Chicago Artist’s Month (CAM) continues, and this weekend, on Saturday, October 13, Chicago Gallery News' Saturday Gallery Tours in River North and the West Loop will feature work by select Chicago artists on view in participating galleries.  On these tours, a gallery representative leads visitors to four art galleries in River North and the West Loop.  Tours are ongoing and happen all year round, but this Saturday’s tours are special CAM events.

The Jean Albano Gallery is leading the River North tour this Saturday, which will feature Chicago artist Gladys Nilsson’s vibrant, compositionally intricate watercolor paintings.  Visitors on this tour will also get the chance to visit the Roy Boyd gallery, which is currently hosting its 40^th anniversary exhibition.  Perimeter Gallery and Addington Gallery are also taking part in the River North tour.  To participate, meet at 750 N. Franklin Starbucks by 11am. 

Gladys Nilsson, Jumping, Jean Albano Gallery

 Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery will be leading the West Loop tour, which features “Palisades,” the gallery’s first solo exhibition for Los Angeles based contemporary painter Elisa Johns.  Johns’ oil paintings display a combination of abstract, dream-like landscapes and distorted figures, which fuse together as a narrative mechanism. 

Elisa Johns, Muses, Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery

The Chicago Artists Month featured artist Jeremiah Lee’s cigar box guitars are being exhibited at the Packer Schopf Gallery, another destination on the West Loop tour.  At 3pm there will be a music performance using the instruments from Lee’s show.  The Linda Warren Projects Gallery and Mars Gallery are also taking part in the West loop tour.  To participate, meet at 215 N. Aberdeen (Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery) by 1:30pm.  These tours are free, and no reservations are required.  For more information, including the tour schedules, visit Chicago Gallery Tours. 

But wait, there’s more!  This Saturday and Sunday from 11am-2pm at the Art Institute of Chicago, you can get interactive with the art at “The Artists Studio: Mini Model Sculptures.” Build a small-scale version of your favorite public sculpture, or design your own monument for your favorite spot in the city. This is a great activity for children and adults of all ages!  Visit their website for more information.  And if sculpture is your thing, there is also a Reception and Trolley Tour of Chicago’s Sculpture Exhibit on Sunday at 3pm that spans Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Wicker Park/Bucktown.  For details about this sculpture tour, click here.

Picasso, Maquette, Richard J. Daley Center

Michael Young, Looking Up, Chicago Sculpture Exhibit

West Town has been expanding and buzzing for quite awhile now, and the latest addition to the buzz began last year with the launch of the Annual West Town Art Walk along Chicago Avenue, presented by the West Town Chicago Chamber of Commerce. This year, the Walk will take place next weekend October 5-7.  Chicago is at it's best in the fall, and the next few weekends will be ideal for staying outdoors and exploring new neighborhoods and discovering new art.

Starting with a series of opening receptions scheduled for Friday, October 5, 6-10 pm at all participating Art Walk locations the event draws attention to the thriving West Town community while using art as the lens through which to view the neighborhood's dozens of local and upcoming artists and designers.  Every participating location – from restaurants to boutiques – will transform into a weekend gallery, each featuring a specific local artist(s), along with food, drink and music (in select spots). 

Paintings, sculptures and everything in between will be on display, and for sale, at the following participating Art Walk locations: Branch 27, RR1, Urban Source, Flo Café & Bar, Leopold, The Architrouve, Living Room Realty, Shear Conviction Salon & Photo Studio, JK Imaging & Craft, Dovetail, Seek Vintage, Café Central, The Noble Grape, Five Star Bar, Inside Home, Sprout Home, Pie-Eyed Pizzeria, White Dental Studio, and Swim Café.

The Art Walk will also feature a series of programs aimed at children, particularly as the community begins efforts to raise funds for and awareness of Eckhart Park. The following activities will be available for children on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm at Eckhart Park:

• Bubble Bonanza: Artists will make giant bubble creations and younger kids can participate by making their own smaller bubble wands and learning how the process works.
• Kites: Older children can make and decorate their own kites and then fly them in the park.
• Sidewalk Chalk: Kids of all ages are invited to create a chalk mural on the sidewalks leading into the park.

The organizers behind the West Town Art Walk hope that the event draws visitors to the area and that they see what the restaurants, galleries, boutiques and shops have to offer in an area that's centrally located in the city but that occupies its own niche along Chicago Ave. between Michigan Ave. and Wicker Park and Bucktown.  The Art Walk officially includes all businesses on Chicago Avenue, from Noble to Damen and surrounding areas.  Up-and-coming also seems to be a key-theme for the group, and they want other business owners and creatives to take advantage of the possibilities and affordability now while things are still emerging.

