<a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPO CHICAGO</a> gets closer every day, and the closer it gets, the more this upcoming edition takes shape. &nbsp;As is typical of the fair, they continue to build their programming lineup and to expand their international ties.&nbsp;

Yesterday the art fair announced that for its seventh annual exhibition, taking place again on Navy Pier&nbsp;September 27&ndash;30, 2018, they are&nbsp;rolling&nbsp;out some major&nbsp;programmatic expansions here at home as well as in Europe.&nbsp;The biggest announcement was about an&nbsp;onsite panel and performance at the&nbsp;U.S. Pavilion&nbsp;of the&nbsp;16th Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy. Participants from Chicago will include Niall Atkinson, Ann Lui, and Mimi Zeiger of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, panelists Amanda Williams,&nbsp;Andres L. Hernandez,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Shani Crowe and&nbsp;moderator&nbsp;Stephanie Cristello,&nbsp;EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming and Editor-in-Chief of&nbsp;THE SEEN.

They also trumpeted&nbsp;the third annual /Dialogues Symposium,&nbsp;Present Histories: Art &amp; Design in Chicago, that will address&nbsp;select art and design legacies produced in the city and take&nbsp;place during EXPO CHICAGO in conjunction with the&nbsp;Terra Foundation for American Art&rsquo;s initiative&nbsp;Art Design Chicago, presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Additional details from the April 11 EXPO press release are shared below. &ndash;GV

<h2>EXPO CHICAGO at the U.S. Pavilion&nbsp;2018 Venice Architecture Biennale</h2>

<h3>SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2018</h3>

For the first time ever, the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale will be curated by a joint team led by Niall Atkinson, Ann Lui, and Mimi Zeiger of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago. Their vision,&nbsp;Dimensions of Citizenship, will challenge architects, designers, artists, and critics to respond to transformative modes of belonging at radically different scales, from the citizen to the cosmos.&nbsp;EXPO CHICAGO will partner with SAIC and the University of Chicago to&nbsp;present a program as part&nbsp;of the official Vernissage for the U.S. Pavilion on&nbsp;Sunday, May 27, 2018.

10:45&ndash;11:30am 
Panel Discussion 
Location | U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 
Panelists | Amanda Williams&nbsp;(Chicago-based Artist and Architect, Participant in the U.S. Pavilion),&nbsp;Andres L. Hernandez&nbsp;(Chicago-based Artist and Architect, Participant in the U.S. Pavilion) and&nbsp;Shani Crowe&nbsp;(Chicago-based Artist). Moderated by EXPO CHICAGO Director of Programming and Editor-in-Chief of&nbsp;THE SEEN,&nbsp;Stephanie Cristello. 
&nbsp; 
Tackling questions of citizenship status, gender and race at the intersection of history, theory and practice of art and architecture, this panel will explore the unique ways in which black women have historically navigated and shaped space to advance their position in American society. Highlighting the historical figures of Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Tubman as muses, this conversation will trace the impact of American history on Williams and Hernandez&rsquo;s practice, complemented by a performative element by Shani Crowe, preceding the conversation.&nbsp; 
 
For more information, click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/year-round">here</a>. 
&nbsp; 
Presented in partnership with the commissioners of the U.S. Pavilion, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.

<h2>/Dialogues at EXPO CHICAGO</h2>

<h3>Symposium |&nbsp;Present Histories:&nbsp;Art &amp; Design in Chicago 
 
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28</h3>

A curated component of the full /Dialogues program, presented in partnership with the&nbsp;School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the third annual Symposium will feature a day-long series of discussions open to all EXPO CHICAGO visitors, presented in alignment with&nbsp;Art Design Chicago&nbsp;and the Terra Foundation for American Art. Entitled&nbsp;Present Histories: Art &amp; Design in Chicago,&nbsp;the Symposium will trace select artistic and design legacies produced in the city, spanning from 1968&ndash;2018, as well as their impact on the larger social, aesthetic, and cultural movements from the twentieth-century to the present.&nbsp; 
 
For more information, click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/dialogues/2018-symposium">here</a>. 
&nbsp; 
Presented in partnership with the Terra Foundation for American Art and Art Design Chicago. 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

<h3>Full Schedule:&nbsp;/Dialogues Stage</h3>

Sept 28,&nbsp;11:30am 
Performance:&nbsp;R&eacute;v&eacute;rence&nbsp; 
 
Artist&nbsp;Brendan Fernandes&nbsp;(Artist | Monique Meloche Gallery)&nbsp;stages a site-specific iteration of his performative work&nbsp;R&eacute;v&eacute;rence&nbsp;(2015), featuring a series of choreographed dancers to both welcome and confront the audience. Using his training in classical ballet, alongside his unique cultural background as a Kenyan-Indian-Canadian, the performance features classically-trained dancers from the Joffrey Academy of Dance to question identity and power dynamics. 
 
12:00pm &ndash; 1:00pm 
Brendan Fernandes | In Conversation with Sarah Thornton 
 
This discussion, between author and sociologist of culture Sarah Thornton with Chicago-based artist Brendan Fernandes, will trace the impact of Fernandes&rsquo; work, as well as the role of performance in his practice, which questions positions of power, control and &lsquo;queering space.&rsquo;

Sept 28,&nbsp;2:00&ndash;3:00pm 
AfriCOBRA: Chicago in the Age of Black Power&nbsp; 
Featuring&nbsp;|&nbsp;Gerald Williams&nbsp;(Artist | Kavi Gupta Gallery, Founding Member of AfriCOBRA) 
 
This panel is presented in alignment with Art Design Chicago exhibitions at the Smart Museum of Art and the DuSable Museum of African American History,&nbsp;South Side Stories: Rethinking Chicago Art, 1960&ndash;1980&nbsp;and&nbsp;South Side Stories: Holdings,&nbsp;which focuses on the Black Arts Movement&mdash;from the Civil Rights Movement to AfriCOBRA.&nbsp;

Sept 28,&nbsp;4:00&ndash;5:00pm 
Alterity and the Exhibition Environment: Feminist History of Alternative Spaces in Chicago&nbsp;

Panelists |&nbsp;Lynne Warren&nbsp;(Adjunct Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago),&nbsp;Torkwase Dyson(Artist | Rhona Hoffman Gallery),&nbsp;and&nbsp;Kay Rosen&nbsp;(Artist | Alexander Gray and Associates, ARC Member). Moderated by&nbsp;Jenni Sorkin&nbsp;(SAIC BFA 1999), (Associate Professor, History of Art &amp; Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara).

Alternative spaces are often discussed within the canon of Chicago&rsquo;s exhibition history. Yet, these spaces also played a parallel role in the activities that defined feminist art and social practice in the city&rsquo;s scene. This conversation will trace the histories and roles of feminism in Chicago&#39;s alternative spaces from the 1970s to the present. 
&nbsp; 
Sept 28,&nbsp;5:00pm 
Publication Launch |&nbsp;Art in Chicago: A History from the Fire to Now 
Published by the Terra Foundation for American Art, this newly launched publication will be available for a book signing at the /Dialogues Stage through the University of Chicago Press.

Screening | Designers in Film: A Glimpse into the Goldsholl Archive 
A screening of select films and reels produced by Goldsholl and Associates&mdash;whose films, televi-sion ads and other moving image work innovated &ldquo;designs-in-film&rdquo;&mdash;will be on view at the /Dialogues Stage, as an inter-lude to the final conversation in the Symposium on Chicago&rsquo;s Mid-Century impact on the adve-rtising and commercial industry at large.

Sept 28,&nbsp;5:30&ndash;6:30pm 
Making the Modern Image:&nbsp;Mid-Century Commercial Industry in Chicago 
Panelists&nbsp;|&nbsp;Theaster Gates&nbsp;(Artist | Rebuild Foundation),&nbsp;Corinne&nbsp;Granof&nbsp;(Curator of Academic Programs, Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University) and&nbsp;Lara Allison&nbsp;(Lecturer, Art History, Theory and Criticism,&nbsp;School of the Art Institute of Chicago). Moderated by&nbsp;Michael Golec&nbsp;(Associate Professor, Art History, Theory and Criticism, SAIC). 
 
Through recent exhibitions that relate the advertising and commercial publications industries to the context of contemporary art, this discussion will trace Chicago&rsquo;s contribution to the glossy image that defined the Mid-Century aesthetic. Examining the political, social and cultural impact of these design philosophies, this panel will look at the national impact of firms and companies whose work pushed industry boundaries through avant-garde approaches.&nbsp;

Top image:&nbsp;Gerald Williams,&nbsp;Portrait Y,&nbsp;1970&ndash;2007.&nbsp;Acrylic on linen.&nbsp;24 x 18 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago.

EXPO CHICAGO Announces 2018 Programmatic Expansion

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

Artist Anna Kunz creates art across a colorful, creative spectrum, seeking to immerse her viewers into her works on a sensory as well as intellectual level.&nbsp;Her art, from works on paper, paintings, sculptures, installations, and other projects, goes beyond&nbsp;physical limits and changes constantly, depending on existing light and other environmental factors. Her work often takes time to see and to experience. Her latest exhibition, Anna Kunz: Color Cast, after three years of experimentation and careful execution, is on view now at the Hyde Park Art Center.&nbsp;

Kunz&rsquo;s work has been included in numerous national and international collections. Anna has had exhibitions in Los Angeles, Houston, Brooklyn, San Antonio and the UK and Poland. Recent exhibitions include at LVL3 in Chicago, TERRAIN the outdoor community exhibition space run by Sabina Ott,&ldquo;Luminae&rdquo; at White Box NYC- also featuring the work of Louise Fishman and Alexandra Phillips, curated by Juan Puentes, &ldquo;Color: Fully Engaged&rdquo;, curated by Jamilee Polson Lacy, &ldquo;Spectral Landscape&rdquo; at Gallery 400 UIC, and &ldquo;The Banner Project&rdquo; at the Smart Museum on the University of Chicago&#39;s campus. (She also once worked at CGN for a time, where she was the most fun co-worker ever.)

Following is a transcript of a recent Q&amp;A about her current exhibition. &ndash; GV

&nbsp;

You&rsquo;ve been an artist and teacher here for most of your career. How did you get started, and what were your early artistic explorations like?

I got started on&nbsp;things pretty early during my time as an&nbsp;undergraduate&nbsp;at SAIC, and I was involved with places like Links Hall, MoMing Theatre, and The Contemporary Art Workshop. At&nbsp;Space Gallery on Division St., which&nbsp;was run by FITZ, an SAIC grad student,&nbsp;I had some shows&nbsp;when I was still in school. One day art dealer Thomas McCormick visited my studio at the generous suggestion of artist Wesley Kimler, who lived in a space below us and who was working with Tom at the time. Tom&nbsp;ended up offering me my first commercial show.

Our studio building on Western and 26th was&nbsp;home to a lot of creative people who were into performance and sculpture, music and collapsing life and art.&nbsp;I was working on performance, painting and printmaking with young ideas about transference, reflection, the haptic and emotive parts of art, poetry, comedy, and using the body as a tool or armature for painting, really. Color was always a key element in my work.

Teaching happened after my Graduate School days at Northwestern. &nbsp;I don&#39;t know how I would ever have met the people I know if it weren&#39;t for teaching. It&#39;s helped me to cast a pretty wide net and it&#39;s kept me up to date. I can&#39;t believe that social media is becoming the new Art History/Visual Culture text book. &nbsp;My early explorations would have been very different if I were making the work now. I&#39;d be much more aware of the camera persona of everything I was making.&nbsp;

What is different about your current work, and this series? &nbsp;

My work has been moving in the direction of this current installation at HPAC for the whole time I&#39;ve been working as an artist. A striking difference here, I guess, is the scale. I wanted to make this work a 360&deg; experience. Embedded in the work, though are the many relationships to painting, performance and printmaking. My more conventional paintings are a distillation of older work. This time it&#39;s coming from more personal places, with a more direct and pure approach, I suppose one that is&nbsp;riskier or a more raw approach,&nbsp;maybe, as well striving for&nbsp;a deeper understanding of color and its associations and relationships.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2702" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2702/original/kunz1.jpg" />

Talk about the various materials and experiences that are part of this show that may make people think about&nbsp;&lsquo;painting&rsquo; differently. &nbsp;

This show includes a 30 x 30 foot floor painting that has transducers embedded into it. The painting is made into an instrument, with the sound created by Beth Bradfish, and it is intended to pull sound up through the viewer&#39;s body&nbsp;and doesn&#39;t require the sense of sight to have the experience. Other elements are&nbsp;large, suspended paintings that take their proportions from the space of the gallery and are positioned to be visible through each other so they&nbsp;engage the changing light and shadow in the gallery. I think of the piece as a volumetric painting, but viewers might think about the piece in other ways: low relief sculpture, architectural, set-like, giant monotype-like, etc. &nbsp;

We have created a few tangential experiences during the run of the show. Mwata Bowden and his University&nbsp;of Chicago Jazz X-tet performed a piece inside the installation on April 8. &nbsp;

I want the piece not to serve as a set for performance&nbsp;but an inspirational space for new, improvisational art. I&#39;m very excited to see how that happening turns out. I am also going to be teaching a workshop on color and memory for the 65+ group of artists at HPAC, and I am excited to learn how rich life experiences inform those artists&#39; color choices.&nbsp;

The exhibition description mentions that colors talk to each other &ndash; please elaborate.

I&#39;ve positioned the colors and sight lines to be choreographed, positioned in such a way as to move the viewer through the space. Some of the colors are in harmony with each other, and some of them disagree and are more discordant. The relationships change depending on where you are moving, or what your point of view is; it&#39;s not unlike conversations.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2703" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2703/original/kunz3.jpg" />

What is a walk through painting? &nbsp;

Come see it at&nbsp;HPAC.&nbsp;

Would you ever do a series just in black and white and gray? 

