CGN FALL 2020
YVETTE MAYORGA
2021 ART PREDICTIONS
A COLLECTOR’S FOCUS LEE BEY
PATTY CARROLL
SUZANNE LOVELL
FALL WITHOUT A FAIR
CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS MIDWEST GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS ART LISTINGS + MAPS
VERTICAL GALLERY Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery
Pipsqueak Was Here!!!
September 5-26: XOOOOX October 3-24: Pipsqueak Was Here!!! November 7-28: Anders Gjennestad
1016 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 | 773-697-3846 www.verticalgallery.com
ANNA KUNZ The Blue Magnitude
New Works
Midnight Poem, 2020 acrylic on canvas, 60 x 66 inches
September 12 – October 31, 2020
The gallery is not keeping regular open hours, you may phone or email for appointments or check the website for updated gallery information
McCormick Gallery
835 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607 312-226-6800 312-404-2119 gallery@thomasmccormick.com
Cadogan Tate Chicago We are delighted to announce that Cadogan Tate is open for business in Chicago, to service the city’s robust and vibrant art market. Offering a full complement of fine art services including; transportation, storage, installation, packing, crating, worldwide shipping and logistics.
Cadogan Tate Chicago 322 N Leavitt Street Chicago, IL 60612 312-766-9745
chicago@cadogantate.com
www.cadogantate.com Chicago | New York | Los Angeles | Miami | London | Paris | Cote D’Azur
A Tale of Today: Nate Young and Mika Horibuchi The Nickerson 40 East Erie Mansion takes driehaus center stage museum.org
This exhibition is presented by Northern Trust. Additional support is provided by Eugene and Jean Stark, Gary Metzner
and Scott Johnson, and the Richard H. Driehaus Annual Exhibition Fund.
Opens Sept 26
A Tale of Today: Nate Young and Mika Horibuchi is organized by the Richard
H. D riehaus Museum. Photograph by Alexander Vertikoff, 2011.
Presented by
Visit theNate with a painted rock, stone, stick, or branch decorated with a “Wish for The World” intention. Bring it to the wishing tree, located near Mark di Suvero’s “Yes! For Lady Day”. Join the friends of theNate in expressing positive vibes, wishes, prayers and intentions for a better future for us all.
www.govst.edu/sculpture Governors State University 1 University Parkway University Park, IL 60484
Pro tip: use our FREE app OtoCast to navigate theNate, get more information about the sculpture, and hear recordings – often by the artists themselves!
Tony, Fitzpatrick, The Humboldt Park Devil Songbird, 2020
T O N Y F I T Z PAT R I C K
Je s u s o f We s t e r n Av e n u e October 2021 Coming to Cleve Carney Museum of Art tonyfitzpatrick.co
OCTOBER 1 –DECEMBER 23, 2020
WHAT DOES
DEMOCRACY LOOK LIKE?
mocp.org Museum of Contemporary Photography
JEFFERY LEVING “What Leving wishes to show when he paints is the way he sees the world as he would like to change it to be.” – Jennifer Whiteside
LEVINGGALLERY.COM
KRANNERT ART MUSEUM
HIVE HOMEMADE, WITH LOVE MORE LIVING ROOM PRESSING ISSUES PRINTMAKING AS SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE 1930s US
BEA NETTLES HARVEST OF MEMORY Tues–Sat 10am–4pm | kam.illinois.edu Bea Nettles, Star Lady, 1970. Gelatin silver print. George Eastman Museum. Gift of the artist © Bea Nettles Bea Nettles: Harvest of Memory is organized by the George Eastman Museum and the Sheldon Art Galleries. Made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. At KAM, the exhibition is supported by the Richard M. and Rosann Gelvin Noel Fund. Co-sponsored by the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Paid for in part by the Student Cultural Programming Fee. Pressing Issues is supported in part by the IFPDA Foundation, Wyeth Foundation for American Art, and the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois.
Upkeep Oct. 16 - Mar. 20 Elliott Jerome Brown, Jr. Lenka Clayton Sara Cwynar Bronwyn Katz Chancellor Maxwell Lily van der Stokker
Lily van der Stokker, Pulling out Hairs from the Drain, 2015. Acrylic on wood panel. 42.52 x 49.61 in. Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto, Milan / New York
312.787.3997 @artsclubchicago information@artsclubchicago.org
CGN FALL 2020
40 CONTENTS 12
GALLERY HAPPENINGS
13
ART SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Notable exhibitions in galleries + museums
14
ART LISTINGS: SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER
Galleries, museums, exhibitions, maps
FEATURES An Interview with Artist Yvette Mayorga 24 28 A Collector’s Personal Focus 32 Tony Karman on Fall Without an Art Fair 34 Art Community Predictions for 2021 38 Lee Bey Illuminates Beauty on the South Side 40 Artist Patty Carroll 42 Designer Suzanne Lovell on Marrying Art + Design 44 The Driehaus Museum’s Tale of Today
28
14
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ARTIST PATTY CARROLL; INTERVIEW ON P 40 IGOR AND MARINA, AT ZOLLA/LIEBERMAN. VIEW COMPLETE GALLERY LISTINGS ON PP 14–23; NAN GOLDIN, PART OF A LOCAL ART COLLECTION FOCUSING ON 1980S ART.
10 | CGN | Fall 2020
45
ART SERVICES + RESOURCES
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
W H AT L I E S A H E A D ? H O W C A N W E E N S U R E A C C E S S ?
CGN PUBLISHER (BITMOJI) GINNY B. VAN ALYEA – HOPING FOR A CRYSTAL BALL WITH A GOOD OUTLOOK FOR 2021.
It has now been half a year since we have been able to access people, places and art in the ways we once did. After April and May when so much was shut down, July and August have offered glimpses of life for the forseeable future – more limited, still within reach, as long as you plan ahead and as long as you begin to accept life’s many risks, COVID-19-related or not. Yet it seems the goal posts still move daily. I want a crystal ball – one that would show me it’s all going to be OK, and when. Without one, and in order to be able to participate safely in life in Chicago, I have spent time evolving my own tolerance for risk; I realize it’s a luxury to be able to thoughtfully weigh risks, as many people in our community do not have much choice about where they live, where they work from or with whom they are in contact. We live among many levels of accessibility, undoubtedly with barriers. Most of us have been denied levels of access in the short term. But what about those who have faced it in the long term? As we follow critcal safety measures now, when we visit galleries and museums or attend events, how do these new limits inhibit those who already have to clear a high bar? The neccessity of timed entries, capacity limits, reservations, not to mention internet access, likely excludes communities we seek to reach more than before. How do we continue to pursue a love of art while supporting the art industry and keeping everyone safe? This fall, spaces are planning new shows or opening exhibitions postponed in the spring. We are not back to normal. We may never be. This season there are no international art fairs coming to Navy Pier (closed until spring.) Neighborhood markets and festivals are on hold. But the traditionally energetic Sep-
tember start to the art season will still take place. It will be over the course of a long weekend, with less spontaneity, and fewer people, but it will happen. Many nonprofits are readying plans for virtual galas. Open House Chicago will span 10 days, outdoors and online, and include new neighborhoods. There are undoubtedly opportunities in exploring new terrain, even when it’s steep.
Founded in 1983 Chicago Gallery News is the central source for information about the area’s art galleries, museums, events and resources. CGN aims to be a clear, accessible guide to the region’s visual arts, as well as an advocate on behalf of the local cultural community.
With some free time this summer to think about how to get art in front of more Chicagoans long term, I looked up the Chicago Public Library’s Kids Museum Passports – a terrific program that allows CPL cardholders and adult residents to visit area museums for free with children. While these passes allow families to visit for free, unless otherwise noted, a group must include at least one child under 18 for the Passport to be valid; only two adults are admitted per pass. They are not for adults-only visits. Plus the pass must be checked out in person, not virtually or downloaded.
Magazines are available by subscription. Complimentary issues are available in galleries, museums and art centers, the Chicago Cultural Center and select hotels throughout the region.
When I thought about musuem free days and times for area residents, limits and scheduling inconveniences exist there too. Though museum finances have been severely impacted this year, perhaps some could devise free pass programs, ala SpotHero: check for upcoming ‘spots’ or visiting times, then download a pass that begins a countdown of useability. The flexibility could encourage more convenient and frequent encounters with art.
Managing Editor + Business Manager Emily Ackerman
Additionally the library could update its Passport to be mobile and to accomodate adults. While some galleries use Tock to set up visiting times, maybe they will also host a no-reservations-needed hour, when people, distanced of course, may still stop in without an appointment (like the old days!) This is all praying that Chicago pulls through one of the most distressing and violent periods in recent history, and that institutions and businesses will be able to keep their doors open and someday thrive again. 2020 has given us all many challenges, and more are still to come. We are a long way from the summit, but on the way up the view is ever-changing, and we have the opportunity to notice things we weren’t able to before – crystal ball or not. – GV
Published 3 times annually: CGN Arts Guide / Summer / Fall © 2020 Chicago Gallery News, Inc. Publisher + Executive Editor Virginia B. Van Alyea
Contributors Anna Dobrowolski Jacqueline Lewis Alison Reilly Interns Isobel Van Alyea Thomas Van Alyea Chicago Gallery News 858 N. Clark St., Ste. 204 Chicago, IL 60610 312-649-0064 chicagogallerynews.com Fall 2020 Vol. 35, No. 2 © 2020 ISSN #1046-6185 ON THE COVER: Yvette Mayorga, Nameplate, 2017, acrylic on wood, 5.5’ x 5’ x 3” Part of High Maintenance, 2019, installation, 41’ x 25’ x 10,’ Tube Factory, Indianapolis, IN Fall 2020 | CGN | 11
GALLERY OPENINGS The nature of gallery openings has changed for the forseeable future, and galleries now have individual policies in place to handle openings and gallery visits. The vast majority of area spaces are now open to in-person viewing with safety adjustments in place that are mindful of COVID-19. Openings typically take place the first night of a new exhibition and are now distanced and masked. Galleries are committed to staying safe but also available, with dealers accomodating visitors by appointment as well as sharing digital previews and viewing rooms. Due to the tenuous nature of scheduling at press time, we have temporarily adusted this “Openings” page to feature new exhibitions coming this fall, some with opening receptions. Please check Chicagogallerynews.com for daily updates, and sign–up for CGN’s weekly newsletters for highlights. DISTRICT KEY: RIVER NORTH • WEST SIDE • SOUTH SIDE MICHIGAN AVE / LOOP • NORTH SIDE • SUBURBS/MIDWEST
VISITORS TO CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERY IN WEST TOWN THIS SUMMER ATTENDED AN OPENING SAFELY. MASKS AND DISTANCING WERE REQUIRED.
OCT
SEPT
DEC
What is Home? CATHERINE EDELMAN
Sept 11–Oct 31
Joanne Mattera: Hue & Me
Pipsqueak Was Here!!! Solo Exhibition
ADDINGTON GALLERY
VERTICAL GALLERY
Sept 12
Oct 3–24
Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River MCA
Dec 5–Mar 21
NOV
Jake Troyli: Don’t forget to pack a lunch! MONIQUE MELOCHE
Sept 12–Oct 31
Where’s the Revolution
Julien Creuzet
BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER
DOCUMENT
Sept 18–Nov 6
Nov 6–Dec 19
Objects and Environs OLIVA GALLERY
Dec 11–Jan 2 12 | CGN | Fall 2020
THE SEASON’S HIGHLIGHTS LUFTWERK & NORMAL: COLOR CODE Color Code, at Elmhurst Art Museum, transforms the international signal of distress into a sign of solidarity and connectedness. Using the universal languages of morse code and color theory this installation of three flags stands as a call for humanity and a willingness to help one another. Sept 15–Nov 3 elmhurstartmuseum.org
DETAIL, COLOR CODE ‘SOS’ FLAG, LUFTWERK AND NORMAL
OPEN HOUSE CHICAGO In 2020 the 10th edition of OHC will span 10 days. With sensitivity to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CAC has reconfigured OHC for outdoor and online attendance. More than 20 Chicago neighborhoods and two suburbs will be highlighted. Chicago Architecture Center • October 16–25 openhousechicago.org
IF WE DO NOT NOW DARE EVERYTHING
THE OVERTON BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR IN CHICAGO’S BRONZEVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD. PHOTO BY ERIC ALLIX ROGERS.
Weinberg/Newtown Gallery presents in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an exhibition examining voting rights in the United States of America through the works of contemporary artists Jaclyn Conley, Mike Gibisser, Ariana Jacob, Ellen Rothenberg and Sanaz Sohrabi. • Sept 11–Dec 19 weinbergnewtongallery.com
BALKRISHNA DOSHI: ARCHITECTURE FOR THE PEOPLE
SANAZ SOHRABI, STILL FROM NOTES ON SEEING DOUBLE, 2018, VIDEO WITH SOUND. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST. PART OF IF WE DO NOT NOW DARE EVERYTHING
On view at Wrightwood 659. This is the first international retrospective outside of Asia devoted to the work of Indian architect, urbanist, and 2018 Pritzker Prize laureate Balkrishna Doshi. Advance tickets available online only. Sept 9–Dec 12 wrightwood659.org Fall 2020 | CGN | 13
ART LISTINGS – FALL 2020 WEST TOWN UKRAINIAN VILLAGE KINZIE CORRIDOR GARFIELD PARK
451 N. Paulina (60622) www.moniquemeloche.com
One After 909 www.1after909.com
One After 909 focuses on emerging and established Chicago artists as well as featuring international art.
