access to buildings across Chicago. There are arts centers, religious buildings, distilleries, corporate offices, schools, artist studios, and so much more.&nbsp;Hosted by the&nbsp;Chicago Architecture Center (CAC)—formerly the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the Center is a gateway for visitors, as well as locals, to explore the city through docent-led tours, exciting programs and imaginative exhibits at its own center at 111 E. Wacker Dr. as well as in hundreds of spaces and neighborhoods in the city and suburbs.&nbsp;In 2018 there were 250+ participating spaces for OHC. Now 2019 counts over 350, proving why people attend this year every year, just hoping to make even a dent in their ever-expanding list of spaces to see and explore, many of which are only open to the public during this once-a-year weekend.&nbsp;We just picked a few sites that looked particularly interesting&nbsp;to us this year and that we did not highlight in previous years.&nbsp;All descriptions and images are courtesy of Open House Chicago and their respective sites.&nbsp;Make your own adventure, and go enjoy this amazing fall weekend in Chicago! If you can't make it this year, then you'll at least enjoy the eye candy featured below and on CAC's website.Note that some sites may be for Chicago Architecture Center members only and require advance registration.&nbsp;Complete details are available on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.openhousechicago.org">www.openhousechicago.org</a><h3>&nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/jkw6di9d4wobhbgjhy0i.jpg"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/park-no-571-boathouse/">Park No. 571 Boathouse</a></h3>This is one of two Chicago River boathouses designed by internationally renowned Chicago design firm Studio Gang. The rhythmic design interprets the motions of rowers and beckons to people to engage in new ways with this formerly industrial waterway. Completed in 2016, the boathouse and park have transformed this part of the river into a community-oriented recreational space. The boathouse is actually two distinct buildings that seem, from certain vantage points, splayed apart at the middle like two oars: a boat shed and a community building. The facility is home to several rowing groups, social clubs, and South Side organizations, and is a centerpiece of the 2019 South Branch Framework Plan promoting connectivity to the river for adjacent communities.VISITOR EXPERIENCEBoth the boathouse and community building will be open to the public. Visitors will have a self-guided experience with opportunities to learn about the boathouse and programming offered through partner organizations.mage at top of post is of the hotel's lobby)&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/balsh34gjqfithtc9tdw.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/colvin-house/">Colvin House</a></h3>Passersby on Sheridan Road have long wondered about this yellow brick, Prairie Style-inflected American Foursquare mansion. It had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect, but has now been restored and repurposed as a distinctive coworking and event space. While the exterior of the house is quite restrained, the interior features over-the-top plaster ornamentation that was most likely added in the 1920s--it resembles the decor found in the lavish movie palaces of the day. Colvin House was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1994. It was designed by architect George Maher.&nbsp;VISITOR EXPERIENCETour the first and second floors of this renovated historic Sheridan Road mansion, now a one-of-a-kind spot to work, meet or host an event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/sz75yquqspxxm9uvr2nc.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/ingersoll-blackwelder-house/">Ingersoll-Blackwelder House</a></h3>Visit one of the oldest homes in the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park community, located within the Ridge Historic District. The home's original (rear) portion dates to 1874 and was built for real estate magnate John Ingersoll. A Queen Anne style expansion was added the following decade for new owner Isaac Blackwelder, president of the then-independent Village of Morgan Park. His wife, Gertrude Blackwelder, was the first woman to cast a vote in Cook County. The main level’s elegant Victorian spaces are ideal for entertaining, the primary use for the house today. The second level, meanwhile, preserves the rustic light-filled art studio of longtime owner Jack Simmerling. Some of the antiques and built-ins that remain in the home today are items salvaged by Simmerling from long-gone mansions on Prairie Avenue, in Englewood and other Chicago neighborhoods.VISITOR EXPERIENCEExplore this elegant Victorian house decked out with antiques.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/ogvoajalqoktfexzw7sk.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/the-palette-chisel-academy-of-fine-arts/">The Palette &amp; Chisel Academy of Fine Arts&nbsp;</a></h3>Chicago's oldest arts academy was formed in 1895 by a group of artists and illustrators. The founders, including the great sculptor Lorado Taft, wanted more opportunities to produce work from live models. By 1921, the club had grown from eight members to 200 and needed a permanent home, so it purchased a three-story Italianate mansion built in 1874 for William Waller. They turned the drawing rooms on the first floor into gallery spaces; the second floor bedrooms into individual studios; and created a large sky-lit studio on the third floor that is ideal for working from live models. Today, the building is still filled with artists creating paintings, drawings and sculpture.VISITOR EXPERIENCEVisit gallery spaces and see artists work in the sky-lit top floor studio.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418614/e7oq2zppsikhx1zuu2lj.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/bkl-architecture/">bKL Architecture</a></h3>bKL Architecture, founded in 2010, is committed to designing projects that enhance the contexts in which they build, responding to the needs of clients, users and surrounding communities, while anticipating future uses and desires. bKL’s offices are located in Aqua, a location that puts the firm in close proximity to some of their notable projects in Lakeshore East. bKL's recent projects include GEMS World Academy, MILA Chicago, Wolf Point West, and Renelle on the River.VISITOR EXPERIENCEVisitors will enjoy a self-guided tour of the bKL studio. See models and designs for past, current, and future projects. bKL architects will be stationed around the studio to answer questions. No photos are allowed throughout the studio, but photos can be taken of the Downtown Chicago context model.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418615/e1alifdadc3bzu6jsd1i.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/adrian-smith-gordon-gill-architecture/">Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture</a></h3>Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) designs high-performance, energy-efficient, and sustainable architecture on an international scale, applying their approach to everything from low to mid-rise residential buildings, mixed-use supertall towers, and cultural centers. In July 2018, AS+GG relocated their Chicago studio to the historic Inland Steel building. The 19-story Inland Steel Building was the first tall building to be completed in the Loop after the Great Depression. Its column-free floor layouts and glass and stainless steel exterior make it an iconic building and a Modernist landmark.VISITOR EXPERIENCEWalk through the studio at your own pace to see futuristic 3-D models, a 15-foot Prysm interactive digital screen and a VR station. Listen in on brief presentations from staff.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418616/ddiw5wmiwvlma0i7jed2.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/fine-arts-building/">Fine Arts Building</a></h3>The Fine Arts Building was originally a carriage assembly plant and showroom for the Studebaker Company. It was designed by Solon Spencer Beman and opened in 1885. An extensive 1898 remodeling converted it into a home for what is now one of the nation's oldest artist communities. Its rented studios, offices and shops have housed some of the city's most illustrious literary and artistic talents, including Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft and Wizard of Oz illustrator W. W. Denslow. The interior features stunning Art Nouveau decorative details and murals dating from the 1898 renovation. The building continues to house art galleries, theater and performing arts studios and other arts-related businesses.VISITOR EXPERIENCEAdmire the beautiful Venetian Court, step inside the Studebaker Theatre, and explore ten floors of historic artist workspaces.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418617/f42vbnypbhjf9zlmyyli.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/sky-line-club/">The Skyline Club</a></h3>Perched atop the Old Republic Building, the Sky-Line Club is one of the oldest private membership facilities in the city. Nearly 100 years ago, an old ale house from the Sussex region of southern England was carefully dismantled and shipped to Chicago. It was then reconstructed here on the top floor of one of Chicago's early office towers. Paintings and furnishings from the original pub grace the interior today. From within the stately decor of the club, members have watched the city's skyline evolve into a 21st-century metropolis. The intimate space opens onto an open-air terrace with fabulous views.VISITOR EXPERIENCEWarm up in the cozy fireplace lounge of this transplanted pub, then check out the views from the rooftop terrace.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information about Open House Chicago, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://openhousechicago.org">openhousechicago.org</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Open House Chicago 2019: Behind the Scenes in Historic Homes, Boathouses, Design Offices and More

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/lwmsordo8pjup7auqd7g.gif"></figure><h2>Christie’s to Offer Art Collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf</h2>&nbsp;The multi-category collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf, with an estimated total value of $50 million, will be offered across a series of sales at Christie’s New York beginning November 2019 and continuing into 2020.During their lifetime, the Alsdorfs operated an export and investment business based in Chicago, and James served as president of the Cory Corp., the largest manufacturer of glass coffee equipment that later sold to Hershey Food Corp.By Fang Block, PENTA<a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/christies-to-offer-art-collection-of-james-and-marilynn-alsdorf-01569616623">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/iesvgikmrrermu74j9xb.gif"></figure><h2>What Sold at Expo Chicago</h2>&nbsp;Over its lifetime, and under the leadership of director Tony Karman, Expo Chicago has grown a reputation as a fair where galleries expect to receive institutional support, thereby helping to grow new audiences for their artists. For many, this year did not disappoint.By Claire Voon, ARTSY<a href="https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-sold-expo-chicago-09-23-19">Read More</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/axdboknrnwr8octiwu8v.gif"></figure><h2>A future-focused Chicago relies on a new class of collectors</h2>&nbsp;Although top prices were hard to come by at Expo, high-earning young collectors are shoring up the middle market in the Windy City.By Margaret Carrigan, The Art Newspaper<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/analysis/keeping-up-art-fair-appearances">Read More</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

News From Around the Art World: September 30, 2019

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/na4a9dvfyvmma3q36zkj.gif"><figcaption>Jim Nutt (American, b. 1938), Plume, 1989, acrylic on canvas in acrylic on wood frame, signed Jim Nutt, titled, dated and annotated (verso), 25 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches., Property from a Corporate Art Collection</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Via PRHindman’s September 26 Post War and Contemporary Art sale realized over $3.4 million and was led by an extraordinary session of rare and outstanding paintings by the Hairy Who? and the Chicago Imagists that surpassed presale estimates and broke four global auction records. This session included the top selling lot of the sale, Jim Nutt’s Plume, which realized $516,500 against a presale estimate of $200,000- $400,000. The painting broke a global record, being the most expensive work ever sold at auction by the artist.Other Chicago Imagists realizing global records include Gladys Nilsson, Karl Wirsum, and Art Green. Gladys Nilsson’s Dipdick...Adam and Eve after Cranach shattered expectations realizing $324,500 against a presale estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Karl Wirsum’s Doggerel III realized over triple its high estimate, selling for $212,500. Guarded Irregularities by Art Green, sold for almost double its presale estimate, realizing $45,000.Zack Wirsum,Senior Specialist of Post War and Contemporary Art, stated: “We are absolutely over the moon about the prices that the works by Hairy Who? and Chicago Imagists brought today. To be in a position to continue to set new precedents for the auction prices of these artists fills us with hometown pride. The entire auction was gangbusters with the majority of the lots offered selling above or towards the high end of the estimate, it was a truly phenomenal day in the Hindman salesroom.”More highlights from the sale include Larry Poons Untitled, which carried a presale estimate of $30,000 - $50,000 and sold for $131,250 and Personajes con Pajaro Negro by Wifredo Lam which realized $200,000 against a presale estimate of $40,000- $60,000.The Post War and Contemporary Art sale was immediately followed by Hindman’s Prints and Multiples auction, which was led by a strong session of Alexander Calder lithographs from the Terrance J. Dimoff Charitable Remainder Trust.&nbsp; This rare group realized $89,250, exceeding the high estimate for the collection.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Additional highlights of the Prints and Multiples auction include Helen Frankenthaler’s Tales of Genji I which sold for $57,500 against an estimate of $30,000-$50,000 and a pair of Frank Stella relief collages which sold for $11,875 and $11,250 respectively. The Pop Session included a Roy Lichtenstein’s Crak! which sold for $15,000.&nbsp;About HindmanHindman is one of the nation’s leading fine art auction houses connecting cities nationwide to the global art market and providing expertise across all categories, sales channels and price points. Hindman operates more salerooms in the United States than any other auction house and conducts over 100 auctions a year in categories such as fine jewelry and timepieces, contemporary art, 20th century design, rare books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, couture, Asian works of art, Arts of the American west, numismatics, and more. Hindman was formed through the acquisition of two premier auction houses, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (est.1982) and Cowan’s Auctions (est. 1995). Headquartered in Chicago, Hindman is home to 150 employees, with additional offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Milwaukee, Naples, Palm Beach, Scottsdale and St. Louis. Visit <a href="https://u56787.ct.sendgrid.net/wf/click?upn=v5lWRLEoCuLoaiW6Ro-2FnIwXrCD3S11Z9KzXPCdGMeV0PXaZ7R8mNfpJ5MjBCYna04Xi0fL5BQkyzpz9-2B6KEDSO6BF31TCcA6f-2BiL4MRV-2B7yAXVDUVcJiggVqt1YSRZzH_ccrt5mFyEURAsnSxeCM5PPo2atdxAGCaQlH-2BxhBeC2CXdtoRskmbVfOZI162ow-2FcFbRvHHXvmWFsiOTp9XtEo0OjuX5EiD9Xmkg0NMXMseSqJfGfvKODe-2BrRsRJfYT5bLsiAzslUmBNFRG0POEutUlVPTBarmbDXPSAbftOyIfAb8T-2BPHORD2vxurGEbARdboBgnf8h6CC54yT8-2B2MHqB4DYDCMqelKneR1HpqGcXTrBjuvRdMla8dMwn8Z7Z-2Fs58ErE4fPudy1FwDoSsMODtP9Y8YJIESw0HmEhWQXMyORmyayg7ZY-2BVH8b-2F0SHioBnE-2FPcDokULcU8oOumGPt2YPRSY7Ll8vkAIc3FhIkfPkD-2FhGESlhdrn5ODTO-2F6-2FP9gArh4bzYyLWOC74aVhxg2-2FHKOJVSoYCnQHn1rexstkQY5NH7Y4VBd8gFBUD76c8nGKJD-2BbFObmk7L-2BXRvPFi0qQ-3D-3D">hindmanauctions.com</a> for more information.&nbsp;</body></html>

