<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/iyve8yhtee9pri0coawm.jpg" poster2.jpg="" copy.jpg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/diane-thados">Diane Thodos:&nbsp;Eros/Thanatos: The Expressionist Prints of Diane Thodos</a>Opening: Friday, September 27, 7 – 10&nbsp;pmFirecat Projects&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/kwqichxmryl6hwqqqfmq.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/john-akomfrah-four-nocturnes">John Akomfrah: Four Nocturnes</a>September 27Wrightwood 659&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/cf63bahqg4axbblkc7rm.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/spirit-spirits">Spirit Spirits</a>Opening: Friday, September 27, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmCircle Contemporary (Arts of Life)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/enf88yim6mbevqxn2vjm.jpg" mckenna="" --="" blue="" mountain.jpg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/beth-mckenna-woodblock-prints">Beth McKenna | Woodblock Prints&nbsp;</a>Opening: Saturday, September 28, 6 – 9&nbsp;pmBlue Moon Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions September 27 & 28

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/jkgoujobggaqffzz8is3.jpg"><figcaption>A photo of the artist Rafael Blanco at work&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEARafael Blanco: Reflecting on a Decade of Public Art opened earlier this month at The Elmhurst Art Museum. The artist's solo exhibition is on view through January 5th. Blanco has cultivated a reputation for creating memorable works of public art over the past 10 years, and in recognition of the milestone many of his works have come indoors and are now on view all in one place.&nbsp;Blanco's work is deeply influenced by his own immigrant experience. The artist is originally from Spain. A video showing Blanco at work is a sort of love letter to the his adopted home. He speaks about feeling welcome in Chicago and the experience he had embracing a new country while maintaining his own identity and honoring his home country through his art – now as an artist, his goal is to unify people through his art. Known for works that are mostly on view outdoors, Blanco's exhibition at EAM is unusual for its scale and scope bringing public works into a gallery space – something Blanco said was really a unique opportunity. Elmhurst, he shared, really gave him complete freedom to exhibit his range of works collectively. At the preview he said, It's been an honor to do this exhibition.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/fyvd6eqijueggdjcq071.jpg"><figcaption>Rafael Blanco, I am not Zurbarán, Self Portrait, 2015, 33 × 48, Acrylic on Canvas</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;The exhibition, which was inspired while John McKinnon was still Executive Director of EAM but which opened under interim Director Ann Quinn Kelly, introduces the viewer to Blanco’s artistic journey in a variety of ways: through photographs, videos of the artist's process, as well as large-scale new paintings and portraits. By bringing outdoor works into a gallery space, Blanco transforms EAM's galleries into a sort of urban landscape filled with color, texture, and the serendipity of discovering public art. Wandering through the galleries is not the same as happening upon a street-side mural, but the experience of having so many colorful and vibrant figurative works in one place intensifies the visual impression the viewer walks away with.&nbsp;Notably on display are many works that Blanco proposed to several organizations and institutions but which were ultimately rejected. Blanco uses this exhibition opportunity as a means of finally displaying works that might otherwise have never seen the light of day. And by moving the pieces from proposal sketches to full scale works he also worked to refine them. By exhibiting them viewers to the exhibition get to form their own opinion of whether these works are worthy of being shown.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/k73hise9vderlybashvf.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;When I met Blanco at the museum, after I toured the inside galleries, we walked outside the museum into the park and towards the main road that runs by EAM. Blanco showed me an external wall of the museum where an existing You Are Beautiful work by artist Matthew Hoffman had been fading after being on view for several years. Blanco explained that when he was working to put his show together, the You Are Beautiful &nbsp;was almost no longer visible. Blanco and EAM talked to Hoffman and Blanco presented a design that would go over the existing letters as a temporary installation while the exhibition is on view. Blanco told Hoffman, It is not beautiful anymore. He then asked, Is it OK if I make it beautiful again? Hoffman said of course.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/ermuisynh7tue2w9rlpk.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Blanco let me know he actually finished updating the work two days before the exhibition opened. His goal was to keep Hoffman's work while also bringing his style into it – to morph the sign into the colorful and vibrant style he says he is always looking for. By adding Spanish to the sign, this key collaborative work is in keeping with the bilingual pieces in the rest of the exhibition.&nbsp;Blanco shared that the experience of painting any mural is what he hopes to take with him once it's done. Once of the best memories, he says, from this exhibition was when a teenager was biking by the museum while Blanco was painting. Blanco shares, I was doing something with my brush, and I saw this girl stop and go back when she noticed the You Are Beautiful! He says he has grown with this work and he was so excited about seeing someone else's spontaneous excitement. Those are the moments he realizes, This is what I am trying to do – to get others just as excited. I love the act of painting more than the work itself. Being out in public is more fun that being in the studio.#Rafael Blanco: Reflecting on a Decade of Public ArtElmhurst Art MuseumThru Jan 5, 2025See more information on EAM's <a href="https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/">website</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/fdk0ldwc7bfbundtajaf.jpg"><figcaption>Rafael Blanco, Jump Study, 2014, 125.5 × 154, Acrylic on Canvas</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/wlamvhprjxcgk66ktrrc.jpg"><figcaption>Rafael Blanco, Flamenco, 2016, 75 × 139, &nbsp;Acrylic on Canvas</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/umfd4rqar4kg5vix5fya.jpg"><figcaption>Works by Blanco that were rejected in the proposal stage</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092765/xtdoocw195kp50zs8mmb.jpg"><figcaption>This collaboration with students from the area is an attempt to create a contemporary resemblance of the US flag. Young artists were invited to paint self-portraits in their own style while reflecting on what it means to be a student in America today.Viewing closely, one will identify the individuality and uniqueness of each student through their own perspective. While stepping back slowly, suddenly individualism becomes collectivism, group of people living together, in our society.This is the voice of the new generation.</figcaption></figure></body></html>

Rafael Blanco Brings Public Art Into the Galleries at Elmhurst Art Museum

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/fct4die0mw4qwwcba031.jpg"><figcaption>Artist Paul Nudd’s studio. Photo by Mark Ballogg &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By JACKIE LEWIS&nbsp;When we hear ‘make space’ it can imply the act of a preparatory welcome, a decluttering of old things in anticipation of readying for something new. But space for making can signify an environment for creativity, in which something is forged from nothing. To enter that space is to be committed to contributing something tangible. This fall, photographer Mark Ballogg will exhibit a new body of work at ALMA Art and Interiors based on his book Making Space, which depicts Chicago artists and their studios, capturing their methods, processes and works in progress. Created over the course of six years, Ballogg’s book explores the studios and thoughts of 113 Chicago artists in 94 color photographs and 76 quotes, selected from over 4,000 images generated from 166 studio visits. The exhibition, also titled Making Space, features 30 large-scale photographs, displayed in conversation with a collection of finished work from the artists featured in those images. CGN spoke with Ballogg as he prepared for the exhibition’s opening in November.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/epvvaqtcyqpgswvqg8ty.jpg"><figcaption>Mark Ballogg</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Tell me a bit about your artistic background and how you chose photography as your medium.Mark Ballogg: My exposure to art was sporadic. For a time, I lived in a home filled with art, and early on I could render most any object faithfully, but I lacked a consistent artistic focus. In 1974 I purchased a Nikon camera to photograph my drawings and quickly realized that formal instruction could help me develop my photographic technique. I enrolled in a photography class at Columbia College Chicago, which nurtured my lifelong passion. Capturing a photograph created a serene moment of total focus, uplifting me when I sensed I was seeing something for the first time. That discovery, in some small way, momentarily completed me.&nbsp;CGN: Your book “Making Space” captures scenes from dozens of different Chicago artists’ studios. What drew you to this subject matter?MB: In October 2017 I was invited by a friend, Jeffrey Goldstein, to visit Richard Hunt’s studio. Richard’s cavernous space in an old CTA power station was filled with massive abstract sculptures in various stages of completion, alongside maquettes, tools, and multiple mounds of scrap metal. I was mesmerized. This experience happened while I was searching for a concept for a new body of work, and photographing Chicago artists’ studios seemed promising. After researching several books on artists’ studios, I felt confident that I could create work that was uniquely my own to add to that oeuvre.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/txgdqochjbglor4nstih.jpg"><figcaption>A detail showing Barbara Crane’s studio. Photo by Mark Ballogg.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Do you feel this project connects with prior subjects or is it a divergence from your usual work?MB: I have worked as a commercial architectural photographer for nearly 40 years in Chicago and across the country. Interior photography is a primary aspect of my commercial work. Artist studios are primarily interior spaces, but Making Space is solely defined by my personal vision unconstrained by a client’s direction. I tried to make photographs that transcend documentary, to elevate the image to a new level of emotional and intellectual vibrancy, to arrange and distill complex disparate elements into a dynamic whole. Some detail shots taken out of context don’t necessarily even read as an artist’s studio. I forced myself to make photographs that made me uncomfortable, to push my work forward.&nbsp;CGN: In a city filled with so much art, how did you determine which artists you would visit and capture?MB: I have also collected art, and through collecting I have cultivated friends in the arts. Initially I scheduled visits with some of those friends and at each visit I asked for other artist recommendations. My final selections were based on an artist’s accessibility and my desire to capture the diversity and flavor of the Chicago art scene. I photographed a balance of artists in all aspects of gender, practice, and defining circumstances.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/qbxknevlirw6jgh5grrj.jpg"><figcaption>Artist Wesley Kimler’s studio. Photo by Mark Ballogg &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Tell me about these studio visits. What transpired between you and these artists to create such a collaborative book?MB: Each studio visit consisted of about two hours of photography and one hour of a recorded conversation with the artist discussing all matters of art. On most occasions, the artist was in the studio working and/or watching me photograph their studio. I approached each studio without preconceived ideas, responding intuitively to the space. Often the photography would inform the direction of our conversations. The collaborative nature grew from the artists’ generous willingness to allow me into their studio and my respect for their space and work.&nbsp;CGN: Have you found connections between an artist’s physical space and their relationship with their artistic practice and philosophy?&nbsp;MB: The Making Space photographs of studios offer unique and shared aspects of an artist’s practice. In some cases, they are discreet. For example, In Anne Harris’s studio photograph, I was drawn to the word “eyelid” drawn on the wall. When Anne spent about 15 minutes talking about the significance that eyelids play in her art, I figured I’d been right to notice. Others are more obvious: the massive sculptural work of Richard Hunt dictated the scale of his studio. But yes, many studio photographs are defined by studio size, space location, functional design, furnishing, tools, and the work itself, all offering insights into the artist’s practice.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/aaokgf9rgwxueje2wej4.jpg"><figcaption>The late Richard Hunt's studio. Photo by Mark Ballogg &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: This fall Making Space, the exhibition, will be at ALMA Art and Interiors and include 31 of your studio photographs alongside 31 works from the related artists. Was this also a collaborative experience?MB: These collaborations were expressed by the artists’ willingness to be included in the exhibition and submit work for the it. In addition, we are planning a series of events that bring these artists into the gallery to discuss their practices and their Making Space experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: How do your photographs work in conversation with these artists’ pieces?MB: I hope to create a symbiotic relationship between the artist’s work and my photographs of their studio. At times, the photograph illustrates the artist’s work. On other occasions, the actual construction of the photograph reveals one aspect of the artist’s practice. The studio space itself can also be a reflection of the artist’s personality.I think the total impact of viewing the photo and the work is greater than viewing each separately. I hesitate to predict exactly how that relationship plays out, but I’m excited to see how the audience reacts.&nbsp;Making SpaceCurated by Mark Ballogg, Kimberly Oliva and Gosia Korsakowski&nbsp;ALMA Art and Interiors – 3636 S. Iron, Chicago (60609)Opening Reception, Friday, Nov 8, 5–9pm. On view Nov 8–Feb 28, 2025Details at <a href="https://www.almaartandinteriors.com">almaartandinteriors.com</a> and on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/makingspace_book/">@makingspace_book</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/eaq4hglob3ucy90wg7rb.jpg"><figcaption>Artist Renee Robbins's studio. Photo by Mark Ballogg &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;</body></html>

