CGN
SUMMER 2019
ARTIST EDRA SOTO GALLERY ECONOMICS COLLECTORS LEE WESLEY AND VICKI GRANACKI
MIDWEST GALLERIES • MUSEUMS • RESOURCES
ARTISTS REVEAL WORKS IN PROGRESS SUMMER OPENINGS, ART FAIRS AND MARKETS
CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS
Inner Peace - Limited Edition 950, Artist Proof 45
DISCOVER THE WORLD THROUGH THE LENS OF MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER PETER LIK. LIK Fine Art is a natural fit for those who pursue luxury and have a fondness for exquisite beauty. Located on Chicago’s famed “Magnificent Mile”, LIK Fine Art showcases some of Peter Lik’s most notable and award-winning photographic masterpieces. Discover the beauty of Mother Nature today.
LIK Fine Art Chicago 444 North Michigan Avenue 312 929 4116
Cleve Carney Art Gallery 425 Fawell Blvd Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Tel. 630-942-2321 clevecarneygallery.org
Hours Monday-Thursday: 11a.m.–7 p.m. Saturday: 11a.m.–3 p.m. Summer Hours Monday-Thursday: 11a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday: 11a.m.–3 p.m. Or by appointment
Upcoming Exhibits
José José Guadalupe Guadalupe Posada Posada Legendary Legendary Printmaker Printmaker of of Mexico Mexico June June 17 17 -- September September 13, 13, 2019 2019 Gallery Gallery Closed Closed for for Construction Construction September 14, 2019 April, 2020 2020 September 14, 2019 –– April,
Visiting Artist Lecture Series*
FRIDA FRIDA KAHLO KAHLO SUMMER SUMMER 2020 2020
Nick Nick Cave Cave Wednesday, Wednesday, Sept. Sept. 18, 18, 11 p.m. p.m. Mie Mie Kongo Kongo Tuesday, Tuesday, Oct. Oct. 15, 15, 11 11 a.m. a.m. Aden Aden Kumler Kumler Tuesday, Tuesday, Nov. Nov. 19, 19, 11 11 a.m. a.m.
D. Francisco I. Madero, published 1912 José Guadalupe Posada Courtesy of The Posada Art Foundation
* All Lectures are at the McAninch Arts Center in the Playhouse Theatre and are free and open to the public.
Grant William Thye
Stinkfish
MueBon
Mau Mau
Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery May 11 - June 1: Grant William Thye “Second Time Around” June 8 - 29: Stinkfish “The short distance between lands. The long distance between ports.” July 13 - Aug 3: Mau Mau Solo Show Aug 10 - 31: Alex Face and Mue Bon Duo Show Opening receptions are the first night of each exhibition 6:00 - 9:00pm
Subscribe to our emails and follow us on social media: Web: www.verticalgallery.com | Instagram: verticalgallery | Facebook: verticalgallerychicago | Twitter: verticalgallery
Vertical Gallery 1016 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 773-697-3846 www.verticalgallery.com
Detail of: Erwin Overes, Breaking Free, mixed media, 20”x20”x2”
Gallery Studio Oh! 4839 N Damen Ave Chicago, IL 60625
art-studio-oh.com 773.474.1070 Gallery Hours: Thurs, Fri & Sat, 1-6pm Or by appointment
De/construct | April 5 — May 10 Closing Reception: Friday, May 3, 6-9pm In Plane View | May 16 — June 28 Opening Reception: Friday, June 7, 6-9pm More Than Once | July 5 — August 16 Opening Reception: Friday, July 5, 6-9pm Closing Reception: Friday, August 2, 6-9pm Unlikely Pairings | August 22 — September 27 Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 6-9pm
THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION OF CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN ART
19–22 SEPTEMBER 2019 OPENING PREVIEW THURSDAY 19 SEPT
CHICAGO | NAVY PIER expochicago.com Presenting Sponsor
IN ALIGNMENT WITH 19 September 2019— 5 January 2020 Chicago Cultural Center & Citywide chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org
Tony Fitzpatrick, In The Garden Of All Other Ecstasies, 2019
T O N Y F I T Z PAT R I C K
T h e G a rd e n o f All Other Ecstasies T h e D i m e • 1 5 1 3 N . We s t e r n Av e . , C h i c a g o W- S a 1 2 - 4 p m • 7 7 3 . 8 5 0 . 9 7 0 2 tonyfitzpatrick.co
Admission is always free. All are welcome.
June 14–September 29, 2019
TARA DONOVAN FIELDWORK Tara Donovan: Fieldwork is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Image: Tara Donovan, Untitled (Mylar), 2011/2013. Mylar and hot glue, dimensions variable, site-specific installation. Photo: Mick Vincenz. Courtesy of the artist and Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck.
