CAC Hires New Executive Director

Following an extensive search headed by Chicago Artists Coalition’s Board of Directors, the board is pleased to announce Brookes Ebetsch as the new Executive Director of Chicago Artists Coalition.

Ebetsch’s background as an executive director in the non-profit arts sector, as well as her interest in fostering mutually beneficial relationships with artists and patrons alike, will aid in advancing CAC’s mission to support the arts community in Chicago.

“We are thrilled to have Brookes Ebetsch join the Chicago Artists Coalition team,” says Gibran Villalobos, Chicago Artists Coalition Board Chair and Interim Executive Director. “The board aimed to bring on a team player that was energetic and focused to match the challenges faced by cultural organizations today. Brookes arrives on the eve of our 50th anniversary and is poised to chart our upcoming course.”

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‘Billiken,’ Massive Projection Showcasing Black Joy In Chicago, At Art On The Mart This Week

A popular Bud-Billiken-themed projection is being brought back just in time for this weekend’s 94th annual Bud Billiken Parade.

“Billiken” is being showcased at Art on the Mart from Wednesday to Saturday, leading up to the Bud Billiken parade on Saturday.

The Bud Billiken Day Parade, the largest Black parade in the country, has been a Chicago fixture since 1929. It’s held annually on the second Saturday in August. The parade is named after a fictional character in the Chicago Defender newspaper, and was created to celebrate Black life in the city.

The projection debuted in 2022 and portrays the history of the parade, while also incorporating dance as a way to empower Chicago youth through art. Billiken features historic Chicago dance groups, including Geek Squad, the Jesse White Tumblers, K-Phi-9 and more.

Via Block Club Chicago

Acclaimed Artist Jeffrey Gibson Is Suing Chicago Dealer Kavi Gupta for Allegedly Withholding More Than $600,000 in Pay

Choctaw and Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson, who was recently selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Venice Biennale, is suing Chicago’s Kavi Gupta Gallery for allegedly withholding more than $600,000 in sales proceeds.  

In a complaint filed at New York’s Northern District Court in May, Gibson said that he began consigning pieces through Gupta’s gallery in late 2017. He claims the two parties settled on a typical 50-50 profit split, with the understanding that Kavi Gupta would deduct the cost of framing “off the top” of the purchase price before equally allocating the balance of sales.

Kavi Gupta, the gallery’s founder and namesake, addressed Gibson’s claims in an affidavit filed on August 4. In the document, he corroborates the 50-50 deal between the gallery and the artist, albeit with one critical distinction: that all production expenses, not just framing costs, were to be taken off the top of sales before the proceeds were shared.  

Via Artnet