1463 W. Chicago (60642) www.arcgallery.org
Paris London Hong Kong
Circle Contemporary (Arts of Life)
Chicago Artists Coalition 2130 W. Fulton (60612) www.chicagoartistscoalition.org
CAC is a non-profit organization that supports contemporary Chicago artists and curators by offering residency programs, exhibitions, professional development and resources.
1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.parislondonhongkong.com FILTER PHOTO FESTIVAL IS A MULTI-DAY CELEBRATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY THAT TAKES PLACE EVERY AUTUMN IN CHICAGO. THE 2020 FESTIVAL IS SEPTEMBER 9 – 13 AND WILL BE PRIMARILY AN ONLINE FESTIVAL DUE TO COVID-19. ONLINE PROGRAMMING INCLUDES WORKSHOPS, PORTFOLIO REVIEWS, LECTURES, AND ARTIST TALKS. ADDITIONALLY, HYBRID ONLINE AND IN-PERSON EXHIBITIONS WILL BE HOSTED AT FILTER SPACE GALLERY IN WEST TOWN.
Curating world-class exhibitions, featuring works from luminaries of the 20th century as well as emerging and thought provoking contemporary artists, PLHK is an exclusive experience set to challenge and enhance the discourse of contemporary and 20th century art.
Gray Warehouse
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA)
2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com Sept 10–Oct 31: McArthur Binion: DNA:Work and the Under:Conscious Drawings
Chicago Truborn
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
DOCUMENT
Rhona Hoffman specializes in international contemporary art in all medias, and art that is conceptually, formally or socio-politically based. From its inception, the gallery has launched emerging artists’ careers.
1741 W. Chicago (60622) www.chicagotruborn.com
1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.documentspace.com DOCUMENT specializes in contemporary photography, film and media based art. The gallery has organized more than 50 solo exhibitions and actively promotes the work of emerging national and international artists.
Catherine Edelman Gallery 1637 W. Chicago (60622) www.edelmangallery.com
Since 1987, Catherine Edelman Gallery has established itself as one of the leading galleries in the country devoted to the exhibition of prominent living photographers, alongside new & young talent.
Filter Photo
1821 W. Hubbard, Ste. 207 (60622) www.filterphoto.org Aug 28–Oct 3: Interior Life; we like small things v.3 Sept 9–13: 2020 Filter Photo Festival (Online) Oct 9–Nov 21: El Jardín de Senderos Que Se Bifurcan by Tarrah Krajnak Dec 4–Jan 9: Take It From Here
The Franklin
3522 W Franklin Blvd. (60624) www.thefranklinoutdoor.tumblr.com/ 14 | CGN | Fall 2020
Chicagogallerynews.com is updated daily with new exhibitions and events, both in person and virtual.
Monique Meloche Gallery
ARC Gallery
Chicago: 2010 W. Carroll (60612) North Shore: 1963 Johns Dr., Glenview (60025) www.artsoflife.org
A note about exhibitions and fall events: the info here is current as of press time, but as we all know everything is subject to change.
1711 W. Chicago (60622) www.rhoffmangallery.com
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art 756 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.art.org
Intuit’s exhibition Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen, a collection of work that spans the breadth of the genre, has been extended to early January 2021.
Line Dot Editions
1023 N. Western (60622) • www.linedoteditions.com Featuring a unique mix of local, national and international talents, the gallery also offers top quality secondary market artwork from Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, Takashi Murakami, Retna and others. Exclusive editions released monthly. The full inventory is available to purchase online.
Matthew Rachmann Gallery 1659 W. Chicago (60622) www.matthewrachman.com
Matthew Rachman Gallery pairs modern design with contemporary art. The gallery presents rotating exhibitions, provides consulting services, and hosts philanthropic and private events.
2320 W. Chicago (60622) www.uima-chicago.org
In existence for over 40 years, UIMA continues to offer a robust schedule of exhibitions, musical and literary events, films, and gallery talks.
Vertical Gallery
1016 N. Western (60622) www.verticalgallery.com Sept 5–26: German artist XOOOOX Oct 3–24: Dutch duo Pipsqueak Was Here!!! Nov 7–28: Norwegian artist Anders Gjennestad Dec 12–Jan 2, 2021: British artist Xenz
Volume Gallery
1709 W. Chicago, 2B (60622) www.wvvolumes.com Volume Gallery focuses on design and art, with a strong emphasis placed on emerging contemporary designers and artists.
Weinberg/Newton Gallery 688 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.weinbergnewtongallery.com
Weinberg/Newton is a non-commercial gallery with a mission to collaborate with nonprofits and artists to educate and engage the public on social justice issues. Connecting artists with social justice organizations, we work to drive change and cultivate a culture of consciousness.
Western Exhibitions
1709 W. Chicago, 2nd Floor (60622) www.westernexhibitions.com Sept 11–Oct 31: Elijah Burgher Nov 6–Dec 19: Gallery 1: Erin Washington; Gallery 2: Cary Leibowitz
NOBLE
EN GD
DAMEN
HUBBARD
O CARROLL
LAKE
RACINE
ELIZABETH
RANDOLPH ST MKT
HINDMAN
ADA
WASHINGTON
FULTON
KAVI GUPTA #2
RANDOLPH
WEST LOOP
GREEN
PAULINA
LAKE
CHICAGO ARTISTS COALITION
CARROLL WOOD
FULTON
CIRCLE CONTEMP.
WOLCOTT
KINZIE CORRIDOR
KINZIE
PEORIA
WESTERN
THE FRANKLIN
WEINBERG /NEWTON
GRAND
KINZIE
GRAY WAREHOUSE
INTUIT
94
MONIQUE MELOCHE
• FILTER PHOTO • SPUDNIK PRESS
HUBBARD
CHICAGO ARC
0/
D N
GRAND
CHICAGO CATHERINE TRUBORN EDELMAN • RHONA • VOLUME HOFFMAN • WESTERN • DOCUMENT EXHIBITIONS • PLHK
RIVER WEST
I-9
RA G
ERIE
MATTHEW RACHMAN
E
CHICAGO
WEST TOWN
KE
UKRAINIAN INST. OF MODERN ART
AU
AUGUSTA
W IL
UKRAINIAN VILLIAGE
• RIVER WEST • WEST LOOP • GARFIELD PARK
M
LINE DOT
ASHLAND
VERTICAL
• WEST TOWN • KINZIE CORRIDOR • UKRAINIAN VILLAGE
HALSTED
THE WEST SIDE
WASHINGTON
CARRIE SECRIST
MADISON
• KAVI GUPTA • MCCORMICK
ADAMS HARRISON
WEST LOOP RIVER WEST Kavi Gupta Gallery
835 W. Washington and 219 N. Elizabeth (60607) www.kavigupta.com Artists represented include Firelei Báez, Inka Essenhigh, Beverly Fishman, Glenn Kaino, Manish Nai, Angel Otero, Roxy Paine, Devan Shimoyama, Jeffrey Gibson, Deborah Kass, Tony Tasset and Mickalene Thomas, among others.
McCormick Gallery 835 W. Washington (60607) www.thomasmccormick.com
Sept 12–Oct 31: new works by Anna Kunz Nov 7: works from the estate of Janice Biala Gallery hours and receptions TBD; please check website for most up to date information.
Carrie Secrist Gallery 900 W. Washington (60607) www.secristgallery.com
Hindman
Recent exhibitions may be found in our new virtual “gallery space” with some shows accessible via the gallery’s Online Viewing Room archive via our website.
Hindman operates more U.S. salesrooms than any other firm and conducts over 100 auctions annually in categories such as fine jewelry, fine art, modern design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, couture, Asian art, arts of the American West, and numismatics.
SUSANIN’S Auctions
1338 W. Lake (60607) www.hindmanauctions.com
MCCORMICK GALLERY OPENS A SHOW OF NEW WORK BY ANNA KUNZ ON SEPTEMBER 12
SUSANIN’S AUCTIONS
900 S. Clinton (60607) www.susanins.com
Founded in 1993, SUSANIN’S is Chicago’s oldest independently owned auction house and one of the “World’s Top 100” auctioneers and appraisers of fine art, jewelry, coins, antique furniture, silver, decorative items, Asian works of art, mid-century design, and a variety of specialty categories.
Fall 2020 | CGN | 15
WHAT’S ON VIEW THIS FALL Artists Run Chicago 2.0
McArthur Binion DNA:Work and the Under:Conscious Drawings
HYDE PARK ART CENTER
Sept 1–Nov 1
GRAY
Sept 10–Oct 31
THOMAS KONG FOR 062
DNA:WORK, 2019, OIL PAINT STICK AND PAPER ON PANEL, 84 × 84 INCHES
What Does Democracy Look Like? Interior Life
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY (MOCP)
FILTER PHOTO Thru Oct 3
Oct 1–Dec 23 HYERS + MEBANE, VOTING BOOTH 3719, 2006
JEANIE CHOI
Nine Lives
THE ZHOU BROTHERS HAVE A CHILDREN’S BOOK
THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
Sept 12–Nov 15 MARWA ARSANIOS
Sincerely..... Ray Johnson / H. C. Westermann CARL HAMMER GALLERY
Sept 12–Nov 28
H. C. WESTERMANN, UNTITLED, DUSTPAN
16 | CGN | Fall 2020
Chicago-based and internationally celebrated artists The Zhou Brothers, ShanZuo and DaHuang Zhou, have an autobiographical children’s book out this fall. Flying Paintings: The Zhou Brothers, A Story of Revolution and Art (Candlewick Press), is written by Chicagoan Amy Alznauer and illustrated by The Zhou Brothers. The book brings to life for young readers (ages 4-8) the remarkable story of The Zhou Brothers’ lifelong pursuit of art.
HILTON | ASMUS ADDINGTON
SUPERIOR
ZOLLA / LIEBERMAN RICHARD NORTON
HURON
GOLDEN TRIANGLE HERITAGE AUCTIONS
Hilton | Asmus Contemporary 716 N. Wells (60654) www.hilton–asmus.com AT JEAN ALBANO GALLERY: LEE GRANTHAM, REDACTION, 2020, ACRYLIC AND NEWSPAPER ON PLEXIGLASS AND WOOD, 49 X 37 IN.
Gallery Victor Armendariz 300 W. Superior (60654) www.galleryvictor.com
The gallery exhibits compelling contemporary art in a variety of media by both established and emerging artists. Focusing on figurative art, museum quality works of Realism and Studio Furniture, including that of renowned steel furniture maker Jim Rose.
Specializing in modern and contemporary paintings, works on paper, mixed media and sculpture with a special focus on photography. Featuring internationally known artists from United States, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Region.
Alan Koppel Gallery 806 N. Dearborn (60610) www.alankoppel.com
For over two decades, Alan Koppel Gallery has played a leading role in introducing contemporary international artists to American audiences. In addition to organizing extensive solo and group exhibitions the gallery maintains an inventory of select primary and secondary works by leading artists from the major movements in 20th C. American and European Art.
The Golden Triangle 330 N. Clark (60654) www.goldentriangle.biz
MOONEY FOUNDATION
Poetry Foundation 61 W. Superior (60654) www.poetryfoundation.org
Poetry is a place in Chicago, breaking the line between visual art and the written word. Currently closed due to COVID-19. Please visit our website for progrmaming and exhibtions schedule.
Richard Norton Gallery 612 Merchandise Mart (60654) www.richardnortongallery.com
Founded in 2000 Richard Norton Gallery offers a diverse selection of notable American and European Impressionist and Modern paintings, drawings and sculpture from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. They provide a wide range of services, including consultation, appraisal, consignment and purchase of artwork.
Tamarkin Camera and The Rangefinder Gallery The Rangefinder Gallery showcases images made with the legendary Leica M camera. Tamarkin Camera is an authorized Leica Camera and Sport Optics dealer with a showroom in River North. We are also mail-order Leica dealers.
Carl Hammer Gallery
740 N. Wells (60654) info@carlhammergallery.com • 312–266–8512 www.carlhammergallery.com
Vale Craft Gallery 230 W. Superior (60654) www.valecraftgallery.com
Carl Hammer represents both modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The gallery’s reputation was established by its leadership for discovering and representing historically significant artists within the “Outsider” and self–taught genres.
John David Mooney Foundation
Heritage Auctions
All exhibitions and events hosted by the Foundation are free and open to the public.
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer, with locations in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
ERIE
300 W. Superior, 2nd Fl. (60654) www.rangefindergallery.com
Originally focused on Asian antiques, The Golden Triangle has evolved into an 18,000 square foot global design resource.
215 W. Ohio (60654) www.ha.com
DEARBORN
215 W. Superior (60654) www.jeanalbanogallery.com
JEAN ALBANO
POETRY FOUNDATION
CLARK
Jean Albano Gallery
VALE CRAFT
LASALLE
Sept 12: Open House Reception from 1–6pm: Joanne Mattera, Hue and Me, new encaustic paintings. Mattera will be signing her new book on Saturday at the reception.