Global Records Set for 4 Hairy Who? Chicago Artists at Hindman Auction

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/qtbberlqfmwkvq4f8yh7.gif"><figcaption>Jeffrey Gibson, Courtesy John D. &amp; Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By CGN Staff via PRArtist&nbsp;Jeffrey Gibson was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant this week.Gibson combines Native American traditions with the visual languages of Modernism to explore the contemporary confluence of personal identity, culture, history, and international social narratives. Gibson is a member of the Chocktaw and Cherokee nations. He currently lives and works in Hudson, New York.&nbsp; Growing up, Gibson traveled extensively with his family, living for long periods of time in Germany, Korea, and the United States. While moving from place to place, he found solace and friendship in the music scene, at various times exploring the sounds and social traditions of the punk and rave music of his generation, and the PowWow traditions of his native heritage. These influences helped him to contextualize the power of costume as objects that can transform the wearer, and helped him understand the contemporary desire to be able to take agency over our own identities.Gibson is represented in Chicago by Kavi Gupta Gallery. An exhibition of his work, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jeffery-gibson-can-you-feel-it">Can You Feel It</a>, opened at the gallery's Elizabeth St. location on September 20 and continues through October 19.More info on Gibson and the award is <a href="https://www.macfound.org/fellows/1036/">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/kbxoxike4bstrw5x8em7.gif"><figcaption>Emmanuel Pratt, CourtesyJohn D. &amp; Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Chicago urban designer Emmanuel Pratt was also named to the fellowship.Pratt studied architecture and urban design at Cornell and Columbia Universities and co-founded and serves as executive director of the <a href="https://www.sweetwaterfoundation.com/">Sweet Water Foundation</a>. Pratt was also the 2017–2018 Interpreter in Residence at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where he hosted a series of intimate dinners across Chicago beginning in <a href="https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/emmanuel-pratt-radical-reconstructions/">Radical [Re]Constructions</a>, his site-specific Threshold installation at the Museum. Each dinner featured nutritious, locally grown food from Sweet Water Foundation and examined a different theme connected to Radical [Re]Constructions: housing, work, health, and education. The interdisciplinary series convened a curated group of diverse individuals around a common table, from the team at Sweet Water Foundation to artists, scholars, practitioners, and civic and community leaders.“One of the challenges on the South Side and West Side of Chicago is there’s been a depletion of resources, access to capital,” said Pratt in a <a href="https://youtu.be/KN5gvObB6qo">MacArthur Foundation video</a>. “So a lot of times we don’t start with the dollars and the capital. We start with what assets are there: what humans are there, what spaces are available.”More info on Pratt and the award is <a href="https://www.macfound.org/fellows/1047/#photos">here</a>.&nbsp;The MacArthur Fellows Program is intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations. In keeping with this purpose, the Foundation awards fellowships directly to individuals rather than through institutions. Recipients may be writers, scientists, artists, social scientists, humanists, teachers, entrepreneurs, or those in other fields, with or without institutional affiliations. They may use their fellowship to advance their expertise, engage in bold new work, or, if they wish, to change fields or alter the direction of their careers.Although nominees are reviewed for their achievements, the fellowship is not a lifetime achievement award, but rather an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential. Indeed, the purpose of the MacArthur Fellows Program is to enable recipients to exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society.The Foundation does not require or expect specific products or reports from MacArthur Fellows and does not evaluate recipients' creativity during the term of the fellowship. The MacArthur Fellowship is a "no strings attached" award in support of people, not projects. Each fellowship comes with a stipend of $625,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years.About this year’s winners, Foundation President John Palfrey said, “From addressing the consequences of climate change to furthering our understanding of human behavior to fusing&nbsp;forms of artistic expression, this year’s 26 extraordinary MacArthur Fellows demonstrate the&nbsp;power of individual creativity to reframe old problems, spur reflection, create new knowledge,&nbsp;and better the world for everyone. They give us reason for hope, and they inspire us all to follow&nbsp;our own creative instincts.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

MacArthur Foundation Genius Grants: Artist and Designer with Chicago Ties Among 2019 Recipients

EXPO CHICAGO Announces Numbers From 8th Edition

<html><head></head><body>By CGN via PR<a href="https://www.govst.edu/Nathan_manilow_Sculpture_Park/">The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park</a> at <a href="https://www.govst.edu/">Governors State University</a> (GSU) hosted its annual benefit—Sculpture, Wine and Dine— on the evening of September 14 attracting more than 300 guests who dined under the stars amidst the park’s unparalleled collection, and experienced artist meet-and-greets, golf-cart and self-guided tours of the park, and a speaking program with campus and park leadership.Heralded as one of the top sculpture parks in the world, the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park holds a collection of more than 30 master works of large-scale sculpture situated within 100 acres of prairie landscape at Governors State University. This “museum-in-the-prairie” is free and open to the public 365 days a year.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/qs45rdzade5kkozyjapm.gif"></figure>Announced at the event, the newly established Lewis Manilow Common Ground Initiative—named after the park’s founder, philanthropist, and University Park and Park Forest developer—will serve as a dedicated fund to support arts education for the community. The initiative will make it possible for additional school children and youth groups to make regular visits to theNate and to learn from the experience.“Governors State University is proud that our campus is an internationally recognized Sculpture Park. In fact, Lew Manilow invited sculptors to create artistic works here even before GSU was officially a university. We can think of no better way to honor Lew Manilow than to establish the Lewis Manilow Common Ground Initiative to unite our community through art—from Frankfort to Ford Heights to Millennium Park,” said GSU President Elaine P. Maimon.The event hosted several of the artists represented in the collection, including Mike Baur, Michael Dunbar, Ted Sitting Crow Garner, Richard Hunt, Terrence Karpowicz, Richard Rezac, Christine Tarkowski, Tony Tasset, and Barry Tinsley who mingled with guests and shared insights on their works within the collection. The event also celebrated the park’s recent new addition, “Rudder,” a long-term loan by sculpture artist Neil Goodman, as well as a number of recent restorations and a sculpture relocation.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/nncoryiyzk1kcgjbfye1.gif"></figure>“Sculpture, Wine and Dine is always an exceptional arts and culture event, but this year’s gathering is made extra special as we celebrate the establishment of the Lewis Manilow Common Ground Initiative, as well as a considerable number of developments within the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park’s collection,” said Jeff Stevenson, Director and Curator of the park. “Just this summer, theNate has restored several of its sculptures, and relocated ‘Lanleff-Demure No. 4’ by French Artist Henri Etienne-Martin, which was the result of a student-led and crowd-funded campaign in support of the sculpture. It’s these types of community-led improvements that make theNate a truly special place to visit, and we’re thrilled at the support we receive each year through Sculpture, Wine and Dine.”This year’s Sculpture, Wine and Dine event is also a core component of <a href="www.govst.edu">Governors State University’s</a> celebration of 50 years of education and excellence.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/okjxrduo7lgrqcoocul7.gif"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Alfresco Dining Among Art Benefits Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/nystzkkupop8izuqxrll.gif"><figcaption>Brown utilizes Instagram as a tool for collecting tableaus for clients and followers</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAJenny Brown once had the most glamorous internship you could have, back in the late 1990s: a stint at Sotheby’s in Chicago. Every day, she remembers took the train downtown from Lake Forest, looked forward to her sushi lunch break, and she didn’t get paid.&nbsp;For some today the lack of pay might cause a millennial mutiny, but at the time, something more scandalous, and worthy of a top secret all-company meeting – including interns – was the corporate announcement that Sotheby’s would soon launch a website.Brown remembers, “Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God! That’s so tacky! Sotheby’s needs a website? Really?’”With an art history major and a minor in classics, she relished the chance to be in the city every day. Working in the different auction departments, writing catalogue descriptions, and just being around an endless array of beautiful things was a creatively fulfilling proximity Brown has managed to string out and develop for 20 years. Today she has her own interior design firm, <a href="https://jennybrown.com/">Jenny Brown Designs</a>, based in Chicago.Though her time in the auction world was brief, it was the first of several steps that helped Brown hone a multifaceted professional role in a creative world.The summer after interning at Sotheby’s, Brown worked for art dealer Robert Henry Adams in his eponymous &nbsp;River North gallery on Franklin Street. She recalls “That was a different experience, since they weren’t dealing with contemporary art and they were focused on Chicago artists and mostly art from the early 19 century. He was just such a lovely person, and working for him gave me exposure to the art world and being in that neighborhood. I would run all over as the errand girl, and I lived for it.”Two decades later, Brown regularly exposes her own two young boys to art in Chicago and during family travels. The effort continues, to an extent, where her design projects are concerned. “I encourage clients to look at art that’s original and that they like, and I love to do it together. Since I know it’s personal, sometimes the art comes after a project is finished, when the client is on their own. There’s an old saying that you don’t want to match your art to your curtains.” Ultimately art in a home can work best when it’s not part of a check list for a design project.*Brown says she’s always been interested in precious objects as well as art, and each of those summer jobs opened up the world a little more for her, carrying her from hobbies to a profession. “I have always loved bring creative – I would spend all my money as a kid on crafts, for instance. Then I would go around to garage sales and street fairs when I was a little older. And even now I still stash all sorts of things, until I know where they will go, though I hesitate to amass inventory.”From lingering in random stores to driving around and pulling over for used furniture, developing an eye by looking for surprises has always been fulfilling, Brown admits. Behind-the-scenes access to livable spaces, as well as a desire to fine tune personal surroundings, inspire Brown’s treasure hunts.Thinking about her earliest jobs, Brown says, “Growing up I loved babysitting, because I liked kids, making money and going around to see houses. I loved seeing how people live and visiting new places. You never know what is going to stay with you.”&nbsp;While she was studying art history in college, as well as living abroad, in each place she was rearranging her bedroom. “I would put the desk here, and the sofa here, and I’d go out and get a tapestry from Urban Outfitters.” She enjoyed figuring out a space. “I had all these sketches back to when I would set up my dorm room, so I started to realize this is what I could do.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/zmjx15oxv6kuftxrpcy2.gif"><figcaption>While she doesn’t advocate art matching the curtains, Brown often cleverly coordinates her own outfits to interiors and houses in her Instagram posts</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Brown’s professional ah-ha moment came when her mother rented an apartment in Chicago. Able to spend more time in the city, she recalls, “I’d go on gallery walks, or I’d pop into these little home stores – there were so many then – and I remember buying these marble coasters and thinking how good they looked with a certain table.”Her former co-workers had sneered at decorators. “It was like they were the devil. People would say they didn’t appreciate the art, or that they just wanted it to match something,” she explains. Brown was not discouraged, as she began to realize that because she loved bringing objects and spaces together, it could be her profession.In high school Brown read that Bill Gates started subscribing to Forbes when he was 15, so she sent away for Architectural Digest. When she wanted to move to San Francisco after college, she flipped through the pages of an issue of AD, sent her resume to the California firms listed in the back and landed a job.&nbsp;Her first day of work was September 10, 2001. Two years later a round of layoffs left Brown with an opportunity to return home, where she would encounter her next major break: the chance to work for designer Alessandra Branca’s firm in Chicago. Coming from the West Coast, where many major companies were run by men, entering Branca’s 100% women-run, black and white toile covered office excited Brown. The initial disappointment of leaving San Francisco gave way to the joy of a new life in Chicago.After more than six years working for Branca, where Brown gained invaluable exposure working for such a highly respected name in design, she was ready for another step after her first son was born in 2010. “It was too much to go back to work right away, but in the back of my mind I was always thinking this would be a good job to do on my own. If you have the experience and are a self starter, there are so many benefits. It’s been very rewarding.”&nbsp;As for what’s next Brown says, “I like keeping my business small. Right now my boys are still little, so let’s see where it goes. 10 years from now, who knows?”Follow Brown on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jennybrowndesigns/">@JennyBrownDesigns</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Designer Jenny Brown's Creative Discernment 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/tkssuhrlhyfelcnep3h0.png"><figcaption>Navy Pier on Lake Michigan in Chicago, the home of Expo Chicago. Courtesy Choose Chicago.</figcaption></figure><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Big Galleries in the Windy City: Expo Chicago Welcomes a Slew of Power Dealers to the Midwest’s Biggest Fair</h3>&nbsp;The event, now in its eight edition, offers a calmer alternative to elbow-thrashing fairs in New York or Miami.By Nate Freeman, Artnet<a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/expo-chicago-2019-1656568?utm_content=from_&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=US%20Morning%20News%209%2F20%2F19%2010%20a.m.&amp;utm_term=New%20US%20Newsletter%20List">Read More</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/r9am9jaeftsxjoscprdk.jpg"><figcaption>Edward Kemeyss' Lions welcome visitors to The Art Institute of Chicago Courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago</figcaption></figure><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Making the Art Institute of Chicago a more inclusive place is about more than just architecture</h3>&nbsp;The museum’s director James Rondeau on why the institution is bringing Barcelona architects Barozzi Veiga on board to rethink the whole campusBy James Rondeau, The Art Newspaper<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/comment/making-the-art-institute-of-chicago-a-more-inclusive-place-is-about-more-than-just-architecture">Read More</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/uwoz06al6aptkgcc9toi.jpg"><figcaption>LaToya Ruby Frazier, Mindy Miller standing with fellow Auto Warehouse Company ironworkers and the last Cruze in the GM Lordstown Plant Complex at 2300 Hallock-Young Road (11 years in at AWC), Lordstown OH, from “The Last Cruze,” 2019. Courtesy the artist.</figcaption></figure><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>‘No One Was Going to Pay Attention’: As GM Auto Workers Strike in Ohio, LaToya Ruby Frazier Debuts Photos of Union Laborers in&nbsp;Chicago</h3>&nbsp;On a frigid afternoon last March, LaToya Ruby Frazier was taking photographs some 1,500 feet in the air above the Lordstown General Motors complex. Strapped into a helicopter, she carefully trained her heavy 600-millimeter lens on her mark below: a white Chevrolet Cruze surrounded by workers from the Auto Warehousing Company waving signs. The largest of the signs, dense with signatures, read in bold letters, “THE LAST CRUZE.”By Claire Voon, ARTNEWS<a href="http://www.artnews.com/2019/09/19/latoya-ruby-frazier-gm-union-workers/">Read More</a>Note: Frazier's exhibition, The Last Cruze, is on view at the <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/latoya-ruby-frazier-the-last-cruze">Renaissance Society</a> thru December 1, 2019. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418613/kcv4uutbwppahtuoee6z.jpg"><figcaption>Mariane Ibrahim joins a growing contemporary art scene in Chicago with her new gallery in the city's West Town neighborhood. Photography by Philip Newton. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.</figcaption></figure><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>‘You Have to Create the Market’: Dealer Mariane Ibrahim on Moving to Chicago and Promoting Artists From Africa, Its Diaspora, and Beyond</h3>&nbsp;Mariane Ibrahim's new 5,000 square-foot space results from a much longer journey than her move from Seattle to Illinois.By Tim Schneider, Artnet<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mariane-ibrahim-gallery-chicago-1652671">Read More</a>Note: read CGN's fall 2019 interview with Ibrahim <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/8/mariane-ibrahim-a-west-coast-gallery-moves-to-chicago-for-its-authenticity">here</a></body></html>