The West Town Art Walk: October 5-7, 2012
For additional details, please visit our Facebook page
Location: On Chicago Ave from Milwaukee to Damen
Cost: Free (no donation request)
westtownartwalk.com
Phone: 312-850-9390
Hours: Fri, 6-10pm; Sat, 11am-10pm; Sun, 11am-5pm

Sponsors: Yelp, Windy City Café, Chicago Gallery News, Urban Source, Flo Café and Bar, Leopold, JK Imaging and Craft, Dovetail, Seek Vintage, West Town Chamber of Commerce and West Town Special Service Area. 

Pauline Simon, The Ocean, n.d.

There's still plenty of time to check out Karl Wirsum Eyeballs the Intuit Collection, an exhibition that celebrates artists expanding the imagination. The show closes on September 1.

Wirsum selected his favorite pieces from Intuit's permanent collection--a collection developed in 2002. Work by Pauline Simon and Pierre-Louis Prospère were also included in Wirsum's exhibition.

Wirsum has been an active member in Chicago's art scene since the 1960s, relying on a style that combines graphic imagery and humor. The collection for his ongoing show (which he has curated) mirrors these elements.

INTUIT's permanent collection.

From INTUIT's website: "Curator Karl Wirsum has “eyeballed” Intuit’s Permanent Collection to create an exhibition of his favorites. As a member of the Chicago Imagists group Hairy Who, he was instrumental in setting the tone for Chicago’s art scene in the 1960s."

The "Hairy Who" exhibition of 1964 at the Hyde Park Art Center firmly put Wirsum on the map. The group was a leading force in Chicago's contemporary art scene for decades.

INTUIT is the nation's only nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to present self-taught and outsider art. Its permanent collection houses more than 1,100 works of art.

Wirsum is an adjunct professor of painting and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

A Gallery Walk with Wirsum will take place on August 11 at 1pm. Wirsum will explain his selections for his exhibit and discuss his feelings on being an artist on the other side of the canvas. The walk is free and open to the public.

And we’re back with another edition of “Art in the Neighborhood”. Today, we’re featuring the energetic and funky neighborhood of Wicker Park / Bucktown. History shows that Wicker Park has been a long-time advocate for arts and culture. Veteran arts organizations such as the Chopin Theater, the Near Northwest Art Council, and the Flat Iron Arts Association were born here and continue to offer their services decades later (and for the Chopin Theater, over ninety years later). Some of the more recent additions to the culturally rich Wicker Park legacy include Park Schreck Gallery, Jackson Junge Gallery, and Pagoda Red.

Park Schreck Gallery

Located right off the lakeshore, Park Schreck Gallery celebrated their first anniversary in June with a show featuring a diverse group of emerging talent, 80% of whom are Chicagoans. Founded upon the belief that in-person viewing is the best way to enjoy art, this gallery is dedicated to finding and showcasing contemporary artists eager to connect with buyers. If you’re in town, make sure to catch Into the Void, a solo exhibition featuring Steve Amos.  His bold and fractural abstract paintings will be on display until July 30^th. Like Park Schreck on Facebook follow them on Twitter or stop by any day of the week except Tuesday, between the hours of 11am and 6pm.

Jackson Junge Gallery

Just a five-minute walk away, Jackson Junge Gallery  is located directly south of Park Schreck, on Milwaukee. Also a newbie to the Wicker Park arts scene, this three-year-old gallery is co-owned by Chicago artist Laura Lee Junge  and partner Chris Jackson. Jackson Junge spotlights Junge’s personal work, but also shows other contemporary “guest” artists throughout the year. As an added bonus, co-owner Jackson offers custom framing services on site. Currently showing at Jackson Junge is an exhibition of Kavan Geary’s glowing and ethereal photography, entitled Illumination, closing on July 1^st. Keep up with the Jackson-Junge duo on Facebook  and Twitter. Visit the gallery any day of the week between 11am and 8pm, or 12am – 5pm on Sundays.

Pagoda Red

Walk only a couple blocks north to the northernmost corner of Wicker Park for an escape to the Far East. A connoisseur of Chinese furniture and decorative arts for nearly fifteen years, Pagoda Red provides an authentic taste of both contemporary and traditional Asian style. The showroom opened in 1997, making this gallery the most mature of the Wicker Park group. Most of their inventory, from seating and lighting to original paintings and scrolls, can be viewed both online and in store. While scrolling through their extensive online collection, make sure to “clip your favorites” to create a personal wishlist.  Like Pagoda Red on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or stop by the gallery Monday through Saturday from 10am – 6pm. (And don’t forget about Pagoda Red’s sister storefront in Winnetka, located at 902 Green Bay Road.)

For more information on North Side galleries and art spaces, consult CGN's North Side district listings.

