• From the print edition of the May-August 2013 issue of Chicago Gallery News

Chicago artists are always up to something new. Below we’ve picked out highlights we think you shouldn’t miss this season.  New picks will be posted in the upcoming months.  If you have your own picks to recommend, please leave them in our comments section. We are always proud to promote what Chicago artists are up to here and around the world. - CGN

Theaster Gates - 

Musuem of Contemporary Art (MCA)

Above: Top: Theaster Gates, 12 Ballads for the Huguenot House, 2012. Performance view, Documenta 13, Kassel, Germany. Bottom: Installation View, Documenta 13, Kassel, Germany. Images courtesy of Kavi Gupta CHICAGO I BERLIN

13th Ballad, an installation by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates, is an extension of the artist's 12 Ballads for Huguenot House, which was co-produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art for dOCUMENTA (13), the international art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. For 13th Ballad, Gates creates a new large-scale installation in the MCA's Kovler Atrium that comprises objects and materials from the Huguenot House, along with a monumental double cross sculpture and carved wooden pews which create an ecclesiastical ambience to suggest that art museums, like churches, are sites of pilgrimage and thoughtful contemplation. 13th Ballad is accompanied at the MCA by a series of collaborative performances and is on view May 18-October 6, 2013. www.mcachicago.org

• Artistic notecards by Tony Fitzpatrick

For the first time, you can buy eight of artist Tony Fitzpatrick’s drawing collage images at a time for under $20!  Packs of four images printed on eight notecards are now being sold through Chicago’s The Found, a handy source for all things printed. The No. 9 Birds series is created from Fitzpatrick’s original art. $16.50 at www.thefound.com

Fitzpatrick's notecards feature a series of four birds from his drawing collages

• The Chicago Project (various artists)

Catherine Edelman Gallery

2013 marks the ten-year anniversary of The Chicago Project, started in 2003 as an online-only gallery devoted to unrepresented photographers in the Chicagoland area. In an effort to promote local talent, Catherine Edelman put out a call for submission to all local photographers to submit work on an ongoing basis, in an effort to expose local artists to an ever-increasing worldwide audience. This summer CEG presents The Chicago Project V: Selections from our Online Gallery. Artists in the exhibition are Clarissa Bonet, Eddee Daniel, Juan Fernandez, Justin Chase Lane, Peter Hoffman, Paul Marquardt, Jessica Tampas, Anthony Vizzari and Jacob Watts. The entire show can be seen online at www.edelmangallery.com

Above: Top: Clarissa Bonet: Paths, 2011, from the Chicago Project at Catherine Edelman Gallery; Bottom: Jacob Watts, Celebration, 2012

• Vivian Maier’s photographs

Bridgeport Art Center and Russell Bowman Art Advisory

Vivian Maier's striking photographs of people and scenes around Chicago were discovered in a thrift shop here in 2007.  Maier worked in Chicago as a nanny for 40 years, and this summer two spaces feature her photographs: 

• May 30: Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows: slide presentation by Rich Cahan + Ron Gordon. At Bridgeport Art Center.

www.bridgeportart.com

• June 21-August 17: 

Vivian Maier, Summer in the City, at Russell Bowman Art Advisory

www.bowmanart.com

Vivian Maier, Untitled (Vivian's Shadow with Flags), July 1970, Edition 4/15. At Russell Bowman Art Advisory June 21-August 17

This week is all about eating, but next week will be all about the holiday frenzy and plans to make before 2012 comes to a close.  For a change of pace, especially on a Monday evening, we recommend that you check out Fear No Art's The Dinner Party on Monday, November 26 at the Mayne Stage. The Dinner Party is a creation dreamed up by the ever-enthusiastic Elysabeth Alfano, who brings together a dynamic group of creatives to sit together and eat and chat while a live audience listens in and looks on. Monday's event features several of my own favorite local personalities: the witty host of NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!", Peter Sagal, will be there, along with star violinist Rachel Barton Pine - a talent I saw perform just this past Friday night at a Scottish extravaganza called the Feast of the Haggis.  Also around the table will be SNL alum, actor and screenwriter Tim Kazurinksy, and the dinner will be created by Jared Van Camp of Nellcote (I still havent' managed to get reservations there at a decent time.) There will also be wine pairings and chocolate (by Vosges!).  There's more: Lynne Jordan, of the super fabulous Lynne Jordan and the Shivers, will be the opening act (she performed at my wedding, plus I never miss a chance to see her perform at the Drake) and artist/cab driver Dmitry Samarov will be sketching live. Seriously - this is too good to miss! If you can't make it there in person (which is the best option, since you get to taste the food!) you can watch live online while the show streams at TimeOutChicago.com/dinnerparty

Bon Appetit!  And Happy Thanksgiving from CGN!  

