BY GINNY VAN ALYEA

Violence in Chicago, and beyond, adds up to&nbsp;a lot more than&nbsp;inspiration for campaign promises and&nbsp;content for the nightly news. It claims lives, unravels neighborhoods and families,&nbsp;crushes the&nbsp;dreams and stokes the fears of far too&nbsp;many&nbsp;people throughout our city and communities. Several city galleries and artists are trying to help those of us on the outside of most of these daily tragedies to comprehend their devastating depth as well as to start to pay more attention and be a part of the solution, whether by lending support through resources, iniatives or simply compassion. By looking at&nbsp;these issues from a personal perspective, whether it&#39;s gathering statements from affected youths or depicting the faces of prisoners, several artists are making the abstract more personal and real. &nbsp;

<h4>The&nbsp;Chicago Angels Project,&nbsp;The Forgotten: Chicago Youth Lost to Gun Violence&nbsp;(2011/13)</h4>

As part of The Chicago Angels Project at Josef Glimer Gallery, almost a hundred faces look out from the gallery walls - faces of young people whose lives were ended far too soon. ThinkArt&nbsp;in partnership with&nbsp;The Arts Palette&nbsp;and&nbsp;Josef Glimer Gallery presented&nbsp;Uplift Community High School&nbsp;student artists&rsquo; series of mosaic linoleum relief prints representing the spirits of deceased&nbsp;youths. The linocuts are displayed next to art by Chicago artists, at once elevating these images to the level of art while maintaining the colorful, art-class sensibility typical of young children still learning new conceptual and artistic skills. Behind the attractive display in the gallery is the sadness, grief and horror of living day after day with loss and fear, but there is also a collective effort to memorialize and remember.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Left: Marvin Tate, Schoolyard of Broken Dreams, 2014, 16” x 19.5” x 4,” Boxed assemblage with found objects &amp; LED light. Right: Lee Tracy, Hate Ruins Everything, 2012, 27.5″ x 20,” Archival ink print on cotton rag paper, Edition of 5." data-rich-file-id="545" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/545/original/glimer-2.jpg" />

On February 12 the&nbsp;show opened recently to a packed crowd of art world and civic figures alongside area high school students and&nbsp;family members affected by the loss of relatives, friends and neighbors.&nbsp;&nbsp;The brightly colored linoleum block prints&nbsp;are by former and current students of Laura Mullkoff, an art teacher in Uptown&rsquo;s&nbsp;Uplift Community High School. Each image&nbsp;memorializes&nbsp;a minor lost to gun violence&nbsp;from 2011-2013. Other victims of gun violence may have escaped with their lives, but their lives and physical or emotional capabilities may have been forever altered.&nbsp;

The show&#39;s organizers hope that through art, lives will be remembered and that&nbsp;violence prevention becomes a priority for Chicago&rsquo;s policy-makers.

Participating local artists include&nbsp;Susan Aurinko,&nbsp;Iwona Biedermann,&nbsp;David Gista,&nbsp;Doug Fogelson,&nbsp;Jean-Marc Giboux,&nbsp;Chris Hefner,&nbsp;Layne Jackson,&nbsp;Teresa James,&nbsp;Marvin Tate and Lee Tracy.&nbsp;

A portion of all sales will be donated to the following non-profit&nbsp;organizations:&nbsp;Alternative Schools Network,&nbsp;CeaseFire, and the&nbsp;Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.

On view through February 28 at <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/josef-glimer-gallery-ltd">Josef Glimer Gallery</a>

Additional information at <a href="http://www.chicagoangelsproject.org">chicagoangelsproject.org</a>

&nbsp;

<h4>Victims &amp; Villains&nbsp;at the New Kruger Gallery</h4>

<a href="http://www.krugergallerychicago.com">Kruger Gallery</a>, a gallery run by Mikelle Kruger, re-opened this past January on Southport in Lakeview (it was formerly in River North). The gallery is committed to showcasing a range of art dealing with issues of social justice, and the first solo exhibition in the space features work by Chicago-based&nbsp;Heather Green. I stopped into the gallery a couple of weeks ago to see the show and to meet Mikelle and Heather. In a short time I learned a great deal about the many issues concerning the justice system in the United States. Green&#39;s&nbsp;passion&nbsp;for&nbsp;justice issues is what she considers a sort of activist calling. After copious reading as well as viewing documentaries and other studies about subjects like the penal system in the US, solitary confinement, and&nbsp;recidivism rates, she attempts to unearth individual examples of the spectrum of human nature in our society. She looks at the people who have committed crimes as well as the&nbsp;system that she credits with compounding their already tenuous psyches and ultimately the broken state of their lives.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="544" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/544/original/krugertwo.jpg" />

Green sees her work &quot;as a means to share ideas with an audience that can facilitate change on a larger scale than I am personally able.&nbsp;At times, I feel like a conduit through which ideas and imagery can be filtered. While looking at disturbing things and teasing out their thought-provoking beauty can be spiritually difficult, I feel the higher purpose of the work requires me to grow a thicker skin.&quot;

The exhibition is divided into two sections. On one wall of the gallery are several large scale, painted portraits - of Marissa Alexander, George Zimmerman, and others. There is no identifying text or other clues. Green painted the portraits from publicly available mug shots and blew them up in order to maximize the impact and engagement for the viewer. One cannot help but meet each villian&#39;s gaze, depicted here as ultimately sad, troubled, lost.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="546" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/546/original/green2-2.jpg" />

The other part of the exhibition, #yesallwomen,&nbsp;deals with the&nbsp;2012 Steubenville&nbsp;rape case and the fervent social media response that went along with it. Here Green works&nbsp;scrutinizes rape culture&nbsp;and the subsequent conviction of&nbsp;Trent Mays and Ma&rsquo;lik Richmond in 2013. Green makes the case that much of the outrage, criticism and judgement during the trial was conducted more or less anonymously via social media. Responses were fervent and prevasive, perhaps because of the cover allowed by social media.&nbsp;Here Green&#39;s works on paper flutter in delicate layers, with cutout words lifted from case-related hashtags and online statements.&nbsp;

Victims &amp; Villians by Heather Green at <a href="http://www.krugergallerychicago.com">Kruger Gallery</a> through February 28.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h4>Try Youth as Youth at David Weinberg PHOTOGRAPHY</h4>

David Weinberg Photography&#39;s&nbsp;Try Youth as Youth is the second exhibition at the gallery devoted to social justice. The first, <a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2014/8/we-all-we-got-art-supports-social-change">We All We Got</a>, brought together several area politicians and youth advocacy groups and&nbsp;spotlighted photographer Carlos Ortiz&#39;s experiences embedded in a south side community struggling to live with&nbsp;day-to-day violence in Chicago. For this latest exhibition the&nbsp;ACLU of Illinois&nbsp;and David Weinberg Photography examine the juvenile justice&nbsp;system in America&nbsp;through an exhibit of photography, sculpture and video installation aiming to shed light on the lives of incarcerated youth.&nbsp;Try Youth As Youth&nbsp;features works by four&nbsp;artists with a shared dedication to institutional reform of the systems that far too often dehumanize young people and fail to provide them with constitutionally adequate conditions and services.&nbsp;

&bull; Tirtza Even&#39;s video&nbsp;Natural Life, a two-channel projection installation, challenges inequities in the juvenile justice system by depicting the stories of five individuals who were sentenced to life without parole (&ldquo;natural life&rdquo;) for crimes they committed as&nbsp;youth. Even makes the case that it is not just the offender who is affected for life - families must deal with the reality of having a relative on the inside for life. Incarceration also doesn&#39;t close the book for victims either. Even&#39;s depiction provides a window into what life is like, day after day, in prison and what growing up in such circumstances can be like.

&bull; Steve Davis began work&nbsp;on&nbsp;Captured Youth in 1997 after participating as a visiting artist at one of Washington State&#39;s correctional facilities - commonly referred to as &quot;schools&rdquo;. These state-run facilities are the remnants of what were reform schools located on the outskirts of town, but what goes on within the security walls is far from educational or rehabilitative. This is where the subjects of Davis&#39; portraits restlessly reside. His images work to humanize the youth that have committed crimes or entered into the system by means of bad luck and accident of birth.

<img alt="" data-caption="Left: Richard Ross; Right: Steve Liss" data-rich-file-id="548" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/548/original/weinbergdue.jpg" />

&bull; TIME Magazine&nbsp;photojournalist Steve Liss spent 2 years photographing and interviewing detainees, their parents, correction officers and counselors in Laredo, Texas, eventually publishing&nbsp;his 2005 book No Place for Children. The youth in his black and white images suffer from drug dependencies, mental illness, depression, and violence. Liss has captured the heartbreaking realities of the youngest incarcerated children and the cruelties they face.

&bull; Richard Ross photographed and interviewed subjects in&nbsp;31 states and 200+ facilities over&nbsp;8 years,&nbsp;in&nbsp;a project that has yielded 10,000+ images and 1000+ interviews. His images and interviews illustrate the fact that no two inmates or their situation&nbsp;in any given place are the same. Viewers must contemplate life for a young person in solitary confinement, or what it must be like to&nbsp;being restrained, viewing the institutional instruments that hold prisoners down, implemented by guards and employees.&nbsp;

<a href="http://d-weinberg.com/tyay">Try Youth as Youth</a> at&nbsp;David Weinberg Photography

&nbsp;

Images at top of page, from left to right: by Steve Davis (at David Weinberg), by Heather Green (at Kruger), by Lee Tracy (at Josef Glimer)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Three Shows Give Artistic Perspective on the Lasting Damage of Violence 

BY MARY DEYOE<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/518/original/flatsstudio3.jpg" alt=""></figure>In Uptown, one block off the Wilson red line El stop, is the old Wilson Avenue Theatre - a former vaudeville theatre and site of one of Charlie Chaplin’s early performances. It was recently a TCF Bank. Today it is FLATS STUDIO, an arts center associated with FLATS apartments, based on a simple hope that art can build community.&nbsp;The grand foyer of the space has a high arched ceiling, and stark white walls are framed by Corinthian columns. With bare bones lighting and temporary walls that are more like large signboards, FLATS STUDIO possesses a raw, rustic feeling that strikes an appropriate aesthetic balance for the neighborhood.&nbsp;Uptown itself is a mix of million dollar homes and run down or abandoned spaces. You see a Starbucks on one block and a Dollar Store on the next. “We really wanted to use this space,” said Jay Michael, co-founder of FLATS, “as a means of bridging the gap between development and gentrification.” Since the first show in September 2014, the gallery has attracted a diverse audience including members of the community, SAIC professors and students, artists, and tenants from FLATS apartments. “We did not create FLATS STUDIO for our tenants, but it has been exciting to see them at the events,” said Michael. FLATS STUDIO hosts an opening for each show on the third Friday of each month.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/517/original/flatsstudio4.jpg" alt=""></figure>The gallery’s December show, Playtime, featured work by roughly 10 artists, all of whom explored a different approach to the idea of play. In the center of the room was a small plastic slide and other playground structures. Nearby was work by artist and FLATS STUDIO co-curator Edward Muela: two orange paper mache rifles with arms and fingers poised in a gun shape (the thumbs up) for the barrels. And in a back room, on the bars of a defunct bank vault door, was a nice blue neon light bent into an elegant flourish.The next show planned for FLATS STUDIO will be a collaboration with Chicago Public Schools, featuring work by high school juniors and seniors. SAIC graduate and co-curator Audra Jacot has a Bachelor’s degree in sculpture and a Masters in Art and Technology. Jacot is also a substitute teacher for the CPS Advanced Arts Program. “I am very excited about this show, and the students are extremely excited to show their work outside of the classroom.”While art was not the focus when FLATS was formed, Michael said the desire to incorporate art into the business was natural, “and we’re only moving forward.” Prior to FLATS STUDIO, the company used vacant ground level commercial space in their buildings for exhibitions. For a year, JC Steinbrunner hosted his Salon Series at the FLATS 1325 Wilson Ave. location. Before that, Chicago artist and Bravo’s Work of Art contestant, Young Sun Han, curated pop up shows featuring work by other local artists.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/515/original/audrajay.jpg" alt=""></figure>Artists for the FLATS STUDIO are selected by an application process. “In general, what we are looking for is a show theme,” said Jacot. All of the artists featured are local, which is important to Michael and Jacot, in order to keep the program centered on Chicago. “We want all aspects of our business to be hyper-local.”In January the FLATS offices will move to Uptown’s former Salvation Army building, where they will display photography from Chicago-based Co-Edit Collection, a website that sells work by professional commercial photographers. Co-Edit was founded by Chicago-based photographer Tim Klein. “We just let Tim take over the space,” said Michael. Michael has also curated a section of work on Co-Edit’s site.&nbsp;FLATS residential spaces are also filled with original art, each building featuring the work of one artist. At 4875 Magnolia photographs by Bob Rehak adorn the walls. In the 1970s Rehak lived and worked in Uptown and photographed residents. “Rehak’s work is almost the precursor to the site ‘Humans of New York,’” said Michael of the popular website that features portraits of everyday people on the streets of New York City. Hanging Rehak’s work in Uptown is a subtle way of connecting current residents with the past.&nbsp;“We have had a lot of fun meeting all of the artists,” said Jacot, and with such a large number of artists applying to show in the space, she is excited about all of the possibilities.In addition to supporting the arts through exhibitions, FLATS offers artists reduced rent to live in the studio apartments. To apply artists must demonstrate a commitment to their work and be below a certain annual salary. “This is another way we can support the arts,” said Michael. In the future, FLATS will include work space for artists, including a metal shop, woodworking facilities, and other amenities.FLATS STUDIO may not have been in Michael’s original company design, but it has certainly made a strong impression.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://flatsstudio.com">flatsstudio.com</a>