News From Around the Art World: September 20, 2019

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;The September weekend openings continue as the month moves on and we are deeper into the fall. This weekend there are several notable shows opening, and there are also many more receptions taking place citywide as part of EXPO CHICAGO's <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/expo-art-after-hours-gallery-night-28b29d1d-be37-44d0-9799-294f77884b80">Art After Hours</a>.&nbsp;Below for you are the&nbsp;highlights from this coming weekend&nbsp;around the city. Also, in addition to EXPO on Navy Pier, don't forget to check out the new <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/chicago-invitational-presented-by-nada">Chicago Invitational</a>, as well as the <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/american-craft-exposition--2">American Craft Exposition</a> and <a href="http://filterphoto.org/filter-festival/">Filter Photo Festival</a>.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-architecture-biennial">Chicago Architecture Biennial</a> has also just opened this week at the Chicago Cultural Center, and it's on view through the end of the year.&nbsp;View our <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events?filter=all">full calendar of events</a> to see all that is happening, and we will see you at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/expo-chicago">EXPO CHICAGO</a>.&nbsp;See you in the galleries!&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/gjc0ctsedddiwt4p7eup.png"><figcaption>Glenn Ligon, Study for Negro Sunshine #88, 2012,&nbsp;oil stick, coal dust and gesso on paper, 12 x 9 inches (30.5 x 22.9 cm)&nbsp;;&nbsp;Collection of Beth DeWoody, NY, Photographer Credit: Luhring Augustine© Glenn Ligon; Courtesy of the artist, Hauser &amp; Wirth, New York, Regen Projects, Los Angeles, Thomas Dane Gallery, London and Chantal Crousel, Paris</figcaption></figure><h3>In The Absence of Light: Gesture, Humor and Resistance in The Black Aesthetic</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/in-the-absence-of-light-gesture-humor-and-resistance-in-the-black-aesthetic">Stony Island Arts Bank</a>Opening Thursday, September 19.&nbsp;6760 S. Stony Island Avenue, ChicagoOrganized by Theaster Gates, in collaboration with Beth Rudin DeWoody and Laura Dvorkin, this exhibition seeks to bring together artistic practices that not only reveal some sense of interiority, but by their very nature, reflect distance through laughter, painting gesture and isolation.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/incugkmzyecq0bovdehq.gif"><figcaption>Michiko Itatani</figcaption></figure><h3>Faculty Projects</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/faculty-projects">Sullivan Galleries at SAIC</a>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;33 S. State Street, 7th floor, ChicagoFaculty Projects is an annual exhibition that presents work by SAIC Faculty who have recently completed sabbatical and other leave projects, or who are retiring. By sharing their current work with the School community, faculty can communicate how their research and practices relate to the local, national, and international art and design communities. Featuring work by Christopher Baker, Susanna Coffey, Shawn Decker, Richard Deutsch, Andy Hall, Michiko Itatani, Ginger Krebs, Shaurya Kumar, Kirsten Leenaars, Joan Livingstone, Adelheid Mers, Mary Patten, Kerry Richardson, and Shawn Michelle Smith.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/poqdv7zlyjyrymz7r1gq.jpg"></figure><h3>III: Annual Members Exhibition</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/iii-annual-members-exhibition">Filter Photo</a>Opening Thursday, September 19.&nbsp;1821 W Hubbard, Ste. 207, ChicagoFilter Photo is pleased to present&nbsp;III, our third annual Members exhibition, juried by Aline Smithson.&nbsp;5 artists were chosen among the submissions for the exhibition at Fogelson Studio.&nbsp; All the submissions can be seen in the online exhibition.&nbsp; Join us for a public reception concurrent with our other exhibitions, <a href="http://filterphoto.org/portfolio/seeing-the-familiar-for-the-first-time/">Seeing the familiar for the first time</a>, and <a href="http://filterphoto.org/portfolio/the-universal/">The Universal</a> on September 20th, 6 – 9 pm during the <a href="http://filterphoto.org/filter-festival/">2019 Filter Photo Festival</a> and Expo Chicago’s Art After Hours.From 6:30pm – 8:30pm there will be The Slide Ride Food Truck in the parking lot of the Hubbard St Lofts.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418613/njg9pfk4hj3nvktxt7kf.png"><figcaption>Ayana V. Jackson</figcaption></figure><h3>Ayana V. Jackson: Take Me To The Water</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/ayana-v-jackson-take-me-to-the-water">Mariane Ibrahim Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;437 N. Paulina St., ChicagoTake Me to the Water&nbsp;presents a holistic survey of Jackson’s work to date, a culmination of varied discursive elements present in Jackson’s more than a decade long career. These portraits and movement studies offer a sense of the breadth of her practice, while at the same time taking her into new territories with regard to the range of her performances.Jackson has used the archival impulse to assess the impact of the colonial gaze on the history of photography and its relationship to ideas about the body. She uses her lens to deconstruct 19th and early 20th century portraiture&nbsp; as a means for questioning photography’s role in constructing identities. Her thesis is further complicated by the presence of the artist’s figure. She uses her own body to perform the characters with whom she concerns herself.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418614/vjhxabidptivimlgrjxe.jpg"><figcaption>Jeffery Gibson</figcaption></figure><h3>Jeffery Gibson: Can You Feel It</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jeffery-gibson-can-you-feel-it">Kavi Gupta Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;219 N. Elizabeth St., ChicagoJeffrey Gibson combines Native American traditions with the visual languages of Modernism to explore the contemporary confluence of personal identity, culture, history, and international social narratives. Gibson is a member of the Chocktaw and Cherokee nations. Gibson’s multicultural perspective informed his study of art history, and helped him to develop a personal style that has manifested across several dynamic and diverse bodies of work, in which traditional native materials like animal hides, beads, and tipi poles intermingle with modern mediums like spray paint, acrylics, ceramic and tape. One of his most recognized series involves punching bags that Gibson deftly transforms into aesthetic totems.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418615/s270beb4ypiawnnxcyy5.png"></figure><h3>Outside the Practice II&nbsp;</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/outside-the-practice-ii">Bridgeport Art Center</a>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;1200 W. 35th St., ChicagoIn OUTside THE PRACTICE: MONUMENTS AND PLACES OF MEMORY, Chicago-based architects and designers present distinctive and original visions on the topic, relieved of the constraints of conventional architectural practice.Curated by Stephen Wierzbowski, FAIA, Edward Keegan, AIA, and Lelde Kalmite, works include drawings, paintings, sculptures, photography, watercolors, installations, mixed media, and sketchbooks. Presented by the Bridgeport Art Center, the exhibit is a partner program of the Chicago Architecture Biennial and sponsored by AIA Chicago.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418616/r5x9vzh2pfr2qx3mpnle.png"></figure><h3>Studio Oleomingus: Notes in the Margins of History</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/studio-oleomingus-notes-in-the-margins-of-history-8f9d3210-7e30-4671-a063-42f6a15ae51e">Video Game Art Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;2418 W Bloomingdale Ave., #101, ChicagoBased out of Chala, India, Studio Oleomingus is a two-person game studio known for their visually stunning and narrative-driven games and about the history of India, post-colonialism, and a generative approach toward blending fact and fiction. This exhibition brings together the various parts of Somewhere, a ongoing video game epic in several episodes. Somewhere is a videogame adaptation of an anthology by the Gujarati playwright Mir UmarHassan, about the search for a mythical city called Kayamgadh. Set in nineteenth-century British colonial India, it traces the lives of several people as they search for a fabled journal that charts a route to Kayamgadh. This exhibition will be Oleomingus’ first in America and will include debut work that has not been previously released to the public.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418617/amld3aje8y4i3inrqshg.png"><figcaption> Serious Topics presents a densely curated booth of 23 artists in 3 days at BARELY FAIR</figcaption></figure><h3><a href="https://www.barelyfair.com/">BARELY FAIR&nbsp;</a></h3>Opening Friday, September 20.&nbsp;3311 W. Carroll Ave., ChicagoBARELY FAIR is a miniature art fair hosted by <a href="http://www.juliuscaesarchicago.net/">Julius Caesar</a>. The fair presents a tiny peek inside the programming of two dozen contemporary art galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects during EXPO Art Week in Chicago. Included spaces will exhibit works in 1:12 scale booths built to mimic the design of a standard fair.BARELY FAIR opens with a vernissage on Friday, September 20, 6–10pm and the fair will run daily through the weekend and be open for weekly gallery hours and by appointment&nbsp;through October 20th.&nbsp; VERNISSAGE<h3>&nbsp;</h3></body></html>

