<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419395/ou9rl55ahwj5k26cooys.jpg"><figcaption>Artist's visualization of what ABH's new home might look like after renovations.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By CGN StaffWe recently heard that plans are underway, once again, for the construction of a permanent home for the Artists Book House, a space founded by author and artist Audrey Niffenegger and formerly planned to open in Evanston in 2026. Now the center will open on Chicago's north side in the Old Irving Park neighborhood, and it will open in phases according to levels of completion. &nbsp;&nbsp;An artist's book is an art object. Whereas a book contains mostly text and accompanying illustrations or photographs, an artist's book is a vehicle for artistic expression. An artist uses the form of a book and then chooses the other artistic elements to elevate the book, from design to materials, layout and structure.Niffenegger envisioned ABH as a new kind of center to foster the creation of artists book as well as to celebrate them. She has made artists books herself and founded Columbia College's Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts. Niffenegger also taught in the school's MFA in Book and Paper Arts program. Artists Book House was originally going to occupy an extensively renovated historic lakefront mansion in suburban Evanston, but in January 2023 while facing increasingly insurmountable renovation costs, ABH's board decided to forgo their current plans and to reconsider where the center's home should be. &nbsp;In her announcement about the new location plans, Niffenegger shared,&nbsp;"I am delighted to report that Artists Book House has a new home: 4207 West Irving Park Road, in Chicago. This is a single-story, double storefront in the charming Old Irving Park neighborhood. It is near the Irving Park stops on the Blue Line and the Union Pacific Northwest Metra line. It’s just west of 90/94. It should be easy to visit us!"Niffenegger also asked for critical donations of equipment or other helpful objects, as well of course—money. The ABH board is now working to advance design and construction plans for a bookshop, gallery, library, and studios for papermaking, printing, and bookbinding and seems to be on course to open around their originally planned date after all.&nbsp;To keep up with plans as they happen or to support ABH visit <a href="https://artistsbookhouse.org">artistsbookhouse.org</a>You may read CGN's <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2021/9/inpursuit-of-bookish-things-audrey-niffenegger-on-building-artists-book-house-a-home-in-evanston">2021 interview</a> with Niffenegger here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Audrey Niffenegger Announces New Location and Plans for Artists Book House

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419395/y0zz1cxmgge6qqjiui4o.jpg"><figcaption>John McKinnon</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEALast month it was announced that John McKinnon, executive director of the Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois, has been named the next director of the <a href="https://www.marquette.edu/news-center/2024/marquette-announces-new-director-of-haggerty-museum-of-art.php">Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University</a> in Milwaukee. McKinnon succeeds Emilia Layden, who has served as acting director since July 2023.McKinnon will begin in the role on July 8, joining the Haggerty Museum of Art as it prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary over the course of the 2024-25 academic year. Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee.&nbsp;“Following a year of strong leadership by acting director Emilia Layden, the Haggerty is entering a period of tremendous growth and opportunity,” Dr. John Su, vice provost for academic affairs and student success, said. “Our committee sought a candidate who could build on the Haggerty’s foundation of high impact academic and community engagement and take the institution to the next level. John is warm, energetic, a collaborative leader, and we’re delighted that he is joining the Marquette and Milwaukee community.”McKinnon has 17 years of experience leading teams, managing an organization’s creative output, cultivating community support, and overseeing growth, doing so at the Elmhurst Art Museum, Society for Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. In 2022, he was featured in Newcity Design's “Design 50: The Fifty People Who Shape Chicago.”“I admire the Haggerty Museum of Art’s nearly 40-year history as a laboratory for the Marquette campus and greater Milwaukee area with a deep commitment to transformative experiences of art and culture,” McKinnon said. “I look forward to leading this uniquely positioned and free-to-the-public institution into its next chapter.”Over the last seven years McKinnon dynamically changed the Elmhurst Art Museum physically and philosophically. After successfully fundraising and restoring Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House, McKinnon then led efforts to better establish the organization’s identity as a center for art, architecture, and education. He successfully steered the organization through COVID closures and impacts, shepherded policies and partnerships to create a more equitable cultural space for the community, made significant facility upgrades through capital campaigns, and greatly increased the museum’s audience through the acquisition of an annual two-day arts festival.Prior to the Elmhurst Art Museum, McKinnon was the program director of the Society for Contemporary Art, where he worked with donors and collectors to support contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago. He oversaw the independent nonprofit's budgets, operations, membership, programming, fundraising, marketing and art acquisitions. McKinnon also spent nearly four years at the Milwaukee Art Museum, where he oversaw several major exhibitions as assistant curator of modern and contemporary art. He also acted as the main liaison of the Contemporary Art Society, coordinating their programming and fundraisers.McKinnon's move north will be something of a home coming, as he went to college in Madison and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in art. He then received two master’s degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago in art and arts administration.The Haggerty Museum of Art connects people—on campus, in the community, and around the world—to art, to ideas, and to one another. The museum uses the interdisciplinary lens of art to cultivate knowledge, insight, understanding, and belonging, all in service of Marquette University’s commitment to care for the whole person.&nbsp;</body></html>

Elmhurst Art Museum's Director Moving to Haggerty Museum in Milwaukee 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419390/qjxik5jburd8gwvijth7.jpg"><figcaption>Driehaus Museum: Nickerson Mansion (left) and Murphy Auditorium (right)</figcaption></figure>Via PRCHICAGO (May 23, 2024) – Today, the Driehaus Museum, at Wabash and Erie, is proud to announce that its John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium has received City of Chicago landmark designation. The Driehaus Museum is now comprised of two landmarked buildings – the 1926 Murphy Auditorium and the 1883 Nickerson Mansion. Following the Museum’s restoration of the historic building, it will officially reopen the Murphy Auditorium as part of its campus on June 21.The restoration of the historic Murphy Auditorium began in summer 2023 and included restoring the main auditorium on the ground floor to its original grandeur, enhancing it with modern lighting, and creating a leveled, unified, and accessible seating area to make it a world-class venue for music, events, and programs that support the Museum’s mission and allow it to open its doors wider to the community. The project also renewed former office space above the auditorium to create a dynamic new Learning Center with art and maker studios, new offices, seminar rooms, and an 800-square foot outdoor terrace on the top floor. Summer programs on the campus will be kicked off with a weekend of free admissionincluding access to the exhibition Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective from Friday at 11AM, June 21 to Sunday, June 23, also ushering in the Museum’s expanded hours and added amenities&nbsp;According to Driehaus Executive Director Lisa Key, “It is thrilling for us to complete this important renovation creating a new Museum campus, offering visitors not only an incredible museum of art, architecture, and design, but now a newly rejuvenated auditorium that will add a vital and dynamic public space to the cultural campus in Chicago that will continue toincrease the historical profile of this great city of architecture.” Key added, “It was museum founder, Richard H. Driehaus, who had the vision to combine these historic buildings into one museum campus. We are so happy this vision has come to fruition and now this expansion allows us to extend our work outward in the larger community.”“It was a huge relief to learn about the Driehaus Museum expanding its campus into the adjacent Murphy Memorial. There are not many options for finding an appropriate re-use that would respect the historic character of such a monumentally scaled historic building while at same time providing a positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood,” said Tim Samuelson, the Cultural Historian Emeritus of the City of Chicago. “The Driehaus Museum has been a thoughtful community partner and valuable neighborhood asset for the past twenty years, and its expansion into the Murphy makes something great even greater!”To become a more accessible and visible part of the community and Chicago’s cultural landscape, starting June 26, the Driehaus Museum will offer expanded hours and free admission on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 7pm. The restoration project also refreshed the Museum’s amenities including a larger coat check and renovated bathrooms. Guests to the Museum will now enter through the Murphy’s Tiffany-designed doors at 50 East Erie, and the Museum’s address will officially change to 50 East Erie.Antunovich and Associates and Bulley &amp; Andrews, both of whom were involved in the extensive renovation of the Nickerson Mansion from 2003-2008, were the architecture and building partners for the Murphy Auditorium. The opening of the updated building will present a full suite of new programming tied to the Driehaus Museum’s strategic vision, along with a range of activities and events, both public and private, for the community.&nbsp;ABOUT THE MURPHY AUDITORIUMLocated at 50 East Erie, the six-story, 32,193-square-foot French Renaissance-style building, purchased by the Driehaus Museum in 2022, was built between 1923 and 1926 by the American College of Surgeons. Designed by noted Chicago architects Benjamin Marshall and Charles E. Fox of Marshall and Fox, the Murphy was used originally to host meetingsand serve as a center for education in surgery. Its iconic exterior is Marshall’s interpretation of the double-columned, two-story façade and flanking entry staircase of the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Consolation (1900) in Paris.The building features a pair of cast bronze doors designed by Tiffany Studios at the front entrance, comprised of six panels depicting prominent figures in the history of medicine. It also has a towering, multicolored stained-glass window inside the auditorium. It was built as a memorial to founding member John B. Murphy, MD, FACS. Dr. Murphy was regarded worldwide as the greatest clinical educator of his generation, and known for performing a life-saving surgery on President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.&nbsp;SUMMER EXHIBITIONChicago Collects: Jewelry In PerspectiveMay 23 to September 23, 2024Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective is an exhibition of over two hundred pieces of rare and historically significant jewelry from the 17th century to the present, all from prominent Chicago collections. This first-of-its- kind exhibition includes a range of never-seen-before jewelry and decorative arts objects from the Richard H. Driehaus Collection alongside objects from the Chicago History Museum, the Field Museum, and the Lizzardo Museum of Lapidary Art, among loans from other Chicago collections. The exhibition is organized by jewelry historian and author Elyse Zorn Karlin, guest curator of the Museum’s popular 2015 exhibition Maker and Muse: Women and 20th Century Art Jewelry.&nbsp;SUMMER PROGRAMSWalking Chicago's AlleysJune 15, July 13, August 17, September 28, 11:00-12:30 pm$35 General, $17 StudentPlenty can be learned by walking Chicago’s streets, but a whole hidden history can be seen in its alleys. Visitors can discover how Chicago became the alleyway capital of the country, dig into the history of urban trash, and see Chicago architecture from a new perspective on this alleyway walking tour. Curator and historian Madeline Crispell will trace a route through the Gold Coast and end at the Driehaus Museum, covering everything from how activists like Jane Addams worked to clean up the alleyways to how a new generation of green alleys can help the city adapt to a changing climate.&nbsp;Brick of Chicago Summer Walking ToursJune 26 (6-7pm), July 17 (2-3pm), August 7 (6-7pm), September 4 (2-3pm)$35 General, $17 StudentWill Quam&nbsp;is an architecture photographer and historian based in Chicago.&nbsp;In his popular walking tours, Quam shows visitors a variety of bricks and brick designs used in the city of Chicago. Quam leads a tour in the area around the Driehaus Museum, including the Medinah Temple and the Allerton Hotel.&nbsp;Jewelry Heist Night: Murph the Surf Film Screening and TalkbackWednesday, July 31, 5:30pm$25 General, $15 Student 18+ ​Throughout the run of Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective, the Driehaus Museum hosts ‘Jewelry Heist Night’ film screenings of classic heist films and talkbacks with film experts. The 1975 film Murph the Surf chronicles the audacious 1964 heist of the J.P. Morgan jewel collection from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Dubbed "The Greatest Jewel Heist of the 20th Century," the film will be introduced by Chicago Collects guest curator, Elyse Karlin, who will set the context for the film with a primer on the visuals and narrative.&nbsp;Jewelry Heist Night: Topkapi Film Screening and TalkbackThursday, August 15, 5:30pm$25 General, $15 Student 18+ Throughout the run of Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective, the Driehaus Museum hosts ‘Jewelry Heist Night’ film screenings of classic heist films and talkbacks with film experts. In the 1964 film Topkapi, the elegant thief Elizabeth Lipp and the cunning criminal mastermind Walter Harper join forces to orchestrate the heist of a lifetime: the theft of an emerald-encrusted dagger housed within Istanbul's prestigious Topkapi Palace. The film will be introduced by School of the Art Institute Professor Bruce Jenkins, who will set the context for the film with a primer on the creative team behind the film.Jewelry Heist Night: Ocean’s Eight Film Screening and TalkbackMonday, September 16, 5:30pm$25 General, $15 Student 18+ Throughout the run of Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective, the Driehaus Museum hosts ‘Jewelry Heist Night’ film screenings of classic heist films and talkbacks with film experts. In the stylish and empowering Ocean’s Eight (2018) starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, Debbie Ocean leads an elite, all-female team of thieves and experts in a daring scheme. Their target: the dazzling $150 million diamond necklace adorning the neck of the glamorous actress Daphne Kluger, set to make its debut at the prestigious Met Gala. The film will be introduced by School of the Art Institute adjunct Professor Patricia Erens, who will set the context for the film with a primer on the visuals and narrative.&nbsp;ABOUT THE DRIEHAUS MUSEUMThe Driehaus Museum engages and inspires the global community through exploration and ongoing conversations in art, architecture, and design of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are presented in an immersive experience within the restored Nickerson Mansion, completed in 1883, at the height of the Gilded Age, and the Murphy Auditorium, built in 1926. The Museum’s collection reflects and is inspired by the collecting interests, vision, and focus of its founder, the late Richard H. Driehaus. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.driehausmuseum.org/">driehausmuseum.org</a> and connect with the Museum on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Driehaus-Museum/362867207176025">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DriehausMuseum">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/driehausmuseum/">Instagram</a>.&nbsp;# # #</body></html>