Art Builds Community in Uptown FLATS

BY PATRICIA ANDREWS-KEENANThe story of the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is best told through the gallery walls of its 1892 Gustav Hallberg designed building. The walls of the main gallery show every nail hole from every exhibit ever hung there. The inaugural exhibition of the Center, held in December 1940, featured works by Charles White, Bernard Goss, William Carter, Eldzier Cortor, Frank Neal and Archibald Motley, Jr.. Those first nail holes tell a story of a community committed to self-improvement and the belief that the arts hold a transformative power to enhance lives. &nbsp;&nbsp;In 2015, SSCAC enters its 75th year and stands as one of the last surviving&nbsp;Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Arts Project&nbsp;(FAP) Centers and the oldest African American community art center in the country. Today the Center continues in its original mission to preserve, conserve and exhibit African American art and showcase African American artists. &nbsp;In its early years the Center was a hive of activity, as well as a who’s who of the Chicago Renaissance. In addition to a series of frequently changing exhibitions, renowned artists George Neal, William Sylvester Carter, Charles Sebree, Katherine Bell, Joseph Kersey and Sylvester Britton taught art classes. Inez Cunningham Stark, the editor of Poetry magazine, taught a poetry class; her students included future Poet Laureate of Illinois Gwendolyn Brooks, as well as Margaret Danner, and Robert Davis.Brooks, author Richard Wright, and Willard Motley attended a regular writers’ forum; on weekends musical legend Nat “King” Cole played jazz. Photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks kept a studio at the Center. Lessons offered for free at the Center included oil painting, drawing, composition, watercolor, sculpture, lithography, poster design, fashion illustration, interior decoration, silk screening, weaving, and hooked rug making. By March 1941, nearly 13,500 people had attended classes, exhibitions, and events at the Center.&nbsp;SSCAC even received recognition from the White House when first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated the Center on May 7, 1941 in a ceremony that was broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. A gala celebration followed and featured national luminaries like singer Bessie Smith and actress Ethel Waters. The First Lady chronicled her visit to Chicago in the May 9, 1941 edition of her column “My Day.”&nbsp;Below is a portion of the entry:&nbsp;At 3:15 (May 7, 1941) we went to the South Side Community Art Center to dedicate their building. … Chicago has long been a center of Negro art.&nbsp;Many Negro artists have had a hard time getting their training and have starved as many artists do, even when they have achieved a certain amount of recognition. With the aid of federal money it (The Center) has been converted to its present purposes.&nbsp;Many people were influential for the Center over the years. When the Center opened Dr. Margaret Goss Burroughs was one of its youngest board members; she continued her active involvement in numerous capacities until her death in 2010. A prolific fundraiser for SSCAC, she is often remembered for her “miles of dimes” fundraising campaign that was instrumental in SSCAC’s purchase of the Bauhaus remodeled building.Today the SSCAC maintains its status as an active community resource under the leadership of Executive Director Maséqua Myers, a former student of Dr. Burroughs, and a committed board of directors, some with nearly 50 years of service. To mark the 75th anniversary SSCAC has developed a year of programming and events, including a revival of Off The Wall, Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green, which returns to the Harris Theater for Music and Dance on April 11. Green, a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, was a habitué of the Center and continues as a supporter.&nbsp; The Ballet is a collaboration of still art and dance and was first conceived by the Columbia City Ballet’s Executive and Artistic Director William Starrett after meeting Green in 2002. It debuted in Chicago in 2010 during the SSCAC’s 70th Anniversary celebration.&nbsp; As in 2010, there will be a special performance for Chicago Public School students. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel will serve as Honorary Chair of this 75th Anniversary event.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/490/original/pat-s-i-pod-photos-through-july-2010-094.jpg" alt=""></figure>The Center will also host its 50th Annual Art Auction, as well as a recreation of its storied Artist and Models Ball, a showcase of the ‘avant garde’ that sometimes featured works on human canvases and was dubbed provocative for the time. Exhibitions for 2015 will include Black Comic Book Heroes, exhibits that pay homage to the Center’s founders as well as up and coming artists, and an exhibition partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art. &nbsp;Myers refers to SSCAC’s 75th as “soaring towards our diamond anniversary.” She says, “I look forward to bridging SSCAC’s legacy of historical excellence in traditional art with the brilliance of the artists of today. Our goal is to attract art lovers from all over the world.” Her vision is borne out as art historians and researchers have traveled to view the Center’s archives from as far away as England, Paris, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. &nbsp;&nbsp;To learn more and support the center’s GoFundMe Campaign visit <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/dcw4pk">www.gofundme.com/dcw4pk</a>Historical data sourced from the SSCAC archives, ChicagoHistory.org, Wikipedia, Mapping the Stacks, WTTW.com, GWU.edu&nbsp;Key image at top:&nbsp;Renowned artist Jonathan Green, fourth from left, poses with local students in front of his art work at the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) in 2010 when the Ballet based on his artwork,&nbsp;Off The Wall Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green, debuted at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.&nbsp; It returns to Chicago on April 11, in celebration of SSCAC’s 75th Anniversary.&nbsp;&nbsp;

South Side Community Art Center Turns 75

By FRANCK MERCURIO

On a quiet section of Lill Street overlooking Jonquil Park, a one-time CTA transformer station stands anonymously among its more gentrified Lincoln Park neighbors. Unassuming from the outside, the 1910 structure boasts an impressive three-story-tall interior space illuminated by rows of cathedral-like windows. Within this building (that once housed giant rotary converters powering Lincoln Avenue&rsquo;s trolley car system), resides the studio of Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt.&nbsp;

Hunt purchased the old transformer building from the CTA in the early 1970s and relocated his studio there. The atelier contains a diverse array of &ldquo;stuff&rdquo; bearing witness to Hunt&rsquo;s vocation. Mountains of scrap metal stand next to large-scale works in-progress. Dozens of maquettes line tabletops alongside random pieces of African art. Rows of archival boxes and filing cabinets overflow with the memorabilia of Hunt&rsquo;s 60-year artistic practice.

Chicago is celebrating the artist&rsquo;s long and highly successful career&mdash;and his 80th birthday&mdash;with two new exhibitions: Richard Hunt: 60 Years of Sculpture at the Chicago Cultural Center (through March 29) and MCA DNA: Richard Hunt at the Museum of Contemporary Art (through May 17).

<img alt="" data-caption="Eagle Columns, 1989, Jonquil Park, Chicago. © Richard Hunt. Photo: Franck Mercurio." data-rich-file-id="493" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/493/original/img-20141120-095217-259.jpg" />

Best known for his monumental works of public art, Hunt has completed numerous commissions throughout the city and the nation. Chicagoans are perhaps most familiar with Hunt&rsquo;s Flight Forms (2001) at Midway Airport, We Will (2005) on Randolph Street near the Chicago Cultural Center, and Eagle Columns (1989) in Jonquil Park. But Hunt has also created public works in nearly a dozen other states, including significant commissions in Michigan, North Carolina, and Washington, DC.

Yet his prominence as a public sculptor often obscures Hunt&rsquo;s thriving studio practice. &ldquo;I make things from coffee table-sized to plaza-sized,&rdquo; said Hunt during a recent interview. Indeed, the compact exhibition at the MCA focuses attention on eight of the artist&rsquo;s more modestly-scaled works.

&ldquo;People know Richard from his public projects, but I think it is really important to address that he has been laboring in his studio making studio work as well,&rdquo; says Naomi Beckwith, MCA curator. &ldquo;There is this humbler-scaled, yet no less significant, practice in his studio that&rsquo;s ongoing.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption="Richard Hunt, Small Hybrid, 1964. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morton A. Sterling. © 1964 Richard Hunt. Photo: Nathan Keay, © Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago." data-rich-file-id="491" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/491/original/8e010smallhybrid02-copy.jpg" />

Hunt became famous at an early age through these &ldquo;humbler-scaled&rdquo; works. Arachne (1956) was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art when the artist was still in his twenties. Hunt created this and other early sculptures using found objects, such as discarded automobile parts and other detritus of industrial production.

&ldquo;It was about creating something from found material and the industrial waste that we&rsquo;ve been producing as a society,&rdquo; explained Beckwith. &ldquo;You have artists starting to make things out of waste [in the 1950s]. I can&rsquo;t help but think about it as a kind of commentary on excess production.&rdquo;

As a young artist, Hunt displayed a talent for imbuing obsolete, static objects with life and movement. &ldquo;Some of the earliest works that Richard created were figural. They&rsquo;re all humans or humanoids or little robots,&rdquo; says Beckwith. &ldquo;And it&rsquo;s about reactivating&mdash;or literally reanimating&mdash;some of this stuff that seemed lifeless and pulled apart and wasted.&rdquo;

Hunt himself cites Julio Gonz&aacute;lez (1876&ndash;1942) as a major influence on his early work. &ldquo;Gonzalez talked about sculpture being the marriage of material and space&mdash;drawing in space&mdash;you know, that kind of thing,&rdquo; says Hunt. &ldquo;It got my attention.&rdquo;

Gonz&aacute;lez and other modernists pursued a more &ldquo;constructed&rdquo; way of producing sculpture, often assembling or welding separate components together to create three-dimensional compositions. It was a method that inspired Hunt. &ldquo;I started out modeling, but then I saw this constructed stuff and was very excited by it,&rdquo; explains Hunt. &ldquo;I wanted to move in that direction. So that&rsquo;s what got me started doing metal work, first soldering little things, then going on to weld.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption="Richard Hunt in his Lill Street studio. Photo: Thomas McCormick, 2012." data-rich-file-id="494" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/494/original/richard-hunt-photo3-by-thomas-mccormick.jpg" />

Although Hunt still uses this technique today, the idea of modeling isn&rsquo;t entirely absent from his mature work&mdash;often, he welds together modeled components to create his sculptural constructions. Hunt works out his initial ideas using wax slabs that he shapes and solders to create maquettes. Guided by these initial models, he then models larger pieces from steel or bronze and welds these together to fabricate the finished work.

The final product is consciously abstract, yet reflects an underlying figural quality. Hunts sculptural compositions suggest wings, waves, body parts, and other moving, flowing, curvilinear shapes. Says Beckwith, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d always been amazed by his practice that is abstract, but borrows from these kind of surreal, biomorphic forms.&rdquo;

In the Cultural Center exhibition, 60 of Hunt&rsquo;s signature sculptures are displayed from different periods of his career, including two new works never before exhibited in public. Along with the MCA show, the Cultural Center exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to view some of the best pieces created by Chicago&rsquo;s prodigious dean of sculpture.