CARL HAMMER
WELLS
704 N. Wells (60654) www.addingtongallery.com
• RANGEFINDER/ TAMARKIN CAMERA • VICTOR ARMENDARIZ
FRANKLIN
Addington Gallery
ORLEANS
RIVER NORTH
ALAN KOPPEL
CHICAGO
FROM THE IRISH PORTFOLIO, JOHN DAVID MOONEY
141 W. Kinzie (60654) www.mooneyfoundation.org
Sept 9–Oct 19: The Irish Portfolio, John David Mooney Sept–Nov: The Hanoi Posters, from the Albert I. Goodman Collection of Vietnamese War Paintings; Pedestal Sculptures, John David Mooney
Contemporary American fine craft objects and sculpture. Works in clay, fiber, metal, glass and wood. Sept 11–Oct 31: Joyce Rebora and Adam Rebora, painting & mixed media Nov 6–Dec 31: 28th Anniversary Show/ Holiday Sale
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery 325 W. Huron (60654) www.zollaliebermangallery.com
Thru Oct: FACE to FACE: An exhibition of selfportraits by more than 75 artists Sept 11–Oct 10: Igor and Marina; Suzanne Rose: Blindspot Nov 6–Dec 19: Rhonda Gates; Carly Silverman Fall 2020 | CGN | 17
MICHIGAN AVE, GOLD COAST
DEARBORN
OAK
GRAY DELAWARE CHESTNUT
CHICAGO
R.S. JOHNSON FINE ART
ERIE
MICHIGAN AVE MICHIGAN AVE
STATE
HURON
DRIEHAUS MUSEUM
JOEL OPPENHEIMER
Gray
Downtown: 875 N. Michigan (60611) • 312-642-8877 Warehouse: 2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com Devoted to both contemporary and modern art, the gallery specializes in and represents a number of artists, including Jim Dine, Jean Dubuffet, Theaster Gates, David Hockney, Alex Katz, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Jaume Plensa and Evelyn Statsinger.
HUBBARD KINZIE
Bert Green Fine Art
ONTARIO
THE ARTS CLUB
OHIO GRAND ILLINOIS
LAKE
Contemporary Art and Limited Edition Prints. Please check gallery website for exhibitions schedule.
RANDOLPH CULTURAL CENTER
Hildt Galleries
WASHINGTON MILLENIUM PARK
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) 220 E. Chicago (60611) www.mcachicago.org
Thru Nov 8: Just Connect Thru Feb 21, 2021: Alien vs. Citizen Nov 7–Jan 17, 2021: The Long Dream Dec 5–Mar 21, 2021: Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River 18 | CGN | Fall 2020
VAN BUREN
BALBO
Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP)
Columbia College Chicago 600 S. Michigan (60605) • www.mocp.org The world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography, with a permanent collection of over 16,000 works. As an international hub, the MoCP generates ideas and provokes dialogue among students, artists, and diverse communities through groundbreaking exhibitions and programming.
Joel Oppenheimer, Inc.
10 E. Ohio, Tree Studio Annex (60611) www.audubonart.com Joel Oppenheimer, Inc. offers an unsurpassed selection of antique and limited-edition fine art prints from the golden age of natural history art, archival framing, and nationally recognized art conservation and restoration services.
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
GRANT PARK
COLUMBUS
JACKSON
HARRISON
645 N. Michigan (60611) www.rsjohnsonfineart.com
1012 N. Dearborn (60610) www.paletteandchisel.org
ADAMS
CONGRESS
R.S. Johnson Fine Art
The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts
BERT GREEN
MONROE
Featuring work by New York installation artist Zoe Beloff in ”Emotions Go to Work.” For up-to-date information on new exhibitions, visit imss.org
Established in 1955, R.S. Johnson Fine Art specializes in museum quality works of art ranging from Old Master works on paper to 19th and 20th Century paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures.
MADISON
MICHIGAN AVE
SAIC SULLIVAN GALLERIES
WABASH
1524 N. Lake Shore Drive (60610) www.imss.org
CHICAGO
STATE
International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS)
NAVY PIER
WACKER
8 S. Michigan, Ste. 620 (60603) • www.bgfa.us
140 E. Walton (60611) www.hildtgalleries.com
FAIRBANKS FAIRBANKS
SUPERIOR
RUSH
40 E. Erie (60611) www.driehausmuseum.org
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MCA)
PEARSON
201 E. Ontario (60611) www.artsclubchicago.org
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum
HILDT
WALTON
The Arts Club of Chicago Exhibitions are free and open to all. Please visit our website for information on programming, membership, and the collection.
MUSEUM OF SURGICAL SCIENCE
OAK
DR
MICHIGAN AVE GOLD COAST THE LOOP / SOUTH LOOP
PALETTE & CHISEL
RE HO ES LAK N.
DOWNTOWN
• MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY (MOCP) • SPERTUS INSTITUTE
SAIC Sullivan Galleries 33 S. State St., 7th floor (60603) www.saic.edu/exhibitions
The Sullivan Galleries bring to Chicago audiences the work of acclaimed and emerging artists, while providing the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and the public opportunities for direct involvement and exchange with the discourses of art today.
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership 610 S. Michigan (60605) www.spertus.edu
Located in the lobby of Spertus Institute’s award– winning Krueck & Sexton-designed building, the Ground Level Arts Lab showcases work by contemporary Jewish artists or highlights from the Spertus collections of Jewish art and material culture.
NORTH SIDE
FOSTER
N CO
Chicago Printmakers Collaborative
LI
LINCOLN SQUARE
CHICAGO PRINTMAKERS COLLABORATIVE
Featuring exceptional fine art prints and works-on-paper by both local and International Printmakers within a printmaking workshop where visitors can purchase works while artists pull images from presses.
LAWRENCE
Eat Paint Studio
IRVING PARK
5036 N. Lincoln (60625) • www.eatpaintstudio.com
CLAR
94 0/
I-9
Gallery Studio Oh!
UPTOWN
DAMEN
MONTROSE
Dec 5–6: Opening weekend of the 31st Annual International Small Print Exhibition and Holiday Sale.
Hours may vary, visit our website or call for updates.
GALLERY STUDIO OH! HOFHEIMER GALLERY
LN
4912 N. Western (60625) • 773 293 2070 www.chicagoprintmakers.com • Call for an appt.
RAVENSWOOD
RAVENSWOOD
EAT PAINT
RAVENSWOOD LINCOLN SQUARE
Gallery Studio Oh! is an artist owned studio space and art gallery run by Erwin Overes and Lisa Stefaniak. Gallery Studio Oh! also gives the opportunity to other professional and emerging artists to exhibit.
K
ADDISON
4839 N. Damen (60625) • art-studio-oh.com
CORNELIA ARTS BUILDING
LAKEVIEW BELMONT
Hofheimer Gallery
ART DE TRIUMPH
Firecat Projects
PAGODA RED
1740 W. Webster (60614) www.pagodared.com
LINCOLN PARK / LAKEVIEW OLD TOWN Art De Triumph & Artful Framer Studios
2938 N. Clark (60657) • www.NancieKingMertz.com Featuring work by Master Pastelist Nancie King Mertz, who paints & instructs en plein air around Chicago & the world in oil & pastel. Open 7 days/week, featuring Mertz’s originals, Giclee prints, cards, gifts & expert framing. Earlier works SALE priced & framed: $250–$500
WICKER PARK NORTH
THE DIME
Cornelia Arts Building
1800 W. Cornelia (60657) • corneliaartsbuilding.com Celebrating over 30 Years as a working art studio building! Established in 1986, the CAB is one of the largest all-artist-studio buildings on Chicago’s Northside, with open studios throughout the year.
DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) 935 W. Fullerton (60614) www.artmuseum.depaul.edu
Gallery 1871
1871 N. Clybourn (60614) www.chicagoartsource.com (Formerly Chicago Art Source Gallery) Sept 18–Nov 21:Above Water: New Work by Ruth Hamill Nov 27–Jan 30: Cynthia Bjorn and Krista Harris
HALSTED
ASHLAND
DAMEN
WESTERN
RACINE
N
Sept 11–Oct 3: Resurfacing: Macus Alonso + Jamie Tubbs Oct 9–Nov 7: Déformer. Curated by Sara Renae Holloway Nov 13–Dec 5: Tracks: Solo Show, Helen Jones-Mayer Dec 11–Jan 2: Objects and Environs: Curtis Bozif + Louise Pappageorge
E
3816 W. Armitage (60647) Open Sa 12–4 pm; Receptions 1st night 5–8pm w/ masks www.olivagallery.com
JACOBSON WEIDNER
DEPAUL ART MUSEUM
UR
KE
Oliva Gallery
PAGODA RED
LINCOLN PARK O
ARMITAGE
FIRECAT PROJECTS
WRIGHTWOOD 659
YB CL
OLIVA
BUCKTOWN AU ILW
Near Armitage Ave. and Damen Ave. www.jacobsonweidnerstudios.com
DIVERSEY
FULLERTON M
LOGAN SQUARE
2019 N. Damen (60647) • www.firecatprojects.org
Jacobson/Weidner Studios
CALIFORNIA
WICKER PARK / BUCKTOWN / LOGAN SQ
KEDZIE
Hofheimer Gallery opened in 2018 showcasing both contemporary and modern art with a focus on mid-career and established artists, featuring primarily Chicago artists.
CENTRAL PARK
4823 N. Damen (60625) • www.hofheimergallery.com
GALLERY 1871
OLD TOWN MADRON
Madron Gallery
1000 W. North Ave, 3rd Fl (60642) • 312-640-1302 www.madrongallery.com Featuring an extensive inventory that showcases the breadth and depth of art in the U.S. between 1890–1940, as well as a growing inventory of modern and contemporary artists. Through curated exhibitions, publications, and community collaboration, Madron highlights work of underappreciated American artists.
Wrightwood 659
659 W. Wrightwood (60614) wrightwood659.org Sept 9–Dec 12: Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People
Fall 2020 | CGN | 19
SOUTH SIDE
PILSEN + BRIDGEPORT 18TH ST
PROSPECTUS
• GALLERY 19 • PILSEN ARTS & COMMUNITY HOUSE
BRIDGEPORT / PILSEN / CHINATOWN
18TH ST
The ART Gallery 211 W. 23rd St. (60616) www.theart8.com
ASHLAND
CULLERTON
MORGAN
RACINE
PILSEN
1200 W. 35th St. (60609) www.bridgeportart.com
19TH PL
Chicago Arts District 1945 S. Halsted (60608) www.chicagoartsdistrict.org
FLXST Contemporary
2251 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 220 (60616) www.flxst.co
T OR
P
L NA
CA
CERMAK
Gallery19
1637 W. 18th St. (60608) www.gallery19chicago.com
Haynes
CHINATOWN
MANA CONTEMPORARY
Bridgeport Art Center
PILSEN EAST
CHICAGO ARTS DISTRICT
CULLERTON
WOMAN MADE GALLERY
HAYNES
HALSTED
19TH ST NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
R
HE ARC
3050 S. Haynes Ct. (60608) www.haynesartprojects.net
FLXST THE ART GALLERY
BRIDGEPORT
BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER
Oct 3–Nov 22: Cito, Longe, Tarde
26TH ST
Pilsen Arts & Community House 1637 W. 18th St. (60608) www.pilsenartscommunityhouse.org
31ST ST
Woman Made Gallery
35TH ST
BRONZEVILLE
HYDE PARK / DORCHESTER
HYDE PARK HYDE PARK BLVD
Hyde Park Art Center
HYDE PARK ART CENTER
5020 S. Cornell (60615) www.hydeparkart.org
KE
LA
51ST ST
HYDE PARK
DR
DUSABLE MUSEUM
RE
56TH ST
Sept 1-Nov 1: Artists Run Chicago 2.0
O SH
SMART MUSEUM OF ART
WASHINGTON PARK
RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
PLAISANCE
STONY ISLAND ARTS BANK
STONY ISLAND
DORCHESTER
DORCHESTER
LOGAN CENTER
WOODLAWN
MIDWAY
ELLIS
67TH ST
University of Chicago 915 E. 60th St. (60637) www.arts.uchicago.edu/logan/gallery
Univ. of Chicago, 5811 S. Ellis, 4th Fl. (60637) www.renaissancesociety.org
COTTAGE GROVE
MLK DRIVE
60TH ST
Logan Center Exhibitions
Renaissance Society
58TH ST
20 | CGN | Fall 2020
2150 S. Canalport, Ste. 4A3 (60608) www.womanmade.org
An independent contemporary art institution driven by an uncompromising commitment to artists and their ideas. All exhibitions and events free and open to the public.
Smart Museum of Art
Univ. of Chicago, 5550 S. Greenwood (60637) www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu For a schedule of exhibitions and programs, please visit our website.
Stony Island Arts Bank 6760 S. Stony Island (60649) www.rebuild-foundation.org
SUBURBS + MIDWEST
Perspective Group + Photography Gallery, Ltd. 1310-1/2 Chicago Ave., Evanston (60201) www.perspectivegallery.org
Perspective Group and Photography Gallery is a not-forprofit 501(c)(3) cooperative of member artists. Its mission is to promote fine art photography in all its forms through exhibitions, lectures and community outreach activities.
EVANSTON The Block Museum of Art
Space 900
Evanston Art Center
SPACE 900, an artists’ collective and exhibition space, provides core members and other artists in the community exhibition opportunities and performance space.
Art Post Gallery
984 Willow Rd., Ste. G, Northbrook (60062) www.artpostgallery.com • 847–272–7659 This lovely, upscale gallery features one of the largest inventories of original art in the Chicagoland area, including: Contemporary and Transitional styles; Representing 25+ artists; Many large-scale paintings; Fine framing offered.
816 Dempster St., Evanston (60202) 847-834-1381 • space900gallery@gmail.com www.space900.org
Northwestern University 40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston (60208) www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu
1717 Central St., Evanston (60201) www.evanstonartcenter.org • 847-475-5300 The EAC is a non-profit that inspires art education, exhibitions and expression for all. Our galleries exhibit contemporary artwork by emerging and established artists, and are committed to providing a venue for diverse artistic ideas and forms.