Driehaus Museum Reopens Landmark Murphy Memorial and Announces Free Visit Days in June

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419390/j37rflj70eydl9g8jdzr.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAI'm incredibly sad to share that Jason Pickleman passed away on May 12, 2024. He was 59.&nbsp;Jason was a visionary, a lover of and creator of design, an artist, a collector, a party person and a cultural dilettante, he once told me. Along with his wife and partner Leslie Bodenstein, Jason founded JNL Graphic Design in 1992, which operated until 2023. Pickleman specialized in creating design that could be elevated to the same level as fine art, and in many cases that design stood on its own as art objects. Jason also ran Lawrence and Clark Gallery for several years, showing works from his own collection alongside practicing artists and even mail-in art. He also founded PICKLEMAN, an art advisory in his design studio. JNL was behind countless artistic synthesis, from catalogues and books to packaging and brands.&nbsp;Jason's indelible productions were the result of consuming as much visual culture as he could, day in and day out. He loved sharing art as much as he loved exploring and learning about it. I, and so many others, certainly benefitted from Jason's generous spirit and his wisdom. He was behind CGN's system for organizing the galleries and gallery districts in the early days of the magazine when Natalie van Straaten was publisher. He was a sounding board for me when we introduced the new annual CGN Arts Guide in 2017. And he became a contributor to CGN in 2021, somehow managing to write beautiful articles about a range of notable artistic contributions–from Ray Johnson to Keith Haring–in addition to everything else he was juggling in his daily life.&nbsp;A couple years ago I came across an old snapshot of myself standing on Michigan Avenue in April under a yellow street banner for Art Chicago, designed by Jason Pickleman. I was 14 in that photo, and of course I had no idea that so many of my future springs (and falls) would connect to Chicago's art fair season and to a professional path crossing with Jason. I sent the photo Jason asking if he could believe it, and he said it made him smile. I know I will always do the same when I remember Jason.&nbsp;We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and everyone else we know who loved him dearly. Thank you Jason.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419391/mxfdvkkipwd8qt20excq.jpg"><figcaption>Works from <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2023/7/making-time-for-joy-a-designer-s-exhibition-pays-tribute-to-the-art-of-design">Making Time for Joy</a> at The Suburban in Milwaukee, summer 2o23</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Read Jason's contributions to CGN below.<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2016/8/collector-jason-pickleman-s-creative-life">2016 collector interview</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2021/9/book-report-ray-johnson-c-o">Book Report: Ray Johnson c/o</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2022/5/book-report-the-clip-on-method">Book Report: THE CLIP-ON METHOD</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2022/9/sculpture-report-keith-haring-s-self-portrait">Sculpture Report: Keith Haring’s Self-Portrait</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2023/6/felix-gonzalez-torres-untitled-1995-billboard">Felix Gonzalez-Torres “Untitled”, 1995, Billboard</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Jason Pickleman (1965–2024)

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419390/wbozcy0gktnfxc7bmz3p.png"></figure>CGN Staff via PRAn event that has become a mainstay of the fall cultural calendar is the River North Design District's&nbsp;Annual Fall Gallery Walk. The 9th edition of the walk will be presented this year by Sherwin-Williams&nbsp;and will take place Friday, September 6, 2024, the opening of the fall art season in the River North gallery district.&nbsp;Showrooms will feature an array of fine artists and designer vignettes, along with special events throughout River North in area galleries and businesses.&nbsp;Each participating showroom and art gallery will be exhibiting artwork created by some of the most influential artists in the art world today. This year, Chicago’s top designers will select their favorite art and create inspirational vignettes in each participating showroom.&nbsp;During the Gallery Walk, all showrooms and galleries will be open extended hours from 5-8 pm.&nbsp;&nbsp;Some showrooms will be open on Saturday, September 7 (list to come). Temporary exhibitions in the showrooms will be on display through October 7.&nbsp;&nbsp;The event is free and open to the public except for the VIP kick off and after-party.&nbsp;The walk begins with a VIP kick off party at The Luxury Bed Collection, 120 West Hubbard St, from 4:30-6pm. From 8-11pm, a safari themed after-party concludes the walk at Lightology, 215 West Chicago Ave,&nbsp;featuring special performances and an auction consisting of artist decorated illuminated Seletti primates. Tickets are $55 each per event in advance and will go on sale in July.Participating showrooms for the walk include: Heritage Auctions, Oscar Isberian, ARMAZEM.design, Daltile, The Luxury Bed Collection, Lightology, Moblili Möbel, California Closets, TOTO, O’Brien Harris, 210 Design House, Artists Frame Service, bulthaup, Kohler Signature Store by Studio41, Studio41, Altalia Furniture, Roca Tile, Farrow &amp; Ball, Molteni&amp;C, Rimadesio and Poliform.&nbsp;&nbsp;Participating designers include: Honsen Interiors, Navy Black Studio, Interiors by Francesca, Yamini Designs, Stone Textile Studio, Bridgette Haulenbeek Interiors, Xcēd Design Build, Hailey&nbsp;Lauren Designs, Epic Interiors, Zach Hayes Design, KP Home, En Masse Architecture and Design, VF Interiors, Elizabeth Krueger Design, Unpatterned, the workshop design studio, SKIN Interior Design, Tom Stringer Design Partners, KBS Interior Design, Beige by Michael Morganti, and MegMade.Participating Art Galleries and consultants include: Alma Art + Interiors, Daniel Kinkade Fine Art, Jean Albano, City Haus Chicago, and gallery 1871.&nbsp;&nbsp;Special exhibition&nbsp;featuring DIFFA Art for Life Pop Up with artists&nbsp;Samantha Haring, Jeff Cote, and Ramin Takloo Bighash&nbsp;curated by Oliver Aguilar.Artists include: Sam Goble, Michael Alan Kaskel, Martina Nehrling, Bobbi Meier, Seon Young Lee,&nbsp;Melissa Herrington and Sara Schneckloth, Steven Haulenbeek, Studio Heron, Sonya Benham, Dan Nelson,&nbsp;Michela Colognese, Diana Noh, Fontaine Scarelli, Adriana Miranda, &nbsp;Jonathan Pliego, Opame Pop Up featuring artist Atelier Nue, Brenda Jackson, Donna Drapeau, Michiko Itatani, Marketa Sivek, Magdalena Krzak, Laurie Kwo, and Yaha.RNDD announced it is partnering with Sherwin-Williams, Heritage Auctions, MDA Lites, Terrazzo &amp; Marble Supply Co, Euro-Marble, LG Group, Ferguson Bath Kitchen &amp; Lighting Gallery, Hardly Water, Mammoth Distilling, Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago, Chicago Gallery News, Kennicott Brothers, Art Encounter, Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID IL), The Merchandise Mart, River North Residents Association, National Association of the Remodeling Industry,&nbsp;BIACG,&nbsp;SOAR, and WCA.RNDD also shared plans to "party with purpose" and align with philanthropic partners Humble Design and the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation.The event’s host committee includes: Dina Bair, WGN Newscaster, Daniel Kinkade, Daniel Kinkade Fine Art, Randy Fifield, Randy Fifield Modern Living, Jeffrey Johnson, Jeffrey Johnson Pictures, Nicole Flevaris, Kinzie Chop House, and Nina Mariano, Dom’s Chicago.&nbsp;Check RNDD's&nbsp;<a href="https://rivernorthdesigndistrict.com/rndd-fall-gallery-walk/">website</a>&nbsp;for periodic event updates.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;About River North Design DistrictThe River North Design District, founded in 2013, is a local community that boasts interior design offerings that are accessible to both designers and consumers. &nbsp;The showrooms carry&nbsp;everything from lighting, tile, plumbing, rugs, and kitchens to furnishings- everything one needs to create a one-of-a-kind haven. The participating showrooms pride themselves on providing a shopping experience that is both unique and personalized. &nbsp;Each showroom is located on street level, which allows customers to stroll along and enjoy the neighborhood.&nbsp;Please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://rivernorthdesigndistrict.com/">https://rivernorthdesigndistrict.com</a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;</body></html>

RNDD Fall Gallery Walk Planned for September 6, 2024

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419385/ei1s6r9969ymiqzf9wak.jpg"><figcaption>Ann Nathan in her gallery. Photo from Betsy Nathan.</figcaption></figure>By GINNY VAN ALYEAWe heard this afternoon that Ann Nathan passed away at age 98 yesterday. Daughter Betsy Nathan, of Chicago's Pagoda Red, shared the news.&nbsp;I never actually knew how old Ann ever was, but many of us were always guessing. I suppose that is how Ann, a woman who was always full of surprises and new endeavors, wanted it.&nbsp;Ann worked in the employment agency business for over 27 years, eventually running multiple agencies. When she grew tired of that work, ceramicist Ruth Duckworth encouraged her to try her skills elsewhere and move into a 200-square foot Ravenswood studio in Duckworth's pickle factory. Ann opened a gallery, Objects, around 1986.&nbsp;Though the space was tiny, she showed jewelry and ceramics – small, functional objects, Ann had to be creative with every inch of space, including pedestals that opened up and doubled as storage space.Eventually it was time for the gallery to grow, and Ann relocated from the north side to River North, nearer to downtown. She was there until the River North fire in April 1989 forced her to close briefly. She reopened in a large ground floor space on Superior Street as Ann Nathan Gallery.&nbsp;I got to know Ann back in 2002 when I first arrived at Chicago Gallery News and our office was around the corner from her eponymous Superior Street gallery. As shared in my interview with Ann a few years ago, when I first started working for CGN, Natalie van Straaten, CGN’s founder and my boss at the time, would ask after my neighborhood visits to area art dealers, whom I had seen, and what impressions they had made on me. A telling factor as to the character of a dealer was often how they would treat the lowest person on the totem pole (me).One of the most welcoming figures was Ann Nathan. Though she could have dismissed me as a young person who knew little about art or the area, she showed curiosity and was gracious with me. I found her to be a little bit of a mystery, but she was as intriguing and inviting as her expansive loft space on West Superior Street.Ann closed her gallery in 2016, but she continued to stay connected to art as well as her large family.&nbsp;I had the opportunity to visit Ann at home with two of her daughters in late 2019 to interview her for the spring 2020 issue of CGN. I felt so fortunate at the time, and especially again now, to have had the chance to spend time together before the pandemic made in-person interviews impossible for awhile.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2020/5/art-dealer-ann-nathan-the-perpetual-collector">You may read the interview here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Trailblazing Art Dealer Ann Nathan Has Died at 98

