<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419377/l6keseaatlhm5qixocci.jpg"><figcaption>EXPO 2024</figcaption></figure>By BIANCA BOVAWhen the news broke last July that Frieze had acquired The Armory Show and Expo Chicago, speculation (as it tends to in the art world) ran rampant. How long had the deal been in the works? How much did the art behemoth pay for the Chicago fair? Would they rebrand it, change dates, clean house and build a new team? And the rhetorical (and perhaps most frequently asked) question: who would have guessed that Tony Karman could keep a secret?&nbsp;While the price tag or the mechanics of the deal may never be found out, last weekend the art world finally had a look at what the fair is developing into under its new ownership. The changes spanned nearly every aspect of the fair, though many admittedly may have been apparent only to those who have attended regularly over the preceding decade. The most striking difference was in Expo’s floorplan. In the prime real estate of the fair’s center core, where blue chip and mega galleries including David Zwirner, Gagosian, Hauser &amp; Wirth, and Matthew Marks (all notably absent from the exhibitor list this year) could once reliably be found, there is now Exposure, the fair’s dedicated section for galleries ten years or younger. While 2024 Exposure curator Rosario Güiraldes secured a robust exhibitor list that included stalwarts like 56 Henry, The Hole, and Marissa Newman Projects–galleries that undoubtedly benefited from no longer being relegated to the fair’s periphery–the overall effect of the section’s centralization was that of passing through the doors to Expo but somehow finding oneself at NADA instead. As Expo moves into a second decade, in some ways it also manages to feel more youthful.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419378/d8syyhvrzppxt3ifbp7v.jpg"><figcaption>Chance the Rapper was once again past of a /Dialogues program during Vernissage, with standing room only. Photo: CGN.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;The makeup of the exhibitor list seemed to shift overall in 2024. It wasn’t just the mega galleries that stayed away this year, the number of Chicago galleries participating in the primary section of the fair seemed to dwindle as well. Especially notable was the absence of GRAY and of Kavi Gupta, both of whom had for years occupied significantly sized booths on the fair’s interior. While local dealers may have taken a step back, the fair continues to globalize its selection. This year’s Selection Committee (composed of John Corbett, Jim Dempsey, Leslie Hammons, Rhona Hoffman, Miles McEnery, Monique Meloche, and Nick Olney) welcomed galleries from the Canary Islands, Tel Aviv, Busan, Seoul, and Mahshahr, among other international locales.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419379/bi8wjhlwv8zoznact9a2.jpg"><figcaption>Voluspa Jarpa (b. 1977, Chile) Desclasificados (Declassified), 2016. Digital print on backlight film. This expansive installation by Voluspa Jarpa (NOME Gallery, Berlin, Booth #320) &nbsp;reflects more than two decades of research into declassified CIA documents that chronicle US interventions in Leftist regimes, primarily in Latin America. Part of In/SITU at EXPO Chicago 2024. Photo: CGN.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Additional changes included the absence of longstanding beverage partner Ruinart, and their waistcoat-clad champagne servers, along with the cafes that once dotted the fair’s perimeter offering up made-to-order fare from Hannah’s Bretzel and Eataly. Sure, one could still find their way to the food counters at the show floor’s entrances, but that boxed lunch and drip coffee served from a samovar courtesy of Levy (Navy Pier’s in-house catering partner) personally didn't cure the fair fatigue the same way an overpriced prosciutto and asparagus sandwich and a complimentary cappuccino from the Nespresso bar in the VIP lounge used to.&nbsp;On the subject of lounges, the Anchor Lounge, a space dedicated each year to guests of Presenting Sponsor Northern Trust, was relocated for the first time to a vacant restaurant space on the pier just west of the fair’s West Entrance, while the sponsor’s exclusive programming space, the Exchange Stage, remained on the 300 level of the exhibition hall along with the VIP lounge. This–compounded by a notable reduction in wayfinding aids and general signage throughout the hall and along the exterior of the pier–created what felt like an odd circulation of heavy back-and-forth foot traffic at the fair’s west end that would periodically bottleneck the back aisle. Whether these changes, along with the relocation of the Exposure section, are deliberate recalibrations under Frieze, or are simply the side effects of the unfortunate absence of Expo’s long-time designer Jason Pickleman (who helped usher the fair into existence, after serving as the designer of its predecessor, Art Chicago), remains to be seen in future editions. Either way, the result was an atmosphere that felt discernibly less polished than in years past.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419380/ylovxxncteyauqya0h0s.jpg"><figcaption>Bert Green Fine Art was part of Editions and Books at EXPO. Photo: CGN.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;None of these transitional effects managed to diminish attendance. The fair reported a total of more than 35,000 visitors to its eleventh edition, comparable to previous editions. By Saturday the robust headcount was unmistakeable, and crossing from one side of the fair to the other was a considerable challenge, as more and more people rambled among the booths.&nbsp;Across the 170 exhibitors that participated, the trend of bringing large scale, two dimensional, primarily figurative works endured, as it seems to have since the online art sales boom of 2020. Whether this is related to the logistics of transporting and installing these works, their status as more imminently salable via PDF than their sculptural or installation-based counterparts, or simply the market forces at work today is difficult to discern. The Books &amp; Editions section of the fair was also more established within the fair, with several participating galleries very pleased with their booth traffic and sales of affordable works.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419381/rdwclemxp95hejdazopz.jpg"><figcaption>Artist Michael C. Thorpe had a solo exhibition at Anthony Gallery. Photo: CGN</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;Chatting with dealers in the fair’s final hours on Sunday (none of whom, unsurprisingly, wished to be identified on the record), the question of how the fair had gone was met, in most cases, with a shrug.&nbsp;“It was fine.” “I sold enough, but of course, I wish I’d sold more.” “I sold work to the same people I always sell to here.”&nbsp;Collectors, similarly, seemed satisfied, and many could be spied getting their artwork removal passes checked by security agents at the exits, cash-and-carry acquisitions tucked under their arms, or trollied alongside them. One such collector, Zach Smith, noted, “I picked up a small painting by Ellen Birkenblit from Corbett vs. Dempsey’s stellar booth. I have been following her career for years but was waiting for the right work for me. It has a mysterious noir vibe that appeals to me and of course Ellen’s formal painterly techniques are as good as it gets. The energy that Expo generates every year is so special for Chicago and this year was no different…same great people, galleries, and experiences as always from my perspective.”Another local collector, Chris Craft, excitedly shared on his way out on Sunday afternoon that he and his wife had just purchased four works by various artists at EXPO.So long as the collectors continued to find work worth acquiring, and the dealers sold enough to turn a profit on their booths, perhaps it's best to chalk up the 11th edition’s changes and challenges to having been a natural part of a growth year under new leadership. If there is any single certainty about Expo’s future under Frieze, it’s this: next year, all eyes will be back on the fair to see what its first full edition conceived post-acquisition will look like, and undoubtedly, next time around they will look with a less forgiving gaze.#The last day to view this year's fair online is April 19, 2024EXPO CHICAGO returns in 2025 later in the spring, from <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">April 24-27</a>.&nbsp;</body></html>

Frieze's 2024 EXPO CHICAGO Sees Challenges and Changes 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/wvcqninnyvc1km868cxu.jpg"><figcaption>Soccer Club, Prairie, and Osmos booths</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By BIANCA BOVAOperated by the Julius Caesar artist collective (presently comprised of artists Josh Dihle, Tony Lewis, Roland Miller, and Kate Sierzputowski) and hosted at Irving Park event venue Color Club, Barely Fair is a miniature art fair presenting works at 1:12 scale. Exhibitors are given 20 x 20 inch booths, organized in “aisles” along several tabletops, to mimic the floorplan of a standard art fair. Though diminutive in size, the fair, now in its fourth edition, is considerable in its scope; in 2024 it plays host to thirty-six galleries, project spaces, and curatorial projects, including spaces from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Tokyo, Ireland, Toronto, Montréal, Buenos Aires, and Belgium, among others.&nbsp;When the fair first launched in 2019, it was clever in concept, sharp in execution, and read as a deliberate send-up of an art fair circuit that had, by then, ballooned to a reported<a href="https://magazine.artland.com/from-antiquity-to-modernity-how-art-fairs-became-a-cultural-mainstay/#:~:text=From%20Antiquity%20to%20Modernity%2C%20How%20Art%20Fairs%20Became%20A%20Cultural%20Mainstay&amp;text=With%20almost%20300%20occurrences%20around,considerable%20industry%20on%20its%20own."> three hundred fairs</a> a year globally. Five years and four editions later, Barely Fair comes across as something more precious; less tongue-in-cheek industry critique than self-serious fair attempting to imitate the manner of its life-size counterparts. While there have always been booths that indulge, experiment with, and skirt the prompt, the tactics now seem shopworn. One large painting that fills the entire volume of the booth–check. Scaled down 1:12 works that are simply miniaturized versions of the artists’ standard works–check. Inclusions of twee furniture and/or tiny gallery goers, egregiously elaborate installations that often spill over the open top of the booth, aggressively minimal booths the likes of which you would never see at a real commercial art fair–check, check, check. Perhaps the limits of the model have been reached, or perhaps inviting exhibitors of its concurrent full scale citymate EXPO to participate results in the small fair becoming an afterthought for some dealers.That said, much of the work on view in the fourth edition still delivers on its own merits. Patient Info’s decision to recreate the entirety of their gallery, replete with its iconic medical chaise and sink, has a great deal of charm, while Amanda Ross-Ho’s graphic t-shirt installation in ILY2 pokes gentle fun at her monumental garment installations inspired by Katherine Hamnett’s quintessential ‘80s slogan shirts. Nearby, in Chris Andrews’ booth Bea Fremderman’s nervous, Gober-ish fish tin (ham can?) installations toy with scale in a more subtle and passive manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/o72lbbwcmhhaybwzawdf.jpg"><figcaption>Mini gallery goers at OCHI &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;A few galleries took greater risks, yielding varying rewards. It’s difficult to see Soccer Club Club’s fish tank installation (replete with at least two rather lethargic fish, at the time of this report) as anything other than gimmicky, while Devening Projects’ fluorescent pattern-drenched booth playfully showcasing the sculptures of Alberte Tranberg and Christopher Michlig delivers on every level, satisfying the tenet of scaling the works appropriately while making no sacrifices in their value as objects.&nbsp;When galleries play it too straight, they tend to bypass the format’s potential altogether. Corbett vs. Dempsey’s booth of seven small paintings hung 2-3-2 in a single line across the booth’s walls feels disappointingly void of any real intentions; a stark contrast to their booth across town at EXPO, which was brimming with giddy energy in the form of small scale Ellen Berkenblit’s, glitter-drenched Gabrielle Garland’s, and a just plain strange Roger Brown bearing a shelf full of monstrously large taxidermy seagulls.&nbsp;By way of programming, Barely Fair will once again host Minor Matters, a “small symposium on the economies of scale.” While the symposium is scheduled for the afternoon of April 20th, a list of speakers and panel subjects was not yet available at the time of this report. If the format remains unchanged from the inaugural event in 2023, I encourage other institutions (small and large themselves) to sit up and take note of a lesson learned: thirty minutes is plenty for most any panel discussion.&nbsp;While it still makes for an entertaining stop on the ever-expanding itinerary of satellite events surrounding Expo, Barely Fair risks being reduced to a mere novelty if nothing changes in the years to come. Nevertheless, without fail it upholds what may be its greatest virtue: it's still an art fair you can see in one day.&nbsp;&nbsp;Barely Fair runs through April 21&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barelyfair.com">barelyfair.com</a>COLOR CLUB, 4146 N. ELSTON AVE., CHICAGO, ILADDITIONAL VISITING HOURS16 – 19 APR, 1 – 6 pm 20 – 21 APR, 11 – 6 pmBARELY FAIR is host to MINOR MATTERS, a small symposium on the economies of scale, on Saturday, 20 APR from 2-5PM. For more information on last year's symposium, visit the MINOR MATTERS page <a href="https://www.barelyfair.com/minormatters-1">here</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/x2hg4psek8hcqkb5gam0.jpg"><figcaption>Installation view of the fair&nbsp; &nbsp;</figcaption></figure></body></html>