Thru Sept 30: High Anxiety Oct 3–31: Sky Day 2020, In collaboration w/ Sky Day Project Nov 6–8: Ceaseless Effort to Be: Works by Jovan Mihailovic
THE NORTH SHORE AND NORTHWEST SUBURBS The Art Center – Highland Park 1957 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park (60035) www.theartcenterhp.org
The Art Center – Highland Park is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to education in the contemporary visual arts through classes, outreach programs, gallery exhibitions and events. In four gallery spaces we showcase national and regional artists and host exhibitions for established and emerging artists. CARLOS MELIAN, OCT 3–NOV 8 AT EVANSTON ART CENTER
AMY DONALDSON AT ART POST GALLERY
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center 9603 Woods Dr., Skokie (60077) www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
Designed by renowned Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, the third largest Holocaust museum in the world, honors the Survivors and victims of the Holocaust.
Anne Loucks Gallery 309 Park Ave., Glencoe (60022) www.loucksgallery.com
THE ART CENTER HIGHLAND PARK ANN LOUCKS
ART POST
ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
NORTH SHORE + EVANSTON
Anne Loucks Gallery specializes in contemporary American painting, photography, and works on paper. Celebrating our 20th year, the gallery curates six exhibitions annually and offers a complete range of art advisory, framing and installation services.
• BLOCK MUSEUM • EVANSTON ART CENTER • PERSPECTIVE • SPACE 900
DAVID BURDENY AT ANNE LOUCKS GALLERY. PART OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2020 WITH JOSHUA JENSEN–NAGLE AND RODNEY SMITH.
Fall 2020 | CGN | 21
SOUTH SUBURBS
WESTERN + SOUTH SUBURBS
Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College
202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights (60411) prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/index.aspx
SCHAUMBURG
O’HARE AIRPORT
ROSEMONT ST CHARLES
KAVANAGH GALLERY AT FINE LINE CREATIVE ARTS
ELMHURST ART MUSEUM
B ATAV I A
CLEVE CARNEY
R O O S E V E LT R D .
BROOKFIELD
GLEN E L LY N HINSDALE
COMPASSION FACTORY
5 5 T H S T.
KOMECHAK ART GALLERY
Fine and Performing Arts Center 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills (60465) www.morainevalley.edu/fpac/artgallery
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park Governors State University, 1 University Pkwy., University Park (60484) • www.govst.edu/sculpture
An outdoor museum in an open-air prairie setting, free parking, free admission - perfect for getting your art fix during the time of COVID–19
E A S T W E S T T O L LW AY
LISLE
Please visit our website to view all virtual exhibitions.
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery Moraine Valley Community College
N O R T H AV E .
ELMHURST
• FERMILAB • WATER ST STUDIOS
The gallery features outstanding artists from the Midwest and beyond in five yearly exhibitions, as well as three student exhibitions. This year, due to Covid-19, our eight exhibitions will all be virtual with an expected physical reopening in summer 2021.
• CHRISTOPHER GALLERY • SALON ARTISTS NATHAN U N I V E R S I T Y MANILOW PA R K
CHICAGO HEIGHTS + PA R K F O R E S T
WESTERN SUBURBS Cleve Carney Museum of Art
Salon Artists Gallery
294 Main St., Park Forest (60466) www.salonartistsgallery.com Sept 12–30: Ginny Raftery: Led By The Spirit. Meet the Artist, Sept 12, 1-4 pm Oct 3–31: Scratchboard Art by Victor Simmons. Meet the artist, Oct 10, 2-4 pm Dec 21 and 22: ANNUAL HOLIDAY SALE
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers
College of DuPage 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn (60137) www.clevecarneygallery.org/
818 North Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60301 www.toomeyco.com
The Compassion Factory Art Gallery + Studio
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, a specialty auction house, is considered one of the premiere auction houses in the country to sell 20th Century Art & Design since 1987. We hold 4-6 carefully curated auctions a year that include Paintings, Prints, Drawings and Sculpture from the 20th and 21st Century, works from the Arts & Crafts movement, Art Nouveau and Art Deco Periods and MidCentury Modern Design.
9210 Broadway Ave., Brookfield (60513) www.compassionfactory.com Located just 13 miles west of downtown Chicago, The Compassion Factory features monthly art exhibits. From photography, robots, kid shows to open submissions, we continually expand our diversity all while creating a sense of community and belonging with interactive art as well.
Elmhurst Art Museum
150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst (60126) www.elmhurstartmuseum.org
CONVERSION: PHOTOGRAPHS BY PERRY SLADE AT FERMILAB ART GALLERY, NOV 11–JAN 7
Through Nov 15: A Space Problem: Organized by David Salkin Sept 10-Nov 22: Art in the Post Sept 10-Feb 14, 2021: Wright Before the “Lloyd” Sept 15-Nov 3: Color Code: Luftwerk
Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center
Fermilab Art Gallery
Established in 1999, the Kavanagh Gallery is an open, light-filled space created for the presentation of a wide range of art. Each year the gallery displays six to seven shows of works by local and national artists and makers, bringing together established and up and coming artists, using all forms of media, in a wide range of price points.
Kirk Rd & Pine St., Batavia (60510) events.fnal.gov/art-gallery Sept 16–Nov 5: Unexpected, Lisa Goesling and Deanna Krueger Nov 11–Jan 7, 2021: Conversion-Photographs, Perry Slade Check out upcoming gallery talks, Fermilab Arts & Lectures At Home, on our website. 22 | CGN | Fall 2020
37W570 Bolcum Rd., St. Charles (60175) www.fineline.org
Komechak Art Gallery (Benedictine University)
5700 College Rd., Lisle (60532) www.ben.edu/komechak-art-gallery/index.cfm
ANDY WARHOL. TOOMEY & CO. AUCTIONEERS’ INTERIORS AUCTION TAKES PLACE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020, 10:00 AM CDT
GREATER ILLINOIS
WISCONSIN
Krannert Art Museum (KAM) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 500 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign (61820) www.kam.illinois.edu • Open Tu–Sat 10–4
MADISON MINERAL POINT
WANTOOT GALLERY
Fall season includes: • Hive • Homemade, with Love: More Living Room, celebrating Black girls’ creativity • Pressing Issues: New Deal era activist prints • Bea Nettles: Harvest of Memory, a retrospective
MILWAUKEE
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM LILY PAD WEST THE WAREHOUSE
MICHIGAN LAKE MICHIGAN
KRASL ART CENTER ST JOSEPH
ROCKFORD
ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM
Northern Illinois University (NIU) Art Museum
SNITE MUSEUM NOTRE DAME MICH. CITY
CHICAGO
LUBEZNIK CENTER DEKALB
Altgeld Hall, 1st Fl., West End DeKalb (60115) www.niu.edu/artmuseum
VALPARAISO
BRAUER MUSEUM
NORTHERN IL UNIV ART MUSEUM
Galleries plan to reopen Tues, Sept 8 with new limited hours. Please check our website for updates prior to your visit. All entries will be timed, require a mask, and social distancing will be encouraged.
MUNSTER
SOUTH SHORE ARTS
ILLINOIS INDIANA
Rockford Art Museum 711 N. Main St., Rockford (61103) www.rockfordartmuseum.org
KRANNERT ART MUSEUM CHAMPAIGN
The RAM Permanent Collection focuses on modern and contemporary art, photography, studio glass, outsider art, and regional art; exhibits change throughout the year. RAM showcases three to four feature exhibitions each year.
TARBLE ARTS CENTER CHARLESTON
Educational programs include lectures and classes for adults, classes for children, and gallery walks for all ages.
Tarble Arts Center
Eastern IL Univ., 2010 9th St., Charleston (61920) www.eiu.edu/tarble Tarble Arts Center’s mission is to engender appreciation for and involvement in the arts as a major arts resource for the people of east-central Illinois and Eastern Illinois Univ. through the presentation of temporary exhibitions and community-based educational and outreach activities. Tarble has a mandate to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the university’s permanent collection of art.
INDIANA Brauer Museum of Art
Valparaiso University, 1709 Chapel Dr. Valparaiso, IN (46383) www.valpo.edu/brauer-museum-of-art The Brauer Museum of Art has more than 5,000 works of American art and international religious art in its permanent collection and frequently more than 100 pieces on display at any time. Throughout the year, the Brauer hosts temporary exhibitions in its main galleries. Admission to the museum and all its events is free.
Lubeznik Center for the Arts 101 W. 2nd St. Michigan City, IN (46360) www.lubeznikcenter.org
Snite Museum of Art
University of Notre Dame, 100 Moose Krause Circle Notre Dame, IN (46556) www.sniteartmuseum.nd.edu/
South Shore Arts
1040 Ridge Rd., Munster, IN (46321) www.southshoreartsonline.org
MICHIGAN Krasl Art Center
707 Lake Blvd., St. Joseph, MI (49085) www.krasl.org Krasl Art Center offers high-quality contemporary art in the galleries, unique artist-made items in The Shop, ongoing studio classes, special events, and dynamic programs. KAC is free & open to the public.
WISCONSIN Lily Pad Gallery West
Wantoot Gallery
236 High St., Mineral Point, WI (53565) www.wantoot.com
The Warehouse
1635 W. Saint Paul Ave., Milwaukee, WI (53233) www.thewarehousemke.org The Warehouse is a 4,000 SF arts exhibition and research center in the Menomonee Valley of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Curated exhibitions, performances, and lectures are based on The Warehouse’s permanent collection of over 3,600 modern and contemporary works on paper, paintings, photographs, and sculpture. The collection is accessible to scholars, students, and art enthusiasts. Works are available for institutional loans.
215 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI (53202) www.lilypadgallery.com Lily Pad Gallery West provides the finest quality realism, naturalism, impressionism, and abstract works of art. With over 200 works of art from 70 distinct artists, the gallery brings quality art from modern contemporary to art reminiscent of 19th century French and Dutch Masters.
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Art Museum Dr., Milwaukee, WI (53202) www.mam.org WARRINGTON COLESCOTT, PART OF I AM A STORY: SELF-PORTRAITS, THRU OCT 23 AT THE WAREHOUSE IN MILWAUKEE, WI
Fall 2020 | CGN | 23
YVETTE MAYORGA
ARTISTIC CONFECTIONS ADD NEW LAYERS TO HISTORY YVETTE MAYORGA, PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST’S PARENTS (AFTER PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST’S DAUGHTER FRANCOIS BOUCHER, C. 1760,) 2020, ACRYLIC PIPING ON CANVAS, 48” X 60,” DIPTYCH
By ALISON REILLY Treating paint like frosting on a cake, artist Yvette Mayorga pipes saccharine landscapes onto canvases. Littered with pink cars, empty Cheeto bags, smiley faces, and references to ICE and Homeland Security, her paintings tell a truth that may be hard to stomach: the American dream is making us sick. Mayorga has been working with these motifs for several years, but the ongoing pandemic confirms what she has hinted at all along—that the promise of a better life in the United States may come with a number of severe consequences. Mayorga’s paintings, featuring fluorescent colors and soft textures juxtaposed with military figurines and blurred faces, are jarring portraits of America in 2020. Over the past few months Mayorga has been preparing for a number of exhibitions including LatinXAmerican at Depaul Art Museum, which opens in January 2021 and ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21 at Museo Del Barrio in New York. She was recently selected as a finalist for the 2020 Artadia Chicago Awards. CGN: First, how have you been doing these past several months, and where are you working from? Yvette Mayorga: It’s been difficult to see my community and family members be put at a higher risk due to COVID-19. I had the privilege of shutting down my studio at MANA and being able to work from home for most of 24 | CGN | Fall 2020
quarantine, but of course many essential workers didn’t have that choice and continue to be put at risk. Once the guidelines were lifted a bit in July, I returned to my studio while practicing social distancing and safety guidelines. It’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs and check ins with friends and family to make sure everyone is holding up and remembering we are strong as a community. CGN: How has your practice changed since March when the stay-at-home orders were put into effect? YM: Quarantine has affirmed what some of us have already known—that there is still work to be done in rewriting Art History due to COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on people of color and immigrant communities. I plan to continue to share the untold stories in my work with frosting through my feminist perspective. CGN: What is a typical day in your studio like? YM: A typical day in my studio includes an iced coffee, playing some Buscabulla, and beginning by catching up on some art admin emails/inventory/contracts for the first hour, then I do any research/source image printing related to the work I’m working on, and then I begin mixing my colors for piping. Some days my order of doing things changes, but usually it’s in that order, because it makes me get emails out of the way so I can focus on my favorite part, which is the creating.
YVETTE MAYORGA, AMERICAN URN, (AFTER MADAME VICTOIRE VASES AT CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES,) 2019, ACRYLIC PIPING ON CANVAS, 48”X 60”
CGN: When did you know that you wanted to be an artist? YM: It’s something that my intuition has always told me to follow, although during high school I did consider different creative career paths, such as fashion design or interior design, but I was always pulled towards painting. I definitely think growing up with siblings who were great at drawing and were always being creative around our house made me think there was a possibility in art. It also helped that my high school art teacher gave me advice and tools to think
about art as a career, because I didn’t know anyone who was an artist—and that’s really integral to seeing yourself in a field—if you don’t know anyone doing your dream job, it takes more of a risk to follow it. CGN: I read that you initially used baking frosting in many of your paintings and sculptures but have since changed to acrylic to ensure the longevity of your work. How have other aspects of your practice changed over the past several years (conceptually or physically)? Summer 2019 | CGN | 35 Fall 2020 | CGN | 25
CGN: Can you tell me about your experience growing up in Moline, Illinois? How has that informed your work? YM: My experience growing up in Moline was mostly great. It’s a small city where everyone you go to kindergarten with you also go to high school with. I grew up surrounded by my family and a tight knit community. I also felt like I partially grew up in Zacatecas and Jalisco, Mexico where my family and I would travel to every summer until I was about 18 years old to visit my grandmothers. I think the experience of being in two countries as a child really gave me a transnational perspective that allowed me to understand my parents’ stories of growing up in Mexico and to shape my understanding of my identity. I am grateful for my parents to have given my siblings and me that experience, because it has made me who I am today. CGN: What impact has Chicago had on your formation as an artist? What is your relationship to the city? YM: Chicago was where we would visit my aunt as a child and also a place filled with memories of my parents’ time here in the seventies, as it was one of the first cities they immigrated to. There is a lot of my familial labor history embedded in the South Side of Chicago that reminds me of what it must’ve been like for my parents to begin their life here. As an artist, it’s where my community is. YVETTE MAYORGA IN HER STUDIO. PHOTO BY WILLIAM CAMARGO
YM: I used to source frosting from bakeries who had buckets of leftover frosting that was going to be discarded. I really enjoyed seeing all the different colors and decorations mixed in the tubs that gave me small glimpses of maybe who those cakes were being made for that weekend. Most of my “Monuments” series are made with real frosting, and, of course, frosting decomposes after a certain amount of time, so I went back to paint but with a more sculptural approach, where I used traditional baking tools to do the painting. That was more exciting to me than traditional painting—I think it’s the sculpturally-inclined part of me that loves to see texture and relief on any substrate.