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/qfdayc7oy2irdxznwryw.jpg"><figcaption>Pat Steir (American, b. 1938) Small Ghost Waterfall, 1993 Sold for $533,400</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Via PRCHICAGO – Work by Gertrude Abercrombie, Olga de Amaral, Louise Nevelson, and Pat Steir beat their estimates selling for six figures in Freeman’s | Hindman’s <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRC-2Bk1jCu-2FjBuvLJa07KkVhmDRp8j2M1pmx206u7RIzsqYERuKAy2XwPc89g4r3Z54E-3D-RFt_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn6RB1-2BWZ2rKdtfCrhqclGuQoZTRQ6V235reElvwvokJo3VW-2FJ4pTo392CUy2tw24qfp2FzMnToHJQvZUsXZGBcsqqWa4F08K7X-2BUWx-2BC1H-2FrlI-2B2nAUHal7LUzyA-2Fx46XFWaeigZDB5U2CD-2FlH9U3QxMEcXOFX6YBpfjymhPNWMrg-3D-3D">Post War and Contemporary Art auction</a> on April 24. On the day, seven works sold for over $100,000, four of them created by female artists, spearheading Freeman’s | Hindman to a $2.9 million total.“We were thrilled to see so much spirited bidding in our Post War &amp; Contemporary auction,” said Zachary S. Wirsum, Freeman’s | Hindman’s senior vice president and head of the Post War and Contemporary Art department. “It was especially pleasing to see top notch examples by previously overlooked female artists soar well beyond their estimates.”A Clear Demand for Female ArtistsWorks by female artists proved to be the most coveted lots of the day accounting for just over half of the sale’s total at $1.5 million, including three of the top five lots of the day.Pat Steir’s (American, b. 1938) sizeable 1993 oil on canvas <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRClBBElBYNOw8TyesjzL0fZXK0-2FzZaFeUSoOkgN1YBwEezlt4qChOi-2Bvbv6ZJl7R50-3DuiXm_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn7jp9ZI2nT0Cv8i3CePC2OzI9OWv1HkaZOZnVBTbxDIS3tcgpUde2v-2Fwx2-2Bl3hRYg7weiEMOMt-2BKLKtqs9EOkaWzo2S9OyixKPMk44iJ76bvNeS2HYazdf5e3GOxccs59JS0xX94w4sq9wjoDY1ZZWdYUGMYv30dznPfQw5ruB0ew-3D-3D">Small Ghost Waterfall</a> was the top lot of the day selling for $533,400, more than double its presale estimate. Quintessentially Steir, the piece manages to walk the fine line between abstraction and atmosphere. Steir used a variety of mark-making techniques to emphasize movement and chance, making a connection between word and image to immerse the view into the painting’s specific frame of mind.<figure class="image"><img src="https://meltwater-apps-production.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/5e38472c6c3a3a00184b210f/image_52158373341714070729508_1714070730627.jpg"></figure> Olga de Amaral (Colombia, b. 1932) Cesta Lunar 35, 1989-90 Sold for $304,800A remarkable textile piece from Columbian artist Olga de Amaral (b. 1932) more than tripled its presale estimate selling for $304,800. <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRDTzQWoIsQ98H98XGW7zG7Rj-2B1cj9BZmAPNa51kCx4W9edEOmDwybUnWAVpyfbM5m4-3DeatJ_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn4AKbpYGCxUXqzdVcQ7G8DSNierVVakcs5uho0-2FbCGJeO0kPgZ-2BYewrZmP6MxQiuml1My1qh5Z0LS-2FLWCIztcdtEhlOH-2FWYrumwyNBvj91xP9Q5AISEfyKyW6-2Fk9mnrGnORhJFC1P79hEXlrjl56xSnekdlTal8-2F18lGIbQnxkABQ-3D-3D">Cesta Lunar 35</a> (1990) is a sweeping, shimmering work comprised of paint and gold leaf enmeshed in fibers, bright gold threads cascading down to a rich violet umber. The piece is an excellent example of the cosmic voyages taken in de Amaral’s Cesta Lunares (Moon Baskets) series.<figure class="image"><img src="https://meltwater-apps-production.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/images/5e38472c6c3a3a00184b210f/image_35709780851714070729508_1714070730516.jpg"></figure> Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) Giraffe and Moon with Volcano (Giraffe and Volcano #2), 1951 Sold for $266,700Of course, no Freeman’s | Hindman Post War and Contemporary Art auction would be complete without a piece by Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977) vaulting past its estimate. In this sale, <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRC-2BUtfqUmK4Wl941AhVv6jQU-2FfaiTAGiYovEqp7xp0tbecMtNQoLj2TE8pPigwUW2Q2s1Z37MsE8Fv-2Bwi-2FjgbxAjzfhBepmZeYSVW211gmR2Q-3D-3DqRvH_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn5CZFTen8pYeWUFw-2BZnl3ksYBAGQGOL4lhu-2FZh7Hv5GlsbLH9STNwkcz6L47gnw2LlSzQZukOKAOIYOyxVG2yst-2BaZcWJjF6YNAnlybEehunO8syjaisGncLHqGY8m-2FydFLBfIp7Hehmzfigg7QGXgE4-2BWedUiNclNYs9VFZYhXtA-3D-3D">Giraffe and Moon with Volcano (Giraffe and Volcano #2)</a> had the honor of besting its estimate by more than $200,000 selling for $266,700. As aptly named as ever by Abercrombie, the piece depicts a giraffe reaching to touch a low-hanging crescent moon in an austere landscape. Abercrombie did many paintings of giraffes throughout her career and the volcano adds a new dimension to the composition that created a voracious bidding war between five phone bidders.Between Realism and AbstractionTwo works by Alex Katz (American, b. 1927) also managed to reach six figures on the day. The subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions and international acclaim, the signature style of Katz is a deliberately vibrant visual language between realism and abstraction, ambivalence and intimacy. Coming of age alongside the titans of New York’s Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s, Katz boldly favored flatness of color and form rather than gestural primacy and raw emotion. His work is deceptively simple; his technique of painting wet on wet evokes a lustrous finish to his canvases, defying two-dimensionality even in their flatness.&nbsp;The 2016-17 oil on linen entitled <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRARlIqxxarikVKpQoKAQQrnorPLt5O9QM7L-2FdF4pUQaqPj1w2L7Xs3T3Uv0J8pF-2Fns-3DGRHK_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn78xrR-2FRUd6Xc2jcP3kfT-2BYPxIs71Ey2oPYK0uMVwOI-2BR5dbDSv1ayglhLJHV0DypOXNp2N47qtuJfcy-2Bt-2BM6PNf89Jk7ZE-2BBcLts0YTv8UbcPDSo6WIj0EfRVcEKk-2Fw-2BtFzidqLyhqkIv7zztnaPs-2FUfJgKx0ZLvdlr1BplK70Qg-3D-3D">Ariel</a> was the top seller of the pair, achieving $317,500. A quietly moody portrait of Ariel Vieth, a model and frequent muse of Katz’s, the painting depicts a woman who is simultaneously a familiar figure and otherworldly specter.2001’s <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iLq7DOSrsnpvrEmu8Fg-2BNMWM2lTpvyMoM6o39HlMyRARlIqxxarikVKpQoKAQQrnYQANyk1-2BQVWk7klRWlP0WfPaHvQTPv8M4uyi1F7B8WY-3DNFI7_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoPEaLRzm-2F78kaJkURE3JvKd21AkP2t70-2BHtWbUdqbTMucTujQm4dgUItrJrDuMOUvCBTQZud-2FQ-2BGsvHPKEDecozRJPgRaUBHni-2FhZ79ijr8Zv6Ed8jegNLFZEpKCO8Up31ydOBQtj3NPtxiugC-2B6Qn62maCz8KP6IVp1Fohsrvt58z0iS2IAiWecTLFsJO79gCPuIPbwZAlOgIkK7Yb7wlez6wcNL8D6Kp0ehyC0UIG-2F0jMaVMQSk9ZB4vXyMUpYqEm6qP8AMOA-2FwwwDnzAvGUsWzwimdqtW1duhbxUOcv-2Bz044K6h9qi6-2Ffaq825u1oVQ-3D-3D">Golden Field #1</a> also topped $200,000 selling for $228,600. Although on first blush, these two works may seem markedly different, Katz’s unmistakable style shines through. In both Golden Field #1 and Ariel, Katz is simply painting his environment, flash-in-the-pan moments he captures in thick brushstrokes and meditatively stylized forms.Other Notable HighlightsThe auction saw a number of notable highlights across a wide variety of mediums and movements, including:<ul><li>Louise Nevelson (American, 1899-1988) Untitled, c. 1973-78 Sold for $177,800</li><li>Michael Goldberg (American, 1924-2007) Sad Street, 1958 Sold for $114,300</li><li>Larry Poons (American, b. 1937) Untitled (15-A), 1976 Sold for $82,550</li><li>Ed Clark (American, 1926-2019) Standing Woman at the Chair, 1949-50 Sold for $63,500</li><li>Harry Bertoia (American, 1915-1978) Untitled, c. 1969 Sold for $57,150</li><li>Lynne Drexler (American, 1928-1999) Trunk Grass, 1980 Sold for $53,975</li></ul></body></html>

Women Lead Way at Freeman’s | Hindman’s  $2.9M Post War and Contemporary Art Auction

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/wqzobvngib4vtg82itim.jpg"></figure>CGN Staff via PROn a quiet Monday morning in a sunny room inside the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago, a lineup of City, political and nonprofit figures gathered to share details about the museum's&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=518651a636&amp;e=95b957c616">Día del Niño (Day of the Children) celebration</a>. With representatives from the Mayor's office on hand, the gathering was undoubtedly a positive event to boost due to its focus on bettering the lives of children in the city. A neighborhood program that encourages participation in the arts beyond the museum and the first bilingual family program outside of the MCA, <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=96316d8ff7&amp;e=95b957c616">Día del Niño</a> joins the MCA’s ongoing, family-centered programs such as Family Day and Sensory-Friendly Mornings. This free, activity-filled event in Little Village will showcase local vendors, art, and performances at Saucedo Elementary School on April 27, 2024, from 11–2 pm.&nbsp;Guests can register for free tickets via the <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=bd2d9797d5&amp;e=95b957c616">ticketing link on the event’s web page.</a>The festival uplifts Chicago youth by celebrating their place in the city through artmaking, food, music, and dance and is organized by the MCA alongside the Chicago White Sox, Sueños Music Festival, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce, the Mexican Consulate in Chicago, Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Hispanic Congressional Caucus Institute, and the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation.Families are invited to partake in a day of art and fun while learning about migrant experiences and the many communities that call Chicago home. Participating artists include Mr. Pintamuro, Salvador Andrade (CGN's spring cover artist!), Sabina Ángeles from The Jacobo María Ángeles Workshop in Oaxaca, and more. MCA Educators will also be present to facilitate activities. Drawings will take place during the celebration, with prizes such as two pairs of 2-day General Admission tickets to Sueños Music Festival, which runs from May 25 through 26, 2024.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419378/nng0nsanbrzyyqjqawsm.jpg"><figcaption>Image credit: Jordan Fuller</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;"As we celebrate the Day of the Children, let us acknowledge the rich diversity that defines our youth. In nurturing an inclusive educational environment, we sow the seeds for a future where every child's unique background has the ability to build bridges of understanding that will strengthen the fabric of our global community,” said Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil of the Mexican Consulate in Chicago.“The Latino Caucus Foundation is proud to work alongside the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in supporting events that use art as a vehicle for diverse and equitable spaces for Latino families, artists, and Chicago's cultural ecosystem. The Foundation is committed to supporting these accessible spaces, and we look forward to celebrating Día del Niño on April 27,” said Michael D. Rodriguez, Chairman of the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation, Alderperson of the 22nd Ward.“Families are at the heart of our community, and their well-being is our top priority. Collaboration with community organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies is vital to ensure that every child has the tools to thrive, especially through family friendly activities like ‘Día del Niño,’” 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.“Celebrating the richness of culture and community is at the heart of our mission at the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. It's our utmost pleasure to join hands with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for their Day of the Children celebration. Our members embody the spirit of giving, and we're honored to have Los Comales generously donate food for this event,” said Jennifer Aguilar, Executive Director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce."Pilsen Chamber of Commerce and La Michoacana Premium is more than excited to be a part of the Día del Diño event with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Children are the happiness in this world who bring smiles to our faces in times of great fear and strife. This event is important not only by sharing love with them through paletas, but also by sharing tradition through our ancestors' recipes from one generation to the next,” Noe Govea, Vice President of the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of La Michoacana Premium said in a joint statement with Evelyn Ortiz-Govea, co-owner of La Michoacana Premium."Investing in young minds and the next generation of Chicagoans, who are positioned to lift up our community and continue discovering ways to push progress, is essential. Día del Niño is an impactful route to help empower children in our neighboring Little Village community and provide the resources to help youth grow and thrive. The White Sox organization is proud to be a partner to bring this important program to life in Little Village," said Sheena Quinn, Chicago White Sox Senior Director of Public Relations.“We at Choose Chicago are absolutely thrilled to support the Museum of Contemporary Art's Day of Children event at Saucedo Academy in Little Village. This initiative is a remarkable example of community engagement, bringing the spirit of the MCA directly into one of Chicago's most dynamic neighborhoods. It is so important to make art accessible to everyone and to help weave together the rich variety of cultures that makes Chicago such a uniquely vibrant place to live, work, and visit," said Rich Gamble, Interim President and CEO of Choose Chicago.“Sueños Chicago is super happy and honored to be a part of Dia del Niño! Our hope is for every kid to know that there is no dream too big; every kid's dream is worth fighting for. Now let's celebrate todos los niños!" Said the Sueños Chicago Team."It’s truly an honor to be a part of this event at La Villita, hosted by the MCA. We are grateful to participate, and support the community that has supported us since day one,” said Javier Garcia and Nathalie Soli, founders of Big Mich.#Guests can register for free tickets via the <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=bd2d9797d5&amp;e=95b957c616">ticketing link on the event’s web page.</a></body></html>

The MCA's Día del Niño (Day of the Children) Celebration Brings Art Into Neighborhoods