The Magic of Making: Mark Ballogg’s Studio Views

<html><head></head><body>CGN works with dozens of art world leaders, creatives and supporters all year long. Each one has a different perspective on the industry in general as well as their own role within it. CGN is pleased to share many of these insights and personal stories in a new online series. Our first interview is with Natasha Egan, Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/ye0bav2mr20ydcfvoesr.jpg"><figcaption>Headshot taken by Brook Hummer Photography&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By ABBEY KOTNatasha Egan has served as the MoCP’s executive director since 2011, formerly filling the roles of associate director and curator. This week, we sat down with her to discuss the inner workings of an establishment that combines industry professionals with working students.&nbsp; &nbsp;Chicago Gallery News: While most museums focus on education, the MoCP is unique in that it is connected to a college and staffs many of its students. What do you feel some of the benefits are when working with students and emerging scholars in a professional museum setting?&nbsp;&nbsp;Natasha Egan: MoCP’s affiliation with Columbia College Chicago is central to our mission of preparing students for the professional world. Our student staff come from various disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and our team mentors them, providing valuable real-world experience. We expect a high degree of professionalism from our students, and they consistently meet this standard. For example, during our #AiWeiwei exhibition, Ai Weiwei’s team was impressed that our preparators were all student employees overseen by professional staff.Many of our student staff pursue careers in the museum and art fields. For instance, Greg Harris, a former student of mine who worked on our operations team, went on to earn his master’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and became the Assistant Curator at the DePaul Art Museum. He is now the Curator of Photography at the High Museum in Atlanta. Greg recently returned to Columbia College to give a lecture and critique graduate student work, creating a full-circle moment. He even mentioned that he still carries his MoCP tote bag.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/fyonfgmrjkykw19wzjrs.jpg"><figcaption>Terry Evans conducting a print viewing in the MoCP’s print study room.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: As the executive director of the museum, you oversee all aspects of operation, from print viewings to installation plans; are there any recent challenges you can recall that allowed for creative problem-solving or a lesson learned?&nbsp;NE: MoCP has a small but highly capable professional staff, each overseeing different departments such as operations, education, marketing, curatorial, and collections management. Despite recent budgetary constraints, our team has adapted by embracing changes in their job descriptions. This flexibility allows us to remain nimble and continue producing top-tier exhibitions and programs under adverse circumstances.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/uh30lcqatylxo1nkrazj.jpg"><figcaption>From the Summer 2024 show “Captured Earth”</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Your background is in higher education and fine arts photography, with an impressive and deep connection to Columbia College Chicago, working as an educator in the school’s photography department and holding the position of associate director at the MoCP for over ten years. Are there any surprising ways your knowledge of fine arts and background in education has translated into your time in the administrative side of the museum world?&nbsp;NE: During my tenure at MoCP, I have curated over 50 exhibitions and collaborated with artists and institutions worldwide. Teaching at Columbia College Chicago for over a decade, both on campus and abroad in China, exposed me to diverse curatorial styles and institutional operations. These experiences have been invaluable as I now focus on strategic initiatives for MoCP’s future as Executive Director.&nbsp;CGN: The turnaround time between shows at the MoCP tends to be fairly quick, with the gap between your current and next show set for only twelve days. What moments do you look forward to during the installation and execution of a new exhibition?NE: After months or even years of developing exhibitions, it is always rewarding to see them materialize. The installation phase provides a deeper understanding of the exhibition beyond its conceptual phase. For students, it is a time to meet artists, learn more about the exhibited works, and develop new skills. It is also exciting to witness the public's reaction to the exhibition for the first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone wanting to get started in the museum world?NE: Immerse yourself in the art world by visiting a variety of institutions, from the largest museums to the smallest galleries. Smaller museums often influence larger institutions. Additionally, visit artist spaces and nonprofits that offer unique perspectives outside traditional museum settings. Take the time to have informal conversations with art professionals to determine if this path is right for you.&nbsp;For more information about MoCP and its programming visit <a href="https://www.mocp.org">mocp.org</a>#&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Insights: MoCP's Natasha Egan

<html><head></head><body>*This interview appears in CGN's fall 2024 magazine. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here</a>.*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/u4e5j23fa7naks81lppc.jpg"><figcaption>Georgie Miller, Pete’s Wild Party For Him and His Friends, 36 x 48”, 2024. Collage on Paper. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAGeorgie Miller is definitely from Texas. When I ask her, over lunch one sweltering day when I can feel heat emanating from an expanse of baking Chicago concrete, if she’s been enjoying the summer, she doesn’t mention the 90° temperature, even though it’s all I can think about. Instead she tells me she’s just gotten back from Nicaragua, and she’s off to Montana in a few days. The jet-setting, she explains, is for her job as Travel Editor and Digital Strategy Director for Texas Based PaperCity. But when she’s between trips, she is working on creating her art and experimenting with how to get it in front of a wider audience. &nbsp;As I melt in my chair Miller keeps her cool, rattling off a list of area galleries she has been following, as well as arts groups and residencies she has been undauntedly applying to. She says she has averaged five residency applications or group show submissions a month for the past year, with five successes so far in 2024: one in Austin, Texas, another in Houston, and three in Chicago. Because Miller lives in both Austin and Chicago, she plans to continue taking advantage building relationships in two gallery markets.&nbsp;While Miller has been fearlessly sending out applications, she confesses she is learning as she goes.&nbsp;“I don’t have a real body of work quite yet, so by applying I’m also trying to figure out what sticks as well as what it is I’m working on next,” Miller admits. “Eventually I’d love to work with a dealer who can help me focus and choose a direction, because right now I have several.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/otkik9jnopjpdeeautia.jpg"><figcaption>Georgie Miller next to her piece that was part of a group exhibiton earlier this year at ARC Gallery, Chicago.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Conventional wisdom has been that navigating the art world is part cold-calling, part self-help. An artist creates a body of work and spends time getting to know various gallery programs in order to decide whether or not there is a fit for their own art. Then an artist must attempt many introductions, steeling themself for individual rejections before going back to fine-tune what they present to galleries or collectors. Artists also have to contend with a limited market of operating galleries that are even accepting unsolicited applications. While much of these truths still hold, in 2024 artists can choose to set up a basic website or even just a social media presence solely to push their precious art out of the nest and in front of millions of content-hungry viewers, at once marketing and selling while also soliciting feedback and gaining visibility, essentially learning to fly in real time. Miller says she has enjoyed going solo so far, prolifically creating work and posting individual pieces as she completes them, as the follower engagement has helped her look at her work the way others might, and she’s also secured a couple commissions along the way.&nbsp;For now Miller works exclusively in collage, an accessible but often labor intensive medium. She says she chose to work in a photography-based version because it feels like the right vehicle to help her present her exploration of indulgence and consumption in a colorful and appealing way. Her larger-scale tablescapes incorporate light colorways, even glitter, as she creates tableaus of cigarette-filled dinner parties and card games. No iPhones on the tables here, just martinis and matchbooks. Mah-jong has even made an appearance. There’s nothing conspicuously sinister about folded hands of cards and the spilled dregs of a wine bottle, but Miller acknowledges there are various perspectives one might have, depending on which gatherings or social situations come to mind when viewing the work–the laughter-filled ones, the awkward ones, or the ones that should have ended before the tempers flared.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/z3s7zmyvwsn409yvdyr8.jpg"><figcaption>Georgie Miller, Petalscapes, Texas and Chicago No 1, 2024.Collage on Paper.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;You can tell Miller has reached a point where she is ready to push into new themes and alternative tonalities with her most recent work, which focuses on still lifes of flower arrangements made from snaps of Chicago streets and skyscrapers – 875 N. Michigan, Water Tower Place, a Lakeview apartment building. The palettes are a bit forboding, stormier compared to the lakeside vibes of a relaxing weekend with friends during a house party. Says Miller, “I’m dropping in photos, which is different for me, and these pieces have a darker, more tactile look. I’m trying out styles and seeing if they connect.”&nbsp;Process is always critical to an artist’s practice, and though Miller is young and juggling art-making along with another full-time job, I can tell she is having fun now, and she will continue to enjoy each layer of the creative process as it comes.#&nbsp;<a href="https://www.georgiemillerart.com">georgiemillerart.com</a></body></html>