New Gallery Shows Open Art Fair Weekend

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418610/eypw8flqvb0yu0deeipq.gif"><figcaption>A visitor talks to the dealer from Proyectos Ultravioleta of Guatemala City&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAOn a picture perfect Chicago morning in the city's most photogenic part of downtown, the nonprofit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newartdealers.org/">New Art Dealers Alliance</a> debuted the Chicago Invitational at the restored Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, one year after it <a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/nada-new-york-shuts-down-1330418">cancelled</a> its New York fair. At the time NADA announced the new fair, it was a win for Chicago, but the reality is even better.The fair opened to VIPS at 10am, one day before EXPO Chicago's Vernissage, just a mile away on Navy Pier. I made my way through hotel guests and young professionals popping into the CAA for coffee to walk the first of three floors of the exposition. Running September 18-21, the Invitational overlaps with but is distinct from EXPO.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418611/mtnfgfvj0wm0hd19svr8.gif"></figure>&nbsp;The addition of a new fair in the city with a commitment to newer voices and unconventional initiatives in the art community will broaden the scope and appeal of events taking place during this busy time in Chicago and build on and extend the profile of the city as a hub for contemporary art and culture.&nbsp;Earlier this year NADA Executive Director Heather Hubbs said, “Historically, Chicago has been a hotbed of artist-run galleries and alternative spaces. The city then and now embodies the experimental spirit of NADA, and we look forward to connecting our exhibitors with this audience.“The fair takes place in various spaces throughout the iconic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, with a curated selection of galleries in the hotel’s historic Stagg Court and Tank spaces, and a takeover of 13 hotel rooms on the fourth floor. Word spread throughout the fair on Wednesday morning that though dealers were given the option to have the room beds removed for a $120 fee, most opted to work with the beds in the room and to fully work within the confines of a hotel fair. In the larger, some what more conventional spaces with side-by-side gallery booths on the first as well as the fourth floor, dealers featured solo shows as well as gallery selections. CGN's highlights are shown below.&nbsp;Fair organizers emphasize that the inaugural edition of the Chicago Invitational further exemplifies NADA’s expanded commitment to year-round programming and producing alternatives for galleries to exhibit artwork in a new setting. NADA recently held the New York Gallery Open, a new initiative designed to bring visitors and collectors to over 50 art spaces across New York City for public tours, talks, and performances, and NADA House, the organization’s second off-site exhibition on Governors Island, which was recently on view from May through August 2019.<a href="https://www.newartdealers.org/fairs/2019/chicago">The Chicago Invitational</a> runs through September 21, 2019 at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel at 12 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418612/axlxcrgdnnmvvmdkfqdd.gif"><figcaption>Et al. Gallery from San Francisco featured Brook Hsu's verdant lucite boxes placed atop crisp white pillowcases and sheets, with coordinating framed see-through menu panels pasted to east facing windows overlooking Millennium Park.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418613/fbik1xnpkju0qv9jqh7l.gif"><figcaption>Floral still lifes by Shana Sharp of Good Weather Gallery from Little Rock, Arkansas stood in for real flower arrangements as well as in place of clothing that otherwise would be hanging in the closet. At the bottom is another panel by Brook Hsu.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418614/t1haflhogr4dpfejqxub.gif"><figcaption>Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, displayed a mega-sized pair of black pants by artist Amanda Ross Ho across most of a king-sized bed.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418615/dhtf4av6lmsa4mii9iwu.gif"><figcaption>Misako &amp; Rosen Gallery of Tokyo featured a cheeky white canvas with blue painted letters that stated "Oil on Canvas" by Ken Kagami.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418616/q0kafs3hku55kegmmngk.gif"><figcaption>Galerie Christian Lethert, &nbsp;from Cologne, Germany displayed a series of small scale, framed color collages made from acrylic on plastic film by Imi Knoebel.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418617/lmnvppug3bl0lpdhycbv.gif"><figcaption>Chicago-based DOCUMENT hung a series of embossed monotypes by Elizabeth Atterbury on its outer wall, while inside they featured a selection of work by gallery artists, including several photographs.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418618/cfghf4evtdjliokigbwy.gif"><figcaption>Proyectos Ultravioleta of Guatemala City curated a booth full of small collages made out of magazine cutouts by Viennese artist Elisabeth Wild, who is 97 years of age.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418619/de4el0qhuf37vw7qyebx.gif"><figcaption>Regards showed work by artists such as Judith Geichman and Devin T. Mays, as well as John Pittman's The Mondrian Trio, made of Alkyd/Wood with concave strips of primary color carved out of each beige block of resin.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418620/enrntgktrgqn0pfgmoy2.gif"><figcaption>PATRON, also from Chicago, mixed two and three dimensional work. The center of the booth features an installation of three works by Alex Chitty, Linnet I, II and III, which trace the flight patterns of the common linnet bird in constructions made from powder, coated steel and cast aluminum.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

NADA's First Chicago Fair Invites Viewers to Engage With Art

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/hifiruoox1adsd7eyria.gif"><figcaption>Designed by Vexels.com</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By CGN StaffAs collector Bob Buford explains <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/9/collector-robert-buford-embracing-the-connectivity-of-art">in our interview with him</a> for this issue planning is key to navigating the art world and making the most of art buying. Whether you are coming to an art fair to buy or are just curious to see what is happening, there are a few tips to keep in mind in order to avoid an overload ‘fair-tigue’ that could send you running for Netflix and the anti-social cover of your couch this fall.&nbsp;We promise getting out of the house will be worth it! &nbsp;<h3>CGN’s Art Fair Prep Tips: How To Focus On The Art</h3>&nbsp;• Map it out.Pick up a floor plan or use art fair websites to highlight which booths are where so you can prioritize what to see first. Headed to the galleries? Use CGN’s gallery maps to find out where to go and what else is nearby.• Ask questions.&nbsp;Like what you see? Ask for more. A dealer can steer you to their local space or browse their website with you to show you more works by a particular artist or art by another artist you might also like.• Learn.Art fairs offer unique, high-caliber programming, both on and off-site, such as artist panels and topics about industry news or art practices. You won’t have access to so many experts in one place any other time of the year.• Take notes.Buy a catalogue and mark it up or flag the pages with things to follow up or artists to research.• Keep in touch.Subscribe to the art fair’s mailing list or let a dealer know you want to keep up with their news and exhibitions. Next year you may snag a VIP pass!• Slow Down.Visiting a booth for more than a minute or viewing a work of art sans phone will help you appreciate what you see.• Memorize the secret handshake.Just kidding! Art dealers are nice people! Artists want to meet you! You are not obligated to buy art.&nbsp;Stay focused on the art, and it might change your life. Once the fair is over, visit galleries, attend an art walk, join a museum group, or <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/print-subscriptions">subscribe to CGN</a>!&nbsp;<h3>Fall 2019's Art Fairs in Chicago</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/s2madkkaavqahqfgav2n.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/expo-chicago">EXPO CHICAGO</a></h3>September 19–22Navy Pier&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/uv8pesal5fuhl7yjh9vs.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/chicago-invitational-presented-by-nada">Chicago Invitational Presented by NADA</a></h3>September 18–21Chicago Athletic Association HotelRead CGN's preview <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/9/nada-s-first-chicago-fair-invites-viewers-to-engage-with-art">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/n0z4twnoyzcpvzoctixh.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/american-craft-exposition--2">American Craft Exposition</a></h3>September 19–22Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe ILRead CGN's preview announcement <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/8/september-s-american-craft-exposition-benefits-northshore-university-healthsystem-s-psychiatric-urgent-care-program">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/w12lr5qgrgpgldle9e5p.png"></figure><h3><a href="http://filterphoto.org/filter-festival/">Filter Photo Festival</a></h3>September 19–22Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel, Chicago&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/mlfpgg32rqn8exzyojvc.gif"></figure><h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/sofa-chicago">SOFA CHICAGO</a></h3>October 31–November 3Navy PierStay tuned for SOFA coverage later this fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418608/q0igebdn3snkkborkqd5.gif"></figure><h3><a href="http://cabf.no-coast.org/">Chicago Art Book Fair</a></h3>November 15–17Chicago Athletic Association Hotel&nbsp;More art fairs happen all year long, so bookmark our <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/services/art-fairs">Art Fairs</a> page for more info on what fairs, markets and special expositions are happening where and when.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art Fair Primer