The wealthy taste for the demure is alive and well in gray. I think that gray is very decorative and safe. I&nbsp;do think that your question is an interesting idea, but I&#39;m not there at the moment. There is no time for gray or the divisions of black and white in my mind.&nbsp;Perhaps some chromatic gray piece will happen at some point.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2704" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2704/original/kunz4.jpg" />

You&rsquo;ve been working on this HPAC show for months &ndash; what&rsquo;s coming up next? 

Anyone close to me knows that I have been walking around with an architectural model of HPAC for about three years. The shown view now could have been about 20 other shows that I have ready to go, I just need the space :)

But next I&#39;m going to go and make very small paintings, sculptures and works on paper this summer in Upstate New York during a residency that will undoubtedly be informed by my recent experience with this show.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Anna Kunz: Color Cast is on view at the <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/anna-kunz-color-cast">Hyde Park Art Center</a> through June 24

To view a video walk-through of Kunz&#39;s installation, visit <a href="http://www.annakunz.net">annakunz.net</a>
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A Q&A with artist Anna Kunz on her show Color Cast at Hyde Park Art Center 

The Colorful Perspective of Anna Kunz

Each week CGN interviews a local art-industry professional to discuss the ins and outs of running a space&nbsp;in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with John McKinnon&nbsp;of Elmhurst Art Museum.

Previous occupation: Program Director at the Society for Contemporary Art

Hometown: I&rsquo;m originally from Trevor, Wisconsin and have lived in Chicago for 16 years.

&nbsp;

5 favorites from the past week&nbsp;

Restaurant: Marisol at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It&rsquo;s a great place to meet up with colleagues and friends. 
Shop: Brewpoint Coffee in Elmhurst. They have two convenient locations near the museum, so I&rsquo;ve become a regular. 
Read: I came home to find a note written by my daughter that said, &ldquo;Mom is hiding&rdquo;. 
Neighborhood: West Town recently received a huge boost with Rhona Hoffman&rsquo;s new location. 
Music: Freedom, the new album by Amen Dunes is a very enjoyable, solid album.

&nbsp;

CGN: Tell us about your background and how your position with the Elmhurst Art Museum came to be?

JM: I started undergrad in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW-Madison. About half way through school, I took a sharp right turn, and was guided by some amazing professors towards a Bachelor of Science in Art. I worked at the Wendy Cooper Gallery in Madison, who started a location in Chicago a few years later where I became the Director. While pursuing dual Masters degrees in Arts Administration and Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I had several internships and did some freelance writing. I then had the pleasure of working as the Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum for a number of years. Next, I spent seven years as the Program Director of the Society for Contemporary Art where I worked with a core group of donors and collectors to support contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was a fantastic opportunity to oversee this nonprofit and work with a lot of very dedicated people.

The position at the Elmhurst Art Museum was enticing because of many opportunities for personal and organizational growth. The museum is at a fascinating point, where it will soon be philosophically and physically transformed as the unique McCormick House, designed by Mies van der Rohe, becomes more visible.

&nbsp;

CGN: What&#39;s the first thing you do each morning when you get to the museum?&nbsp;

JM:&nbsp;I usually drink a little coffee, check-in with everyone in the office, organize a few papers, and then head right into a meeting. Lately I&rsquo;ve also peeked into our construction site to see the progress of our building restoration.

&nbsp;

CGN: Do you have a favorite exhibition or collection from the past?

JM:&nbsp;I enjoy all of our shows for very different reasons, but I was personally very proud of our January exhibitions (Gertrude Abercrombie: Portrait of the Artist as a Landscape and IN THIS HOUSE, a site-specific group show in the McCormick House) because I watched the organization come together in my new role. We had a number of fantastic loans, partners, and participating artists; the staff worked very hard; and a lot of my friends and colleagues traveled to see the exhibition.

&nbsp;

CGN: What major successes have you had this year? What about challenges?

JM:&nbsp;Before our construction, visitors to the Elmhurst Art Museum would commonly ask &ldquo;Where is the house?&rdquo; The biggest challenge I had was sharing our vision for the construction because most people did not understand where one building started and where the other ended. After giving a number of tours, I had red tape placed on the floor, as well as moved and replaced some interpretive materials. I would say it was successful because we received a lot of generous support to fund the project, and now the tape even seems to be used by our construction company.

On June 10th, we will re-open the McCormick House. Visitors will be able to see its full exterior for the first time in over twenty years and will understand it as a standalone structure again. I am very grateful for the opportunity to guide the organization at this point, and we would not have been able to accomplish it without the leadership and generosity of our donors.

&nbsp;

CGN: What do you want to tell a young person considering this career path?

JM:&nbsp;I often tell potential arts professionals they should not be afraid to take an unconventional route and take as many internships as possible to try out several different things. It sounds like a clich&eacute; but find what you are passionate about. I did not expect to be in this position, and everyone&rsquo;s path is different.

&nbsp;

CGN: What is your favorite interest outside of the art world?

JM:&nbsp;I listen to a lot of music. For an eight-year period I made a mixed tape every month. The exercise forced me to discover a lot of new music, whether brand new albums or things I missed from the last few decades. Taking a deep dive into another contemporary field gave me a good sense of how you can find things you aren&rsquo;t expecting, an understanding of other artistic approaches, and it led me to appreciate things in a new way.

&nbsp;

CGN: What do you look for in an artwork? When searching for yourself, what speaks to you?

JM:&nbsp;I love to be challenged. I often pause when I find something unexpected that jumps out to me, especially when I return to the same work and reconsider it multiple ways. It is a privilege and a pleasure to talk with artists and hear their thinking process. But truly one of the most enjoyable parts of my job is to share my impressions of an artwork or an entire exhibition with others.

&nbsp;

CGN: What&rsquo;s coming up next at Elmhurst Art Museum?

JM:&nbsp;I&rsquo;ve already hinted at this, but we have big plans for this summer. When the McCormick House is unveiled, we will have a stunning architectural intervention within it by I&ntilde;igo Manglano-Ovalle. Both of these will be accompanied by an exhibition in our main space curated by Barry Bergdoll entitled Mies&rsquo;s McCormick House Revealed: New Views. The show provides an introduction, background, context, and visibility to the McCormick House (1952), one of only three single-family homes built by Mies van der Rohe in the U.S. It is my hope these three concurrent events will give the building an increased visibility as the home is a rare and important example of the architect&#39;s mature style, incorporating elements of his celebrated designs for the Farnsworth House and 860-880 Lake Shore Drive. I hope the exhibition will educate and inspire new generations about the unique and important modern home built in Elmhurst.

&nbsp;

John McKinnon is&nbsp;Executive Director of Elmhurst Art Museum. For more information about the EAM please visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/elmhurst-art-museum">Elmhurst Art Museum</a>.

Top Image&nbsp;courtesy of Aidan Fitzpatrick

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An Interview with John McKinnon, Executive Director of Elmhurst Art Museum

<h2>Saving landmark Eternal Indian statue may hinge on &#39;1 or 2 charitable angels&#39; as supporters try to restart restoration</h2>

For three years, fifth-grade teacher Becky Fuller and about 100 students have trudged through Lowden State Park to the bluffs of the Rock River as part of their Outdoor Education program. The objective: to see the beloved, iconic behemoth known as the Black Hawk statue.

Instead, what they encountered resembles a giant mummy.

By Ted Gregory, Chicago Tribune

<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-eternal-indian-statue-oregon-illinois-20180405-story.html">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Kehinde Wiley Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images" data-rich-file-id="2698" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2698/original/wiley.jpg" />

<h2>Kehinde Wiley&mdash;the artist behind Obama&#39;s presidential portrait&mdash;signs with Hollywood talent agency</h2>

Kehinde Wiley, the artist whose portrait of former President Barack Obama is attracting record crowds to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, has joined the Hollywood talent agency Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

The firm will licence Wiley&rsquo;s paintings for use on screen as well as &ldquo;identify directing opportunities&rdquo; for the artist, &ldquo;option books&rdquo; on his behalf and help him &ldquo;produce, develop his own material [and] collaborate with other screenwriters,&rdquo; according to a report on the film and entertainment news website&nbsp;Deadline.

By Cristina Ruiz, The Art Newspaper

<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/kehinde-wiley">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Photo by Gene Pittman. Courtesy of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. " data-rich-file-id="2699" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2699/original/d7hftxdivxxvm-cloudfront.jpg" />

<h2>11 of the World&rsquo;s Greatest Sculpture Parks, from Seattle to Oslo</h2>

The tradition of mounting works of art outdoors in nature stretches back for centuries. In the late 1500s, for example, Henry VIII adorned his gardens at Nonsuch Palace in Surrey, England, with sculptures inspired by Greek mythology. In Renaissance Italy, nobles like the Medicis bedecked their gardens with&nbsp;Classical&nbsp;pieces excavated from ruins. And at the end of the 17th century, Louis XIV lavishly decorated the sprawling grounds of Versailles with over 200 sculptures made of marble, bronze, and lead. Later, when site-specific outdoor sculptures were first commissioned in the 1800s, the earliest iterations of what we now consider sculpture parks began to emerge. Today, these outdoor spaces around the world strike a delightful balance between nature and art, displaying a wide range of work, from massive contemporary sculptures to earthworks and subtler, historic pieces.

By&nbsp;Rachel Lebowitz, Artsy Editorial

<a href="https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-11-worlds-greatest-sculpture-parks-seattle-oslo">Read More&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="2018 Henry Darger/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Emily Andrews for The New York Times" data-rich-file-id="2700" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2700/original/merlin-136164774-bd3a5be8-3b55-4e7b-a886-a10366715649-master768.jpg" />

<h2>An Insider of Design and Media Who Favors Outsider Art</h2>

If there were a Collecting Confidence Index, Robert M. Greenberg&rsquo;s score would be 100.

In the same way he entered a number of fields and excelled &mdash; co-founding the influential digital advertising agency R/GA, designing titles and visual effects for hundreds of feature films including &ldquo;Alien&rdquo; and establishing himself as a communications guru &mdash; Mr. Greenberg goes all-in and doesn&rsquo;t second-guess.

Scooping up collections by the dozens or hundreds of items is easier when you live in a massive, two-story penthouse loft, as Mr. Greenberg does with his wife, Corvova Lee (an artist whose work is also on view). It&rsquo;s one of five homes they own, including two in the Hudson Valley.

By Ted Loos, The New York Times

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/arts/design/show-us-your-wall-bob-greenberg.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fdesign&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=design&amp;region=stream&amp;module=stream_unit&amp;version=latest&amp;contentPlacement=10&amp;pgtype=sectionfront">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

News from Around the Art World: April 9, 2018

After 15 years on North Peoria in the West Loop, and over 40 years in the art business,&nbsp;Rhona Hoffman Gallery has relocated to 1711 W. Chicago Ave. in West Town, joining a growing group of galleries who have moved for more affordable rent and to be part of an emerging gallery community. Hoffman&#39;s inaugural exhibition in the new space,&nbsp;Judy Ledgerwood: Far From The Tree, opens Friday, April 6 and runs through May 19. This is the artist&#39;s fifth solo show with the gallery.&nbsp;

Three years ago, Hoffman signed her last lease in the West Loop. Since then, the surrounding neighborhood, and its price per square foot,&nbsp;changed rapidly, spurring the consideration of a major move instead of closing the doors.&nbsp;

Hoffman told CGN on Thursday, &quot;The exhibition of Judy Ledgerwood&#39;s unbelievably beautiful, color-filled paintings make us even more excited to show the public our new gallery space designed by John Vinci.&quot;

<img alt="" data-caption="Judy Ledgerwood, Hopscotch Chelsea Rose, 2018, Oil on canvas, 76 x 46 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery." data-rich-file-id="2697" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2697/original/jledgerwood-hopscotch-chelsea-rose-2018-preview.jpg" />

Ledgerwood is known for using bright colors in her paintings and experimenting with various textures and patterns. According to the gallery&#39;s show description, &quot;The visual pleasure, luminosity, and optical stimulation primary in Judy Ledgerwood&rsquo;s new paintings are hinged upon their embedded conceptual complexity. For over thirty years the Chicago-based painter has been dismantling the canon of Abstract Painting from within by using disruptive color combinations, deconstructing the minimal / conceptual grid, and employing decidedly feminine forms.

<img alt="" data-caption="Judy Ledgerwood, Yoni, 2017, Oil and metallic oil on canvas, 60 x 50 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery." data-rich-file-id="2696" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2696/original/jl1.jpg" />

Maximalist color and provocative shapes are primary agents in Judy Ledgerwood&rsquo;s engagement with historical painting.&nbsp;Whether interrupting rich blues with unexpected green, orange, and yellows in&nbsp;Tiny Dancer&nbsp;or combining glowing orange with translucent mustard browns in&nbsp;Sheela,&nbsp;Judy Ledgerwood always provokes viewers to extend beyond complacent enjoyment and actively engage with looking.&nbsp;In&nbsp;Hopscotch Chelsea Rose&nbsp;and&nbsp;Drunkard&rsquo;s Path,&nbsp;quilting patterns serve&nbsp;as the instrument to organize Ledgerwood&rsquo;s characteristic chevron and quatrefoil matrix.&nbsp;

In&nbsp;Far From The Tree,&nbsp;Judy Ledgerwood&rsquo;s signature shapes are augmented with circles, diamonds, chevrons, and seed-like forms associated with Paleolithic and Neolithic goddesses. The artist refers to these shapes as &ldquo;ciphers of feminine power&rdquo; - rooted in the generative, flexible Yonic form. Manipulating the grid, shape, and color of large-scale contemporary painting, Ledgerwood shatters the canon from within to create a distinct, feminist painting voice.

Far From The Tree&nbsp;opens Friday, April 6, 5-7:30pm&nbsp;at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/rhona-hoffman-gallery--2">Rhona Hoffman Gallery</a> at 1711 W. Chicago Ave. in West Town.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2015/9/rhona-hoffman-40-years-of-having-fun">Click here</a>&nbsp;to read Kevin Nance&#39;s 2015 interview with Rhona Hoffman.

