When the news arrived Friday that Prince had died suddenly at age 57, everyone had at least one personal memory to share about listening to a favorite song back in the day or maybe even catching a surprise performance in recent years. From Sesame Street performances to over-the-top Super Bowl half time performances, Prince was creative everywhere. And much like David Bowie, whom we lost just a few months ago, he blurred the lines between music, performance and visual art.&nbsp;

If you&#39;re looking to raise a glass and a dance move to Prince in Chicago, on Friday, &nbsp;May 6 from 7-11pm,&nbsp;the MCA will honor Prince at its Prime Time happening

The theme will be&nbsp;&ldquo;Purple&rdquo; to celebrate the life, music, and legacy of&nbsp;Prince. The evening now includes a&nbsp;special tribute performance by Chicago-based funk and soul artist&nbsp;avery r. young&nbsp;who, together with his nine-piece band, will perform a spectrum of Prince works. Tickets to Prime Time are&nbsp;$20 at the door and $15 in advance. Tickets&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://mcachicago.org">mcachicago.org</a>.&nbsp;MCA Prime Time is a 21+ event.

&nbsp;

Below are links to some of our favorite art-related Prince tributes and write-ups (plus an old favorite from the Muppets...)

<a href="https://news.artnet.com/people/prince-home-to-become-museum-481883#.Vx-Ot8EKXtU.twitter">Prince&#39;s $6.6-Million Minnesota Home Will Become a Museum for Fans</a>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="1096" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1096/medium/paisley-park-prince.jpg" />

<a href="http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1384637/innocence-and-experience-the-image-of-prince">Innocence and Experience: The Image of Prince</a>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="1098" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1098/medium/purplerain1.jpg" />

<a href="http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1384780/how-prince-the-artist-formerly-known-as-unpronounceable">How Prince, The Artist Formerly Known as Unpronounceable Symbol, Changed Design</a>

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="1095" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1095/medium/prince-logo.jpg" />

Muppets Tonight - Featuring&nbsp;The Artist Formerly Known As Prince

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cgYEsfBuHoo" width="420"></iframe>

&nbsp;

The Art World Misses Prince

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) announced yesterday that Jos&eacute;&nbsp;Esparza Chong Cuy has been appointed the Pamela Alper Associate Curator. Esparza most recently held the position of Associate Curator the Museo Jumex in Mexico City.

Chief Curator&nbsp;Michael Darling commented, &quot;With our longstanding interest in art from Latin America, we now have in Jos&eacute; an articulate advocate for presenting the best work being made in that region. Mexico City is one of the most exciting cities in the world for contemporary art, and Jos&eacute;&#39;s deep knowledge of that scene will immediately enrich our dialogues here at the MCA. Jos&eacute; is also active in architecture and design circles and that knowledge, alongside his expertise in contemporary art, will find a natural fit here at the MCA where we regularly venture out into parallel fields of activity. I think he will immediately become a great asset to our community.&quot;

Previously, Esparza was a Curatorial Associate at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York and a Research Fellow at the&nbsp;New Museum for Contemporary Art. In 2012, he received a MS in Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices in Architecture from Columbia University. He received his bachelor&#39;s degree in architecture from the Western Institute of Technology and High Education in Guadalajara, Mexico. He will start his new position at the MCA on April 18, 2016.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="José Esparza Chong Cuy, Photo: Camila Cossio." data-rich-file-id="1035" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1035/original/esparza-1.jpg" />

Top Image:&nbsp;MCA Building exterior at night. Photo: Peter McCullough, &copy;MCA Chicago.

José Esparza Chong Cuy Appointed Associate Curator at MCA Chicago

This week (April 7-9)&nbsp;UIC will host Latino Art Now! 5th Biennial Conference. The three-day event is organized by the Inter-University Program for Latino Research at UIC and the Smithsonian Latino Center.

<blockquote>
The Latino Art Now! Conference is the leading national forum for artists, art historians, art professionals, educators, scholars, critics and art dealers. The Fifth Biennial Latino Art Now! Re-imagining Global Intersections Conference in Chicago will examine the contemporary shifting contours of US Latino art and the (trans) national and global cultural forces that continuously shape it and how it in turn shapes these forces.&nbsp;
</blockquote>

The opening reception will take place Thursday April 7 from 6-8pm at the National Museum of Mexican Art and will feature a performance by&nbsp;Michael De Anda Mu&ntilde;iz,&nbsp;Amanda Cortes,&nbsp;Silvia In&eacute;s,&nbsp;Gibran, and Margarita Lizcano Hernandez.

Following the reception, ACRE will host an informal evening of conversations around Latinx art and artists. Attendees are welcome to give 2-3 minute slide presentations of their work or the work of others.

For more information about the conference visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://iuplr.uic.edu/iuplr/latino-art-now">iuplr.uic.edu/iuplr/latino-art-now</a>

UIC Hosts Latino Art Now! 5th Biennial Conference.

UIC Hosts Latino Art Now! 5th Biennial Conference

Ann Goldstein, who has previously held&nbsp;positions&nbsp;at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and&nbsp;The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has been appointed as the new Deputy Director, and Chair and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. This is a newly created position, and Goldstein will be the first one to occupy it. She will be transitioning to her new position starting March 28 and will assume full responsibility on September 1, 2016.