&nbsp;

&bull; At the Chicago Cultural Center Thru March 29, 2015

Richard Hunt: Sixty Years of Sculpture

<a href="http://www.cityofchicago.org">www.cityofchicago.org</a>

&nbsp;

&bull; At the Museum of Contemporary Art Thru May 17, 2015

MCA DNA: Richard Hunt

<a href="http://www.mcachicago.org">www.mcachicago.org</a>

&nbsp;

MCA Talk: Naomi Beckwith on Richard Hunt, Tu, Feb 10, 12&ndash;1 pm

&nbsp;

Image pictured at top of page: Gathering scrap in a junk yard at Clybourn and Sheffield Avenues, Chicago, 1962. Photo courtesy Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt: Chicago’s Dean of Sculpture

BY TONY FITZPATRICK<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/508/original/miley14.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Miley Cyrus's concert during Art Basel in 2014. © Patrick McMullan, photo Paul Bruinooge/PatrickMcMullan.com</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;There is a grim irony surrounding the art extravaganza in Miami this past December. Ten or 12 international art fairs call this mecca of tit-jobs, rhinoplasty, and spray-on tans home for about seven days each year, and in those days they waltz along Collins Avenue surprising each other with great thoughts about the presence of Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Deitch, and Jay-Z. Whoo Ha!I followed all this on Twitter from Chicago, where it’s cold like it’s supposed to be. When one reporter breathlessly tweeted about being ‘tucked in’ at one fair’s nap station by Marina Abramovic, I thought, Oh Joy. Though I suppose it’s better to have her tuck you in than to wake up with her staring at you. That would give me the willies.The hookers, male and female, must do a brisk trade, while the celebrity crowd zips everywhere in ‘courtesy’ cars furnished by Audi, or BMW, or whomever paid for the franchise. There are a lot of 70 year-olds there with 30 year old wives. I, for one, love rolling up on those guys and telling them how elegant their daughters are, just to make them get so pissed.And in the booths? The big world turns: The Clueless Oaf pays the Stiff-jawed Fraud a fortune for a meaningless accoutrement.It’s prom night for the swells, who dress to the nines just to watch their money fuck other money.Meanwhile...back in civilization? The Midwest town of Ferguson, MO burned. A grand jury’s decision regarding a white policeman’s killing of 18 year-old Michael Brown tore the scab off of the illusory and non-existent ‘Post Racial’ America.&nbsp;In another part of the country, in New York City, five Staten Island policemen walked free after choking 34-year-old Eric Garner to death on the street for selling ‘loosies’, or loose cigarettes.&nbsp;The combined national outrage at these tragedies erupted onto American streets in a way I have not witnessed since the bloody protest era of the Vietnam War. Watching in Chicago I was oddly proud of those who stopped traffic and created snarls in order that the world pay some attention to the class war that has seemingly snuck up on them. That Michael Brown and Eric Garner were poor should surprise nobody. In America? Cops can ONLY get away with killing poor people.I was reminded that these were the kind of events that used to motivate artists into civil discourse, civil disobedience, and dissent. There was a time when artists spoke to the county’s conscience and were part of the discourse, rather than another variety of mere ‘entertainment.’This is where the marketplace mentality has led many of us. The conversation about what art is and does used to be the intellectual real estate that artists occupied.Now? Every Jerk worth eight figures has the public hanging on their every idiotic word, including artists, and believing that dollar bills equal brain-cells.&nbsp;All over Miami Beach. Dopes, Dim-Wits, and Dullards are staring at their iPhones, passing by a full gorgeous view of the Atlantic ocean, with its schools of porpoises and flying fish, and they’re watching for the latest tweet, text, or e-mail to arrive with earth-shattering news of where the Gagosian party is, pondering which dinner can they insinuate themselves into?Part of my own problem with this milieu is the worry that this is now how young artists think this is supposed to be done - art career via social-suction. It’s about who you know and all manner of horse-shit that has nothing to do with being an artist or making art. I want to shake them and tell them to wake the fuck up. The art fair circle-jerk is a celebration of the market, not the art. It is an environment where everyone knows the cost of everything and the definition of nothing.Admittedly my last art trip to Miami was two years ago; while there were some glimmers of hope in the margins of this rolling goat-fuck, the news this year that there was a ‘nap-station’ for those who were tired from shopping and exchanging great thoughts made me think about just how twee and vacuous this whole enterprise is.Wake up.&nbsp;Tony Fitzpatrick is an independent artist, writer and actor living in Chicago.&nbsp;He is the author of This Train and the upcoming Dime Stories, to be published in June 2015 by Curbside Splendor.<a href="https://tonyfitzpatrick.co/pages/about">https://tonyfitzpatrick.co/pages/about</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tony Fitzpatrick on the state of the art world

While America Burns...the 1% Gets a Tan

My daughter recently learned how to walk. Constantly watching out for her safety has helped me see the world with a new perspective: while I now anticipate a range of new dangers, I can also freshly see more wonder in the everyday. Toddlers are innately curious; their inexhaustable delight in exploration is charming to a busy adult. Shiny objects and novel experiences can entertain grown ups too, but most of us are a little harder to truly impress.&nbsp;Each winter when I write this letter for our January-April issue, it’s a tough assignment. How can we get people to see things in a new light? Is it possible to be excited about the cruelest stretch of the year in one of the coldest cities in the country? Many people just want to flee until spring arrives. But instead of trying to force my enthusiasm on others, maybe the middle of winter just isn’t a time to be all abuzz. Instead, it may be a reprieve from the frenzy. We have a chance to relax and slow down. The calendar is no longer a blur, and for most of us, if we’re going to venture outside, it had better be worth it. This is not to say that nothing happens when the temperature is below zero. As we come out of our post-holiday fog, the area’s cultural momentum builds each month, starting with winter season openings and continuing until we gratefully reach April. Just like a confident toddler who has mastered baby steps, soon we’ll be running again. Savoring these quieter times is a gift. Before we know it time will have passed us all by.Eight decades have passed for Richard Hunt. Long a sculpture star, as Hunt celebrates his 80th birthday, two institutions are reflecting on this prolific, resourceful artist’s career. Franck Mercurio visited Hunt’s studio to take a look back and to see what’s new.What’s new can be quite at home in an old space. Kevin Nance has a conversation with architect and contemporary art collector Carlos Martinez, whose collection began with a birthday present and snowballed from there. Martinez looks to art and architecture to inspire many aspects of his life.&nbsp;Art has the power to inspire us all, but it can also offer a safe haven for at-risk youths in the city. Even in the slower winter months, there are day-to-day dangers that exist for many kids. Several area art programs are designed to offer a creative escape. Frank Mercurio talks to three Chicago nonprofits making a difference.&nbsp;While we are most often focused on art at&nbsp;CGN, we of course are aware that there are other events happening the world. Arist Tony Fitzpatrick candidly shares his (strong) opinions about artists’ reponses to current events as well as the art fair market and celebrities.&nbsp;A new year can bring a singular freshness to discover, no matter what your age, and even when we feel as if we can’t bear to go outdoors. Out there is undoubtedly something to explore and delight us, just as if we’ve never seen it before. You might just be impressed.&nbsp;Happy new year!&nbsp;

Publisher’s Letter: Baby Steps Through Winter

<h4><img alt="" data-caption="Pictured from top left: Allen Bourgeois, Dennis Chamberlin, David Tepper, Phillip Tawanchaya" data-rich-file-id="487" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/487/original/rangefinderjan1576.jpg" /></h4>

<h4>First Fridays in River North are Here</h4>

For years the public has regularly asked, &ldquo;Are gallery openings on First Fridays?&rdquo; As well known as the phrase is, in River North there has never been such an event, since most openings happen every six to eight weeks. The Museum of Contemporary Art has had such a program, and other art districts in the city have designated monthly public opening nights, but it is in River North that the &ldquo;First Friday&rdquo; myth&nbsp; has long persisted.

Now, one of the district&rsquo;s newest galleries is taking advantage of the &ldquo;First Fridays&rdquo; name and of the public&rsquo;s desire for a regular opening night schedule. The Rangefinder Gallery&rsquo;s Dan Tamarkin is always full of energy and ideas. Often buzzing around the gallery rearranging furniture for the next opening or meeting with artists about future exhibitions, now he&rsquo;s set his entire schedule for 2015 and has committed to having an opening reception the first Friday of every month (beginning January 9th to give everyone a chance to recuperate from New Year&rsquo;s Eve festivities). He anticipates that a regular schedule will be popular with his own clients, but he also hopes that the energy catches on in other area galleries. When the whole neighborhood is involved, First Fridays will cease to be a myth and will become an engaging reality, giving new life to an historic arts district.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/rangefinder-gallery-at-tamarkin-camera">The Rangefinder Gallery</a> is part of Tamarkin Camera, the largest Leica Camera showroom in the Midwest, and one of the largest in the world. The gallery is dedicated to showcasing un-retouched film and digital photographs from the legendary Leica M camera.&nbsp;

Rangefinder&rsquo;s first four months of 2015 feature a variety of photographers. The program changes regularly, so please visit often. See you on First Fridays!

&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="488" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/488/original/rfg-2.jpg" />

<h4>Upcoming First Fridays:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</h4>

January 9: At The Lake, Phillip Tawanchaya

February 6: Connected, David Tepper

March 6: Spontaneous Relationships, Allen Bourgeois

April 3: A Time That Was - Poland in the 1980s, Dennis Chamberlin

&nbsp;

<h4>The Rangefinder Gallery at Tamarkin Camera</h4>

300 W. Superior, Ste. 202, Chicago, IL 60654

Tel 312-642-2255

<a href="mailto:focus@rangefindergallery.com?subject=Rangefinder%20in%20CGN">focus@rangefindergallery.com</a>

<a href="http://www.rangefindergallery.com">www.rangefindergallery.com</a>

M-F 9-5:30; Sa 10-2; or by appt.

&nbsp;

Key image and image below: photograph by Dan Tamarkin&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="486" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/486/original/l1070209-small-copy.jpg" />

January/April 2015 On the Cover: First Fridays at The Rangefinder Gallery

BY FRANCK MERCURIO

Chicago&rsquo;s youth art programs help fill the gaps left by reduced or non-existent arts education in our public schools. For the city&rsquo;s underserved youth in particular, extracurricular arts organizations provide havens where students can safely socialize, learn, and discover their own creative potential. These programs provide services that elevate art-making above the status of &ldquo;leisure activity&rdquo; by empowering youth to think creatively&mdash;not just about their art, but about their educational and life goals. Following are three profiles of non-profit art organizations that are making a difference in the lives of our city&rsquo;s young people through art education, art therapy, and social services.

&nbsp;

<h3>Marwen</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Marwen students pictured doing Autumn Watercolors and Light and Vision. A variety of courses are offered. " data-rich-file-id="499" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/499/original/marwenjan15.jpg" />

Founded by entrepreneur Steve Berkowitz in 1987, Marwen is one of the longest running&mdash;and most successful&mdash;youth art programs in Chicago. The organization (named after Berkowitz&rsquo;s daughters, Marcy and Wendy) currently serves 1,000 students, from 6th through 12th grades, in more than 100 art programs.

Many students return to Marwen as adults to teach. &ldquo;A really important aspect of Marwen is that we aim to work with kids over the arc of many terms and years,&rdquo; says Antonia Contro, Marwen&rsquo;s Executive Director for the past 20 years. &ldquo;A young person can come here in sixth or seventh grade, stay through high school and then continue through work opportunities with our teaching-artist community.&rdquo;

Marwen offers programs in traditional mediums such as painting, drawing and sculpture but also courses in new media, interdisciplinary arts, and design, including fashion design. Beyond offering a wide range of visual arts programs, one of Marwen&rsquo;s goals is to get kids to think about their future potential, especially college.

&ldquo;Marwen has a fantastic, nationally recognized college planning and career development program,&rdquo; explains Contro. &ldquo;We help young people understand post-secondary education, apply, and get into college.&rdquo;

According to Contro, over 90 percent of Marwen participants &mdash; the majority of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds &mdash; are accepted into higher education programs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h3>South Chicago Art Center</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="Children at the South Chicago Art Center" data-rich-file-id="500" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/500/original/dscn5228-copy.jpg" />

A world away from Marwen and its River North gallery neighbors is the South Chicago Art Center, located on 91st Street near the Calumet River. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty much a cultural desert down here,&rdquo; says Executive Director Sarah Ward. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re the only program that has served this neighborhood for the past 13 years, and it&rsquo;s the only consistent after school program.&rdquo;

Ward has a degree in art therapy from the Art Institute of Chicago. She sees multiple needs of the kids who live in the South Chicago neighborhood and participate in the Center&rsquo;s programs.

&ldquo;While some programs might fit snuggly into an art education box or a social services box, we fill [students&rsquo;] needs on a holistic level,&rdquo; says Ward.

In addition to offering 29 different programs for elementary, middle school, and high school kids&mdash;covering subjects like art, gardening, and cooking&mdash;the Center also feeds students if they&rsquo;re hungry and helps provide basic necessities like clothing. Most important, the Center gives its students a safe and stable place to go to after school to avoid South Chicago&rsquo;s random violence.