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/rgefk2eo4ljizcrndwih.jpg"></figure>Via PR(CHICAGO) April 23, 2024 – Hyde Park Art Center, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, announces that it has completed the transition to a contribution-based model for 100% of its art classes. The initiative, Open Arts, launched in spring 2022 with 70% of the courses on a contribute-what-you-can basis. The completion of this pioneering initiative makes the Art Center’s Oakman Clinton School + Studio the nation’s first fully contribute-what-you-can visual art school for all ages. The successful model, dedicated to ensuring more equitable access to artmaking, education, and community engagement, demonstrates the Art Center’s commitment to the South Side and the broader Chicago art ecosystem for the years to come.View <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6bnpikwskdu6yuesdvyif/OPEN-ARTS.mp4?rlkey=vpdf9fpk1ipscfth1l8lwk8ud&amp;dl=0">VIDEO</a> of students, teachers, donors, and Art Center staff sharing first-person perspectives on the program’s impact.As part of the 2016-2020 strategic planning process, the Art Center heard from constituents that the Art Center’s art-making facilities, education programs, and community of makers are a vital part of many people’s lives–and that at the same time, many were unable to participate because of the cost. Hence, the Art Center created a radical plan to ensure that no one is shut out due to their economic status. In 2018, the Art Center Board of Directors initiated the $16 million <a href="http://www.hydeparkart.org/art-makes">ART MAKES: COMMUNITY + CHANGE</a> capital campaign, the largest in the Art Center’s history, to establish the contribute-what-you-can education model and to increase funding for general operations and artist investment. By 2022, the Board had raised $17 million, surpassing the ambitious original goal and enabling the implementation of the contribution-based model.Two years after the initial launch, the Open Arts curriculum now includes all classes offered by the Oakman Clinton School + Studios at the Art Center, with more than 40 on-site courses each quarterly term, and additional workshops and virtual courses that provide more ways for the community to access artmaking. On average, the School + Studios offer more than 150 coursesper year and 120 teaching hours per week. Open Arts encompasses courses for all levels of participants, from skill-building courses for beginners such as painting and printmaking, to professional development programs for working artists including critique feedback and grant writing workshops, removing the financial barriers for artists of all economic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419378/evzydyb1bjtyvqqunvze.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;The contribute-what-you-can tuition model is shown to foster a culture of giving, and its continuous success relies on the generosity of class-takers, funders, and supporters of all types on an ongoing basis. Patrons are invited to contribute what they can through financial donations, class participation, spreading the word via social media, or however else they can. To make a donation that builds a path for continued equitable access to arts education, visit <a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/education/open-arts/">www.hydeparkart.org/education/open-arts/</a>.Jill Potter, an Open Arts student, shares the liberty and interactions the initiative gives her: “Having the ability to decide what I can afford is liberating. I don’t have to choose between participating or not. And I can see the difference Open Arts is making at the Art Center. There are so many new faces and ‘first-timers’ in classes.&nbsp; I appreciate the multigenerational learning space where people exchange ideas and experiences.”Randall Miller, a teaching artist at the Art Center for over 10 years, shares how the program ensures steady work and reliable enrollments: “Prior to Open Arts, I worked with a small handful of really dedicated students. Unfortunately, there weren't always enough of them to run a class, so we would either be scrambling to enroll a few more students, or we would have to cancel. That kind of unpredictability was frustrating for students and difficult for me as the teaching artist because I loved working with those students, and I needed steady work. Now my courses have waiting lists and the students I've worked with for years have been able to maintain their work and sense of community.”Jen Tremblay Chambers, Co-Executive Director of the Art Center, shares the genesis, goals, and impact of the initiative: “Our community asked us for better ways to alleviate the financial stress and economic barriers that can come with signing up for a class. That was a call to action. We see first-hand every day the importance for people to be able to access their creativity and build deep relationships with peers and teachers. Many consider the school a second home, and we’re thrilled that tuition no longer gets in the way of their belonging.”&nbsp;About Hyde Park Art CenterHyde Park Art Center, at 5020 South Cornell Avenue on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, is a hub for contemporary arts in Chicago, serving as a gathering, production, and exhibition space for artists and the broader community to cultivate ideas, impact social change, and connect with new networks. Since its inception in 1939, Hyde Park Art Center has grown from a small collective of artists to establishing a strong legacy of risk-taking and experimentation, emerging as a unique Chicago arts institution with social impact. Today, the Art Center offers a diverse suite of programs for artists and art lovers of all backgrounds, ages, and stages in their careers including: contemporary art exhibitions in six galleries; open-access community-based school with 1,500 annual enrollments; weekly arts education to 1,000 elementary school students in public schools; weekly and summer teen programs for 100 teen artists; professional-advancement programs for artists; a local and international artist residency; and public programs that connects residents with Chicago art and artists. The Art Center functions as an amplifier for creative voices of today and tomorrow, providing the space to cultivate new work and connections. For more information, visit<a href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/"> www.hydeparkart.org</a>.&nbsp;</body></html>

Hyde Park Art Center Announces Art Education Program is Now 100% Pay-What-You-Can, The Nation's 1st

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/jtdkiy7zcvmqolmreg5t.jpg"></figure>Via PRSculpture Milwaukee shared that as part of the preparations for the eighth (!) public exhibition of sculpture by renowned international artists on the streets of downtown Milwaukee, Sculpture Milwaukee has announced the release of their first companion beer. this is Wisconsin after all, and everything, even art, is better with beer.&nbsp;Debuting this month at Company Brewing and throughout April at select bars and restaurants, including Classic Slice and Bridgewater, Sculpture Milwaukee Monumental IPA is the latest collaboration between Company Brewing and the Beer Endowment, a project SM's executive director and current guest curator, artist John Riepenhoff, started a decade ago to support and promote artist-run organizations.Like Fred Smith Lager, Poor Farm Pils, and other art-backing Beer Endowment craft brews already in production, Sculpture Milwaukee Monumental IPA—a big, bold, and refreshing West Coast double IPA—shares qualities with its namesake. The beer is also symbolic, Riepenoff says, of the deepening and reverberating conversations people are having about art thanks to Sculpture Milwaukee’s continued investment in fostering cultural life in the city: “There’s an explicit social history of humans gathering to converse over libations. In Milwaukee, we obviously have our own beer history and collaborative social spirit. With Monumental IPA, we’re adding to the story by using the beer as a way to welcome people into the conversations Sculpture Milwaukee has already started.”&nbsp;Monumental IPA’s tallboys, designed by artist and former Milwaukeean Nat Pyper, also debut a fresh new identity for Sculpture Milwaukee. The beer’s 16-ounce can, along with other design elements created by Pyper, will be part of our next exhibition, Actual Fractals, Act II, opening on June 3. A follow-up to our 2023 exhibition, Actual Fractals, Act I, which Riepenhoff also curated, Actual Fractals, Act II will kick off with a weeklong series of events, including tours and artist talks.“With elements of design, in Nat Pypers’s case, or performance, in the case of works of social choreography we’ve commissioned from Kim Miller, a local performance and visual artist, we’ll be activating discussions around other monumental physical pieces in the show,” says Riepenhoff. “As we continue to gear up and build on Sculpture Milwaukee’s success, we’re not only finding more ways to collaborate and co-invest to support more artists, but also to spark new conversations about public art that are as important internationally as they are to Milwaukeeans who might enjoy the wonder and surprise of discovering, say, an organic bronze evoking fruits and plants and fertility by the Brazilian artist Erika Verzutti tucked into a pocket park they pass every day.” # &nbsp;About Sculpture Milwaukee - Sculpture Milwaukee is an annual exhibition of public sculpture in downtown Milwaukee that serves as a catalyst for community engagement, economic development, and creative placemaking. Through its free outdoor installations, Sculpture Milwaukee honors the arts and celebrates the community with artworks that spark inspiration and conversation, empowering residents, tourists, students, and art lovers alike to experience sculpture in new and profound ways. Sculpture Milwaukee is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization funded through private grants, donations, and sponsorships. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.sculpturemilwaukee.com/">www.sculpturemilwaukee.com</a>&nbsp;</body></html>

Sculpture Milwaukee Announces Something Very Wisconsin: Special Beer

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/mgvlguuyg4vp6tgota4q.jpg"><figcaption>Lucia Koch,&nbsp;3X3 Pots,&nbsp;2024. IN/SITU installation view:&nbsp;In the Country of Last Things at EXPO CHICAGO 2024. Courtesy the artist and&nbsp;Nara Roseler, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York. Photo: Evan P Jenkins.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;VIA PR<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=e65ae3a2d8&amp;e=c5b146cc27">EXPO CHICAGO</a>&nbsp;concluded its eleventh&nbsp;edition on Sunday, April 14, following robust attendance from collectors, curators, and museum directors, totaling over 35,000 visitors. This year the fair saw&nbsp;lively&nbsp;sales across 170 leading galleries from 29 countries and 75 cities. In its first year as part of the Frieze network, EXPO CHICAGO reaffirmed its position as a convening moment for Chicago’s creative and philanthropic communities, showcasing the depth and breadth of the city’s cultural landscape.“In our 11th edition of Expo Chicago, we are grateful to now be part of the Frieze family,” said Tony Karman, President and Director of Expo Chicago. “There was a tangible sense of excitement around this year’s edition, a sentiment echoed by our patrons and gallerists, translating into strong sales and an energized atmosphere at the fair and throughout the city.”HIGHLIGHTS&nbsp;<ul><li>The <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=e3efc27e7a&amp;e=c5b146cc27">/Dialogues Stage</a> and Exchange Stage by Northern Trust were&nbsp;activated&nbsp;by 16&nbsp;conversations over four days between artists, curators, musicians, museum leaders, critics, and activists. Panels featuring Chance the Rapper, Amanda Williams,&nbsp;Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and more, drew in crowds of attendees, alongside screening programs by Art21 and Daata. Recordings of these conversations will be made available online&nbsp;over the coming weeks.</li><li>EXPO CHICAGO and Independent Curators International’s first ever curatorial&nbsp;conference <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=c6ceb45ecf&amp;e=c5b146cc27">Curating and the Commons</a>&nbsp;gathered&nbsp;curators for two days of programming on-site at EXPO CHICAGO. Over 200&nbsp;museum leaders and curators visited EXPO CHICAGO&nbsp;as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=1978170403&amp;e=c5b146cc27">Directors Summit</a>, <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=1abcad516e&amp;e=c5b146cc27">Curatorial Forum</a> and <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=046e650939&amp;e=c5b146cc27">Curatorial Exchange</a>.</li><li>Attendance to EXPO CHICAGO increased from last year to 35,000 visitors over four days, with ticket buyers attending from as far as Australia and Taiwan.</li><li>EXPO CHICAGO's expanded program of Purchase Prizes <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=808793afad&amp;e=c5b146cc27">were announced on Friday</a>, including Northern Trust acquisitions for the High Museum of Art, the&nbsp;Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.</li><li><a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=c824ffe10d&amp;e=c5b146cc27">IN/SITU</a>, curated by Amara Antilla, Independent Curator and Guest Curator at Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, was&nbsp;installed throughout Festival Hall and featured&nbsp;fifteen artists who explored themes of systemic economic failure, ecological instability, and political&nbsp;dissolution. Off-site programs <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=96cff4f4a8&amp;e=c5b146cc27">OVERRIDE</a> and <a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=2fa1a60b39&amp;e=c5b146cc27">IN/SITU Outside</a> extended EXPO CHICAGO's reach&nbsp;beyond Navy Pier.</li><li>Over 50 international exhibitors participated, including&nbsp;a growing number&nbsp;from&nbsp;South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The EXPOSURE section, featuring&nbsp;galleries ten years or younger and curated by Rosario Güiraldes,&nbsp;Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, received strong reviews in the press including in&nbsp;<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=2b78289f2f&amp;e=c5b146cc27">The Art Newspaper</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=5c9e62dff7&amp;e=c5b146cc27">Artsy</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=84858d15a7&amp;e=c5b146cc27">ARTnews</a>.</li></ul>&nbsp;EXPO CHICAGO will return April 24-27, 2025&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