Those exposed to the art world already know of its powerful benefits. Artists practicing their craft often have open minds, a daring willingness to explore the unexplored, and a special talent for creating and finding profound beauty in the unusual. But perhaps art's greatest gift is its subjectivity. Imagine being in front of a mysterious painting. While our ideas about the painting are swirling around in our heads and we begin to connect our thoughts to meaning, a clarity settles in and we may look up at that painting and say, "Oh, that's what it means. I get it." The person to your right may be going through the exact same process but will probably inevitably come up with a different interpretation. But maybe the person to your left is experiencing art in a way that is disconnected from thought and mind. They may simply be in a state of "being there," just letting emotions and thoughts pass through them without reaction. Who's to say who's right? No one is and we all are.

Living in or near a city like Chicago, we're constantly exposed to opportunities such as the hypothetical example above. Whether we're creating art, sharing it, or just looking at a mysterious painting, it is somehow always affecting us. To better understand this mystifying medium requires a certain dedication and fascination. It also requires discipline. Wednesday kicked off the official start of the summer season--with this new beginning comes several incredible opportunities for people to learn many tricks of the trade. Below is just a taste of some of the fine art classes offered in the city.

Lillistreet Art Center

Offering classes in ceramics, printmaking, painting & drawing, metalsmithing & jewelry, textiles, first-time artists, digital arts and photography, and glass.  Second summer session begins July 9 and lasts eight weeks.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago
High school level summer classes are two to five weeks long and include beginner's studio drawing, intro to portrait drawing, multi-media projects, DIY sound techniques, sound studio practices, intro and intermediate creative writing, beginner's oil painting, advanced portfolio projects, figure drawing, 2D/3D Projects: Found/Recycled, intro to landscape drawing, inspired essays, urban gateways summer film, intro to water-based painting, and choosing and using color.
Summer three week: June 25-July 13
Summer two week: July 16-July 27

Middle school and children's camp classes include multi-arts, animation, web design, painting and drawing, illustration, architecture, fashion, toy design, video game design, and family arts.
Dates for each program vary depending on the number of weeks the student wishes to enroll. Last session takes places August 13-17. 

A range of Continuing Education courses are also available for adults.

Hyde Park Art Center
Creativity Camp (one and two-week sessions from June 11-August 31) provides a wide-range of multi-media activities including painting, drawing, printmaking, mosaics, collage, book and paper making, mask making, fabric dying, improvisation, yoga, story-telling, puppetry, and theatre.
Summer Quarter start date - June 25, 2012
Second-Half Courses Begin (5 week courses) - Week of July 30
Last week of Summer Quarter - August 27 - September 1, 2012
Make-Up Class Week (for holidays and teacher absence only, not student absence) - September 4 - 8, 2012

Evanston Art Center
Workshops: custom band rings (July 16), motion and light in art (July 17), landscapes on the lake (July 21)
Five Week Classes: drawing into painting, creating collage, mosaics, caricature, multi-level drawing, business of art: showing and selling, beginning and intermediate water colors, and intermediate/advanced jewelry.

FM Gallery  BYOB group art events and private painting sessions take place in showroom space.  Call 312-730-0611 for information on specific dates.

Chicago Printmakers Collaborative

Classes include intaglio printmaking, screenprinting (July 3-31) , bookbinding basics (July 8), etching (July 9), photoetching, lithography (stone, plate, and paper), relief (and linoleum), collograph, monoprint, and letterpress.
Make arrangements for private and semi-private classes

Tall Grass Arts Association
Classes include composition (color theory), sketching and painting, experimenting with watercolor, beginner's to advanced knitting, figure drawing, beginner's to intermediate digital photography, mixed media.
Dates for each program vary depending on the number of weeks the student wishes to enroll.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
A range of options are available at the MCA's hands-on Summer Stuios, every Tuesday this summer there's a great opportunity to collaborate as a family.  From mcachicago,org:

Jun 26: Tell a New Story - Deconstruct familiar books as you redesign them to tell a new story.

Jul 3: From Flat to Fantastic - Transform 2-dimensional materials into standing structures.

Jul 10: Seeing City Sounds - Contribute to a collaborative artwork by drawing the sounds you hear.

Jul 17: Change What You See - Design lenses that alter the way you see familiar things.

Jul 24: City Reflections - Sculpt a structure using reflective and shiny materials.

Jul 31: Capture your Stories - Create a book to hold the stories you write, both real and imaginary.

Aug 7: Together Tower - Collaborate with another person to construct a tower or other standing sculpture.

Aug 14: In and Out of Character - Invent and then draw a new persona on a collaborative and interactive drawing wall.

Aug 21: Transparent Towers - Create your own transparent cityscape.

Aug 28: Body Building - Transform your body into a skyscraper.