CGN: I was looking at your Instagram and saw an adorable little puppy. Can you tell me about your dog? YM: Roco (Rococo) is our new family member, she is a Victorian Bulldog. My partner and I decided it was time for a happy addition during quarantine, and she’s really brought us light during difficult times.
Conceptually my work continues to naturally evolve as one research topic leads me to another and another and so on. The content is all pertaining to one grand idea, but the idea is so complex and has so many layers I still am barely touching it—that, to me, is exciting. CGN: How did you decide to incorporate confections, cake decorating, and pastillage into your work? YM: I first wanted to address the decadence attributed to the American dream and consumerism, while referencing my mother’s labor – in the ‘70s she worked decorating cakes at Marshall Field’s. I began using real frosting to reference both themes, and now I am also incorporating references to the Rococo style—everything is tied to ideas of labor, gender, architecture, and colonialism under the big umbrella of American idealism that is placed on immigrants. 26 | CGN | Fall 2020
YVETTE MAYORGA, HIGH MAINTENANCE, 2019, INSTALLATION, 41’ X 25’ X 10’ TUBE FACTORY, INDANAPOLIS, IN
THE ROCKFORD
MIDWESTERN
BIENNIAL 2020
OCT 9, 2020–JAN 31, 2021
(please check our social media or website for updated hours)
Juried by Jim Dempsey of Corbett vs. Dempsey Gallery, Chicago, the 2020 Rockford Midwestern is the 76th presentation of the museum’s survey exhibition of new work by contemporary artists from across the Midwest. The Rockford Midwestern Biennial is organized by Carrie Johnson and juried by Jim Dempsey. This exhibition and its related educational programming are sponsored by the Dean Alan Olson Foundation and Women’s Art Board; and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and by the Armer Ahlstrand Charitable Foundation. Image: Joshua Grotto, Red Blue Smoker, 2020, pastel on paper Courtesy of the artist
711 N. MAIN ST, ROCKFORD IL 61103 ROCKFORDARTMUSEUM.ORG
FALL 2020
CLAUDIA WIESER: GENERATIONS A seven-year survey of the distinctive, multi-faceted practice of Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser.
Claudia Wieser, Untitled, 2017, Acrylic, ink, and gold leaf on wood, three works. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. © Claudia Wieser. Photo credit: Object Studies.
For up-to-date information, visit smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
PICTURED FROM LEFT: ERIC FISCHL, THE CHAIR, THE BED, GETTING READY; SCULPTURE BY CUBAN COLLECTIVE THE MERGER; TWO PHOTOGRAPHS BY KATY GRANNAN; JULIAN SCHNABEL, WINNIE FUNG
A COLLECTOR’S PERSONAL FOCUS DISCOVERING THE VALUE OF ENGAGEMENT By GINNY VAN ALYEA When an art world colleague mentioned one day that a favorite client of his had an extensive, private collection of art not often shared with the public, I was intrigued. I never tire of profiling collectors and how they assemble personal outlets for creative passion. It’s truly one of the highlights of being the publisher of CGN. The difference right now is that due to COVID-19, I would not be able to see this collection in person. Like so much else these days, this collection would have to be experienced virtually – emailed images digested from my laptop. While that sounded discouraging at first, it allowed for a more lingering, ultimately still first hand look at one man’s devotion to a top notch collection displayed over five locations, including two residences in Chicago, a suburban office on the North Shore, and two homes in California. The collection contains approximately 120 works of art, and currently nothing is hidden away in storage. It spans mediums, from figurative paintings to multimedia works, as well as from collage to sculpture, but the collector, who 28 | CGN | Fall 2020
opted to remain anonymous for this interview, says that most of the art may be classified as post-1980 work by American and European contemporary artists. Adding to the range and eclecticism of the collection are antiquities, fossils, Chinese cloisonné, medieval reliquaries, textile garments, and original comic book art. And while I was unable to see the collection first-hand, it may be viewed by private appointment. The collector’s interest in art was piqued in college, and over time, he discovered he wanted to be surrounded by art. As he found his personal focus, he has approached art collecting as a life-long education in creativity and deliberate engagement. CGN: Initially what helped you learn about art? Collector: Like many humanities majors at liberal arts colleges, I took a few art history classes, one of which was a fine arts course titled Twentieth Century Painting, which the students jokingly named “Spots and Dots.” Although this was during the late 1970’s, the art I surveyed in the course seemed to end abruptly at 1960’s minimalism. I wondered
what important art had been produced in the intervening decade, so I asked a friend, an art history major, what she knew. Her response was memorable: “Not much…Some guy crucified himself on a Volkswagen.” My interest in art generally, and more specifically contemporary art, began with that college course, despite where its coverage ended. After graduation I took a job in banking in Los Angeles. On the weekends I would go to museums and galleries, just looking and learning. CGN: When did you get started enjoying art and then collecting it? Collector: My interest in collecting art really began when I happened to see the photos of Henry Geldzahler’s New York apartment in the September 1982 issue of Architectural Digest. Several qualities about that apartment appealed to me. For one, the art was displayed informally. Until then I had thought art was only displayed in ornate frames and in fancy, decorated homes, but here was art almost haphazardly arranged, with pieces placed on floors and in bookshelves. Second, there was a lot of art in the small apartment. He had artwork everywhere – on walls, atop tables, and in every corner. Finally, he had two artworks by young, thenunknown artists that really knocked me out: Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Geldzahler had just acquired the paintings at the P.S. 1 Queens exhibition New York/New Wave. I thought, if art this novel and exciting is being created now, then I want to start a collection. Basquiat and Haring were already priced out of my reach, so I started looking at local LA artists. Shortly thereafter I acquired my first painting, a small work by artist Jeffrey Vallance. I got a cash advance against my credit card to buy it. The painting is still displayed in my Chicago condo.
interesting issues. I purchased a Paul McCarthy work, Bavarian Deer, a few years back. I knew it was big, because part of its impact is its scale – the artwork is a small 1960’s postcard image of a deer, blown up to monumental proportions. It wasn’t until the work arrived in Chicago though, that I realized it wouldn’t fit in my building’s elevator. My art installer, Dennis Callahan, arranged with the building to ‘ride the elevator,’ placing the work on top of the elevator cab and riding with it. Then we decided to hang the work in front of a window, which was the only space for it in the condo. Installed it looks amazing: a nostalgic image of innocence, enlarged to nearly billboardsize. CGN: Do you look for conversations between the works? Collector: I sometimes arrange works thematically. For example, in my office I have two drawing collages by Tony Fitzpatrick, purchased from the artist. While I was visiting with Fitzpatrick, he
mentioned a Chicago artist in his own collection, Jared Joslin. So I purchased one of Joslin’s works, Panther and the Zebra, and it is installed next to the two Fitzpatrick pieces. CGN: How would you describe the focus of your collection now? What’s it like to live among this mix of art that so many only see in a museum? Collector: The focus of my collection now is 1980’s American Contemporary. Initially I approached collecting the way most consultants advise: buy what you like. For me, though, this was unfocused, because I found that I liked a lot of art. So I needed to narrow my range, and when I looked at my collection I decided that the works that meant the most to me were those made by American artists prominent when I first became interested in art in the early 1980’s: Julian Schnabel, Eric Fischl, Susan Rothenberg, Robert Graham, Robert Therrien, Jim Dine, and others. Art of the 1980’s has a vibrancy, and that energy spilled over into music, fashion
CGN: You own a wide range of art, from large-scale work by internationally known blue-chip names to smaller-sized pieces, many by Chicago-based artists, among others. How do you manage the installation of such a blend of work? Collector: I don’t think about how a work will be displayed when I purchase it, and this indifference has led to some
LEFT: JARED JOSLIN, PANTHER AND ZEBRA TOP RIGHT: TONY FITZPATRICK, CHICAGO HARLEQUIN; BOTTOM RIGHT: TONY FITZPATRICK, WOMAN ON THE BEACH
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JIM DINE, ALONE AT NIGHT, EACH PANEL SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1991 ON THE REVERSE, OIL ON 2 JOINED CANVASES, IN ARTIST’S FRAME, 86 1/8 BY 147 3/4 IN.
and performance. I think the influence is ongoing.
CGN: Your focus, once you decided on one, is very personal.
CGN: You’re still an active collector today. How do you learn about and discover art now?
Collector: I love living with these works, and spending time with them. 20 years ago, the comedian Steve Martin displayed his art collection in Las Vegas, and he wrote and narrated the audio tour guide. A point that he made was that an artwork succeeds when you can stare at it for hours and find meaning, but you know in the end you’ll never fully understand it. He said it better, and funnier, but that’s the gist, and I agree with him.
While my 1980’s focus continues, I have added a handful of works each year from current artists, purchased from galleries. Most recently, I’ve acquired two Jan-Ole Schiemann paintings from Nino Mier (LA) and Kasmin (NY), a Jenna Gribbon work from Fredricks & Freiser (NY) and a Paul Sietsema work from Matthew Marks (LA). CGN: Where do you primarily buy art – through galleries, auctions or art fairs? Collector: For works from the 1980’s, I am primarily purchasing at auction. More current works I purchase through galleries, and occasionally at art fairs. I go to very few fairs, only Frieze New York, Frieze Los Angeles and EXPO CHICAGO. 30 | CGN | Fall 2020
One issue I am conscious of is that private ownership of art deprives the general public of viewing those works. But I don’t think it applies to the works in my collection. I tested my hunch a few years ago by offering to have my estate leave my collection to a wellknown modern art museum, which shall go unnamed. The museum agreed to accept the collection, but only if they were free to sell any or all of the works. Thus, the market has spoken: my art
works are very meaningful to me, but they are not necessarily rare, and their private ownership does not deprive patrons of the ability to view works that might be deemed enormously important. CGN: What do you think about art for investment? Collector: When it comes to art, one needs to be agnostic as to intrinsic value and investment potential. I don’t think about art as an investment, except to the extent that I do insure the collection and try to keep track of its value for that purpose. Over the past 40 years of collecting art, I’ve certainly purchased works that have increased in value, and conversely some of the works I’ve purchased probably have very little resale value. I guess the way I look at the value of art can be summed up by a story about a recent acquisition. Many years back, I asked an artist – who happened to live next door to me in LA at the time – the
price of one of his works, a favorite of mine. The price he named was more than I could afford then. Recently, I finally acquired that work from that same artist through a NY gallery for 30 times the price the artist stated so long ago. It doesn’t bother me that I had to pay so much more for it now, I’m just happy to have it in my collection. I ended up sending the artist an email congratulating him for holding the work so long, and in the process earning a ten percent annual compounded return for 38 years!
keep coming back to, and have now read several times. Also, go to galleries and speak with the representatives. I never understood Nan Goldin’s photographs until her work was explained to me by Mike Davis at Matthew Marks. Once decoded, I fell in love with these photographs, and recently added Goldin’s 1991 photo Guy at Wigstock to my collection. CGN: What kind of conversations have started about the art in your collection? Collector: Almost everyone that visits the collection tells me which work is their personal favorite. Some tell me which is their least favorite! Now, when I have visitors, I do ask them which is their favorite, but I also ask them: Why? What do you like about your favorite work in the collection? What are the qualities of the work that make it your favorite, or least favorite? I enjoy this discussion and have learned from it too. And I do ask people to take their time while visiting the collection. There is a terrific article written by art historian Jennifer Roberts titled The Power of Patience. In it, she argues, convincingly to my mind, that collectively we have lost the ability to focus in a slow, engaged way – what she calls ‘immersive attention.’ Its only at this slow-paced, immersive engagement with the work that I believe art truly reveals itself.
ROBERT LONGO, UNTITLED (TWO WOMEN)
CGN: What would you tell a visitor about your collection, as well as about collecting in general? Collector: Since my collection is so varied, I would speak about each work individually rather than the collection as a whole. In fact, rather than speaking I would hand the visitor an information page I’ve prepared for each of the works. It includes information that would typically be shown in an auction catalog, for instance: date created, media, and provenance. I have tried to include, in a condensed version, thoughts and ideas on the artists, and sometimes specifics about the actual artwork in the collection, on a page that the visitor can read while looking at the work itself. I re-read these notes myself from time to time. As far as collecting in general, I would suggest buying what you like; but, again, at least in my case, it helps to have a focus. You might build a collection around a certain time period, a genre, or different stages in a single artist’s life and work. I would also advise finding out as much as you can about the artists in your collection, including auction notes, criticism, films, and interviews. For example, to fully understand a Schnabel plate painting I think it’s crucial to watch Michael Blackwood’s important 1982 documentary A New Spirit in Painting. Likewise, my Eric Fischl painting The Chair, The Bed, Getting Ready had much greater resonance for me after reading his autobiography Bad Boy. I would also recommend three great books on how to view and understand modern art: Robert Hughes’ The Shock of the New, Leo Steinberg’s classic Other Criteria, and Calvin Tomkins’ amazing book The Bride and the Bachelors, which I
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: PAUL MCCARTHY, BAVARIAN DEER; LIZ DESCHENES, BLUE WOOL; ON FLOOR: URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD, LUCRETIA; MATH BASS, SCOTTIE DOG
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EXPO CHICAGO’S TONY KARMAN ON FALL WITHOUT AN ART FAIR
NAVY PIER, CHICAGO PHOTO COURTESY OF CHOOSE CHICAGO.