Goldstein began her career as a research assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) more than thirty years ago. She stated, &quot;I am extremely excited and thoroughly honored to assume this role&mdash;and truly a &#39;dream job&#39;&mdash;to work together with my colleague James [Rondeau], as well as the museum&rsquo;s esteemed staff and family, to the further the mission of this magnificent and beloved encyclopedic institution and foster the growth of its highly respected modern and contemporary art program...Chicago has remained close to my heart as a remarkable cultural and philanthropic community filled with dear friends and brilliant artists and colleagues who have constantly awed and inspired me.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Goldstein was a Senior Curator at MOCA, where she worked for more than 26 years, from 1983-2009. Recently, she was Director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where she oversaw the reopening of the museum after nine years of renovations.

Along with her new position of Deputy Director, she will be replacing James Rondeau as the Chair and&nbsp;Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Rondeau was recently appointed President and Director of the Art Institute of Chicago after Douglas Druick stepped down.

For more information visit:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.artic.edu/sites/default/files/press/2016/Goldstein_PressRelease_FINAL.pdf">Ann Goldstein to Join the Art Institute of Chicago as New Deputy Director, and Chair and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art</a>

<img alt="" data-caption="Ann Goldstein. © Albrecht Fuchs, Cologne" data-rich-file-id="1030" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1030/original/ag-pressrelease-small.jpg" />

Ann Goldstein has been appointed as the new Deputy Director, and Chair and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Ann Goldstein Joins Art Institute of Chicago as New Deputy Director and Curator 

<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/art-services/expo-chicago">EXPO CHICAGO</a> announced two curators for their annual exposition taking place&nbsp;September 22-25, 2016&nbsp;at Navy Pier. Diana Nawai, associate curator at the&nbsp;P&eacute;rez Art Museum Miami, will curate IN/SITU and Daria de Beauvais, curator at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, was selected as the curator of EXPO VIDEO. IN/SITU typically features large-scale installations that fill the exposition&#39;s large hall. Alongside these works will be de Beauvais&#39; selections of videos presented in a variety of formats.

President and director Tony Karman noted,&nbsp;&ldquo;Our IN/SITU and EXPO VIDEO programming continues to receive broad critical acclaim, offering curated sections of large-scale sculptures, installations and groundbreaking video and new media work.&nbsp;It is a great privilege to be working closely with Diana Nawi and Daria de Beauvais to shape these important core programs&mdash;both represent dynamic cultural institutions and are two of the most important curatorial voices working today. Additionally, we continue to support our exhibiting dealers and the artists being presented by inviting national and international curators to attend the exposition as a part of our Curatorial Forum.&rdquo;

Last year, Louis Grachos held the position of curator for IN/SITU and Alfredo Cramerotti was the EXPO VIDEO curator.

For more information visit: <a href="http://expochicago.com/sites/default/files/2016%20Curatorial%20Announcement%20_0.pdf">2016 Curatorial Announcement</a>

<img alt="" data-caption="Diana Nawi" data-rich-file-id="1000" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1000/original/diana-20nawi.jpg" />

<img alt="" data-caption="Daria de Beauvais" data-rich-file-id="1001" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/1001/original/daria-20de-20beauvais.jpg" />

EXPO CHICAGO Announces Curators for IN/SITU and EXPO VIDEO

BY THOMAS MASTERS

In September 2015 Chicago lost one its great &quot;Aristo-Democrats,&quot; Michael Weinstein.

There are a few blowhards&nbsp;and bullies in this town who claim to be the champions of the &quot;underdog artist.&quot; &nbsp;They&nbsp;criticize galleries and institutions for&nbsp;insensitivity and abuses to those artists and they&nbsp;seem to be forever sought out by the press for their well worn opinions. They believe this somehow advances an artist&#39;s&nbsp;struggles, that tired&nbsp;rhetoric somehow makes them heroic.&nbsp;For the most part it is&nbsp;self serving and provincial.

Michael Weinstein simply described them as&nbsp;&quot;the bitter ones...&quot;

His approach?&nbsp; He helped artists to understand their work in ways that they themselves did not&nbsp;consider or comprehend, and&nbsp;he did this over lengthy conversations in galleries, while standing in front of the works, going piece by piece with the the artist or gallerist. He&nbsp;wrote reviews, catalog essays and critiques that were insightful and generous in spirit. He attended hundreds of exhibitions around the city,&nbsp;praising both galleries and artists, and&nbsp;encouraging and inspiring those who engaged him in conversation. He may have been the most intelligent writer about art in this city,&nbsp;and yet, except for his photo reviews in New City,&nbsp; his contributions were somewhat overlooked and he was seldom asked by the media in Chicago to comment on major art events. Often the&nbsp;media selected the same, tired voices.&nbsp;In this regard, Michael&#39;s enormous intelligence and advanced intellect&nbsp;in all aspects of art and life were overlooked.