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Join host Elysabeth Alfano at the Mayne Stage the last Monday of every month for a live filming of THE DINNER PARTY, a completely new and different kind of show. Alfano invites 3 cultural luminaries and a celebrity chef to join in food, art, wine, Twitter, performances and conversation during this 90 minute show which also streams live on the internet. Can't make the Mayne Stage? Watch THE DINNER PARTY live on TimeOutChicago.com/dinnerparty and www.FearNoART.tv and tweet in (and win prizes) to be a part of this fantastic, new multi-dimensional show.

When & What & Where: November 26th live dinner, conversation, performances at the Mayne Stage and streaming live on TimeOutChicago.com/dinnerparty and www.FearNoArt.tv

Price: $25 Buy tix to Mayne Stage including food, wine and chocolate tastings, or free on-line viewing.

Mayne Stage: Doors open at 6:30 pm. Starts at 7PM, including dinner sampling. No late seating. Post show party at the Mayne Stage's Mezz Gallery.

Streaming On-line: starts at 7:30 pm CST on FearNoART.tv and TimeOutChicago.com/dinnerparty

More Information, click on Fear No ART presents THE DINNER PARTY.

Logan Launch Festival is happening this weekend, an appropriate time for joviality considering October is Chicago Artist’s Month (CAM). The three-day festival is a celebration surrounding the opening of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago.  The Center will serve as a hub for the vibrant arts scene at the University and a destination for the South Side and greater Chicago area.  This weekend's festivities are free, open to the public and happening now through Sunday, October 14.

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Photos by Tom Rossiter
© The University of Chicago

Numerous events are occurring throughout the weekend ranging from site-specific sound installations, multiple performances, plays, films, orchestra ensembles, discussions, lectures, readings, workshops, a live broadcast, as well as visual artworks. There are a few ongoing installations, such as Sonic Environments: The Work of Richard Lerman: Sound Installation Piece, as well as exhibits MFA: On Display, and Wall Text both presented from the Department of Visual Arts, as well as Self-Guided Tours.
 
Multiple performances are shaking up this evening, Friday, October 12, so be sure to check out the full schedule. Ricardo Basbaum’s “Would you like to participate in an artistic experience?” addresses complex social transformations through the circulation of a deceptively simple object, one of his “New Bases for Personality (NBP)” which is ongoing all day Friday. Music Department Piano Showcase, Los Cenzonties with David Hidalgo, Monk and Mingus: Performance by University Jazz X-Tet, Uballet, Deeply Rooted, The Ransom Notes, Student Performance of Tony Award-Winning Play “Proof”, and Spektral Quartet are all exciting events ranging from music to performance to dance, or some combination of the above. There will also be a chance for you and your friends to participate in informal performances at the Logan Cabaret Series Kick-Off at the Performance Penthouse from 9-11pm, Friday, October 12. More performances will be held throughout the weekend, including the Turtle Island Quartet concert on Sunday at 3pm.
 
Several discussion panels, lectures, and conversations will develop this weekend including a few this evening.  Beware the Stairs Are Always Moving: A Conversation with architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien takes place tonight from 6-7:30 pm.  Later on, from 8-9pm in the Café, Café Scientifique sessions invite the public to explore and debate current issues and interesting topics in science research at the University, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
 
Family programming will take place all day Saturday including Family Telling Workshop; Barrel of Monkeys, “That’s Weird, Grandma”; Animation Workshop; and StoryTelling with the Ase Youth Ensemble. There will also be Arts Trolley Rides from noon - 5pm where guests can visit museums and cultural institutions across the University of Chicago campus including the Oriental Institute Museum, Renaissance Society, and Smart Museum of Art.
 
Open House Chicago (OHC) organized by the Chicago Architecture Foundation is an annual weekend festival providing free behind-the-scenes access to many of Chicago’s greatest places and spaces. The Logan Center, selected as one of OHC’s “Top Twenty Sites to Visit,” will offer self-guided tours for OHC participants that feature “backstage” areas of the performance spaces as well as private studios on Sunday from 10-5pm. Logan Center presents Scheduled Tours on Sunday to explore the Logan center with a knowledgeable guide. Hear about the building’s history, architecture, and role within the University with visits to the performance hall, blackbox theatre, digital media center, classrooms, gallery and more.
 