&ldquo;They&rsquo;re coming here to be in a safe place where people are not only going to teach them concepts and art, but they&rsquo;re also going to be respected and heard,&rdquo; explains Ward. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have to worry about the things that are going on outside of here.&rdquo;

The Center recently purchased a new building at the corner of 91st St. and S. Houston Ave. and has launched a $2.5 million dollar fundraising campaign to pay for the move and needed renovations. Located across the street from the South Chicago Public Library and the South Chicago YMCA, the new home will provide even more safety and security for its students.

&ldquo;It will greatly raise our profile,&rdquo; says Ward about the relocation of the Center. &ldquo;Plus we will have a gallery space, a kiln, and we&rsquo;ll be open for more extended hours&hellip;it will become a really kid-friendly, safe space.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

<h3>Yollocalli</h3>

<img alt="" data-caption="A group at Yollocalli, courtesy Yollocalli Arts Reach" data-rich-file-id="497" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/497/original/yollocalli-copy.jpg" />

Yollocalli means &ldquo;heart of the house&rdquo; in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. Located in Barrett Park in Chicago&rsquo;s Little Village, this teen arts program is an outreach initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Unlike many youth arts programs in the city, Yollocalli&rsquo;s courses are structured as open-studio residencies.&nbsp;

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not really teaching,&rdquo; says Director Vanessa Sanchez of Yollocalli&rsquo;s approach, &ldquo;but more like a mentor relationship.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The students, in turn, collaborate on their instructor&rsquo;s projects. As a prime example, Sanchez cites a recent collaboration with 96 Acres, a series of site-specific works and events headed by artist Maria Gaspar. Students worked alongside artists to stencil phrases and questions on the walls and sidewalks surrounding the Cook County Jail. In a technique called &ldquo;reverse graffiti,&rdquo; the participants &ldquo;inscribed&rdquo; words onto surfaces using a powerwasher.

&ldquo;Instead of applying paint to a surface, you&rsquo;re cleaning a surface,&rdquo; explains Sanchez.

In addition to other street art classes, Yollocalli also offers unique programs like Digital Journalism, where students use narrative and storytelling in the manner of This American Life or Snap Judgement to create their own podcasts.

To Sanchez, many of Yollocalli&rsquo;s benefits are more intangible than the practical skills that students learn. &ldquo;I think it helps build their character,&rdquo; says Sanchez. &ldquo;They always let us know how much they loved their time with us and how they&rsquo;ve continued the tradition of giving back to the community or doing something positive for whatever neighborhood they&rsquo;re from or for the city at-large.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

For more information visit:

<a href="http://www.happyartcenter.org">happyartcenter.org</a>

<a href="http://yollocalli.org">yollocalli.org</a>

<a href="https://marwen.org​">marwen.org</a>

Pictured at top of page: students at the South Chicago Art Center

Art Offers Youths a Creative Safe Haven

BY ERIN BENATOR

Entering <a href="http://tomburtonwood.com">Tom Burtonwood&rsquo;s</a> studio at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he is an artist in residence, I was greeted by a reverberating, mechanical hum. The source of the noise? A machine &ldquo;printing&rdquo; a complex object, layer by layer until a sculpture took form. Burtonwood discovered the lure of 3D printing,&nbsp; and as an artist he has taken advantage of the opportunity to transition from working in more traditional mediums to a technological revolution in art and design.&nbsp;

Invented over 30 years ago, 3D printing has recently taken the fields of design, art, science, and engineering by storm. From fabricating prosthetics and robots, to replicas of art objects and lamp fixtures, these machines benefit a variety of industries. Unlike the traditional &ldquo;subtractive&rdquo; method of sculpture and manufacturing, 3D printers perform an &ldquo;additive&rdquo; process. Requiring less raw material and producing less waste, whether plastic or metal, the process is more cost effective. Designs can also be fabricated via digital content creation using computer-aided software (CAD), or &ldquo;scanned&rdquo; through images or photographs of an object from various angles.

Jackson Levy, a digital fabrication specialist at <a href="http://www.the3dprinterexperience.com">The 3D Printer Experience</a> located in Chicago&rsquo;s River North neighborhood, defines 3D printing as, &ldquo;a technology that has developed into an industry, which facilitates artists, designers, and people who are involved in prototyping and fabrication, as well as manufacturing&hellip;It introduces all these groups and individuals who have been working with old tools of fabrication to a new medium.&rdquo;

3D printing is not done in a vacuum; the open-source movement is at the heart of the printing community, where designers&rsquo; and artists&rsquo; concepts are often available online for other users to download and utilize. Burtonwood even shared a recent design of his for Orihon, his 3D-printed accordion-fold volume containing scans of ancient sculptural objects from the Art Institute of Chicago&rsquo;s collection.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Studying a 3D object in a 2D space is a challenge,&rdquo; explains Burtonwood, as he pulls out a sample draft page from a new 3D-printed book he is working on, along with a jar of Play-Doh. He takes a glob and pushes it into the mold. The after effect is a 3D model of an ancient Greek sculpture. Burtonwood says he values 3D printing&rsquo;s educational tools. For him as well as other artists, 3D printing opens up a new realm of art education, where students can have economical and easy access to art objects through 3D replicas of their actual forms in space.&nbsp;

The 3D Printer Experience is one of the first places to offer 3D printing as an interactive, personal experience for the general public. Whether users want to submit a design for printing or learn how to use 3D printing equipment and software, their mission is &ldquo;to make an immediate impact through open information and education,&rdquo; says Levy.&nbsp;

The printing technology for 3D continues to evolve. From the ChefJet, which enables users to print out edible objects, to Home Depot&rsquo;s recent agreement with desktop 3D printer company MakerBot, the 3D printing industry is increasingly becoming more mainstream and user accessible. Like the computer once transformed society across all industries from design to medicine, 3D printing holds the boundless new potential to shape the future of art, design and more. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Image shown at top of page: Tom Burtonwood, Orihon (3D Printed Accordion Book), &copy; Tom Burtonwood

Industry, Art and Education: 3D Printing

Happy birthday to The&nbsp;Golden Triangle! &nbsp;This week the global home furnishing and antiques resource turns 25.Founded in 1989, <a href="https://www.goldentriangle.biz/index.html">The Golden Triangle</a> has always been unique, thanks to the vision of founders&nbsp;Douglas Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak. The Golden Triangle&nbsp;is today one of the city's largest home furnishing stores, which is pretty remarkable when you consider that so many of Chicago's&nbsp;big furniture&nbsp;stores that come to mind are corporate bohemoths featuring mass produced wares promoted in glossy catalogues, and The Golden Triangle specializes in antiques.&nbsp;Frequent flying and unusual travel has been the hallmark of the business since its inception, since only by in-person buying trips and personal research can Doug and Chauwarin bring the best of the world back to Chicago (and then beyond again, since the store also holds a national profile.)&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/467/original/gt1.jpg" alt=""></figure>Devoted to specializing in fine Asian and European antiques, The Golden Triangle has made a sometimes stuffy field accessible to a new generation. Furniture and pieces sold at the store easily blend in with traditional or contemporary aesthetics, so there is something for everyone's style.&nbsp;History is palpable without being too precious. Pieces found here have more meaning, as well as long term value, when compared to the sometimes disposable alternatives from big-box stores. Van Tress is a proponent of the value of antiques, and that personal passion is evident in the range of resources he finds for clients.&nbsp;The Golden Triangle's original focus was on antiques and artifacts just from Thailand. Over the years the store's inventory has changed&nbsp;regularly due to availability, quality and trends.&nbsp;Offerings are always&nbsp;expanding, today coming from all over Asia as well as many destinations in Europe, so clients have a reason to visit the store over and over.&nbsp;The Golden Triangle's showroom is a work of art which creates a comprehensive visitor experience. Housed in an 18,000 square foot former Chicago River warehouse and featuring an indoor courtyard, the store invites visitors to explore several vignettes from various historical periods, such as the Raj, other Colonial periods, ancient China, and 19th Century Europe. As shoppers and designers move from space to space, their experience changes with the context. That variety can also deliver helpful inspiration to clients and designers. &nbsp;The scale of Golden Triangle's space also allows for displaying its signature large works, like ancient doors, panels and mantles.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/468/original/gt2.jpg" alt=""></figure>While The Golden Triangle is an international resource for many, its roots are in Chicago, and the founders are devoted to supporting people here at home. Since 2006 the store has&nbsp;featured modern furnishings made from reclaimed exotic hardwoods as well as contemporary Chicago-made case goods and upholstered sofas and chairs.&nbsp;Here's to celebrating 25 years in Chicago!&nbsp;&nbsp;The Golden Triangle is celebrating their anniversary this week with an <a href="https://www.goldentriangle.biz/events.html">Open House</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, October 18, 12-5pm. The event is open to the public and will feature refreshments and cultural performances.&nbsp;The Golden Triangle330 N. Clark,&nbsp;Chicago, IL 60654 •&nbsp;T: 312-755-1266&nbsp; M-F&nbsp;10-6;&nbsp;Sa&nbsp;10-5&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/469/original/gt3.jpg" alt=""></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/470/original/gt4.jpg" alt=""></figure>&nbsp;

The Golden Triangle Turns 25

BY FRANCK MERCURIO The 140 galleries participating in EXPO Chicago this year&nbsp;showcase a range of established artists from across the globe. But the exposition of contemporary and modern art also provides opportunities for a select group of local artists to exhibit their work to an international audience. Jenny Kendler, John Preus, and Erik Peterson are three Chicago artists whose work is highlighted at this year’s EXPO at Navy Pier.Kendler is the first-ever artist-in-residence for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Her EXPO installation&nbsp;Tell It to the Birds&nbsp;(2014) fills the entire NRDC exhibitor booth and vibrantly reflects issues surrounding dwindling biodiversity and the conservation of species. You can read more about Kendler’s installation in a previously published Chicago Gallery News article,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2014/8/realizing-human-relationships-with-nature-through-art">Realizing Human Relationships with Nature through Art</a>.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/460/original/kendlercombo.jpg" alt=""></figure>Above: images from Kendler's NRDC installation.&nbsp;Until recently, Preus (rhymes with “choice”) was the lead fabricator for artist and activist Theaster Gates and the creative director of Gate’s <a href="http://rebuild-foundation.org">Rebuild Foundation</a>. Given this background, it’s not surprising that Preus fabricates many of his works from found objects. For EXPO&nbsp;Preus was invited to create a series of installations using discarded furniture from Chicago Public Schools. Collectively titled&nbsp;Social Furniture&nbsp;(2014), these works address last year’s closing of 54 Chicago schools and bring attention to what Preus sees as waning support for public education.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/461/original/photo-2.jpg" alt=""></figure>John Preus's installation at EXPO&nbsp;Peterson, a recent “graduate” of the Chicago Artists Coalition BOLT residency, creates works that explore the dichotomies between “space and surface, luminescence and reflectivity.” His neon sculptures grabbed the attention of EXPO officials during a recent tour of the CAC’s artist studios; Peterson was subsequently invited to create a site-specific piece for EXPO. Titled&nbsp;Seep&nbsp;(2014), this pink neon sculpture activates a dark—and rather challenging—outdoor space at the lower level entrance to EXPO. True to its name,&nbsp;Seep&nbsp;“spills” from its brick wall base onto the sidewalk, blurring spatial boundaries, a trademark condition of Peterson’s sculptures.A second site-specific work by Peterson titled&nbsp;Indulge Your Every Whim&nbsp;(2014) is located in the Chicago Artists Coalition booth inside Festival&nbsp;Hall (EXPO's main exhibition space.) This piece was selected from a dozen other proposals by Kate Nesim, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Similar to&nbsp;Seep,&nbsp;Indulge You Every Whim&nbsp;is created from pink neon tubing and designed to fit its space. Peterson calls the two works “fraternal twins.” Both use neon in what Peterson calls a “mannerist way,” where the medium is manipulated and transformed from its original function as signage material into a more expressive mode.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/462/original/photo-1.jpg" alt=""></figure>"Seep" by Erik Peterson&nbsp;Says curator Nesim of Peterson’s installation “[It] struck a compelling balance between, on the one hand, contributing to the sense of spectacle or visual dazzle in a fair environment, and, on the other hand, arresting the viewer—providing a space in which optical disorientation and ultimate orientation are explored both playfully and thoughtfully.”The works of Kendler, Preuss, and Peterson are on view at <a href="http://expochicago.com">EXPO Chicago</a> from Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21.&nbsp;&nbsp;For images and posts from EXPO all weekend, follow CGN on <a href="https://twitter.com/ChiGalleryNews">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/chigallerynews">Instagram</a>