<img alt="" data-caption="&quot;This Side of the Mountain&quot; part 1, (The Dance) artistic and musical collaboration between Michael Weinstein and Thomas Masters" data-rich-file-id="989" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/989/original/screen-20shot-202016-01-21-20at-202-09-02-20pm.jpg" />

I have talked to numerous people who claim to be his best friend and confidant.&nbsp;He had a special gift for making one feel like his relationship with you entitled you to believe it to be so.

Michael could talk to anybody. He could convey the most complex ideas about art, life and philosophy,&nbsp;and he would&nbsp;make the&nbsp;listener understand it all in a simple and profound way.

He could&nbsp;make&nbsp;you feel less alone in the world.

Some afternoons he would visit my gallery, and we would talk for hours over beer and french fries and walk through the exhibitions and discuss the work on display.

I will miss those times with him.

- TM

&nbsp;

Top image:&nbsp;One of many great moments with Michael and his wife Deena.

Memorial about Michael Weinstein from gallery owner Thomas Masters

A Tribute to Michael Weinstein

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="983" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/983/original/getimage-aspx.jpeg" />

Lois Weisberg did more in a day than most people could try to do in a month.

She was head of the City of Chicago&#39;s Department of Cultural Affairs under two mayors, Harold Washington and Richard Daley, for the better part of 30 years, until she steppeddown in 2011. She started Cows on Parade (now replicated in many forms in cities around the world) and co-founded the Block 37 Arts program (now After School Matters) with the late Maggie Daley. We have her to thank for the Blues Festival, the Gospel Festival, the Taste of Chicago, Friends of the Parks and much more. She helped make the Cultural Center the Cultural Center&nbsp;(it used to be the Chicago&nbsp;Public Library) and she championed scores of Chicago artists and creatives while advocating for free programs for the public.&nbsp;

Lois Weisberg not only made culture count in Chicago - she showed how critical a strong arts scene is to a thriving city&#39;s&nbsp;economy, global reputation and to our every day lives. Though she will certainly be missed, her many efforts and accomplishments live on.

Here are several write-ups about the one-of-a-kind Lois Weisberg:

&bull; Malcolm Gladwell&#39;s Famous 1999 New Yorker Profile:&nbsp;<a href="http://gladwell.com/six-degrees-of-lois-weisberg/">Six-Degrees of Lois Weisberg</a>

&bull;&nbsp;Tribune - Chris Jones:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-lois-weisberg-was-more-than-a-connector-ae-0117-20160114-column.html">The remarkable Lois Weisberg</a>

&bull;&nbsp;Tribune - Rick Kogan:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-lois-weisberg-dead-was-chicago-arts-chief-for-daley-20160114-story.html">Tireless champion of city&#39;s cultural life</a>

&bull;&nbsp;Sun Times:&nbsp;<a href="http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1251831/legendary-landmark-lois-weisberg">Lois Weisberg, &#39;den mother of the arts&#39;</a>

&bull;&nbsp;Chicago Reader: <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2016/01/14/lois-weisberg-rest-in-peace-doesnt-cut-it">Lois Weisberg:&nbsp;Rest in peace doesn&#39;t cut it</a>

&nbsp;

Top image: Chicago Tribune, Lois Weisberg

Chicago Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg Dead at 90

Lois Weisberg Has Died at Age of 90 - Former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs 

Chicago Gallery News&nbsp;is sad to share the news that Sidney Block, co-director of Printworks Gallery for thirty-five years, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 25&nbsp;with his co-director and close friend Bob Hiebert at his side.&nbsp;

The gallery&#39;s 35th anniversary show, <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/calendar/return-of-the-exquisite-corpse-35th-anniversary-exhibition">The Return of the Exquisite Corpse</a>, opens this Friday, December 4. Plans for this special exhibition began two years ago, and the show&nbsp;will feature 35 works with contributions from 105 artists.

Sidney and Bob have been warm neighbors to CGN over the years in River North, and we&nbsp;congratulate the gallery&nbsp;on 35 wonderful years of business, terrific exhibitions, and true friendship.&nbsp;Our hearts go out to our dear friends at Printworks Gallery during this difficult time. Sidney will be missed by many.&nbsp;

A memorial service is pending.

<a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?n=sidney-block&amp;pid=176718120&amp;fhid=16222.">Obituary</a>

<img alt="" data-caption="&lt;i&gt;Sidney Block&lt;/i&gt;" data-rich-file-id="892" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/892/original/sidney-block.gif" />

Top image: December 2005 from the Chicago Reader&#39;s article, <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-odd-couple/Content?oid=920721">The Odd Couple</a>:&nbsp;

<blockquote class="pull-right">Bob Hiebert and Sidney Block have been in business together longer than many people have been married, and as with many couples their friends tend to think of them as inseparable--Sid and Bob, Bob and Sid. It&#39;s been 25 years since they opened Printworks, still the city&#39;s only gallery dedicated exclusively to works on paper--contemporary prints, drawings, artists&#39; books, and the occasional painting or photograph. For the past 15--five days a week, nearly every week of the year--they&#39;ve sat on opposite sides of a single desk in their cramped, 600-square-foot space in River North...</blockquote>