<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2015/5/artist-insights-judy-ledgerwood">Click here</a>&nbsp;to read Laura Mettam&#39;s 2015 interview with Judy Ledgerwood.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Top image: Left &ndash; Photo of Hoffman by Kevin Nance for CGN from 2015; &nbsp;Right &ndash;&nbsp;Judy Ledgerwood, Drunkards Path, 2018, Oil and metallic oil on canvas, 78 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery
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Rhona Hoffman Gallery moves to West Town and opens Judy Ledgerwood show

Rhona Hoffman Gallery Moves to West Town; First Show Features Judy Ledgerwood

Each week CGN interviews a local art-industry professional to discuss the ins and outs of running a space&nbsp;in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with&nbsp;Jonathan Kinkley of VGA Gallery.

&nbsp;

Age: 38

Current Positions: Executive Director and Co-Founder, VGA Gallery, and Philanthropic Advisor, Major Gifts, Art Institute of Chicago

Hometown: Wheaton and Chicago, IL

Previous Occupations: Director of Development at Museum of Contemporary Photography; Manager of Foundation and Government Relations, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago

5 favorites from the past week: Logan Square has it all -- this past week I played games at Logan Arcade with friends, went jogging with my dog on the boulevard, and had delicious drinks and lunch at Lonesome Rose with my wife and daughter. I&#39;m&nbsp;terrible at reading books in print so I have an audible subscription and am on a 2018 quest to read all of Hemingway (my favorite author). I just finished For Whom The Bell Tolls, can&#39;t get enough. I&#39;m playing Battle Chef Brigade and Tumbleseed made by great local developers for the Nintendo Switch, and listening to Marlon Williams at a trusted friend&#39;s recommendation. Took a few listens but am now super into it.

&nbsp;

CGN: Tell us a little bit about your background and your connection with VGA Gallery?

JK: I always had a lifelong passion for both the arts and video games. In recent years games have made leaps and bounds in artistic distinction and maturity as a medium. I also had years of professional experience working for art galleries and museums around the world and thought how great it would be if there were an art organization for games.&nbsp; I called up a like-minded friend from grad school, Chaz Evans, who was into the idea, and we worked together to assemble our first exhibition and Video Game Art (VGA) Gallery was born. After three years, VGA is now a non-profit with a great, energetic staff and board, that serves over 10,000&nbsp;people a year in exhibitions, events and other programming. Crazy growth this year included opening a physical space for VGA&mdash;a storefront gallery space off the blue line Western stop and the 606 with exhibitions, prints of art from video games, education programs, and a scholarly journal about video game art called the VGA Reader.

&nbsp;

CGN: Give us a day in the life!

JK: During the day I have the incredible job of connecting some truly amazing philanthropists in the city with special exhibitions, and projects of significant scale that requires special support at the Art Institute. On nights and weekends I work with a cool group of people who are building Chicago&#39;s first dedicated space for video games and enjoy the city with my family and friends.

&nbsp;

CGN: Most exciting exhibition you have worked on?

JK: For over a decade, I&#39;ve been thinking about the ideas and work in the current VGA show that I curated, Gun Ballet: the Aestheticization of Violence in Video Games exhibition (through June 3rd, 2018). It&#39;s very satisfying to see it finally realized and sparking interesting and nuanced conversations with viewers of the show.. After Parkland, it has an added relevance with a national debate about gun violence, that includes video games. The show was always intended to be more about &#39;how&#39; game artists represent violence than &#39;why&#39; but some artists in show&#39;s work asks direct questions of violent games and question why we are drawn to them. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

CGN: Share some successes this&nbsp;year.

JK: The biggest deal for VGA this year will be our participation in Terra Foundation&#39;s major initiative, Art Design Chicago. For VGA, SAIC artist and professor Jon Cates is curating an exhibition and catalogue called Chicago New Media 1973-1992 in partnership with UIC&#39;s Gallery 400 and Electronic Visualization Lab. It&#39;s going to be incredible and the first time the full story of Chicago&#39;s history of video games and new media art will be told. I&#39;m super excited.

&nbsp;

CGN: When did you know this industry was a path you wanted to pursue?

JK: Ever since walking through the Art Institute as a kid and seeing the suits of armor from the Harding collection, I was enchanted with museums and galleries as places for beauty, ideas and history. I was hooked. The road was long though, I studied art history in undergrad and interned for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Chinati Foundation in Marfa Texas before getting a masters at UIC in art history in new media and the art and architecture of games and virtual worlds, before getting into the gallery and museum world in Chicago.

&nbsp;

CGN: What do you want to tell a young person considering this business?

JK: I used to think I was terrible at finance and math and business and was initially interested in art and video games precisely because they seemed far from these fields, but man was I wrong. Now, I live in spreadsheets and budgets and have learned to appreciate the behind-the-scenes strategies for how arts organizations can not just function, but thrive.

&nbsp;

CGN:What do you look for in an artwork? When searching for yourself, what speaks to you?

JK: For me, art I like in all media has got to have a great aesthetic and captivating ideas. Art that looks amazing but has no depth is not my cup of tea and neither is work that is all concept with no concern for its form or appearance. It&rsquo;s definitely got to be interesting and not boring. I&#39;m also a big civic booster and Chicago homegrown work is always an attractive quality in my book.

&nbsp;

CGN: What should we expect to see from VGA Gallery in 2018?

JK: In the lead-up to Art Design Chicago we have a full schedule&mdash;next up will be a great summer exhibition of work by Hong Kong-based artists, and we&#39;re also working to kick off a game design educational program for middle and high schoolers.

&nbsp;

Jonathan Kinkley is&nbsp;Executive Director of the VGA Gallery. For more information, please visit <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/vga-gallery">VGA Gallery</a>.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An Interview with Jonathan Kinkley, Executive Director of VGA Gallery

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

Last month the John Toomey Gallery announced a generational succession as well as a name change.&nbsp;According to the press release, after&nbsp;three decades John Toomey Gallery&nbsp;has been a leading specialty auction house and private seller, and it is now known as <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/toomey-co-auctioneers">Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers</a>, marking a new era for a company that, since 1987, has built a reputation of integrity and of being well equipped to compete with large, global auction houses. &nbsp;&nbsp;

John Toomey will assume the role of a hands-on consultant for Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers, while turning over the company&rsquo;s management to Lucy Toomey, formerly Senior Vice President, who will now serve as CEO.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Times change and the industry progresses, and it&rsquo;s important that we evolve and adapt to meet the demands of our business as it is today,&rdquo; said John Toomey. &ldquo;The past 30 years have been fantastic, and it&rsquo;s time for the next generation to expand their role. I&rsquo;m proud of what&rsquo;s been created thus far&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;and I&rsquo;m very proud of the team that is taking the reins now.&rdquo;

In December 2017, John Toomey Gallery ended its partnership with Treadway Gallery of Cincinnati after previously conducting auctions jointly as Treadway Toomey Auctions.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an exciting time in our industry and we look forward to continuing to work with our current clients and developing relationships with new clients&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;ensuring that we are providing the best 21st-century service, with the same value system that we always have had in place,&rdquo; said Lucy Toomey. &ldquo;The enthusiastic feedback we&rsquo;ve received regarding the new business has been very encouraging.&rdquo;

At Toomey &amp; Co., Joe Stanfield and John Walcher will serve as Vice Presidents, while also continuing in their roles as Senior Specialists. Lisanne Dickson will continue as Senior Specialist and Rebecca Williams will assume a Specialist position. Director of Operations Kevin Mannella and his entire staff will remain in place.

<img alt="" data-caption="The group at Toomey &amp; Co." data-rich-file-id="2690" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2690/original/grouptoomey.jpg" />

Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers will continue to provide the service and expertise that the company&rsquo;s clients are accustomed to, and auctions will continue to be conducted at the same Oak Park location where they have been held for the past 30 years.&nbsp;They plan to hold several&nbsp;curated auctions each year and will continue to specialize in&nbsp;Fine Art, Early 20th Century Design, Modern Design, Fine Furniture &amp; Decorative Arts, Silver &amp; Objects of Vertu, and Fine Jewelry &amp; Timepieces. &nbsp;

The Toomey+ Online Marketplace&nbsp;offers&nbsp;an exclusive, curated selection of Prairie School design, Arts &amp; Crafts, Fine Art, Modern Design, furniture, lighting, and more.

Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers&rsquo; first sale, under its new brand, is scheduled for Sunday, April 8, 2018. Highlights include works by Jim Nutt, Roger Brown, David Hockney,&nbsp;Lucio Fontana, Ed Paschke,&nbsp;Robert Lostutter, Thomas Hart Benton,&nbsp;Karl Wirsum,&nbsp;and others.&nbsp;

Additional contact details and info may be found <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/toomey-co-auctioneers">here</a>.

Images from the upcoming April 8 auction:

<img alt="" data-caption="Jim Nutt (American, b. 1938) Where Is It?, 1981, colored pencil and graphite on paper signed, titled and dated on verso 11 3/4&quot; x 13 3/4&quot;. Est. $15,000-20,000" data-rich-file-id="2691" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2691/original/nutt.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="David Hockney (British, b. 1937) Henry Seated with Tulips (from Friends Series), 1976 color lithograph signed, dated and numbered in pencil A.P. edition of 20 41 1/2&quot; x 29 1/2&quot;. Est. $3,000-5,000" data-rich-file-id="2692" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2692/original/hockney.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Roger Brown (American, 1941-1997) Standing Around While All Are Sinking, 1977 etching and aquatint signed and numbered in pencil 19 1/2&quot; x 15 1/2&quot;. Est. $2,000-4,000" data-rich-file-id="2689" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2689/original/brown.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975) Nebraska Evening, 1941 lithograph signed in pencil lower right edition of 250 10&quot; x 13&quot; Est. $1,500-2,500" data-rich-file-id="2687" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2687/original/benton.jpg" />

&nbsp;

Top image: From&nbsp;John Toomey Gallery&#39;s 20th Century Art &amp; Design auction, December 2017: Charles Eames (1907-1978) &amp; Ray Eames (1912-1988) for Herman Miller early&nbsp;DCW, pair,&nbsp;Grand Rapids, Michigan, c.1949,&nbsp;natural and ebonized plywood,&nbsp;early Evans/ Herman Miller paper label,&nbsp;original finish,&nbsp;19.5&quot;w x 21&quot;d x 29&quot;h.&nbsp;Sold for $2,470
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John Toomey Gallery announces a change to Toomey & Co. Auctioneers in 2018

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers Represents a New Generation in Auctions

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

From the Sea to the Shedd: Art Makes a Statement

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417508/zn7jc2572ydrxakhk4mc.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Each week CGN interviews a local art dealer to discuss the ins and outs of running a gallery in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with Joel Oppenheimer, owner of Joel Oppenheimer Gallery, The Audubon Gallery, and Oppenheimer Editions.Age: 64Current Position: Owner ofJoel Oppenheimer Gallery, Chicago, The Audubon Gallery, Charleston S.C., Oppenheimer Editions, LLCHometown: Chicago since 18 years old.Previous Occupations?&nbsp;None&nbsp;5 favorites from the past week1. Resaurant: Spiaggio, not trendy, but still exceptional. 2. Shopping: Brooks Brothers, needed a dress shirt. 3. Book: John Gould The Bird Man, Gorden Sauer, researching for a book I am working on. Not recommended for pleasure reading. 4. Neighborhood: Michigan Avenue, River North, I don't go out a lot. 5. Music: Liz Phair&nbsp;CGN: Tell us about your background and how the gallery came to be?JO: I graduated from SAIC with a BFA in 1978. While pursuing my painting I apprenticed to the former conservator of Prints and Drawings from the Art Institute. He was establishing a private conservation practice. Eventually, I took over that business and it has grown into our conservation facility now conserving works on paper, paintings and photographs for private and institutional clients nationwide. Along the way, I acquired an expertise in natural history art and John James Audubon. We now have galleries in Chicago and Charleston, South Carolina. In 1999 I started Oppenheimer Editions, a fine art publishing entity that holds licensing agreements with major natural history museums and libraries in the U.S. and Great Britain.&nbsp;CGN: Share a typical day in the life.JO: Overseeing daily operations of our businesses, although my son David is largely responsible for that. Working on a new book about John Gould's Humminbirds that will be published by Rizzoli this fall. Still painting. In Charleston one week a month for business there and enjoying the relaxed local environment.&nbsp;CGN: Best sale you ever had?JO: That's a difficult question, there have been a few over the last 38 years. About ten years ago I was researching for a book I was writing about a rare 1860 Audubon folio. The book was published by WW Norton in 2013.&nbsp; I thought the folio was undervalued and bought two of them during those years. I held them for quite a while but eventually sold both the same year, one to a museum and the other to a private collector for a pretty good sum.&nbsp;CGN: Share some successes as well as challenges this year.JO: For a brick and mortar art gallery to stay in business at all is a success today. We have a large and unusual inventory of rare antique works. Consequently, our internet presence has allowed us to adapt to the challenges that face all retail today.&nbsp;CGN: What do you want a young person to know who is considering this business?JO: Nothing has changed in that respect. Be knowledgeable, dedicated, reliable and work hard.&nbsp;CGN: What do you look for in an artwork? When searching for yourself, what speaks to you?JO: Whether you are looking at Audubon or Warhol it is the same criteria. Every artist who has created a large body of work has some that stands out above others. Condition and quality are paramount. You have to trust your eye, but your eye has to be an educated one.&nbsp;CGN: What’s coming up next at the gallery?JO: In May we will feature an exhibition of first edition hand-colored engravings by Alexander Wilson published in 1808. He is known as the father of American ornithology.&nbsp;Joel Oppenheimer is owner of Joel Oppenheimer Gallery in the Michigan Avenue / River North area of Chicago. For more information&nbsp;please visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/joel-oppenheimer-inc">Oppenheimer Inc</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Interview Series: Joel Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer Inc

Each week CGN interviews a local art-industry professional to discuss the ins and outs of running a space&nbsp;in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with Paula Danoff of Evanston Art Center.

