Last week I got the chance to visit the office of Ann Ayres of the Ayres Steinmetz art consulting firm. I had such a great time hearing Ann’s insights, getting a tour of the office and learning about her work as an art advisor. In Chicago during the 1980s Ann first got involved in the art world after meeting an artist at the bookstore where she was employed. She next began working in a gallery, where the artist she’d met exhibited work, and after a while decided she would prefer art consulting to gallery work. Ann then began working on various projects, primarily with corporate buyers and a few private collectors.

 Over the years business has had its ups and downs, but these changes have given Ann the chance to work in new ways with collectors. A lot of Ann’s jobs now involve framing and installation, and she also often works with her sister, who is an interior designer. No matter the alterations made to her art consulting firm, Ann emphasizes that she continues to love helping people find the art they desire.

When I asked Ayres what a typical day on the job looks like for her, she said that she is usually juggling around 4-6 jobs at a time. With each job she makes regular phone calls and sends emails to follow up with both artist and client. She said that so much of the job of an art consultant is constant, clear communication; always looking ahead to the next step is critical. Since she receives emails from prospective artists showing her their work, she is continually adding to her resources for art, so she can hopefully more easily find the perfect piece of art for every buyer. Once a piece has been purchased, Ann will not let a piece of work go up or an installation take place without her being present, making sure even the final steps are perfect, so she travels around the city often for her clients, using what she notes is “a beautiful set of drills.”

My final question for Ann was what her favorite commission has been to date. She told me of her work with a very prominent company in downtown Chicago in which the building had two huge walls that could be seen from multiple street corners. The client decided to put in an installation, and Ayres hired a ceramicist who knew shape and space extremely well. The wall was covered in plywood and the ceramicist attached shapes onto the wood. One wall was monochromatic in navy and the other was all different colors of green, which gave the building a very mid-century feel.

Ayres has worked on some huge projects and she has worked with many different people on assorted projects, some successful and some not as successful. But, it was in the moment of Ann telling me about some less successful projects that she declared, “You can’t have a new idea without making a few mistakes.” What a perfect mindset for someone giving so much to the art world of Chicago.

Ayres Steinmetz Ltd.

213 W. Institute Pl. Suite 310

Chicago, IL 60610

Ayres.steinmetz@gmail.com

312-810-2997

www.ayressteinmetzltd.com

 

 

Ayres' office filled with tools and some of her favorite art pieces.

Ayres' desk covered with pictures for inspiration

This past weekend I had a chance to check out Andrew Rafacz Gallery’s current group show Lake Effect/ Nor’easter: Part I in the West Loop. An exhibition of two parts collaboration with LAMONTAGNE, a gallery located in Boston. Each gallery will feature works represented by the other. Part II will take place at LAMONTAGNE opening in Boston on December 15. Featured artists in Part I include: Tory Fair, Jeff Perrott, Daniela Rivera and Joe Wardwell.
 
The aim of the show is to give Chicago a unique glimpse of the vitality of the work created by artists working and living in the Bay State.
 
I enjoy the idea of a two part collaborative show in different cities, functioning as a sort of artist swap, giving the other city a friendly glimpse of different work. The works themselves were lighthearted. Tory Fair’s cast resin sculptures Sculpture From Above and Pink Crate Sculpture struck me as innovative and a little strange, in an unexpected way. Fair’s palette utilizes a soft pink - a color I’m not typically drawn to - in a satisfying manner along with bright yellow and metallic silver. The way the sculptures are positioned casually on the hardwood floor instead of formally on a pedestal, adds to their contemporary air. These sculptures have a presence of being honest, and give off the idea of hope that art can connect to the viewer without being too serious.
 
Daniela Rivera’s oil paintings are arranged with some hung on the wall in a grid, and others trailing off into two stacks onto the floor. All twelve canvases are painted varying shades of green, reminiscent of summertime grass. Rivera’s paintings are easy to relate to, giving an intriguing mix of nostalgia and that refreshing, forbidden feeling of not wearing sandals in the summer while sipping on homemade lemonade.
 