Sidney Block: A True Friend

Well-known member of Chicago&#39;s art community, Rodolfo &quot;Rudy&quot; Avi&ntilde;a, owner of <a href="http://creativoframing.com/">Creativo Framing</a> in River North, was tragically killed on May 30, 2015. A <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2015/05/31/prosecutors-jealous-knifeman-slit-rudy-avinas-throat-in-pilsen-bar/">senseless crime</a> was committed in the&nbsp;Pilsen neighborhood that Rudy called home, and where he spent much time giving back to the community.&nbsp;

Rudy established relationships with many local artists, galleries, and museums through his professional framing business and his various artistic and collegial&nbsp;collaborations throughout the city.&nbsp;

Chicago Gallery News has worked with Rudy for much of his 20 years in the framing business, and we will remember him as a cheerful, kind neighbor. Our hearts go out to his friends and family. He will be missed by many.&nbsp;

A memorial service for Avina is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at 7pm&nbsp;at Citlalin Gallery,&nbsp;2005 S. Blue Island Avenue, Chicago, IL.&nbsp;

Top image courtesy of the National Museum of Mexican Art&nbsp;and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Remembering-Rudy/778926992214832?sk=timeline">Remembering Rudy Facebook Page</a>. Raquel Agui&ntilde;aga-Martinez of the&nbsp;NMMA writes &quot;On behalf of the Visual Arts / Permanent Collection departments at the Museo (NMMA) please accept our most sincere condolences. Even though Rudy was not a staff member, he was a valued part of our team for over 20 years. He was one of the few people in Pilsen who understood all the love and work it takes to put up an exhibition. He knew of the challenges and sometimes personal sacrifices that this kind of job requires. Rudy was one of the few non-staff members that we fully trusted when it came to caring for the Permanent Collection.&quot;

- - - - - -

<a href="http://www.gofundme.com/w3ugwy4">Rudy&#39;s Light Outshines the Darkness</a> - gofundme.com donations will help cover family and funeral expenses.&nbsp;

- - - - - -&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150602/pilsen/remembering-rudy-avina-he-found-way-connect-with-you">Remembering Rudy Avina: &#39;He Found a Way to Connect with You&#39;</a>&nbsp;- DNAinfo

<a href="http://extranews.net/pillar-of-pilsen-community-killed-over-the-weekend.html">Pillar of Pilsen Community Killed Over the Weekend</a>&nbsp;- Extranews.net

In Remembrance of Rudy Aviña

Summer may just be getting started, but many eyes are already on the fall in the art world. On Wednesday evening at the Public Hotel in Chicago&#39;s Gold Coast, EXPO&#39;s President and Director, Tony Karman, announced this year&#39;s list of international galleries who will be coming to Chicago in September.

<img alt="" data-caption="&quot;Seep&quot; by Erik Peterson, installed at the entrance to EXPO 2014" data-rich-file-id="462" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/462/original/photo-1.jpg" />

This year&#39;s list is the biggest to date; when the show began in 2012 100 galleries participated. Just over&nbsp;140 galleries made the cut this round, selected by a committee comprised of heavy hitting peers like&nbsp;Marianne Boesky, John Corbett, Chris D&rsquo;Amelio of&nbsp;David Zwirner, Rhona Hoffman, and David Nolan. Galleries hail from&nbsp;15 countries and 40 cities from around the world. Countries represented at the 2015 exposition include: Austria, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

In addition to the show taking place at Navy Pier, EXPO is part of Art Week, a varied collaboration with many of the area&#39;s art spaces and institutions playing&nbsp;host to art-focused tours, lectures, exhibitions and happenings&nbsp;throughout the city the week of September 14.&nbsp;

<a href="https://news.artnet.com/market/expo-chicago-2015-exhibitors-302235">Artnews.com</a> posted&nbsp;a recent write-up about this year&#39;s fair news, including remarks from dealers about 2014&#39;s strong sales as well as current booth cost figures.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

From Chicago, the list has several new additions from last year:&nbsp;

Aspect/Ratio

casati gallery

Corbett vs. Dempsey

Stephen Daiter Gallery

Douglas Dawson

Catherine Edelman Gallery

Richard Gray Gallery

Kavi Gupta

Carl Hammer Gallery

Rhona Hoffman Gallery

Alan Koppel Gallery

McCormick Gallery

moniquemeloche

THE MISSION

Richard Norton Gallery

ANDREW RAFACZ

Regards

Carrie Secrist Gallery

Volume Gallery

Western Exhibitions

Zolla/Lieberman Gallery

&nbsp;

Exhibiting from Chicago as part of EXPO Editions + Books:&nbsp;

Document

Imperfect Articles

No Coast

&nbsp;

On Wednesdat night among the crowd of collectors, dealers, fans and supporters, Karman was his usual enthusiastic self, mentioning more than once that a lot will be happening for the fair in the next three months. Stay tuned.&nbsp;

The International Exposition of Contemporary &amp; Modern Art takes place&nbsp;September 17&ndash;20, 2015 at Navy Pier&rsquo;s Festival Hall &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.expositionchicago.com">expositionchicago.com</a>

