Dose market is back and in full swing at the River East Art Center! Dose Market is a year round market that happens once a month on a chosen Sunday and consists of over 50 stalls of selected fine food, clothes, and crafts. December 4^th from 10-5pm is when the next market will be, and in spirit of the holidays they will be open an extra hour and have a variety of seasonal treats. The first Dose was in July of this year as a result of the teaming up of the REAC and stylish and visionary individuals who wanted to bring something new to Chicago, it was a huge success. Chicago Magazine calls it a “Brooklyn flea-esque food and fashion bazaar.”

Your senses will transport you to a European market as you bask in the luscious textiles, sample exotic cheeses, and walk up and down the aisles while taking in the aroma of hot apple cider. You don’t want to miss this Chicago treasure, especially with the holidays coming up. You can find the perfect gift for all your friends and family…and maybe something for yourself.

The REAC is the perfect place for this Sunday event, providing at scenic background with a patio and a view of the ivy-covered walls that line the Chicago River, with Navy Pier close by. Dose Market showcases local artisans and restaurants, some that are already well know, like the Doughnut Vault and Franks ‘N” Dawgs, and those that are only known by a small portion, like Great Lake and Cheap Tart. You can find your favorite Chicago food stops set up with great deals and discover some new places that you will be sure to scout out after. Also indulge in the breathtaking vintage fashion booths that will drape you in Chloe, Valentino, and Chanel. The clothes and food are reason enough to attend this Sunday afternoon oasis, but there is also a plethora of other crafts and art available. From hand-knit blankets to wood carved sunglasses, you will be pleased with all of the creative booths you will encounter on your journey at the market. 

Tickets are $8 if you purchase them ahead of time online and $10 at the door, this also includes a free drink for those over 21 who want that morning mimosa to give them a lift for their shopping experience. Parking at the REAC lot at 454 E. Illinois and get your ticket validated for 4-hour parking for $6. Click here to visit their website and check out all the upcoming vendors and stores included in the December 4^th market and get your dose on!

DECEMBER 4^th from 10-4pm  ------- Get Dosed!

   Krisanne Johnson  

Glass Curtain Gallery presents Black Gossamer, a group exhibition opening November 17^th where several artists are exploring black identity.

Glass Curtain Gallery comments, “An anxiousness exists among people of color because there is still an expectation to "perform," explain and react to one's Blackness in society, maybe even make excuses for it, both within and outside "black" culture. One outlet utilized to express this dichotomy is through dress.”

“This exhibition showcases the work of black contemporary artists who use and draw inspiration from clothing, fashion, textiles and fabrications to explore and uncover recent revolutions in black identity.” (Class Curtain Gallery)  

 Wangechi Mutu 

Black Gossamer exhibits an impressive collection of work from several artists, including New York based Kenyan artist, Wangechi Mutu. Mutu’s work has been shown in venues such as: the Tate Modern, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, MOMA, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, and at the Royal Academy in London.

Other artists include: Aisha Bell, Sheila Bridges, Myra Greene, Marlon Griffith, Krisanne Johnson, Kalup Linzy, Ebony G. Patterson (colum.edu/Student_Life/DEPS/)

Black Gossamer will include multiple opportunities to attend gallery talks and hear from some of the artists as well as curator, Camille Morgan. See below for a list of corresponding events.

Marlon Griffith, LOUIS (from the Powder Box School Girl series), 2009 

Located at 1104 S. Wabash on the 1^st floor of the historic Ludington building at Columbia College, Glass Curtain Gallery exhibits emerging and mid career artists. By presenting museum-quality exhibitions, workshops, and visiting artist lectures, Glass Curtain acts as a catalyst in the dialogue for students in the arts. 

Ebony G. Patterson 

For more information about the exhibition click here 

Exhibition Programming

November 17: Opening Reception 5:00-8:00pm

November 18 : "Taboo Fashion and Chameleon Identities" Gallery Artist Talk with Artists Aisha Bell and Ebony G. Patterson, 11-12:30pm

November 22: Critical Encounters Cafe Society discussion with artist Myra Greene and Curator, 4-6pm

February 1: Closing Reception - African American Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration, 5:30 - 7:30pm

This Sunday, September 11, the Evanston Art Center will present an opening reception for Dimensional Lines: Art + Dress.  The exhibition features eight Chicago-based designers, and follows them as they expose the beauty of decay while utilizing the 82-year-old Evanston Art Center’s aged condition as the perfect environment to showcase their work. 

Curators Gillion Carrara and Fraser Taylor (Taylor is also a contributing artist), extended an invitation to eight local artists to respond to the mansion’s crumbling façade, “architecturally, historically, and emotionally,” Taylor says.  Participating artists include Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, Conrad Hamather, Anke Loh, Beata Kania, Kristin Mariani, Katrin Schnabl, Kristina Sparks, and Fraser Taylor.

The artists all have a hand in the fashion world as well as in some other artistic medium, and each created a distinct work for the show.  Carrara and Taylor enlisted the help of freelance theatre designers Mary Griswold and Geoffrey Bushor to play with and transform the space using light, sound effects, and the installation of temporary walls to disorient the viewer.

Fraser Taylor speaks about his work and interest in building three-dimensional drawings - part of what his work is based on.  His installation lies between being “constructed and destroyed all at once.”  Taylor previously worked in fashion and textile designs, but has since experimented with other mediums.  In his featured work, he covers materials in black to “manifest the decay, erosion, and revolution of Evanston Art Center.”

Kristin Mariani, who is know for repurposing 80’s and 90’s leather coats, focuses on deconstructing her work while also building upon it.  Her piece is an evolving “grid of various elements associated with dressmaking” that will transform throughout the course of the exhibit.  Mariani explains how it is “about addressing the different layers of a building’s various facades.

Katrin Schnabl is a fashion designer and professor at The School of the Art Institute Chicago, who most often works as a costume designer.  Her reuse of cotton and linen pieces has created an intertwineable structure linking the interior and exterior of a space.  “The garments will be exposed to the elements.  It is deliberate in a sense that as the place is decaying, and my idea of how the memory is changing, the structure is invited to react and change.”

Insight from these three featured artists helps highlight the meaning of the exhibition and its homage to the Evanston Art Center, a home to the arts for many decades.

The exhibition opens to the public this Sunday, September 11, with a reception from 1-4pm.  Admission is free and the exhibition will run through November 6.

Where: Evanston Art Center, 2603 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, IL 60201