EXPO CHICAGO Wrap-Up Report: 11th Edition

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/x15m6gvr89k1ewgxysji.jpg"><figcaption>photo credit: George Almaraz</figcaption></figure>Via PRROSEMONT, Ill. – THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion, the multifaceted contemporary art program located within Fashion Outlets of Chicago with support from the Village of Rosemont, today announced the artist chosen to create a work for its inaugural Purchase Prize at the 11th edition of EXPO CHICAGO. As part of its ongoing sponsorship of the exposition, Fashion Outlets has chosen Michael C. Thorpe to create a custom artwork to join THE COLLECTION’s 23 large-scale installations."I am humbled and honored to be a part of THE COLLECTION at Fashion Outlets of Chicago in their outstanding collection of contemporary art. I'm a firm believer that art is for everyone, and this kind of setting draws people of all kinds to engage with objects and aesthetics,” said Thorpe. “It means the world to me that people who may not typically interact with art in its more formal settings have the opportunity to see my work. That’s what it’s all about." The commission, titled house Lou Jones built, is a quilted work reflective of his artistic practice, executed through his inventive use of textiles, fabrics and quilting techniques. Inspired by artist Lou Jones, the piece is an interpretation of the beginnings of Thorpe’s art career and the home studio of his mentor.“Michael C. Thorpe’s inventive, unique approach to artistic fabrication makes the perfect addition to THE COLLECTION,” said Jim Hansen, Senior Property Manager at Fashion Outlets of Chicago. “We’re thrilled to present this inaugural Purchase Prize at this year’s edition of EXPO CHICAGO as the first textile-based commission for THE COLLECTION.”Michael C. Thorpe describes himself as a painter working in fabric and thread upon a foundation of drawing which he views as the evolved practice of mark making akin to the stitches of quilt making. His compositions are born of long-term projects in which Thorpe is engaged – quilted paintings and works on paper that explore his surroundings, abstraction, letters and words as subjects; sculptural constructions created by combining found objects and quilting debris; and performance pieces emerging from the dedication to an idea. The result is a figurative and conceptual art that is as ingenious as it is uniquely contemporary.Thorpe is represented by Anthony Gallery, Chicago.About Michael C. ThorpeMichael C. Thorpe was raised in Newton, MA and earned his BA from Emerson College in Boston, MA where he studied photojournalism. &nbsp;Before his first solo exhibition, Thorpe attracted the attention of NPR, who wrote an article about his story and dedication to creating art in the medium of quilting. &nbsp;Press articles about Michael C. Thorpe have been published in Artscope Magazine, Boston Art Review, The Boston Globe, CNN Style, Cultured Magazine, Howl, and PBS, among others. &nbsp;Thorpe was recently featured in a Dove Men+Care television commercial and he participated in a collaboration with Nike and the NBA for the league’s 75th anniversary. Works by Michael C. Thorpe have been added to the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and numerous private collections around the country. &nbsp;Thorpe was included in Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art, an exhibition organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, that opened in October 2022 and later traveled to the Frist Art Museum in Nashville. &nbsp;Thorpe’s work was also included in Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories, organized and first presented at the MFA Boston in 2021 and then at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA through March 2023. &nbsp;In the Spring of 2023, the Paul R. Jones Museum, University of Alabama presented a solo museum exhibition, Michael C. Thorpe: Nonsensical Formalism. &nbsp;Recently, Thorpe's work was included in Birds in Art, organized by Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, WI. &nbsp;In 2024, Michael C. Thorpe will have one person exhibitions at four museums in four states - California Heritage Museum (Santa Monica, CA), The Delaware Contemporary (Wilmington, DE), Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton, MA), and Hickory Museum of Art (Hickory, NC).About THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets FashionTHE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion is a multifaceted contemporary art program located within Macerich’s Fashion Outlets of Chicago, with support from the Village of Rosemont. Components of THE COLLECTION include 24 permanent commissions and a rotating exhibition series located throughout the common area of the shopping center. The public art program has invested in works by Daniel Arsham, Derrick Adams, Carlos Rolón Dzine, Jen Stark, Matthew Hoffman, and many more. THE COLLECTION’s rotating exhibitions feature work by a variety of artists displayed in glass cases located throughout Level Two of the shopping center. For more information, visit <a href="https://u56787.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.oTjORMppDqxAbsefRFk27x507Y8RCkhvCWKPYeD-2BKa2EDZAqceRwnjCivMGWugvHp8SC4Qj4igUzbMa-2BXZtr2-2Fo8-2BU4MsG-2BpsWQOA2lpTgETehvdAOuhyNMmPQSy1tluQ6Wb5IOd4CvOsDTGm8xvCeOZ4gjl5yjHiNJMmhxYkcA-3D6hQo_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2BCm4DmNjKHmH-2FuMeb6erfptj0X7kOO03SOEy0038a8bO2JT1vj7ekSN4iWm5fnVmC-2BUoj9m6S-2BHoqpkY4xl-2F1zJpl0qI-2Bilecut0mSSToCGWN89tcBEot9fhKkN60iLK53L-2Fik4fGVXUvw21h7c67vJQx3XYWs-2FAQ-2F6mhMj66JiW7XhE33O34mK84OKyEj39gYciFJ1HHPssl01TCYoT2Yb0KEww-2BgbOM3ZyCdG4ayiGdQocoHI0WozMgYohpXxjGVtSTBnEU9cXaOgiMtGzOerNSQFKcFnmr3nnwo7nUYoTAyfhHExDtJLXbZlf2vStn5rfDY-2BAITzW3OxZyB7tnmeoS6DomE65eOEZhjq4cJsg4AVzcuwVgoW-2Fxa5FyWP9WGGzCv5VeYFkVu5jdRzAmGKwPJJjIZ9jYXRHdGRQTzZMkPqr5xp5Gq1tfBLZLt6eYG7gocaXtDt5akoNozsiqa8K317eeGie7Vo5TMDnJ7iMxy-2FsRyq6-2FSMgTVxjKoA7jt8nO95AYwg8bp-2Fp7-2FBGSIQLB0PBcW0KbyceocXbgGlyenoGDd7DUxEs5eybqTuDB7KOXXOAHlZR1J-2F8kcmyo-2BMNF2l41-2FrB-2B-2F2QrGmRHhrlwf5Dpp10pQAAcBdLMussPqiReeXfXZXd88Kl9cOs7z0Pzo9IpwnpY-2B8PsY-2FhsnWcVQBIECA2Ro9FnlqD4oevG93-2FB5-2Fz8Lq3uLRqhAc8EQkTeaeYM9BbjgTjwENRjBKaWMZXsC74gruS-2Fx3iNdnLHbfVroe1JZYRZUSPMbgRr-2BYCV3Pyqt-2B62MwxaEpmsR7aDV8lXN9FJiDayZfyTJxoizexWSSFHTCVJkKWGXA8zW7YhwQtX-2BEB5q0FbFc5lYR-2FOri49BAz2XT7QEthYFRYU-3D">www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com/TheCollection</a>.About Fashion Outlets of ChicagoFashion Outlets of Chicago is an award-winning 530,000 square-foot, two-level indoor shopping center that is home to more than 130 designer outlets, an impressive contemporary art collection known as THE COLLECTION and high-end amenities. The one-of-a-kind upscale outlet property that redefines and elevates the outlet shopping experience, is located at 5220 Fashion Outlets Way in Rosemont –minutes from O’Hare International Airport and Chicagoland’s major highways. For more information, visit <a href="https://u56787.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.YGtAXXM2e8X4wIriVfujJsly62AeUO0rs3h4Ai9ane59DVL8fNcBk6hsUfOSe4qHw2HBKw73vLbEQVCdqVMV21kWi9O9y7KCc1QbAzpSIgr27G54J754OptUKMtgaiVyMXjzl5gZafqLeWAQ1h8nvQ-3D-3DEpBZ_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2BCm4DmNjKHmH-2FuMeb6erfptj0X7kOO03SOEy0038a8bO2JT1vj7ekSN4iWm5fnVmC-2BUoj9m6S-2BHoqpkY4xl-2F1zJpl0qI-2Bilecut0mSSToCGWN89tcBEot9fhKkN60iLK53L-2Fik4fGVXUvw21h7c67vJQx3XYWs-2FAQ-2F6mhMj66JiW7XhE33O34mK84OKyEj39gYciFJ1HHPssl01TCYoT2Yb0KEww-2BgbOM3ZyCdG4ayiGdQocoHI0WozMgYohpXxjGVtSTBnEU9cXaOgiMtGzOerNSQFKcFnmr3nnwo7nUYoTAyfhHExDtJLXbZlf2vStn5rfDY-2BAITzW3OxZyB7tnmeoS6DomE65eOEZhjq4cJsg4AVzcuwVgoW-2Fxa5FyWP9WGGzCv5VeYFkVu5jdRzAmGKwPJJjIZ9jYXRHdGRQTzZMkPqr5xp5Gq1tfBLZLt6eYG7gocaXtDt5akoNozsiqa8K317eeGie7Vo5TMDnJ7iMxy-2FsRyq6-2FSMgTVxjKoA7jt8nO95AYwg8bp-2Fp7-2FBGSIQLB0PBcW0KbyceocXbgGlyenoGDd7DUxEs5eybqTuDB7KOXXOAHlZR1J-2F8kcmyo-2BMNF2l41-2FrB-2B-2F2QrGmRHhrlwf5Dpp10pQAAcBdLMussPqiReeXfXZXd88Kl9cOs7z0Pzo9IpwnpY-2B8PsY-2FhsnWcVQBIECA2Ro9FnlqD4oevG93-2FB5-2Fz8Lq3uLRqhAc8EQ8WpwFpxdNT2emJ3-2BoOmoIXBaaxnsNx5ow1Vc2415a2nFvUrKBrzMLRceaHtO0zhXJwW-2BHAX5pMQiW8aIFQxIUnNZy47RRb-2FRZ0uz-2F9O2MtRXts5rwCT9D60HbH-2Bnbb50haW6fVN3iGQUn0hDET0z4fs5mcTZIiGKH9fm7uWxCwU-3D">www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com</a>.&nbsp;</body></html>

The Collection: Where Art Meets Fashion at Fashion Outlets of Chicago Unveils Michael C. Thorpe Commission for Inaugural Purchase Prize at EXPO CHICAGO

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/gvrqnyfbjvuqddmxnqtj.jpg"><figcaption>Workers were preparing on Friday for the eventually move of “Monument with Standing Beast,” a sculpture by Jean Dubuffet, from the Thompson Center.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times</figcaption></figure><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago/2024/04/05/thompson-center-renovation-dubuffet-art-monument-standing-beast-snoopy-blender-google?tpcc=040824%20Afternoon%20Edition">Giant sculpture to be moved from Thompson Center by end of April</a>A sculpture that has stood outside the Thompson Center for four decades will be moved by the end of the month."Monument with Standing Beast," by French artist Jean Dubuffet, is being moved, for now, to a yet-to-be-determined state facility.It was announced last year that the artwork — nicknamd "Snoopy in a Blender" — <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/7/15/23793133/snoopy-sculpture-thompson-center-art-institute-public-art-editorial">eventually will be headed</a> to the Art Institute of Chicago, where several Dubuffet works already are displayed.Via Chicago Sun-Times&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/qoewodtkdj1n7o55g1mb.jpg"><figcaption>Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928-2011), Untitled , 1967, color screenprint on paper.</figcaption></figure><a href="https://mailchi.mp/northwestern/helenfrankenthalerprints?e=64540e863b">The Block among&nbsp;10 national museums to receive works from Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Prints Initiative</a>The Block Museum of Art is happy to announce that it is one of 10 institutional recipients of works through the <a href="https://northwestern.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=904f932038284b4d9eea69636&amp;id=b6a91a8235&amp;e=64540e863b">Helen Frankenthaler Foundation</a>’s Frankenthaler Prints Initiative.&nbsp; The initiative is an&nbsp;ongoing program for university-affiliated art museums, reflecting&nbsp;the foundation’s commitment to supporting undergraduate and graduate education in the visual arts and art history.&nbsp;The selection of works&nbsp;received by The Block was thoughtfully drawn from the foundation’s extensive collection of work by Frankenthaler and encompasses the broad scope of the artist’s work,&nbsp;including etching, lithography, screenprint, woodcut, and other techniques.Via PR&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/work/2024/04/05/union-wave-afscme-newberry-library-chicago-museums-cultural-institutions?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=040524%20Afternoon%20Edition%20-%20sponsored&amp;utm_content=040524%20Afternoon%20Edition%20-%20sponsored+CID_4c4188403e4d074cc0e69f4fbb598ad8&amp;utm_source=cst_campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Union%20wave%20is%20picking%20up%20at%20Chicago%20suburban%20libraries%20cultural%20institutions&amp;tpcc=040524%20Afternoon%20Edition%20-%20sponsored">Union wave is picking up at Chicago, suburban libraries, cultural institutions</a>For more than a century, the Newberry Library’s grand Romanesque building has loomed over a city block in downtown Chicago.Established in 1887, the Newberry is home to books, maps, music and other materials spanning six centuries. Its history and majestic architecture evokes a sense of reverence. But its staff can’t survive on cultural cachet alone.“There’s a lot that’s special about the Newberry,” said Sophia Croll, program manager at the library. Yet the institution has “chewed through a lot of staff,” largely due to low pay, she said. “You couldn’t afford to live in this city and work here.”Via Chicago Sun-Times&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 4/10/24

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/psu3zevb73zjak1rhdox.jpg"></figure> APRIL 4, 2024 &nbsp;(Chicago) Carrie Secrist announces today the next iteration of 32 years of operation in Chicago. Henceforth, this new chapter will be called&nbsp;SECRIST | BEACH&nbsp;and will be located at 1801 W. Hubbard Street in Chicago.&nbsp;Established in the city's River North gallery district in 1992, Gallery A (becoming Carrie Secrist Gallery in 1996) sought to re-imagine an enlightened salon by creating an environment rich with conversation. Initially focused on emerging artists and local makers as well as large thematic exhibitions, this first iteration of the gallery emphasized an engaging environment for discovery and experience.In 2003, Carrie Secrist Gallery relocated to the West Loop, a 5,000-square-foot space on Washington Blvd. The new space allowed Secrist as curator to exhibit larger scale artworks as well as the opportunity to formally develop investigations around her aesthetic interests through in depth solos exhibitions and large-ranging survey exhibitions that partnered internationally known artists alongside those mid-career and emerging.&nbsp;Beginning in March of 2020 - coinciding with the onslaught of the COVID epidemic - Secrist began developing the next vision of the gallery, continuing a career-long process of reinvention.&nbsp;Carrie states, “Even prior to the pandemic, I found myself questioning if our foundational commitment to sharing a longer look and a deeper dialogue around artworks that demanded an in-person exchange still mattered in the art world of the ‘now’. Then as fate would have it, I (along with most of the rest of the world) was offered down time to experiment, elaborate on those questions, eliminate the unnecessary excess of ‘what was’ and finally prioritize what proved to be at the core of authentic creativity... community. So while other businesses were downsizing their physical footprint and digitizing most of their communication, I decided to mow down my corn crop and erect a baseball diamond for the spirit of yesteryear to reclaim the field ... trusting in my gut that ‘If We Build It, They Will Come!’.”Moving forward to April of 2024 that vision will culminate in a new 10,000-square-foot space featuring double bow-trussed ceilings flooded with sky-lit natural light, opening a new chapter in a storied career:&nbsp;SECRIST | BEACH.&nbsp;&nbsp;SECRIST | BEACH&nbsp;combines the names of Carrie Secrist and her partner in business and life, Bill Beach. With this transitional moment in name and location, new progressive programming will be introduced that reinvestigates and expands the initial gallery mission from 1992 of an enlightened salon. One half of the physical space will be dedicated to challenging and solidifying the practices of represented artists. The other half will present a simultaneously curated group exhibitions that will conceptually elaborate upon the concurrent solo exhibition while introducing new ideas. Bisecting the two spaces will be a salon - a dedicated physical room for artistic collaborations that will offer a variety of intellectually challenging programs featuring lectures, events, performances and more. This new initiative is squarely aimed at the gallery goer with the intent of dialogic real time engagement.&nbsp;The preview of inaugural exhibitions at SECRIST | BEACH will take place Friday, April 12, from 5-8PM.&nbsp;&nbsp;HILMA’S GHOST |&nbsp;SPECTRAL VISIONS: A Feminist Collective Signals Magickal Futures&nbsp;A retrospective and new works by Hilma's Ghost (Sharmistha Ray + Dannielle Tegeder)&nbsp;&nbsp;COSMIC GEOMETRIES: The Prairie's EdgeCurated by Hilma's Ghost&nbsp;and featuring the following artists:&nbsp;Candida Alvarez, Elijah Burgher, Holly Cahill, Mike Cloud, Gianna Commito, Edie Fake, Vanessa Filley, Julia Fish, Beverly Fishman, Diana Guerrero-Maciá, Azadeh Gholizadeh, Michelle Grabner, Christina Haglid, Rachel Hayes, Gina Hunt, Michiko Itatani, Miyoko Ito, Anna Kunz, Alice Lauffer, Aya Nakamura, Deb Sokolow, May Tveit, Georgina Valverde, Susan C. White, Amy Yoes and Jade Yumang.</body></html>