EXPO Chicago Announces its 2015 Exhibitor List of 140 Galleries

River North gallery owner Judy Saslow announced this week that she will be closing her eponymous gallery and retiring in August after 20 years in business. &nbsp;Her familiar gallery has been located at the corner of Superior and Franklin for the past two decades, and Saslow has made her name promoting work by mainly outsider artists, most notably Chicago&#39;s own Mr Imagination. The gallery also exhibits work by contemporary artists.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="640" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/640/original/photo-300x300.jpg" />

Saslow is opening a work of Japanese art on Friday, June 5 in conjunction with the neighborhood&#39;s monthly First Friday openings. &nbsp;The opening will also be the 76 year-old&#39;s retirement party and a celebartion of the gallery&#39;s artists. &nbsp;Following the opening, works from the gallery&#39;s inventory will also be on sale.&nbsp;

Read more about Saslow, as well as a recent article by Crain&#39;s, <a href="http://jsaslowgallery.com/gallery-news/">here</a>. Gallery information may be found <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/judy-a-saslow-gallery">here</a>.&nbsp;

Judy A Saslow Gallery Closing in August - Retiring After 20 Years

A new issue means lots of news and changes. We are always pleased to welcome new galleries and art businesses to CGN. &nbsp;We also enjoy sharing news about various artist exhibitions and happenings around the country. &nbsp;Read on to find out the latest!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>ANNIVERSARIES</h3>

&bull;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/r-s-johnson-fine-art">R.S. Johnson Fine Art</a> celebrates 60 years in business in 2015. The gallery was founded in Chicago in 1955 by S. E. Johnson, the father of the current owner, R. Stanley Johnson. The gallery is currently located at 645 N. Michigan Ave. and specializes in master prints.&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/the-leigh-gallery">The Leigh Gallery</a>, founded by Jean Leigh in Lakeview, is celebrating 10 years. The gallery boasts that 90 local artists are showcased daily, from painting to glass to pottery.

&nbsp;

<h3>MOVES&nbsp;</h3>

&bull;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/pagoda-red--2">Pagoda Red</a> moved from its long time Bucktown location to the West Loop to 400 N. Morgan. With an 18 year history in Chicago, Pagoda Red now occupies an exquisite bow truss building nestled in an Asian garden. Pagoda Red is the premier source for exemplary 18th &amp; 19th c. Chinese furniture + art with an expansive collection of Shanxi furniture, lanterns in the Ming manner, and ancient limestone. Also located in Winnetka.

<img alt="" data-caption="Pagoda Red has moved to an Asian-inspired location with a garden close to Fulton Market" data-rich-file-id="566" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/566/original/pagodarednews.jpg" />

&bull;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/evanston-art-center--3">The Evanston Art Center</a> is moving to a new location on June 8. Their new home at 1717 Central St. will be state of the art and handicapped accessible. Their annual spring auction and benefit will take place in the new space on Saturday, May 16.

&bull; As of May 1 Valerie Carberry, Valerie Carberry Gallery, has joined Richard Gray Gallery as a partner. More info <a href="http://goo.gl/xn8Hqx">here</a>.&nbsp;

<h3>WELCOMES</h3>

&bull; We welcome <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/berlanga-fine-art-photographs">Berlanga Fine Art &bull; Photographs</a> to River North. The gallery, founded by Paul Berlanga, known to many from his work at Stephen Daiter Gallery, opened in March at 230 W. Superior.&nbsp;

&bull; Judith Rivera Contemporary Fine Art opened in a new space at 501 N. Wells. The Mexican abstract artist has also exhibited in a showroom at the River East Art Center.

&bull; <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/mlg-gallery">MLG Gallery</a>, owned by Michael LaConte, has opened in the West Loop at 1046 W. Fulton Market. The gallery shows contemporary emerging art.&nbsp;

&bull; Kruger Gallery Chicago opened in Lakeview in the Southport Corridor at 3709 N. Southport this past January. The gallery, also located in Marfa, TX, is dedicated to an avant garde ideal that art can be an agent for political and social change. The gallery represents mainly emerging artists working in a variety of media.

<img alt="" data-caption="Kruger Gallery has moved to the Southport Corridor. They are also located in Marfa, TX" data-rich-file-id="567" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/567/original/krugernews.jpg" />

&bull; Art Post Gallery in suburban Northbrook is in its 35th year. The gallery exhibits work by 125+ national and international artists and features traditional, transitional, and contemporary work. They also offer fine framing and painting restoration services.

&bull; Fermilab Art Gallery in Batavia, IL is located at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermilab&rsquo;s artist in residence program also seeks to stimulate interactions among scientists, artists and the public and is accepting applications for 2015/16. Tours, events and visitor programs at www.fnal.gov/pub/visiting/

&bull; We welcome back Cleve Carney Art Gallery at McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn at College of DuPage. The gallery will open a show featuring New Acquisitions from the Collection of Andree Stone in June.&nbsp;

&bull; Bruce Duncan&rsquo;s Northbrook-based Chicago Appraisers Association is new to our art services. Duncan has 49 years of experience.