A Visit to Barely Fair During Art Fair Weekend

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

Sculpture Milwaukee Announces Something Very Wisconsin: Special Beer

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

EXPO CHICAGO Wrap-Up Report: 11th Edition

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

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

<html><head></head><body>This year's <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPO CHICAGO</a> features 170 galleries from around the world – from Paris to to Cape Town to Seoul. Several exhibiting galleries also operate close to home all year round, and in recognition of the special programming that these Chicago and regional galleries are exhibiting this weekend, we have a short wrap–up below.&nbsp;Please double check booth details as you are able with an onsite map.&nbsp;Also visit our CGN booth P7 to say hi and pick up a copy of our spring issue and the 2024 CGN Arts Guide!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago">Read Part 1</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago-part-2">Read Part 2</a>– CGN Staff&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/trou7eyetedmoqttzokx.jpg"></figure> THE MISSION PROJECTSBooth #115Part of EXPOSURE at EXPO Chicago, The Mission Project is presenting a solo booth this year, featuring new work by Peruvian artist Kenji Nakama. A native of Lima, Nakama made his U.S. debut in a group exhibition last spring at THE RESIDENCE. This presentation will be his first solo exhibition in the United States. Selected work from two of Nakama’s most recent series, Folding Studies and Exhaled Series, will be presented. These compositions are made of manipulated strips of blank white paper. Some are representational – from Warhol’s iconic image of Marilyn Monroe to Van Gogh’s self-portrait – and some are abstract, but all elicit a sense of movement, the gestures of brushstrokes, or the illusion of oil paint dragging on a surface.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/xytuckoz1spt9lulfe6c.jpg"></figure>F.L. Braswell Fine ArtBooth #377F.L Braswell Fine Art is a private dealership focusing on modern and contemporary art by European and American artists. Based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in 2000, areas of specialty include original prints, works on paper and abstract art from the 1930s to present. The gallery is part of Editions + Books at EXPO.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/uzogz493671gspyiegf7.jpg"></figure>PovosBooth #421This is the gallery's first time at EXPO, and it is featuring the work of Ashton Hadari and William Schaeuble. Offsite the gallery will open its second, downtown location on Friday, April 12 with a show of gallery artists as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/jvothukgvesie2qxdews.jpg"></figure>Volume GalleryBooth #232Volume is showcasing works by several gallery artists, from Matt Paweski to Luftwerk to Christy Matson (Matson's solo show opens Friday at the gallery in West Town).&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/qjcafmlcwvqlqsxppnnm.jpg"></figure> Chicago Printmakers CollaborativeBooth #376CPC is featuring many working printmakers in their booth this year and that means there is a lot of work to browse. In addition to what's hanging on the walls there are many more works you can flip through, many affordably priced and worth a look especially if you are a new or aspiring collector. The gallery is showcasing Chicago galleries as well as printmakers from around the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/wewfnr0pcdkbtd4cyagz.jpg"></figure> Bert Green Fine ArtBooth #375Part of Editions and Books, the gallery is featuring a full selection of published prints, including the public debut of 4 new editions. One of the editioned works is a wooden toy gun by Mac Pierce, sold in an edition of 6. Other editions are by Mark Wagner and Industry of the Ordinary.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419372/x2ooqzexfpt6sacxnjqm.jpg"></figure>MICKEYBooth #430The gallery will be showing artists Ryan Nault &amp; Amy Stober. At the gallery's West Town location they are holding special hours during EXPO: Friday: 5-8pm with many other galleries around the city, and Saturday/Sunday: 12-6pm.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419373/iat1a1lvefcp8s5l0f8c.jpg"></figure>AMFMBooth #430Black artists, Erin LeAnn Mitchell, Erol Scott Harris, Kelvin Kweku Haizel, Lola Ayisha Ogbara, and Modou Dieng Yacine. Mitchell, Harris, Haizel, Ogbara, and Yacine explore the domestics of home, time, architecture, and interiority through the use of the body and figure in their work through abstraction, sculpture, painting, and textile.&nbsp;#&nbsp;The EXPO CHGO ONLINE viewing room is also on view now and connects you digitally with exhibitors and allows you to view the artworks on display at the fair in advance of the opening. Accessible only until&nbsp;Friday, April 19&nbsp;at&nbsp;9:00pm&nbsp;CT, the online viewing room is the place to learn more about exhibitors, discover highlights you might have missed, and contact the galleries.<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=7a38fe8fb3&amp;e=c5b146cc27">BROWSE EXPO CHGO ONLINE – Powered by Artnav</a>&nbsp;CGN will cover the Special Exhibitions participants in another post.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What Chicago Galleries Are Bringing to EXPO CHICAGO: PART 3

<html><head></head><body>This year's <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPO CHICAGO</a> features 170 galleries from around the world – from Paris to to Cape Town to Seoul. Several exhibiting galleries also operate close to home all year round, and in recognition of the special programming that these Chicago and regional galleries are exhibiting this weekend, we have a short wrap–up below.&nbsp;Please double checkbooth details as you are able with an onsite map.&nbsp;Also visit our CGN booth P7 to say hi and pick up a copy of our spring issue and the 2024 CGN Arts Guide!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago">Read Part 1</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago-part-3">Read Part 3</a>– CGN Staff&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/uoqijgxzvinqv4ibco7c.jpg"><figcaption>Bassim Al-Shaker, Resurrection, 2023, Oil on canvas, 80 x 60 inches</figcaption></figure>Rhona Hoffman GalleryRhona Hoffman Gallery, founded originally as Young Hoffman Gallery in 1976, specializes in international contemporary art in all media, and art that is conceptually, formally, or socio-politically based. The gallery will feature <a href="https://www.rhoffmangallery.com/art-fairs/expo-chicago4">many gallery artists</a> in their booth this year, from Derrick Adams to Amanda Williams, Spencer Finch, Julia Fish, Bassim Al-Shaker and Judy Ledgerwood, among others. Off-site in their West Town space works by Jacob Hashimoto are on view.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/lesyzrmawtwurrvmhk9e.jpg"><figcaption><a href="https://documentspace.com/artist/julien-creuzet/">Julien Creuzet</a></figcaption></figure>DOCUMENTBooth #333Document, with locations in Chicago as well as Lisbon, Portugal, will be featuring the work of artists Elizabeth Atterbury, Kiah Celeste, Julien Creuzet, Jimmy DeSana, Anneke Eussen, Victoria Fu, Gordon Hall, Laura Letinsky, Erin Jane Nelson, Natani Notah, John Opera, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Tromarama, Andrew Norman Wilson.&nbsp;Gallery artist Laura Letinsky also has a special program offsite at the <a href="https://molosco.com">Four Seasons</a>, where her photographs are displayed alongside a new porcelain collection by Molosco. This is Molosco’s first pop-up store in North America.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/j9v1feufcjnio7weeens.jpg"><figcaption>May Tveit, Say Yes, 2017, Corrugated cardboard, 85 x 68 x 3 inches</figcaption></figure> Secrist | BeachBooth #305The gallery just unveiled a new name and brand identity in time for EXPO. Appearing for the first time at an art fair as with their new name and Chicago location, for EXPO Chicago, SECRIST | BEACH will present a curated installation&nbsp;featuring new works by represented artists&nbsp;Hilma’s Ghost,&nbsp;Stephen Eichhorn, Anne Lindberg and Liliana Porter. Also on view will be works by artists who will be featured in concurrent invitational salon curations at SECRIST | BEACH’s new Chicago location: Kristoffer McAfee, Jacqueline Surdell and May Tveit. Thematically, this presentation will showcase materiality as a principal means of artistic communication, while investigating conceptual ideas such as&nbsp;the spirituality of abstraction,&nbsp;our common connection to nature and the conceptual necessities of the human condition.One of the artworks on view will be a monumental painting by Hilma’s Ghost (Dannielle Tegeder and Sharmistha Ray), Cosmic Altar. This significant artwork, developed in collaboration with a psychic medium and professional witch, is work of such significance, it inspired and won a major public commission that will be realized in New York City later this year. Another artwork, Say Yes by Kansas-based artist May Tveit, is a large abstract wall sculpture made from corrugated cardboard that was developed while in residence at the Lawrence Paper Company, a 130-year old business in Lawrence, Kansas. This artwork evokes metaphorical connotations from ziggurats to minimalism and machine-age living, creating a telling context for today.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/xgng6o46v7im94owaunj.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Jaffe</figcaption></figure> 65GRANDBooth #225The gallery will be featuring the work of artists Sam Jaffe &amp; Brian Kapernekas&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/oheqpac20cb9eqrmc2hw.jpg"></figure> Anthony GalleryBooth #231Anthony Gallery is pleased to present new work by multidisciplinary artist Michael C. Thorpe at the 2024 edition of EXPO Chicago. Fact and Fiction furthers Thorpe’s exploration of quilting as a painterly medium, utilizing both photographic and textile processing to craft composite artworks that blur the lines between reality and imagination.This series begins with reference photographs printed onto canvas. Consisting of cluttered countertops, quiet basements, and living room corners, these reference images are rooted in the everyday. Thorpe bears witness to the inner workings of his perception by interrupting photoreal veneers with invented textile compositions. Sketching with his sewing machine, he fuses the plain with the technicolor, collaging his quilted forms onto canvas, curating a variety of whimsical patchwork tableaux.Guided by his creative intuition and unhindered by aesthetic pretenses—in his own words, first thought, best thought—Thorpe uses automatism to scaffold geometric scenes bursting with color and narrative possibility. It is in establishing these parameters that he is able to breathe life into the most mundane of spaces. Fact and Fiction’s unfailing positivity and generous spirit are contagious, transforming our everyday world into one brimming with possibility.Fact and Fiction welcomes Thorpe back for his second solo presentation, preceded by his participation in 2023’s Flying on a Moving Mountain, and the group exhibition GUMBO.&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;The EXPO CHGO ONLINE viewing room is also on view now and connects you digitally with exhibitors and allows you to view the artworks on display at the fair in advance of the opening. Accessible only until&nbsp;Friday, April 19&nbsp;at&nbsp;9:00pm&nbsp;CT, the online viewing room is the place to learn more about exhibitors, discover highlights you might have missed, and contact the galleries.<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=7a38fe8fb3&amp;e=c5b146cc27">BROWSE EXPO CHGO ONLINE – Powered by Artnav</a>&nbsp;CGN will cover the Special Exhibitions participants in another post.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What Chicago Galleries Are Bringing to EXPO CHICAGO: PART 2