By GINNY VAN ALYEA Tony Karman has been the man of September since he went out on his own in 2012 to found the international art fair EXPO CHICAGO and moved the exposition it from its traditional place on the spring calendar to the start of the fall cultural season. His bold move aimed to take advantage of Chicago’s lakeside setting during one of its more temperate months and to align the fair with the major gallery and museum openings of the year, unifying the various events to usher in the beginning of the international fall art season and appeal to travelers seeking a global cultural hub. This past spring, six months away from opening the 9th edition of EXPO CHICAGO on Navy Pier, it became apparent to Karman that plans for this fall would not move forward. I spoke with Karman in August to find out what he and his fair team have been working on and observing in the art world during a time they otherwise would have been pulling allnighters to prepare for tens of thousands of fair visitors. CGN: First, please share the latest updates on EXPO CHICAGO – the path to deciding to move this fall’s fair to spring 2021. Tony Karman: The path was abundantly clear back in April that we could not move forward for a fair this September, and we reviewed options with Navy Pier to choose the April 2021 dates. I am proud of our statement that we made in partnership with our exhibitors and that we were able to take the lead in announcing the date shift early on, as it was clear that moving ahead with our old dates was not possible. Making that decision was actually a very easy one, as it was most responsible thing to do for our exhibitors and for the safety of our patrons. We remain in constant contact with our Selection Committee, our dealers, our partners from around 32 | CGN | Fall 2020
the world, and we are consistently monitoring global issues so we can adjust again if we have to. CGN: What has EXPO been focusing on recently? TK: Adjusting to, and preparing for, April 2021 has kept us very busy as we have shifted many procedures while consistently communicating with galleries and developing new initiatives for the local cultural community and our broader international partners. We developed our bi-weekly Online Dispatch, maintained THE SEEN online, created dine&, a virtual culinary and talks program, and we are planning to launch a series of both virtual and in person events this September and October. CGN: What have you observed from other fairs around the world as they have had to pivot too? TK: There is no question that all fairs, like galleries, have moved quickly to supplement their online platforms with viewing rooms and digital initiatives. We were in discussions with a developer for an online viewing room and we stepped up our plans to launch an online initiative, as that is now a basic component for any fair to be able to offer. The challenges of this time provide a unique opportunity to rethink much of what we have developed in the past and has forced us to look to expanding the company outside of producing one art exposition a year. I would anticipate that many others are doing the same. CGN: How critical do you think the lurch to online marketplace and viewing rooms will be long term? TK: Extremely critical. Although, nothing can replace seeing and experiencing artwork in person along with the “magical”
CGN: What could the fall season in Chicago mean without an art fair – the negatives as well as the possibilities? TK: Sadly, we were poised to have even another breakout year in 2020 with several new galleries planning to participate and programming to be announced. However, we cannot dwell on what could have been but continue to move forward and focus our attention on servicing the local and global arts community whenever we can take place in 2021. ‘September in Chicago’ was our tagline, and I am grateful that over that last nine years, we contributed to the opening of the season. However, for decades the April/May calendar slot was Chicago’s, and if that is where we land, I think we will contribute as much or more to the spring openings. CGN: What are your expectations for the fair landscape in 2021, and for the art market post (or amidst) the pandemic? TK: My expectations for 2021 are a bit guarded as we have seen the constant uncertainty throw out all notions of a global art fair calendar out the window. Everyone is adjusting and resetting their priorities, and given that the playing field has leveled a bit, I feel strongly that we are in a great place to emerge even stronger than before. We are nimble as a company, we benefit greatly from the support of the local cultural and hospitality community, Chicago is home to world renowned institutions, artists and galleries, and our city’s geographic location is a distinct advantage for us to welcome the U.S. and the world when appropriate.
TK: Artists and the arts have always been at the forefront of driving societal change, provoking us to both “see” and to reflect on the numerous issues that we face. There is no question that we live in a most profound era, and I feel that the artwork of this time will continue to be driver of change, and that the cultural community will be even more critical to helping us as a city and nation to rebuild.
Spudnik Press’ new reservation system, and capacity of 4 visitors at a time, allows artists and students to print through Open Studio, Keyholder, Fellowship, private lessons and studio SPUDNIK PRESS access trainings. Spudnik also offers virtual events like Drink & Draw. • spudnikpress.org Get (10 seconds), co ould urte sIC sy rA Ga a lle sF r ,A
Haynes, a new space in Bridgeport founded by curator Jessica Cochran, will host exhibitions by an array of contemporary artists working in Chicago and internationally and HAYNES operate within a legacy of artist-centered and project-driven cultural spaces. The inaugural show, Cito, Longe, Tarde, opens October 3. • haynesartprojects.net Photo: Carolyn
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A new matchmaking effort to promote affordable and sustainable art is Wright House, dedicated to finding homes for original artwork that has been stored, ignored, temporarily forgotten through consignment. • thewrighthouse.net
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TK: That I am. As I said earlier, challenges also offer great opportunities. For the exposition we must be resilient while staying active in our programming and be nimble to adjust to the shifting calendars. In regard to the broader city, we should be very proud that there remains an intense focus on Chicago’s artists, galleries and institutions. The collective of this attention should serve us all well as we work together to rebuild the ecosystem and once again welcome the world.
The Golden Triangle, in partnership with Tony Priolo of Noninna and Piccolo Sogno, has opened Casa Noninna in a spacious dining tent outside its antiques-filled THE GOLDEN store on Clark Street. Enjoy TRIANGLE Italian cuisine in a secret garden, W–Sa, 4–9pm through the fall. • goldentriangle.biz
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CGN: I know you’re an optimist. How do you think Chicago can be even more relevant in the new commercial and cultural landscape we are all encountering and for art fairs of the future?
After months of closures – some permanent – area spaces undertook major efforts to reopen safely in the name of art and community. Following are a few galleries and studios that have been closed since March but that have now reopened. Two on the list chose 2020 to open for the first time, bright spots in an otherwise formidable landscape. – GV
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CGN: What about more recent cultural and societal conversations as they relate to the art community?
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interaction and exploration that can only happen when people gather, there is no question that virtual experiences that are offered by fairs and galleries will only increase in importance. Online sales for galleries have continued to grow and I don’t see that trend slowing anytime soon. Our plan is to stay on top of the curve and continue to invest and innovate in this area for the future.
THE WRIGHT HOUSE Fall 2020 | CGN | 33
C.J. PYLE, CORONA VOYAGE #3, 2020, 9.5 X 16 INCHES, PENCIL, INK AND COLORED PENCIL ON FOUND PAPER. FEATURED IN CARL HAMMER GALLERY’S SPRING 2020 EXHIBITION TITLED, CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE GALLERY WALL AFTER THIS YEAR, WHO CAN PREDICT 2021? By GINNY VAN ALYEA Though we’re just barely into the second half of 2020, I’m sure no one can blame me for desperately looking forward to a new year. I won’t hold my breath that 2021 will be a totally fresh start, but I truly hope it will be healthier, safer, more tolerant and less violent than 2020 so far in Chicago and the world. I also wish for a more routine return to connecting in person, though it’s clear that virtual events and working from home are here to stay just as much as reservations and timed entries.
ON A TIME WITHOUT CGN: Regarding art, what do you think most people took for granted before the pandemic? Jason Pickleman, designer, collector, dealer, oracle: I can’t speak for all, but I took for granted an artwork’s physicality— the life of its dimensionality—in my appreciation of art. Looking at the side of a stretched canvas, and walking around a sculpture is where the action is (was).
Like many others, I see two main scenarios that could shape up in the year ahead: Life with a vaccine, and life without. While one occupies my thoughts more than the other, I wanted to find out what others in the art community are thinking right now as we balance multiple safety as well as business and civic needs. It’s impossible to ignore the current stunning state of the city, country and society compared to a few months ago.
John McKinnon, Director of Elmhurst Art Museum: It’s hard to identify just one thing because our lives have been affected in so many ways. What we previously counted on, from world financial systems to simple shared experiences, have turned upside down. It’s incredible to learn how fragile these systems truly are.
My questions seek everyone’s best guess. What harm is it to take a pretend gamble right now? Responses are grouped by topic. I am grateful to those who candidly shared their collective wisdom and hope for the future as we wade through an unpredictable time.
After they come back, shared group experiences will be more treasured in the next few years. As a parent, I can’t help but think about how young children don’t know they can climb on a playground and play with other children. For those of us that know better, I think we’ll appreciate group events even more—
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especially joyous events like weddings or birthdays. I’m personally looking forward to attending live concerts again. Rebecca Woan, Chartwell Insurance: I thought pandemics were the content for Hollywood movies, and I thought that the sophisticated resources of the government and health systems would protect us as they had for Ebola, and to a certain degree Zika [virus]. Bianca Bova, curator: Prior to the pandemic, I think the accessibility of art viewing was taken for granted. You could spend an entire day in any museum on a whim, or stop into a half dozen galleries in without giving it a second thought. No appointments, no limited time slots, no advanced planning required. Claudine Isé, owner, Goldfinch: Everyone’s situation is different. I know for myself this is a difficult question to answer. The phrase “taking for granted” seems to imply that there were some things that we didn’t quite deserve to have in the first place, and through our own hubris or neglect we lost them. In the United States this pandemic did not need to spread as quickly and as virulently as it has, and the fact that it did is due to the failures of our current government regime. Nobody deserves this. We do deserve to have everything we lost given back to us, ASAP. VIRTUAL UNREALITY? CGN: What do you envision as far as the virtual art world? Jason Pickleman: Digital spaces will continue to professionalize, both in terms of quality of display and in levels of monetization. John McKinnon: Whether offline or online, we are storytellers. Our profession has developed innovative ways to weave tales about collection materials, artists, exhibits, architecture, etc. We’ve seen a new wave of online materials and will see more. It is hard to predict how things will change beyond the last five months, but I believe we’ll see more materials like our Museum From Home initiative. Online components like these add to museum visits as educational resources and a preview for a physical exhibit.
Rebecca Woan: I’m answering this looking forward over the next 12-24 months. The optimist in me would like to see virtual as a bridge between the in-person world with the ability to both live stream and conduct in-person events. My hope is that once it’s safe to emerge people will want to leave their screens and not permanently retreat to them.
John McKinnon: It will take time, but I think art fairs will still take place. I believe people are craving group events, whether going to the movies, playing mini golf with other families, or seeing a show. I believe we will see more of this with time because staying indoors has affected many people’s mindsets and mental health.
Bianca Bova: I think of the virtual art world as a tool and not a place. It’s a tool I’m grateful we’ve had at our disposal in the last six months, and I think as an industry we’ve made strides in how it’s effectively used. I hope some of that is here to stay.
Rebecca Woan: Art fairs will undergo some evolution, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They may be able to reach more people than ever however it seems to me that for many collectors the art fair is as much about the experience as the purchase and that has been lost in the current time.
Claudine Isé: Goldfinch, like everyone else, is shifting exhibition content online in order to reach as many people as possible, and that has been a good thing for us. But I don’t like “virtual” spaces at all and have felt really disheartened at the quickness with which art fairs have moved to the virtual space. I was looking at a virtual art fair this last week and I thought the artwork looked terrible — the effect of these types of digitized spaces is that they make the artworks, including paintings, look purely digitized too. I guess my vision is more authentic online content (filmed interviews and live online panel discussions, along with crisp, high resolution artwork documentation, etc. and less (or even no) “virtual” spaces that feel like video games but don’t look half as good and are nowhere near as fun.
Bianca Bova: Art fairs will continue to take place. Apart from the obvious additional protocols--hand sanitizer stations, masks, social distancing at cafes and lectures--I’m not sure there will be, or needs to be, significant operational differences. There will always be art, and there will always be people to buy art, and fairs are still an ideal place to do that. Claudine Isé: Yes they will continue to take place because most galleries haven’t figured out a way to survive without them. Hence the virtual art fairs that look like video games.
REMEMBER THE FAIRS? CGN: Do you think art fairs will continue to take place? What will be the biggest difference to how they operate in a COVID/post-COVID world? Jason Pickleman: Art fairs are conventions, no different than the Chicago Auto Show. Car manufacturers still produce cars; people still purchase them. Same with art. Artists will continue to produce art, and galleries will continue to be the primary outlet for acquisition. Art fairs will acknowledge that primary motive with more transparency and less ancillary event programming. Good bye to the bodily crush of Opening Night (or recently, Opening Afternoon if you were a VIP). After parties on boats? Well that was fun. Sort of.
CROWDS? NO MASKS OR OUTSIDE VENTILATION? THAT WAS SO 2019. PICTURED: A BOOTH LECTURE AT SOFA CHICAGO LAST YEAR.
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ARTISTS HAVE LONG ADAPTED THEIR ART TO CURRENT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CLIMATES. ABOVE: ROGER BROWN, PAST AND FUTURE ART, 1989. OIL ON CANVAS, 48 X 72 IN. COURTESY KAVI GUPTA GALLERY AND THE ESTATE OF ROGER BROWN.