Fair’s sculptures and Rivera’s paintings stood out to me in the group show. Jeff Perrott’s abstract large paintings and Joe Wardwell’s graphic paintings were both interesting, unfortunately I didn’t relate to them as much as I would have liked. Overall, the show was refreshing, contemporary, and the works were playful.
 
Be sure to check out the exhibition for yourself - the show runs until Saturday, December 22. Andrew Rafacz Gallery is located at 835 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago.

Tory Fair, Sculpture From Above, cast resin, 18” x 14” x 12”, 2012 and Tory Fair, Pink Crated Sculpture, cast aluminum and resin, 15” x 15” x 14”, photographer: Erin McGuire

Daniela Rivera, Growth, oil on canvas on panel, 24” x 24” x 2 ½ ”, 2011, photographer: Erin McGuire

Daniela Rivera, Growth, oil on canvas on panel, 24” x 24” x 2 ½ ”, 2011, photographer: Erin McGuire

MDW Fair 2012 is back and happening all weekend starting off with the Vernissage Opening Party tonight, Friday November 9 from 7pm-12am.

MDW Fair first debuted in spring 2011 as a gathering of independent art initiatives, spaces, galleries and artist groups from the Chicago area.  This year’s fair is a collaborative project between the Public Media Institute, Document, Roots & Culture, and threewalls featuring more than 75 exhibitors, publishers, and performers. MDW Fair highlights artist-run activities as well as grassroots and independent culture.

The Friday Vernissage Event invites the public to join in celebrating with food, drinks and music. From 7– 8:30pm tonight the Propellor Fund Award Ceremony is honoring the 15 winners of the 2012 Propeller Funds award. Propeller Fund is a grant for self-organized, public, and collaborative projects and is administered by threewalls and Gallery 400 at UIC. Also from 7pm until midnight tonight on the second floor of Mana Contemporary Chicago will be opening night festivities, including performance programs and libations.

For a detailed list of performances, events, and a complete list of participants throughout the weekend please check out MDW Fair 2012’s website.

When:

Saturday, November 10: 12-6pm

Sunday, November 11: 12-6pm

Where:

Mana Contemporary

2233 South Throop Street, Chicago

Contemporary art is happening all throughout Chicago, as well as extending out into the suburbs. The Riverside Arts Center (RAC), located at 32 E. Quincy St., in Riverside, IL, is currently exhibiting J Clayton: Colorspace, Michelle Bolinger in the Project Space, and Michelle Grabner + Brad Killiam in the RAC Garden; curated by Karen Azarnia.

J CLAYTON

When I stepped into the front of the Riverside Arts Center gallery space, it was hard to miss J Clayton’s big, bright paintings on canvas. Working in acrylic on raw canvas – an unforgiving medium – Clayton paints series of color spots marking points in space, establishing both structure and pathways of movement. At first glance Clayton’s colorful, busy paintings recall Yayoi Kusama, although nowhere near as compulsive, though they sit in a more relaxed, spatial manner. Clayton’s organization makes sense when I find out that she was also an architect. Clayton's use of acrylic on raw canvas is impressive, as not many painters can achieve successful paintings with these hard to manipulate materials. I also enjoyed what I perceived to be a little touch of silver flock on one piece. Her color-space paintings are a reflection of an internal world mapped from a lifetime of gathering information, processing data, recognizing patterns and solving problems. For Clayton, her art making practice is her “way of thinking about the world.” Although I obviously enjoyed Clayton’s paintings, I would like to see her to push her works even further, perhaps integrating an element that disrupts the flow or doesn’t seem as comfortable.

MICHELLE BOLINGER

Next I entered the project space, where I stumbled upon smaller-scale but brilliant, intimate, and also colorful paintings by Michelle Bolinger. These works made up for their modest size through intense mark making. I particularly enjoyed the largest of Bolinger’s paintings, and had the lingering wish of how lovely it would be to have this work in my apartment to constantly stare at it. If paintings had feelings, I would hope the beautiful yellow, green painting is aware of its great presence, or at least Bolinger should be. Her use of space, which she refers to as “faux architecture,” was fresh, and it’s clear she’s interested in the balance between concrete geometry and atmosphere. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Bolinger’s works in a similar vein.