A Young Artist Learns as She Works: Georgie Miller

<html><head></head><body>*This interview and is from CGN's fall 2024 magazine. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here</a>.*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/abkndwr35643txbilvab.jpg"></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAThe art world is ever changing, but when many people consider the arc of the gallery scene in Chicago, they still think (or hear stories) of River North in the 1980s, when it was a new city neighborhood bursting with dozens of art spaces and the buzzy people who flocked to them on opening nights. Gallerist Carl Hammer’s name and career is inextricably linked to those early days in the art world and much of what has come in the four and a half decades since.Hammer opened his gallery, then called Hammer and Hammer / American Folk Art, in 1979 at 620 N. Michigan Ave., in what was known as the Breskin building, which housed numerous other galleries at the time, including Richard Gray, and other prominent early names. He moved a few blocks west to Wells Street in the ‘80s and was part of the original 16 galleries that created the River North Gallery District. Hammer’s gallery remains at the same historic Wells Street address today.Hammer’s journey to being one of the most well-known dealers in Chicago started before he was part of the art market at all: when he was teaching English at Evanston High School during the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War. Hammer and his wife at the time became interested in collecting art and were inspired to focus on grassroots artists because of the country’s political and social climate. Collecting art while traveling during school breaks led to a deeper, but still idealistic, exploration of what grassroots art meant, and those out of the way road trips put Hammer in touch with self-taught and folk artists, who were eventually labeled “Outsider.” Hammer felt called to enter the business of selling the art he so admired, and his life in the gallery world followed, featuring exhibitions of work by noted Outsider artists like Lee Godie and Henry Darger, as well as contemporary art by Michael Hernandez de Luna, and graphic novelist Chris Ware.&nbsp;Hammer told me a few years ago he considered himself a bit of an outsider, since he never had formal art training, but I think it’s Hammer’s continual curiosity, combined with his affection for artists and collectors, that has given him 45 years both inside and outside the art scene, with more to come.&nbsp;The gallery will celebrate it’s 45th anniversary this fall with an exhibition of work by Chris “CJ” Pyle, opening September 6, and a show with David Sharpe opening November 1.&nbsp;Details at <a href="https://www.carlhammergallery.com">carlhammergallery.com</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Carl Hammer: 45 Years of Steady Change

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/y5z5iingaf54oce8pdcd.jpg"><figcaption>Chicago's most famous castle, dubbed the Irish Castle by neighbors, is a crenelated curiosity perched atop the steep ridge that runs through Beverly and Morgan Park. It is the area's calling card, with a history that traces to Robert C. Givins in 1887, the first of only five owners. Givins, a real estate developer, used it to spark residential growth along the Rock Island Line. Built as an extravagant private residence, purportedly a gift to Givins' wife, today the Beverly Unitarian Church calls it home. Givins spent the then enormous sum of $80,000 constructing the mansion of solid Joliet limestone, intended to resemble a castle he visited once in Ireland, but also recalling the Richardsonian Romanesque style popular at the time. A recent fundraising campaign and state grant helped fund all new custom made windows.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Via PRCHICAGO—The <a href="https://www.architecture.org/">Chicago Architecture Center</a> (CAC) announced the sites for this year’s Open House Chicago (OHC), a free festival that instills civic pride by providing behind-the-scenes access to places of architectural, historical and cultural significance and highlights businesses, organizations and creative leaders making a positive impact in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. This year, OHC willhighlight 170+ locations across 20+ Chicago neighborhoods, including 25 new sites, on October 19 and 20. &nbsp;“With all the new developments happening or proposed in Chicago, it’s more important than ever that people see how architecture and design shape our city,” said Eleanor Gorski, CEO &amp; President, Chicago Architecture Center. “Open House Chicago is easily accessible and free to all. We hope the event fosters dialogue about architecture and inspires people to become more actively engaged in shaping and improving our built environment.OHC, now in its 14th year, allows attendees to visit significant sites across the city, many of which are normally closed to the public. The event is one of the largest architecture and urban exploration festivals in the world, attracting more than 25,000 people annually.This year, new sites include the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, which opened as a movie theater in 1929 and shut its doors in 1985, sitting vacant for nearly 30 years before being redeveloped and reopened this year as a restaurant, brewery and concert and events venue. The Ramova Theatre will also host CAC’s Designing Futures Gala on Oct. 1 to raise funds for OHC and other CAC programming.Participants will also get an inside peek at the historic Chess Studio at Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, where legendary artists who shaped the sound of Chicago blues performed over the years. Also new to OHC is Bronzeville’s Al-Sadiq mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the United States and the former headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. OHC participants will also have access to The Driehaus Museum's Murphy Auditorium for the first time, an architectural marvel designed by noted Chicago architects Benjamin Marshall and Charles E. Fox. The building features a pair of cast bronze doors produced by Tiffany Studios and an iconic limestone exterior was built to mimic the façade and flanking entry staircase of the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Consolation in Paris.&nbsp;Also new this year is the OHC photo competition. Festival attendees can showcase their photography skills by submitting photos taken at OHC sites in one of four categories: interior, exterior, black &amp; white, and detail. Submissions can be made through the competition webpage at <a href="http://architecture.org/">architecture.org</a>. Selected entrants will have their photography printed and displayed at the CAC over the holiday season as part of the Center’s “Framed Views: OHC Photography” exhibition that opens on Nov. 23. Winners of the competition, which will be judged by local photographers, will receive complimentary memberships to the CAC.&nbsp;&nbsp;By making learning about architecture accessible to all, OHC is a key part of the Chicago Architecture Center’s mission to inspire people to discover why design matters. It was developed based on a similar festival in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1992 to allow people to explore buildings in London. This year’s OHC event includes partnerships with local small businesses like Starshaped Press in Ravenswood, which is creating official OHC merchandise.&nbsp;In addition to the tours, OHC sites will also host more than 40 programs and activations during the weekend. Growing Home Urban Street Farm in Englewood is hosting a hands-on mosaic magnet-making activity at its Harvestfest on Oct. 19; the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts &amp; Culture in Humboldt Park will have drop-in salsa lessons and art-making activities; the Historic Pullman Foundation is offering mini tours of the Pullman neighborhood in collaboration with the Illinois Labor Historical Society; and Graceland Cemetery in Uptown will be hosting art classes with ofrenda/paper marigold making for Dia de Los Muertos in collaboration with the National Museum of Mexican Art. More events will be announced closer to OHC weekend.&nbsp;People interested in attending the event or volunteering can learn more details on the Chicago Architecture Center’s <a href="https://www.architecture.org/">new website</a> or download the CAC app to plan their OHC weekend. The app allows users to sort by neighborhood and building type and build routes to enjoy all that OHC offers.&nbsp;The Annual Public Festival, the Largest of its Kind in the World, Provides Free Access to Culturally, Architecturally and Historically Significant Sites Throughout Chicago’s Diverse Neighborhoods on October 19 and 20&nbsp;###&nbsp;</body></html>

Chicago Architecture Center's Annual Open House Chicago Announces 2024 Lineup

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/iu5vpvgi2lt7azja41rn.jpg"></figure>Via PRIt is with an abundance of pleasure that Corbett vs. Dempsey announces Emily Letourneau's partnership. Letourneau came on board CvsD in 2013 and has been a guiding force for the gallery over the last decade, working directly with artists and estates, helping construct and finesse the program in Chicago and elsewhere, and dealing with the complex management of the business as it grew over that period. Letourneau joins founders John Corbett and Jim Dempsey as a principal of the gallery just as CvsD dives headlong into its third decade with Hubcap Diamond Star Halo: Corbett vs. Dempsey at Twenty.After a summer internship at MoMA in 1999, Letourneau began working at Donald Young Gallery, Chicago, where she directed all aspects of operating the legendary gallery. In spirit, Young's visionary program was a direct inspiration for Corbett and Dempsey when they began CvsD, and after Young tragically died in 2012, CvsD invited Letourneau to join them, which, after a brief stint at the Art Institute of Chicago, she did. Ever since, Letourneau has been instrumental in helping chart the course of the home exhibition schedule, art fair participation, and international interface of CvsD. She is an essential ingredient in the CvsD stew.I am so happy to enter this new phase of my relationship with CvsD. I feel fortunate to have connected with John and Jim following my time working with Donald Young, to have found two kindred spirits who share my enthusiasm for supporting artists and who do so with utter joy and integrity. It has been an honor to be embraced by the community John and Jim have built since 2004 and to combine my own relationships with artists, collectors and curators and forge new ones together. I look forward to many more years working with John, Jim and all our amazing colleagues at CvsD. –Emily Letourneau&nbsp;</body></html>

Emily Letourneau to Become Partner at Corbett vs. Dempsey On Gallery's 20th Anniversary

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/wwkmlcriwp0xjwi2ek8f.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/neil-beloufa-humanities-f863abe7-a21e-4ae9-a5d9-6a1989796532">Neil Beloufa: Humanities</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 4 – 7&nbsp;pmThe Renaissance Society&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/x40b4jpcaukxbxiswoyv.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/hubcap-diamond-star-halo-corbett-vs-dempsey-at-twenty">Hubcap Diamond Star Halo: Corbett vs. Dempsey at Twenty</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 12 – 4&nbsp;pmCorbett vs. Dempsey&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/akmn2i8qfm0evvmjhfud.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/alice-tippit-the-deep-element">Alice Tippit: The Deep Element</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 5 – 7:30&nbsp;pmPATRON&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/zma4xzd4v7l1m4qvbhbr.jpg" spider="" and="" baba="" paska="" by="" allison="" ford.jpg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/by-degrees-iii">By Degrees III</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 6 – 9&nbsp;pmChicago Sculpture International (CSI)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/vjswh8o4fq5khs9fx2c1.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/thirteen-thirteen">THIRTEEN + THIRTEEN</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 6 – 10&nbsp;pmAgitator Artist Collective&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/vhu7ogtj2kptxp5hp3ak.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/meghan-borah-ladylike">Meghan Borah: Ladylike</a>Opening: Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 2 – 5&nbsp;pmGoldfinch&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/fgc3e93kh56df0r59h2d.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/trotter-alexander">Black and White | Trotter Alexander and Michele Thrane</a>Opening: Sunday, Sep 15, 2024 1 – 4&nbsp;pmEvanston Art Center&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions September 14 and 15