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/zdtjn2ht2dpv4gsvev3b.gif"><figcaption>The top floor of Bob Buford’s home is devoted to art. Pictured from left to right are works by Martin Kippenberger, Laura Owens, Peter Halley, and Marc Camille Chaimowicz.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAWhen I took the elevator to collector Bob Buford’s apartment, I thought it was to the top of the building, since that’s where the floor numbers stopped. I soon learned that a series of opportunities over nearly ten years gave Mr. Buford access to several units above as well as next to the main one, ultimately creating a four story home in the sky, with 360° views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.Housed throughout this spacious urban refuge is a top tier art collection. After my arrival, I expected to start talking about how Bob first became interested in art and when he began to actively collect it, but as we walked through the apartment, passing dozens of paintings, through a library, by a wine cellar, into an office, we were distracted by what could be described as a “Lollapalooza Study Center.” The four-day music festival had just ended a few days prior, and Bob was at the center of all of it.Headphones still on the table, Bob admits, “I listened to nearly a thousand cuts before I went, plotting out each day of the event.” Bob’s methodical approach to navigating a sweltering, jammed music festival quickly revealed to me how he approaches something he is passionate about, filtering through a copious amount of information in order to explore more deeply what he likes. In the case of Lollapalooza, Bob made a loose plan that allowed for him to have fun putting himself into the world of the typical Lolla fan while learning as much as possible.Grabbing a binder filled with program sheets in plastic sleeves, Bob showed me the band line-ups for all four days, as well as the worksheets, heavily marked up in pencil, he spent 50 hours creating, indicating all the bands and the songs he listened to. He would assign a pre-grade to each band before attending the festival, and then an updated, final rating after he saw them perform.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/zwqacnvailbmdialxptp.gif"><figcaption>Buford is pictured in front of a framed triptych by Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992), Parasol, 1977, Oil on canvas, in 3 parts. Purchased through Sotheby's.</figcaption></figure>Whether it’s Lollapalooza, wine, or art Bob relies on extensive, personally conducted research to inform a sort of predictive analysis of his interests. By investing time and attention up front, he confidently lays out a plan. At Lollapalooza, his pre-grades determine which bands he will see and the route he needs to take to efficiently get there. To follow up, his summary of the event informs his music library and future concert attendance.When I asked if he applies this approach to art buying, he takes me to a closet lined with auction catalogs, each of which is flagged with dozens of page markers to indicate where his notes are.“When the auctions come up, especially during the big weeks, I’ll have several catalogs spread out in the kitchen.” Bob explains that, much like his pre-concert strategy, he always has an auction game plan: “I make a worksheet that will have a list of estimated values, preferences, and little notes.” Then he documents which auctions take place in the morning, afternoon and evening and at which houses (Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, for instance) so if he’s able to attend in person, he is prepared as the auctions unfold. On top of that, he plots which works of art he’s interested in. Eventually he records which pieces he purchased on the bottom of a summary sheet.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/ga1st0rkbooplq4padc8.gif"><figcaption>Bob’s library displays a trove of art books and catalogues related to the art in his collection. paintings pictured from left to right: Sam Gilliam, Fernand Léger, and Hans Hofmann</figcaption></figure>The first painting Bob ever bought at auction, in 1998, was by French artist Edouard Cortès, a Post–impressionist painter who painted European street scenes in the rain and at night. As he began to live with art, his knowledge of and appreciation for it grew.Over the next couple of years, Bob’s interest in art continued to grow, as he acquired additional 19th Century European and American paintings. From there he embraced Post–Impressionists, like Henri Lebasque and Henri Martin, as well as Fauve and Neo Impressionist works. He acquired art by German Expressionists, like Erich Heckel, and by Cubists, such as Jean Metzinger. In each area he was drawn to color, texture and vibrant presentationsAs we move more quickly through the apartment, the list of artists who are part of Bob’s collection grows more impressive and more modern. Everywhere there is color – in paintings by Kenneth Noland, and Larry Poons; on a large canvas by Helen Frankenthaler; and a vibrant Fauve by Kees van Dongen. The 1988, 12-part series entitled AIDS, by the activist Canadian trio General Idea, hangs in a row facing a brilliantly blue Lake Michigan. On another level is a print by Andy Warhol, with another Ellsworth Kelly print nearby. We stop to admire a stunning blue, geometric woodcut by Richard Diebenkorn, which Bob says his ex-wife, Tish, encouraged him to purchase in 2000 at Art Chicago, the predecessor to EXPO CHICAGO. He says while he was drawn to the blue palette, Tish saw much more in the work, which ultimately piqued Bob’s interest in more contemporary art.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/xz0xnly6z5n2i0dr3at8.gif"><figcaption>From left: Adolph Gottlieb, Beverly Fishman, Thomas Houseago, and Kennth Noland</figcaption></figure>Moving upwards through the floors, we see a few more sculptures. In a room with a pool table, a series of glazed, ceramic bottles by Michael Kaysen, purchased from 65Grand Gallery on North Avenue, are placed just a couple of feet from a striking round closed pot by Toshiko Takaezu. Tucked into an alcove is a pair of red and green, port-and-starboard-like vertical rectangles by Anne Truitt.As Bob rattles off more names of artists and galleries, he refers to professional-looking gallery labels placed next to each work, sometimes pausing to tell me a story about the art, such as the time a chunk of thick oil paint fell off of a Hans Hofmann, and it required attention from a conservator. There is so much to see and appreciate, it feels a little like dashing through a museum before closing time.The art in Bob’s home seems imbued with life, so much so that just because something is put away or moved to another location does not mean it’s forgotten. Much like the wines in his expansive cellar, the art in Bob’s collection continues to mature. The prospect of a new phase is part of the fun. Says Bob, “To make sure you catch it all, the process involves awareness, education and motivation.”The depth and significance of Bob’s collection today hides the fact that, as he says, the art world once passed him by, without anything more than a peripheral awareness. 30 years ago, he recalls, he used to feel as if he was an outsider among people speaking a different language.However, once Bob purchased a few of pieces of art and lived with them, he recalls, “The door opened a little bit, I was allowed to come in. And it wasn’t so dangerous, though the learning curve was steep, and never ending.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/knhwt4b776g2dcpdbsaa.gif"><figcaption>Edouard Cortès, Boulevard Montmartre</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Bob’s “Art 101” was 19th century European art, but his art buying continues to span a mix of periods, artists and mediums, eluding classification as a whole. For him, “It’s just opened up more rooms. I open up the door and go, ‘Whoa, this is nice. I want to know more.’”His curiosity piqued, he doesn’t hesitate to look for help understanding what is new for him. As Bob started to immerse himself in contemporary art, just a few years ago, he learned more and added to his collection. As new art continued to come home, he bought reference books to accompany the works and kept flagging the pages of auction catalogues. Constant communication with his friends in the art world has helped him learn holistically.With a growing knowledge and education, his earlier focus shifted forward in history into American post-war and contemporary art. As Bob’s awareness grew, so did his confidence and his exposure to a wider range of art.When I ask Bob how much of his collection has been acquired at auction, he says the majority. “The specialists at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, and Leslie Hindman have all been so informative and helpful. That’s how I learned. They’ve each become as much a partner and a consultant as salesman.”As Bob got his feet wet at auctions, he credits a few key friends, including his ex-wife Tish, Bill Gross of 65Grand Gallery, and associates at local museums, with advising him about acquiring work and helping him test drive an expanding body of knowledge.Bob is drawn to auctions because there’s a clear market history, and, as he puts it, the option to work with the houses on the buy side as well as on the sell side, should the need arise. “If you buy auctionable wines and you decide you don’t care for a particular region of the world of wine any more – for instance, you’re done with Bordeaux – you could consign it with Hart Davis Hart [a Chicago-based wine auction and company], sell it and even receive a return on your initial investment.” Bob’s experience with wine collecting made him realize the same could be true for art.Bob says he hasn’t reached the point where he’s outgrown a work of art and wanted to sell it. Instead, he relocates and rehangs art as needed, or whenever a new piece arrives at home. Often a newcomer alters the dynamic that familiar works create with one another. Sounding as if he’s talking about children he says, “It’s almost like they’re competing with one another for space on the wall. When art gets put in storage, you can hear whether it’s upset or not. It can’t stay there too long.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/btw2omd8o48lgsgwzwmr.gif"><figcaption>A trio of prints by Francis Bacon hang near a 12-part series entitled AIDS, by the Canadian artist collective General Idea</figcaption></figure>–I started to think about Billy Beane, who scouted for and managed the Oakland Athletics baseball team in the late 90s and became the inspiration for Michael Lewis’s book Moneyball and the follow-up film. Beane avidly mined statistics to identify undervalued ball players and ended up finding value others didn’t see. To me, while Bob is clear he’s not looking to profit from art collecting, his serious study of works coming up for&nbsp; auction is representative that, in addition to listening to the advice of friends and art colleagues, by assembling much of a star collection on the secondary art market, not only is some risk mitigated, but there is a corresponding resale market that helps Bob find and preserve value on his own terms.–Living with art is also social for Bob. His love of wine, and the space and versatility of his home, means he entertains often. With nearly floor to ceiling windows, two levels even have temporary or pivoting walls that allow for flexible exhibition space as needed.Whether it’s art, wine, food, music or travel, people from all walks of life can be connected. “All of a sudden, the door opens again, and a conversation begins. Art transcends all the professions,” says Bob. “It can fit in with people of every political persuasion, business background and age. No one’s excluded. Remember I mentioned I was afraid to walk in a room because I wouldn’t belong? It’s just the opposite, this is the most welcoming room you’ll ever get into.”&nbsp;</body></html>