&nbsp;

Age: Guess!

Current Position: President&nbsp; &amp; CEO

Hometown: Evanston, IL

Previous Occupations: Fundraiser and Banker

&nbsp;

5 favorites from the past week:

Restaurant: Tanoshi 
Shop: Ross Discount 
Read: Who has time to read! 
Neighborhood: River North 
Music: Karen Carpenter

&nbsp;

CGN: Tell us about your background and how you originally connected with Evanston Art Center?

PD: The Evanston Art Center was founded in 1929.&nbsp; I was not there when it was founded, but I did take classes there when it moved to its location on Lake Michigan in 1966. I had a career in Banking, lived in Japan for 6 years and became an Ikebana Sensei in the Sogetsu school of Japanese Flower arranging. I returned to start a Career in Fundraising for Non-Profits.&nbsp; In 2007, I was offered the opportunity to return to the Art Center in the role of Director in Development and Communications.&nbsp; In 2015, I was offered the position of President &amp; CEO and have been here in this position ever since.

&nbsp;

CGN: Share a typical day in the life.

PD: COFFEE and more COFFEE- and a doughnut from Firecakes Donuts, whenever possible! The Art Center is a constant BUZZ of activity ranging from hanging shows to greeting students, meeting with Board members, artists, event planners and the public.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

CGN: How would you sum up your experience during your time with the Evanston Art Center?&nbsp;

PD:&nbsp;My time at the Art Center has given me the opportunity to expand the mission of the Art Center to encompass all arts and fulfill the needs of a larger and more diverse audience.&nbsp; When we moved to the new location in 2015, we gained 5 gallery spaces and greatly expanded opportunities for artists and outreach to the community.&nbsp; I have learned how to appreciate the value in dealing with different points to view to move the mission forward.

&nbsp;

CGN: Share some successes as well as challenges this year.

PD: This year we kicked off our second Artwork in Residency program with Shape of Now, a fashion focused one-of-a-kind residency featuring 6 talented designers curated by Katrin Schnabl.&nbsp; We have established two new disciplines this year in our school for Woodworking and a Maker Space.&nbsp; Our outreach to the community continues to grow with programs serving low-income students in Evanston.&nbsp;

The challenge continues to fund all these amazing programs.&nbsp; We continue to reach out to donors, foundations, and business to sponsor and support the Art Center.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

CGN: How have you seen technology directly affect/alter the art world?

PD:&nbsp;Yes!&nbsp; In new and exciting ways.&nbsp; Our Maker lab translates 2-D into 3-D with a laser engraving machine and 3-D printing.&nbsp; We have artist interpreting their work in ways not possible a few years ago.&nbsp; This has been a huge growth area for our school.&nbsp; We work with youth in these areas to unleash the creative process into the next generation.

&nbsp;

CGN: What do you want to tell a young person considering this business?

PD: We have a very robust Internship program for young people ages 15-30.&nbsp; All are looking for a career in the Arts.&nbsp; I advise them to take the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT tests as soon as they graduate, because that is when you are the smartest.&nbsp; This will open any opportunity for your future.&nbsp; I advise all young people to get as much experience with volunteering and internships in the Arts, so that they can make decisions based on experience and not emotion.

&nbsp;

CGN: One piece of advice you would send back to yourself when you started out?

PD: Don&rsquo;t worry, the best is yet to come!

&nbsp;

CGN: Favorite cultural pursuit outside of the art world?

PD: My favorite place is the Chicago Botanic Gardens!&nbsp; I find the Japanese Gardens meditative in their simplicity and grandeur.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is a unique place in all of Chicago where you can experience the beauty of nature.

&nbsp;

CGN: What should we expect to see next from the Evanston Art Center?

PD: Here is a listing of all the exciting exhibitions in the next few weeks!

Current Exhibitions:

Nelli Bar and Paul Wieghardt Gallery, The Fair brings together independent fashion designers artisans and collectives to present their current spring/summer collections in a unique sales event.&nbsp; As a part of the ongoing&nbsp;SHAPE OF NOW&nbsp;fashion&nbsp;residency&nbsp;series&nbsp;curated by Katrin Schnabl, the public will have the opportunity to shop a curated selection of fashion, accessories and objects created by the participating designers and guest artists at&nbsp;THE FAIR, a unique art-meets-fashion pop-up showroom.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Second Floor Gallery Space. Lindsay Olson, an artist with a science-based practice, is known for her unusual art projects. As Fermi National Accelerator&rsquo;s first artist in residence, Olson&rsquo;s work sheds light on the fascinating world of subatomic particles. Her love of science and technology grew out of her work with Chicago&rsquo;s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the world&rsquo;s largest wastewater treatment facility. She uses her training to create art about the hidden realities of our world, shedding light on both the smallest frontiers and the structure of the universe: the subatomic realm of neutrinos, quarks and leptons. As a part of this exhibition, Fermilab docent Anne Mary Teichert will give a talk on Sunday, March 18 from 2 - 3pm.

&nbsp;

Studio Exhibition: Students of Duffy O&rsquo;Connor.&nbsp;This multi-level course, Intaglio, taught by Duffy O&rsquo;Connor, invites beginners to work alongside experienced printmaking students as they explore the tradition of Intaglio printmaking.&nbsp; The basic processes of intaglio printmaking of etching (line, aquatint and softground) and drypoint are taught with primarily black and white imagery; color printing is also explored by students beyond the beginner level.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Radical Visibility Collective creates performance that awakens queer crip futurism. The collective will showcase their work in an ongoing installation at the Evanston Art Center throughout March as part of their Shape of Now residency. They will also create a music video that encapsulates the space and performance so that people can continue to experience their vision for radical visibility.

&nbsp;

Paula Danoff is&nbsp;the Executive Director of the Evanston Art Center. For more information about the EAC&nbsp;please visit:<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/evanston-art-center--3">&nbsp;Evanston Art Center</a>.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An Interview with Paula Danoff, Executive Director of Evanston Art Center

<h2>Overlooked No More: A Foundation&#39;s Push to Elevate Chicago Art</h2>

New York has long been considered the center of American visual art, home to the Met, the MoMA, and the incredible, cylindrical viewing galleries of the Guggenheim. Abstract Expressionism developed in the city, as did the careers of its luminaries such as Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko. A new crop of art-world superstars blossoms in the city each year.

More recently, Los Angeles has entered the collective art consciousness. In the past five years, major gifts in the hundreds of millions have remade L.A.&rsquo;s cultural landscape into a Monopoly board of arts institutions. The Broad and the Marciano Art Foundation opened, and new galleries and acquisitions are planned at the Hammer, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Art makers themselves, fleeing the high cost and low light of New York City, are basking in L.A.&rsquo;s spectacular, Mediterranean-like sun.

By Wendy Paris, Inside Philanthropy

<a href="https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2018/3/6/overlooked-no-more-a-foundation-looks-to-raise-chicagos-profile-in-the-art-world">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

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<h2>Opioid Protest at Met Museum Targets Donors Connected to OxyContin</h2>

Anti-opioid activists unfurled banners and scattered pill bottles on Saturday inside the Sackler Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which is named for a family connected to the powerful painkilling drug OxyContin.

The protest, which was organized by a group started by the celebrated photographer Nan Goldin, started just after 4 p.m., when several dozen people converged at the Temple of Dendur inside the wing.

By&nbsp;Colin&nbsp;Moynihan, The New York Times

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/us/met-museum-sackler-protest.html">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2641" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2641/original/ct-1520870672-vjdapryu9q-snap-image-1.jpg" />

<h2>Chicago architects take the lead for U.S. pavilion at prestigious Venice Architecture Biennale</h2>

It&rsquo;s no insult to Chicago&rsquo;s fledgling architecture biennial to say that the event remains an upstart compared to the bigger, older and more prestigious Venice Architecture Biennale. So it&rsquo;s a big deal that Chicago&rsquo;s architecture community is poised to make a mark on the Italian city of lagoons, canals and exotic buildings washed by the Adriatic mist.

For the first time, a spokeswoman confirmed, Chicago institutions are organizing architecture biennale&rsquo;s U.S. pavilion, traditionally a showcase for top American talent. In addition, Chicagoans are designing two of the pavilion&rsquo;s seven installations, including one by the firm of architect&nbsp;Jeanne Gang&nbsp;that will transport hundreds of cobblestones from a Memphis riverfront to Venice.

By Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune

<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ae-venice-biennale-kamin-0313-story.html">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2639" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2639/original/nra-ad2-copy-1.jpg" />

<h2>Kapoor condemns NRA&rsquo;s use of his Chicago &lsquo;Bean&rsquo; sculpture in promotional ad</h2>

The British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor is speaking out against the National Rifle Association (NRA), condemning the US gun lobby organisation&rsquo;s use of an image of his Chicago sculpture Cloud Gate (2004) in a&nbsp;promotional videoreleased last year. &ldquo;I am disgusted to see my work&mdash;in truth the sculpture of the people of Chicago&mdash;used by the NRA to promote their vile message,&rdquo; Kapoor says in a written statement from today (12 March), issued in association with the anti&ndash;gun violence nonprofit&nbsp;Everytown for Gun Safety. &ldquo;Recent shootings in Florida, Las Vegas, Texas, and a number of other towns and cities, make it more urgent than ever that this organization is held to account for its ongoing campaign of fear and hate in American society.&rdquo;

By Jillian&nbsp;Steinhauer, The Art Newspaper

<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/kapoor-condemns-nra-s-use-of-his-chicago-bean-sculpture-in-promotional-ad">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2638" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2638/original/screen-shot-2018-03-12-at-2-42-08-pm.jpg" />

<h2>Part of University of Chicago art museum collection is on loan &hellip; to&nbsp;undergrads</h2>

Andrew Langford lives in a typical college dorm room: He has a desk, a single bed, a mini-fridge stocked with cookies, brownies, some booze and, on an otherwise drab beige wall, he has a framed Miro. That&rsquo;s right, the 18-year-old has a piece by the famed Spanish painter and sculptor, Joan Miro.

Noah Adams, 19, has a Pablo Picasso etching in his dorm entitled, &ldquo;Dream and Lie of Franco 1.&rdquo; To be sure, these are not the originals &mdash; they&rsquo;re prints &mdash; but many of the several dozen pieces on loan this year to mostly undergraduates at the University of Chicago are each worth several thousand dollars.

By Stefano Esposito, Chicago Sun Times

<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/part-of-university-of-chicago-art-museum-collection-is-on-loan-to-undergrads/">Read More</a>

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News from Around the Art World: March 12, 2018

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721417509/yiqiuvqwdcrg0kiktayj.jpg"></figure>Each week CGN interviews a local art-world professional to discuss&nbsp;the ins and outs of running a gallery in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with Jennifer Muray, Executive Director of Filter Photo.&nbsp;Age: 45Current Position: Executive Director, Filter PhotoHometown: ChicagoPrevious Occupation: Director, A+D Gallery, Columbia College Chicago&nbsp;5 favorites from the past weekRestaurant: Charlie was a Sinner, cute little bar with lovely cocktails, Philadelphia (I was traveling for the Society for Photographic Education’s Annual Conference) Shop:&nbsp;Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, all you ever need and more. Read: The New York Times daily briefing is about all I’ve had time for lately. Neighborhood:&nbsp;Lincoln Square, close to home, easy to walk, good coffee Music: Black Panther!&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Tell us about your background and how your position with Filter Photo came to be?JM: I was director of A+D Gallery, at Columbia College Chicago for over ten years.&nbsp; The gallery closed a few years ago to make way for the expansion of Shop Columbia but it was a dedicated non-profit space exhibiting a broad roster of art and design based exhibitions.&nbsp; Additionally, I’m trained in photography and primarily work in photography as a visual artist and curator.&nbsp; I’ve taught photography for over 15 years, first at Columbia and now at Loyola University Chicago.&nbsp; The combination of my engagement in the photography community and my non-profit gallery experience was a natural fit for the Executive Director position at Filter Photo.&nbsp; I took over for Sarah Hadley and James Pepper Kelly in 2016.&nbsp;CGN: Give us a day in the life!JM: Varied!&nbsp; As an arts administrator and educator who is also trying to plug away at a personal practice each day is a bit of everything.&nbsp; Like so many people in the arts I wear many hats and have several email accounts to stay on top of. But, I do like a routine, so I’m good at compartmentalizing my time.&nbsp; In addition to the non-stop email catch up, I also meet with artists, staff, and board members regularly and do a lot of writing and proof reading for Filter communications and grants.&nbsp; I’m currently sending out invitations to professionals to join us at the 2018 Filter Photo Festival in September, brainstorming for our workshops and artist talks for the Festival and working with the Filter board of directors on updating our 5-year plan.&nbsp; I teach a few days a week and look forward to critiques with my students.&nbsp; Every few weeks you’ll find me at Filter Space installing artwork and tweaking the lights.&nbsp;CGN: Share some successes as well as challenges this year.JM: We are very excited about the success of our newly launched Photography Book Club; it’s an open access group that meets once a month to discuss photography books, historical through contemporary.&nbsp; 3-5 books are featured every month.&nbsp; The first meeting in February was a great success.&nbsp; I think people are hungry for opportunities to engage with one another around like-minded topics, looking to build community, and share their passions.&nbsp; We’re happy that Filter Photo can provide a space for that kind of engagement and connect people.Challenges…hmm.&nbsp; Running a non-profit organization dedicated to photography is definitely challenging.&nbsp; Photography is this weird word that can mean so many different things.&nbsp; We spend a lot of time explaining what we mean by photography by defining the term contemporary photography through the examples found in our exhibition program and other community-based programs like the book club and professional development workshops.&nbsp; Our hope is that more and more photographers working in a purely aesthetic and formal way will push their practice into a more content-driven and conceptual arena.&nbsp; We want to provide opportunities for them to make that transition and support that process for anyone working in photography.&nbsp;CGN: What do you want to tell a young person considering this business?JM: The connections you make and maintain with people are the most important.&nbsp; The obvious things like a good work ethic are also important – respond to email, be on time, carry your weight, and contribute to the conversation are always key.&nbsp; But it’s the relationships that you build with people that will move you forward, whether you are the artist, director, curator, or administrator.&nbsp; Showing up really is half the battle - not just to promote yourself but supporting your colleagues and peers as well.&nbsp;CGN: What do you look for in an artwork? When searching for yourself, what speaks to you?JM: I need to be able to live with the work; it needs to enhance my daily life as I move through my home.&nbsp; I don’t mean in a purely decorative way, but in a way that makes me think and connect with my other interests.&nbsp;CGN: Favorite cultural pursuit outside of the art world?JM: I have a morbid sense of curiosity.&nbsp; My graduate thesis work was on cabinets of curiosity so anything collection, taxonomy, and natural history based will interest me.&nbsp; I was just at The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia for the first time; it’s this amazing medical museum with anatomical anomalies, specimens, surgical implements, and the like on display.&nbsp; The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles is perhaps my favorite museum in the world and the plants and flora exhibit, which is tucked away on the second floor of The Field Museum in the old 19th century display cases, is always on my list of things to see.&nbsp;CGN: What should we expect to see from Filter Photo in 2018?JM: Filter Photo has an exciting year planned.&nbsp; This spring we are hosting two professional development workshops – The Evolving Landscape of Photography Publishing with Michael Itkoff of Daylight Books in March; and Getting Seen, Getting Shown: Professional Practices for Photographers with Sasha Wolf and Jess T. Dugan in April.&nbsp; Spots still available in both workshops!&nbsp;We just launched our annual call for exhibition proposals for the 2019-2020 exhibition season at Filter Space.&nbsp; This is such a great opportunity to get your work seen by our panel of reviewers.&nbsp; Unlike a strict voting process, the review panel really discusses the proposals and makes decisions about the next year of exhibitions.September 27 - 30 we are celebrating the 10th Annual Filter Photo Festival with 4 days of artist talks, portfolio reviews, workshops, and exhibition openings.&nbsp; We are slowly rolling out the programming and just announced Mona Kuhn as the keynote speaker on September 27th.&nbsp; All artist talks, exhibitions, and evening events are free and open to the public – we hope to see you there!&nbsp;Jennifer Murray is&nbsp;the Executive Director of Filter Photo in Chicago. For more information about the space&nbsp;please visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/filter-photo">Filter Photo</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Interview Series: Jennifer Murray, Filter Photo