<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/xcmdvqwrce0yjbrcud7q.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/rob-fischer">Rob Fischer: A Bird Song</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 13, 2024 5:30 – 8&nbsp;pmENGAGE Projects<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/f9ongglrk5dydnslkmtu.png" armendariz.png=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tony-armendariz-latin-expressions">Tony Armendariz: LATIN EXPRESSIONS</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 13, 2024 6 – 9&nbsp;pmEpiphany Center for the Arts&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/axgjyiclcjlnr7wh2csi.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/david-antonio-cruz-come-close-like-before">David Antonio Cruz: come close, like before</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 13, 2024 4 – 7&nbsp;pmmoniquemeloche&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/b6vxvionhs5u7iicswoz.png" hartney-="" unplanned="" parenthood="" .png=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/michelle-hartney-unplanned-parenthood">Michelle Hartney: Unplanned Parenthood</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 13, 2024 6 – 8&nbsp;pmInternational Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS)&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions September 13

<html><head></head><body>*This interview appears in CGN's fall 2024 magazine. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here</a>.*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/pj5orybf29krve1vhj3n.jpg"><figcaption>Artwork pictured on walls, starting from left of cabinet: Jason Lazurus, Cody Hudson, Jason Pickleman, Jeroen Nelemans, Adam Pendelton, Aron Gent, Brian Kapernekas, Laura Letinsky, Loyola Condenser, Stephen Eichorn, Tony Tasset, Dorothee Joachim, David Salkin (in background through door). Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By BIANCA BOVA“The place that art holds is sacred ground,” Michelle Edwards tells me. An established collector, fashion icon to those in the know, cultural patron, and–more recently–a realtor, Edwards’ reverential attitude towards art, if not life itself, is immediately discernible upon entering her home. Seated in her living room, surrounded by sweeping 47th floor views that look north over Grant Park and east out onto Lake Michigan, there is a serenity to the space, despite the fact that its entirety is densely arrayed with objects of all modalities. The predominant feature is, of course, the art collection, alongside which can be found selections of transferware, Wedgewood, and silver service pieces. The furnishings are lush, and thoughtfully selected. In less careful hands, the aggregate of it might overwhelm, but here, to the contrary, Edwards has created an oasis. She concedes to having had some help, noting, “I have for many years worked with Patrick DiMichele on my spaces. I won’t–can’t–live in an environment he has not done.”*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/jj1w5zmvajmxseujevfc.jpg"><figcaption>Michelle Edwards. Artwork pictured on wall: Jason Lazarus; Monika Bartholomé; in background, sculpture by Greg Stimac. Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Edwards is not a lifelong art collector, or (to my surprise) even a lifelong art enthusiast. Her first love was fashion, with deep roots in the storied Oak Street boutique Ultimo.&nbsp;“During high school I was a waitress at the Oak Room in Marshall Fields in the Oak Brook Mall, and I would save my tips, then I would go into the city, to Ultimo, and buy stuff on sale. I just loved magazines, French Vogue was my favorite. And I knew that Ultimo had Norma Kamali and they had Thierry Mugler, so I would go there,” she tells me, “When I got out of college, I was trying to figure out what I would do, and I interviewed across all these different jobs. Then I went down to Ultimo one day and they just hired me. You weren’t allowed to talk to customers for, like, six months. It was really this apprentice program. By the time I left, I ran the whole thing: men’s department, women’s department, all of it. I do have a tendency to end up running the show, whatever I do.”“You have to understand that it was the equivalent of carrier pigeons compared to online shopping today. The access just wasn’t the same. There were really only four or five seminal boutiques in the world at that time, of which Ultimo was one. You relied on these boutiques for taste and for the edit. If it wasn’t in those stores, you didn’t need to have it, was the feeling.” &nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>“I can’t garden, I’m not a gardener. So this is my garden. The amount of time that I spend interacting with the art–and everything in my home–it brings me so much joy. I stop and look at it. I spend time with different pieces. I’m tending my garden.”– Michelle Edwards</blockquote>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/zzxvaj0do8felhuglh5s.jpg" 2.jpg=""><figcaption>Edwards's sitting room features a black and white photograph by Lenny Kravitz, who turned the camera back on the paparazzi that always followed him. Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;It was through her years at the boutique, from 1984 to 1999, that Edwards came into contact with the art world.&nbsp;“When Art Chicago came around, it was a big deal at the boutique. It was the art crowd that traveled globally, and of course, they were shoppers. Everyone would come through that weekend.”When Edwards herself visited Art Chicago in the late 1980’s she acquired her first piece of art, a small painting by the English artist John Virtue. It still has pride of place in her home.&nbsp;“It was my first time ever at an art fair. I was with Lynn Sable, who was from Ultimo, and her brother is the art dealer Sean Kelly. He was there, and he was very passionate about his goal to have a gallery. And I don’t know–it was just infectious, it was so exciting. And this John Virtue, I just loved it.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/xdgbg7uvf17e0di7fqfi.jpg"><figcaption>Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Despite this initial acquisition, buying work at fairs didn’t become a habit for Edwards, who still prefers a quieter approach.&nbsp;“When it comes to collecting, I’m not an art fair girl,” she admits, “I like to go for the excitement, the community. That’s fun, but I can’t do: big, little, far, near, color, everything all at once. I get a headache. That’s why I love the gallery experience. I love a curated little show. I love a conversation.”In fact, the acquisition of the Virtue did not give immediate way to collecting as a practice, or sustained participation in the art world. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s, after leaving Ultimo and being introduced to the Society for Contemporary Art (SCA) at the Art Institute of Chicago that her involvement became a more serious and intentional pursuit.&nbsp;“I had a very good friend who is active in the art world globally, who used to be in Chicago, but has since moved to Los Angeles. She knew the SCA and she said, ‘I want you to join this group because they’re really good.’ When I joined, I did not like contemporary art. I did not understand contemporary art. I thought, ‘My dog can do that, my child can do that.’ I just didn’t understand it. But through attending lectures and realizing how unbelievably highly educated these artists are, and how thoughtful the work is–even if it’s work I don’t respond to–just to hear their story is so special to me. I started to go once a month, then I went to literally everything. At first, I didn’t talk to anybody. It took me a really long time to even decide to go to a dinner. I was hooked though. The first talk I went to was Gaylen Gerber, who of course spoke about [the color] gray. I remember going home and trying to tell people about this brilliant lecture, how thought provoking it was. I always feel bigger, better, fuller, richer for having heard someone speak about their work.” Her involvement quickly deepened as she joined the organization’s board of directors.&nbsp;“Eventually they started to notice that I was attending with regularity. I believe it was Jay Dandy who called me then and said he’d like me to be on the board. And I said, ‘Well, what do I have to do?’ And he said, ‘Oh, you might have to make a batch of cookies or something like that.’ So, you know, a four year presidency term, four fundraising benefits, I don’t know how many years as secretary, three years as the acquisition chair, and over 20 years in total on the board later, I still haven’t made a batch of cookies. But it did change my life.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/k6ntawhvysx8smsaglj3.jpg"><figcaption>A view looking north from Edwards's apartment. Photo by CGN.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;As her long tenure on the SCA’s board comes to a close, Edwards continues to find new opportunities to support other institutions in the city, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP), with whom she has recently become involved.&nbsp;“I appreciate the accessibility of [MoCP Director] Natasha Egan. The ability to just speak to her, and that she just is this endless stream of brilliance, but so accessible. It’s really magic. It’s still a small institution, and it would be really fun to see them grow.” she adds.&nbsp;As much as Edwards’ art collection has been led by her relationships with artists, dealers, and curators, it has also been informed by the spaces that have housed it. For years, she resided in the Kenwood neighborhood, in a historic home designed by famed Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, a leader in the American Craftsman movement. Built in 1904, the 10,000 square foot English country-style house sits on three quarters of an acre.&nbsp;“It was a very experiential house,” Edwards tells me, “Living in Kenwood, too–it’s the cradle of art intellects in Chicago in some ways, and that was in the air. I loved that experience, but this–this apartment–this is where I belong. I see the collection differently now, because I can literally see it. There’s daylight. The light is different in the morning than it is in the evening. The light is different in the summer than it is in the winter. So the work also changes, in a way it just didn’t in a dark, brick and limestone house.”&nbsp;As for the decision to also move the antiques into the new, more modern space, Edwards says with a shrug, “I didn’t think twice. There’s just that richness to it. I can’t live without this layer of richness. I think there’s this rogue gene I have, it’s the only way I can explain it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/ozqzgrdcf4xcf4y4njrv.jpg"><figcaption>Pictured above: Nancy Rosen, Rose Edwards, Gary Rattigan, Ken Fandell, Jenny Shanahan, Andrei Rabodzee, random broquante find (not Picasso (!), Instagram (fur). Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;She points to several objects arranged on the coffee table between us, “This is my grandmother’s Bible. These were my great-grandfather’s buttons from his war jersey. Here are railroad spikes from when the SCA toured the 606. There really isn’t anything in this entire apartment–in my entire collecting existence–that there wasn’t some experience that it ties back to. A conversation, whether it was with the artist or with a gallerist, an event or a trip, or a memory of some kind.”&nbsp;Though her collection in some ways feels like an encyclopedic look at Chicago’s art scene in the past 30 years, there is a distinctive eye guiding it that mirrors the discerning eclecticism evident in all that Edwards involves herself with. Works by everyone from Laura Letinsky, Nathaniel Robinson, Jason Lazarus, Aron Gent, and Jenny Shanahan, to Judy Ledgerwood, Tony Tasset, Cowboy, Robert Brown Jr., and the Loyola Condenser may be found, alongside the occasional work by Lenny Kravitz or Ken Fandell.&nbsp;“I’ve never been a “checklist collector”–’Oh, I’ve got one of those, I got one of these, two of these’–those collectors working their way up the ladder hoping that they then get access to better stuff. I just don’t work like that,” she tells me, continuing, “And I’m not an impulse buyer. I have to go home and see how I feel about it in the morning. What I now have, what has developed over time, is just absolute confidence in what I collect. Plenty of works have come from galleries or from auctions, but I also have, for instance, a painting that I acquired off of Instagram, which was painted by a monkey. I love that monkey, I love the painting. I have a big, furry version of the Mona Lisa. I love the Mona Lisa, I have a real thing about the Mona Lisa, and I am also a fan of Sylvie Fleury’s fur paintings, so when I saw this, I thought–well, I just have to have it.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/ptg9d2vieelcw19ab1rj.jpg"><figcaption>A detailed view of works in Edwards's living room. Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;This nonhierarchical attitude is typical of Edwards, who acknowledges, “It’s paralleled by how I orient my wardrobe. People assume everything I wear is something, but it may not be. I have a jacket everyone raves over that looks couture, but it is, in fact, a Zara swimsuit cover up. Same principle as art. It’s confidence in what you have. It’s the eye.”&nbsp;Whether it is her eye, her confidence, or, as she puts it, her “rogue gene” that acts as a guiding principle, Edwards can be counted on to bring the full impact of her experience to all that she does.&nbsp;“Now I’m engaged with the real estate thing. A year and half ago I went to work with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate. The thing is, I’ve lived in a Lincoln Park studio, and a Bucktown bungalow. I lived in a greystone in Wicker Park and in a significant Kenwood country house mansion. Now here I am in a contemporary highrise on the lakefront. I’ve been in so many properties. I know why apartments work, and why houses work, and I know why they don’t work. It’s not unrelated to the way I understand fashion, or the way I understand collecting art.&nbsp;I love to tend the flock, and I really enjoy guiding my people through incredibly emotional purchases, as with the passage of life that comes with finding a home,” she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092765/eeu1mb5pqfvxrriofwrb.jpg"><figcaption>Pictured above: Robert Burnier; Laurie Simmons. Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;It is in Edwards’ own home that this ethos is exemplified, even celebrated. To move through its rooms is to be engaged, again and again, not just by the artwork, or by the furnishings, but by the stories that they each plainly tell. Great art and beautiful homes may be hallmarks of metropolitan life, but far fewer and farther between are such earnestly intentional collections, and striking, deeply personal domestic spaces as the ones Edwards has devoted herself to cultivating.&nbsp;“I can’t garden, I’m not a gardener. So this is my garden,” She says, “The amount of time that I spend interacting with the art–and everything in my home–it brings me so much joy. I stop and look at it. I spend time with different pieces. I’m tending my garden.”&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092766/ejcukrtugtvana8ahiep.jpg"><figcaption>Photo by CGN. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;This interview is featured in CGN's fall 2024 magazine. To receive a print copy please <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here to subscribe.</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Nurturing  a Garden of Art: Michelle Edwards Tends to Her Collection