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/wf9icuqksmgfbv3ee2ef.jpg"><figcaption>Sundeep Mullangi and Trissa Babrowski in their entrance hall. Wall mural painted by Patrick Rouillier. All photos by CGN.&nbsp; &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>By BIANCA BOVAStepping into Trissa Babrowski and Sundeep Mullangi’s home for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Situated on a quiet block in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood, the Italianate Victorian house’s rather staid exterior belies the profusion of color, pattern, and artwork that greets visitors as soon as they cross its threshold. Upon entering it is immediately evident that each element has been thoughtfully selected and flawlessly integrated into a truly original environment reflective of the shared vision of its two creators, and the culturally and socially rich life they have built there.&nbsp;Babrowski, a vascular surgeon, and Mullangi, the head of fixed income research at an investment management firm, met as students at Illinois Wesleyan University. While art collecting has always been a shared endeavor, their personal interests in art were developed independently. For Mullangi, it came about through an internship at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington, Illinois during college.&nbsp;“They needed to digitize their financials, and I was hired as an intern to input all their paper records into QuickBooks. One day, I got out of the back room and walked around, and I realized how incredible the place was. I started working there on Saturday afternoons, because they needed someone to open the doors. That’s when I started meeting artists and saw the process of putting together the shows. That was my first real foray into art, and I loved it,” he explained.&nbsp;For Babrowski, her explorations began at an earlier age. “When I was a child–probably five or six–my local public library had a lending program that allowed you to check out small reproductions of art masterpieces. There was an old pegboard wall full of all these little reproduction oil paintings, in this industrial brutalist-like library setting. I remember looking up at that and being overwhelmed by the amount of beauty contained in that space. I thought it was the most remarkable thing, that you could have an actual piece of art, and that it was something that could change according to your mood or whims. It had this transient, really beautiful quality about it,” she noted, before adding with a laugh, “My sister and I shared a bedroom, and we’d have competing walls and argue about whose installation looked better.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/f3wuisu9edlbyq4774sf.jpg"><figcaption>Seen through the doorway on the left is a Cabinet of Curiosities by Norman Teague. Photograph, center, by Irena Haiduk. glass objects by Anne Wilson.&nbsp; &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;The house itself, which the couple shares with their three sons, who range in age from eleven to sixteen, bears a certain historical importance to the neighborhood. Built in 1873, it is the oldest residence in Kenwood, and one of only a few remaining wooden houses in the city. Having been constructed prior to the annexation of Hyde Park and Kenwood by the city, it was not subject to the ban on such construction materials that was implemented in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire.&nbsp;Inside, its Victorian character remains legible in the high ceilings, tall windows, grand fireplaces, and washes of sunlight that fill the rooms on the ground floor.&nbsp;“We want the architecture, and the bones of the house, to be able to speak for themselves,” Babrowski says, “I think there’s something unexpected and something really fun about having very contemporary art within this setting. Houses aren’t static and houses shouldn’t be museums; they shouldn’t be strictly adherent to their past. They grow and evolve, just like any sort of living creature does.”Mullangi adds, “Trissa has an incredible eye, and we’ve created this kind of layering. Art on top of wallpaper, wallpaper on ceilings, rugs we’ve hand-picked from all over the world, which has been fun as well, when we travel. The house is a visual memory of our life together. It is very much a family home, and we enjoy having people over, sharing the space, and opening people’s eyes to living with art in a way that maybe they haven’t seen in the past.”One especially striking element is a mural by Patrick Roullier that begins just past the entrance of the home and extends along the two walls that follow the primary staircase up to the second floor. With its lush depictions of the flora, fauna, and landscapes of India in a muted palette, one could easily be forgiven for mistaking it for vintage wallpaper at first glance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/nel8oxkkxmzo9axxoavj.jpg"><figcaption>A view into the living room. On the right, a work by Michael Rakowitz. In the fireplace an installation by Jason Pickleman. Sculpture by Jeffrey Gibson. Painting above the fireplace by Hugh Kappel. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;“I imagined what the people who built the house in 1873 might have covered these walls with”, says Babrowski, of the mural, “During that time those who were fortunate enough to go on grand tours of Europe, often returned home with these beautiful painted wallpaper panels. I thought about how we could update that idea, and make it relevant for us. So it’s these scenes from India that are particularly important to us. Sundeep’s family had mango plantations, and so the mango tree motif is an essential element of the design. It was a way to stay in keeping with the house but still, at the same time, make it modern and fresh and a backdrop for our life as a family.”&nbsp;Art can be found in nearly every room of the home, with works by artists ranging from Derrick Adams, Bethany Collins, Julien Creuzet, Beverly Fishman, Vanessa German, and Jeffrey Gibson, to Claire Sherman, SoiL Thornton, Martha Tuttle, Kehinde Wiley and Jonas Wood. Chicago artists are also well-represented in the collection, including Dabin Ahn, Roger Brown, Theaster Gates, Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Judy Ledgerwood, Laura Letinsky, Angel Otero, Jason Pickleman, Michael Rakowitz, Tony Tasset, and Amanda Williams, among others. &nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>“Organic while simultaneously intentional, our collection serves as an ongoing love letter to Chicago. We believe in fostering a rich arts ecosystem as philanthropists and patrons, convinced that a vibrant cultural milieu is the most effective mechanism to facilitate societal change and evolution. We consider ourselves keepers of this art rather than collectors, and especially seek to support the stories and practices of artists traditionally excluded from the historical cannon. While objecthood is central to any collection, we are most interested in how art serves as a vehicle for bridging cultural divides.”&nbsp;- Trissa Babrowski &amp; Sundeep Mullangi</blockquote>&nbsp;“It’s not that we don’t go outside of Chicago to buy art, because we absolutely do,” says Mullangi, “but we really believe in supporting the art community here, both artists and galleries. We’re not just buying art to own it, to possess it, we’re buying art to be supportive of this whole ecosystem that it all rests upon. We’ve always had the feeling of, ‘If not us, then who’s going to do that?’ Because you need the support of the people who are embedded here to really make a difference.”&nbsp;For the couple, that support extends well beyond art collecting. Both are also active philanthropists and supporters of many cultural and educational organizations in the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/enm06umypracejejrvfe.jpg"><figcaption>A family room features an eclectic selection of art. A triptych by Beverly Fishman is pictured on the right.</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;“I’m passionate about volunteer work,” says Mullangi, “I serve on boards at the University of Chicago, through the Lab School; at the Hyde Park Arts Center; and at Illinois Wesleyan University. I really like to be at the intersection of community, education, and art. I find that these three institutions are right at that intersection, trying to help develop programs and leadership and see what the way forward looks like.I grew up in Macomb, Illinois. It was classic small town USA. When I was in high school, it was all about sports, it was about football. It was about Friday night games, and varsity letters, and wearing your sports jacket, and then potentially giving that jacket to a girlfriend,” continues Mullangi, “We all grew up with that being the norm, that’s just what you do, but in the art world you don’t do that. You don’t get a varsity letter for painting well. I’ve always wanted the equivalent memento available for artists, to make the way we emphasize art in our culture not so dissimilar to how we emphasize sports. The Hyde Park Arts Center especially does a phenomenal job in this way, with their fundraising to allow individuals, both kids and adults, the ability to take classes for free, or for whatever they can pay. That work I’m so proud of to be a part of, because that is what we need to do much more of. In Chicago, in other urban areas, we need to allow individuals to find their niche, and, importantly, to then go figure out how to improve upon that. Then maybe they’re on their way to do something pretty significant.Trissa, as a surgeon, she helps people every day in ways that literally change their lives. My professional life is much different, so I’ve tried to effect change in an alternative way,” he adds, “What Trissa does is also actually very creative, and beautiful too. Of course, we don’t all get to see it, because all of her work is inside the body.”&nbsp;“As a vascular surgeon, what I do does involve a lot of creativity,” Babrowski says, “You have an area that’s diseased, and you have to figure out a way to circumvent that. I always tell the residents, ‘it has to be perfect and it has to be beautiful, and unless it’s beautiful, it doesn’t count.’ I think that’s also kind of evocative throughout our collection as well. There’s a lot of what might be called traditional women’s work in it. I think women’s creativity, the way that women express themselves, has traditionally been undervalued. Everybody deserves to be seen and felt and heard, and through the collection we try and ensure that’s true because everybody has creativity, it’s just about the way that you express it. And that’s different for everybody.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419372/yxuljyl2a6i4pux7xbbo.jpg"><figcaption>Pictured above, from left: a work on paper by Soil Thornton, photograph by Laura Letinsky, painting by Martha Tuttle, ceramic piece by Melissa Weber, drawing in frame by Nate Young. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>In bringing these creative voices together in their collection, Babrowski and Mullangi create space for dialogues to develop between the works themselves, which in turn have the ability to spark meaningful conversations between their viewers.&nbsp;“Clearly there are a lot of problems within the world today. I think art gives us a language and an opportunity to think about it, and have civil discourse about issues that may not be so easy to talk about,” says Babrowski, “Simply having the opportunity to look sometimes gives you greater compassion and understanding of other people’s perspectives.”&nbsp;Many are fortunate enough to have that opportunity, as Babrowski and Mullangi’s hospitality is well-known. Gatherings of family, friends, and artists, along with social events for the art community are frequent occurrences in their home.&nbsp;“I always say when the house is full, there is a very particular vibe. It almost feels like the house itself is happy to be full of people,” says Babrowski.&nbsp;Their generosity extends beyond making the collection accessible through visits and parties, as the couple are frequent lenders to institutional exhibitions as well.&nbsp;“I think it’s the saddest thing when a work disappears into a private collection, and nobody else gets to see it,” says Mullangi. &nbsp;“Artists do this incredible work–and incredibly important work–where they’re translating a message into a visual medium, and that should be shared and projected, and shouldn’t just live in isolation for only a handful of people to see, in our opinion,” adds Babrowski, continuing, “We’re fortunate that we’re able to acquire these works, and that we are their caretakers. But, just as with this house, we really feel that we’re just their guardians for a period of time. You know, the human lifespan is very short. We aren’t going to be the ones who have any of this for that long of a time, really. In the meantime, why not share that with people while we’re still able to, and while we’re here to enjoy that as well?”#&nbsp;To read more about collecting what you love, <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/collecting-inspiration-how-to-find-what-you-want-to-live-with">click here</a>.&nbsp;This interview is featured in the spring/summer 2024 issue of CGN. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

A Living Collection: Sundeep Mullangi and Trissa Babrowski Support Their City Through Art

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/ckvupfpikfudirbqyuwd.jpg"><figcaption>Pictured from left: a post by Manish Nai; right of the fireplace is a work by Michael Rakowitz. In the fireplace is a neon installation by Jason Pickleman. Painting above the fireplace by Hugh Kappel. Sculpture by Jeffrey Gibson. Table, Yves Klein.</figcaption></figure>CGN recently interviewed collectors Sundeep Mullangi and Trisssa Babrowski about their passion for art and for supporting local artists and art spaces. In addition to sharing the story of their own collection, they offered some advice to anyone interested in starting their own collection. &nbsp;To read the full interview <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/a-living-collection-sundeep-mullangi-and-trissa-babrowski-support-their-city-through-art">click here</a>.– GV&nbsp;&nbsp;By Bianca BovaCGN: What advice do you have for those who want to begin collecting?&nbsp;Sundeep Mullangi: Understand that if you’re interested in collecting art, no matter who you are, there is an entry point for you. There is no set pattern or formula because it is so personal to each individual.&nbsp; For us and many of our friends, art collecting is an integral part of our whole life. General curiosity is so important. If something catches your attention, follow it, regardless of if it’s something you can acquire. Go figure out what this individual artist is trying to do, and then see how they are doing it, and then understand how that fits in their practice. Once you do that, you’re going to be hooked, you’re always going to want to look at more, to learn more.&nbsp;Trissa Babrowski: Be fearless. Trust your instincts. There is no wrong way to approach collecting, there’s really no wrong answer. Artists and galleries, especially in Chicago, are very open to engaging with people at all levels of experience and understanding of art.&nbsp; I find people are very much interested in having conversations, developing connections and relationships, and helping you to expand your knowledge base. Just go in, be open to learning,&nbsp; and be open to talking to people. And always, always go with your gut – if you respond to a piece, if it feels right, then it probably is.#&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/bz21zbjqqw6opaneyipc.jpg"><figcaption>A painting by Judy Legerwood (left). A spill painting by Tony Tasset (right) &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/i8rxxpejfqhfey0hn0oe.jpg"><figcaption>This miniature duet by Lilliana Porter is mounted between two door frames. Trissa says every time she passes it she considers the figures having a conversation. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/ibfuutx2c12rkauksa0q.jpg"><figcaption>Works from Amanda Williams's Color(ed) Theory Series</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Collecting  Inspiration: How to Find What You Want to Live With