Local Artists Featured at EXPO CHICAGO

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN NANCEIf a man’s home is his castle, an artist’s studio is his or her laboratory—a place of experimentation, trial-and-error, research and development. Cooking metaphors come to mind: throwing things at the wall to see what (literally!) sticks; the shrouded mystery of sausage-making. Far from the pristine galleries where their finished pieces are displayed, some artists labor in smudged, messy spaces crammed with works-in-progress, materials and tools arrayed in minimally organized chaos; others are more compartmentalized and precise.&nbsp;For our second installation of Artists at Work, we offer&nbsp;a glimpse into eight such environments, occupied by leading Chicago artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Phyllis Bramson, Audrey Niffenegger, Nicholas Sistler, Marcelo Eli, Louise LeBourgeois, the Zhou Brothers, and Edra Soto.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/454/original/kerry-james-marshallaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Kerry James Marshall in his studio in Bronzeville. Last year he became the first African American to have a solo show at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and later had a show in Antwerp, Belgium, that is now touring Europe. When I saw him in his studio, he looked glad to be home.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/452/original/audrey-niffeneggeraaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Audrey Niffenegger in her attic studio at her home on the West Side. The skeletons are her pals and models -&nbsp;they've made cameo appearances in several of her pieces -&nbsp;and so is the taxidermied raven on her desk; the bird modeled for several images in Audrey's most recent graphic novel, "Raven Girl."&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/458/original/phyllisaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Phyllis Bramson is&nbsp;shown in&nbsp;her West Loop live/work space. "I'm trying not to care so much," she said of her painting/collages, but that seems to be coming along slowly. Stated in regards to a change in visual strategy as Bramson gets ready for her Thirty Year Retrospective at the Rockford Art Museum, opening in October 2015 - January 2016.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/457/original/nicholas-sistleraaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Nicholas Sistler in his home studio in Bucktown. The clown outfit was his idea; as he put it, "Why not have some fun?" Good question.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/455/original/louise-lebourgeoisaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Louise LeBourgeois in her Rogers Park studio. She specializes in paintings of Lake Michigan, one of which recently was acquired by Fermilab, the particle-physics research facility in Batavia, IL&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/456/original/marcelo-eliaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Marcelo Eli in his Bridgeport home studio. For the photo shoot, he sat on a wooden stool that he's had since he was a small child. He's a grownup now, as the beautiful painting behind him shows, but the stool still bears his weight nicely.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/453/original/edra-sotoaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Edra Soto in her home studio a few blocks from the Garfield Park Conservatory. She worked until 1 o'clock in the morning the day of the photo shoot because&nbsp;she had an exhibit opening that evening, "Say Everything" at the Lloyd Dobler Gallery. She still looked fresh and rested for the shoot.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/459/original/zhou-brothersaaw.jpg" alt=""></figure>The Zhou Brothers in their Bridgeport studio. During the shoot, I asked the brothers how they manage to stay in such good shape, and especially how they keep their midsections so trim. "Well," DaHuang Zhou (on the right) said with a smile, "I suck it in."&nbsp;Kevin Nance&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KevinNance1">@KevinNance1</a>

Part II: Artists at Work: Studios as Laboratories

BY FRANCK MERCURIO

<img alt="" data-caption="Striped bodysuit for Aladdin Sane tour, 1973. Design: Kansai Yamamoto. Photo: Masayoshi Sukita. © Sukita / The David Bowie Archive 2012." data-rich-file-id="431" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/431/original/7403e9bodysuit-copy.jpg" />

Before the outrageous haute-couture of Lady Gaga; before the gender-bending androgyny of Boy George; before the chameleon-like reinvention of Madonna, there was...David Bowie.

In Bowie&rsquo;s 50-year career, the pop music icon has taken on multiple roles: musician, lyricist, performer, actor and artist. Along the way he has collaborated with composers, fashion designers, photographers, filmmakers, and other creatives to bring his trend-setting vision&mdash;and prodigious artistic output&mdash;to a worldwide audience.&nbsp;

To celebrate these creative achievements, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) is hosting the much anticipated David Bowie Is, an exhibition featuring over 400 objects, including photography, video, album artwork, handwritten lyrics, original fashions and set designs&mdash;and of course, music. Originating at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Chicago is the exhibition&rsquo;s only U.S. stop.

Given Bowie&rsquo;s popularity, the MCA is expecting record-breaking crowds. Yet despite its celebrity cach&eacute;, David Bowie Is promises to be more than a &ldquo;rock star show.&rdquo;

&ldquo;It has that rock memorabilia kind of quality to it, especially for those who really want to see [Bowie] putting pen to paper to write out a lyric,&rdquo; says Michael Darling, the James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the MCA. &ldquo;But the show is also able to zoom-out to address the mores of the day and show how so much of what Bowie was doing was shocking; it went against the grain.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption="Original lyrics for Ziggy Stardust, by David Bowie, 1972. Courtesy of The David Bowie Archive. Image © Victoria and Albert Museum." data-rich-file-id="432" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/432/original/a524812lyrics-copy.jpg" />

Examples that still manage to jolt the senses today include over-the-top stage costumes by fashion designers Kansai Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen, surrealist album cover art by Guy Peelaert for Diamond Dogs (1974), and boundary-pushing videos such as Boys Keep Swinging (1979), which features Bowie performing as a variety of male and female characters.

The exhibition&rsquo;s original curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh of the V&amp;A, interpreted the objects in the show not only as examples of Bowie&rsquo;s artistic output, but also as commentaries on contemporary society. And, rightly so, the London exhibition told the story from a British perspective for a largely British audience.

&ldquo;The V&amp;A has done a good job of building a cultural and social context around the objects in the show,&rdquo; says Darling. &ldquo;But the MCA has been making little tweaks. I&rsquo;ve been calling it our &lsquo;remixed&rsquo; version. There are a few things we&rsquo;re trying to pull out and highlight that might resonate more with an American audience.&rdquo;

Included are programs, handwritten notes, and other memorabilia from the 1980 stage production of The Elephant Man, featuring Bowie, which debuted in Chicago. Also highlighted will be costumes, photographs, and video excerpts of Bowie&rsquo;s 1979 Saturday Night Live musical performance.

<img alt="" data-caption="Promotional photograph of David Bowie for Diamond Dogs, 1974. Photo: Terry O'Neill. Image © Victoria and Albert Museum." data-rich-file-id="433" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/433/original/f30b314diamonddogs-copy.jpg" />

The exhibition follows a rough chronological framework. It begins with Bowie&rsquo;s early career in the 1960s, then follows his creative and commercial break-throughs in the 1970s&mdash;including the birth of his most famous character, Ziggy Stardust&mdash;and continues with highlights from Bowie&rsquo;s many reinventions since then.

&ldquo;The costumes from all the different periods and personas are the anchor pieces of the show,&rdquo; says Darling. &ldquo;You can imagine him inhabiting a particular outfit and what it meant in that time period.&rdquo;

In addition to the costumes, Bowie&rsquo;s music also grounds each period of the artist&rsquo;s career&mdash;an exhibition soundtrack provides an audio context for the displays of visual objects. The Sennheiser Group of Germany (one of the exhibition&rsquo;s sponsors) created a sound experience for David Bowie Is. Using headphones provided at the exhibition, visitors can listen to a changing soundtrack as they walk through the show. Sensors embedded in different displays recognize the presence of each visitor and match the music to the appropriate time period.

Throughout his long career, David Bowie has earned a reputation for anticipating cultural trends. His fluid identity has pushed the boundaries of music, design, performance, and the visual arts during each period of his life, continuously expanding our expectations of Bowie himself as well as what it means to be an artist. It is no surprise that David Bowie Is promises to expand what museum audiences expect from a contemporary art exhibition.

&nbsp;

Image shown at top of page: The Archer,&nbsp;Station to Station tour, 1976. Photo: John Rowlands. &copy; John Robert Rowlands

&nbsp;

David Bowie Is&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.mcachicago.org">The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago</a>

September 23-January 4, 2015

"David Bowie Is" Takes over the MCA This Fall

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418409/s9tauy54in3uh5ojycws.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;BY ERIN BENATORNearly 40 years ago, the Smart Museum of Art was opened&nbsp;to the public. Founded in honor of the renowned publishers of Esquire and Coronet, David and Alfred Smart, following a major gift to the University of Chicago, the museum opened&nbsp;in Hyde Park on the University's&nbsp;campus.&nbsp;The Smart first began as a repository for the University’s fine arts collection when the institution opened in the 1890’s. The Smart’s mission has always been rooted in education and research. Not just an art historical resource for U of C students, the museum has blossomed into the south side’s center for the fine arts and acts as an educational art hub today for many, from preschool to graduate students, its reach extending from other local universities and colleges to public schools.Through the years the Smart has played a vital role as a key asset in Chicago’s cultural landscape. The museum’s Dana Feitler Director, Anthony G. Hirschel, and chief curator of 35 years, Richard A. Born, provide perspective on the Smart’s rich history as well as its current collection, exhibitions, and mission.&nbsp;When the museum opened in 1974, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Block Museum at Northwestern University and the newly opened Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago were primarily the only art museums in Chicago.“[The opening of the Smart] established another program in the city for individuals interested in the fine arts. It was very special because the south side - not just Hyde Park - had no fine art museums associated with it.” Born explains, “It established itself through outreach and educational initiatives, as well as many school programs throughout the south side and west sides of Chicago. We were really the only museum in the area for people to visit.”&nbsp;Having a dynamic, diverse faculty and an enthusiastic student body has helped the museum grow and develop as an institution. The University’s cross-disciplinary studies are at the core of the Smart’s research and teaching, not only influencing the nature of exhibitions and traveling shows, but also the museum’s educational programs and outreach.&nbsp;“A great deal of the energy that surrounds the kind of programs we do is derived directly from the fact that we are part of this great research university and the intellectual dynamism that reflects these people – it makes us a much more interesting institution,” says Hirschel.&nbsp;The museum’s collection and exhibitions are built upon four main pillars: Asian art, European art, modern art and design, and contemporary art. Intermingling works of renowned artists like Mark Rothko, Auguste Rodin, and Francisco de Goya with lesser-known gems, including Arthur Garfield Dove and Norman Lewis, encompasses a regional and international body of art. Other works, such as Childe Hassam’s 1893 On the Lake Front Promenade Columbian World Exposition, pay tribute to Chicago’s history and important world events. Combining the past with the present is a unique asset of the museum’s exhibition strategy, and the regular juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary works illustrates lasting cultural and artistic traditions. &nbsp;Sculpture has long been a significant focus at the Smart. The museum’s first large sculptural collection consisted of over 350 works donated by the Starrels family in memory of Joel Starrels, Jr., a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. Born, a graduate student in the Department of Art at the time, assisted in cataloguing the collection that became the core of the museum. The Smart’s inaugural exhibition, which opened to the public in fall of 1974, showcased 164 19th and 20th century sculptures and drawings, including works by Henry Moore, Jean Arp, and Jacques Lipchitz selected from The Joel Starrels, Jr. Memorial Collection.Now, 40 years later the Smart celebrates its roots in sculpture by transforming the museum’s 8,800 square foot gallery space into an exhibition purely dedicated to sculpture from the museum’s collection titled Carved, Cast, Crumpled: Sculpture All Ways, opening September 27.“Often in museums, sculpture gets the least amount of physical play because it takes a lot of space. The inaugural gift really set a course of collecting sculpture here [and] the exhibit highlights a trajectory that we set early on and over 40 years,” explains Born.&nbsp;Carved, Cast, Crumpled: Sculpture All Ways raises the central question “What makes an object a sculpture?” The answer revolves around five underlying historical themes in sculpture: figuration, extraction, materiality, function, and aura. Unique to the exhibit is Gallery X, an open space that acts as a center for the public’s discussion and thoughts. Also exclusive to the exhibit, labels will not be written by a curator, but by students, interns, and staff members.&nbsp;As Born and Hirschel reflect on their fondest memories at the Smart, from collaboration with scholars in China to bringing a variety of people into contact with art, interaction with students and the public are at the heart of their responses. Born remarks, “Working with students - they keep you young!”&nbsp;In 2014 the Smart looks to the public as a tool for change and growth. “We really think about where we are going to experiment with different approaches - to encourage people to think about our collection, the museum, and the museum experience in general,” states Hirschel, “We want our visitors to help us shape the way we interpret the collections and present them in the future.” Here’s to the next 40 years at the Smart.&nbsp;&nbsp;Image shown at top of page:&nbsp;The Smart’s inaugural exhibition in October 1974. © Smart Museum of Art&nbsp;&nbsp;Correction: This article (also printed in the September-December edition of Chicago Gallery News)&nbsp;has been revised to reflect the following:&nbsp;The Smart was not founded by David and Alfred Smart, who both passed away in the early 1950s. Rather, it was founded in their honor following a major gift from the Smart Family Foundation to the University of Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carved, Cast, Crumpled: Sculpture All Ways runs September 27-December 21, 2014Smart Museum of ArtThe University of ChicagoTel 773-702-0200 • <a href="http://www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu">www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu</a></body></html>