&nbsp;

<h3>OTHER NEWS</h3>

&bull; <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/institutions/hyde-park-art-center-hpac">Hyde Park Art Center&rsquo;s</a> new Guida Family Creative Wing will house the Jackman Goldwasser Residency Program, the Thurow Digital Lab, artist studios, a teen learning center, and a flexible space for collaboration.&nbsp;

&bull; Several artists from <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/rhona-hoffman-gallery--2">Rhona Hoffman</a> are part of&nbsp;the Whitney Museum of Art in New York&#39;s&nbsp;first exhibition in their brand new space:&nbsp;Inaugural Exhibition:&nbsp;America is Hard to See from May 1 - September 27, 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;Artists included: Vito Acconci, Huma Bhabha, Luis Gispert, Sol Lewitt, Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gallery artist Spencer Finch is exhibiting a public artwork:&nbsp;Sunset Soft Serve as part of &quot;Drifting in Daylight: Art in Central Park&quot; this summer,&nbsp;May 15 - June 20, 2015 in&nbsp;Central Park&#39;s North End in New York.

<img alt="" data-caption="Spencer Finch, Sunset Soft Serve, 2008, Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, MO" data-rich-file-id="568" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/568/original/wqpr-icecream1.jpg" />

&bull; <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/zolla-lieberman-gallery">Zolla/Lieberman Gallery&#39;s</a> artist&nbsp;Deborah Butterfield is exhibiting her life-size contemporary horse sculptures at the Denver Botanic Gardens May 23&ndash;Oct 18.&nbsp;

&bull; <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/jean-albano-gallery">Jean Albano Gallery</a> artist Jules Feiffer was featured in a solo show at the Parrish Art Museum, NY with 150 original drawings from Kill My Mother, his recent graphic novel.

&bull; Photographer Art Shay will have a book signing at the Art Institute on May 2 from 4-5pm in&nbsp;Gallery 10 to mark a&nbsp;new installation in Gallery 10 celebrating the 93 year-old&nbsp;Shay&#39;s accomplishments and his recent generous gift to the Art Institute of Chicago of photographs from across his career. &nbsp;

Art Shay is one of Chicago&#39;s great photojournalists. With more than 25,000 published photographs&mdash;including more than 1,000 magazine covers&mdash;he has shaped the way we see the world on the printed page. For seven decades, Shay&#39;s camera has documented the famous and the downtrodden, the international and the local, the newsworthy and the intimate.

May-August 2015 News: Anniversaries, Moves and Welcomes

Monday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA)&nbsp;was a big night for ten local artists, thanks to the support of Chicago's 3Arts. The charity, devoted to supporting women artists, artists of color and artists with disabilities, hosts a special event each October to announce the year's lucky recipients of unrestricted grants - inspirational windfalls or bountiful financial relief packages that are always greatly appreciated. 3Arts' has always touted its mission of providing the means for artists to freely create art and build a sustainable career, but now the charity is&nbsp;expanding programming to include residency fellowships, project support, and professional development and promotion.&nbsp;This year for the 7th annual awards,&nbsp;the grants are worth more than ever: $25,000, up from $15,000&nbsp;in&nbsp;2013.&nbsp;To date, 3Arts has raised nearly $1.5 million to directly support artists. The recipients work in a variety of arts-related fields, including the performing, teaching and visual arts. This year’s 3Arts Award recipients are: dancer&nbsp;Darrell Jones&nbsp;and choreographer&nbsp;Erica Mott; circus choreographer&nbsp;Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi&nbsp;and playwright&nbsp;Calamity West; instrumentalists&nbsp;Brandi Berry&nbsp;and&nbsp;Carlos Mejía; visual artists&nbsp;Irina Botea&nbsp;and&nbsp;Amanda Williams; and teaching artists&nbsp;Sophia Nahli Allison&nbsp;and&nbsp;Samuel Roberson. Full bios are available at <a href="http://www.3arts.org">www.3arts.org</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/463/original/irina-botea.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/464/original/amanda-williams.jpg" alt=""></figure>