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/jsedp2pbh9exo2qc3j6k.jpg"><figcaption>Lucca Colombelli, Founder, Povos (photo by Travis Barron) &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;By BIANCA BOVALucca Colombelli speaks quickly, with a cavalier manner that suggests that even if he doesn’t—by his own admission—know what he’s doing, he certainly knows what it is that he is going to do next. On a recent visit to his gallery Povos’s Chicago Avenue location, which is currently under renovation, Colombelli walked me through the space while rattling off the forthcoming improvements to everything from the baseboards to the lighting. We then sat down for a conversation about the gallery’s simple beginnings, its rapid expansion, and the multi-hyphenate future Colombelli sees for himself as a young person in the art world.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Lucca. Let’s begin with how your gallery, Povos, got its start.&nbsp;Lucca Colombelli: I’m an artist first. I didn’t necessarily like the way that the [gallery] system was set up. I have been in those ‘rooms’ in the commercial art world and thought, ‘This doesn’t feel like it’s about art at all.’ I wanted to make [a space] that was beautiful and celebratory and inclusive.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What did you feel like the art world was about, if you didn’t feel like it was about art?LC: To me the commercial art world [from galleries to art fairs], especially as an artist, felt very much like it was about money and about creating an exclusive culture that discouraged [most] people from getting involved, so [the main players] could maintain the power over both what’s being shown and where the money is moving. I try to convey [to my artists] that ‘this should be about you.’ That’s how I feel and I want them to feel too.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Even about art fairs? Which are inherently commercial spaces?&nbsp;LC: it’s like the artist almost has no place at an art fair.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: I like to say, “An art fair is no place for an artist.” Often it can feel like they’re the last person you want in the room when you’re doing a deal.&nbsp;LC: The artist might not want to be there either. An artist I know, who is established, once said to me, ‘Going to the fair as an artist is like watching your parents have sex.’&nbsp;Starting the gallery became this very difficult and involved learning process through which I can see how the system actually happens and can also work. EXPO CHICAGO this April will be my first fair [as a participating gallery]. With a seat at the table, what are we going to do with it? Who’s going to come and support it? How can we make it about the artist? &nbsp;CGN: How, in practice, are you implementing that paradigm shift?&nbsp;LC: I am not sure I can quantify how it’s working, but if you come to our gallery openings–there’s a good feeling. To me I think that’s largely because it’s been a grassroots gallery.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Is it still grassroots?LC: This started as shows in an apartment, and then eventually shows on Milwaukee Avenue. It was a passion project. We were fortunate people came to support it and feel involved. There’s such a strong culture built around [Povos]. The people working here now, including me, are still practicing artists, but now we’re understanding how to do this. I’m bringing in a full time director, a manager and support staff. We have had a run of funding, and we’re opening a second location and doing the fairs. We’re also getting attention – from institutions, the press, and some major collectors. I’ve become friends with the heads of several national institutions and found mentors in the local art world as well.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/t3iinalkrl39xkiednoo.jpg"><figcaption>Povos x blackpuffin, Conflicts of Freedom, August 2023. Photo: Jake Ellerbrake &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: You’re a young dealer, and you seem invested in pushing back against the art establishment, in creating your own model. The more transparent you can be the better, if you want others to be able to learn from what you’re doing.&nbsp;LC: I didn’t know what the hell I was doing at all. I went to art school for two semesters and dropped out. The idea was to develop a sustainable online gallery model.&nbsp;CGN: When you say sustainable, do you mean economically, ecologically, or in some other way?&nbsp;LC: I’m talking about economics. Instead of 50/50 between the artist and the dealer, and putting a lot of money into real estate or rent, online it could be 70/30. A portion of that 30% would go to social work partners. I was interested in this idea of a low-overhead, online gallery that could also better the community. I worked with Chicago Social Change; Save Money, Save Life; and Simple Good, where I’m on the Associate Board. We did fundraisers, and I did a guest teaching spot last year. We’re looking at doing it again in the spring with after school programs.&nbsp;So, initially the idea was to bring the digital to the physical as much as possible with popup events. We were doing it in restaurants, in houses, wherever. Then we got the space [on Chicago Avenue], and people started to notice us. A big advocate has been Abby Pucker [of Gertie]. She reached out in fall 2022, and we have become good friends. She’s helped elevate the project and put it on the map for new people. This went from an artist run project, to two locations, doing fairs and finding funding.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Can you share more about your funding model? Fairs don’t get cheaper year over year, and neither does real estate, for that matter.&nbsp;LC: In year one, with the popup online model, I didn’t make any money. Year two, on Milwaukee Ave., going in we didn’t have even a year’s worth of overhead, let alone funds for staffing, events, and marketing. It was just me running it. It didn’t start going well until maybe August 2022, where we had a show with Will Schaeuble, a young SAIC graduate. We sold out opening night. We had never had anything like that happen.&nbsp; CGN: What accounted for the difference?&nbsp; LC: We started marketing [the show] really early. We seemed to do everything right. I thought, ‘Maybe this could work.’ Just a little earlier I thad hought, ‘Oh my God, how are we gonna pull this off?’ While there was a growing culture of artists hanging out, I didn’t think it was sustainable. I think this is a problem young galleries can face. You can approach it with a lot of passion, but it’s not necessarily going to make economic sense.&nbsp;August happened and it worked. Then in September 2022 we sold out Ashkon Haidari’s opening night. After that I wanted to reorganize and to create new systems and bring in help. A big part of my philosophy has been: say yes, then figure it out. I saw the opportunity and the potential of [a physical] space, but when I got it it was a nightmare. It took a serious amount of work, but I knew we could turn this into something cool, and the price was right, even though I didn’t have the money until I did a little fundraising.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Was that primarily through private donations, or were you seeking grants?&nbsp;LC: All private, mostly collectors who support my vision of this artist-utopic gallery.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Do any of the backers have equity in the gallery? &nbsp;Yes, some of them have ownership stakes, but the majority are involved in a cultural or infrastructural way.&nbsp;CGN: Do you intend to retain majority ownership long term?&nbsp;LC: I’m more interested in building something sustainable and beautiful than maintaining my vision for it.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Do you feel that those are mutually exclusive?&nbsp;LC: No, not necessarily. If someone wants to come in and do this or they have an idea for 10 locations, it can’t just be me making the calls on that. We’re building an advisory board and an internal board with the new equity members–local curators and multiple artists who I’ve contacted and who have said, “Yes, I’d love to be part of this.” It’s so rewarding to come from not knowing who any of these people were two years ago, to having my–I keep calling it, the Avengers Board. &nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Frankly, it’s uncommon to see that level of support being offered to someone who–as you put it yourself–knew no one and had no idea how the industry even worked just a year or two ago. What has helped you most in establishing that base of support?&nbsp;LC: I think it has a lot to do with the feeling of the space and our philosophy. It’s not about closing the door or opening it selectively. It’s about, “Hey, we got the foot in the door. Everybody come check this out.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/yy5tl6w8ibl4whutlv5i.jpg"><figcaption>Ashkon Haidari “Under the Cherry Moon” September 2023. Photo: Jake Ellerbrakes &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Do you feel that that’s an ethos that makes you distinct from other galleries in the city?&nbsp;LC: I know there are a lot of really inclusive, cool people in Chicago. It’s easy to be a young artist and think, “Oh, I don’t want to work with them,” or “Screw the man!” It’s an immature attitude that I had, and now I realize that all these people are very smart and great and also work in some similar ways.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Who are other dealers that you admire?&nbsp;LC: Mariane Ibrahim–I think she’s a rock star. I also really like Patron’s program, and they’re very friendly to us as well. You could throw a rock and hit a good gallery on this street.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Can you tell me more about what informs Povos’ program?&nbsp;LC: To begin with it was just people I liked. We’re evolving towards the space being spearheaded by smart and interesting collaborations with other people, not necessarily just my vision.&nbsp;CGN: Do you represent artists? Do you have a stable?&nbsp;LC: We don’t currently represent people exclusively. I never thought I had enough to offer. But now we’re going to try to sign people locally for representation, about eight artists.&nbsp;CGN: Can you tell me about the gallery’s second location?&nbsp; LC: Last year I exhibited my paintings with Winston Guo, who ran W. Gallery in the South Loop on Van Buren. I haven’t shown in years and never really in Chicago. We threw a big opening. It was really fun, we sold some work. Winston and I talked about our gallery practices and differing strengths and challenges. This year he will come on as a full time director with me, primarily based out of his original space. We’re calling it “Povos Downtown.”&nbsp;CGN: Do you plan on running two simultaneous programs, or will it serve as an extension space?&nbsp;LC: It’ll be staggered. So yes to two programs, five shows each a year, for one year.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What is happening in the meantime?&nbsp;LC: We’ve stepped into an advisory network of secondary market dealers who are also young and ambitious. I’m doing some interesting work with 20th century art. I also met a guy in Mexico and we’re considering forming an international advisory with a Latin American and Italian masters focus. That’s not technically Povos, but that’s me. Also, I’m possibly curating a museum show in Japan this year at the Kyoto City Art Museum.&nbsp;CGN: Is the Kyoto City Art Museum an institution you have an existing relationship with? How did that opportunity come about?&nbsp;LC: There’s an arts government program in Kyoto. You take corporate tax money and turn it into something art related. The companies get a write-off, and the city gets a cut. A friend from art school has a connection to one of these programs, and that brought about the opportunity.&nbsp;I hope I can do a lot more for artists and in this industry if I can fulfill every role. I can be a curator, I could be an advisor, I could be a gallery, I could be an institution. If we have all the moving parts, we can accomplish a lot.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What do you see as the advantage to that approach over selecting a role, and devoting yourself to it?&nbsp;LC: I think you don’t have to be at the mercy of a system when you can fulfill multiple roles within it, and create new systems with that.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Do you ever worry that could potentially be a disservice to your artists? That if you’re successful in creating these new systems, you risk divorcing them from the conventional art world at an early stage?&nbsp;LC: No, I don’t think we’re divorcing them from the system at all. We just are becoming more involved in the system. Instead of just fulfilling the role of the gallery, we can go and make other kinds of deals and opportunities for them.&nbsp;CGN: There’s a rich history in Chicago of artist-run spaces that have gone on to achieve great commercial success. Take for example, many of the galleries that have participated in both editions of the Hyde Park Art Center’s Artists Run Chicago exhibitions, or going back even further, the spaces profiled in the the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago’s 1984 catalog Alternative Spaces: A History in Chicago. I’m hearing that you feel you’re subverting that standard developmental model, and that you’re successfully breaking boundaries. I’m trying to parse out what it is that makes you and your gallery different. Can you help articulate that for me?&nbsp;LC: I think keeping this glass door policy with the people we work with is different. Also our local cultural presence is a big thing, because it is inclusive.&nbsp;CGN: You acknowledged earlier that many Chicago galleries’ cultures are inclusive, so what sets Povos apart?LC: It’s the only space where I’ve seen the interaction between the billionaire and the bartender. Everyone walks in here and no one knows who anyone is, but they’re there and “Hey, what’s up?” is a very approved action at Povos.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Programmatically, where do you feel that your gallery fits into the context of Chicago?&nbsp;LC: I think we have a unique vision, which is the artists that I think we represent locally largely are, I call it, folkloric surrealism. It is an ongoing theme, and I think that’s what I enjoy. Some artists are self-taught, some are trained. All of our artists are young and working in this kind of magical way.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Chicago has deep historical associations with certain movements in the art world, and you can see the legacies of those movements in contemporary galleries’ programs today. I’m curious where you see Povos’ program in that context, if at all?&nbsp; LC: I never thought about it much. I am kind of new, and even new to the [art] scene. I’ve been [in Chicago] about seven years, and it has been a learning process. As far as historically, I don’t know if I’m informed enough to place the gallery anywhere. I think right now, it feels like we’re the new generation.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What brought you to Chicago, and what made you want to stay?LC: Yes, I spent two semesters at SAIC, where I met some of my best friends. I had a really good professor who said “You seem like you know what you want to do. You want to go paint, go paint. You want to open a gallery? Open a gallery. You don’t have to be here to do that.” And he was right, ultimately.&nbsp;I’m grateful to Chicago for letting me get away with this. I don’t think I would have been able to do it anywhere else. Buckle up, and let’s see what happens with the real version of this, because I think it hasn’t realized its full potential. I’m excited to see where it goes.<a href="https://povoschicago.com">povoschicago.com</a>#This interview is featured in the spring/summer 2024 issue of CGN. To subscribe to the print edition <a href="https://835ba3.myshopify.com">click here.&nbsp;</a></body></html>