The second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial just wrapped up a few weeks ago, but plans are already very much underway for the next edition, opening in fall 2019. Today the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the appointment of&nbsp;Yesomi Umolu,&nbsp;Exhibitions Curator at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago,&nbsp;as the 2019 Artistic Director.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Umolu brings years of experience and expertise in contemporary art with a particular curatorial focus on "spatial practices" to her initial training in the field of architecture. Together these experiences and insights bring a unique vision to the third Biennial.&nbsp;With a background in architectural design and curatorial studies, Umolu focuses her work on global contemporary art and spatial practices. Her recent projectshave explored the politics of the built environment. Umolu currently holds the position of Exhibitions Curator at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, and is a visiting lecturer, critic, and speaker at a number of international universities and institutions.“I am honored to be invited to serve as Artistic Director of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial,” said Umolu. “Having my roots in the field of architecture, spatial questions have always been an important consideration of my work with contemporary artists, architects, and urbanists from across the world. I am excited to embark on the journey of engaging the city of Chicago and it publics, as well as visitors to Chicago from across the country and around the world, in these conversations.”Jack Guthman, Chairman of the Biennial, said, “We are delighted that Yesomi Umolu will serve as the Artistic Director of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Her broad curatorial experience makes her ideally suited to build upon the critical acclaim accorded to our 2015 and 2017 Biennials by our dual constituencies—the architecture profession worldwide, as well as Chicagoans and visitors to our city.”In the coming months, Umolu will formalize and convene an international curatorial team of creative practitioners with strong knowledge of visual arts, architecture, and design practices globally. The members of the curatorial team will be announced this spring. Umolu’s vision for the next Chicago Architecture Biennial features the exploration of emerging practices and global locations that are developing new approaches to architecture, urbanism, and spatial practice. Through this process, she will use the Biennial as a forum to explore creative responses to shifting spatial conditions at local, regional, and international levels.“Yesomi is a visionary curator with strong roots in Chicago, and she will work tirelessly to cultivate an incredible cultural, educational, and economic event for the city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “With Yesomi at the helm, the third Chicago Architecture Biennial is sure to secure its reputation as the most innovative architectural, art, and design showcase of its kind.”“We are delighted by Yesomi Umolu’s appointment as the next Artistic Director of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.&nbsp;The appointment further testifies to the curatorial imagination and dexterity she has demonstrated so well at the Logan Center for the Arts.&nbsp; By consistently showcasing the best in architectural innovation—in a city renowned for its architectural achievements—the Biennial advances the conversation about the potential impact of design.&nbsp; That conversation is playing an increasing role at the University of Chicago, and it is vital, of course, to the future of Chicago’s South Side, as to cities around the world,” added Daniel Diermeier, Provost of the University of Chicago.Following a successful partnership in 2017, the opening of the 2019 edition will align with EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, which will present its 8th edition, and the main site of the Biennial will once again be the Chicago Cultural Center,&nbsp;located downtown near the Art Institute of Chicago. This edition of the Biennial will be under the leadership of Executive Director Todd Palmer, who also served as Executive Director of the 2017 edition.<h3>To read CGN's 2017 profile of&nbsp;Yesomi Umolu, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2017/4/expanding-exhibitions-at-the-logan-center">click here</a>.&nbsp;</h3>For more information about the Chicago Architecture Biennial&nbsp;<a href="http://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/news/chicago-architecture-biennial-announces-the-appointment-of-yesomi-umolu-as-the-artistic-director-2019-biennial/?utm_source=2017+Updated+VIP+List+%28BL%29&amp;utm_campaign=57fceb6bad-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_02&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_d8d186783f-57fceb6bad-271010429">click&nbsp;here</a>.&nbsp;

Yesomi Umolu named 2019 Artistic Director of Chicago Architecture Biennial

Curator Yesomi Umolu Named Artistic Director of 3rd Chicago Architecture Biennial 

<h2>ELLEN ROTHENBERG // SPERTUS INSTITUTE</h2>

If you had to leave your home for good, what would you take with you? Would you take your favorite books? The scarf that your grandmother knit for you, your favorite necklace that your best friend gave you, your red shoes, most comfortable pillow, love letters, spices that you cannot find anywhere else, or more practical things like passports, identity cards, and money? Is it possible to carry your whole being if you leave a part of your life behind? Stepping in Ellen Rothenberg&rsquo;s installation,&nbsp;ISO 6346: ineluctable immigrant,&nbsp;at the Spertus Institute, such questions flock together in one&rsquo;s mind and do not let go of your soul for a long time.

By Pınar &Uuml;ner Yılmaz, THE&nbsp;SEEN

<a href="http://theseenjournal.org/art-seen-chicago/ellen-rothenberg/">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-caption="Peter Gorman" data-rich-file-id="2632" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2632/original/ct-guess-the-chicago-intersection-20180227-003.jpg" />

<h2>Chicago&#39;s unique &mdash; and complicated &mdash; intersections inspire artist&#39;s work</h2>

If Rascal Flatts is correct and life is truly a highway, artist Peter Gorman wants to ride it all night long.

The Seattle-based creator of digital art biked through Chicago during the summer of 2015 and discovered the unique looks of some of the city&rsquo;s interesting intersections. He has since created artwork featuring those streets that are a bit off of the traditional grid. He sells it on his Etsy store,&nbsp;BarelyMaps.

By Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune

<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/ct-trav-chicago-intersections-art-20180228-story.html">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-caption="Photograph by Bettmann / Getty" data-rich-file-id="2633" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2633/original/stfleix-gwendolyn-brooks.jpg" />

<h2>Chicago&rsquo;s Particular Cultural Scene and the Radical Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks</h2>

In&nbsp;an interview with the rapper Kanye West from 2003, shortly before he released &ldquo;The College Dropout,&rdquo; West recounted the time he met the poet Gwendolyn Brooks, at a dinner held for students in Beverly Hills, Chicago, when he was in &ldquo;fourth grade or sixth grade.&rdquo; Brooks asked him if he had a poem to read, West recalled. &ldquo;I said&rdquo;&mdash;here,&nbsp;the interviewer writes, he put on a high-pitched boy&rsquo;s voice&mdash;&ldquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;No, but I can write one real quick.&rsquo; I went in the back, wrote a poem, and then read it for her and the 40 staff members.&rdquo;

By Doreen St. F&eacute;lix, The New Yorker

<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/chicagos-particular-cultural-scene-and-the-radical-legacy-of-gwendolyn-brooks">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-caption="View of the booth of Tiwani Contemporary, U.K., at 1-54 Marrakech 2018. ADNANE ZEMMAMA/COURTESY 1-54" data-rich-file-id="2634" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2634/original/02-18-s-154m-12-350x233.jpg" />

<h2>In Marrakech, New Art Fair and Museum Make Case for an Intriguing Future</h2>

It may well be that settings for people-watching can get no better than an art fair in a grand Moroccan hotel. The milling in and out of La Mamounia Palace in Marrakech was a sight to see last weekend in the midst of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair: locals and travelers alike taking up their stations amid bountiful orange trees and swaying palms, with a lot of dashing fashion on display. Sounds and scents stirred the senses more, from clacking traffic noise drifting over top the hotel&rsquo;s gated walls to a dizzying mix of floral aromas whirled together with notes of citrus and gasoline.

By Andy Battaglia, ARTNEWS

<a href="http://www.artnews.com/2018/03/02/marrakech-new-art-fair-museum-make-case-intriguing-future/">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="AP Photo/J. David Ake" data-rich-file-id="2635" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2635/original/ap-16273634955334.jpg" />

<h2>Picasso painting offered in money-laundering scheme, US feds say</h2>

On Friday (2 March), the US Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled a multi-count indictment in a federal court in Brooklyn against four corporate and six individual defendants who prosecutors say were part of a $50m international securities fraud and money laundering scheme that involved the attempted sale of a Picasso painting to an undercover agent.

By Victoria&nbsp;Stapley-Brown&nbsp;and&nbsp;Anna&nbsp;Brady, The Art Newspaper

<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/picasso-painting-offered-in-money-laundering-scheme-us-feds-say">Read More</a>

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News from Around the Art World: March 5, 2018

By GINNY VAN ALYEA&nbsp;

Friday, March 2&nbsp;will be a&nbsp;big opening night around the city, as many galleries open major shows that will begin the spring season.&nbsp;

After Friday&#39;s big night out,&nbsp;several daytime tours and artist talks are happening on Saturday, March&nbsp;3 and Sunday, March 4.&nbsp;Some hightlights are listed below, and our <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar">full calendar</a> may be viewed&nbsp;here.

See you in the galleries!&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h2>Barbara Crane: The Polaroid Years</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2621" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2621/original/ceg.jpg" />

March 2-April 28, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/barbara-crane-the-polaroid-years">Catherine Edelman Gallery</a>&nbsp;&ndash; RIVER NORTH

In celebration of Barbara Crane&rsquo;s 90th birthday, CEG presents&nbsp;The Polaroid Years, a solo exhibition featuring some of Crane&#39;s best known Polaroid pieces from the late 1970s/80s, including recent work from 2012. The show is being held in collaboration with&nbsp;Stephen Daiter Gallery, who will also feature the artist in a one-person exhibition.&nbsp;

A concurrent exhibition by Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber, Empire, is also opening the same evening.

&nbsp;

<h2>Blood Sport</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2625" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2625/original/gva.jpg" />

March 2 - April&nbsp;27, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/blood-sport">Gallery Victor Armendariz&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&ndash; RIVER NORTH

The art of the physical is on view in this gallery known for figurative work. The gallery also marks its first anniversary this month.&nbsp;Blood Sport&nbsp;features works by Caleb O&#39;Connor, Art Shay, Dean Kugler, Patrick Burns.

&nbsp;

<h2>Lee Grantham: Reverse Acrylic Paintings</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2620" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2620/original/albano.jpg" />

Closing reception March 2 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/reception-with-lee-grantham-reverse-acrylic-paintings">Jean Albano Gallery</a>&nbsp;&ndash; RIVER NORTH

This show, which opened in January, has gotten a lot of press and attention for the unique&nbsp;works which feature bright colors, wild scenes and atypical everyday materials.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h2>VIVARIUM: New Work by Mary Lou Zelazny</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2626" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2626/original/hammer.jpg" />

March 2 - April 28 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/vivarium-new-work-by-mary-lou-zelazny">Carl Hammer Gallery</a>&nbsp;&ndash; RIVER NORTH

Mary Lou Zelazny&#39;s works on canvas act as a viewer&rsquo;s transport to worlds and planes of dreamlike existence. &nbsp;The hybrid combination of the artist&rsquo;s gestural painting fluidity combines with the slickness of clipped collage images.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h2>Gun Ballet: the Aestheticization of Violence in Video Games</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2627" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2627/original/vga.jpg" />

March 2-June 3 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/gun-ballet-the-aestheticization-of-violence-in-video-games">Video Game Art Gallery</a> &ndash; WICKER PARK-ISH

Violence has a ubiquitous presence in video game history. This exhibition explores why this characteristic is so appealing among gaming demographics. It also examines the various styles of violence -- ranging from extremely graphic to the acrobatic and balletic -- that serve various expressive goals on the part of studios.

&nbsp;

<h2>Woman Made Midwest Open</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2629" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2629/original/wmg.jpg" />

March 2-24 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/woman-made-midwest-open">Woman Made Gallery</a>&nbsp;&ndash; PILSEN

48&nbsp;artists from&nbsp;Midwestern States will be represented through a variety of subject matters, styles and techniques: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Awards will be announced during the opening reception, which takes place in WMG&#39;s new Lacuna Artist Lofts home in Pilsen. Juried by WMG&rsquo;s Executive Director, Deb Flagel, the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media, fiber, printmaking, and installation.