<html><head></head><body>*This preview appears in CGN's fall 2024 magazine. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here</a>.*&nbsp;This fall the auctions heat up alongside the season of new art in area galleries and museums. Some notable dates from area auction houses are listed here, but CGN’s calendar is updated daily.Of course you may bid early and online, but it’s worth treating yourself to the experience of bidding in person at least once in your life. You never know what you might bring home to enjoy for years to come. – GV________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/fe6aqkd3gu0znosyxwkr.jpg"><figcaption>There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Fisk Tire advertisement, 1919. Estimate | $800,000 - $1,200,000</figcaption></figure>American ArtHeritage Auctions ChicagoIncredible highlights from Heritage Auctions’ upcoming American Art auction visit the Chicago gallery this fall, featuring Maxfield Parrish’s 1919 painting, “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.” Known for its vivid colors and enchanting interpretation of the nursery rhyme, the work exemplifies Parrish’s signature style. Don’t miss this early opportunity to view an exceptional curation of top lots from the remarkable November 15 auction, including work by Ernie Barnes, Joseph Christian Leyendecker, Joseph Stella, and more.Auction Preview: October 21–24 • Gallery Talk and Reception: October 24, 5 to 7 pm • Auction November 15222 W. Hubbard St. in River North&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ha.com">www.ha.com</a>________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/dwc3yhxmkrgvlvbeprvm.jpg"><figcaption>Bisa Butler (American, b. 1973), The Boss, c. 2004, quilted and appliquéd dyed cotton fabrics with collage stitched B. Butler (lower right), 52 1/2 x 37 inches. Provenance: The Artist. Acquired directly from the above by the present owner c. 2004. Est. $40,000.00 - $60,000.00 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Post War and Contemporary ArtFreeman’s | HindmanFreeman’s | Hindman’s Post War and Contemporary Art auction will feature a compelling variety of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, textiles and photography ranging from the mid-40s Midwestern mixed media Surrealism of Julia Thecla to the very of-the-now dreamy figuration of Contemporary Ghanaian painter Gideon Appah. Highlights in the sale with hometown appeal include a stunning and rarely-seen-at-auction Bisa Butler quilted fabric portrait, The Boss, c. 2004. Butler’s work takes cues from, and carries on, the important visual and social traditions of Chicago’s AfriCOBRA movement, and our very own Art Institute of Chicago proudly gave Butler her first museum show in 2020. Also of note and with local links, are uncommon and top-notch three-dimensional paintings from Chicago Imagists Roger Brown and Karl Wirsum. Brown’s 1973-1974 Bus Stop is a fully realized, scaled down Greyhound station, with all the silhouetted window activity and signature Brown grays one could want. The articulated, sort of seated, fanciful Wirsum figure Please Don’t Get Up (1980) once belonged to legendary Chicago gallerist Phyllis Kind. Finally no Freeman’s | Hindman sale would be complete without an enchanting Gertrude Abercrombie. Her 1956 masterwork The Magician depicts a raven-haired Abercrombie alter ego levitating above a deep green chaise lounge by a spellcasting black cat, likely also a stand-in for the artist. Still housed in the original frame, the painting was purchased directly from Abercrombie at the famed 57th Street Art Fair the same year it was painted. A father and his ten-year-old son purchased the painting then, and the son is now current seller.&nbsp;&nbsp;– Zachary Wirsum, Freeman’s | Hindman Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Post War &amp; Contemporary ArtFreeman’s | Hindman&nbsp;Auction September 25 • 1550 W. Carroll Ave. in West Town&nbsp;www.hindmanauctions.com________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/w57mco62qetf5fmpma5a.jpg"></figure>Jewelry: Antique to Art Deco<a href="https://www.toomeyco.com">Toomey &amp; Co. Auctioneers&nbsp;</a>September 18________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/wnwlcjngrcm0nrpzkanp.jpg"></figure>Prints and Multiples&nbsp;<a href="https://hindmanauctions.com">Freeman's | Hindman</a>September 26 ________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/gsxmr2sps1eotdmqsnmz.jpg"></figure>Cabinet of Morbid Curiosities: The Richard Harris Collection<a href="https://www.potterauctions.com">Potter &amp; Potter Auctions</a>October 2 ________________________________&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/bqtpxekspz2vfdirllyv.jpg"></figure>Design<a href="https://www.wright20.com">WRIGHT</a>October 24&nbsp;</body></html>

This Fall’s Art Auctions

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/l1e2qhtagjlifghu3di8.jpg" family="" day="" hero.jpg=""><figcaption>Families participate in Family Day | Unfreeze, April 13, 2019. Photo: Grace Duval</figcaption></figure>By CGN Staff via PRCHICAGO—Today, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago announces its fall 2024 <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=06f0825810&amp;e=95b957c616">Family Day</a> programming. Every second Saturday of the month, October through May, the MCA offers families free museum admission and interactive programming that redefines the way that youth and families explore and create art together. Family Day is an intentional time for families, both biological and chosen, to experience a fun and accommodating museum space that engages young visitors and their grown-ups through movement, artmaking, and learning activities.In the upcoming 2024–25 season, Family Day will be packed with artist-led activities built on themes that include “Patterns &amp; Portals” in October, “Screen Time” in November, and “Zines” in December. This year, Family Day Spanish-English bilingual facilitation will continue, as will the series’ longstanding engagement with artists. Families and youth will learn about art and community directly from artists including Sishi Wang, Niema Qureshi, DJ GIIVENS, and Norman Long.The Family Day series is organized by Alicia Sandoval Vadillo, Manager of Student and Family Programs. Admission is free to Family Day attendees. ASL interpretation is provided. Visit <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=531323abc3&amp;e=95b957c616">mcachicago.org/family-day </a>to find out more about Family Day and see dates for the upcoming season.&nbsp;FAMILY DAY PROGRAMS&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=09cfd84b3f&amp;e=95b957c616">Family Day: Patterns &amp; Portals</a>October 12, 2024 | 11 am—3 pmMuseum of Contemporary Art ChicagoExplore patterns and portals—and possibilities! This month, take inspiration from <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=18e28d465f&amp;e=95b957c616">Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence</a> to play with the magic of color and line. Join artist Sishi Wang in creating individual portals as we play with string, wire, beads, and more.&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=4e15c06457&amp;e=95b957c616">Family Day: Screen Time</a>November 9, 2024 | 11 am–3 pmMuseum of Contemporary Art ChicagoJoin us on opening weekend of <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=77985c76c0&amp;e=95b957c616">The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970–2020 </a>to make some art in the digital world. Artist Norman Long will host an interactive sound performance in the theater. Also, DJ GIIVENS will put together an interactive installation for guests.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/npfmfuwbuxv4cmervnei.jpg" zines.jpg=""><figcaption>Families participate in Family Day | Pocket Con, December 9, 2023. Photo: Alexis Ellers.</figcaption></figure><a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=7b4c68adf3&amp;e=95b957c616">Family Day: Zines!</a>December 14, 2024 | 11 am–3 pmMuseum of Contemporary Art ChicagoHosted in collaboration with MCA's Teen Creative Agency and their annual Zine Fest, participants at December’s Family Day will be invited to make and read zines (small, DIY magazines).<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=012a7c03f6&amp;e=95b957c616">The Teen Creative Agency</a> is the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's cultural leadership program for teens ages 15–19 years old. TCA members come together from all over the Chicago area to gain access to artistic resources and transform the MCA into a place that builds community through events including Zinefest and 21Minus.&nbsp;Family Day will continue on the second Saturday of each month into May 2025. Themes for the continued season include “Press Play” for January, “Comfy Cozy” for February, “Future Past” for March, “It’s Alive!” for April, and “Borderless Worlds” for May.</body></html>