Collector Robert Buford: Embracing the Connectivity of Art

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/aypu3heubjoue7njcomg.gif"></figure>&nbsp;By ALISON REILLYPhyllis Bramson is a veteran of the Chicago art scene, an accomplished arts educator, and a damn good painter. A self-described child of the 1940s and 50s, Bramson’s parents were avid collectors of Asian and erotic art, which greatly influenced her aesthetic vocabulary. This September, she has three exhibitions opening respectively at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, Elmhurst Art Museum, and The Suburban, which speaks to the depth of her connections to the city and her continued influence on contemporary art. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask her about her studio practice, her definition of Chicago Imagism, and her painting techniques. Bramson also reflected on her relationship with the late Jim Yood, the beloved Chicago art critic and writer. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation. &nbsp;Chicago Gallery News: What is your studio like?&nbsp;&nbsp;Phyllis Bramson: My studio is located in Greektown in Chicago, where I live during the week. &nbsp;It is not far away from downtown. I love urban life, access to galleries, and the School of the Art Institute (where I now advise graduate students). Before that, I&nbsp;taught for 23 years at the University of Illinois, Chicago, in their studio arts program. When I was there I&nbsp;just walked through an alley, because the building I taught in butted up&nbsp;against the building I still live in! CGN: How would you describe the pace that you work at in your studio? What is a typical day&nbsp;like?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I am essentially in my studio six days a week.&nbsp;A typical day is not a typical day. I&nbsp;don’t often know what is going to happen in a given day. A certain email, for example, can change everything, and that has been happening lately. Right now I have a lot to do, so I feel like&nbsp;I am constantly trying to play catch up with my work, and most important, there is a&nbsp;personal demand that I constantly&nbsp;progress with my practice.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/d4dscyqkaog1nqv2lo6g.gif"><figcaption>We All Share the Same Breath (Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs), 50" x 60", Mixed Media and Collage on Canvas, 2019&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: You have organized an exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum called&nbsp;What Came After&nbsp;that opens this September. In addition to your own work, the exhibition will include Nicolas Africano, Susanne Doremus, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Richard Hull, Michiko Itatani, Paul Lamantia, Robert Lostutter, Jim Lutes, Tony Phillips, David Sharpe, Hollis Sigler, Ken Warneke, Margaret Wharton, and Mary Lou Zelazny. As an artist, why is this exhibition important to you, and what do you hope to achieve by bringing this large group of painters together?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: The idea for this exhibition started when I began to notice that the Hairy Who, as a group, was getting a lot of well-deserved notice.&nbsp;Attention then spread to the Imagists, because in some articles and exhibitions, I would be mentioned as an Imagist, along with artists such as Robert Lostutter, Richard Hull and Paul Lamantia. However, while there was this intermingling of terms, which I willingly accept, there was another group of artists from essentially 1978–1998, sometimes&nbsp;referenced as the&nbsp;“Chicago School”&nbsp;that was part of the Chicago art scene as well. One of their main champions was the art writer and critic James Yood. He loved the figure and all of its modifications, making him an advocate of this period.&nbsp;When I decided to organize this exhibition, I immediately called Yood asking if he would co-curate and write an essay for the program guide and catalog. It was very sad for me when he passed away [in April 2018], because I will always wonder what the show would have looked like if he had been a part of it.&nbsp;Thus, the exhibition, program guide and&nbsp;catalog are in memory of Yood.&nbsp;The purpose of the show is not to downplay the importance of the Hairy Who or the Imagists (some of the artists in this exhibition take on the mantle of Imagist), but rather to point out that there was a group of artists that made up an informal collective of like-minded painters. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/gw8h6wqrke1hh6vcoccd.gif"><figcaption>Hollis Sigler's painting, Comes the Day of Reckoning, is part of the exhibition Bramson curated for Elmurst Art Museum</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How did your friend and colleague Jim Yood influence your art practice?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: He was a friend, but more so he was an ally who&nbsp;completely supported my work.&nbsp;He wrote articles that helped me place language with what I was painting.I wasn’t the only one he supported. During the eighties and nineties, he was a big supporter of many others who worked&nbsp;figuratively,&nbsp;particularly in the Midwest. That admiration was manifested in exhibitions that he curated, reviews he wrote for national publications and in his public lectures. He genuinely loved the eccentric figure and a kind of iconographic irreverence.&nbsp;CGN: How would you define Chicago Imagism?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I think Chicago Imagism carried on the&nbsp;tradition of the marriage between fantasy, funk and surrealism—a desire to delve&nbsp;into a unique narrative style using intense color and stage like&nbsp;theatrical representations and quirkiness.The problem, it seems to me, is that there are the original Imagists, but now that label can often apply to anyone using the figure in an eccentric and&nbsp;constructed narrative manner. I have often joked with others, “Imagism, the term that ate&nbsp;Chicago art!” &nbsp;CGN: Can you tell me about your upcoming exhibitions at both Zolla/Lieberman Gallery and The Suburban?&nbsp;PB: The Zolla/Lieberman exhibition is the result of the show that I have organized at Elmhurst Art Museum. I hope the Elmhurst show has some sort of impact on public awareness of my art and its context from another time. It made sense to simultaneously have a show of newer work at Zolla/Lieberman, since they represent me; even though the paintings in that exhibition have gone through significant changes since the Elmhurst Art Museum exhibition.Then Michelle Grabner asked if I wanted to show at The Suburban in Milwaukee, with Matt Morris. It was a total surprise, because my work is quite different from art one might see there. While Matt’s and my work is visually very different, I can see why we were&nbsp;put together. We both deal with an eccentric view of romanticism and high kitsch. It’s amazing all three&nbsp;exhibitions are opening this September!&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/k7kjbdwujdip2smolzzc.gif"><figcaption>Decoys, 84” x 72”, o/c, 1989, Courtesy of Zolla/Lieberman and Phyllis Bramson</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Many different kinds of characters appear in your paintings. Do you work with a cast of characters, or do you invent new personalities for each painting?PB: It often does feel like I have a cast of characters, but I&nbsp;don’t&nbsp;always look at it that&nbsp;way. Recently during a studio&nbsp;visit a curator mentioned that all of my figures’ faces looked alike, they all shared the same smile. What&nbsp;I should have mentioned to her is that I am very interested in older&nbsp;Chinese propaganda posters where everyone – the farmworkers, the&nbsp;peasants – shares the same smile. It is a false face, as their lives were so conflicted. In my paintings the smiles are presented in the same way. There is such difficulty in the world, and my figures represent that same smile as the painted figures in the posters, implying that all is well and good…when it isn’t!&nbsp;CGN: You have called yourself a tourist, but would you go further and define yourself as a voyeur?PB: The term voyeur is probably more appropriate&nbsp;because I am that&nbsp;way in life. I look and look and look at people. I try to figure out what&nbsp;they are thinking, and when they are with another person, what is that relationship about? I find myself constructing&nbsp;narratives about their lives, it is almost as if I am spying on people and placing an invented narrative onto them. Sometimes the strangeness of all those bodies honestly&nbsp;frightens&nbsp;me. &nbsp;CGN: You use various techniques like collage, painting, and assemblage in your work. Which one are you most interested in at the moment?&nbsp;PB: At the moment, I would like to reduce the&nbsp;amount of collage and concentrate more on paint, how it looks, and how it can be manipulated.&nbsp;I say that as I start a new body of work, but collaging might annoyingly push itself forward once again. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/evkhthbvzgmh4sdnpuqo.gif"><figcaption>'Won't You Love ME?', 36 x 36 in, mixed media and collage on canvas, 2019 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: How do you define success as an artist?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: That’s so complicated.&nbsp;First of all, I&nbsp;want my work to mean something to myself and those around me. I want to be good – beyond good. I think no matter what an artist states, most would want at least a taste of a high-end career. How many&nbsp;artists get such status? In the long run, you probably shouldn’t base your career on much more than the love of a studio practice and most importantly the grit of it all, because you will eventually&nbsp;either give up or become a very bitter artist. &nbsp;CGN: Do you have a favorite gallery or museum in Chicago?&nbsp;&nbsp;PB: I am not going to answer that. But&nbsp;I will tell you that one of my favorite artists in Chicago was the late Henry Darger. And I will&nbsp;mention galleries that no longer exist but had a strong influence on me when I was younger. They were Frumkin Gallery, Dart Gallery (which represented me) and the Phyllis Kind Gallery (who also represented me). To their credit, there are many, many galleries existing today in Chicago that show artists whose work makes me envious as hell! Seeing such an exhibition sends me sulking back to my studio…I better get&nbsp;better!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phyllisbramson.com/">phyllisbramson.com</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Phyllis Bramson: Reimagining Imagism's Chicago Legacy

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/dmedb7us81bsgtypeblk.gif"><figcaption>Leon Polk Smith, Constel: Blue Red straight line thru three Ovals, 1969, Paint on canvas, 121" x 132"</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;Last weekend was populated with the first cluster of openings of the season, putting gallery-goers in the mood to see new art, meet artists and to take stock of what's fresh and exciting in area galleries. To see some of CGN's images from last week's openings visit our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chigallerynews/">Instagram</a> feed.&nbsp;The momentum continues this weekend, primarily on the west side in West Town, but also in Pilsen East and River North, as well as beyond the immediate Chicago limits. As we head into the second half of September, there is a lot of important art being shown this month.These&nbsp;are just a few&nbsp;highlights from this coming weekend&nbsp;around the city. We will&nbsp;share more of the season's&nbsp;highlights and coverage as the fall goes on, and don't forget to view our <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar">full calendar of events</a>.&nbsp;Don't forget that next weekend is <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/expo-chicago">EXPO CHICAGO</a>!&nbsp;See you in the galleries!&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/qj8q9rc8nwbrf0aeegce.gif"></figure><h3>Gladys Nilsson: New Work</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/gladys-nilsson-new-work">Rhona Hoffman Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 13.&nbsp;1711 W Chicago Ave., ChicagoRhona Hoffman Gallery presents their first exhibition with Gladys Nilsson, one of the foremost Chicago artists of her generation and a member of the Hairy Who, the venerable group that came to prominence through a series of radical exhibitions at the Hyde Park Art Center on Chicago’s South Side in the late 1960s. Featuring paintings and works on paper made in the last five years, the exhibition highlights Nilsson’s continued experiments with form, color, and figuration.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/gjzhxxsjlkzrt5h3nbca.gif"></figure><h3>Leon Polk Smith: Endless Space</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/leon-polk-smith-endless-space">Richard Gray Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 13.2044 W. Carroll, ChicagoLeon Polk Smith: Endless Space features paintings from the artist’s iconic Correspondence and Constellation series which he produced over a nearly twenty-year span between the late 1950s and the 1970s. Characterized by their interactive multipart compositions, the canvases created during this time period have come to be known as the artist’s most signature works. Endless Space expresses Smith’s nimble and daring shift from rectilinear canvases to shaped supports, and from single-panel works to complex, polyptych installations. Fusing together bright colors at a curved edge, Smith’s compositions push the confines of the canvas.As Smith’s large-scale paintings reveal an abundance of formal ingenuity, they also contain elements of personal narrative that demand further examination. Smith was born in 1906 to mixed, half-Cherokee parents near the territory of Chickasha one year before it was incorporated into the state of Oklahoma. The artist’s Native heritage and proximity to indigenous traditions provide a nuanced background for the role of space and color within his compositions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/k3k04igv8vlmak3skjdw.gif"><figcaption>Dianna Frid, "NYT, June 26, 2003, Fred Sandback," 2014, canvas, paper, embroidery floss, and graphite, 15" x 20"</figcaption></figure><h3>Dianna Frid: ​More Time than Life</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/dianna-frid-more-time-than-life">Alan Koppel Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 13.&nbsp;806 N Dearborn, ChicagoMore Time than Life, an exhibition of new and selected works by Dianna Frid. Situated at the intersection of text and textiles, Frid’s work embraces non-hierarchical relationships between art and craft, and between concept and form. Either explicitly or in nuance, Frid engages themes of time, process, death, and the mutability of matter.For her current show, Frid presents work from three interrelated series: “Words from Obituaries,” “Text Textiles,” and “Evidence of the Material World.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/irvqvrki9lemc3dt4hq4.gif"></figure><h3>Julia Fish: bound by spectrum</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/julia-fish-bound-by-spectrum">DePaul Art Museum</a>On view beginning Thursday, September 12&nbsp;935 W Fullerton, ChicagoFor three decades, Julia Fish has used her house and its vernacular architecture&nbsp;— a Chicago storefront designed by Theodore Steuben in 1922 — as the basis for a system of mapping color, form, and light in paintings and works on paper. Julia Fish: bound by spectrum presents a survey of the last decade (2009–19) of Fish’s paintings and works on paper while providing new scholarship around her ongoing project that brings together the disciplines of painting, drawing, and architecture. Rendering architectural details at actual size and from observation, she creates a subjective response to objective information, informed by effects of light in space, time of day, the seasons, cardinal direction, and her own physical vantage point. Fish examines and recontextualizes evidence of the house, most recently thresholds between rooms, within paintings, which elude pure abstraction: they are, in fact, depictions of transitional spaces filtered through Fish’s increasingly complex visual logic.Also opening are <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/depaul-university-art-museum--2">Remember Where You Are; and Architectural Annotations</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/oemc7osi2yvrhzmrddyf.gif"></figure><h3>Darrell Roberts: New Work</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/darrell-roberts-new-work">McCormick Gallery</a>Opening Saturday, September 14.&nbsp;835 W. Washington, ChicagoThis is the gallery's 5th show in 12 years with Roberts, whose signature style features thickly applied paint in a range of bright colors. The artist's acrobatic dance with luscious oil paint seems to define the theme of the show: succulence.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/nufhobxcmyjujgvznpqo.gif"></figure><h3>Orkideh Torabi: Heaven on Earth</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/orkideh-torabi">Western Exhibitions</a>Opening Friday, September 13&nbsp;1709 W. Chicago Ave., ChicagoTorabi’s paintings depict caricatures of men, a gender which in many cultures will enjoy and benefit from social freedoms that women are forbidden or discouraged from engaging in.Taking art historical cues from the Western Canon’s portrayal of the figure in landscape, Torabi’s men are seemingly oblivious to their coveted social freedom. Rendered with simple button-eyes, gnarled noses, and alien skin, her unabashedly humorous figures are stuck in an emasculated state of being. She banishes women from her paintings altogether, crafting scenes which offer an eerie parallel to daily life in Iran. Without women, the men are left to coddle their baby boys, care for each other at public baths, and engage in intimate conversations amongst themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418609/vzc0z7y7rhoettlebslf.gif"><figcaption>David Driesbach. La Polina, 2006. Intaglio, ink on paper, (9.875 x 7.875 in.) Collection of the NIU Art Museum. 2017.90. Gift of the artist.</figcaption></figure><h3>Exploring Aspects of War In and Through the Visual Arts</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/exploring-aspects-of-war-in-and-through-the-visual-arts-807f52cf-3940-4c4c-ab64-5ee74bb0b3a2">Northern Illinois University (NIU) Art Museum</a>Opening Thursday, September 12.&nbsp;DeKalb, IL 60115The Visual Arts have served in all cultures and periods to document, motivate, memorialize, facilitate healing, critique and protest military action.Exploring Aspects of War in and Through the Visual Arts considers views on war and military conflict from the perspective of the homefront, the battlefield and back home again.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall 2019 Preview – Part II: Mid–September Openings