&nbsp;

<h2>Yellow is Mine (Not My Yellow)</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2622" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2622/original/cac.jpg" />

Mar 2-22 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/yellow-is-mine-not-my-yellow">Chicago Artists Coalition</a> &ndash; WEST LOOP&nbsp;

CAC presents its new BOLT Residency&nbsp;solo exhibition by&nbsp;Roni Packer.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h2>Art, Architecture and Design / New Works</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2628" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2628/original/linc.jpg" />

March 2 and 3 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/linc-thelen-gallery">Linc Thelen Studio</a> &ndash; WEST SIDE

See an artist&#39;s own studio and view works in progress&nbsp;at&nbsp;1620 W Carroll. View current paintings and see concepts from one of Thelen&#39;s&nbsp;new modern architectural projects

&nbsp;

<h2>Cornelia&nbsp;Open Studios</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2623" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2623/original/cornelia.jpg" />

March 2, 6-10pm at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/march-2018-open-studios">Cornelia Arts Building</a> &ndash; NORTH SIDE

Cornelia Arts Building&nbsp;Open Studio nights happen four times a year.&nbsp;Join over 40 resident artists in their studios, hallway guest artist exhibitions, and food from a local food truck in the parking lot.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h2>Lindsay Olson</h2>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2624" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2624/original/eac.jpg" />

March 2-April 1 at <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/lindsay-olson">Evanston Art Center</a> &ndash; NORTH SUBURBS

Lindsay Olson, an artist with a science-based practice, is known for her unusual art projects. As Fermi National Accelerator&rsquo;s first artist in residence, Olson&rsquo;s work sheds light on the fascinating world of sub atomic particles. Her love of science and technology grew out of her work with Chicago&rsquo;s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the world&rsquo;s largest wastewater treatment facility.

&nbsp;

Top of page image from Woman Made Gallery
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A summary of highlights from March 2 art openings in and around Chicago

March 2 Openings Kick Off Spring

Each week CGN interviews a local art dealer to discuss the ins and outs of running a gallery in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with Dan Addington, owner of Addington Gallery.

&nbsp;

Age: 53 
Current Position:&nbsp;Gallery Owner 
Hometown:&nbsp;Denver, Colorado 
Previous&nbsp;Occupation:&nbsp;Graphic Designer and Illustrator

&nbsp;

5 favorites from the past week: 
Restaurant: Lady Gregory&#39;s 
Shop: Martha Mae: Art Supplies &amp; Beautiful Things, Andersonville 
Book: Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson 
Neighborhood: Andersonville 
Music: As a guitar player, Lindsay Buckingham is an artist I revere. Same with Richard Thompson. Aimee Mann&#39;s latest is currently on heavy rotation at the gallery.

&nbsp;

CGN: Tell us about your background and how Addington Gallery came to be?

DA: The story of Addington Gallery&nbsp;probably goes back to grad school, where the truth about my identity as an artist took shape, and where I also discovered the joy of going to art galleries. I largely learned the latter from Barry Blinderman, director of Illinois State University. I worked for him,&nbsp;and he would frequently bring his staff and students to Chicago to introduce us to the gallery world. Barry was bold and enthusiastic and always on the lookout for an experience.&nbsp;We were ushered into back rooms and heard professional stories that we would not otherwise have had access to.

Once I moved to Chicago, I found some of the galleries to be quite generous, giving their&nbsp;advice, offering me jobs&nbsp;and looking at slides of my paintings. The curator at Betsy Rosenfield Gallery recommended I show Gwenda Jay my work, and she gave me my first gallery show in Chicago. I met more gallery owners, and soon Eva Cohen offered me a job as director of her River North space. When she retired, I became the director at Gwenda Jay and later a partner at Gwenda Jay / Addington.

During this time I was fortunate&nbsp;to recieve&nbsp;support and advice from gallerists like Roy and Ann Boyd, Ann Nathan, Ken Saunders,&nbsp;Byron Roche, and&nbsp;many other gallery owners who have been very supportive since. I know that this&nbsp;encouragement helped give&nbsp;me the confidence to open Addington Gallery in 2007.

&nbsp;

CGN: Share a typical day in the life of the gallery.

DA: One thing I love about working in the gallery and also about being an artist is that no day is really typical. Yes, there is a lot of administrative work to do, but each artist&nbsp;and&nbsp;client I work with is unique. I&#39;m meeting new people all the time, and they each require sensitivity to their own&nbsp;situation. When I&#39;m in the studio, each painting can take me on a different journey, and the potential is there to learn something new each time. There&#39;s a lot of crossover between these two pursuits.

&nbsp;

CGN: Most exciting sale you ever had?

DA: That&#39;s a tough&nbsp;question, for many of the reasons I mentioned - each sale has its own story&nbsp;and unexpected things happen all the time. The best part of each sale is meeting the client, and teaming up with them. Some enter into the process as problem solvers, some enter into the process as explorers. In all those cases, I&#39;m a partner with them through that process. I watch some collectors fall in love with an artwork right before my eyes. It&#39;s a process most artists don&#39;t always get to see. It really does bring me joy!

Conversely, it&nbsp;almost breaks my heart when I see people fall in love with a piece, profess that love out loud, and then&nbsp;for whatever reason, walk away from it. Many of my clients recount stories to me about artwork they regret not getting. So, I&#39;m always&nbsp;happy when people follow their instincts. I haven&#39;t really answered your question though, have I? Well, I want to say that the last sale is always my favorite!&nbsp;I know that sounds like a cop-out, but it&#39;s totally true!

I loved placing a sculpture in the beautiful high rise apartment owned by the mother of a very well known Chicago filmmaker. Her stories were fantastic! I&#39;ve enjoyed selling work to professional athletes, newscasters, and politicians. All good experiences. OK, I know a story where the client confirmed that it was ok to talk about the sale publicly. It was a real treat to meet&nbsp;Juanita Jordan, Michael&nbsp;Jordan&#39;s mother,&nbsp;and help&nbsp;her pick out work and install it in her and Michael Jordan&#39;s Highland Park home &ndash; that was a championship experience.

So, huge, one-time sales are great, but I find the most important deals have been those that have lead to friendships as well as&nbsp;a real appreciation for, and even dedication to, the gallery, our vision, and the artists we represent. The collectors who stick with us&nbsp;and discover new artists with us &ndash; they aren&#39;t just buying art, they are letting us walk with them on a real journey. It&#39;s really about art over the long term, and that&#39;s the most gratifying part of this process.

&nbsp;

CGN: What are some successes as well as challenges you have faced this year?

DA: I&#39;ve noticed an interesting and increasing trend in the last year, maybe a little longer. Many people who&nbsp;bought artwork from the gallery years ago, whom I had not seen for awhile, or who just weren&#39;t steadily collecting, have returned to purchase new artwork.&nbsp;It&#39;s been great to see how some of the goodwill from those early encounters has brought people back in their own time.

This is true of artists too. In addition to clients, the real success of this gallery for me has been the artists I&#39;ve been able to meet and work with. I love talking about art - all aspects of it. It&#39;s one of my favorite things, and I get to do it with a great range of artists who are each dedicated to this pursuit, and who express that dedication in very individual ways. It has changed me and made my tastes much broader.

This year I had a number of opportunities to curate exhibitions outside of the gallery, and to participate with other institutions jurying shows and presenting new artists. I also spent time at a number of colleges, speaking both as a curator and as an artist, teaching workshops and participating in critiques. These &quot;extra curricular&quot; activities have become a very important aspect of my vocation for me.&nbsp;I love getting to contribute to these students&#39; experiences in the same way that visiting artists and&nbsp;curators did for me when I was in school.

&nbsp;

CGN: What do you want to tell a young person considering this business?

DA: Find good mentors. Learn as much as you can from them. Know art history! Especially post-war to the present. Yes, being successful in this business requires you to be a businessperson, but it really means you should have a curatorial vision. This is the difference between selling art like a commodity on-line, and curating a space that offers the viewer a unique and knowledgeable experience with the artwork. Of course, the challenge is to make those things work in tandem. You have to wear a lot of hats. There are a lot of good artists but not a lot of accessible galleries. If you have a vision, pursue it! You are needed in this culture.

&nbsp;

CGN: Favorite cultural pursuit outside of the art world?

DA: Of course, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my family. I love to travel, and I have a wife who is a great artist and teacher who also loves to travel and see new things. I love spending time and going places with my 10 year old boy. I love to play guitar. I have been&nbsp;in bands since I was a kid, and I play whenever I can with other musicians who challenge me, so I am always learning.

&nbsp;

CGN: What should we expect to see from Addington Gallery in 2018?

DA: I&#39;m thrilled about this year&#39;s schedule of exhibitions! We are going to see&nbsp;powerful new work from established artists, as well as&nbsp;exciting work from artists who are new to the gallery. I want this gallery to always be a place of welcome and renewal - new work, new ideas, and new visitors as we continue to advocate for our artists and present their ideas and vision to the community.

&nbsp;

Dan Addington&nbsp;is the owner&nbsp;of Addington Gallery&nbsp;in River North, Chicago. For more information about the gallery&nbsp;please visit: <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/addington-gallery">Addington Gallery</a>

&nbsp;

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CGN Interview Series: Dan Addington of Addington Gallery

<h2>Please Enjoy This Video of Jerry Saltz Reviewing Art Made by Artificial Intelligence</h2>

Thanks to great advances in artificial intelligence, humans aren&rsquo;t the only ones making art anymore. As computers get in on the creative action, art critic Jerry Saltz has taken their efforts to task, offering some fairly savage reviews of works of art generated by various algorithms.

By Sarah Cascone, artnet

<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jerry-saltz-ai-art-1227932?utm_content=buffer55463&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=socialmedia">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="The work of Cathleen Clarke, Courtesy of Woman Made Gallery" data-rich-file-id="2618" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2618/original/5a908bb7047be-image.jpg" />

<h2>Exhibit highlights work of Midwestern women</h2>

Deb Flagel started 2018 by asking a question: What kind of art is coming out of the Midwest?&nbsp;

As executive director of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/woman-made-gallery--2">Woman Made Gallery</a>, 2150 S. Canalport Ave., Flagel curated an exhibition to help herself answer that question. From March 2&ndash;24, Woman Made will display its inaugural Midwest Open, featuring work from female artists from all 12 Midwestern states.&nbsp;

Flagel hopes the Midwest Open will explore several other questions as well, such as whether the immediacy of sharing art over the internet has made the concept of &ldquo;regional art&rdquo; disappear.&nbsp;

By Miranda Manier, The Colombia Chronicle

<a href="http://www.columbiachronicle.com/arts_and_culture/article_a6cfa838-18e2-11e8-be1e-2313932f1448.html">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<h2>Beyond &lsquo;American Gothic&rsquo;: The Conflicted World of Grant Wood</h2>

Almost everyone knows Grant Wood&rsquo;s &ldquo;American Gothic,&rdquo; the hypnotic painting of a pitchfork-toting farmer and his daughter. But to many fans of the picture&mdash;and its many parodies&mdash;the rest of the artist&rsquo;s career has remained a mystery.

By&nbsp;Brenda Cronin, WSJ

<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/beyond-american-gothic-the-conflicted-world-of-grant-wood-1518707424">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

<h2>Elmhurst considers arts commission to promote, add to public art</h2>

From the sculpture next to city hall to several pieces outside the art museum, Elmhurst has a significant public art collection, local art enthusiasts say. But people might not be aware of it.

By Robert Sanchez, Daily Herald

<a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180226/elmhurst-considers-arts-commission-to-promote-add-to-public-art-">Read More</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

News from Around the Art World: February 26, 2018

On a sun-filled late winter Sunday,&nbsp;Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and theMART (the building&nbsp;formerly known as The Merchandise Mart)&nbsp;to propose something that will put public art in an entirely new light.

The Mayor announced&nbsp;Art on theMart, a permanent large-scale lighting installation that will come to Chicago for the foreseeable future, starting this fall. The art will project across nearly three acres of the southern facing fa&ccedil;ade of theMART. The building, which includes more than four million square feet behind that facade, was once the biggest in the world.

&ldquo;Large, temporary projections have been done around the world, but the permanency and size of Art on theMART will provide a canvas for art to evolve and thrive,&rdquo; said Myron Maurer, Chief Operating Officer, theMART.&nbsp;Similar displays have been projected on&nbsp;the Sydney Opera House and at St. Peter&rsquo;s Basilica.

Following the popularity of Chicago&#39;s Riverwalk, as well as 2017&#39;s Year of Public Art, the Mayor said,&nbsp;&ldquo;Iconic art and cultural programming on the Riverwalk has always been&nbsp;inherent and integral in helping us embrace the river as the city&rsquo;s newest recreational frontier,&rdquo; said Mayor Emanuel. &ldquo;Art on theMart&nbsp;will be a visionary project that brings new energy to the Riverwalk, while strengthening Chicago&rsquo;s legacy of public art.&rdquo; One can imagine it will also make the river a vibrant destination beyond the summer months.&nbsp;The City and theMART will enter into a 30-year agreement to facilitate the project pending City Council approval.&nbsp; 
 
The installation project, privately funded by Vornado Realty Trust, is slated for a fall 2018 completion. The funding means that the projections will not be branded or feature sponsorships; they will totally feature art.