A Young Gallerist Imagines the Future: Povos's Lucca Colombelli

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

CGN Art World Recap: 4/10/24

<html><head></head><body>This year's <a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPO CHICAGO</a> features 170 galleries from around the world – from Paris to to Cape Town to Seoul. Several exhibiting galleries also operate close to home all year round, and in recognition of the special programming that these Chicago and regional galleries are exhibiting this weekend, we have a short wrap–up below.&nbsp;Please double checkbooth details as you are able with an onsite map.&nbsp;Also visit our CGN booth P7 to say hi and pick up a copy of our spring issue and the 2024 CGN Arts Guide!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago-part-2">Read Part 2</a><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/4/what-chicago-galleries-are-bringing-to-expo-chicago-part-3">Read Part 3</a>– CGN Staff&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419368/wayrdd5swxbesa1ivugl.jpg"><figcaption><a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0MzE2Mzk4NzIsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiIzMWQ4YmVmMTdkNDBiOGE0In0">Judy Ledgerwood</a>:&nbsp;Field Flowers, 2020, monotype.</figcaption></figure>Manneken PressBooth #472Manneken Press will participate as part of <a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0MDg1NzExOTAsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiI0MjEyODZmZjNhNWU3OTYwIn0">Editions + Books</a>, a distinct gallery section which features artist books, editions and multiples. Manneken will feature works by <a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0MTgwMDgzNzcsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiI3NTI4YmMzYWFmZWMwMDFlIn0">Matt Magee</a>, <a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0MjIyMDI2ODQsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiI3NGZiODFlMGY4ZTdlZGIxIn0">Philip Van Keuren</a>, <a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0Mjc0NDU1NjYsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiJjNTgyOTYyZjZmZWYxNDllIn0">Sarah Smelser</a>, <a href="https://qvrzaq.clicks.mlsend.com/ty/c/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjM4NzU1NixcImxcIjoxMTc2MjI3MDA0MzE2Mzk4NzIsXCJyXCI6MTE3NjIyNzAxNjkzMDc2ODQyfSIsInMiOiIzMWQ4YmVmMTdkNDBiOGE0In0">Judy Ledgerwood</a> and others.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419369/njbdxgdwhftpeg6yhfgd.jpg"><figcaption>Ebony G. Patterson, …bent… and rippled in the swallow….submitting to ….an ending, 2023. Digital print on archival watercolor paper with hand-cut and torn elements, construction paper, and plastic, mounted on wallpaper. 86 x 107 x 16 in</figcaption></figure>moniquemelocheBooth #313moniquemeloche will present a curated selection of works by Luke Agada, Candida Alvarez, Sanford Biggers, Antonius-Tín Bui, David Antonio Cruz, Yvette Mayorga, Lavar Munroe, Maia Cruz Palileo, Ebony G. Patterson, Cheryl Pope, David Shrobe, Arvie Smith, Shinique Smith, and Jake Troyli.Several of the gallery's artists will be participating in EXPO's programming as well. A highlight will be:&nbsp;<a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cbzQpKrrUq66ZmWJyKdN7ykJR8n3wisinQWQJCap-9I2Sq_iBFuhEdRLAlcXJszlnrLv5vFyAy6eh5jPMI_tvZB9cMgxuNIzQUICa9KYvmiIOV-EKmx1nWvwRTEII0NAQ45wvl2GpIRy92Y1ccSesSEmHSEppRZ7J-UpCF-138t7X8sv3Hhy_w==&amp;c=-tG4hbFlsizi5fEQWG3ENM2Mk4JyYxqjciU0IxPz3hE4nug1SotcUQ==&amp;ch=vOt4tvkq9C_9j-0iY8N-rRIhkF0FhRTo6aKvA1hewY5qXDUCGUO1lA==">For Freedoms | Art Making and the Social Change Stage: Curating Civic Listening Through Art Identities</a>Antonius-Tín Bui, Shinique Smith, Jake Troyli and Lisa Lee, moderated by Toni Anderson&nbsp;Thursday, April 11, 2-3 pm on the /Dialogues Stage&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419370/nuwr0zuqwxssw8hq0egu.jpg"><figcaption>Roger Brown,&nbsp;Visit the Oregon Coast,&nbsp;1979,&nbsp;oil on canvas with taxidermy seagulls,&nbsp;72 x 54 x 12 inches. &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Corbett vs DempseyBooth #237The gallery will present a multifarious mix of artists from its program. On the front line, the booth will feature major works by four of Chicago's greatest sculptors: H.C. Westermann, Joseph Goto, Diane Simpson, and Richard Rezac. Roger Brown's incredible 1979 hybrid Visit the Oregon Coast bridges second and third dimensions, with a shelf of taxidermied seabirds. As always, painting occupies a central position in the gallery's pantheon, and this year is no exception, with new work in several media by Ellen Berkenblit, Brian Calvin, Gabrielle Garland, Magalie Guérin, Roscoe Mitchell, Lui Shtini, Omar Velázquez, and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung. Spotlight sections will present paintings by Karl Wirsum (concurrent with his dual&nbsp;New York exhibitions), Nicole Eisenman and Rebecca Morris (proximate to&nbsp;their sequential shows at the MCA Chicago), Ted Halkin (in anticipation of his upcoming show at the Art Institute of Chicago), and the indomitable 98-year-old Dominick Di Meo (in anticipation of his upcoming gallery show at CvsD).*The gallery is also participating in Barely Fair this weekend and will present a suite of exquisite pocket-sized&nbsp;paintings by Rebecca Shore. These works feature a variety of subject matter: landscapes, still lives and interiors, each constructed from a particular perspective. Highly&nbsp;refined with attention to detail throughout the image, Shore's works are animated by the phenomena of daily life.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419371/tgnuzqmcurgb7odm2v7l.jpg"></figure> CONVERSO MODERNBooth #148CONVERSO, based in Chicago since the mid-90s, has become one of America’s most prominent dealers of modern furnishings and objects. Known for highlighting furniture by architects, rare prototypes, and limited-editions that attract attention from collectors and designers alike, their booth at EXPO will offer collectors much to covet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419375/gcads9xwnststafkapho.jpg"></figure> Les EnluminuresBooth #343Les Enluminures is enthusiastic to showcase 11 timeless, extraordinary works by exceptionally skilled artists. The exhibition features ten exceptionally rare, manuscripts. Essentially panel painting in book form, their quality is on par with (and in some cases originating from) that expected from royal collections. This group is crowned by a Renaissance necklace, wholly original. Its ageless design is a veritable technical tour de force. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419375/fbgogyyfdj9ilz4d2pt1.jpg"><figcaption>Raphaël Barontini, Au Balcon du Palais Sans-Soucis, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim</figcaption></figure> Mariane Ibrahim GalleryBooth #203Mariane Ibrahim will unveil a solo presentation of artist Raphaël Barontini at EXPO CHICAGO.&nbsp;Barontini will also be featured in a citywide collaborative public art initiative between EXPO CHICAGO and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in collaboration with the Chicago Digital Network to exhibit artwork on all CDN billboards and City Information Panels "CIPs" in the Central Business District from April 1—21, 2024. Participants included both emerging and established artists from Chicago and around the world.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419376/lgcghccszc8x3rimcc61.jpg"><figcaption>Anna Kunz, Mock Orange, acrylic on canvas, 2024, 60 x 66 inches, signed, dated and titled verso</figcaption></figure> McCormick GalleryBooth #271This is Tom McCormick's 40th year at the art fair - he first packed up his truck to participate when John Wilson was running Art Expo in the 1980s. This year his booth will feature many gallery artists, including Anna Kunz, Pooja Pitte, Kim Piotrowski, Gwen Yen Chiu, John Santoro, Michael Hedges and Janis Kanter. The gallery will also exhibit works by artists whose estates the gallery represents: Richard Hunt, Perle Fine, Mary Abbott, Melville Price and Jan Matulka.&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;The EXPO CHGO ONLINE viewing room is also on view now and connects you digitally with exhibitors and allows you to view the artworks on display at the fair in advance of the opening. Accessible only until&nbsp;Friday, April 19&nbsp;at&nbsp;9:00pm&nbsp;CT, the online viewing room is the place to learn more about exhibitors, discover highlights you might have missed, and contact the galleries.<a href="https://expochicago.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=feab88d1702b05fff44372e88&amp;id=7a38fe8fb3&amp;e=c5b146cc27">BROWSE EXPO CHGO ONLINE – Powered by Artnav</a>&nbsp;CGN will cover the Special Exhibitions participants in another post.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

What Chicago Galleries Are Bringing to EXPO CHICAGO: PART 1

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

Carrie Secrist Gallery Reopens as SECRIST | BEACH

<html><head></head><body>Entering its eleventh year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art will host 170 leading international exhibitors for its 2024 edition in Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, presented alongside one of the highest quality platforms for global contemporary art and culture.&nbsp;The exposition draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while engaging the region’s contemporary art community and collector base. The 2024 edition of EXPO CHICAGO will present various programs and events throughout Chicago during EXPO ART WEEK (April 8–14, 2024).&nbsp;Following are some programming highlights to watch for both onsite and throughout the city this April.– GV&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/k5fayiguooqaigyo3o4f.jpg"><figcaption>Chance the Rapper. Photo: Courtesy of Keeley Parenteau.</figcaption></figure>Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues brings together leading curators, artists, designers, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions. A keynote discussion with Chance the Rapper, Asma Naeem Ph.D. (Baltimore Museum of Art) and Nate Freeman (Vanity Fair) on hip hop and its contributions to contemporary art takes place Thursday, April 11, 7-8pm.&nbsp;Throughout the run of the exposition, visitors attending /Dialogues programs and film screenings will be able to lounge within the Soho House Snug, a community area provided in collaboration with Soho House Chicago.View the full <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/dialogues">/Dialogues lineup here.</a>&nbsp;*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/h5lccyps6zkixavm9yi0.jpg"></figure>New Monuments | Chicago by Brendan Fernandes is a public intervention at the General John Alexander Logan Monument in Grant Park and part of <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/in-situ-outside">IN/SITU Outside</a>. Envisioned as the first in a series of interventions engaging monuments internationally, it features a sculptural installation composed of scaffolding surrounding the monument, marking the space as “in transition”; a durational performance on April 12 from 7:00–10:00pm; and public hours on April 10–13 from 11:00am–5:00pm, during which audiences are invited to respond to Fernandes’ prompt about their visions for new monuments. Responses will be displayed to illustrate this communal moment of self-expression, social engagement, and critical dialogue around the history and current state of monuments in Chicago, and beyond. &nbsp;Performance on April 12 from 7:00–10:00pmPublic hours on April 10–13 from 11:00am–5:00pmLogan Monument in Grant Park, S. Michigan Ave &amp; E. 9th St.&nbsp;*<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/suo28knji8xtbs1ag1sf.jpg"><figcaption>Charles Arnoldi, Ellipse II, (2020), Edition of 30, Wood Block. Sheet Size: 129cm × 115cm. €3,750.00</figcaption></figure>Exhibiting as part of <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/exhibitors/expo-editions-books">EDITIONS + BOOKS</a> at EXPO this year, Stoney Road Press was established in Dublin in 2001 and is known for collaborating with Irish and International artists in the production of fine art prints, exhibiting them at international art fairs with the assistance of Culture Ireland.Editions + Books showcases a cross-section of established and emerging artists. From limited editions to publications, the exhibitors offer a diverse array of print media and object-based practices that span across photography, sculpture, and monographs, and other multiples.&nbsp;*&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419361/h5tvjlxrne4uu4jlnkpd.jpg"><figcaption>OVERRIDE | A Billboard Project, 2024. Judy Ledgerwood, Jaywalking, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery.</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/override">OVERRIDE</a> | A Billboard Project is a citywide collaborative public art initiative between EXPO CHICAGO and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)&nbsp;in collaboration with the Chicago Digital Network&nbsp;to exhibit artwork on all CDN billboards and&nbsp;City Information Panels "CIPs" in the Central Business District from April 1—21, 2024. Participants included both emerging and established artists from Chicago and around the world. Placing artwork within this public context and the broader presentation of billboard advertising, OVERRIDE takes its name from industry terminology referring to the continuation of an outdoor advertising program beyond a contracted period. Fully integrated into the language of advertising and local familiar signage, each of the works included within the OVERRIDE program present the opportunity for local and international artists to intercept and push the boundaries of how visual culture is disseminated in our increasingly image-based environment.Building upon the City of Chicago and DCASE’s longstanding commitment to public art, OVERRIDE provides EXPO CHICAGO a key opportunity beyond Navy Pier&nbsp;to showcase works by leading international artists in neighborhoods throughout the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/m20djbmu6vqumkvplxeb.jpg"><figcaption>Eddie Martinez, Half Stepping Hot Stepper and Untitled, on-view April 5–August 25, 2024 at Compass Rose | Navy Pier as part of <a href="https://www.expochicago.com/programs/in-situ-outside">IN/SITU Outside.</a></figcaption></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;For tickets <a href="https://www.tix123.com/tickets/?code=EXCH24&amp;_gl=1*1lv5t2k*_ga*MTI1Njc3OTk3NS4xNzA5MDA2OTQ2*_ga_9F4GPT8QEV*MTcxMTcyNTM0OC4yMi4xLjE3MTE3MjUzNzQuMzQuMC4zMjk2ODE5NTc.&amp;_ga=2.59521325.1691843750.1711725349-1256779975.1709006946">click here</a>Hours and tour times are below.&nbsp;VIP PREVIEWTh, April 11 | 12:00noon – 9:00pm – By Invitation OnlyOPENING NIGHT OF EXPO CHICAGOTh, April 11 | 6:00–9:00pm&nbsp; –&nbsp; Limited AvailabilityGENERAL ADMISSIONFriday, April 12 | 11:00am – 7:00pmSaturday, April 13 | 11:00am – 7:00pmSunday, April 14 | 11:00am – 6:00pmTOURSGuided tours led by museum educators and other arts professionals. 60 minutes. +$30Friday April 12 @ 1:00pm and 3:00pmSaturday April 13 @ 1:00pm and 3:00pmSunday April 14 @ 1:00pm.&nbsp;• Also: Art Encounter’s International Highlights tour explores work by leading artists from Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa as well as New York and Los Angeles. 90 minutes. +$40&nbsp;<a href="https://www.expochicago.com">EXPOCHICAGO.COM</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