Big Money for Ten Lucky Chicago Artists

<h3>Passings</h3>Ruth Horwich was a spirited, devoted collector of art and a passionate patron of cultural institutions. She died July 21, 2014 at the age of 94. Ruth collected art with her late husband, Leonard, and she continued to actively collect after his death over 30 years ago. Some of Ruth’s most notable contributions to the Chicago cultural community were a collection of Alexander Calder mobiles and stabiles to the Museum of Contemporary Art (which she and her husband helped found) and the now iconic black and white Jean Dubuffet sculpture, Monument with a Standing Beast, installed outside the James R. Thompson Center. Ruth was chair of the Hyde Park Art Center for 40 years and a board member of Poetry magazine and the Art Institute of Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Anniversaries: 40, 25 and 10</h3>The University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art celebrates its 40th season in 2014–15 with two museum-wide exhibitions. Launching September 27, Carved, Cast, Crumpled: Sculpture All Ways takes over the entirety of the Museum. Following, Objects and Voices: A Collection of Stories (opening February 12, 2015) will showcase 17 micro-exhibitions by guest curators with a relationship to the Smart.&nbsp;Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, the city’s longest-running independent print&nbsp;workshop, is&nbsp;celebrating&nbsp;its 25th year with a retrospective, sponsored by The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, at Expo 72, opening November 14. The exhibition will feature over 50 CPC-affiliated artists and a mini workshop. A complimentary exhibit at&nbsp;Prairie State College will run November 17-December 11.The Golden Triangle, one of Chicago’s largest home furnishings stores and a national resource for fine Asian and European antiques, turns 25 this October. Established in 1989 by Douglas Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak, The Golden Triangle originally sold artifacts and antiques from Thailand. Today the store includes collectables from all over Asia and Europe, and, since 2006, modern furnishings made from reclaimed exotic hardwoods as well as contemporary Chicago-made case goods and upholstered sofas and chairs.Western Exhibitions marked its 10th anniversary this past summer. The gallery started out as a nomadic enterprise but opened as a West Loop brick and mortar space in 2004.&nbsp;The Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport will host The 10 Years of Art Innovation, a three-day event October 15-17. Brothers and artistic collaborators&nbsp;DaHuang and ShanZuo Zhou opened the center in 2004&nbsp;to create an art community to empower and mentor emerging artists. Events include an artist’s lunch, The Zhou B Gala, and Crossing Borders Third Friday.&nbsp;<h3>Moves and Changes</h3>Bert Green Fine Art has relocated to a new suite (#620) at 8 S. Michigan Ave.Pagoda Red Winnetka moved to 911 Green Bay Rd., just down from its previous location.KM Fine Arts moved from the John Hancock Center to 43 E. Oak Street, Suite B.&nbsp;Lawyers for the Creative Arts named Jan Feldman as Executive Director, following the retirement on May 1, 2014 of William Rattner. Rattner led the organization for 14 years.David Weinberg Gallery has a new mission: to provide an engaging environment for discourse on critical contemporary issues that concern our community. Joining artists with organizations in support and solidarity of their cause, the gallery will work to produce tangible change and cultivate a culture of consciousness.&nbsp;<h3>Welcome to CGN</h3>We are pleased to welcome Alan Koppel Gallery, 806 N. Dearborn, just off Chicago Ave. between River North and Michigan Ave. Moberg Gallery at deAurora in the Merchandise Mart, Ste. 1499, features contemporary painting and sculpture paired with the finest quality furnishings and accessories.&nbsp;In the West Loop Western Exhibitions, 845 W. Washington, represents a varied roster of conceptually-minded, visually innovative artists. The gallery also maintains an inventory of artist books and multiples, gathered as a sister entity and website, WesternXeditions.com. Aspect/Ratio, run by owner Jefferson Godard at 119 N. Peoria, is unique in Chicago, specializing in contemporary video art by emerging and established artists.&nbsp;In Pilsen Colby Gallery, 1626 W. 18th St., showcases avant-garde international artists.&nbsp;Regards is a brand new space at 2216 W. Chicago in Ukrainian Village run by wife-and-husband Natalie Popovic Schuh and Mike Schuh.&nbsp;In Joliet Bullet Fine Art specializes in the “Graphic Fine Art” works of artist/designer/photographer “Bullet.” Gallery Seven is a fine art photography gallery located in historic downtown Joliet, featuring work by nine participating co-op photographers.The Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion at University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign is the second largest general fine art museum in Illinois and cares for the University of Illinois art collection. The museum is affiliated with the School of Art + Design at Illinois and the College of Fine + Applied Arts.Ayla’s Originals is a bead and jewelry boutique on the North Shore in Evanston.&nbsp;Bardo Consulting Group, Inc. helps clients acquire, maintain and disperse valuables through a network of specialists in appraisal, estate planning, conservation, framing, finance, insurance, law, security and taxation.Cynthia Noble Private Art Tours and Events offers private guided visits to art museums, galleries, private collections and public sculpture and architecture in Chicago and beyond.&nbsp;

News: Anniversaries, Moves and Welcomes

<h3>&ldquo;PERSONAL PROPERTY VALUATION COURSE SERIES&rdquo;</h3>

In partnership with the American Society of Appraisers, <a href="https://grahamschool.uchicago.edu/">The University of Chicago Graham School</a> offers a four-course series designed to prepare you for professional appraisal work and the USPAP exam. These classes focus on valuation methods that are common to all appraisers.&nbsp;

About the Program 
As the only ASA approved location in the Midwest, The University of Chicago Graham School is able to provide quality courses to a wide variety of students. Through this series, you will gain the specialized knowledge and practical hands-on experience to competently produce appraisals for a variety of specific objectives such as insurance coverage, estate tax, damage claims, charitable contributions, sale, dissolution of marriage, and equitable distribution and liquidation.

Program Structure 
Personal Property Valuation 201 &ndash; 204 must be taken in sequence. Each of the four courses is offered over a four-day period, beginning on Wednesday and ending on Saturday afternoon. This allows our course sessions to be travel-friendly to our out-of-state students.

Program Requirements 
An exam is administered at the end of each course.&nbsp; You must receive a passing grade in each course in order to enroll in the next course in the sequence.