MCA Announces Fall 2024 Family Programming

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/fvml6iktshpsrnuavjgx.jpg"><figcaption>&nbsp;CXW 2023 Friday Kickoff dinner. Courtesy of Gertie. Photo: Kyle Flubacker.&nbsp; &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/9/gertie-makes-no-little-plans-chicago-exhibition-weekend-2024">Read CGN Publisher Ginny Van Alyea's interview with Gertie's Abby Pucker and Chanelle Lacy here</a>&nbsp;By CGN Staff via PRWith the fall art season well underway, many in the art community are looking ahead to October's events in the galleries.&nbsp;In late August Gertie, the civic and cultural agency founded by Abby Pucker, announced plans for its second annual Chicago Exhibition Weekend (CXW). Presented in partnership with EXPO CHICAGO, CXW aims to launch a city-wide mobilization of art galleries and creative spaces from October 3–6, spotlighting Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape and artistic spirit for locals and visitors alike. CXW 2024 participants feature a range of galleries and arts spaces, noting the participation this year of Blanc Gallery, DOCUMENT, GRAY, Mariane Ibrahim, moniquemeloche, PATRON, Rhona Hoffman, and many more who have timed exhibitions to coincide with the weekend, extended hours, and organized special public programs.Last year’s inaugural edition attracted approximately 5,000 attendees over three days, and this year's CXW 2024 plans to expand its footprint with 50 participating galleries. The weekend will bring together art collectors, enthusiasts, and local community members to engage with Chicago’s cultural community, helping artists and gallerists cultivate new collectors, broaden their audiences, and heighten global visibility for the local arts ecosystem.CXW 2024 will feature citywide programming, including a partner kick-off dinner, a public Night Market Art Bazaar on Saturday night, a Mana Studio Crawl hosted by Stoodio, and more. CXW has partnered with local arts leaders to curate their own customized routes with recommendations on galleries, non-profits, and local businesses to visit throughout the weekend, providing a multitude of ways to experience the weekend’s citywide offerings. CXW routes will be curated by Scott Vincent Campbell (curator, ICI), Nick Cave (artist), Bob Faust (artist), Laura Lester (art advisor), S.Y. Lim (arts organizer), and Carla Acevedo-Yates (curator, MCA Chicago). Programming details and routes will be published on Gertie’s website in early September.“Chicago has always been a place of unparalleled artistic production and creative talent, and our goal in forming CXW is to create a convening moment that galvanizes visual art spaces across our great city to work together to celebrate this ecosystem and forge new connections,” said Abby Pucker.“EXPO CHICAGO is proud to partner with Gertie to further support Chicago’s rich cultural community, and showcase the diversity of our galleries, institutions, and artists,” said Tony Karman, President and Director of EXPO CHICAGO. “We welcome both local and visiting arts patrons to explore the many featured exhibitions and events that have been planned for CXW 2024 and to continue to take advantage of the creative excellence of our community year-round.”<a href="https://www.gertie.co">gertie.co</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

CXW 2024 Returns Oct 3-6 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/rg1v9liodzjh3zhuuz2b.png"></figure>&nbsp;CHICAGO, IL (SEPTEMBER 9, 2024) – 3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grantmaking organization, announces the recipients of this year’s 3Arts Awards, with over half a million dollars distributed to local artists. The 2024 recipients of the unrestricted $30,000 grants are dance artists Imania Fatima Detry and Robby Lee Williams; musicians Emily Beisel and Wanees Zarour; teaching artists Rich Robbins and Stephanie Manriquez; theater artists Shariba Rivers and Levi Wilkins; and visual artists Cecilia Beaven Gallegos and Farah Salem. The organization will honor the ten new recipients on Monday, October 21 at 5:30pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E Randolph Street. Tickets to the 2024 3Arts Awards Celebration include a welcome reception, awards program, and a jubilant after-party. Tickets cost $150-$300 and are available at <a href="file:///C:/Users/SaraSlawnik/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/EUGDXMS0/3arts.org">3arts.org</a>/tickets. Funds raised during the event will be split between 3Arts and Chicago nonprofit Center for Native Futures.&nbsp;This year’s awards celebration features boundary-breaking performances by three past 3Arts awardees, including Rika Lin (2023 awardee) presenting Feedback, an experimental dance work that bends conceptions of gender and genre with collaborator Takashi Shallow; Donnetta “LilBit” Jackson (2023 awardee) performing an excerpt from A M.A.D.D. Mixtape, a piece choreographed by Jackson that explores the African diasporic roots of tap and footwork with dancers from M.A.D.D Rhythms; and singer-songwriter Nashon Holloway (2022 awardee) performing the world premiere of Go Awf, an original new song from her forthcoming album. The awards are hosted by Co-Chairs Michelle T. Boone, Candace Hunter, and Whitney Hill and an event committee of arts and civic leaders.“It has always been a great honor for me to work on behalf of artists and the powerful ways they transform our city and our lives. They truly and truthfully help us reach for the stars and dream our futures into being,” said 3Arts Executive Director Esther Grimm. She added, “It was so heartening to welcome a record crowd to the 3Arts Awards Celebration last year when we summoned the most exuberant applause for Chicago artists in our organization’s history. I hope we can rally even more applause on October 21 by breaking our audience record when we celebrate a whopping 26 new awardees and the immense creative vitality of our region. Artists deserve our cheers, our support, and, above all else, our gratitude.”In its 17-year history, 3Arts has distributed more than $8.1 million in grants to more than 2,300 Chicagoland artists. 3Arts awardees include 68% women artists, 73% artists of color, and 22% Deaf or disabled artists.&nbsp;&nbsp;VISUAL ARTSCecilia Beaven (she/her) is a Chicago-based visual artist from Mexico City. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from ENPEG La Esmeralda. Her multidisciplinary artwork has been showcased in solo exhibitions in Mexico City, Houston, and Chicago, and in group shows internationally. Beaven has painted murals in various cities such as Hiketa, Paris, Houston, Chicago, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Pachuca, Tepoztlan, and Tijuana, where she painted a segment of the border wall between Mexico and the U.S. Beaven is the current 2024 Chicago Artists Coalition Resident, and has also received awards including the Radicle Studio Residency at Hyde Park Art Center, the Leroy Neiman Foundation Fellowship at Ox-Bow School of Art, and a Fulbright Scholarship. In 2022 she was named one of the “100 Most Creative Mexicans in the World” by Forbes Mexico, and in 2023, Newcity included her in the Art 50 – Chicago’s Artists' Artists list.&nbsp;Farah Salem (she/her) is a Kuwaiti-Iraqi interdisciplinary artist and art therapist based in Chicago. Salem’s studio practice is rooted in photography, and expands through video, performance, fiber-materials, and installation. Her practice examines themes of agency, making the invisible visible, and potential erosion of socio-cultural conditioning distorting our shared realities. Salem holds a Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling from School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her artwork has been featured at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago), EXPO CHICAGO, American University Museum (Washington D.C.), United Photo Industries/Photoville (New York), Patel Brown (Toronto), Engage (Chicago), Bolivia Biennial, Paris Contemporary Art Fair, Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE), and Contemporary Art Platform (Kuwait). Salem completed the Radicle Studio Residency at Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago), Hatch Residency at Chicago Artist Coalition, ACRE Artist Residency (Steuben), Per|Form at Contemporary Art Platform (Kuwait) and Journey to Turkey Residency with Crossway Foundation (UK).&nbsp;NEXT LEVEL AWARDS AND MAKE A WAVE AWARDSIn addition to the ten $30,000 3Arts Awards, six $50,000 Next Level Awards and ten $2,000 Make a Wave Awards&nbsp;will be announced at the awards event on October 21, bringing the total funds distributed to $620,000.Next Level Awards are $50,000 unrestricted cash awards given to past 3Arts awardees to help fuel the next stages of their careers.&nbsp;Make a Wave is a groundbreaking artist-to-artist grant program in which past 3Arts Awards recipients select another ten Chicago artists to receive surprise cash awards, sending a “wave” of support through Chicago’s cultural communities. Make a Wave artists receive $2,000 each, thanks to the generous partnership of the Siragusa Family Foundation.&nbsp;For more information about 3Arts and to view all the awardees, please visit <a href="http://www.3arts.org/">www.3arts.org</a>.&nbsp;ABOUT 3ARTSFounded in 1912, with a history centered on women artists, 3Arts is a nonprofit organization that supports artists working in the performing, teaching, and visual arts in the Chicago metropolitan area, including women artists, artists of color, and Deaf or disabled artists. By providing unrestricted awards, project funding, residencies, professional development, and promotion, 3Arts helps artists take risks, experiment, and build momentum in their careers over time.3Arts extends special thanks to the 2024 Award Partners: The Chandler Family, The HMS Fund, Stan Lipkin &amp; Evelyn Appell Lipkin, The Reva &amp; David Logan Foundation, Michigan State Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU), the Morrison-Shearer Foundation, and the estate of Alison Zehr. One of the ten 3Arts Awards, the 2024 3Arts/MSUFCU Community Award, is named in honor of the 110 community donors who contributed to a crowdfunding campaign to fund the award. 3Arts also recognizes support for the Next Level Awards from an anonymous donor at The Chicago Community Foundation, Good Chaos, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as well as Make a Wave Partner: The Siragusa Family Foundation. 3Arts gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our sponsors: Presenting Partner, Allstate Insurance Company and Lead Sponsors, Blue Cross &amp; Blue Shield of Illinois, Morningstar, and Xfinity.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