When the Fair Comes to Town: EXPO Chicago and Beyond

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/ammqst3nxbd5pzdrmisw.jpg"><figcaption>Jules Allen, Untitled, 1996–97, Gelatin silver print. Image: 11 ¼ x 17 7/8” (28.6 x 45.4 cm), Edition of 3 + 1 AP. Courtesy the artist and GRAY.</figcaption></figure>McArthur Binion and Jules Allen: Me and YouGRAY&nbsp;This two-person exhibition features 11 new paintings by McArthur Binion and a survey of gelatin silver prints by New York-based photographer Jules Allen.McArthur Binion’s new series, Handmadeness, delves fully into the lexicon of what Binion terms the under conscious: visual markers of his identity collaged in a repeating, interwoven grid. These images in the paintings’ ground layer span a range of sources, from the deeply personal and autobiographical to the public and political. Binion obscures the under conscious with washes of ink in novel color combinations and a lattice-like layer in paint stick, the artist’s chosen materials since the 1970s.Allen studied photography under Jack Welpott, whose formalist leanings were rooted in the tradition of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, and he received a MS in clinical psychology to better understand the human subject. In 1978, Allen moved to New York and met Binion among a rich milieu of Black avant-garde musicians and artists.Me and You commemorates a 40-year dialogue between the two artists, whose mutual admiration originated in the Black avant-garde of 1980s New York City.Apr 12–May 31 • Opening reception Apr 12, 5–8pm2044 W. Carroll (60612)<a href="https://www.richardgraygallery.com">richardgraygallery.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/ojijsda5r05qxcv4wxy1.jpg"><figcaption>Nicole Eisenman (b. 1965, Verdun, France; lives in Brooklyn, NY), Beer Garden with Ulrike and Celeste, 2009. Oil on canvas; 65 × 82”. (165.1 × 208.3 cm). Hall Collection. Image courtesy Hall Collection.</figcaption></figure>Nicole Eisenman: What Happened&nbsp;MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MCA)Nicole Eisenman: What Happened is the artist’s first major comprehensive survey. Through over 100 works dating back to 1992 Eisenman explores political, economic, and social themes through her formally experimental and often-humorous portraits of daily life. The MCA is the only US venue and the last destination for the exhibition. &nbsp;April 6–Sept 22<a href="https://visit.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/nicole-eisenman-what-happened/">mcachicago.org</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419361/mfnosdkxnmvi3d4qlf4k.jpg"><figcaption>Christina Ramberg, Probed Cinch, 1971. Private collection, New York. © The Estate of Christina Ramberg. Photography by Clements/Howcroft, Boston.</figcaption></figure>Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective&nbsp;and&nbsp;Four Chicago Artists: Theodore Halkin, Evelyn Statsinger, Barbara Rossi, and Christina RambergART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGOWhile best known for her stylized paintings of fragmented female bodies, throughout her brief yet focused career, Christina Ramberg vacillated between the depiction of various figural elements—hair, hands, torsos, and garments—while also creating equally rich, abstracted forms that emphasize structure and surface.&nbsp;The first comprehensive exhibition devoted to Ramberg in almost 30 years presents approximately 100 works, from intimate early paintings focused on the pattern and form of women’s hairstyles and garments, to mature work featuring cropped female torsos in lingerie that contains and restrains. The exhibition presents her most iconic imagery while grappling with all phases and elements of Ramberg’s continually evolving career.<a href="https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9723/christina-ramberg-a-retrospective">Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective</a> • Apr 20–Aug 11&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/jughfflawgo7vsq5p6ah.jpg"><figcaption>Barbara Rossi, Flower Returning to the H2O, 1978, Acrylic on hardboard, Gift of the Robert A. Lewis Fund in memory of William and Polly Levey</figcaption></figure>Four Chicago Artists: Theodore Halkin, Evelyn Statsinger, Barbara Rossi, and Christina Ramberg explores the art of four artists, all formally educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and informally inspired by the city’s cultural resources—from the Field Museum to Maxwell Street Market. Each artist developed highly unique practices. The works that resulted are as visionary as they are true to feeling, centering the transformation of shape, line, and color into otherwise incommunicable meaning.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/10097/four-chicago-artists-theodore-halkin-evelyn-statsinger-barbara-rossi-and-christina-ramberg">Four Chicago Artists</a> • May 11–Aug 26&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/uianrqyno3jcbeoi7gah.jpg"><figcaption>Vera Klement in her studio</figcaption></figure>Vera Klement&nbsp;ZOLLA/LIEBERMAN GALLERY&nbsp;In a career spanning over six decades, Klement’s work was a reflection of her many influences. From classical music to literature to modern art, these themes are filtered through her early formative experience fleeing the Nazis with her family just before World War II and a lifetime examining that loss of home and identity. Klement passed away in October 2023.&nbsp;Jul 12–Aug 15 • Opening reception Jul 12, 4–7 pm 325 W. Huron (60654)<a href="https://www.zollaliebermangallery.com">zollaliebermangallery.com</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419363/vdjpikkn8dnm4e14q21b.jpg"></figure>Victoria Martinez: Braiding Histories&nbsp;CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTERThis one-person exhibition features the art of Chicago-based creative Victoria Martinez, who works in a variety of materials and scales, drawing inspiration from the body, the urban environment, architecture, and graffiti. Victoria Martinez: Braiding Histories is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.Apr 6–Jul 28 • 78 E. Washington (60602)* Artist tour and talk April 10 @ noon, part of EXPO ART WEEK&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419364/jllsyjwp4qimtfpf4e0a.jpg"></figure>Grid Luck: Alberto AguilarCLEVE CARNEY MUSEUM OF ARTIn Grid Luck, Alberto Aguilar delves into the grid’s role as a generative and expansive tool. Taking inspiration from the College of DuPage Permanent Art Collection, the exhibit reimagines the materials and spaces within the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, resulting in the creation of new site-specific works. Aguilar’s innovative use of existing objects from institutional spaces as his material provides a novel take on traditional art making while providing fresh perspective on overlooked possibilities.Jun 29–Oct 6&nbsp;College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn (60137)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theccma.org/grid">theccma.org</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419364/p6jhrqabkbmyaq8ufyaq.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Webber, Targets; Right: Bill Mitchell, Amalgam</figcaption></figure>CSI x ALMAALMA FINE ART &amp; INTERIORSThe 2024 Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibition takes place at ALMA Art &amp; Interiors in Bridgeport. Sculptors were invited to enter up to three works to exhibit in the 10,000 sf space. The curated collection, showcasing nearly three dozen artists and a wide range of artistic expressions across various media, opens during EXPO After Hours on Friday, April 12, 5–10pm. Opening weekend is April 13 and 14.April 12–Sept 13636 S. Iron (60609)<a href="https://www.almaartandinteriors.com">almaartandinteriors.com</a><a href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org">chicagosculpture.org</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419365/whkewjtwrdnqnkvbaaxr.jpg"><figcaption>Sif Itona Westerberg, Dog Barking, 2021, aerated concrete, ebonized wood, 47.2” x 31.5” x 2”, installation view. Photo by CGN&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Sif Itona Westerberg: Twin Flame, Double RuinDRIEHAUS MUSEUMWesterberg takes inspiration from the Ancient Greek myth of soulmates—a single body that was divided into two parts, fated to forever yearn and search for its reflection. The exhibition title borrows terminology from new age concepts of interpersonal connection, a ‘twin flame’ often described in psychology as akin to soulmates, which Westerberg contrasts with ideals of creation and metamorphoses through the double entendre of ‘ruin’ in reference to either disaster or the remnants of Classical artifacts. Westerberg transforms industrial materials such as aerated concrete into delicate, sensitive surfaces engraved with the retellings of ancient lore.Thru Apr 14 • 40 E. Erie (60611)<a href="https://driehausmuseum.org">driehausmuseum.org</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419366/cmndowa0rwxwxnzdc3y3.jpg"><figcaption>Selva Aparicio, Remains, 2013/2024. Lettuce, particle board, and paper. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Selva Aparicio</figcaption></figure>In Memory OfDEPAUL ART MUSEUMDomestic violence is an epidemic that crosses geographical, cultural, and linguistic barriers. And yet it is private, existing within someone’s home in isolation and extreme vulnerability. For her first solo museum exhibition Chicago-based artist Selva Aparicio (b. 1987) transforms each of DePaul Art Museum’s first-floor gallery spaces into a domestic setting by way of a careful excavation of the artist’s life and memories. Responding to the architecture of the museum, Aparicio creates new site-specific works as well as remakes previous ones.Thru Aug 4 • 935 W. Fullerton (60614)<a href="https://resources.depaul.edu/art-museum/Pages/default.aspx">depaul.edu</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419367/b9md0i12oitnzsqz2cdn.jpg"><figcaption>Erin Jane Nelson, The Tree That Threw Herself in the Ocean, 2022, pigment prints, artist tape, glass and bio-based resin on glazed stoneware, 50” x 34” x 5”</figcaption></figure>Erin Jane NelsonDOCUMENTNelson’s practice is grounded in photography sourced from her archive of found and original images. Each project delves into new conceptual frameworks as far-ranging as regional histories of the Southern barrier islands, formative personal relationships, spirituality as a process of mourning and healing, and science fiction narratives. Through speculative world-building, layering and research, her work broadly explores the psychological impact of the climate crisis through a feminist lens.Jun 7–Aug 3 • 1709 W. Chicago (60622)&nbsp;<a href="https://documentspace.com">documentspace.com</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Spring 2024's Art Highlights 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/nhgo2uu6pnmnc0i9oaav.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/dt5xgtjm6smqtbzjhqxc.jpg"></figure>Driehaus Museum Renovation ContinuesLast &nbsp;week the museum team conveyed the nearly&nbsp;nine foot sculpture, The Archer, up to the 6th Floor balcony. The renovation work is 94% complete and they are making plans for a grand opening. Stay tuned for more details.The museum also announced that you can enjoy a springtime view of the Driehaus Museum all year, with artist Harper Veresiuk's watercolor interpretation of the 1883 Nickerson Mansion. Available as prints and magnets in the <a href="https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/?mc_cid=4e482f5bb3&amp;mc_eid=d1db3f815c">museum store</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/03/20/a-night-at-mr-kellys-at-the-newberry-offers-trip-back-to-days-of-storied-chicago-nightclub/?utm_source=Newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=A+Night+At+Mr++Kelly+s++At+The+Newberry+Offers+Trip+Back+To+Days+Of+Storied+Chicago+Nightclub&amp;utm_campaign=Wednesday+Arts+March+20%2C+2024">‘A Night At Mr. Kelly’s’ At The Newberry Offers Trip Back To Days Of Storied Chicago Nightclub</a>Have you ever wished you could have seen Ella Fitzgerald live on stage, singing Gershwin tunes? Laughed at Bob Newhart’s Abraham Lincoln public relations man bit in person when he was an up-and-coming comic? Visited a dark, smoky and swinging nightclub in mid-20th century Chicago with a two-drink minimum, surrounded by hip luminaries?If you visit “A Night at Mr. Kelly’s,” the new exhibition at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Ave., you’ll get as close as you can in 2024 (short of a VR machine).The exhibition, which opens Thursday, offers a multitude of artifacts and oral histories to help craft what life was like in one of the city’s coolest nightclubs in the 1950s and ’60s.Via Block Club Chicago&nbsp;City Announces Headliners for Millennium Park 20th Anniversary CelebrationMayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced the first round of special programming for the City’s Millennium Park 20th Anniversary Celebration (July 18–21). Scheduled to take place almost exactly 20 years since the Park’s official opening on July 16, 2004, this four-day free celebration features award-winning headliners, activities for families and youth, workouts, new public art, dance performances, and concerts— presented by DCASE with the Grant Park Music Festival, Millennium Park Foundation, and others. This special anniversary programming will be in addition to the annual music festivals, film and music series, workouts, family programming and more offered season-long in <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.dh1HrHFyOntfOcUtuUd3tRQTdV7nSi9T-2BCzOvduUdm8R-2BL89Vma351sXnEAOr2205hbW_0g5QiKQ3ANfCkWXxwzczn1phIok0-2FnBF8GNWXrNhq2-2B4ftGj9DI8Jn4AfRAGeAJVn7gGoI0v4yHfyxNzcTgWoLurliSnTAPDeTMjcpIoytOOx4olIMMV-2FUlia6rP-2BnJxdGCsDxwuBXtzUN-2F90mrZtEZ6Pv6RaA7fMIKi-2FCMYuKokB9jH3unCm4UFiZscYlJkDBNJP84-2FUXe2x8ajoRayq1RreONFp03Z5Mm5qXA6-2BQUm8MUa4Wn0Nq1PZBU5n-2FKXVbLcxkqqy6xu6s7nmFzZbZK-2FZC2pryDDlPE2bRGqRU-2BB6D749zsEZ2EcVy5uVRCItq98w3Fj6YrwcQRcgbQWYxOpAV5Vp7SG0Og4PGSq4tEVP1525dtmRehjE-2F9DcWN6hNRbVdu9jwXikDHIZn5a0w-3D-3D">Millennium Park</a>—the #1 attraction in the Midwest and among the top 10 most-visited sites in the United States. &nbsp;“Millennium Park is where we showcase the best of our city’s vibrant arts, culture, and talent from across the globe,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I look forward to celebrating the Park’s milestone anniversary and its unrivaled art, architecture, and cultural events with unforgettable free programming all summer long.”<a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park_20.html">More details here</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 4/1/24