Carrie Secrist Gallery Reopens as SECRIST | BEACH

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/mtxwsmt0c68vrmy3ywjx.jpg"><figcaption>Barbara P. Jones</figcaption></figure>John David Mooney Foundation Founder Barbara P. Jones Has Died&nbsp;The John David Mooney Foundation announced the passing of Barbara P. Jones on March 21, 2024, in Urbana, Illinois.Barbara dedicated her life to the work and mission of the John David Mooney Foundation since its establishment in 1981. She was founder, director, and administrator for the Foundation, handling day-to-day management of its operations, art exhibits, public relations, development, and events.For fifty years she assisted Chicago artist John David Mooney professionally and personally in his numerous large-scale sculpture installations in Chicago, Urbana, Illinois, the Olympics Games in Atlanta, and international exhibits in Croatia, Italy, Malta, Scotland, Spain, and the Vatican.&nbsp;Barbara will be forever remembered and deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the arts community she served. Her legacy will prevail through the lives she touched and the indelible mark she made on the cultural landscape in Chicagoland and beyond.<a href="https://www.mooneyfoundation.org/latest">Details</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/m7h04wknp4h6mrwwqnwh.jpg"></figure>Les Enluminures offers one of the largest and most wide-ranging inventories of Books of Hours in the world.The gallery's Spring Books of Hours Update gathers a group of impressive and richly illuminated manuscripts from a range of countries. Highlights include <a href="http://link.artlogicmailings.com/ls/click?upn=u001.G-2F-2B7BThqPcsVZgx7C2nV6Pas5JuUwjYz8SU4UpIyCgQ2EkWEbMq5IjYqn7bYHYbYTwJaoWYZDlyAiZXCXt2-2FZw2tnInJPuJJHbgf2fKofHK-2B6n5I2LMw00whSY18UrzdYE2-2FBy72-2BKwiQqyMkhepYfhkxm0WjNxillO0Ka-2BVgciCQ-2FKDEP0svuxM7lxjtaV0ns0q_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVikNEQwxpwEcoOyKbtwuEcK0tbMww-2BObRxV0VERKG1DfOn8I-2FdgLCtG-2BFwQKqkz4ZFyXpHSSAgPQ8IAGwAESFylDJRsCocdjhWUjVOaY-2B7MrZtzaK8HLdy5fnXq5-2Fd07ikIHaFgBopXeEJ8lvcID5GASgdIjAHTc2F2nO9yFs3Ly3bTdK5njtMj20As4yvv9u36Qdc0o5HeQqT8k8JTo9izEagzx4DdYGqlE1OMIkMVa7jESXeUPtO4kHaCou32jkhV67ErFkfbHWrqGU3NCsLkrLEgz1mO5FMqiDHbzkCwtpSsyFOfEeCcW0hVTAIw4pnJQ3JW537RG36-2FqnQnsvYpklfx2hCGajLtfUPrk58a4Rn2ycCND072Tm462AgIu6kJhF-2BpmRdqGdhmBOszCmI2Obh8pOKl-2B6pmS2UEGTTJy7HCg0WRd2u41VaEW-2B8ueM10U4Tcg1RxKRF-2BrSsIwB-2FU07RhcZf09ZfGTwjyFQmoywMLlLTmU17BqyICjIkDniYGkmXy2WSTmg36RXqqbVI86jVGoUqX1Ko7OhSeDXg4-2FfPe2Rgwjo0W-2Ff9gskFyxAh-2Bo42Wr5uKCyLX1Hy-2BeTKyUJ-2FV29PnTyHIBhpAgt895xuHn6r21zZR8v3eCeRDIXd3jpFgbQcFz7SpFeDhBy4FpH9y3Tpi8kZW9llVP0PoCnYtt4dZ-2F-2FpD6UPDxK6rGJtzK1kLT2MJq6oJ3yW1UTVcSGOutFu7V0fKNuUZ7YQ6ep9K8UqEKtf-2FAvMhnz9CodMZ-2F0QKguY2cf8-2F-2BA0QZ0Vq31DnTTEGi2q4oTj3hJUkw-3D">the Hours of Johannes Meckis</a>, a sumptuous manuscript made for a nun who is depicted within the pages, and <a href="http://link.artlogicmailings.com/ls/click?upn=u001.G-2F-2B7BThqPcsVZgx7C2nV6Pas5JuUwjYz8SU4UpIyCgQ2EkWEbMq5IjYqn7bYHYbYzSILD2Gohlf0BV3uszjwBVFf3ouHqUEGtWzK1d6hMVTcFQSsm5MfN31FsLWjUn5TdOP4RbAcj-2FfUX3CLCZKcOA-3D-3D79Es_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVikNEQwxpwEcoOyKbtwuEcK0tbMww-2BObRxV0VERKG1DfOn8I-2FdgLCtG-2BFwQKqkz4ZFyXpHSSAgPQ8IAGwAESFylDJRsCocdjhWUjVOaY-2B7MrZtzaK8HLdy5fnXq5-2Fd07ikIHaFgBopXeEJ8lvcID5GASgdIjAHTc2F2nO9yFs3Ly3bTdK5njtMj20As4yvv9u36Qdc0o5HeQqT8k8JTo9izEagzx4DdYGqlE1OMIkMVa7jESXeUPtO4kHaCou32jkhV67ErFkfbHWrqGU3NCsLkrLEgz1mO5FMqiDHbzkCwtpSsyFOfEeCcW0hVTAIw4pnJQ3JW537RG36-2FqnQnsvYpklfx2hCGajLtfUPrk58a4Rn2ycCND072Tm462AgIu6kJhF-2BpmRdqGdhmBOszCmI2Obh8pOKl-2B6pmS2UEGTTJy7HCg0WRd2u41VaEW-2B8ueM10U4Tcg1RxKRF-2BrSsIwB-2FU07RhcZf09ZfGTwjyFQmoywMLlLTmU17BqyICjIkDniYGkmXy2WSTmg36RXqqbVI9n1xuliF4XwpDwbLFTVoD8xVRQQAGEHGB7dfc3bCy3LflgumBlWM-2F4eHnr-2B1B81oQblgTptLTkK3co0tIhkgSq2GdiKMfSW-2Bmz8pU-2Br2p1A5WxCpXxDBBrF-2BGwIOUvQlDZ4AZYDD89HRC-2B3BH-2FbE1-2F9ghByIxhNTXFIJlmEFbKVtYmdSv4GMEpNGJ5GP1-2FKlBGqr64HHzR0JWYuN1RiKQ1UbCzUcAyNSh9GdLyX-2FzVfvaQsEXtMWRay-2B7bHIpwDiAsYpudwx4jEBJ03ceL46Ps-3D">a ravishing Horae</a> by one of the leading illuminators in Paris at the time of English occupation.<a href="https://www.lesenluminures.com/current-exhibitions/books-of-hours-spring-2024/">Details</a>&nbsp;Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency Announces the Hold Space Grant for Artists of Color.Ox-Bow School of Art &amp; Artists’ Residency has launched a new opportunity for BIPOC artists and creatives to utilize Ox-Bow’s campus and facilities via the Hold Space Grant for Artists of Color. Artists of any discipline, writers, curators, teachers, arts administrators, and Ox-Bow Alumni are encouraged to apply. The grant supports individuals or groups of up to twenty for any length of time from one to seven nights. The dates available for the Hold Space Grant in 2024 are September 4–11.Applications are open now and close June 16, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. EST. The grant provides participants with a communal living experience on Ox-Bow’s 115-acre campus, including meeting space, outdoor activities and studio access in Saugatuck, Michigan. Lodging, three meals per day, use of public buildings, and support in our studios are provided.<a href="https://www.ox-bow.org/hold-space-grant">Details</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 3/29/24

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/i0u8chyqqwtn41mfhctl.jpg"><figcaption>Claude Monet "<a href="https://ulcc.emuseum.com/objects/1382/pommiers-en-fleurs-apple-trees-in-blossom-le-printemps-sp?ctx=ceeb0d9fbaf038e8836cbe635047da00ff97c9b2&amp;idx=168">Pommiers en Fleurs</a>," 1872</figcaption></figure>By Ginny Van AlyeaYesterday the news made the rounds the private Union League Club is (again) planning to sell its famed 1872 Monet painting in order to raise much needed funds to support a $10 million renovation of the 330,000 square-foot Club. A couple of years ago the Club rejected a sale for just over $7 million.&nbsp;The painting's name, value and importance to Chicago comes up every few years in will-they-wont-they sale discussions. The pandemic was financially devastating to many of the city's private clubs, in particular the Union League, which is located in the hard-hit Loop and has extensive hotel and dining facilities.&nbsp;Claude Monet’s Pommiers en Fleurs (Apple Trees in Blossom) measures 23" x 29" and is a classic springtime image by the artist. A Chicagoan, Judge John Barton Payne, who was a member of the Union League Club, purchased the painting from a show of the artist's work at the Art Institute in 1895 just when the artist's star was skyrocketing. According to the description of the Art Institute's Monet in Chicago, "When Monet’s paintings first appeared alongside his contemporaries’ in a Chicago gallery in 1888, he was singled out for praise by the press. And when his works were shown in the city again as part of the last Inter-State Industrial Exposition in Chicago (also known as the “American Salon”) in 1890, they not only captured the eye of local collectors—they ignited a collective passion." A Chicago Daily Tribune review in 1888 exclaimed “Why go to Paris since Paris has come to Chicago?”Payne sold Pommiers en Fleurs to the Union League for $500. A 2020 Art Monitor <a href="https://www.artmarketmonitor.com/2020/12/07/chicagos-union-league-club-board-approves-sale-of-prized-monet-other-works/">article</a> said that at the time of its exhibition in 1895 its value was $1,500. By the late 1950s, it was valued at $20,000, and in 1985, it was said to be worth $900,000.&nbsp;The work has been part of museum exhibitions over the years, recently Monet in Chicago at the Art Institute in 2020, but it has always maintained its status as the jewel of the Club's valuable private collection, which is frequently opened to the non-member public. &nbsp;The club's <a href="https://ulcc.org/art-collection">website description</a> of its collecting history states, "The Club supported the establishment of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum and the Harold Washington Library. It also built one of the most comprehensive private collections of American art. This outstanding, museum-quality collection is one of the first things one notices about the Union League Club: art is everywhere! Some work is familiar – Monet’s Apple Trees in Blossom – while others may be less familiar – Sabraw’s&nbsp;Chroma S4 Chimaera, David Anthony Geary’s Back of the Bus for Now, and Roger Brown’s Cathedrals in Space, for example.It offers ticketed tours of its art collection. It's unclear if the Monet is still on view.&nbsp;</body></html>