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/vcbhgr0yldiczwg2zgow.jpg"><figcaption>SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO GRAND BALLROOM AT MACLEAN CENTER</figcaption></figure>Via PRThe complete list of participating locations for Open House Chicago 2019 is now available. On October 19–20, tour soaring skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, industrial facilities, cutting-edge offices and breathtaking sacred spaces—all for free. Start planning your #OHC2019&nbsp;weekend with the Chicago Architecture Center's online itinerary planning tool. You may visit an OHC site listing page at&nbsp;<a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzExNTAwXzk4NTMzXzY5MTc&amp;l=057ac8cf-4ecf-e911-8991-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=OHC_September2019_Siteannouncement_general&amp;utm_content=OHC%20sites_version_A&amp;sourceNumber=97449">openhousechicago.org</a>&nbsp;and click the “add to itinerary” button to get started, though this optional tool is not required to participate in the citywide festival.A few select OHC sites require advance registration and will not accept drop-in visitors. CAC has partnered with with TodayTix to manage ticketing for most of these sites, several of which allow direct booking but are expected to fill on a first-come, first-served basis.TodayTix will conduct lotteries for the most in-demand sites in order to randomly assign the opportunity to register for tickets.From now until 8am on September 20, you can enter the online OHC lottery system for a chance to book tickets for one or more of these sites. Most RSVP Only sites are subject to a $6 per person booking fee.&nbsp;<a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzExNTAwXzk4NTMzXzY5MTc&amp;l=b0b1a0a9-c9d0-e911-8991-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=OHC_September2019_Siteannouncement_general&amp;utm_content=RSVP%20sites_version_A&amp;sourceNumber=97449">Explore the RSVP Only sites and reserve tickets or enter lotteries on openhousechicago.org</a>.Another way to access these sites is to volunteer to be a greeter at OHC 2019. Get the insider experience and exclusive benefits—including a Priority Access pass.&nbsp;<a href="http://email.wordfly.com/click?sid=NzYxXzExNTAwXzk4NTMzXzY5MTc&amp;l=077ac8cf-4ecf-e911-8991-e41f1345a486&amp;utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=OHC_September2019_Siteannouncement_general&amp;utm_content=Volunteer%20at%20OHC_version_A&amp;sourceNumber=97449">Register today!</a>Read CGN's 2018 OHC coverage <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2018/10/open-house-chicago-s-architectural-gems-from-distilleries-to-churches">here</a>.<figure class="image"><img src="http://email.wordfly.com//open?sid=NzYxXzExNTAwXzk4NTMzXzY5MTc"></figure></body></html>

View Open House Chicago 2019's Participating Locations

<html><head></head><body>By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;Summer's end may have officially come this past weekend, but at CGN we have had fall on our minds for months, as we have prepared our big fall magazine and promoted all the plans for the September art season. While many people were off enjoying summer vacations, in our office we, along with so many dealers, artists, art fair organizers and others who must unveil their biggest projects of the year this month, were hard at work.&nbsp;Now, the September openings are finally here. This first week of September heralds a new season in the art world. These new shows are just the beginning, and in particular many shows are featuring photography as a means of examining the world as it is, in new ways, or offering chances to look in the rearview mirror again. &nbsp;A&nbsp;host of openings, clustered on the evening of Friday, September 6, mark the traditional start of the season, which happens throughout the area, from River North, to over on the west side in West Town and beyond, and also up into Ravenswood. There are dozens of new exhibitions opening, and many represent the highlight of the gallery's programming for the entire year. More new shows also open on Saturday night on the west side as well as in suburban Evanston.On Friday, River North's fifth annual art and design collaboration, the River North Gallery Walk, takes place in galleries based near Superior and Franklin streets and the dozens of design showrooms from Chicago Ave. to the Merchandise Mart. Gallery artists are matched with designers and showrooms, and many individual galleries are opening their latest exhibitions. There are several special events to attend as well, including a kickoff event an after party. Complete details and a list of RNDD walk participants may be <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2019/7/early-notice-river-north-design-district-5th-annual-gallery-walk-will-swing-in-the-fall">found here</a>.&nbsp;Local dealer <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/celebrating-our-40th-year">Carl Hammer</a> is also celebrating the gallery's 40th anniversary with a group show opening the same night.&nbsp;Obviously there is a lot of great art to see, and these&nbsp;are just a few&nbsp;highlights from this opening September weekend&nbsp;around the city.&nbsp;We will&nbsp;share more of the season's&nbsp;highlights and coverage as the fall goes on, and don't forget to view our full <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events">calendar of events</a>.&nbsp;Stay tuned for&nbsp;Part II of our Fall Preview,&nbsp;featuring shows opening September 13&nbsp;and beyond, including many shows on the city's West Side.&nbsp;The following weekend is EXPO CHICAGO.Enjoy this start to fall, and see you in the galleries!&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/bgcc1qg2vx5rjina0zta.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Meerdo, Eigengrau, 2017</figcaption></figure><h3>The Way the Mystic Sees</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-way-the-mystic-sees">Weinberg/Newton</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;688 N Milwaukee Ave, ChicagoWeinberg/Newton closed its River North space this past spring and they officially reopen on the west side on Friday night. This exhibition surveys contemporary perspectives and historical approaches to technology and surveillance. Works in the exhibition appear in a range of media – from language to video – to establish a spectrum of the technological. Certain artworks directly elucidate the subject of surveillance, while others begin to locate life beyond being and feeling watched. Artists include Nadav Assor, Mary Helena Clark, Max Guy,&nbsp;Asa Mendelsohn, Christopher Meerdo, Catherine Sullivan, Maryam Taghavi, and Marilyn Volkman. Presented in collaboration with Human Rights Watch of Illinois&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/nv7o2m7fqbt2iksmba4k.png"></figure><h3>Sandro Miller: I am Papau New Guinea</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/sandro-miller-i-am-papau-new-guinea">Catherine Edelman Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;1637 W. Chicago Ave, ChicagoSandro Miller is one of the most sought-after commercial photographers working today. This success has allowed him to continue working on his personal projects, most notably Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters, a world-wide traveling exhibition, and his most recent body of work, I Am Papua New Guinea.Sandro made three trips to Papua New Guinea over a two-year period, photographing 400 indigenous people from more than a hundred different tribes. At several annual festivals, Sandro set up a studio, inviting hundreds of people to have their portraits taken. For most of the sitters, it was the first time they had ever seen a photograph or what they looked like. The result is a powerful body of work of a thriving culture far removed from its industrialized neighbors.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/sx5zntwb6neiupmyl6g7.jpg"><figcaption>Julian Wasser, Steve McQueen</figcaption></figure><h3>Julian Wasser: The Way We Were</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/julian-wasser-the-way-we-were">Hilton | Asmus Contemporary&nbsp;</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;716 N. Wells, ChicagoAfter starting his career at the age of 14 as a copy boy in the Washington bureau of the Associated Press news service, Julian Wasser went on to create some of the most memorable images of the past century. While at the Associated Press he met Weegee and rode with famous news photographer as he shot photos of crime scenes in Washington. Eventually Wasser went on to became a contract photographer for Time magazine in Los Angeles doing assignments for Time, Life and Fortune. His photographs have appeared in and been used for the cover of multiple US and UK publications. His photos have also appeared in US Magazine, Vanity Fair, TV guide, Paris Match, Der Spiegel, Oggi, Hello, Playboy, Elle, Vogue, GQ along with exhibitions in galleries and museums. Wasser captured the most authentic and compelling photos of revered artists of the 1960's, 1970' and 1980's.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/ht6hyl93vng6wujw2rlh.jpg"></figure><h3>Boom! Jan Pieter Fokkens</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/boom-jan-pieter-fokkens">Gallery Victor Armendariz</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;300 W. Superior, ChicagoJan Pieter Fokkens believes in the deep lineage between modern art and the digital image. In essence, there is something foreboding about the way the history of images feeds upon itself. It appears as if reality and images are always competing to see which of the two can be the most unimaginable. His work functions as a bridge between his fascination of reductionist approaches in abstract art and the influence it has on the creation of algorithms that make digital representations of reality. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/rgkw7xrgcjjfdhrcgska.jpg"><figcaption> Bonnie Lautenberg, 1963, Hud / Andy Warhol, Double Elvis, 2018, Archival Pigment Print, 48 x 64 in.</figcaption></figure><h3>Bonnie Lautenberg: Artistica. Artistica!</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/bonnie-lautenberg-artistica-artistica">Jean Albano Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;215 W. Superior, ChicagoBonnie Lautenberg's latest project is a body of work that explores how one art form might have influenced another. Lautenberg is interested in the relationship between well known works of art and important films from the same year. As an example, is it possible that Pablo Picasso painted his Blue Hat With Red Ribbon in 1939 after he saw the movie The Wizard of Oz? Or could Victor Fleming, the director of the Wizard of Oz, have been influenced by the color palette of Picasso's painting when he began making his movie? You'll have to see for yourself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/tp7by2i51udbmu0gozaw.jpg"><figcaption>Blue Noses Group, Era of Mercy I., 2005-2009, Photograph, 30 x 40 inches</figcaption></figure><h3>Caution! Freedom: Contemporary Art from Russia</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/caution-freedom-contemporary-art-from-russia">One After 909</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;906 N Ashland, ChicagoIn 1990, when the Soviet Union was already dying but had not yet collapsed completely, Julia and Marat Gelman opened The Gelman (Guelman) Gallery. It was one of the first private art galleries in the Soviet Union. They were witnesses to the incredible and rapid changes that were occurring in the USSR, and during this time the Gelman’s worked with many political and social artists. They believed art was an expression of freedom, and these artists were accurately documenting the spirit of the times. In 2000 Putin came to power, and all the open doors began to shut.The political and social art the gallery exhibited by Russian contemporary artists like Oleg Kulik, Alexander Kosolapov, and Blue Noses was considered too controversial. This caused them to be targeted by extremist groups as well as the government, which ultimately forced them to close the gallery in 2012. Seven years later Julia Gelman in collaboration with One After 909, will exhibit Caution! Freedom: Contemporary Art from Russia, with complete freedom in Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/fjjst6j6vkfqsi2e7jlb.gif"></figure><h3>Mary Porterfield: in:dependence</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/mary-porterfield-in-dependence">Hofheimer Gallery</a>Opening Friday, September 6.&nbsp;4823 N. Damen, ChicagoMary Porterfield’s drawings are influenced by her work in healthcare. With soft edges and careful rendering, she creates invented spaces and allegorical scenes that attempt to ask: If assistance is warranted, but not wanted, should it be abandoned? Why is a long life given to some, yet denied others? Is it more heroic to accept the uncontrollable or attempt change in the midst of futility or danger? Porterfield’s intention is to provide a balanced perspective between giving and receiving when assisting others.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418608/v4kh9rdyeedaxuiploz7.jpg"><figcaption>David Antonio Cruz, onedayi’llturnthecornerandi’llbereadyforit, portrait of the texas girls, 2019, Oil and latex on wood, 48 x 48 inches</figcaption></figure><h3>David Antonio Cruz: One Day I’ll Turn the Corner and I’ll be Ready For It</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/david-antonio-cruz-one-day-i-ll-turn-the-corner-and-i-ll-be-ready-for-it">Monique Meloche</a>Opening Saturday, September 7.&nbsp;451 N. Paulina, ChicagoDavid Antonio Cruz explores the intersectionality of queerness and race through painting, sculpture, and performance. Focusing on queer, trans, and genderfluid communities of color, Cruz examines the violence perpetrated against their members, conveying his subjects both as specific individuals and as monumental signifiers for large and urgent systemic concerns.Using a vast trove of images mined from the internet, including the personal social media accounts of his subjects, Cruz brings these individuals out of the shadows and into the light. He inserts these individuals’ likenesses into lush, sensuous compositions directly inspired by the aspirational aesthetic of luxury and fashion, creating a dissonance that critically elevates his black and brown subjects while also emphasizing the extreme injustice of their plights. This is Cruz’s first exhibition with the gallery and his first in Chicago.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418609/nlzlmmnaidohmdx7avu0.png"><figcaption>Kayla Mahaffey, That's All Folks</figcaption></figure><h3>Thinkspace presents LAX/ORD 2</h3><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/thinkspace-presents-lax-ord-2">Vertical Gallery</a>Opening Saturday, September 7.&nbsp;1016 N. Western, ChicagoAfter the phenomenal success of LAX / ORD in September 2016, Vertical and Thinkspace immediately discussed collaborating again. “LAX / ORD II” will have more artists than the first edition (100 this time), in what will be the largest collection of artists from the New Contemporary Movement under one roof to date in the Windy City.All the artists have been asked to work within the same space confines of 12×12 inches (30×30 cm) and left to their own devices from there. This collection helps to showcase just how vast and varied the Movement is, from portrait based works to the more fantastical, from landscapes to design based abstract works... ‘LAX / ORD II’ promises to bring your Instagram feed to life and expose you to your new favorite artist.The opening night will feature a special print release from Kayla Mahaffey (pictured above)&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall 2019 Preview – Part I: First September Openings