LET’S GO CRAZY CGN: What’s your craziest prediction (or wish or fear) for the art community in the future? Jason Pickleman: In the 1970s, artists’ collectives came together and started their own peer-to-peer gallery spaces. N.A.M.E. Gallery, ARC, Artemisia, and Randolph Street Gallery (to name but four here in Chicago). These grungy spaces became vital outlets for artists (hello Jerry Saltz! You turned out OK!). Artist run spaces have continued to arise and proliferate on shoestring budgets: Heaven Gallery, Roots & Culture, Roman Susan, for example. The art boom of the past four decades pushed the visibility of these venues into the shadows of the publishable (and commercially venerated) side of the art world. The upcoming Hyde Park Art Center’s exhibition Artists Run Chicago 2.0 is a rebuke (and testament) to the elevation of artists working for and with artists as the cornerstone of art’s journey. Imagine if any of these spaces could sell work at the price level of a Corbett vs. Dempsey or a Rhona Hoffman without the obligatory hand-wrangling and inebriation of their annual galas or benefits? John McKinnon: Our value system in art has and will continue to change, much like we’ve re-evaluated our own personal priorities during this horrible pandemic. I’d like to see less ducttaped banana stunts and more meaningful dialogue in the art world.
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Rebecca Woan: The art community is becoming more diverse, and more democratic, as there is an audience willing to hear about injustices, so I don’t think this is a prediction because it is happening. I hope the momentum continues. However, I have a fear, shared by many: the art world relies heavily on financial support and we need robust wealth creation to continue that support. We don’t know yet how recovery will look once the government stops pumping money into the economy, or whether we will see rampant inflation in the future as a result of the debt creation. How will those trickle-down effects manifest themselves? Time will tell. Bianca Bova: My wish for the art world is that it returns to being about the art – no agenda, no gatekeeping, no priorities beyond identifying great art and venerating it. Carl Hammer, owner, Carl Hammer Gallery: The art world is certainly part of the “cement” that seems to help hold the Earth and our lives together. 2020/2021 promises to be both challenging and eventful, testing all of our collective/creative willpower and efforts to keep things on track. Things will change for both good and bad in the art world. Yet, in my mind, we are privileged to be associated with an industry in which one’s imagination makes the impossible happen. To that end, the year(s) ahead will depend on those of us who best see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” Claudine Isé: I don’t usually think much about predictions. I guess that my wish is that the human vulnerability that the pandemic brings out in us all, and which is something that we can see, appreciate, witness in one another as a community and
empathize with, can be carried through to larger structural conditions and systems once pandemic conditions have lessened. Is there a way we can come out the other end and find ourselves building an art world that its more equitable and just, more humane, less greedy and less racist? My wildest hope is that that could be the case.
the Black Lives Matter movement Confederate statues have toppled, sports players are kneeling, other voices are gaining strength, and we will continue to see messages in many art forms. More people than ever before – including artists and institutions – are committed to asking difficult questions, learning from each other, and shaping a more equitable future.
WHAT ART MIGHT COME NEXT
Rebecca Woan: Artists during shelter in place have creatively adapted to the medium that video allows for visual arts. The alienation has been amplified by social unrest, which has engaged many more people. We will see this reflected in art for quite a while I’m sure.
CGN: Do you see any artistic inclinations or trends ahead? In subject, medium, placement, or collaborations? John McKinnon: Many conversations are happening during this transformative time in America that will affect artistic output. Recent events remind us that for all the progress we have made, we still have more work to do against social and racial injustices. We are in the middle of a history-altering human rights movement reignited by tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others. Because of the spread of
Claudine Isé: It’s too early to see artistic trends — artists are still struggling to maintain, not to mention access, studio spaces. Mental health issues related to the pandemic in some cases slow things down. I suspect most artists are still in the “How do I get through this?” stage. Perhaps, though, there could be slight shifts in medium to that which is closest at hand, like paper, collage materials, etc., and artists working on a more “domestic” scale, because so many artists have needed to move their studio home. Jason Pickleman: I wrote a poem during the financial crash of 2008, which I’ll let speak to the present moment: After money has run its course / and the empty spaces of its transactions are hollowed and barren / a vacuum of dreams processed and fulfilled / when display is displaced / after the last deduction and the final reduction / have left the shelves barren sans function / and emptiness reigns / so then, / the lofts of tomorrow are the strip malls of today.
Bianca Bova: Being away from galleries, museums, and fairs has left me hungry for work that is especially nuanced. I see renewed interest especially in painting and in fiber art – work that requires close inspection, that reveals itself slowly and fully only when you’re in front of it.
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violent ghetto for the rest of the city to avoid. Especially at this moment we’re in now. I wanted my book to say, “Yes, there is that. But there is architectural beauty — some of the best buildings and spaces you’ll see anywhere in this city — that’s been overlooked.” I also wanted the book to make the reader confront the racist housing and lending policies that have robbed black folks on the South Side — and the West Side too — of its wealth and contributed to, if not created, problems we see there. CGN: What do you think are some of the factors that cause Chicago, and beyond, to overlook the South Side?
LEE BEY
ILLUMINATING THE SOUTH SIDE‘S OVERLOOKED BEAUTY By JACQUELINE LEWIS Lee Bey is an author, lecturer, photographer, and writer. A South Side native his passion for Chicago stands out in every aspect of his career. Formerly an architecture critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, Bey’s knowledge of Chicago, its culture, and its buildings reveals a deeper understanding of the city for anyone who appreciates the vast array of the city’s experiences. Most recently, he published Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side, which captures the South Side through a series of photographs and stories shining light on the beauty and relevance of the area’s architectural footprint and reminds everyone, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that Chicago is more than just the North Side and Downtown. CGN: Can you tell us about your new book Southern Exposure? What drew you to this specific subject matter? Lee Bey: Southern Exposure is kind of a hybrid. It begins as a memoir and family history of a South Side native and resident. Then it expands into a broader story about the history and architecture of the South Side. Stitching it all together are photographs of South Side architecture and public landscapes. Being a South Sider is what drew me to the subject matter, and my desire as a native son was to tell a different story about the South Side. Too often, the only story we hear is the narrative that the South Side is just a 38 | CGN | Fall 2020
LB: In the book, I say outright that it’s race. “Nothing to see here. Just Black people. And it’s unsafe. Besides, anything really important is on the mostly-white north side or downtown.“ That’s been the mindset for 70 years or more. And it’s widespread. I was at a speaking event in Indianapolis last year, and one of the sponsors, when he found out that I lived on the South Side, that I didn’t just write about it, asked me, “Are you afraid to live there?” I said no. But I thought, “Indianapolis is more dangerous per capita than Chicago— what are you talking about?” Those of us who live on the South Side, we’re not overlooking or not recognizing these well-known architecturally rich places and spaces. We appreciate what’s there. While doing the photography for the book, I’d be out early in the morning or before sunset, and folks would often come out and tell me a little something about the building I was photographing, its official history or even the off-the-books history that was made when the neighborhood became a Black neighborhood. So, we know. It’s others who don’t, especially those who have made architectural, urban planning and preservation policy over the last few generations in Chicago. CGN: Do you believe that the architecture of an area reveals a deeper story regarding the community it inhabits? LB: It really does. And too often. That connection makes the story of architecture far more rich. The book talks about the historic architecture of Bronzeville, and they are fine buildings like the former Eighth Regiment Armory, for instance. But when you also understand these buildings marked Black people’s arrival in Chicago during The Great Migration—and these are places where we made history—it adds another dimension to the building’s story, other than cornices, arches, and window openings. CGN: What photograph from Southern Exposure has the most personal meaning? LB: That’s a tough one! I’ll have to go with Pride Cleaners at 79th and St. Lawrence. I put Pride in the book because it is a spectacular example of modernist architecture that I bet most people outside the South Side haven’t seen. I’ve loved the building since I was a kid. What makes this personal is while I was writing the book, my cousin McKinley — who was like a little brother to my late father because they were close in age — told me, in the 1960s he and my father would stand in the parking lot of that building and try to figure out how that tilted concrete roof was held up. It’s a story I never knew. The
book covers how my father turned me onto architecture, but the fact that he and my cousin were both fascinated by the same zany dry cleaners made me love that building a little bit more. CGN: Where did you grow up, and how has it shaped your view of Chicago? LB: I was born on the west edge of South Shore, at 73rd and Kimbark, then we moved to the Avalon Park neighborhood a little further south. It shaped my view in that my introduction to architecture wasn’t the famous downtown buildings or the Gold Coast high rises, but the churches, school buildings, and housing across the South Side. Oak Woods Cemetery is in the book because I saw it as so beautiful and park-like as a kid. That was before they put that thick concrete fence around it that blocks views from the street. Chicago Vocational High School is [in the book] because it’s a magnificent Art Deco building, but it’s also my alma mater.
CGN: How did you initially get into photography and journalism?
CGN: Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself or your art?
LB: I didn’t develop an interest in photography – other than appreciating a fine photo now and again – until I was about 32 or 33, and I bought a used 35mm Argus C-3 for $25 because I liked its 1950s design. I wanted to take pictures of my young daughters, who were then about 3 and 5. And when my youngest daughter came a couple of years later, I photographed her too. But I was around buildings all day as SunTimes architecture critic, so I’d shoot buildings, just because I was there. Then I started to like it. And something was born. I got interested in journalism when my high school English teacher, Mr. Doyle, told me I was a good writer. The story is in the book. When he said it, that was transformative. I thought “Yes, journalism. Hell yes.” And the march began.
LB: In the moment we are in with the pandemic and the civil unrest, art and artists become even more important. Sometimes it’s art as a balm – the inclination of ‘Let me go to this museum or gallery or pick up this book because I need to see beauty now.’ Art can also be a way to make sense of our times. To give voice — or provide an alternate voice — to what we are feeling now. And art can also exhort. Mayor Lightfoot hadn’t even taken her oath of office yet when I turned in my last chapter of Southern Exposure to my publisher, but I tell the mayor directly in the book that now is the time for her administration to stand up for the South Side and the West Side. That Chicago can no longer call itself a world-class city if it continues to let these parts of the city just drift.
CGN: Most of your work is Chicago based. What about this city most specifically captures your creative energy? LB: It’s the contradictions about this city that energize me, frustrate me, and anger me. The city will give you the John Hancock Building, still one of the finest looking skyscrapers in the world, then in the same breath, give you the troubled public housing towers of the old Cabrini Green or Robert Taylor. The city historically holds out opportunities and then keeps them away from black people. Here Martin Luther King was hit in the head with a brick in 1966. And yet this is the same city that raised up Barack Obama, Quincy Jones, Curtis Mayfield, John H. Johnson, and sent Carol Mosley Braun to the U.S. Senate. It elected an openly gay married black woman, Lori Lightfoot, as mayor— judging her solely on the merits of her performance as mayor, not her sexuality. It’ll build a landmark quality building in one generation, then tear it down in the next. That roiling stew of conflict, contradictions, and inequalities is reflected in the city’s built environment. As a photographer and a writer who wants to use architecture as a medium to something about all that, it’s an endless well of inspiration.
BEY’S SOUTHERN EXPOSURE SERIES BEGINS WITH THIS IMAGE OF PRIDE CLEANERS, BUILT IN 1959 AT 79TH AND ST. LAWRENCE. THERE IS A LIMITED RUN OF 30 PERSONALLY-SIGNED, DATED AND NUMBERED 16X20 OR 20X24 PRINTS
CGN: Are you currently working on any other projects? LB: I’m fascinated by the architecture of churches and houses of worship— that comes across a bit in Southern Exposure—so I’m beginning to document more of them. I’m also looking at buildings that didn’t make it into Southern Exposure simply because I ran out of time. In my perfect world, I’d like to do a significantly expanded second edition of the book, doubling the number of images and stories.
The mayor and her wife Amy both have of the book. And the mayor also has about a dozen big framed images from Southern Exposure hanging in the reception lobby of her office. So anyone who comes there to meet with her has to face the architecture of South Side. I take all that as a good sign. You can purchase Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side through the Northwestern University Press.
Fall 2020 | CGN | 39
PATTY CARROLL
INVESTIGATING DOMESTICITY
CGN: What’s a typical day in the studio look like now? What are you working on?
PATTY CARROLL, PROTECTED, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH, 2020
By ANNA DOBROWOLSKI If you’ve ever felt like you’ve walked in on a crime scene when looking at some of Patty Carroll’s photographs, you are not alone. Carroll, influenced by bright, vintage colors and British interiors, is guilty of one thing: framing it on the room. Before many of us were stuck at home, Carroll was already reflecting on what it means to be surrounded by so much stuff, whether it be items that act as an extension of our selves, or the media and the politics we consume on a daily basis. Her latest book Domestic Demise catalogs women being ‘done in’ by their physical environment, possessions, labels (or lack of thereof) and, unsurprisingly, their impeccable taste in drapery.
Patty Carroll: I had this idea about having patches or pieces together, so before we got to the studio, I had bought these carpet tiles and brought back these wallpaper books to start building the scene. Shopping and acquiring the right materials are a huge part of the process. Then, my assistant and I cut out pages from the wallpaper books that we thought would work together. At one point I decided that we need a lamp and a square chair, so I brought one back from Indiana and spent most of the day covering that and the lampshade. I also had to find a dress for her to wear….it takes a couple of days. CGN: How has your art practice changed over the past couple of months in light of the pandemic? PC: It didn’t change my practice as much as it changed my perspective on work. I’m still using my woman who is alone in her house, but now she is kind of a metaphor for all of us who are stuck in our houses. The woman is dragging herself around her house, depressed, or watching TV all the time; whereas people are obsessed with cooking, cleaning, and sort of confined doing. The fact that I was working [on these themes] before COVID-19 was kind of fortuitous.