Union League Club Selling Monet Painting to Raise $

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419352/mfnozfv7rlarwzvztvyu.png" alt="page1image24825920"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;CHICAGO — <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPO CHICAGO</a> reveals core programming details for the eleventh edition, taking place April 11–14, 2024 at Navy Pier. Alongside gallery presentations, EXPO CHICAGO showcases programs including the /Dialogues panel series; IN/SITU and IN/SITU Outside, installations across Festival Hall and Chicago’s public spaces; OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, artworks presented on citywide billboards; and the Northern Trust Exchange Stage, a cornerstone of the fair’s VIP Program.“From our inception, EXPO CHICAGO has consistently presented a robust list of critically acclaimed programs that activates the exposition for our patrons and contributes to the enduring critical discourse of the international arts community,” says Tony Karman, President and Director of EXPO CHICAGO. “As the art world gathers in Chicago this year, we are thrilled to welcome these exceptional talents to the exposition, and we look forward to their significant contributions in making the 2024 edition a resounding success.”“EXPO CHICAGO’s programming engages with local and visiting audiences by offering opportunities of engagement beyond the core fair, extending conversations to neighborhoods throughout Chicago,” says Kate Sierzputowski, Artistic Director of EXPO CHICAGO. “On-site dialogues continue to engage arts practices from both within and outside of the city, uniting artists with curators for conversations that explore themes that resonate strongly with our Curatorial Initiatives and first ever Curatorial Conference, Curating and the Commons.”A summary of the core programs and the full schedule can be found at <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">expochicago.com</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419353/f8qjbqyiwe3u6f2e1whr.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Cave in Chicago, 2023, still. Courtesy of Art21.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419354/pcxjo4e5mqsredsizglb.jpg"><figcaption>EXPO CHICAGO 2023, Chance The Rapper in conversation with Hank Willis Thomas, Navy Pier. Photo: Faith Decker.</figcaption></figure>/Dialogues Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues brings together leading curators, artists, designers, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions, forums, and artistic discourse on topics of the moment.Highlights include a keynote with Chance the Rapper, Asma Naeem (Baltimore Museum of Art) and Nate Freeman (Vanity Fair) on hip hop and its contributions to international contemporary art; a conversation on art making and social change with For Freedoms; a discussion with curator Carla Acevedo-Yates (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago) and artists Candida Alvarez (SAIC Professor Emerit) and Omar Velázquez (SAIC MFA 2016) on the importance of Puerto Rican representation within local collections and institutions; a preview of Prospect.6 with co-Artistic Directors Ebony G. Patterson and Miranda Lash; a forum on criticism as art practice with ARTnews; a conversation on arts spaces outside of traditional centers with Jenny Moore (Tinworks), Kristy Edmunds (MASS MoCA), and Jodi Throckmorton (John Michael Kohler Art Center); a panel hosted by United States Artists on contemporary craft with recent fellows; conversations with artists Amanda Williams and Paul Mpagi Sepuya; two public discussions as part of the Directors Summit; and a partnership with Art21 and Daata.The full program may be found here. More information about the previously announced Directors Summit and this year’s extended Curatorial Initiatives may be found here and here, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;IN/SITU: In the Country of Last ThingsThe IN/SITU program realizes site-responsive and large-scale work throughout Festival Hall. The 2024 IN/SITU program, curated by Amara Antilla Independent Curator and Guest Curator at Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, draws its title from the 1987 dystopian novel by Paul Auster and features fifteen artists who explore the precarious nature of contemporary life. The works intervene within interstitial spaces and pause in the gallery presentations, bringing together artists whose practices investigate collective unease during a fractured time, evoking revisionist histories, and moving beyond critique to imagine more just and sustainable futures.The program will feature artists Ivan Argote (Perrotin), American Artist (Labor), Paul Stephen Benjamin (Efraín López), Kiah Celeste (DOCUMENT), Elena Damiani (Revolver Galería), Anne-Karin Furunes (RYAN LEE Gallery), Rico Gatson (Miles McEnery Gallery), Maria Hupfield (Patel Brown), Voluspa Jarpa (NOME), Lucia Koch (Nara Roesler), Josèfa Ntjam (Galerie Poggi), Michael Rakowitz (Rhona Hoffman Gallery), Claudia Peña Salinas (CURRO), Tori Wrånes (Nazarian / Curcio), and Lauren Yeager (Abattoir).&nbsp;&nbsp;IN/SITU OutsideIN/SITU Outside stages temporary public art installations along the lakefront and throughout Chicago, presented in partnership with the Chicago Park District (CPD), the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and Navy Pier. The 2024 program includes an intervention at the General John Alexander Logan Monument in Grant Park, Nomadic Art Museum, and an installation by Eddie Martinez at Navy Pier.More information on the 2024 IN/SITU Outside program may be found <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/in-situ-outside">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419355/fa83laojsaeqfez3hlow.jpg"><figcaption>Judy Ledgerwood, Jaywalking, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;OVERRIDE | A Billboard ProjectOVERRIDE is a citywide collaborative public art initiative that displays works by both emerging and established artists from Chicago and around the world. The program is organized in collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). From April 1–21, 100+ digital billboards and information panels across Chicago’s Central Business District will display a selection of works by artists such as Art &amp; Language (René Schmidt), Judy Ledgerwood (Rhona Hoffman Gallery), Raphaël Barontini (Mariane Ibrahim), and Lucia Koch (Nara Roesler). The program will also include work by Chicago- based artists including Lawrence Agyei, Jada-Amina, Jazmine Harris, Tom Jones II, Victoria Martinez, and Yuge Zhou.More information on the 2024 OVERRIDE program may be found <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/override">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419356/fbublnuxxopg2tevcgai.jpg"><figcaption>EXCHANGE 2023 Northern Trust Exchange Stage at EXPO CHICAGO 2023, Navy Pier. Photo: Kyle Flubacker &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Exchange by Northern TrustHosted in the Northern Trust Anchor Lounge at Navy Pier, Exchange by Northern Trust: An Interactive Conversation Around the Art of Collecting offers VIP patrons discussions on collecting and the art market with industry leaders. Discussions include a conversation on building a Chicago-based collection with collector Anita Blanchard and Yesomi Umolu (Serpentine); a panel on the Legacy of Scott Burton with curator Jess Wilcox and artist Gordon Hall in collaboration with Jeremy Johnston (Darling Green); a look at practices in self-taught art with collectors Ashley Duchossois Joyce and Dr. David Walega, Deb Kerr (Intuit: The Center of Intuitive and Outsider Art), and Rudy Aronoff (Heritage Auctions); and a conversation on collecting prints featuring dealer David Cleaton-Roberts (Cristea Roberts Gallery),collector Dani Levinas, and Monica Brown (Freeman’s | Hindman). VIP Pass-holders will receive information about the full list of Exchange by Northern Trustprogramming in upcoming VIP communications.&nbsp;EXPO ART WEEK (April 8-14)Presented in conjunction with Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism and marketing organization and Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), EXPO ART WEEK will once again galvanize Chicago’s cultural ecosystem through citywide events and celebrations. Highlights of EXPO ART WEEK include South Side Night (Tuesday, April 9), with performances and events at cultural partners in Hyde Park, Bronzeville, and surrounding areas, along with Art After Hours (Friday, April 12) in collaboration with Gertie and sponsored by Masterworks and Arete Wealth.A list of happenings taking place during EXPO ART WEEK can be found <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/expo-art-week">here</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419358/bsz1sc5dvfsgybv0x7co.png" alt="page4image24564608"></figure></body></html>

EXPO CHICAGO Announces Programming for the 11th Edition 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419352/xf8b75v4o6rsj30xit1r.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Who needs to chase down more brightly colored Stanley cups, when instead you can get ready to pull the trigger on a much more limited edition Hebru Brantley Power Duo? <a href="https://mcachicagostore.org/?utm_source=MCA+General+List&amp;utm_campaign=9c64e28632-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_16_09_16_COPY_01&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_-614c1bc232-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&amp;mc_cid=9c64e28632&amp;mc_eid=95b957c616">Mark your calendar for March 13th at 11:00 am (CST)</a>The MCA Store announced that they are selling Hebru Brantley's Power Duo, available in three separate colors next week. The Power Duo is sold online only with limited stock availability. The MCA didn't disclose the pricing for the duos.&nbsp;The '89 colorway is an edition set of 225, and the '66 and Japan colorways are an edition set of 325. Each set includes a 15.5" SUPA figure and 17" LIL WONDA figure. All Power Duo sets are limited to one set of each colorway per customer.Hebru Brantley creates narrative-driven work revolving around his conceptualized iconic characters. Brantley utilizes these characters to address complex ideas around nostalgia, the mental psyche, power, and hope. The color palettes, pop-art motifs and characters themselves create accessibility around his layered and multifaceted ideas. Through his characters, Brantley seeks to reassess contemporary culture and mythology through the lens of Afrofuturism.&nbsp;</body></html>

MCA Is Selling Limited Edition Hebru Brantley Figures

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419352/os1gidi6ptcshbihvlte.jpg"><figcaption>Joyce Owens. Photo by Tony Smith</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2024/02/13/artist-joyce-owens-76-showed-positive-black-experience-her-work?fbclid=IwAR2spHlUY8v_uMfkvYlg0klXgcOwn7Eo7hzzD2-zxv9JS9JSrDswonYztms">Via the Chicago Sun-Times</a>Artist Joyce Owens, 76, showed the ‘positive’ Black experience in her workArtist Joyce Owens died at her Lincoln Park home Saturday, in the same library where she married her husband 41 years ago.She was 76.Born in Philadelphia, Ms. Owens was a nationally and internationally recognized artist. But she also valued her roles as a professor, curator, mother and wife.<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2024/02/13/artist-joyce-owens-76-showed-positive-black-experience-her-work?fbclid=IwAR2spHlUY8v_uMfkvYlg0klXgcOwn7Eo7hzzD2-zxv9JS9JSrDswonYztms">Read more here</a></body></html>

Artist Joyce Owen Has Died

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419346/noxg7vszw5lzzcrwzsqf.jpg"><figcaption>Margo Hoff (1910-2008), Dream of &nbsp;Flying, 1956, oil on Masonite. 19⅜ h × 39⅜ w in (49 × 100 cm) Estimate: $7,000-9,000. Result: $30,240</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;On February 23rd, local Chicago auction houses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wright20.com">Wright</a> and <a href="https://www.toomeyco.com">Toomey &amp; Co.</a> held their inaugural&nbsp;Elevated: Art Via Chicago&nbsp;auction. This special category featured 20th century art from important Chicago collections with an emphasis on artists and movements that have shaped the Chicago art world over the last 100 years."It is such a pleasure to bring works by Chicago artists together in a stand-alone auction," says auction curator Joe Stanfield, Director &amp; Senior Specialist for Fine Art. "Our first-ever Elevated sale was a testament to the stylistic diversity and technical mastery of artists who have helped put Chicago on the map over the last century.Two new world records&nbsp;were set for&nbsp;<a href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/206/4u83p22bcw10uzhykoyubf59n/1/3d4e99cc4ceaf0e769e6ec2c9714dd30d79c3b6ba4f96381f773af757c6c98b9">Julia Thecla, with&nbsp;Girl at the Garden Fence</a>, 1931, selling for&nbsp;6 times&nbsp;the estimate at&nbsp;$36,120, and&nbsp;<a href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/206/4u83p22bcw10uzhykoyubf59n/2/fe60368a4c298b342de95b2169bae4256ee7f26448c1e403108439c77386e5f7">Margo Hoff, with&nbsp;Dream of Flying</a>, 1950, selling for&nbsp;4 times&nbsp;the estimate&nbsp;$30,240. The whole sale total was $748,002; 92% by lot 161% by value.Julia Thecla and Margo Hoff are significant figures in the Chicago art scene, each contributing uniquely to its cultural tapestry. Thecla, known for her surreal, dream-like compositions, was a key member of the Chicago Surrealist Group, influencing the city's artistic direction in the early 20th century. Her works, often infused with ethereal, mystical qualities, challenge conventional perceptions and invite viewers into fantastical realms. Margo Hoff, on the other hand, was renowned for her modernist approach, capturing the essence of Chicago's urban life with vibrant colors and dynamic compositions. Her contributions, particularly in the post-WWII era, helped shape the city's modern art movement, making art accessible and reflective of everyday experiences.Gertrude Abercrombie's Sunset sold for $163,800, far above its estimate of $70,000-$90,000. A second work by Abercrombie sold for $107,000, more than double the high estimate of $50,000. A set of goblets by Ruth Duckworth sold for nearly three times the high estimate. A show of Duckworth's work just closed at the Smart Museum last month. A work by sculptor Richard Hunt fetched $40,320.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419347/pqfva0vncbtwutrqzicc.png"><figcaption>Ruth Duckworth, (1919-2009), Untitled (six goblets), ~ 1965, glazed porcelain, largest: 8¼ h × 3¼ dia in (21 × 8 cm), smallest: 7⅛ h × 3¼ dia in (18 × 8 cm). Estimate: $2,000-3,000. Result: $8,820</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419348/bgxmn1nkoqups7yzjfty.png"><figcaption>Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), Sunset, 1954, oil on Masonite, 20 × 25cm. Estimate: $70,000-90,000. Result: $163,800</figcaption></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419349/pq8qn0p0divkazlahlkd.png"><figcaption>Richard Hunt, (1935-2023), Car rec, 2019, moronze, 13¾ h × 13¾ w × 10 d in (35 × 35 × 25 cm). Estimate: $10,000-15,000. Result: $40,320</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Elevating Chicago artists is crucial for showcasing the city's rich cultural and artistic legacy. Highlighting local talent not only honor the city's history but also promote its diverse and vibrant contemporary art scene. Recognizing Chicago's artists helps to underline the city's unique contributions to the global arts landscape, from the pioneering works of the past to the innovative expressions of today. This recognition fosters a greater appreciation for the city's artistic heritage and encourages new generations to contribute to its evolving cultural narrative, ensuring that Chicago remains at the forefront of artistic innovation and cultural dialogue.&nbsp;</body></html>

Wright and Toomey & Co.'s Inaugural Elevated: Art Via Chicago Auction Breaks Records

