CGN's spring/summer issue covers April-August 2025. The work of artist Amanda Williams is on the cover.

CGN Publisher Ginny Van Alyea. Photo by Jessica Tampas.

By GINNY VAN ALYEA

It feels as if there has been a sort of compression of time and energy in the first quarter this year, like 2025 just began but we’ve been living it for a long time. Fortunately, this season’s listings and calendars are bursting with dozens of exhibitions and programming coming up. CGN had many opportunities recently to speak with art world figures working on innovative projects on both large and smaller scales. 

Cover artist and Chicago native Amanda Williams has earned a global reputation for melding her architecture career, life experience and dreams for the world in her artistic practice. Williams’s commitment to reinventing her practice draws inspiration from history and other artists to create stunning art that improves the lives and communities of others.

Furthermore, I spent a wonderful morning in February with Rhona Hoffman, who at 90 years old is making a change to her esteemed gallery program this spring. It was a gift to speak with Hoffman about the paths she has paved over the decades, from finding a new start for herself in the 1960s, to being faithful to her beliefs and taking risks. 

Several art world figures profiled or participating in this issue are beginning again. Susan Gescheidle writes for us for the first time. She once ran her own gallery but now is in the corporate world. What I admire is her commitment to visiting as many galleries as she can each week and fostering connections with emerging artists and the galleries they are launching. Watching young spaces try new things recalls the risks Hoffman took 50 years ago and speaks to what’s possible in Chicago. Sara Mongerson found herself unexpectedly in the art business after her husband Tyler passed away suddenly two years ago. Now she’s embracing Tyler’s vision for the gallery and continuing the spirit of running it as a family endeavor. 

We also celebrate 25 years of impact at Arts of Life, the reopening of Intuit Art Museum, and many more events and exhibitions demonstrating how vibrant art is in our region. Other summer highlights include a Gustave Caillebotte survey at the Art Institute that will transport you to Paris, while over at the Driehaus Museum the late Scottish artist Rory McEwen’s richly toned botanical prints speak to the timeless dialogue between art and nature.

Enjoy this time, these new spaces, the artistic reinventions and stunning programs while they are here. These months and years pass quickly.  

*If you'd like to subscribe to CGN in print we will mail you a copy of this issue as well as our fall magazine and our annual Arts Guide. Details here. The print issue will be out in early April.

**Stay tuned to read our cover interview with Amanda Williams online in the coming weeks. The rest of this issue's print content will be shared throughout the spring and early summer.