These past few months have set the stage for her photographs. At the start of pandemic, Carroll had to put her art on hold for personal health reasons. Now fully recovered (and her sense of humor unscathed) she has since been conjuring images of women bombarded by reality and putting the pieces together.
My work took on a different meaning when we all became confined. For example, I have a gallery in Houston, and because times were hard, we were offering things at a discount. We sold a couple, but my perspective was that it suddenly became too close to home. I mean, if you are already feeling claustrophobic the last thing you want is to look at is a picture about a woman being claustrophobic.
I visited Patty Carroll at her studio to talk about her women and how recent events have crept into the foreground of her photography.
CGN: Interior lives have been very prominent in your work. How did you get to this point?
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PC: First of all, I love color. The whole work I did for at least three quarters of my career was outside, in the world of tacky, wonderful places. I took many photographs of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and cheap little motels that reminded me of the places we stayed at when I was a kid. Then, it developed into this whole series of photographing hot dog stands, which started in Chicago. I had no studio experience and all of this work was outside, in the world, and seeing what the world had to offer – in as much color as possible. Once I got into studio work (Spirited Visions: Portraits of Chicago Artists. Photographs), I was more interested in who the artists were in their work, not who they were in reality. I was trying to photograph someone’s inner life.
“That’s the point!” It was hilarious to watch these women in whacko situations fail because they can’t see what they’re doing. CGN: In what ways does your Woman, the faceless mannequin in the pictures, address current events? What is, to borrow your phrase, ‘doing her in’? I did a few photographs, such as Campaigning and Cocktail Party, for my Red, White, and Blue series that were about patriotism, and democracy—how the lack of democracy is doing us in. The obsession with all of the politics is just making us crazy. That’s one theme.
Like many photographers, I began photography to try to get away from home. Then, my husband and I came back from England. It was like literally coming home—physically, mentally, spiritually. I was trying to figure what is home and where is it and what does it mean—and how do we express that. It was a round circle. It is really hard to figure out when you are a photographer, because you are confined to reality. CGN: How do your recent photographs, including those from your book Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise, evolve from your earlier series, Anonymous Women: Reconstructed, Anonymous Women: Draped? The Anonymous Women series started out with the idea that the home is an integral part of every woman’s identity. She was behind the drapes for the first part of the series. She was very alone, hidden, and so she was anonymously making this home. At the same time, she was getting entangled in the process. After that part of the series I wanted to introduce stuff, because all women have objects that are important to them—cooking utensils, art, red balls, you name it. People have all kinds of things that they need to surround themselves with as part of their identity. As I kept adding items (fabrics, furniture, appliances), I realized the figure was very stiff. I thought about how the combination of activities and obsessions in the home and decorations and stuff can overwhelm anyone. This last part of the series is all about that: taking an activity like reading or moving furniture that engulfs the woman and really ‘does her in.’ CGN: Was that what sparked the decision to make short videos of the draped woman performing impossible tasks? It coincided with two things: the first was that Photoshop introduced video editing, and the other thing was that I was feeling that they were so stiff and the whole idea was just kind of heavy. There’s only so much you can do with a model. The second thing was the time my niece was in town and I told her to get behind the drape and turn the lamp on. She couldn’t find the knob to turn the lamp on because, obviously, she couldn’t see behind the drapes. I thought,
PATTY CARROLL, PIECES, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH, 2020
I made a couple of Pride pictures in June. Then, in July—we were all wearing masks and cleaning everything all the time and I thought I should just do a picture about protecting ourselves: Protected. Plastic seems to be the material of choice these days. I still want to do one with bandages and stuff, but I haven’t gotten to that yet. It was too close to all my physical illnesses (laughs) and having skin glue and stuff on bits of me. And I thought, “I can’t quite do this yet.” * In Carroll’s latest picture, Pieces, the recurring lone woman is slouched in a chair, obscured by scraps of wallpaper samples and mismatched fabrics. In true Dr. Frankenstein-like spirit, Carroll explains, “I wanted to work on pieces to bring her to life.” She continues, “Every time we turn around there seems to be something new and awful happening.” In Pieces, Carroll’s departure from her usual highly saturated color scheme speaks to our political reality: “It feels like people are so upset with the way things are going that a neutral environment seems natural. With that, I’m piecing together life.” Fall 2020 | CGN | 41
SUZANNE LOVELL
BRINGING ART HISTORY HOME
SUZANNE LOVELL’S DESIGN FOR THE ST REGIS INSTITUTION IN MANHATTAN. BILLY CUNNINGHAM PHOTOGRAPHY. PICTURED ON LEFT: ARTWORK BY KARA WALKER
By ANNA DOBROWOLSKI Contemporary design professionals usually waste no time deflating that old adage that your art should match your drapes. Chicago-based, internationally known designer Suzanne Lovell is no exception. In fact, she is uniquely capable of helping clients not only find the art for their homes but to advise them on contemporary artists and elements of the market. Her own firm, which she founded in 1985, now has a division devoted to fine art, run by colleague Kristin Murphy Romanski. Lovell wrote the book, literally, on living with art and design: Artistic Interiors: Designing with Fine Art Collections, was published almost a decade ago, in 2011. Its main theme is how central art is in her own design work as well as in life at home. In a time when all of us are spending a great deal of time at home, and nowhere else, this has never been more apparent. So, what is Lovell doing to continue to bring art to her clients as well as to stay abreast of the contemporary art world? We had the chance to ask her recently. 42 | CGN | Fall 2020
CGN: What comes first, the design or the art? Suzanne Lovell: Architecture comes first. Then, the moments of pause are the moments for art to create magic. We start with a conversation about what the client owns or would like to acquire, and we create the architectural language and experience of space to best enhance their experience with their artwork. That’s why we merge in the collecting of art very early in the process, because we are either taking their art, and including it in their environment in appropriate ways, or helping them think about the art that’s going to be in the magic of their home. Once they realize that we are doing that expression of them, they want it echoed in another part of their home. Design and furniture support those spaces and their function. Sofas are an afterthought. CGN: Do you have an example where you designed a room that
best showcases the art? What is the relationship between the art and the space? SL: There’s no question we adjust the architecture to accommodate the piece of art first. We always highlight the key opportunities for art as we start conversations about collecting with context and placement. In the case of the Manhattan installation in the St. Regis Institution, we preserved the Beaux-Arts architecture, because that was the right thing to do. We ended up expanding the width of the mill work panels of art to showcase a Kara Walker piece. As an architect/designer, you are referencing and respecting the history [of the building], but you are also putting into the history the contemporary story and message. CGN: What sets your art advisory business apart, especially up against the stereotype of decorating with art? SL: Definitely our approach toward research, our intellectual formation of why certain collections come together
for certain clients, and our constant exploration/travel to view art all over the world. We feel responsible to the art community that supports our efforts to educate our clients as on every piece of art we suggest they might like to collect, and why. It is definitely NOT about decorating.
South Carolina with clients that we refer to as patrons as our engagement with them is often for multiple homes. Managing their art works and the moving and installation thereof, not to mention the cataloging, is very integral to the service we provide.
Kristin’s helped us reach a certain level in the art world in terms of understanding art. That’s a very difficult world to be very welcomed into, particularly when you’re a decorator and architect. We strove really hard for that not to be the reference. While we feel responsible to our clients, the galleries realize we have placement and we have intelligence, and so they want to help us collect the pieces of the great artists that they represent.
CGN: Can you tell me about some of your most recent fine art acquisition/art restoration projects?
CGN: Can you share some tips for successfully mixing contemporary art in with a range of tastes and styles? SL: I’m absolutely a firm believer that you collect what you strongly believe in. I don’t like the statement “buy the art you love.” It is not like that. Rather, “What are the expressions of “you” in the artwork that you are collecting.” In other words, collect what you feel strongly about as it will always find a place in your definition of home.
SL: We installed a phenomenal Cecily Brown triptych for a client in one home and a wonderful Renoir in another of their residences. Another one of our most enthusiastic moments was a trip Kristin and I made with a client whom has become a strong collector of Joseph Walsh’s work. We went to Cork, Ireland to visit Walsh, who is bringing together makers in Ireland and raising them up. His furniture is known to be “beautiful enough for a blind man to see.” I also think the most exciting placement we have ever made, is certainly the large Kara Walker that we installed in Manhattan.
CGN: Globally, the concept of ‘home’ has drastically changed. How would you define the experience today? SL: We are very conscious of the fact that people all need and want a more relaxed, easy and happy environment, because they are there all the time. Space is important and each individual in the family needs to be considered as the function is now required to be for 24 hours a day. More natural materials that share the hand of craft is certainly coming into our work. We enjoy the maker and his or her story as it engages with the world of art in an honest extension of creativity. CGN: How does that translate into your work and the materials you use? SL: The home will always be for me, as Louis Kahn said, “The room is not only the beginning of architecture; it is an extension of self...a choosing conscious individual.” CGN: What art currently hangs in your studio?
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW LOVELL INTEGRATES ARTWORK INTO AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION IS A PAIR OF EARLY 20TH C. DIORAMAS WITH JEFF KOON’S CERAMIC PUPPY (1998) RESTING UPON ONE OF A PAIR OF SIDEBOARDS DESIGNED BY SUZANNE LOVELL INC. AND HAND-BUILT BY FRANK POLLARO.
SL: We have art by Jimmy Robert and Greg Stone, and, from my personal collection there’s also Marina Abramovic’s The Kitchen VII -Homage to St. Therese.
CGN: How do you and your team approach a project? What do you look for/what kind of conversations do you have when visualizing a space?
CGN: How has your business changed since the pandemic? What are you working on now?
SL: We talk about how they wish to use this particular piece of property. We discuss imagery that connects to those definitions. We make an effort to understand what their dream is of this location. I like to say it is about them, and my responsibility is to create the most perfect version of that dream, professionally. As a team with the patron, we spend a lot of time at the beginning of every project selecting the architectural materials that are the backbone of the residence’s definition. Wood and stone, walls and floor, the surrounds are the core issue of any design. This is the palette to which one adds.
SL: We have of course gone to a remote existence as a team. That has been quite an adjustment as we all know that creation is a physical endeavor. It is something that you just can’t get over the machine. Being in the office is super important, and yet we are staggering our returns to the office to inspire the wonderful work we are engaged in currently. At the same time, we’ve challenged ourselves to create a three-dimensional space to help clients visualize the space. We are busy in Naples, in New York, in Glencoe and in
Fall 2020 | CGN | 43
MAIN IMAGE: THE DRIEHAUS MUSEUM’S GILDED AGE DINING ROOM. PHOTO BY ALEXANDER VERTIKOFF, 2011. INSET, LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH OF MIKA HORIBUCHI COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND PATRON GALLERY, INSET, RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPH OF NATE YOUNG COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND MONIQUE MELOCHE GALLERY; PHOTOGRAPHY BY RIK SFERRA.
A TALE OF TODAY – CONNECTING PAST & PRESENT
DRIEHAUS MUSEUM SERIES OFFERS HINDSIGHT By JACQUELINE LEWIS The Driehaus Museum’s new exhibition, A Tale of Today: Nate Young and Mika Horibuchi, will open this September, following a spring COVID-19 postponement. Featuring site-specific works by Chicago artists Nate Young and Mika Horibuchi, the exhibition is the second installation of the museum’s contemporary series, A Tale of Today: New Artists at the Driehaus Museum, which gives audiences a chance to view the Gilded Age’s legacy through new perspectives while connecting the abundant history of the Nickerson Mansion with our current reality. Richard H. Driehaus, the museum’s founder, not only hopes to reach new audiences but also, he says, “to demonstrate the importance of architecture and sense of place from the incomparable vantage point of the Nickerson Mansion, while also showcasing new artists in this historical setting.” Exhibiting artists were chosen based on their ability to complement and communicate with the museum’s preexisting architecture and decoration. The first part of the series featured Yinka Shonibare, a London-born and -based artist, raised in Nigeria, who draws on both his English and African history to create his art. In this second edition, artist Nate Young’s work draws on themes of history, semiotics, and spirituality to explore the connections between collective and familial history. Young’s pieces in the exhibition combine sculptural installation and woodworking skills to create doubles of existing cabinets and drawers, calling to mind the Gilded Age’s craftsmanship 44 | CGN | Fall 2020
while blending his contemporary edge seamlessly with the lavish space. Young approached this project differently than previous exhibitions because the mansion is not a blank box, but a robust space. Pieces must coexist within the location’s atmosphere of excess and overt beauty. Young has hidden bone holograms in his pieces for visitors to notice upon closer examination, there to remind viewers of the invisibility of certain narratives throughout history. Mika Horibuchi’s artistic interest lies in tricks and slips of visual perception. Horibuchi’s installations utilize trompe l’oeil as a way to analyze representation, ownership, and authorship. With this technique, the artist reflects and responds to the mansion itself. For example, Horibuchi created paintings that simulate photographic documentation of Asian artifacts, but the accompanying descriptive text is blurred, allowing viewers to form their own narratives with pieces removed from their original context. Horibuchi has also recreated paintings from the museum but in cool shades of gray. The original paintings were created mimicking historical precedents, and now Horibuchi’s paintings continue the legacy of mimicry. Curator Kekeli Sumah believes both Young and Horibuchi’s installations “make conversations about the Gilded Age relevant in today’s society.” By giving these living, local artists a dynamic platform, the Driehaus Museum elevates the next generation of artists through a beautiful, melding dance of modernity and history at the Nickerson Mansion while highlighting the legacy and beauty of the Gilded Age. For more information and dates visit Driehausmuseum.org
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