<img alt="" data-caption="Projection rendering" data-rich-file-id="2617" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2617/original/art-on-themart-rendering.jpg" />

In 2017, theMART, engaged creative studio Obscura Digital and the Chicago based architectural firm Valerio Dewalt Train, to develop a feasibility study for projecting art on the south, river-facing facade of theMART. Obscura Digital&nbsp;is the foremost design engineer of large projection installations with the technical and design skills capable of developing architectural images at this scale. 
&nbsp; 
Said Myron Maurer, Chief Operating Officer of theMART,&nbsp;&ldquo;As one of Chicago&rsquo;s most prominent buildings, theMART has been part of the city&rsquo;s history since the 1930s.&nbsp;Art on theMART&nbsp;will further cement Chicago&rsquo;s reputation as a dedicated champion for iconic public art.&rdquo;

As the public face of the Mart changes, from a center of commerce and design trade to one much more closely linked with a digital and technology future. 
&nbsp; 
Art on theMART&nbsp;marks the first time a projection of its size and scope will be completely dedicated to art projection with no branding, sponsorship credits, or messaging allowed.&nbsp;It will be a curated, ongoing series of ever-changing installations that will begin after dusk for pedestrians and residents to enjoy. The City and theMART will be working in partnership in the management and ongoing curation of the projected art work. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re eager to welcome&nbsp;Art on theMART&nbsp;into the pantheon of iconic public artworks in Chicago,&rdquo; said Mark Kelly, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. &ldquo;This installation is a result of Chicago&rsquo;s first Public Art Plan and has the potential to be as impactful as Cloud Gate and the Picasso, two public art works which have transformed how we see and experience our city.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
In 2017, the City of Chicago celebrated the &quot;Year of Public Art&quot; which culminated with hundreds of new works of public art throughout the city and the creation of Chicago&rsquo;s first Public Art Plan. The new plan is a blueprint that will help shape the future of public art in Chicago and shift how we interact, talk about and support works of art that can be viewed by all. As part of the plan, the City of Chicago explored options for siting more public art throughout the city and&nbsp;Art on theMART&nbsp;is a result of those efforts.&nbsp;Art on theMART&nbsp;exemplifies the city&rsquo;s commitment to infusing arts and culture throughout its neighborhoods for all residents and visitors to enjoy, and is a key driver of the rising tourism numbers and last year&rsquo;s record-setting 55.2 million visitors from across the globe.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Art on theMART&nbsp;will be dedicated to public digital art, providing Chicago residents and visitors with an enhanced public art experience. theMART and the City of Chicago, through its Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, will establish a selective process for identifying local, national and international artists and their work to be included in immersive gallery shows, which will include both static and moving imagery. Additionally, partnerships with city museums and art institutions will showcase the best of Chicago and celebrate the incredible artistic culture of the city. 
&nbsp; 
The&nbsp;Chicago Riverwalk&nbsp;is presented by the City of Chicago with programming produced by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Fleet and Facility Management, Choose Chicago, the Chicago Park District and the vendors and boat tour operators along the Riverwalk.

theMART is interwoven into the fabric of Chicago as an innovator in culture, art, business, fashion, media and more. theMART is the world&rsquo;s largest commercial building, wholesale design center and one of Chicago&rsquo;s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, theMART spans two city blocks and rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day; in total, nearly 10 million people visit theMART each year.&nbsp;

Artist Tyrue Jones, who is from Chicago and based here,&nbsp;is among the first to be featured.

For more information about the Chicago Riverwalk and a complete schedule of events, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://chicagoriverwalk.us">chicagoriverwalk.us</a>&mdash;and join the conversation on social media using&nbsp;#ChiRiverwalk.

Public Art in Chicago is About to Get Really Big

On March 1, as we hopefully start to&nbsp;see more signs of spring everywhere, including in the art world, the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College (MoCP) will host its popular annual benefit auction.

This year <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/darkroom-benefit-auction">DARKROOM</a>, co-chaired by Lisa Bailey, Dawoud Bey, and Jackie Moss, will take place on Thursday, March 1, 2018 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Venue Six10 at 610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Photography enthusiasts will enjoy music, hors d&rsquo;oeuvres, drinks and good company while perusing auction items by celebrated contemporary artists, including work by Ai Weiwei, Dawoud Bey, and more. All proceeds raised at this event will support essential MoCP exhibition and education programs in 2018.&nbsp;

The centerpiece of the event is the&nbsp;auction. The list of artists who&nbsp;are part of the auction is noteworthy, and collectors and enthusiasts should be motivated to bid not only to support MoCP but to potentially take home a work of art by one of the following:&nbsp;Dawoud Bey,&nbsp;Paul D&#39;Amato,&nbsp;Laura Letinsky,&nbsp;Diana Matar,&nbsp;Paula McCartney,&nbsp;Sandro Miller,&nbsp;John Opera,&nbsp;Leonard Suryajaya,&nbsp;Jan Tichy and&nbsp;Jeff Wolin, among others. Viewers may preview and bid virtually on <a href="https://paddle8.com/auction/mocp/">Paddle8</a>.

Particularly noteworthy is a piece by Ai Weiwei&nbsp;(b. 1957, Beijing, China), a controversial social activist and artist who was&nbsp;secretly, and now famously,&nbsp;detained by the Chinese police in 2011 and interrogated for 81 days. Since then he has not been allowed to leave the courtyard of his home without permission from the police.&nbsp;Weiwei creates work that boldly confronts contemporary sociopolitical issues, both in China and abroad. In his series of snapshots titled Study of Perspective he flips his middle finger at monuments, landmarks, and institutions of cultural and political power. Traditionally, artists have done perspective studies as preparation for illusionistic drawings or paintings of three-dimensional space on a flat surface. Ai cannily uses the double entendre of &ldquo;perspective&rdquo; as he interjects his point-of-view into photographs of iconic landmarks in which his middle finger serves as both a universal symbol of protest and a device for evaluating the relationship of distant objects.&nbsp;His most recent addition to the series,&nbsp;Study of Perspective, Trump Tower, NYC, 2016 was shown for the first time in the exhibition #AiWeiwei at MoCP in 2017. This was also Ai&rsquo;s first solo presentation of work in Chicago. The bidding for&nbsp;Study of Perspective, Trump Tower, NYC, 2016 starts at <a href="https://paddle8.com/work/ai-weiwei/153873-study-of-perspective-trump-tower-nyc/">$50,000</a>.

<img alt="" data-caption="Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective, Trump Tower, NYC, 2016" data-rich-file-id="2614" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2614/original/weiwei.jpg" />

In addition to offering its stellar fine art photography auction, at DARKROOM&nbsp;MoCP will&nbsp;present the sixth annual Silver Camera Award to artist Deborah Willis. The Silver Camera Award honors those who have made significant contributions to the medium of photography. Deborah Willis is a celebrated photographer, historian, and curator of African American photography. She is the author of many notable books, including Out [o] Fashion Photography: Embracing Beauty and Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present, which inspired a traveling exhibition. Her photographs and scholarship have centered on representations of blackness, womanhood, and beauty.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Venue SIX10" data-rich-file-id="2615" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2615/original/venue610.jpg" />

This year&#39;s event takes place at&nbsp;Venue SIX10, located in a contemporary building&nbsp;right next door to the musuem itself, with&nbsp;panoramic views of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan.

Tickets to DARKROOM start at $150 for individuals and $300 for VIP Tickets.

<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/darkroom-2018-tickets-41427193852">Visit&nbsp;mocp.org&nbsp;for more information.</a>

&nbsp;

Additional images from the auction:&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Allison Grant, Macintosh Forest, 2014 Archival inkjet print, Signed. Estimate $1,200" data-rich-file-id="2607" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2607/original/2.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Paul D'Amato, Gee Gee, 2012 Archival inkjet print, Framed AP from an edition of 12, Signed. Estimate $2,500" data-rich-file-id="2608" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2608/original/damato.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Sandro Miller, Robert Mapplethorpe/ Ken Moody &amp; Robert Sherman (1984), 2017 Archival inkjet print, Signed. Estimate $3,600" data-rich-file-id="2609" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2609/original/sandro.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Leonard Suryajaya, Lucky Cat, 2017 Wrapped cat with paper and tape, Unique. Signed. Estimate $550" data-rich-file-id="2612" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2612/original/suryajaya.jpg" />

&nbsp;

DARKROOM is March 1 at 5:30pm&nbsp;at 610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

Top image:&nbsp;DAWOUD BEY,&nbsp;Hassan II, 1999,&nbsp;Polaroid prints,&nbsp;Unique,&nbsp;Courtesy of artist and Stephen Daiter Gallery,&nbsp;Signed.&nbsp;Estimate&nbsp;$25,000 
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MoCP's annual fundraiser is March 1 in chicago

A Party to Support MoCP: DARKROOM March 1

<h2>A Long-Lost Klimt Drawing Just Turned Up in a Former Museum Secretary&rsquo;s Cupboard</h2>

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

A&nbsp;Gustav Klimt&nbsp;drawing that disappeared from an Austrian museum has turned up in the cupboard of a recently deceased former secretary of the institution. The woman, who reportedly took and hid the work years ago, left a will describing the drawing&rsquo;s location and asking for it to be returned upon her death.

via Artnet &ndash; <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lost-klimt-drawing-found-1223519">Read more here...</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2606" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2606/original/merlin-133724774-67bc7aaf-2c87-491c-a010-202d6524faf7-master768.jpg" />

<h2>The Obama Portraits Drew a Strong Reaction. What Did They Mean to You?</h2>

Typically, an official presidential portrait unveiling at&nbsp;National Portrait Gallery&nbsp;might be a ho-hum affair, even with the traditional pomp and circumstance. Not so for former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Monday.

Via New York Times &ndash; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/arts/design/obama-portraits-reaction-what-did-they-mean-to-you.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Farts&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=arts&amp;region=rank&amp;module=package&amp;version=highlights&amp;contentPlacement=9&amp;pgtype=sectionfront">Read more here...</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2605" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2605/original/gettyimages-693903044-1024x683.jpg" />

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

<h2>Investigation of documenta 14&rsquo;s Shaky Finances Widens to Include Possible Embezzlement of Public Funds</h2>

The German Attorney General G&ouml;tz Wied confirmed on Wednesday, February 14, that the criminal investigation into documenta&rsquo;s officials on the suspicion of embezzlement has expanded. The investigation comes in response to a report issued last November by an independent auditor that included substantial evidence that there were serious failures in how public funds were spent on the recent edition of the prestigious exhibition, which took place in Kassel in Germany as well as the Greek capital of Athens.&nbsp;

Via Artnet &ndash; <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/prosecutors-expand-investigation-into-documenta14-officials-on-the-suspicion-of-embezzlement-1224827?utm_content=from_www.artnet.com&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=US%20newsletter%20for%202%2F16%2F18&amp;utm_term=New%20US%20Newsletter%20List">Read more here...</a>

&nbsp;

<h2><img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2604" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2604/original/wodiczko1-1-954x720.jpg" /></h2>

<h2>Hirshhorn to reschedule Krzysztof Wodiczko&rsquo;s monumental projection after Florida school shooting</h2>

The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, decided to postpone a monumental projection across its fa&ccedil;ade by the Polish artist Krzysztof Wodiczko that included an image of a gun after a school shooting in Florida killed at least 17 people on Wednesday (14 February).

Via The Art Newspaper &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/hirshhorn-cancels-kryzstof-wodiczko-s-monumental-projection-after-florida-school-shooting">Read more here...</a>

&nbsp;

<h2><img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2603" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2603/original/gettyimages-659349510-1518817909.jpg" /></h2>

<h2>Not just a Princess - a Curator!&nbsp;The Duchess of Cambridge to Curate a Show at the National Portrait Gallery</h2>

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

Duchess Kate&#39;s&nbsp;impeccable sense of style&nbsp;could certainly be a credit to her art history degree from St. Andrews. But now, the royal has the opportunity to put her eye to use beyond her wardrobe. This spring, she will be assembling an exhibition of Victorian photography at London&rsquo;s National Portrait Gallery, where she is a patron.&nbsp;

Via Town &amp; Country &ndash; <a href="http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a18212500/kate-middleton-art-show-national-portrait-gallery/">Read more here...</a>

&nbsp;

News from Around the Art World: February 19, 2018

Each week CGN interviews a local art dealer to discuss the ins and outs of running a gallery in the city of Chicago. This week we caught up with Thomas Masters, owner of Thomas Masters Gallery.

&nbsp;

Age: 63

Current Position: Artist/Owner of Thomas Masters Gallery

Hometown: Chicago

Previous Occupations: Musician &amp; Vocalist

&nbsp;

5 favorites from the past week

Restaurant:&nbsp;Alinea

Shop:&nbsp;Eataly

Read:&nbsp;Fire and Fury

Neighborhood:&nbsp;Uptown, West Loop and Fort Greene

Music:&nbsp;Soundtrack from the Series &quot;Sense8&quot;

&nbsp;

CGN: Tell us about your background and how Thomas Masters Gallery came to be?&nbsp; 

I was living in New York and, like so many Artists, struggling to make things work. I read an interview with David Byrne in Rolling Stone Magazine where Byrne was asked about the Taking Heads central message; &quot;take control of your life, your art&hellip;.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; It really struck me that I needed to do exactly that.&nbsp; So, after moving back to Chicago, I began to organize my life as an Artist and began the first steps towards opening TMG.&nbsp; It was 1993 when I opened.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;Give us a day in the life! 

I usually wake at six&nbsp;and read in Italian for an hour. At 9:00 AM,&nbsp;it&#39;s a 40 minute walk to the gallery and my studio.&nbsp; I usually paint and/or make music for about two hours and then open the gallery. Clients, collectors, designers and artists fill the rest of my day.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;Most exciting sale you ever had?&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Well, there have been quite a few great ones over the years. Most recently&nbsp;I was able sell, with the help of <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/zolla-lieberman-gallery">William Lieberman</a>, a Deborah Butterfield horse.

The whole process was really exciting; going to her studio and ranch in Montana, meeting a wonderful, world class Artist and a woman of amazing talent.&nbsp; Before that it was selling the sculpture of Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Once again, world class artist and an amazing woman.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;Share some successes as well as challenges this year.&nbsp; 

Each year is different.&nbsp; Last year we were challenged by a major re-construction of our building and the two buildings on either side of us.&nbsp; When the year ended, I realized we had one of our best years ever.&nbsp; Somehow the madness of it all focused us.&nbsp; Lemons and lemonade.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;What do you want to tell a young person considering this business? 