The first course in the new series begins Wednesday, January 29.&nbsp; Register by Tuesday, January 28 by visiting <a href="https://grahamschool.uchicago.edu/noncredit/certificates/american-society-appraisers/index">grahamschool.uchicago.edu/ASCHGN.</a>

American Society of Appraisers 

Yes, collecting art really is something you can 'learn' to do. Collecting art is not so much complicated as intimidating, and the recent Collectors Colloquium was launched as a way to provide interested art enthusiasts with an overview of the art world and to give access to some local experts who can share their wisdom and insights.&nbsp; At the end of the course, participants will have learned some basics, met others who are also interested in art, and hopefully seen first hand how open and welcoming our art scene is. Art collecting isn't really a 101 course you can check off your list and be done with - Ah ha!&nbsp; I've learned how to spot the most valuable up-and-coming artists in order to make my investing forture! - it's a very personal, subjective experience that depends on your own taste and interests.&nbsp; Everyone says it, but it's true. You should buy the best art that you can afford, and you should buy work that you love - ie: you're willing to live with it and enjoy it for a very long time. &nbsp; But there are some helpful starting points to developing your eye and making smarter choices.&nbsp; Most people need some kind of direction to get started.&nbsp; Like any other dynamic topic, discussion is a big part of the learning process.&nbsp; If you've joined us already, we're pleased to have you along for the journey, as you are well on your way to a rewarding life-long pursuit to living a unique life by having art as a part of your life.&nbsp; If you haven't had a chance to join us yet, there's still time!&nbsp; And we of course would like to offer more classes like this in the future.&nbsp; To be notified of future collecting groups, please <a href="http://info@chicagogallerynews.com">email us</a>. Chicago is home to many unique galleries, artists and cultural institutions, and there are a wealth of creative resources to explore and make your own.&nbsp; Welcome to the journey! - CGNSESSIONS TO DATE:• A Passion for Collecting - Discussions with younger collectors who have been in the game for awhile and who have their own very personal stories of art and collecting passions.&nbsp; Panelists shared their collecting philosophies as well as resources.• In the White Cube - An evening with area art dealers who've nurtured the careers of younger artists, developed friendships with collectors, and those who have worked to spotlight emerging artists as well as those who may have been overlooked.&nbsp;• On the Auction Block - an evening with art experts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, one of the area's most visible and successful auction operations.&nbsp; Collectors learned the sport of buying at auction as well as the sophisticated nature of the auction treasure hunt (and the spectacular values one can find!)NEXT UP&nbsp;• Eye for Hire (February 28, 2012 hosted by Kavi Gupta Gallery, 835 W. Washington) This session will provide an overview of the art advisory profession, and help attendees understand why collectors hire art advisors.&nbsp;• Art as Investment + The (Art) Fair Game (March 27, 2012) This session will provide an overview of how and why works of art appreciate.&nbsp; We'll also cover some highlights of the local and national art fair scene and provide an overview of how to navigate an art fair, particularly now that you've met some other like-minded art enthusiasts!Participants are still welcome to attend on an indiviudal as well as video basis - please email <a href="http://info@chicagogallerynews.com">info@chicagogallerynews.com </a>for more information.

Learn to be an Art Collector

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

Buzz abounded with the stunning news that the 30-year old Art Chicago fair (renamed Next Art Chicago but never mounted as such) has been cancelled by fair owner Merchandise Mart Properties (MMPI) a little more than 2 months before it was due to take place in late April.&nbsp; Many in the art community are disappointed at the news and will have to rearrange their spring calendars and adjust to the first spring in Chicago without an art fair in 30 years.&nbsp; Still on the cultural horizon will be the Merchandise Mart&#39;s venerable International Antiques Fair, April 27-30, and the new EXPO Chicago taking place at Navy Pier.

MMPI had this to say about the abrupt cancellation of Next Art Chicago via an emailed press release to vendors and partners:

After a thorough analysis of the art fair landscape, MMPI has determined not to move forward with the production of the 2012 edition of Next Art Chicago, and that Chicago will not remain a primary focus of its art fair business activities...It is our conclusion that the great majority of the art fair market in the United States has gravitated toward the coasts.&nbsp; This is where MMPI will be reallocating its considerable resources.

CGN featured an article by writer Kevin Nance in our January-March issue discussing why Chicago collectors don&#39;t collect Chicago art - a question that has dogged many in the art community for many years.&nbsp; Nance gave an overview of the ongoing Pacific Standard Time survey of art in LA.&nbsp; CGN&#39;s publisher also talked about why Chicago is always caught in the middle between New York and LA, when really we have legs up on both ciities because of some uniquely midwestern strengths that just happen to get overlooked.&nbsp; The Merchandise Mart was the owner of Art Chicago for just a brief time period, but unfortunately it chose to move &#39;its considerable resources&#39; &#39;toward the coasts&#39; - therefore chasing the same trendy dreams others have already been seeking.&nbsp; Chicago&#39;s been down this road before and has been left for younger, sexier enticements, but we&#39;ve also survived as much many times over.&nbsp;

Now, we look 100% hopefully and earnestly towards Expo Chicago, the highly anticipated truly international art fair that will be launching in Chicago&#39;s original art fair confines, Navy Pier by the lake, September 20-23, 2012.&nbsp; The long-running SOFA art fair, founded in Chicago, also at Navy Pier, also takes place again this fall for the 19th year.&nbsp; Onward and upward!

<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-08/entertainment/ct-ent-0209-art-expo-dead-20120208_1_art-chicago-ken-tyburski-mark-falanga">The Chicago Tribune </a>also reported on the story.