Smart Museum of Art Celebrates 40 Years - Encouraging the Fine Arts and Innovation on Chicago’s South Side

BY GINNY VAN ALYEA<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/428/original/6134bw.jpg" alt=""></figure>Tourism is often on the minds of Chicagoans. Whether we are trying to avoid Michgan Avenue sidewalk throngs or racking our brain for ideas on what to do with a house guest, many of us live day to day alongside visitors to our attractive city.&nbsp;There is no doubt that one of the biggest tourist draws in Chicago is our vibrant cultural scene. The arts, however, are not just a way to dress up an already good looking city; they are serious job and business generators. In a state with a fragile economy, our arts are valuable assets that benefit many individuals as well as groups. The Illinois Arts Alliance estimated that jobs in the arts industry generated more than $2.3 billion in household income in Illinois in 2010, and the majority of the $2.75 billion spent by arts and culture organizations and their audiences in that year went to locally owned or managed organizations, businesses or enterprises.&nbsp;Patronizing the arts nurtures communities, instills a sense of pride, and inspires investment. Supporting individual artists is a wonderful way to support another person’s livelihood, but the impact is actually much greater. The visual arts in particular offer an incredible range of opportunities not just for creativity and economic success but also for solutions, and renewal. Seeing is believing, so to speak, and thanks to visionary artists in our city art can reveal solutions to real world problems.&nbsp;In this issue we talked to a number of people who are making Chicago a better city through the arts.&nbsp;Dealer David Weinberg is devoting his gallery to a new mission of social justice; his first exhibition in this vein features the work of Carlos Ortiz, who embedded himself in the most dangerous pockets of our city to photograph the aftermath of violent crime.Jenny Kendler is the National Resource Defense Council’s first artist-in-residence. For the year long residency, she is examining ways to use art to heal the environment.The Zhou Brothers moved to Chicago from China nearly 30 years ago. As a thank you to the city that welcomed them, they opened the Zhou B Art Center in 2004 and helped revitalize Bridgeport as a place where artists could thrive.Two south side arts institutions, The Smart Museum of Art and the Hyde Park Art Center, are celebrating major milestones this fall (40 and 75 years), and they are both mounting exhibitions that reflect the cultural hub that Hyde Park has become over the years. &nbsp;The arts make a difference. Visitors may come to Chicago to enjoy the lake, the famous food and the sports, but the real power of the arts is personal. The public art we see on the way to work and the local gallery openings we pop into with friends will outlast the seasonal ebb and flow of people jamming into the same downtown shops and restaurants. When the world is on our doorstep during this fall’s art fair frenzy - EXPO in September and SOFA in November, we will have chances to show our best side to those looking for a taste of Chicago. But many who call Chicago home probably first came to the city as tourists. Whatever we saw made us want to stay. And what we do next will make others follow for generations to come.Enjoy our latest&nbsp;edition of CGN, and we wish you an art-filled fall!&nbsp;

Publisher’s Letter: Cultural Offerings Benefit Everyone

BY AMANDA ROSCOE MAYO&nbsp;

Chicago is no stranger to social injustices and violence. This past summer alone the south side saw the city&rsquo;s most violent and deadly weekend to date (as of press time in August 2014) with 84 people shot and 14 killed over the Fourth of July weekend. An abundance of stray bullets wounds unintended targets on a regular basis. Bullets do not discriminate; they pierce the young and the old regardless of the color of their skin, gang affiliation, or religious beliefs.&nbsp;

There are, however, areas of Chicago that are hotter than others for gun violence. To document the atrocities in these danger zones, with a focus on youth, photographer Carlos Javier Ortiz spent eight years embedded in several of the most troubled communities on the South Side, taking his various film cameras to the streets, capturing moments in the lives of those affected&mdash;documenting vigils, prom, graffiti, the aftermath of recent shootings, church services, funerals, and individuals. The project also includes Ortiz&rsquo;s collection of &ldquo;wanted&rdquo; fliers offering rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals responsible for the death of a loved one in the community. These fliers, photographs, essays, and letters describing the weight of the community&rsquo;s experience are published as a book titled, We All We Got.

Donning the same name and on view at David Weinberg Gallery, We All We Got is also an exhibition of Ortiz&rsquo;s photographs, fliers, polaroids, and more; the show marks a turn for the gallery. For the past decade Weinberg has operated his River North space as a venue for group photography shows and a showroom for his own photography. Beyond the art world Weinberg has long been vested in educational reform in Illinois as chairman of the board of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and as a board member of the Noble Network of Charter Schools; through his regular work with the city, he is more than mindful of the daily challenges Chicago youths face. Combining his dual passions, now David Weinberg Gallery will focus on photography centered on social justice. The model Weinberg has created is one where the art community and the non-profits working to improve the quality of life for those affected can come together and offer the public the chance to not only be moved by art but to use it to make a difference. Each exhibition will identify a certain area of interest, and Weinberg will select two or three non-profit beneficiaries. For Carlos Javier Ortiz&rsquo;s exhibition Weinberg will donate proceeds to &ldquo;Kids Off the Block&rdquo; and &ldquo;Youth Service Project.&rdquo; Both organizations are hard at work in Chicago to provide support and alternatives to youth who face the demons of drugs, juvenile detention, violence, and other challenging circumstances. &nbsp;

Photography has a long history of documenting a community; it is a medium that allows the rest of the world to see what shapes that community and gives those involved a chance to be self-reflective. Traditionally we know this type of work as photojournalism, but there are also fine art photographers using photojournalistic tactics to make bodies of work. Ortiz cites Eugene Richards, Dorothea Lange, and W. Eugene Smith as references, which is apt because of style as well as content. Richards, Lange, and Smith all notably captured the effects of war, economic decline, poverty, and violence, largely in the United States. Ortiz&rsquo;s observations on the South Side have made this body of work both personal and relatable.&nbsp;

Art can provide access to a charged, complicated issue that is otherwise unattainable to someone not facing the challenges being captured. Do most Chicago residents really know how bad things are for the victims of violence? How can we? Ortiz shows as much as he can. His images don&rsquo;t just depict death - they tell the story of those who have survived and must go on living. What gives the photographer&rsquo;s images their power is their raw truth, along with the citizen&rsquo;s knowledge that something must be done to decrease this violence and give youth a fighting chance. By partnering with organizations who are already doing critical work in the communities affected, Weinberg&rsquo;s gallery has an opportunity to use art to progress change. Though certainly optimistic, the effort is a worthy, timely one.&nbsp;

To advance this exhibition and new gallery direction, many events will be offered to both the art community and the related social justice non-profits here. This fall an opening reception celebrating Ortiz&rsquo;s work and his book&rsquo;s publication will take place October 10th. The following day there will be an artist talk by Ortiz and a book signing. On October 15th the event moves out of the gallery to &ldquo;Art Works Project for Human Rights&rdquo; to get to the core of the exhibition: youth violence and neglect. As an organization &ldquo;Art Works Project&rdquo; tackles major human rights issues throughout the world, such as genocide, women&rsquo;s rights, human trafficking, and child labor. Hosting this panel regarding the affects of violence among youth in Chicago signifies that this large issue is screaming for attention. The panelists are Alex Kotlowitz (author and contributor to Ortiz&rsquo;s book), Luke Anderson (an advocate involved in urban education in Chicago), Diane Latiker (Founder and Director of &ldquo;Kids Off the Block&rdquo;) and Carlos Javier Ortiz (the artist). It is Weinberg and Ortiz&rsquo;s hope that these various events can serve as entry points into the project and the issue at hand. We All We Got is an opportunity for members of the art world, and the public, to become part of a conversation and potentially another means of support for a community desperately in need of resolution.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Carlos Javier Ortiz: We All We Got

October 10, 2014 &ndash; January 5, 2015

<a href="http://www.chicagogallerynews.com/galleries/david-weinberg-photography">David Weinberg Gallery</a>, 300 W. Superior, Chicago (60607)

&bull; Opening Reception and Book Signing: October 10, 5-8 PM

&bull;Artist Talk and Book Signing: October 11, 1-3pm

&bull;&nbsp;Panel Discussion: October 15, 6-8pm at Art Works Projects for Human Rights, 1137 W. Taylor, No. 113, Chicago (60607)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Image at top: Carlos Javier Ortiz, LiL Al ,&nbsp; 24&rdquo; x 36&rdquo;

We All We Got: Art Supports Social Change

The Merchandise Mart, an Art Deco landmark towering 25 stories and occupying four million square feet, rests along the Chicago River as the epicenter of downtown Chicago life, culture, media, and business. Finished in 1930 The Merchandise Mart today serves as a monument to early 20th century merchandising and architecture.&nbsp;

The next time you visit the Mart, look up: the building&rsquo;s lavish riverside entrance features a 17-panel mural created by Jules Guerin (1866&ndash;1946), one of America&rsquo;s most important muralists of the 20th century. Titled Merchandise Around the World (1930), the mural is visible, way up towards the high ceiling, between square marble pillars that form a colonnade in the main atrium. The delicately colored panels with metal leaf background details each feature a market scene from a different country. Pictured scenes include Turkish rugs and textiles being sold in a bazaar next to a mosque; silk and pottery markets near Japan&rsquo;s Mount Fuji; sleighs carrying furs in Russia, and a caravan of camels carrying Egyptian cotton past a pyramid.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Pictured at work on the Merchandise Mart’s mural: Amber Smith, The Conservation Center’s Senior Painting Conservator. The mural grime was first eliminated with cotton swabs dipped in an aqueous solution, followed by organic solvents to remove the varnish. Amber elaborates: “Each cotton swab—measuring two-inches tall by half inch wide—took care of a 3” x 3” square surface." data-rich-file-id="436" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/436/original/amber-cleaning-copy.jpg" />

After 80 years, 38,000 daily visitors, and few previous cleaning attempts, Merchandise Around the World needed expert TLC. The Conservation Center dispatched four technicians who worked over night using just delicate cotton swabs for more than 630 hours. Says Amber Smith, The Center&rsquo;s Senior Painting Conservator, &ldquo;Once the panels were cleaned, the lobby immediately became brighter. We hope visitors to the Mart will again appreciate Guerin&rsquo;s masterpiece for Chicago.&rdquo;

Conserving a Mart Treasure

The Midwest may not have steep mountain ranges to brag about, nor deep oceans to swim in, but our own subtle natural assets are certainly stunning. Our lakes, prairies, forests and beaches provide locals and visitors a sense of place and offer inspiration to everyone, including artists.

One local organization that helps encourage us to slow down, engage our senses, and experience our natural environment is northshore-based Openlands. As part of Openlands&rsquo; mission to establish a connection between people and nature, it integrates a multitude of art forms into open spaces, ranging from installations at the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve to murals that grace area schools and community gardens.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Terry Evans, Oak Street Beach, Chicago, April 27, 2004" data-rich-file-id="435" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/435/original/evans43-copy.jpg" />&nbsp;

This fall, the charity will highlight critical links between nature and art, going beyond the usual vehicles of outdoor sculpture and landscape paintings. The Openlands 2014 Annual Luncheon on October 30 will focus on the capacity of public art to invite people into the natural landscape, inspiring and educating along the way. Openlands will honor photographer Terry Evans with its 2014 Conservation Leadership Award. Evans has photographed the prairies and plains of North America as well as the urban prairie of Chicago. Combining both aerial and ground photography, she delves into the intricate and complex relationships between land and people. Her work explores the virgin prairie, working steel mills, Greenland ice sheets, a small town in the Kansas Flint Hills and the oil boom in North Dakota. Evans collaborated with Openlands on two major projects, Disarming the Prairie about the former Joliet Arsenal, now Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and Revealing Chicago: An Aerial Portrait, about the Chicago eco-region, which became both a book and an exhibition at Millennium Park. Evans is represented in Chicago by Catherine Edelman Gallery.