<html><head></head><body>&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/qkm1lpyxkbom2yzu3auv.jpg"><figcaption>The spring/summer 2024 cover of CGN featuring art by Salvador Andrade Arévalo&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>I don’t know what I would do without lists. When it comes to meeting CGN’s deadlines or navigating the logistical obstacle course that is raising two children, lists keep me focused and comforted by organization. I am always updating my lists, segmenting themes, using up notepads and Post-Its, crossing things off or starring critical follow-ups.&nbsp;I find listmaking essentially task-oriented, but that’s where it ends. For instance, I love nothing more than a weekend without to-dos that leaves time for my family and me to make spontaneous plans and discover something new. My thoughts about lists made me consider how magazines and websites have long leaned on publishing their own lists as a way to boost sales, from the top 100 songs of all time, to the 10 best things to do in two days. Lists may offer choices among an overwhelming array, but they can end up obscuring the rewarding discoveries you may find if you let yourself explore on your own. Especially because CGN is focused on supporting and engaging with a creative community, we aim to be a circular resource, not a linear one, a guide that shows you but does not dictate.&nbsp;When I went to summer camp as a kid we heard, “There are no rules, just guidelines.” And there are no rules or lists in this issue of CGN either. We feature 80 pages of insights and information, guided by our seasonal calendars and arts listings – in no particular order (other than sometimes chronological or geographic). There are too many upcoming art events to count, as of press-time, with more added throughout the summer.&nbsp;In this issue, in addition to dozens of exhibitions, we preview the return of EXPO CHICAGO, as well as shows by artists like <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/3/plastics-and-flowers-the-art-of-salvador-andrade-arevalo">Salvador Andrade Arévalo</a>, whose work you will want to know. Read how veteran artist <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/3/phyllis-bramson-and-david-leggett-brewing-something-new">Phyllis Bramson</a> is shaking things up and exhibiting alongside a younger counterpart, David Leggett. Lucca Colombelli shares his big plans for his gallery Povos. Artist Suzette Bross details how her organization is bringing artists into Chicago Public Schools. We also highlight how Millennium Park has transformed Chicago’s modern reputation as a center for art since its opening 20 years ago.As you explore art this season–at art fairs, after hours, auctions, solo exhibitions, benefits and more–consider the advice of collector Sundeep Mullangi, “If you’re interested in collecting art, no matter who you are, there is an entry point for you.” Enjoy this issue and go out and find what’s on your list, if you even make one. Give yourself credit that you can discern what it is that you like and would like to follow. &nbsp;– Ginny Van Alyea, CGN Publisher&nbsp;To subscribe to CGN and receive a copy of the spring/summer magazine by mail please <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/magazine">click here</a>.&nbsp;Read our spring cover interview <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/news/2024/3/plastics-and-flowers-the-art-of-salvador-andrade-arevalo">here</a>.&nbsp;</body></html>

Spring 2024 Publisher's Letter 

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419360/ndrpl9ffkex1puyuhqlh.jpg"><figcaption>Photo by Etienne Frossard</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;BY ALISON REILLYSalvador Andrade Arévalo calls himself a printmaker who paints. Born in a rural area of Jalisco, Mexico, he immigrated to Chicago with his family at a young age. Inspired by his parents and older sister, he took art classes in high school and studied printmaking at Yale University. After graduating from college, he resisted the instability of life as a working artist, and instead worked as an admissions officer for Yale, a staffer on Obama’s reelection campaign, and a Master’s student in Latin American studies at the University of Cambridge. Eventually, he moved to Mexico City and spent five years painting in his living room while working remotely to support himself. Now, after completing his MFA at Yale in 2022, he is back in Chicago and currently a Bolt Resident at Chicago Artists Coalition. His solo show, Olvido, is on display at CAC until April 25, and his work will also be included in CAC’s EXPO Booth.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What are your earliest memories of making art?&nbsp;Salvador Andrade Arévalo: Edwidge Danticat, the author, has stated in talks and interviews that all immigrants are artists. In order for immigrants to survive in the US, they must create an entirely new life by pulling from their own internal creativity. They have to have the inspiration, the drive, and the will to survive in a country that isn’t necessarily accommodating to them. For me that spirit, that essence, is an influence in my work. That thriftiness, the frugalness, the need to just make something out of nothing has always been a part of my life, especially as someone that grew up as an immigrant.&nbsp;My parents didn’t complete high school or college. They only went up to sixth grade. But they’re the most brilliant people I know because they work with their hands. My mom knows how to make clothes. She can look at any knit pattern and she can fashion and replicate it. My dad, before retiring, worked setting up sprinkler systems. for massive corporations, storefronts, and skyscrapers in and around the Chicago-land area. He’s always been crafty. He knows how to use any tool. Growing up in a household with two creative people made me want to work with my hands. In this way, I found art as a logical avenue to pursue in school.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419361/vnz2n0ytvxohzsqjv3su.jpg"><figcaption>Salvador Andrade Arévalo, Doble mirada 1 / Double gaze 1, 120 x 100 cm, oil on canvas, 2023 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: When did you decide to pursue art formally?SAA: Well the funny thing is that I don’t think I was necessarily drawn to art classes themselves. I was drawn to the markers and the materials. I was the kid that could color within the lines while everyone else was drawing scribbles. I also grew up with an older sister who was super into art. She studied art in college, and she’s a curator. Naturally it made sense for me to take a lot of art classes, too, without thinking I was going to be a full-time artist later on. I took so many art classes in high school, and I majored in art in college. But it took me five years after I graduated from college to fully decide, okay, I want to pursue art full-time.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: How has your training as a printmaker influenced your current painting practice?&nbsp;SAA: The way I paint is a transposition of printmaking in the sense that I work with screens of color. In my paintings and my mixed media pieces, I’m always thinking about building up screens of color. That’s what adds dimensionality to my oil painting. A lot of my paintings are very detailed and meticulous, and they seem like I’m using hard edges, rulers, or tapes, but they’re free drawn and painted. This attention to detail comes from my training as a printmaker, in which I had to be very assiduous about everything. And, even though I don’t necessarily print anymore, I still consider printmaking to be a cornerstone of my practice. Having been formed, artistically, with such rigidity allows me to make moves with much more freedom now, because of my technical foundations. It’s much easier to make art with a strong foundation in technique, rather than starting with a baseline of no skills and trial and error.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: Could you talk about the importance of flowers and other motifs in your paintings?SAA: Whenever I introduce my work right now, I say it’s about plastics and flowers. But there’s a lot of meaning behind both of those things. I’ll start with the flowers. I grew up around gardens. Over the summers when I was in high school, I would set up sprinkler systems with my dad. My family is from a very rural part of Mexico in the state of Jalisco. I was born there. You can imagine a rural place with plants everywhere. I’ve always been in some way, shape, or form, surrounded by plants. I made the connection between farming, warehouses, and my family, and I realized the economic exploitation of plants has kept my family in the labor class.The flowers are also there as a visual trap because they’re so beautiful and seductive. I also depict flowers that I find around Mexico or connect to my Mexican heritage. Some of them may not necessarily originate from Mexico; some were brought to Mexico and became popularized and common in folkloric imagery. Flowering plants themselves have also been so genetically modified that they have their own legacy of exploitation and extraction by human touch to be more attractive.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/zcyqqs0s8pruleslholz.jpg"><figcaption>Salvador Andrade Arévalo, Lenticular, 19” x 17”, hand stitched produce packaging from family’s consumption, 2023</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: And the plastics?&nbsp;SAA: In conjunction with flowers, I use a lot of single-use, disposable plastics, like food packaging or things used to wrap what you order online. Anything plastic that’s simply thrown away, I use in my work. The first thing you do every day is throw some piece of plastic away. If you think about it, have you ever gone through a day without throwing away a piece of plastic? And the plastics themselves come from petrol, and petrol is fossilized organic material. I’m interested in the concept of extraction and what we consume as Americans in the U.S. is stripped of its origins. The plastic that’s used to tape up an Amazon box, where does that come from? Which country in the global south packed this or made it, and where was it taken from and how cheaply and exploitatively was it removed from its origins?&nbsp;My family has been migrating between Chicago and Mexico for over 100 years. But always as laborers. This gives you a sense of my family and how these exploitative systems keep people in their same class forever.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/cqzrhnyq0hboex9rrqbu.jpg"><figcaption>Salvador Andrade Arévalo, Pasos / Paces, 31.5 x 25 in, found single-use plastics, thread, paper, pressed flowers, textiles, acrylic, gesso, and sequins, 2023 &nbsp;</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Are you collecting these materials, the food packaging and discarded items, in your everyday life or sourcing them?SAA: Right now, most of the plastics in my work are from my family’s consumption. I recently completed a piece that was made from collected food stickers. The stickers name almost every country in Latin America. In a way, the piece was a map of the places that grow our food. And since my family in Mexico grows tomatoes, limes, corn, and agave, making this piece was a full circle moment. The food my family members in Mexico grow and sell, could very well be the food that I consume in the US.&nbsp;So where is our food coming from? Who’s growing it, who’s touching it, who’s packing it, who’s shipping it?&nbsp;My family members who grow limes have to sell a crate of limes that weights several kilos for pennies. When we buy limes in Chicago, we buy three limes for a dollar. Imagine the markup value of that food source as it passes through the system of wholesale buyers and distributors to the U.S. &nbsp;<blockquote>“Thriftiness, the frugalness, the need to just make something out of nothing has always been a part of my life.”&nbsp;- Salvador Andrade Arévalo</blockquote>&nbsp;CGN: What’s a typical day in your studio like?SAA: I get up, have coffee, and decide which part of my practice I’m going to devote my time to, especially since I paint by daylight. I’ll set up my oil paints when the sun comes up and then I paint for the entire day. That’s my super concentrated, most intense work mode. But that’s why I also have the other side of my practice, which is more amorphous. The plastic pieces allow me to have more freedom, and not necessarily be strict with a pencil, a brush stroke, or the color choices that I’m making. I bounce between working fast and slow, and I need one to get into the other. The printmaker within me can get so fixated on tiny details. To break myself free from that rigidity, I need the other side of my practice to give me more freedom to play. I never really feel that I complete a piece. I think I can always go back to a piece and have something to fix. I usually just give myself deadlines and say, “Okay, after this day, you see the mistake, but you’re going to have to live with it.”&nbsp;CGN: Oh no.SAA: For example, the pieces I’m making for my show at CAC, the March 1st deadline was the hard deadline, and I forced myself to never ever touch those pieces again.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419363/nggynj7hv0ymmqldbx0j.jpg"><figcaption>Salvador Andrade Arévalo, Nudos / Knots, 12” x 9”, oil pastel on paper, 2022</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: Would you touch them after the show? Or you let it go at that point?&nbsp;SAA: No, I tell myself, it’s done. Even though I know in my deepest heart that it’s not done, it’s done. Because I have to stop at a certain point, you know? I get finicky about details. It always goes back to the printmaker within me, who wants everything to be perfectly aligned with no mistakes whatsoever. But a big part of being an artist is moving past&nbsp;that rigidity and letting the work do what it needs to do. What I think is a mistake might not necessarily be a mistake for the audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;CGN: What are you exhibiting for your show at CAC?SAA: I’m including one oil painting and two plastic installations. You know the big potato sacks that grocery stores unpack the food in? I’ve gone to grocery stores, and as people are unpacking them, I ask, “Can I have these?” They look at me like I’m crazy. I’ve selected a ton of them, and I knit them together. It’s a quilt of these food sacks from grocery stores.&nbsp;Plastics are super light, so I kind of work like a clown car. I can fit an entire installation of just plastic into one normal sized box. They’re so light and airy and flimsy and probably will degrade over time. I can travel with them. I can put up a big installation in a day and take the installation down in the same day.&nbsp;Then I have a piece that’s a new venture for me. I’m dethreading my old clothes, reversing what a machine can do. I have entirely dethreaded pants and shirts. It’s humorous in the sense that why would I spend hours and hours dethreading my clothes? They do feel very bodily like they had a past life. It also harkens back to the fact that I don’t like to throw things away. The clothes I have ripped or that I no longer use I repurpose in my art now.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419364/klpzg9qczjni4dopaexq.jpg"><figcaption>Salvador Andrade Arévalo, Pensamientos / Thoughts, 24 x 20 in, oil on canvas, 2022</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;CGN: I’m excited to see how those turn out.&nbsp;SAA: I’m excited about those, too, because I hold onto things. That attachment to disposable things comes from being low income and being raised by family members that didn’t necessarily have a ton of wealth, but they were able to create an entire world, an entire childhood out of the most basic necessities.I will start a piece and let it sit there for two or three years. Then once I find or stumble across the material that is needed to complete it, I circle back to that piece and I add the missing things that I felt they needed when I first began the piece.&nbsp;That’s happened with these clothes. I could have donated them, but no one’s really going to want them because they have holes and paint stains. The only other option for these clothes is the dumpster. In the U.S. there isn’t a system to reuse or repurpose things that no longer have a functional use.&nbsp;But I found the loose strands in my jeans so poetic and beautiful. I just started pulling out the threads. That’s actually how a lot of my practice works. I see something and I touch it and I look at it, and then I’m like wait, it’s doing something that visually is compelling. If I get stuck I will go through my boxes, and I’ll start touching things and looking at them and then seeing what new projects can arise out of the things that I’ve already collected.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419365/czfh8addtyh8m9p9goxd.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;This interview is featured in CGN's spring/summer 2024 magazine. To subscribe and receive a copy by mail <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/magazine">click here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Plastics and Flowers: the Art of Salvador Andrade Arévalo