MICHELLE GRABNER + BRAD KILLIAM

There was another discovery to be made outside in the RAC garden, where there was a single, large-scale wood and concrete cube, approximately four or five feet wide, built by Michelle Grabner and Brad Killiam, a married couple who have been collaborating on artworks and exhibitions since 1993. Isamu Noguchi’s influence on the piece was apparent to me, but when one sees the texture embedded in the wooden planks, it’s also evident that similar textures are found in Grabner’s own paintings. Killiam described the reasoning behind the space and the particular piece: “The garden has a history with ceramic works, a few trees, crushed rock ground surface and a busy suburban location... A contemplative cube, made from wood and concrete, makes sense in that space.” The structure is peaceful yet it adds a satisfying, considerate, modern element to the reflective air of the garden, allowing the viewer to take everything in with a few, quiet breaths.

The three exhibitions run until November 24. For more details and upcoming events at the Riverside Arts Center, please visit their website.

J. Clayton, 2012, After the Quake: The Thousand Autumns (detail)

Michelle Bolinger, 2012, Tied, Oil on Panel, 34" x 28"

Having just moved to Chicago from California a little over a month ago, I see every gallery, studio, and art-related event that I attend with the fresh eyes of a newcomer.  The sheer enormity of the art scene in Chicago is awe-inspiring, and reminds me why I moved here.  Hoping to see a large amount of artwork without having to travel from gallery to gallery, I decided to visit the Flat Iron Arts Building during its monthly First Friday Event in Wicker Park/Bucktown.  Knowing that it involved open studios, I decided to dress casually and was glad that I did; the vibe there is definitely—refreshingly—laid back.    

Upon first entering the building, there is an information desk with flyers, artists’ cards, and a collection for the suggested five dollar donation.  From there, visitors are free to explore three floors—each a maze of hallways lined with art that lead to a variety of studios and galleries.

In many mainstream art venues, in order to meet the artist you must attend the opening reception—and even then, sometimes you aren’t so lucky (the artist may be busy or out of town).  The Flat Iron Arts Building differs from traditional art galleries, since studios are relaxed places where the artists can work.  Although the artists in the building are primarily up-and-coming, I was pleased that they were all present during studio hours, and friendly as that!  I was able to chat with artists not only about their work, but about the local art scene as well. 

Being an up-and-coming painter myself, I was curious about the venue; how does one get his/her work exhibited there?  Rather easily, as it turns out.  I was guided toward an in-the-know individual who kindly told me that if I filled out a liability form, I was welcome to hang my work there next month.  This came as a surprise because although I have been to open studio events in California, they were not on the same (massive) scale as the Flat Iron Arts Building, and if you were not a tenant of the studio building, your work could not be shown there. 

In addition to being a destination for discovering new artists, the Flat Iron Arts Building is also a place where you can give creativity a try yourself.  Through discussion, I learned about the existence of life-drawing classes that are open to the general public, hosted by tenants in the building.  Being a figurative artist, this sparked my interest, both as a drawing exercise and a way to meet other young artists in the area. 

A few weeks after my first visit, I’m still weighing the pros and cons of showing my work in this space.  Although I wasn’t given specifics about location, I got the impression that non-tenants are generally assigned to hallway areas, some of which are quite narrow and with a fair amount of foot traffic.  Because the monthly openings are casual events, the likelihood of meeting serious buyers could be low, and the risk of work getting damaged considerable (I have a recurring nightmare about someone spilling a glass of wine on my painting).  However, despite these potential drawbacks, the opportunity to get myself “out there” free of charge, in a comfortable, low-pressure environment seems well worth the risk. 

I think that the “all artists welcome” mantra of the Flat Iron Building is probably what steers some artists and patrons towards the facility, and others away.  For me, this all-inclusiveness is what I appreciate most about the venue. The Flat Iron Arts Building benefits local artists and the general public mutually; because of it, people can see the work of artists such as myself who have not yet been picked up by galleries or dealers. 
 

Michel Balasis, As If  (tenant)

Marketa Sivek, Red Sunflowers (tenant)