For more information visit <a href="http://openlands.org">openlands.org</a> and <a href="http://edelmangallery.com">edelmangallery.com</a>

&nbsp;

Openlands: Engaging Art + Nature

This article appears in the September-December 2014 issue of Chicago Gallery News

In 1973 the Zhou Brothers launched their first artistic collaboration, Journey of Dreams. During the years and exhibitions that followed, the Zhou Brothers achieved global success as artists. In 2004, to share that success, they bought and renovated an abandoned warehouse building in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. Their mission was to build a creative community that would encourage and empower emerging artists who needed space in which to work, exhibit and collaborate. The Zhou B Art Center was born.&nbsp;

A decade later Bridgeport has become a dynamic Chicago art destination, monthly Third Friday open studios are must-attend events, and the center is affiliated with over&nbsp; 100 resident artists; it has exhibited the innovative art of more than 1,000 artists to date. 2014 is about celebrating the Zhou B Art Center at its 10th anniversary and looking ahead to the next 10 years. Everyone is invited to share the creative energy at the Zhou B Art Center this season.

Images at top: Left:&nbsp;ShanZuo Zhou and DaHuang Zhou, Zhou Brothers performance: Mike White Photography; Right:&nbsp;Exterior of the Zhou B Art Center: Erin Zhoushi, Chromacity Studios

<h4>Upcoming exhibitions and events:</h4>

&nbsp;

September 9-October 10

Snow City Arts, Group show

Gala September 12

&nbsp;

October 17-November 16

&bull; Feeling is Liberty, Zhou Brothers solo show

&bull; Centerline Ten, Zhou B Artsits group show

&nbsp;

October 18 and 19

&bull; Bridgeport Art Walk

&bull; Open House Chicago

&nbsp;

<h3>Zhou B Art Center</h3>

1029 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60609

Tel 773-523-0200 &bull; Gallery hours: M-Sa 10-5

<a href="mailto:info@zhoubartcenter.com?subject=Message%20about%20CGN%20On%20the%20Cover">info@zhoubartcenter.com</a> &bull; <a href="http://www.zhoubartcenter.com">www.zhoubartcenter.com</a>

ON THE COVER: Zhou B Art Center - A Dream Realized

BY MEGAN BONKE

Science or Art? Left brain or right brain? It actually takes both sides of our brain to perform complex tasks like math, art, science, and writing, and sometimes it can be helpful to remember that being creative and logical are not mutually exclusive.

With this year&rsquo;s Chicago Artist&rsquo;s Month theme, Crossing Borders, in mind, I spoke to two Northwestern medical students who just started their second year, who have personally embraced art and consider their professional lives better because of it. One appreciates the break art provides from the usual grueling medical school schedule. The other sees opportunities for new approaches to high-stakes problem solving. Frank Borrows double majored in Biology and Physics and minored in Chemistry at the University of Virginia and is currently obtaining a duel MD/PHD degree. Blake Platt received a Bachelor&rsquo;s in Chemistry from John&rsquo;s Hopkins and aspires to become a surgeon. - MB

&nbsp;

<h4>When did you first begin a regular art practice and why? How often do you practice art?</h4>

Frank Barrows: I remember painting or drawing all the time as a little kid. When playing the Game of Life, I would always try and be the artist, but I would also try and have the highest wage. Now, during the school year, on the weekend immediately following exams, I paint.

Blake Platt: At the beginning of school last year, I needed a hobby. I played baseball in college, but since then I&rsquo;ve had a sort of void. I have always wished I could draw, and one day I decided to try. Once I started I had a lot of fun, so I just kept at it. Now, after I finish studying every night I pick out something to sketch or paint and fiddle around with it for about an hour before I go to bed.

&nbsp;

<h4>How would you describe your work?</h4>

FB: Wonky. Where I feel confident, I like messing with perspective. In actuality I&rsquo;ll have some drinks, get kind of messed up and just paint into the night instead of studying sometimes.

<img alt="" data-caption="Frank Barrows, &lt;i&gt;I Don’t Like Flying&lt;/i&gt;, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 11” x 14” " data-rich-file-id="425" height="324" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/425/original/barrows1.jpeg" width="432" />

&nbsp;

BP: What I have painted is what I would mostly describe as slightly abstract, sometimes geometric landscapes. I just really like water and color.

<img alt="" data-caption="Blake Platt, &lt;i&gt;The Dunes&lt;/i&gt;, 2014, acrylic, 14&quot; x 17&quot;" data-rich-file-id="426" height="281" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/426/original/bp-art.jpg" width="438" />

<h4>&nbsp;</h4>

<h4>Do creativity and art help you in medical school?</h4>

FB: Since I started painting again, my life is better in general. Art is completely stress free for me. Painting is where I get to be productive and creative and not just sit and watch Netflix, but also not study.

BP: Absolutely. You can tell when we were studying anatomy because I drew all of these [sketches] and copied them from Frank Netters. Anatomy is a lot of visualization, especially with muscles - they have a three-dimensional place in the body, as well as a Latin name that&rsquo;s confusing, and an origin, insertion, and action with relation to bones. I spent a lot of time sketching body parts from cadavers, and that really helped me.

&nbsp;

<h4>What are some of the struggles of being a medical student, and does art supply any form of relief?</h4>

FB: The lack of flexibility we have in our lives while in medical school can be depressing. We sell our souls in hopes of becoming a doctor. Art helps, since I don&rsquo;t ever want to be strictly defined as a medical student, which can be difficult while in medical school.

BP: The larger picture of medicine is very much about problem solving, but I find that the first two years of medical school are very much about learning, then applying that knowledge to a situation, then regurgitating it on a test. We can get a one track mind and&nbsp; end up losing focus. Exercising a different part of our cognitive ability helps us see more.

&nbsp;

<h4>Northwestern UNIVERSITY Medical School requires a humanities program that requires three hours one day a week for one month for one semester a year. Tell me your experiences with this program.</h4>

FB: We would visit the Art Institute and walk around with an ex-Pathologist who was really into art. I remember we were supposed to examine a detail in art to transfer it to a detail in medical school. I was able to see a lot more than I would have on my own.

BP: We sculpted facial muscles onto a skull with clay. The woman who taught us teaches plastic surgeons how to sculpt ears and other body parts. It gives a broader sense of community - physicians are working with the human body, and so are artists, so is everyone. The program exposes you to something that you wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily do, and you find a part of yourself that you didn&rsquo;t know. I didn&rsquo;t know that I would enjoy this, but I love it.

<o><img alt="" data-caption="Blake Platt's anatomy skull" data-rich-file-id="424" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/424/original/anatomy-skull.jpeg" /></o>
<o>
&nbsp;

<h4>Any final thoughts on art and medicine for yourselves?</h4>

FB: As a medical student everything we do is critiqued so hard, and you have to set really high standards for yourself. I think I really enjoy making art because I&rsquo;m such a novice. So little is expected of me; I get recognition just for trying. That&rsquo;s really refreshing. Painting and artwork are so deep and rich, and I get a whole new world to explore in a completely pressure free environment, which is exhilarating.

BP: It&rsquo;s a well-known fact that doctors don&rsquo;t wash their hands as much as they should. Since the 1900&rsquo;s, everyone who has tried zealously to change this has died insane and poor because they have been shunned from the medical community. Recently, the Royal London Hospital commissioned members of the Royal College of Art to ask why the doctors were not washing their hands enough. The designers walked in and said that of course no one is washing their hands enough; everything is filthy. The furniture was designed in a way that was difficult to clean. Say I wash my hands and I take care of a patient and I go type; then I have to wash my hands again. If you are taking together and putting apart an engine, you&rsquo;re not going to wash your hands after every bolt, but that&rsquo;s essentially what doctors have to do. Now the hospital has commissioned this school to design furniture that is easy to clean and does not collect as much dust and dirt. It&rsquo;s still early, but it seems to have a lot of success. This is what I was talking about when I said we can get one-track minded. You can lose a sense of what the problems are where you only see a concept of the problem, and then someone comes in and says, &ldquo;Of course this is wrong. This is terrible, and this is very easy to fix.&rdquo;

Top Image: Blake Platt, Excerpt from Sketchbook, 2014
</o>

Crossing Borders: Practicing Medicine and Art

BY FRANCK MERCURIO

In the history of Western art (and Western thought) there is a sense that we humans are separate from nature. Traditional landscape paintings provide prime examples of this perspective; from the frescoes of Classical antiquity to the romanticized paintings of the 19th century, Western artists have framed landscapes as picture windows with viewers safely distanced from the depicted &ldquo;wildness.&rdquo;

But as the environmental movements of the late 20th century gained momentum, artists began to reflect a different philosophy in their work: a growing awareness that humans are in fact an integral part of nature. Their subtext: the more we destroy ecological systems, the faster our own potential demise as a species.

Currently, the devastating effects of climate change, dwindling biodiversity, and unprecedented levels of pollution, have lent a greater urgency to the voices of artists. Two Chicago group exhibitions in 2013 featured a range of international artists who explored the effects of environmental degradation in their art: Climate of Uncertainty at the DePaul Art Museum and Suicide Narcissus at the Renaissance Society. Other recent shows focused on the responses of local, individual artists to environmental issues including the journalistic photographs of Terry Evans in Fractured: The North Dakota Oil Fields at the Field Museum and the conceptual installations of Heidi Norton: Prismatic Nature at the Elmhurst Art Museum.

Through a partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), EXPO CHICAGO has been especially committed to exhibiting the works of contemporary artists concerned with human/nature relationships. In 2012 NRDC presented two installations at EXPO, drawing attention to the Chicago River and the challenges of fresh water ecology: Maya Lin&rsquo;s Chicago River and Gordon Matta-Clark&rsquo;s Garbage Wall. In 2013, NRDC and EXPO continued the partnership by bringing the works of Seattle artist and environmental advocate Vaughn Bell to Chicago.

This year at EXPO (held September 18-21), NRDC will present a large-scale installation by Chicago and Los Angeles-based artist Jenny Kendler. Titled Tell It To The Birds, the installation will be created within a typical 10 by 40 foot EXPO gallery booth and will feature photo-print wallpaper of lichens (with images sourced through lichenologists from the Field Museum) and shelves displaying some 25 of Kendler&rsquo;s signature porcelain bird sculptures. The centerpiece will be a dome-shaped structure that invites visitors to &ldquo;communicate with the birds&rdquo;&mdash;participants&rsquo; human voices will be &ldquo;translated&rdquo; into bird songs through a custom-made software application.

This whimsical piece has at its heart a serious message and a subtle call to action, encouraging visitors to consider their own personal ties to the natural environment. Explains Kendler, &ldquo;Cross species empathy is the first step in protecting nature.&rdquo;

Kendler is NRDC&rsquo;s first-ever artist-in-residence, a position that has allowed her to create larger and more public works, such as Tell It To The Birds. It has also enabled the artist to work with the organization&rsquo;s scientists to communicate facts about the environment to a wider audience through her art.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a great collaborative experience,&rdquo; says Kendler about her residency. &ldquo;The NRDC staff members are respectful of the artistic process.&rdquo;

Elizabeth Corr, the NRDC&rsquo;s manager of arts partnerships and events developed the residency program when NRDC was seeking to expand its audience and engage a new environmental audience beyond the organization&rsquo;s core constituency.

&ldquo;We were looking for ways to more effectively reach out to more diverse groups of people,&rdquo; says Corr. &ldquo;Artists bring a visual component to the discussion that is critical.&rdquo;

The Artist-in-Residence program has had unexpected results for NRDC. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a mutual back-and-forth between scientists and Jenny,&rdquo; explains Corr. &ldquo;Staff members now think about their work in different ways.&rdquo;

Case in point: a performative piece envisioned by Kendler to help distribute seeds of native milkweed plants, vital for the continued survival of monarch butterflies whose populations have plummeted in recent years. Titled Milkweed Dispersal Balloons, the piece includes performers giving away helium-filled balloons containing milkweed seeds to the general public.

Kendler describes Milkweed Dispersal Balloons as &ldquo;a beautiful gesture with a real, practical effect.&rdquo; The performance piece empowers the everyday person, who might not know about the monarch&rsquo;s plight, to be the agent of positive change through the distribution of milkweed plants. Funded by a grant from the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Rauschenberg Foundation, Milkweed Dispersal Balloons debuted in St. Louis at the end of July and in Chicago in early September.