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419346/tzjcvgmvn4twatbnzl5a.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;Krasl Art Center announced a public celebration of the life and art of artist Richard Hunt.Hunt died this past December at age 88. Hunt opened a studio in nearby Benton Harbor, MI in 1995.Last Spring Hunt gifted the studio to Krasl, and now Krasl has committed to keeping the studio active and connected to the community.&nbsp;Saturday, April 6, 2024, 4:30-7pmRichard Hunt Studio 258 Territorial Road, Benton Harbor, MI 49022<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lEnimulGk/">Details</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc57.com/news/the-krasl-art-center-in-st-joseph-michigan-celebrates-gift-from-sculptor-richard-hunt">From August 2023 – Watch: The Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph Michigan celebrates gift from sculptor Richard Hunt</a></body></html>

A Celebration of Richard Hunt's Life Set for April in Michigan

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419339/paicm6lklhhmew0prg8j.png"></figure>Via PR &nbsp;CHICAGO—<a href="https://www.saic.edu/news/school-art-institute-chicago-announces-jiseon-lee-isbara-next-president">The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)</a>, a leader in art and design education, today announced Jiseon Lee Isbara as the School’s next president, completing a successful national search. Jiseon, who currently serves as the provost of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, will step into the role that will be vacated by Elissa Tenny upon her retirement.Jiseon, the second woman to serve as president in SAIC’s 158-year history, comes to the School with extensive experience in higher education and the arts. During her tenure at Otis College of Art and Design, she led the implementation of a five-year strategic plan which resulted in substantive changes at the school, including enrollment growth, a curricular revision to better align pedagogy with student mental health and career preparedness, and a strengthening of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion infrastructure.“SAIC is composed of a community of diverse people, philosophies, pedagogies, and goals, and I am honored to serve as the School’s next president,” said Jiseon. “I will work tirelessly to advocate for our students’ futures and celebrate the talents that SAIC’s staff and faculty have nurtured, strengthening the School’s remarkable global community that makes a difference in art and design, education, and beyond.”Previously, she served in several roles at Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC), including as interim president, dean of academic affairs and chief academic officer, and head of the Fibers Department. She also taught as a faculty member during her 16-year tenure. In each of her roles, she has shown a deep understanding of the innovations and evolutions driving effective teaching and learning. At both OCAC and Otis, she navigated challenges with poise and empathy, demonstrating a clear ability to bring people together to drive meaningful change.“I am so thrilled that Jiseon will serve as the next president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,” said Board of Trustees Chair Denise B. Gardner. “Given her record of bold leadership and deep commitment to creative communities, I have no doubt she will continue SAIC’s legacy as one of the world’s top art and design colleges. I look forward to working alongside her in service of the School’s artists, designers, and scholars.”As a practicing artist herself, Jiseon understands firsthand the power and importance of an art and design education. She earned a master of fine arts degree from Colorado State University and a master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she was born and raised. Her textile work, which addresses the complexity of current cultural discourse through the lens of her experience as an immigrant of color, has been exhibited nationally and internationally.“SAIC is an exceptional place deserving of an exceptional leader, and I am certain we’ve found one in Jiseon,” said Board of Governors Chair David J. Vitale. “With her robust experience at Otis College of Art and Design and the Oregon College of Art and Craft, and her emphasis on student success and culturally responsive pedagogy, she’s demonstrated that she has the skills and vision to guide SAIC through its next chapter.”Jiseon will bring a significant record of bold and courageous leadership, administrative and financial acumen, and managerial skill to SAIC.“Throughout the search process, I was consistently impressed by Jiseon’s passion, dedication, and creativity as both a leader in higher education and as an artist,” said Presidential Search Committee Chair Anita K. Sinha. “Jiseon is going to be a voice for the future of art education, and I am excited to see the many ways in which she’ll enrich our incredible community of students, faculty, and staff.”The appointment of Jiseon concludes a nearly year-long national search process at a time where the School is poised to build on the momentum generated by current President Elissa Tenny. After seven years of Tenny’s transformative leadership as president, the School is well-positioned to continue to remove barriers to accessing an art and design education; foster an equitable, just environment where the voices of all students, faculty, and staff are valued and respected; and prepare students for life after SAIC. Jiseon’s term will begin July 16.&nbsp;</body></html>

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Announces Jiseon Lee Isbara as Next President

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419339/zzexao3vmf1wdnjwfurf.jpg"><figcaption>Theresa Bernstein, Madison Square Garden Circus, 1936, Oil on canvas, 27 x 39 inches</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Mongerson Gallery Adds New &nbsp;Artist&nbsp;At the end of 2023 Mongerson Gallery, founded by the late Tyler Mongerson, moved from its location on West Grand Ave., to a new location on W. Superior in River North. The gallery just announced the addition of a new artist to its program and is featuring a selection of works by Polish-American artist Theresa Bernstein (1890-2002).Often associated with the New York Ashcan School, Bernstein documented the urban landscape around her, creating vibrant works of social realism which continue to captivate.&nbsp;Theresa Ferber Bernstein-Meyerowitz was born on March 1, 1890, in Kraków, Poland, and raised in Philadelphia. Following training at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and the New York Art Student’s League, where she studied under William Merritt Chase, Bernstein quickly found success as a painter in New York City. By 1914, she was showing regularly alongside renown painters of the Ashcan School John Sloan, Stuart Davis, and Robert Henri. At a time when modernist abstraction was coming to the fore, Bernstein remained devoted to figurative subjects. Inexorably drawn to the excitement of urban life, Bernstein painted the rapidly modernizing world around her: suffragette meetings, opera houses, throngs on the omnibus, parades, and parties.<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/mongerson-gallery">Contact Gallery for Details</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419340/q7sthp9yjazjogzxjxfe.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park Nominated for USA Today's 2024 10 Best Readers' Choice travel awardstheNate has been nominated for USA Today’s “2024 10 Best Readers’ Choice” travel awards as a contender for Best Sculpture Park. Show your support and VOTE TODAY and everyday until Monday, February 19th!<a href="https://10best.usatoday.com/.../nathan-manilow-sculpture.../">Voting Link</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419340/tk4tdqh6l4fwdkp6gkbd.jpg"><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Left: On the Wings of Change by Diosa (Jasmina Cazacu). Right: Moose Bubblegum Bubble Mural by Jacob Watts. Columbia College Chicago, 33 East Ida B. Wells Drive (south side of the building) Photo: Sandra Steinbrecher</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Wabash Arts Corridor nominated for USA Today's 2024 10 Best Readers' Choice travel awardsAn expert panel selected Wabash Arts Corridor as a contender for Best Arts District, which just launched. A person can vote once a day for the run of the contest. Voting ends Monday, February 19th and the winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, March 1st at 12:00pm EST.<a href="https://10best.usatoday.com/.../wabash-arts-corridor.../">Voting Link</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419341/wui3d4guk8c96qfcxozc.jpg"><figcaption>The Muddy Waters house, 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. in Bronzeville, sits in disrepair on Aug. 15, 2023. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/01/31/austin-roseland-and-humboldt-park-first-to-participate-in-city-art-history-project/?fbclid=IwAR0RNczVtOyrwzzielX_UzAe_26BZ0Q9QOFkUQTA1kvhlwgYFXInFE8L1Bs">Austin, Roseland And Humboldt Park First To Participate In Renewed Historical Marker Project</a>Three communities of color will be the first involved in a renewed citywide art project highlighting important people, events and locations in the city’s neighborhoods.Two city agencies are working to expand a historical markers program that <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-09-24-9709250005-story.html">began in the 1990s</a> as a way to highlight notable Chicagoans. The program will bring historical markers citywide, but Austin, Humboldt Park and Roseland will be the first neighborhoods to receive them, said Lydia Ross, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Event’s (DCASE) director of public art.The project — which began seeking <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dca/Public%20Art/rfq/historicmarkerprogrfq.pdf">scholars, artists and other collaborators in August</a>— will be an engaging way to learn about city history, Ross said. DCASE is teaming with the Department of Planning and Development on the project.Via Block Club&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419342/uz4byxrcfago6sb5npl9.jpg"><figcaption>Attendees gather around the drawings of five Prison+Neighborhood Arts/Education Project participants. The organization had a grand opening of its gallery and community space, Walls Turned Sideways, 2717 W. Madison St., on Jan. 27, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://news.wttw.com/2024/01/30/new-gallery-community-hub-links-incarcerated-artists-chicago-communities-we-use-art">New Gallery, Community Hub Links Incarcerated Artists to Chicago Communities</a>Robert Curry is a prolific artist.But it’s a rare occasion for his aunts to see his work up close.D’Andrea Mosely and Robin Adams peered down at the two pages of comics drawn by Curry: brightly colored panels depicting “The Lost Place” as he calls it. A community hub where, he writes, children were sent when tensions with law enforcement were high.Children in the community play pool, ping pong and basketball as “a safe haven.”These moments growing up in a three-story walk-up near 45th Street and Champlain Avenue are a cherished memory for Curry that contrasts to his nearly 20 years incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center.“It’s heartwarming, but it’s also heartbreaking,” said Mosely. “Now he considers it somewhere that is lost to him and others growing up in the neighborhood, just to the community at large that we don’t have these kinds of safe havens in the Black and Brown communities anymore.”Via WTTW&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 2/8/24

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419339/fuxcneiiuwcwzsgqxurn.jpg"><figcaption>21Minus, curated by the Teen Creative Agency, Jun 16, 2018. Photo: Grace DuVal, © MCA Chicago. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.org/learn/youth/call-for-proposals?_gl=1*v18yf5*_gcl_au*MTA2NDg5NTIyLjE3MDExMDgxNTc.&amp;utm_source=PRESS_MCA&amp;utm_campaign=4bdadbdf57-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_21Minus_CallForProposals&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_-7c327af066-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&amp;mc_cid=4bdadbdf57&amp;mc_eid=95b957c616#faqs">Proposal for MCA's 21Minus Youth-Led Program</a>The MCA is encouraging youth in Chicagoland to submit proposals for its upcoming youth-led 21Minus program.Every year, the &nbsp;Teen Creative Agency (TCA) at the MCA hosts an annual exposition of youth creativity during 21Minus. At 21Minus, teens showcase performances, workshops, art installations, film screenings, and more.This year’s event, <a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=d2d0587a74&amp;e=95b957c616">themed Love &amp; Liberation</a>, will take place on June 15, 2024, and invites young artists to consider different iterations of love and care and their impact. During 21Minus, museum admission is free for people ages 21 and under and their families.The TCA has opened a call for proposals for youth artists ages 21 and younger to participate in 21Minus’s Love &amp; Liberation.&nbsp;<a href="https://mcachicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c24ba7c5a91cefd699dc985e1&amp;id=d370e4d995&amp;e=95b957c616">Read more about the eligibility requirements</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419341/vsvkzwexus2z9uqgadz1.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;ART OF WATER VIII (2024) - James May Gallery Call for Art&nbsp;An exhibition celebrating our most vital resource.Water is the most crucial resource for life. An online &amp; in-person international water-themed exhibition. Water is the most crucial resource for life. The work could be about serious topics such as water conservation and protection, but it could also be about the simple beauty of water. There is something about water that attracts and fascinates us. It is our hope that by celebrating the beauty and necessity of water in all our lives that we can better protect it.Three entries per artist, all mediums accepted. Sliding entry fee scale. Pay what is appropriate to your situation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jamesmaygallery.com/shop">here</a> or below.​Entries due March 15th at midnight.Show opens May 3rd and runs through May 25th<a href="https://www.jamesmaygallery.com/shop">Art of Water VIII entry link</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419341/jhyv6d6hugxtfm0x7kdd.png"></figure>John Michael Kohler Arts Center Midsummer Festival Call for ArtThe applications for the annual Midsummer Festival of the Arts hosted by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on July 20-21, 2024 will be closing soon!&nbsp; The outdoor festival features a curated selection of 100 artists, including returning award winners from last year—offering original works of art in a wide variety of categories, such as ceramics, glass, painting, photography, metal, fiber, watercolor, wood, jewelry, and others chosen by jurors. Don't miss the opportunity! Apply by March 1, and anticipate artist notifications by April 4.<a href="https://www.jmkac.org/engage/programs/midsummer-festival-of-the-arts/">Apply here</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419342/atbfvxhzcsc99c0lwcze.png"></figure>Artadia Awards - Chicago Application Open Through March 1The Artadia Awards provide financial support, exposure and recognition to artists. The awards are unrestricted, allowing artists to use the funds in any way they choose.Each year, an open-call application is made available in each of the seven active partner cities. Supporting artists equitably is a critical part of the Artadia Award process: we consider the unique populations of each community and are proud to reflect our country’s diversity with an Awardee pool that is over 50 percent female and over 40 percent persons of color.In addition to financial support, Awardees can participate in the Artadia Network to receive structured opportunities for valuable new connections and resource sharing as well as receive a dedicated webpage on Artadia’s online Artist Registry. Connections fostered by Artadia have facilitated major steps in Awardees’ careers, such as inclusion in prominent exhibitions (e.g. five Awardees were featured in the 2017 Whitney Biennial, and six in 2019).<a href="https://artadia.org/awards/">Apply here</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>