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

CGN Art World Recap: 3/29/24

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/h1k9xjbfxpbyefmt8jfw.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/muscle-memory-paul-gerard-somers">Muscle Memory: Paul Gerard Somers</a>Exhibition begins March 29SoNa Chicago Art Gallery&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419361/awuwnrdydan3hgrjrice.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/liz-martino-march-29-to-may25">Lucia Calderon Arrieta: Gloop N Droop Rinconsito</a>Opening: Friday, March 29, 6 – 8&nbsp;pmInternational Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419361/pjs7raefii48lci6ts8f.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/liz-martino-march-29-to-may25">Liz Martino | BLAMM-O: moments of seeing more</a>Opening: Friday, March 29, 7 – 10&nbsp;pmFirecat Projects&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419362/t1ajur89fmnr5zxqhb02.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/abraham-my-chaotic-order">Abraham: My Chaotic Order</a>Opening: Friday, March 29, 6 – 9&nbsp;pmEpiphany Center for the Arts&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419363/ud4qnscdkkckumobwen4.png"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jennifer-angus-flying-jewels-other-lofty-insects">Jennifer Angus: Flying Jewels &amp; Other Lofty Insects</a>Exhibition begins March 29Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp; Sculpture Park&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419364/iavrlsuybx3gpqgy7wdq.jpg"></figure><a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/perceptions-of-flow-movement">Perceptions of Flow “Movement”</a>Exhibition begins March 30Evanston Art Center&nbsp;</body></html>

New Exhibitions March 29 & 30

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419346/oiq7rpi3lr9opix7ac5r.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419346/slzobnjp8ssgt0omotdr.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;By GINNY VAN ALYEAThe Museum of Contemporary Photography's (MoCP) annual benefit DARKROOM took place last month on February 29 – Leap Night 2024. &nbsp; Leap Night proved to be a record-breaking year for MoCP with 400 people in attendance and $325,000 raised. Hosted at the Columbia College Student Center in the South Loop, the purple-lit evening offered VIPS and all attendees a chance to bid on an impressive variety of artworks and experiences for the <a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=f27f772860&amp;e=d76e1da35a">auction</a>, sponsored by Freeman’s | Hindman.&nbsp; The evening honored two Chicago icons for their contribution to the city&nbsp;and beyond. MoCP honored its esteemed colleague, professor, and distinguished artist&nbsp;Dawoud Bey the Silver Camera Award. VIP ticket holders were treated to an engaging conversation between Mr. Bey and MoCP Executive Director Natasha Egan. Bey also received an actual silver camera - an Argus c3 rangefinder Leica, the same camera he had in 1979. Bey shared with guests that the gift of the Leica was "completely and totally unexpected. My life as a photographer began with a little rectangle brick of a camera. This is a wonderful completion of a moment."&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419347/kdqhzdo5n5q4xq8jyrii.jpg"><figcaption>Dawoud Bey and his silver camera</figcaption></figure>*Artist, designer, and cultural provocateur Jason Pickleman and JNL Graphic Design was MoCP's DARKROOM Honoree, with JNL cofounder&nbsp;Leslie Bodenstein accepting the award after sharing a video tribute of JNL's outstanding design work from over the years. In particular JNL has designed much of MoCP's signature materials, just one of the many, many ways Pickleman has supported the arts community and its institutions through award-winning design. Bodenstein had the crowd cheer into her phone so that Pickleman, who was at home due to his health, could hear the enthusiasm in the room as his award was presented.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419348/zpu0zcocfhuc6h8i4kxy.jpg"><figcaption>Lelie Bodenstein holds the phone up for the crowd to cheer for Jason Pickleman</figcaption></figure> Eszter Borvendeg and Lincoln Schatz co-chaired DARKROOM along with this year's <a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=e5c4fd2ac9&amp;e=d76e1da35a">Benefit Committee.</a> Event proceeds support MoCP exhibitions, education, and community engagement programs. The public is invited to continue supporting this year’s DARKROOM with a gift to MoCP through this <a href="https://mocp.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9e4250b7536dc23e9352b28ee&amp;id=e0d2e388fe&amp;e=d76e1da35a">link</a>.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419349/fefppjhvdtxlw1x4gwga.jpg"></figure>&nbsp;Photos by Julie Lucas, Columbia College Chicago Staff Photographer.&nbsp;</body></html>

MoCP's 2024 Leap Night DARKROOM Honors Dawoud Bey and Jason Pickleman

<html><head></head><body><figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/lc5yiulndtzrkqueiojn.jpg"><figcaption>Above: Left: David Leggett, High Vibration Plates Only, 2024, acrylic, collage, and felt on canvas, 28 x 22 in / 71.1 x 55.9 cm. Right: Phyllis Bramson, Basic Truths about Romantic Conditions, 2023, mixed media, collage, and paint on paper, mounted on panel, 48 x 36 in / 121.9 x 91.4 cm</figcaption></figure>By JACKIE LEWISArtists Phyllis Bramson &amp; David Leggett have collaborated at ENGAGE Projects this spring to exhibit Double, Double Toil and Trouble! With a familiar title served up from the cauldrons of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Bramson and Leggett visually recontextualize the phrase through their individual usage of collage, shared comedic relief and maximalist painting.&nbsp;Bramson shared with CGN, “It was my idea to show with David Leggett. I had seen his exhibitions when he used to live in Chicago. Now he is in Los Angeles. I felt people know a lot of my work; I wanted to shake things up!”&nbsp;The exhibition calls on and highlights taboos and dares to platform subjects that are usually kept out of sight or only superficially examined. Leggett’s paintings recycle media familiar to the masses, with his work highlighting the importance of humor in dealing with the reality of mundane life. Through hyper-modern collage aesthetics and traditional symbolism, Leggett touches on themes from hip-hop to art history, sexuality, racial divisions and the self.Considering Leggett’s work, Bramson says, “I find his work to be elegant, well composed and tightly crafted, and I certainly try to do the same. We both use irony, humor and ‘inappropriateness’ – David uses Fat Albert and Black Bart to craft a narrative, and I utilize Orientalism, which I can trace back to my childhood.”“I take many of my cues from standup comedians,” Leggett explains, “which I listen to while in my studio. Humor and the use of color are two tools that I employ to bring the viewer in.”Bramson, whose résumé has a few decades on Leggett’s, wields comedy as well, as she is a self-described “painter-comedian”. She admits, “In the studio I don’t practice good behavior. I maim. I raid. I give myself freedom.” &nbsp;It’s the intersection of bold commentary on every day life and collective memory that makes Double, Double, Toil and Trouble! a unique chance to witness a visual conversation between two artists at different stages in their careers. For Bramson, “We have a fair amount in common, yet still are quite different. David’s bite has sharper teeth! So while we are not to be looked at as all that similar, we both have something to say about the human condition, collaging and sharing the use of specific ideas about ‘beauty’.”Mar 22–Apr 27 • ENGAGE Projects • 864 N Ashland Ave. (60622)<a href="https://www.engage-projects.com">engage-projects.com</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;This preview is featured in the spring/summer issue of CGN, out April 1, 2024. To subscribe to receive a print magazine by mail please <a href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/magazine">click here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

Phyllis Bramson and David Leggett: Brewing Something New

<html><head></head><body><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and-culture/2024/03/18/clinee-hedspeth-appointed-new-commissioner-for-chicago-department-of-cultural-affairs-and-special-events">Clinée Hedspeth Named New Commissioner of DCASE</a>Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday the appointment of Clinée Hedspeth as the new commissioner of the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).Hedspeth previously served as legislative director under Johnson during his time as Cook County Commissioner. She has also worked as director of curatorial services at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, and more recently as associate specialist of 20th century and contemporary art at Phillips Auctioneers, where she identified and evaluated art.The announcement comes one month after Johnson announced the termination of the <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and-culture/2024/03/04/dcase-leadership-still-in-flux-as-city-braces-for-start-of-festival-season">previous DCASE commissioner, Erin Harkey</a>, although she remained on the job until last Friday. News of Harkey’s departure came just weeks before the city’s festival season gets underway, and was a surprise to some in the arts community.Via Chicago Sun-Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/education/saic-using-ai-predict-admissions#/">School of the Art Institute of Chicago turns to AI to help admissions</a>The School of the Art Institute of Chicago will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to make more accurate enrollment predictions, a move that could save the school money and offer a path forward for cash-strapped art schools nationally.Via Crain's (paywall)&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721419359/bssm8nlqy2voza6dasu6.jpg"><figcaption>“Still Life 1985” by artist Jim Bachor is on display and for sale at his gallery at 1111 W. Lawrence. Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicagos-pothole-picasso-opens-a-studio-gallery-in-uptown/f6138b68-fe43-4dc8-a607-27057e1050ea">Chicago’s ‘Pothole Picasso’ opens a studio/gallery in Uptown</a>Local artist Jim Bachor, who has been called the “Pothole Picasso,” has opened a gallery/studio in&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/uptown">Uptown</a>, with the hope to get back to his true calling, fine art mosaics.The studio, located across from the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom at 1111 W. Lawrence Ave., is about 1,000 square feet and is divided by a small gallery in the front and a larger studio space in the back, where Bachor said he will move his workshop from the basement of his Mayfair home.Via WBEZ&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</body></html>

CGN Art World Recap: 3/21/24

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

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