Artists such as Kendler and organizations such as NRDC, are creating dialogues between contemporary artists, environmental scientists, and the art-viewing public.

Through the visual communication of art, they are encouraging all of us to contemplate and re-evaluate our relationships with and connections to nature.

&nbsp;

Top image: Artist Jenny Kendler distributing her Milkweed Dispersal Balloons. Photo: Carly Hilo for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Realizing Human Relationships with Nature through Art

This summer, <a href="http://www.art.org/">Intuit: The Center of Intuitive and Outsider Art</a> features two exhibitions, Lost and Found: the Search for Harry and Edna and Past Perfect: The Art of Eileen Doman. Both are themed on era, nostalgia, personality, and family photos. Although different mediums and processes were used to make the featured work, the exhibitions compliment each other through their depiction of American life.&nbsp;

<img alt="" data-caption="Paintings by Eileen Doman" data-rich-file-id="419" height="361" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/419/original/doman-collage-.jpg" width="882" />

Intuit&rsquo;s loud, industrial door opens into the large gallery space featuring <a href="http://www.art.org/2014/05/lost-and-found-the-search-for-harry-and-edna/">Lost and Found</a>. Towards the middle sits a reel and projector with two armchairs situated on a homey oriental rug. Large photos of Harry and Edna&rsquo;s lives line the wall. The photos date from the late 1940&rsquo;s to 1961, from house parties, to exotic vacations, to nieces and nephews. Just past the quaint gift shop towards the back, is a smaller gallery room with <a href="http://www.art.org/2014/07/past-perfect-the-art-of-eileen-doman/">Past Perfect: The Art of Eileen Doman</a>. On the left wall, Doman&rsquo;s paintings are arranged in a collage format. The rest of her paintings line the three other walls. In the corner is a small TV playing the CBS program, Face to Face with Connie Chung that features the profile of Doman. The second exhibition space also includes the permanent Henry Darger Room and non-circulating Robert A. Roth Study Center.

Lost and Found began in 2011, when Chicago photographer, Jeff Phillips, found hundreds of photos of a couple at a second hand store outside of St. Louis. Phillips was eager to know the history of the couple and created a Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IsThisYourMother">Is This Your Mother?</a> Each day, Phillips posted a photo in hopes to eventually find Harry and Edna&rsquo;s family and information about them. Phillips expected his quest to take years. However, the page grew in popularity and &ldquo;the social media search party&rdquo; took off.

Read the full story of Harry and Edna <a href="http://harryandedna.com/">here</a>.

<img alt="" data-caption="Send Edna around the wold again on Instagram @harryandedna " data-rich-file-id="420" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/420/original/edna-cut-outcrop.jpg" />

Lost and Found is not focused on the quality or composition of the photos, but rather the collection as a whole, and its interaction with the Facebook community. Lost and Found asks questions of the boundaries of legacy: What does the documentation of our lives today mean when we are gone? What do we become after our last photo disappears? The other inherent part to the exhibition are the blown up Facebook captions under the photos. Phillips quickly found himself enthralled in the art of commentary. The captions people were posting revealed aspects about the era and Harry and Edna&rsquo;s lives, but they also revealed much about the Facebook commenters.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="417" height="482" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/417/original/edna-photo-.jpg" width="252" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" data-rich-file-id="418" height="486" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/418/original/harry-photo-.jpg" width="316" />

Both exhibitions capture the essence and personality of the subjects. Eileen Doman depicts character in all of her paintings by slightly augmenting her subjects to create a true portrait of personality. Doman&rsquo;s style is distinctive and quirky. Doman prominently works from family photos but she eventually expanded to painting notable figures and celebrities. Doman is completely self-taught, finding painting in the early 1990&#39;s after her daughter enrolled in school. Quickly Doman&rsquo;s paintings rose in popularity in the mid 1990&rsquo;s, hailed as an overnight sensation and began showing in prominent New York City galleries. Don&rsquo;t miss <a href="http://www.art.org/2014/07/gallery-talk-past-perfect">Eileen Doman&rsquo;s Gallery Talk</a> on September 13, 1pm led by Intuit curator Kevin Cole.

<img alt="" data-caption="Eileen Doman, &lt;i&gt;Steve Buscemi&lt;/i&gt;, 1997, acrylic on canvas, Collection of Kiberly Carlson" data-rich-file-id="409" height="343" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/409/original/steve.jpg" width="296" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" data-caption="Eileen Doman, &lt;i&gt;Ida and Dixie Dan&lt;/i&gt;, 1995, acrylic on canvas, Private Collection" data-rich-file-id="410" height="367" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/410/original/eileen.jpg" width="280" />

The Henry Darger Room Collection is another glimpse into the past and the artist&rsquo;s life. The installation features Darger&rsquo;s Remington typewriter and furniture, as well as other various artifacts. During my visit, Intuit was hosting a rehearsal for the play, The Strange Case of Henry Darger, written by BBC Producer, Judith Kampfner and performed by Looking Glass Theater. The rehearsal added to Intuit&rsquo;s atmosphere of creativity, with monologues audible from next door in the rehearsal space.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="411" height="721" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/411/original/darger-20outside.jpg" width="540" />

Finding Portraits of the Past at Intuit

BY MADDIE JONES

Tucked behind the modern zinc fa&ccedil;ade of the Poetry Foundation, through the treed garden, you can find artist Tony Fitzpatrick&#39;s Secret Birds exhibition in the first floor gallery. Twenty bird drawings hang along the space&#39;s east-west wall, each creating a narrative unique to itself. The intricate, colorful bird theme drawings quote sheet music and prose while incorporating foil wrappers, parts of cross word puzzles, clown eyes, and other hidden treasures. The avian theme is a familiar one for Fitzpatrick, but it is particularly fitting for his final exhibition in Chicago before he relocates to New Orleans this winter to study ornithology and natural history at the University of New Orleans.

<img alt="" data-caption="Tony Fitzpatrick, Lunch Drawing #35: Ice Bird" data-rich-file-id="359" height="414" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/359/original/photo-1.jpg" width="381" />

In conjunction with the show, on Thursday, July 31 at 7:30pm the public is invited to attend a performance of <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/programs/event/3493">Secret Birds</a>. The play, directed by Ann Filmer (16th Street Theater), will be performed by Fitzpatrick and Martha Lavey (Steppenwolf Theater Company), with music performed and composed by Frank Orrall (Poi-Dog Pondering). The play is inspired by the poetry and stories found in Fitzpatrick&rsquo;s drawings. Doors will open at 7pm.

Click <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/media/secret-birds.html">here</a> for Fitzpatrick&rsquo;s multimedia feature on the inspiration for Secret Birds. In the latest edition of Poetry are an essay, <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/media/day-lou-reed.html">The Day Lou Reed Set Me Free</a>, and corresponding drawings.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="357" height="430" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/357/original/image1.jpg" width="653" />

<a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/">The Poetry Foundation</a> is a perfect platform for the exhibition. Both the exhibition space and Fitzpatrick&#39;s drawings bring together nature, art and poetry. The gallery&#39;s tall ceilings and airy lines are a serene contrast to the artist&#39;s vibrant drawings.

The exhibition can be viewed from 11am-4pm, Monday through Friday through September 14. While visiting make sure to browse through the reading library, featuring a collection of predominantly editor copies of single author works that are still used for fact checking and reference. The collection includes: a children&rsquo;s section, anthologies, chapbooks, journals, broadsides, monographs, criticism and prose.

<img alt="" data-rich-file-id="360" height="516" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/360/original/screen-20shot-202014-07-23-20at-204-53-09-20pm.png" width="316" />

Tony Fitzpatrick at the Poetry Foundation

Birds, Poems, and a Play 

Pictured above: &copy; Ed Paschke, Bocca Rouge, 2000, 20&quot; x 24&quot;, oil on linen

The May-August issue of&nbsp;Chicago Gallery News features the new <a href="http://www.edpaschke.org/">Ed Paschke Art Center</a> on our summer cover. We are thrilled to welcome this new cultural destination to Chicago and look forward to celebrating the life of one of Chicago&#39;s most recognized artists.&nbsp;

The mission of the Ed Paschke Art Center is to preserve and provide public access to the work of the legendary Chicago artist, Ed Paschke. It serves as an educational resource for youth, adults, artists and academics, and functions as an accessible platform for artists to showcase their work. The Center features 2,800 square feet of gallery space and 1,700 square feet of educational space, which also includes a recreation of Paschke&rsquo;s 2004 studio.&nbsp; It will provide free public access to the largest collection of Paschke&rsquo;s works, which were all selected from the holdings of the Ed Paschke Foundation.

<img alt="" data-caption=" © Ed Paschke, &lt;/i&gt;Red Boxer&lt;/i&gt;, 2004, 50” x 60”, oil on linen" data-rich-file-id="238" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/238/original/redboxer-.jpg" />

The son of Polish immigrants, Chicago-born Ed Paschke spent the majority of his life living on Chicago&rsquo;s Northwest side.&nbsp; Growing up, Paschke&rsquo;s artistic influences included his father, also an artist, and the animation of Disney and cartoons, which led him after high school to pursue both his bachelor&rsquo;s and master&rsquo;s degrees in fine arts at the School of the Art Institute.&nbsp; During his graduate studies, he became affiliated with a group of artists known as the Chicago Imagists.

Paschke&rsquo;s work developed an unmistakable confrontational style, which captured the grittiness of urban life and used various forms of media and technology.&nbsp; Subject matter is depicted using intricate patterns and vibrant colors.&nbsp; Paschke used color to reach peoples&rsquo; nervous system; to him painting was a process of discovery&mdash;about solving a problem.&nbsp;&nbsp; Of his art, Paschke once said, &ldquo;They either love it or hate it but rarely are they indifferent to it.&rdquo;

While Paschke has deep artistic Chicago roots, his works are in permanent collections of major American and European museums including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY, Centre George Pompidou and the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Board Chair of the Ed Paschke Foundation, Vesna K. Stelcer, recalls that Ed was an amazing original artist and a man devoted to his family.&nbsp; &ldquo;Throughout this process of building the Ed Paschke Art Center, which is to honor Paschke&rsquo;s life and legacy, his spirit and character have been our shining light,&rdquo; says Stelcer.&nbsp; &ldquo;It has been an incredibly humbling experience to work on this Art Center that, all who knew Ed and his work fundamentally agree, &#39;it&#39;s about time.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp; Stelcer believes that the Ed Paschke Art Center is a true reflection of Ed&rsquo;s generous nature&mdash;supporting artists, serving as an educator, being a visionary, and believing his art should be easily accessible to the public.&nbsp; Stelcer says, &ldquo;Paschke naturally inspires, challenges and provokes one to be a better person; we are deeply grateful to be able to bring the Ed Paschke Art Center to our community and our city.&rdquo;

To mark what would have been Paschke&rsquo;s 75th birthday and the opening of the Ed Paschke Art Center, the park across from the Center will host its inaugural &ldquo;Paschke in the Park&rdquo; celebration, which will feature Paschke-inspired community art projects, food and entertainment. The Rabb Family Foundation, which is the major funder of the Ed Paschke Art Center, is sponsoring the free event and according to one of its Trustees, Lionel Rabb, &ldquo;Ed Paschke was not only a great artist but also was a great person who contributed and supported the communities in which he lived and worked. The Rabb Family Foundation and I are proud to have assisted in making the Ed Paschke Art Center a reality, making Paschke&rsquo;s amazing art accessible to all and helping to support and encourage the arts.&rdquo;

<img alt="" data-caption=" © Ed Paschke, &lt;i&gt;Guitao&lt;/i&gt;, 1978, 46&quot; x 74&quot;, oil on linen" data-rich-file-id="237" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/237/original/guitao-.jpg" />

Join in the Center&rsquo;s opening event on Sunday, June 22 (the late artist&rsquo;s 75th birthday) for the inaugural, free Paschke in the Park celebration, featuring Paschke-inspired food, entertainment and activities. Tours of the new Center also will be available.&nbsp;

<img alt="" class="left" data-caption=" © Ed Paschke, &lt;i&gt;Red Sweeney&lt;/i&gt;, 1975, 75&quot; x 41&quot;, oil on canvas" data-rich-file-id="212" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/212/original/sweeney.jpg" />

<h4>&nbsp;</h4>

<h4>Ed Paschke Art Center</h4>

5415 W. Higgins Ave., Chicago, IL 60630

Tel 312-533-4911

Admission is free; open 7 days per week, 10am-7pm

Visit <a href="http://www.edpaschke.org">www.edpaschke.org</a> for more details.