Look for more detailed information and a full schedule of events on the Logan Center for the Arts website, so you can participate in this dynamic community with its intriguing, intellectual, and enjoyable events.
 
Festival hours:
Friday: Noon – 11pm
Saturday: 10 am – 11pm
Sunday: Noon- 5pm

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
915 East 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Exterior construction view from the north
Photo by Tom Rossiter
© The University of Chicago

October is here, and that means it’s time for the 17^th annual Chicago Artists Month!  This year’s theme is “Art Block By Block,” celebrating the widespread impact of artists in each unique neighborhood throughout Chicago.  “Block By Block” highlights the synergistic relationship between an artist and his/her community; the selected artists all find inspiration from their surroundings, and—this month—the community will reap the reward of seeing these local artists’ cultural reflections.

This year’s featured artists include Andrew Arvanetes, Hebru Brantley, Brandy Barker, Mary Ellen Croteau, Jim Duignan, Ian Ferguson, Ben Foch + Chelsea Culp, Sergio Gomez, Seana Higgins, Regin Igloria, Preston Jackson, Jeremiah Lee, Victoria Martinez, Ann McNamee Dobrila Pintar, John Preus, Laura Shaeffer, and Selina Trepp.

This Friday on October 5, from 5 to 9 pm, Art Block By Block kicks off a full month of art activities by hosting a Bridgeport Block Party, with locations at the Bridgeport Art Center, Co-Prosperity Sphere, and Zhou B Art Center.  Party-goers will find an assortment of food, music, and—you guessed it—art! Bridgeport Art Center will be hosting the Will To Power exhibition, in which artists create art that embodies the words “will” and "power” by decaying a traditional gallery space.  Co-Prosperity Sphere will feature the opening of Flash Mobbed and Dolloped, an exhibition of old and new works by artist Ian Ferguson.  And at the Zhou B Art Center, there will be live art by artists Rhom, George Lindmark and Zore.

The remainder of the month is chock full of exhibitions, artist talks, art walks, and open houses.  So take the time to go out into your community this month and check out the distinctive artwork of your neighborhood.  For more information, dates, and times, visit chicagoartistsmonth.org

Bridgeport Art Center

The Zhou Brothers will celebrate a new show this Friday evening, September 28, at the Zhou B Art Center, and they'll be opening it with typical great fanfare.  To help them with the festivity, the Chicago Sinfonietta will also be taking part.

Li - The River of Souls is an entirely new series of paintings inspired by the Li River in China, where the brothers were born. The brothers describe the river and the area as peaceful and serene - considered as the soul of Guilin. It's been an inspiration to artists for thousands of years.  The brothers have found inspriation in

many sources over the decades of collaborating and working together, but this muse is particularly personal. The abstract landscape paintings that will be on display are smybolic of the river Li and the journey that Shan Zuo and DaHuang have taken together: "The river winds like a green silk ribbon, while the hills are like jade hairpins" - by HanYu (768-824), a famous Chinese poet of Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Special VIP Opening

The exhibition opened last Friday, Septebmer 21, but this weekend visitors are invited to come to the Center for a special reception to witness the Zhou Brothers creating one-of-a-kind art inspired by a live ensemble performance of the Chicago Sinfonietta under the baton of Maestro Mei-Ann Chen. The reception will include delicious food and drinks, and a collaborative live performance of painting inspired by the Sinfonietta's innovative sounds. The genre-bending PROJECT Trio and young percussionists Shuya Gong and Eric Goldberg will join the Sinfonietta on stage for the main performance. This event will raise much-needed support for the Sinfonietta's 25th Anniversary season and education outreach programs.

VIP guests will receive an exclusive gift bag, a certificate for a complimentary Sinfonietta performance, and a signed copy of Maestro Chen's first CD with the orchestra.

Click this link to see the Zhou Brothers' Divergent Minds live painting performance at the Coronado Theater in Rockford, Illinois with Rick Nielsen and Donald Fraser from 2008.

ZHOU BROTHERS

Li - The River of Souls

September 21-October 6

Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St. (60609)
Tel 773-523-0200
M-F 10-5; Sa 12-5
zbcenter.org