<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418403/m8nenqfaftvcnmdtmh4p.gif"><figcaption>Hull’s 2018 exhibition at Western Exhibitions featured his newer constructions alongside two-dimensional paintings</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEARichard Hull is not from Chicago, but his art distinctly is.Encouraged by a professor while attending the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1970s, he moved to Chicago in 1978 to study for his MFA at the School of the Art Institute. First drawn to the Imagists, a Chicago-based group of artists that had been active more than a decade before his arrival, Hull found his own niche quickly and enjoyed a string of good professional and artistic fortune before he even graduated from SAIC.Many artists have come to the city on their way elsewhere, but Hull stayed. “I’ve been here over 40 years now,” he says on a sunny afternoon seated in his new West Town studio. Asked what has kept him here for four decades, instead of just one, he explains, “I wasn’t going to come here but my teacher convinced me I had to. One of the reasons I stayed was because so many good things happened quickly for me, while I was still in school. Within one year I was busy selling paintings and showing with Phyllis Kind [Gallery]. I was not planning for anything like that.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418404/iat67gmrtdqdw2jaxlcv.gif"><figcaption>Hull keeps boxes filled with hundreds of Crayola crayons close by as he works on crayon drawings in his new studio</figcaption></figure>Hull considers himself fortunate that life was easy enough to keep afloat. At the time, “Things were going well, and it was kind of easy where I was living. It was cheap.” But there were other determining factors: the high-profile art dealer Phyllis Kind, who had a presence in Chicago as well as New York, admired the young artist’s work. Her art world connections led to interactions with people in other disciplines in Chicago, such as theater. Exposure to a broader cultural world of musicians, actors and writers nurtured something in Hull, and he was inspired. “It just sort of helped me,” Hull recalls, “You know, the art world is small here. You could get really ground down by it. I had access to a lot of other people and ideas.Hull almost ventured to New York in the early ‘80s, at Kind’s behest, since he was exhibiting as much there as he was in Chicago, but it was a dream never realized. “She thought it’d be good if I moved there, and I really thought about it for a while, but it just kind of slipped away. That’s what happens.”Hull’s artistic life could have advanced anywhere. “It’s funny,” he says, “I’ve been here a long time, so people think I really love Chicago, and there are things I do like, but I’m not in love with Chicago.”The art world can be its own strange universe, says Hull. “I don’t have any real complaints about Chicago, except the weather, maybe, but any complaints about the art world I won’t get into – it can be idiotic. But just leave if you really don’t like it, right?”When I ask if many of Hull’s peers in the ‘80s left for New York, he admits that a lot of people did, but certainly not everyone. Now he suspects that many artists hang around Chicago a few years longer before moving to New York. “Chicago is a lot easier. New York is hard now. Really hard. It wasn’t so hard before.”When asked by his own students, decades later, what’s the right move after graduate school, Hull says he would tell them, “Get all your shit, put it in your car and move to New York. Just go.” But he admits now he has reservations when giving such advice. “I really don’t like people leaving. I want to be around good people here, but the opportunity can be much greater there.”He confesses, “I even still think about leaving. Just because.”–<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418405/xobr9v1byl5wvtbeuy7g.gif"><figcaption>An older work by Hull from the 1980s (left) next to a newer painting (right)</figcaption></figure>It didn’t take 40 years for Chicago to make an impression on Hull. While in Kansas City, Hull says he was heavily influenced by west coast, Bay Area funk artists, such as William Wiley, Roy De Forest, Robert Hudson and others teaching at [University of California] Davis, but when considering graduate school, he ultimately chose Chicago, largely because of the Hairy Who, a group of artists that had held a series of exhibitions while at SAIC in the 1960s, more than a decade before Hull arrived in 1978.“I didn’t know much about the Imagists,” Hull says, “What I’d seen, I liked, but it wasn’t as if I felt like I was going to be overwhelmingly influenced when I came to Chicago. I enjoyed the artwork, but I thought it was very different from mine. That was one of the draws – I respected the work a lot, but I didn’t feel the influence.”The colorful effects of the art produced by the Imagists did not fade; once Hull was in Chicago, he ended up exhibiting alongside members of the Hairy Who right away and reconsidering his own approach to painting.“I wasn’t trying to be like them,” says Hull, “But then after showing with them, and even owning some works, walking by a Karl Wirsum everyday will make you think differently about shapes and images. Jim Nutt, Gladys Nilsson, Miyoko Ito&nbsp; – it sort of infiltrates your thinking.”Hull’s earliest work follows a linear, architectural structure, but the Imagist reverence for form, shape and color is unmistakeable now. There is three dimensionality even in Hull’s 2-D works. With so much time between his years alongside his Hairy Who peers and now, Hull says he thinks his work, particularly the pieces focused on loops that resemble expanding water balloons, is the most like the Imagists it’s ever been.Even though Hull got on with the Imagists quickly, he says he had a lot to learn technically, as well as aesthetically. He recalls, “When I was first showing things, I sold a work of art to someone, and I thought I was being really careful with my paintings – like really neat, and I didn’t have any brush marks. Then somebody hung it next to a Roger Brown, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a fucking mess,’ because Roger’s work is so pristine. I realized that I was still pretty different from those guys just by that.”<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418406/e6txoh4lwfv7pwqmf5im.gif"><figcaption>Richard Hull, Dedication, 2018, oil and wax on linen, 78” H x 96” W</figcaption></figure>About a decade ago Hull once again referenced the Imagists when he began a series of works that call to mind abstract portraits, such as the busts depicted by Jim Nutt and Barbara Rossi. His mysterious figures, featuring facial outlines that emerge from the abstract in pieces and sometimes in profile, were a refutation of his reputation as an abstract painter. “People think that I’m an abstract painter and I don’t think I’m abstract in any way, if you think about the way paintings are made,” explains Hull. To him, there are also elements that are undeniably real.“I wrote a statement once (I hardly do it),” he says, “I just said, everything in these paintings is real – the paint, the materials, the shapes. They’re all real things.”Hull’s figures, while not realistic, are recognizable and deliberate. “It has to make sense to me,” he explains, “for the placement of shapes or where things go in terms of the way a head would be, or the way things are in the world, rather than just on a flat surface. I was moving towards a totally unrepresentative moment, and I wanted to pull back from that.”Building on the head paintings and drawings from a decade ago, 3-D structures continue to evolve as Hull has begun to explore sculptures and shapes in space.“I started those because I was doing the head shapes, and I was making a sort of a frame for them inside the painting. I think of them like mirrors, and I was having trouble every time I got to the end of the painting, so I would just leave the edges empty because I wanted to deal with the middle parts, the forms, and it would take me forever to get the right color and whatever activity would be happening around it, and I thought, ‘This is a pain in the ass. Maybe I should get rid of that.’ So I just cut the edges off the paintings.”Now Hull collaborates with a former student to put a drawing on medium-density fibreboard (MDF) in any shape he wants, and the cut off edges are no longer a creative end point.–<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418407/z4q384ifjcquma7sokbj.gif"><figcaption>Two recent works on MDF</figcaption></figure>Color is a consistently dominant element in Hull’s work, one that he persistently examines and adjusts. “My only color theory is you decide on a color to start with, and then you find a color that makes that better. It’s about the relationship to the color within the piece. If I add a violet next to a red, does that make the red better or does it distract from or make the red look bad? It’s color, next color. Color, next color. And I’m always kind of surprised how colorful my things are, because I never thought of myself as a very good colorist.”The colors in Hull’s paintings must have a mutually&nbsp; beneficial relationship, and the shapes, appearing over and over, layer upon layer, used in his work must be part of a harmonious composition. “It’s a kind of rhythm, really. And rhythms get interrupted. It might be my interest in music – that’s just a maybe. I don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m making musical paintings.’ It’d be idiotic. No, you just get started on it, and it feels right.”Together these colorful figures, formed from repeating shapes, resemble elaborate, retro hairdos methodically constructed in a way that holds them together as well as presents a pleasing arrangement. Vibrant depictions of individual efforts to layer and shape transform the everyday into something remarkable.“I was thinking of them as hairdos more than anything really,” Hull notes, though he says it’s funny, because he’s definitely not all that fascinated with hair.–When I ask Hull what he is working on now, he points to a handful of works in progress, placed around the studio. He’s taken a break for a few weeks, as his new space has been built out, and now, in a suitably light, fresh workspace, he’s tinkering with some crayon drawings as well as finessing some underpainting, which he says he’d never done until a couple of years ago. “I put the colors under it on the canvas and then I paint color on top of it,” he explains. “It’s really gives another kind of vibrancy to the painting, and it’s related to the crayon drawing, where I put color down and it will scratch through.”Hull has used a variation of the technique going back to his older paintings, but it can be tedious. “I kind of hate doing it,” he admits, “because I’d rather be making the painting, not preparing the thing. But I haven’t been&nbsp; disciplined in doing that. Here [pointing to a work on the floor] if you get up close, you can see how the color comes through. So these are the things I’m working on now.”Though Hull says he has not been disciplined in the preparation of individual paintings, he is methodical in his experimentation overall. He says he’s considering creating more sculptures like the ones that were part of his 2018 exhibition, perhaps working on a much larger scale, though that could mean a piece that measures eight feet tall might weigh 150 lbs. Hull suspects it would just be too much, but it’s in the back of his mind.To get ready to install a solo booth with art dealer Scott Speh and his gallery, Western Exhibitions, at EXPO CHICAGO in September, Hull has been considering the various works he will exhibit, including many from the mid 1990s, juxtaposed with a few newer works, such as the crayon drawings. Despite having had a very busy year – his most recent show was at Western Exhibitions in April 2018, and he moved his home and his studio in 2019 – Hull emphasizes that, no matter what is going on, he is never one to turn down an opportunity.“That’s the advice I give my students. They say ‘How should I go about a career?’ And I say just be ready. Don’t ever tell anybody ‘No.’ They’re going to forget about you and move on.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418408/eiggb3ft6icuzqhjaxuk.gif"><figcaption>Hull’s west side studio is filled with materials and works in progress</figcaption></figure>Hull has been an adjunct professor of painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for 15 years, typically with five graduate students every semester and around 30 undergraduates. While his students undoubtedly learn invaluable lessons from Hull if they listen, “Actually, he says, some of the good ones don’t, and they may be the best,” he emphasizes that education is a two way street.Is his wisdom today drastically different from what he would have dispensed more than a decade ago? “I don’t know if I’ve evolved that much,” he says.If the advice is constant, the artist is not. “Well, maybe I’ve just become more confident and able to talk now. I didn’t talk hardly at all before I started teaching. Now, I talk too much. That’s what teaching will do to you. It makes you organize your thoughts. It’s been good for me.”Hull says SAIC is an amazing place to teach. He’s long admired how much the faculty cares about students and how they are always assessing how to be helpful and supportive. The school has come to embody an ideal role in the art world, where students and teachers try and examine what others are working on and consciously be constructive, in order to continue to all push art to the next level. “It always feels good for all of us [at SAIC] when somebody does well, and a lot of people do.”Thinking about the professor who encouraged him to move to Chicago 40 years ago, Hull explains, “His name was Ron Slowinski. He had gone to school with [artist and mentor to the Imagists] Ray Yoshida in the ‘50s, and he was friends with [art critic] Dennis Adrian too, who ended up buying a couple of paintings of mine and introducing me to all kinds of people. Because of that I owe Ron a great deal for making me come here.”In a similar position now, Hull still resists the comparison to his old teacher, “I don’t think I’m quite as powerful as that,” he says. Considering what it means that someone took the time to care and give encouragement to him, and he’s now able to pass along the same gift to students now, Hull admits, “It is fun to try to help somebody. It’s really gratifying.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>