2024's 3Arts Awards Announced

<html><head></head><body>Via PRToday the Museum of Contemporary Photography announced the 2024 Snider Prize Winner, Claire Warden, and Snider Prize Honorable Mentions, Maximiliano Cervantes and Louis Roth. <a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=3fc291bad4&amp;e=d76e1da35a">The Snider Prize</a>&nbsp;is a purchase award given to emerging artists in their final year of graduate study. The winner receives $3,000 and the two honorable mentions each receive $500. Their purchased work is added to the MoCP’s renowned permanent collection. Sponsored by Lawrence K. and Maxine Snider in 2013, the Snider Prize forms a part of the museum’s ongoing commitment to supporting new talent in the field of contemporary photography.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/mkijniliyz1g7xcv0ztq.jpg"><figcaption>Claire Warden,&nbsp;Lespirit De Lescalier, 2023</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;2024&nbsp;Snider Prize Winner<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=d2deb89097&amp;e=d76e1da35a">Claire Warden</a><a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=a3a2691427&amp;e=d76e1da35a">’s</a> work engages questions of identity, representation, and language through abstraction and experimental image-making. Warden’s work resists definition as well as the hegemonic gaze and, instead, emphasizes opacity and illegibility. Warden’s work subverts the historical problematics of representation and agency in photography, particularly in addressing experiences of people of color. &nbsp; Warden received the New Artist Society full merit scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2022, 2023, and 2024. &nbsp;She was a selected participant in the 2023 Review Santa Fe Symposium, the recipient of a Puffin Foundation Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, as well as Phoenix’s Art for Good Grant. Warden earned an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2024 and holds a BFA in Photography and a BA in Art History, both from Arizona State University. &nbsp;2024&nbsp;Snider Prize Honorable Mentions&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/q7oopdcxepd63gdrkw7m.jpg"><figcaption>Maxamiliano Cervantes, Backside of National Geographic Mars Map, 2023</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/mdvhohjynwk9jeqv4e5m.jpg"><figcaption>Louis Roth,&nbsp;Skyline der New Administrative Capital, from the series fata morgana, 2023-2024</figcaption></figure>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=89d4249ffe&amp;e=d76e1da35a">Maximiliano Cervantes</a> creates images that explore power dynamics at the US/Mexico border and beyond, through examinations of surveillance and labor in the borderlands. Cervantes holds an MFA in Art, Theory, and Practice from Northwestern University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Cervantes was awarded the Fred Endsley Memorial Fellowship, a Dean’s Grant, and a Merit Scholarship from SAIC. Group exhibitions include Half &amp; Half at the Bloch Museum at Northwestern University; The Buried Line, Murmuration, Chicago; El Otro Lado, Filter Photo, Chicago; and El Otro Lado, Visual Arts Center, the University of Texas Austin.&nbsp;<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=e50f1e5de0&amp;e=d76e1da35a">Louis Roth’s</a> photographs of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital question the construction of monumental built structures as &nbsp;symbols of power. Roth studied at Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin and participated in the Canon Student Development Program. Roth’s work has been exhibited in group exhibitions in Düsseldorf, Dresden, and Berlin among others. Solo exhibitions include Biesentales Wokule, Biesenthal, DE; Entlang der Oder, Müllrose, DE; and Entlang der Oder, Kurpark Bad Saarow, DE among others.<a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=67b2d4713b&amp;e=d76e1da35a">Learn More About the Snider Prize</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=e3d98b3230&amp;e=d76e1da35a" alt=""></figure></body></html>

MoCP Announces 2024 Snider Prize Recipients

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/mcohenu3oshmwupgeyys.jpg" copy.jpg=""><figcaption>Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Clineé Hedspeth as Chicago’s Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in March.City of Chicago YouTube</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wbez.org/culture-the-arts/2024/09/09/chicago-cultural-affairs-special-events-dcase-clinee-hedspeth-brandon-johnson">Turnover, hiring freeze roil Chicago’s cultural affairs department under new commissioner Clinée Hedspeth</a>At least 13 staff members, including some top deputies, have departed Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) since March, according to public records and interviews. That means about 18% of the department has turned over in the six months since Mayor Brandon Johnson <a href="https://www.wbez.org/culture-the-arts/2024/03/18/chicago-names-clinee-hedspeth-cultural-commissioner">appointed a new commissioner</a>.A former DCASE employee who did not want to be named told WBEZ the internal culture of the department had become “discouraging” and “disconnected” under Hedspeth.WBEZ made several requests to speak with Hedspeth. A DCASE spokesperson said she was not available for an interview and did not reply to emailed questions.Via WBEZ&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/k1cwo7pxzhvgkz2balst.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Obama Foundation Announces Julie Mehretu Work at Obama Presidential CenterThe Obama Foundation announced the installation of an 83 ft. x 25 ft. commissioned work of art by world-renowned Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu. The piece, titled “Uprising of the Sun,” is now featured on the north facade of the future Obama Presidential Center’s Museum Building. Inspired by President Obama’s remarks at the 50th anniversary of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Mehretu’s “Uprising of the Sun“ is a vibrant series of 35 abstract, painted glass panels. The piece reflects on the historical context of President Obama’s legacy, and will inspire viewers and draw visitors to the Center on the South Side of Chicago.&nbsp;<a href="https://click.email.obama.org/?qs=7dddb8cc93b500a1bef5358bf4c0a9c4dd53fd172c62cedbbec66508a9fa7fd8b0825c8505f544c22fa1d2b74b2e362868d243ad37088f6e">Watch this video to learn more about Mehretu and Obama’s vision for the piece on the Presidential Center campus.</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/mnydzfx8uxipntliccdt.jpg"></figure>SoNa Call for Artists&nbsp;SoNa Chicago invites artists to submit applications for a Group Show - Submissions Due Sept 20Artists of all backgrounds and mediums are invited to participate in this call for art. Artists should reside within the Chicagoland area. The theme is open to interpretation by each artist.&nbsp; New or previously created works are welcome.The exhibit will open on Friday, November 8, 2024 and run through Saturday, January 11, 2025.&nbsp; An opening reception will be held Friday, Nov. 8, from 6:00 - 9:00 PM.Submissions Due: Sept 20, 2024.&nbsp;<a href="https://sonachicagoart.com/news-events">Details here.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/srw02rebwppslfcf2xfq.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Freeman's | Hindman Announces For the Love of Barnes: The Collection of Dr. Richard J. WattenmakerFreeman's | Hindman announced the upcoming auction of the Collection of Dr. Richard J. Wattenmaker on September 22, 2024.This exceptional single-owner sale highlights Wattenmaker’s eclectic taste and profound knowledge in American and European Fine Art, Furniture, and Decorative Arts.A revered scholar and curator, Wattenmaker's legacy includes roles at prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art and the Barnes Foundation. His collection reflects a lifetime dedicated to art, featuring works by artists like William Glackens and Jean Hugo, along with remarkable examples of redware, stoneware, and ironwork.<a href="https://hindmanauctions.com/auctions/2083-For-the-Love-of-Barnes-The-Collection-of-Dr-Richard-J-Wattenmaker?tab=lots&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawFMDm5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRlvLQGSEuIPmWt4y_nYpN4sseb2IwlU_jMIPBAQXimZedvgn2054EEHPQ_aem_nYv7fD_9PHBtQRsHCn3iGg">Details</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 9/9/24

<html><head></head><body>Fall is a busy season of art, offering new gallery and museum exhibitions. the Art world figures working hard behind the scenes give us so much to look forward to. we spoke to five (technically six this time!) art community figures about what they’re excited about now and looking forward to next.The following preview is one of five conversations that appear in our fall 2024 magazine. To receive a copy of the print edition&nbsp;<a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com/">click here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/xaieeyz5sb6wxyz7a5fc.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Lisa Key – Director, <a href="https://driehausmuseum.org">Driehaus Museum</a>“There’s so much we’re looking forward to—and much of it involves capitalizing on our recent addition of the Murphy Auditorium building to our campus. On October 24, we open Photographing Frank Lloyd. The exhibition focuses on the lesser-known role photography played in Wright’s work and success as an architect and includes his own photography and that of esteemed artists like Chicago’s own Hedrich-Blessing.&nbsp;Our Free Third Wednesday Nights series has been a big hit, too, and we anticipate its continued success this fall.&nbsp;Finally, this holiday season we’re turning the Murphy Auditorium into a holiday market that will be a delight for children of all ages!”#&nbsp;Read Fall 2024's 5 to Talk to with:<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/8/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-jessica-cochran-and-angee-lennard-process-process">Jessica Cochran and Angee Lennard – Process/Process&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/8/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-jake-troyli">Jake Troyli – Artist</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/9/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-anne-loucks">Anne Loucks – Anne Loucks Gallery</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/9/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-emma-mckee">Emma McKee – Chicago Dir., Mariane Ibrahim</a></body></html>

Anticipating a Season of Art: Five to Talk to – Lisa Key

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/f1snf6hpyt9wzuk4qhnb.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/chris-cj-pyle-about-face">Chris CJ Pyle:&nbsp;About&nbsp;Face</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pm*Carl Hammer Gallery – River North*Note: the gallery is celebrating 45 years&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/i8ganexa9rmk76lms7sf.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/paul-nicklen-reverence">Paul Nicklen: REVERENCE</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmHilton Contemporary – River North&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/xerkfmvpbhpqup6omwam.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jeff-hirst">Jeff Hirst</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmAddington Gallery – River North&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/uudbktkup1wrqeez4ubz.jpg" copy.jpg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/riva-lehrer">Riva Lehrer: The Monster Studio</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 4 – 7&nbsp;pmZolla/Lieberman Gallery – River North&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/lfdi6mi8nemte3hnhvt5.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/new-exhibition-and-opening-reception-288bb52e-bcb8-4743-9d2e-a08fdb69b89f">Evoke / Provoke: Humanity in Art</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmGallery Victor – River North&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/cuqxtj6mlgmuzgb3otox.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-9th-annual-river-north-design-district-fall-gallery-walk">The 9th Annual River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmRiver North&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall Openings: Sept 6 Part II / River North