Go for it.&nbsp; Be smart.&nbsp; Follow your instinct. Listen to others in the business, but not too much.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;What do you look for in an artwork? What speaks to you? 

Something that moves me and at the same time I&nbsp;can imagine our collectors being moved too.

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;Favorite cultural pursuit outside of the art world?&nbsp; 

I will answer this&nbsp;with the words of Ai Wei Wei;&nbsp; &quot;Everything is Art, everything is political.&quot;

&nbsp;

CGN:&nbsp;What should we expect to see from Thomas Masters Gallery in 2018?&nbsp; 

We have some great shows and some really fantastic mixed-media performances coming to the gallery.&nbsp; For the past few years we have expanded our gallery to include international consulting.&nbsp; This year we will be building relationships in Italy, France, Poland, Great Britan, Brazil, and Portugal.

&nbsp;

Thomas Masters is the owner&nbsp;of Thomas Masters Gallery in the Near North Side of&nbsp;Chicago. For more information about the gallery&nbsp;please visit: <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/thomas-masters-gallery">Thomas Masters&nbsp;Gallery</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

CGN Interview Series: Thomas Masters, Thomas Masters Gallery

We&#39;ve all been hibernating this winter, and especially the last several days,&nbsp;so now we are eager to get out and visit local galleries and museums to really warm up.&nbsp;This Valentine&#39;s Day there are a handful of thematic exhibitions taking place that you can enjoy with a loved-one. There are shows at Weinberg/Newton and LineDot taking place this week, as well as a concert at the Driehaus, exhibitions at the Art Institute and&nbsp;the Block Museum, and an early reminder about MoCP&#39;s photography benefit party on March 1.&nbsp;

We know everyone needs some (last-minute) gift ideas too, and the Art Institute, the Driehaus and&nbsp;the MCA all offer great art-themed gifts.&nbsp;

Love is in the air, and in the art...&nbsp;

Happy Valentine&#39;s Day!&nbsp;

XOXO

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2595" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2595/original/weinberg.jpg" />

<h2>Haiku Your Love at Weinberg/Newton</h2>

The best gifts are from the heart, right?&nbsp;Spread some love this Valentine&#39;s Day at &quot;Haiku Your Love&quot; at Weinberg/Newton Gallery on Tuesday, February 13.&nbsp;At this fundraiser for the American Heart Association, attendees&nbsp;will participate in making haikus from various love-themed words that will be prearranged from large stencils provided by the David L. Hoyt Foundation. The Poetry Center will make recommendations for words to include in each of the haikus and suggestions for different haiku formats. Participants and attendees will vote on their favorite haiku, which will be framed after the event and put on display at the CLA for extended viewing.&nbsp;Tickets are&nbsp;$3.50 on&nbsp;Eventbrite&nbsp;and $5 at the door. Proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association. The event is open to the public. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/haiku-your-love">Details here.</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2589" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2589/original/lister.jpg" />

<h2>Anthony Lister Valentine&#39;s Release + Reception at LineDot Editions</h2>

Join LineDot on Valentine&#39;s night for the release of an exclusive collection of drawings by one of Australia&#39;s most renowned contemporary artists, Anthony Lister. Drinks will be served and the artist will be in attendance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/anthony-lister-valentine-s-release-reception">Details here.</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2594" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2594/original/driehauscgn18-2.jpg" />

<h2>Baroque Concert at the Driehaus Museum + The Art of Seating</h2>

Love is In the Air with a&nbsp;Third Coast Baroque concert&nbsp;in the always-romantic-setting of the Driehaus. The concert is Wednesday, February 14, 6:30 &ndash; 7:30 p.m. and features &ldquo;Chicago&rsquo;s most accomplished period instrumentalists and singers,&rdquo; (Chicago Tribune) who will present classical music inspired by Cupid&rsquo;s favorite holiday. While you&#39;re there, catch the recently opened exhibition/love letter to The Art of Seating.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.driehausmuseum.org">Details here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;

The Driehaus also has a very nice gift shop... Consider some French poster <a href="https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/collections/for-him/products/cuff-links-mucha-wallpaper">art cufflinks</a> ($54), or a <a href="https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/collections/for-her/products/mayil-peacock-porcelain-diffuser">porcelain diffuser</a> ($62)

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2592" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2592/original/mucha.jpg" />

&nbsp;

<h2>Rodin, Sculptor and Storyteller at Art Institute</h2>

Even though it&#39;s Valentine&#39;s Day, go beyond Rodin&#39;s famous The Kiss at this exhibition.&nbsp;At the beginning of the 20th century, Auguste Rodin (1840&ndash;1917) was the most famous artist in the world. On the centenary of his death, the Art Institute joins museums around the world in celebrating the renowned artist&rsquo;s life and work. Presenting rarely seen sculptures and drawings from private collections, as well as from the museum&rsquo;s rich holdings, this exhibition is the first devoted to the sculptor at the Art Institute since 1923. Rodin was a master of visual communication. His powerfully expressive sculpted bodies speak to us directly through cleverly constructed gestures and poses and in the carefully rendered surfaces of his bronzes and marbles. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/rodin-sculptor-and-storyteller">Details here.&nbsp;</a>

The Art Institute Gift shop features more gift ideas:&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2596" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2596/original/aicitems.jpg" />

A plate featuring Rodin&#39;s The Kiss (<a href="http://www.artinstituteshop.org/item.aspx?productId=7658">$108 for members</a>) and a sterling silver pin by SAIC alumnus Edward Gorey (<a href="http://www.artinstituteshop.org/item.aspx?productId=7265">on sale for $29.99</a>)

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="LAURA LETINSKY Untitled (Laura and Eric, Dress) (from the Inferred series), 1995. Part of MoCP Darkroom" data-rich-file-id="2598" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2598/original/mocp.jpg" />

<h2>Tickets to MoCP Darkroom, March 1</h2>

What&#39;s better than spending a night out together? We suggest buying two tickets to MoCP&#39;s annual benefit coming up on March 1 - go VIP and spend a fabulous evening enjoying photography and a grand party. You may also want to bid on one of the works of art up for auction. This one can be your ultimate last minute gift (buy tickets, print them out and seal with a kiss!)&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mocp.org/support/annual-benefit.php">Details and tickets&nbsp;here.&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2597" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2597/original/blake.jpg" />

<h2>William Blake and the Age of Aquarius at the Block Museum</h2>

This is a thinking-person&#39;s romantic outing, for sure. In the summer of 1967, more than 100,000 young people streamed into the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, as well as Greenwich Village in New York and Old Town in Chicago, to celebrate peace, love, music, and mind-altering drugs. Many of the artists, poets and musicians associated with the &ldquo;Summer of Love&rdquo; embraced the work of British visionary poet and artist William Blake (1757&ndash;1827) and used it as a compass to drive their own political and personal evolutions. William Blake and the Age of Aquarius&nbsp;will consider parallels between Blake&rsquo;s time and mid-twentieth-century America, touching on such issues as political repression, social transformation, and struggles for civil rights. <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/william-blake-and-the-age-of-aquarius">Details here.&nbsp;</a>

&nbsp;

<h2>Shop the Museum of Contemporary Art</h2>

The MCA store is frequently the answer to our gift-giving needs, and some of these new and best-selling&nbsp;items in store may delight your art-lover.&nbsp;

<h3>For the hot man in your life ($18.95)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Hotman Trivet" data-rich-file-id="2587" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2587/original/12596-default-m.jpg" />

<h3>Make your love pop-up ($14.95)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="I Love You Pop-Up by David Carter" data-rich-file-id="2591" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2591/original/mcabook.jpg" />

<h3>Say it with a Jeff Koons kiss... Or two ($29.95/ea)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Small Balloon Puppy" data-rich-file-id="2599" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2599/original/mca.jpg" />

<h3>Your love is surreal ($40)</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Salvador Wooden Doll" data-rich-file-id="2588" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2588/original/dali.jpg" />

&nbsp;

Top of page image: Chris Uphues&#39;s installation on a residential garage in Chicago
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Love is in the Air and in the Art 

<h2>Photos: SUE the T. rex&rsquo;s big moving day at the Field Museum</h2>

SUE the T. rex has some pretty die-hard fans. When the Field Museum tweeted out that the beloved dinosaur would be moving to a new home within the museum&mdash;Alison Laurence immediately bought a plane ticket to Chicago.

She didn&rsquo;t want to miss the first day of SUE the T. rex&rsquo;s month-long moving process at the Field Museum on Monday afternoon. Alison, from Evanston but living in Cambridge, Mass., was excited to see researchers take apart SUE because it happens to be directly related to her field of study. She&rsquo;s working on her PhD at MIT focusing on how extinct animals are displayed in museums and institutions.

By Sara Freund, Curbed Chicago&nbsp;

<a href="https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/2/5/16975530/field-museum-sue-trex-moving-photos">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2582" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2582/original/screen-shot-2018-02-12-at-10-39-47-am.jpg" />

<h2>The Artist JR Will Plaster the Facade of This Year&rsquo;s Armory Show With the Faces of Immigrants</h2>

On the heels of JR&rsquo;s recent&nbsp;Oscar nomination&nbsp;for&nbsp;Faces Places, a documentary he co-directed with filmmaker Agnes Varda, the French street artist is already working on his next project: an ambitious public art installation for the Armory Show. For the work, titled&nbsp;SO CLOSE,&nbsp;JR is plastering the exterior of Pier 94 with photographs that meld archival images from Ellis Island with portraits of Syrian refugees.

The massive installation has been organized by art dealer Jeffrey Deitch and Artsy, and is a sequel of sorts to &ldquo;Unframed,&rdquo; the artist&rsquo;s&nbsp;2014 photo installation on Ellis Island. For that project, JR took over the former immigration facility&rsquo;s&nbsp;abandoned hospital complex, pasting enlarged&nbsp;photographs of patients onto the buildings&rsquo; crumbling walls and broken windows.

By Sarah Cascone, artnews

<a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/jeffrey-deitch-jr-armory-show-1218446?utm_content=from_&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=US%20newsletter%20for%202%2F8%2F18&amp;utm_term=New%20US%20Newsletter%20List">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2580" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2580/original/ct-1518451017-fulj2g4ay1-snap-image.jpg" />

<h2>Obamas&#39; portraits unveiled, include official flower of Chicago</h2>

Portraits of Barack and&nbsp;Michelle Obama&nbsp;were unveiled Monday at the National Portrait Gallery, showcasing works from the first African-Americans to create paintings for the gallery&rsquo;s collection of U.S. presidents and their wives.

The former president&rsquo;s portrait features flowers in the background: chrysanthemums referencing the official flower of Chicago, jasmine evoking his native Hawaii and African blue lilies in memory of his late father. The former first lady&rsquo;s shows her in a long flowing sleeveless black and white dress embellished with geometric shapes by designer Michelle Smith&rsquo;s label, Milly.

By Katherine Skiba, Chicago Tribune

<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-obama-portrait-20180212-story.html">Read More</a>

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<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2584" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2584/original/screen-20shot-202018-02-12-20at-2010-40-05-20am.png" />

<h2>Beyond the Golden Toilet: How Does Art End Up in the White House, and What Does It Tell Us About Our Leaders?</h2>

It was the loan denial heard around the world. When the White House requested to borrow a painting by&nbsp;Vincent van Gogh&nbsp;from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in September, the museum&rsquo;s chief curator Nancy Spector kindly declined, but countered with a hum-dinger of a replacement: a golden toilet by&nbsp;Maurizio Cattelan.

After the&nbsp;Washington Post&nbsp;reported the exchange late last month, many applauded her snarkiness, while others&mdash;including a Fox Business host who called for&nbsp;the curator&rsquo;s resignation&mdash;viewed it as highly inappropriate.

Party-line divisions aside, the cause c&eacute;l&egrave;bre sheds light on a history of lesser-known art loans to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And it illustrates how the Trump Administration appears to be doing things a bit differently than its predecessors.

By Menachem Wecker, artnews

<a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-white-house-loans-cattelan-history-1215974">Read More</a>

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News from Around the Art World: February 12, 2018

This past week, the&nbsp;Winter Olympic began in PyeongChang, South Korea. During the opening ceremony&nbsp;art&nbsp;by a Korean artist, who is represented by&nbsp;a local Chicago gallery, was on view for the world.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2586" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2586/original/image2-2.jpg" />

Chicago dealer&nbsp;Andrew Bae announced that Andrew Bae Gallery&nbsp;artist&nbsp;Dr. Keysook Geum had the honor of designing the dresses and uniforms for the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony. Geum&#39;s works are well-known to gallery patrons and passersby in River North, as her delicate, actually wearable&nbsp;creations are frequently hung in the gallery&#39;s street-side windows at the corner of Franklin and Superior Streets.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2579" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2579/original/8010a0-a837c24841ce499eb655b210a615a66f.jpg" />

Bae&nbsp;shared that he is&nbsp;truly excited for the artist and that, &quot;Indeed, my favorite part of being a gallery owner is showcasing and discussing art with visitors and patrons.&quot; Seeing these works in person is a delight - during past openings the works have been modeled and worn around the gallery. Seeing them worn on an international stage was something else.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="2585" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2585/original/image1.jpg" />

Bae came to America from Korea&nbsp;at the age&nbsp;23, and the&nbsp;gallery&#39;s program features a&nbsp;group of select artists from Korea and Japan. ABG has been representing Keysook Geum for 17 years. The artist&nbsp;was invited to give a lecture to the students of the School of the Art Institute&#39;s&nbsp;Fashion Department in 2015. Her next&nbsp;solo show at the gallery is scheduled for&nbsp;November 2018.&nbsp;

Click <a href="https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/news/lead-pyeongchang-2018-unveils-podiums-costumes-for-victory-ceremonies">here</a> to read&nbsp;more about the work of Dr. Keysook Geum and the 2018&nbsp;PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

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Top photo: Courtesy AOL

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