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/in8nl9uhsgfux2sacxui.jpg" holder.="" 2023,="" 600dpi.jpeg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/nicholas-sistler-torque">Nicholas Sistler: TORQUE</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 6 – 9&nbsp;pmSoNA Chicago&nbsp; – West Town / Wicker Park&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/itmj4udeplhvtprnurpq.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/adam-augustyn-solo-show">Adam Augustyn ‘Hero’s Journey’, Solo Show</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 7&nbsp;pmVertical Gallery – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/mqqye3abj0mzplmh27ar.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/art-in-chicago-1995-2025">Art in Chicago 1995-2025</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmDavid Salkin Creative&nbsp; – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/ibifg77rnngoqtvldp4b.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tromarama-12baec39-15e2-4842-badd-bea97ef422ff">Tromarama: Auto Ally</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmDOCUMENT – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/j6tgtxlhjdrs9fr7bgol.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/suzanne-harris-gordon-matta-clark-1971-1978">Suzanne Harris &amp; Gordon Matta-Clark 1971 - 1978</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 7&nbsp;pmRhona Hoffman Gallery – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/eowcerl9klqkor6pgglb.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/ross-hansen-of-human-feelings">Ross Hansen: of human feelings</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmVolume – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/vpfuwajiflrdwyhdnxzs.jpg" bellezzo.jpg=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/denise-bellezzo-new-work-altered-pages">Denise Bellezzo: NEW WORK: ALTERED PAGES</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmARC Gallery – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092764/ivnxtcyskzojbxrhpj7w.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/cathrine-whited-great">Cathrine Whited: Great!</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmWestern Exhibitions – West Town&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092765/chkfic1mjlwx6crlivkj.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/youree-kim-alex-belardo-kostiw">There Between Light and Shadow: Youree Kim + Alex Belardo Kostiw</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmChicago Artists Coalition – West Town&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall Openings: Sept 6 Part I / West Town

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/tq8bvbw9fosuxumxeztx.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/filtered-through-time">Filtered Through Time</a>Opening: Friday, Sept 6, 5 – 9&nbsp;pmOliva Gallery – Logan Square&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/mw4xpyi30fj7th6uja31.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tamar-kander">Tamar Kander</a>Opening: Friday, Sept 6, 5 – 7 pmVivid Gallery – Winnetka, IL&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/xi7nncercuqi52qc9fnn.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-faraway-and-the-nearby-natural-world">Doug Haight: Wandering the Sahara</a>Opening: Saturday, Sept 7, 5 – 7&nbsp;pmPerspective Photography, Evanston, IL&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/gy2luiknxgozg1na2icg.jpg"></figure>Defying the Laws | Sarah SmelserOpening: Sunday, Sept 8, 1 – 4&nbsp;pmEvanston Art Center, Evanston, IL&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall Openings: Sept 6-8 Part III / Logan Sq and Suburbs

<html><head></head><body>Fall is a busy season of art, offering new gallery and museum exhibitions. the Art world figures working hard behind the scenes give us so much to look forward to. we spoke to five (technically six this time!) art community figures about what they’re excited about now and looking forward to next.The following preview is one of five conversations that appear in our fall 2024 magazine. To receive a copy of the print edition&nbsp;<a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com/">click here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/k6qq16gq2huyvbzm1ttm.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Anne Loucks – <a href="http://loucksgallery.com">Anne Loucks Gallery</a>“We are incredibly excited for the fall season – both in our Glencoe and Winnetka galleries, and with all that’s going on around us in the Chicago art scene. (Don’t miss Lost and Found at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Every Brilliant Thing at our neighbor, Writers Theater).In Glencoe, we have an exhibition of paintings by artists Sara MacCulloch and Hannah Bureau, alongside a collection of Fairfield Porter lithographs from 1969–1975,&nbsp; on view through Oct 15. This will be followed by a show of new paintings by northern Michigan artists Melanie Parke and Richard Kooyman Oct 25–Dec 31.In our newly opened Winnetka space, we continue our series of solo exhibitions featuring Madeline Denaro’s abstract paintings in September, Stephen Dinsmore’s figurative work in October, and ending the year with an exhibition of work by celebrated photographer Rodney Smith (1946-2016).Art is more important than ever in today’s world. As we approach our 25th year, we continue to be inspired and energized by the artists we represent and the vibrant, creative and supportive community that surrounds us.”#&nbsp;Read Fall 2024's 5 to Talk to with:<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/9/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-lisa-key">Lisa Key – Director, Driehaus Museum</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/8/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-jessica-cochran-and-angee-lennard-process-process">Jessica Cochran and Angee Lennard – Process/Process&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/8/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-jake-troyli">Jake Troyli – Artist</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/9/anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-emma-mckee">Emma McKee – Chicago Dir., Mariane Ibrahim</a></body></html>

Anticipating a Season of Art: Five to Talk to – Anne Loucks

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/u5o4r7xvscvbapq0is2j.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/how-to-traverse-a-vessel-lauren-woods-nikita-vishnevskiy">How to Traverse a Vessel: Lauren Woods &amp; Nikita Vishnevskiy</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmJames May Gallery – Milwaukee, WI&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/d4gj0qaidzp37oodofjm.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/line-to-form-richard-hunt-s-prints-and-sculptures">Line to Form: Richard Hunt’s Prints and Sculpture</a>September 5–January 5, 2025Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/zjme1ivulfkutb2ltbcj.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/up-north">Up North</a>Opening: Friday, September 6, 5 – 8&nbsp;pmKim Storage – Milwaukee, WI&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/gun7gyehfm1b9rmq2yno.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.jmkac.org/exhibition/mad-dash-50-years-of-arts-industry/">Mad Dash: 50 Years of Arts/Industry</a>Thru January 12, 2025John Michael Kohler Art Center – Sheboygan, WI&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092762/fcwmhvhfnct0nadbldcp.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/zero-waste-objects">Zero Waste: Objects</a>Thru October 12Racine Art Museum – Racine, WI&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092763/vjlyntwz39victskiuq6.png" bielefeld.png=""></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/lois-bielefeld">Lois Bielefeld: its own pristine devices</a>Thru October 12OS Projects – Racine, WI&nbsp;</body></html>

Fall Openings and Exhibitions: Wisconsin 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092759/relkssxy8n4uf12z5sqy.jpg"><figcaption>Fall gallery openings are the place to be. Flashback to 2021 when Whitney Bradshaw exhibited OUTCRY at McCormick Gallery's former West Loop space.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAAugust at CGN is a nail-biter. My kids are still out of school and in summer vacation mode, but the CGN office has to work on-the-go with its team of two (plus some stellar helpers!) We do everything we can to get the big fall issue to the printer on time so that it's out before the fall openings. Days are spent writing articles and completing interviews. Sometimes we go out to someone's home to photograph a collection. Then we confirm reams of information about upcoming exhibitions and openings, sending reminders to send in missing information and ad materials, then we size and convert images for print. We proofread, fact check, make last minute changes, prepare shipping lists, and then we send the files to the printer and cross our fingers. While we wait for the magazines to arrive we go back to updating the CGN website with all the info coming up in a couple of weeks. I've been at CGN for 22 years as of this November. That's half my life! Still, it's always so exciting (3 x a year) to have the hard copies of CGN arrive and to see something we actually made. I really love print – CGN is a magazine about art, so I also really believe in print, but it's worth remembering that our digital inclinations and bad habits are new. Print is the OG, and it's still here, helping to make everyone excited about fall in the art world. At least at CGN, for 42 years we have been printing and promoting. When opening night is over the Instagram stories are gone, you can enjoy your morning coffee on Saturday while flipping through a copy of CGN. I hope you pick up one in a gallery this weekend or, even better, subscribe to get it all year.&nbsp;Following is an overview of all that is happening this fall and how you might take advantage of it on your own.*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092760/jetabfstgqmeogjwr9fe.png"><figcaption>RNDD hosts its gallery walk Friday, September 6. Exhibitions and vignettes are on view for a few weeks.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Friday, September 6 dozens of spaces throughout Chicago and farther afield will open their fall exhibitions. For many galleries these fall shows are the biggest of the year. The River North Design District is hosting its 9th annual RNDD Gallery Walk in River North and there are many other art events happening as well.&nbsp;In the spirit of 'back to school' in the art world, there is new art, new energy and returning crowds of collectors, artists and gallery hoppers. Then, the following weekend on September 13 and 14, more galleries will open their exhibitions – many in West Town. Randolph Street Market also takes place at the end of the month as well as other seasonal shopping opportunities. And in early October there is the second Chicago Exhibition Weekend, happening October 3–6 in dozens of galleries and institutions around the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;• Please sign up for CGN's twice-weekly <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/contact/newsletter">newsletter</a>. This is your best guide to what's happening in galleries and museums. It's free!&nbsp;• While I could give you a breakdown of the shows and events coming up, I encourage you to use <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events">CGN's calendar</a> to find what you would like to do and to do it on your own time. You can browse openings, talks, tours, fundraisers and more on our calendar. If Friday nights don't work for you, galleries are open on Saturdays, and visiting on a weekend morning is a great habit to start. Attend a talk or program – many galleries have artist talks during the course of an exhibition, and sometimes opening night is just too busy to hear from the artist while you're catching up with friends and running from space to space. Find a museum or art space you love and commit to attending an annual fundraiser.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1731092761/rphlcmhelntbdpnt923m.jpg"><figcaption>SCA's 2023 Annual Meeting beneath Margaret Honda's Double Feature with Short Subject at the Art Institute of Chicago</figcaption></figure>• Several <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/services/arts-groups-and-assoc">collector groups</a> in the area organize tours and exclusive programming for members, offering more intimate access to a range of spaces and programs all year long. Along the way you can meet artist, curators and other collectors. Many are museum-affiliated, like the Art Institute's Society for Contemporary Art, but not all. Most have a membership fee or donation level and offer tickets to special events and dinners.&nbsp;• Fall is also very busy in the auction world, and since we have several excellent Chicago-based houses right here you can preview lots in person. Check out this fall's <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events?category=auctions-sales">auction lineup.</a>Enjoy this new season of art and I wish you good luck finding you own way to enjoy it all!&nbsp;&nbsp;Thumbnail: Just for fun – Tom McCormick with artist Whitney Bradshaw at her 2021 exhibition OUTCRY at the gallery.</body></html>