A COLLECTION OF WORLD-CLASS SCULPTURES ALL UNDER NO ROOF. AC TUAL SIZE ART WORKS (GAIL SIMPSON & ARIS GEORIGIADIS) R ADCLIFFE BAILE Y JOHN BALDESSARI A N G E L A B U L LO C H SAM DUR ANT E L M G R E E N & D R AG S E T MA X ERNST B A R R Y F L A N AG A N RED GROOMS H A A S B R OT H E R S TO N Y M AT E L L I WILLIAM J. O’BRIEN R OX Y PA I N E B E V E R LY P E P P E R J O H N R I E PE N H O F F C A R LO S R O LÓ N S E A N S C U L LY ARLENE SHECHET RICHARD WOODS B. WURTZ
JUNE 7 THROUGH OCTOBER 27, 2019 FIND MORE INFORMATION AT SCULPTUREMILWAUKEE.COM PR E S EN T E D BY
Off the Grid, 48” x 48”, oil on canvas
LINC THELEN NEW WORKS
312 593 5463 • LINCTHELENART.COM 1620 W. CARROLL AVE., CHICAGO BY APPOINTMENT
James Nares, Light Drawings (detail), 1990. Black and white slide.
The first retrospective of contemporary artist and filmmaker James Nares June 14–October 6, 2019
For sponsorship and ticket information contact: Myisha Meeks mmeeks@govst.edu 708-534-4105 www.govst.edu/sculpture
APRIL 11–JULY 7, 2019
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, 1963
DAWOUD BEY/BLACK STAR
Dawoud Bey, The Birmingham Project: Don Sledge and Moses Austin, 2012
Susan Te Kahurangi King: 1958–2018 March 7 – August 4, 2019
756 N. Milwaukee Ave. | www.art.org Organized by Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Susan Te Kahurangi King: 1958-2018 presents a survey of the living, New Zealand-based artist’s work. King stopped speaking at age eight, but she has been drawing prolifically since she was a child. The exhibition includes drawings that span her output from her early colorful mashups of Donald Duck and cartoon imagery to her detailed graphite abstractions to her most recent brush work. This is the first major presentation of King’s work at Intuit, bringing together more than 60 of her drawings, as well as the first museum exhibition to include personal objects collected by her sister, Petita Cole. Susan Te Kahurangi King (New Zealand, b. 1951). Untitled (detail), c. 19591961. Crayon on paper, 13 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. (34 x 21 cm), A32417. Courtesy of the artist, Chris Byrne, Andrew Edlin Gallery, and Marlborough Contemporary, London and New York. Photo by Adam Reich
#artchalkfest
Museum of Wisconsin Art
PRESENTING SPONSOR
Art & Chalk Fest 2019 Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28 This free, fine arts festival features a juried selection of 65+ exhibiting artists and 15+ chalk artists from across the nation. Enjoy art activities for all ages, live music, food vendors, an art raffle, and free museum admission for the entire weekend.
EVENT SPONSORS
Linda and Dale Kent
205 Veterans Avenue, West Bend, WI • artchalkfest.com
JEFFERY LEVING
L E V I N G G A L L E R Y. C O M
“If suffering is indeed permanent, obscure, and dark and shares the nature o f i n f i n i t y, t h e n i t c a n be witnessed in Chicago attor ney ar tist Jeffer y Leving’s paintings.” —Josh Hoff International Ar t Magazine
Calling All Artists! 18TH ANNUAL
Open Submission for Artists of All Media!
Friday September 6, 2019 NAVY PIER, CHICAGO
• Have your work seen by and sold to more than 600 of Chicago’s philanthropic, civic, and community leaders gathered in the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier. • Enjoy an elegant evening of art, great food, and entertainment. • Retain 50 percent of the proceeds, 50 percent donated back to Catholic Charities Family Stabilization Efforts. • Submit artwork for jury selection by June 3, 2019.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Rose Marie Lesniak Mendez (312) 655-7290 RMLesniakMendez@catholiccharities.net
The art of living well
There are plenty of places near Montgomery Place to enjoy works of art. It’s just a stone’s throw from the Smart Museum, the Renaissance Society, the Hyde Park Art Center and more. There’s art within Montgomery Place, too. Residents use the hallways to display favorite paintings, photographs, and collages they’ve collected over the years. They also plan their own concerts, lectures, and classes, making Montgomery Place one of the liveliest adult communities in Chicago—the cultural center of East Hyde Park. Montgomery Place—where all you have to be is you.
Montgomery Place The Cultural Center of East Hyde Park 5550 South Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60637 773-753-4100 MontgomeryPlace.org A not-for-profit community for people 62-plus
chicagoartistscoalition.org
Jay Strommen, Our Destination, 48” w x 48”h x 2”d, wood fired glass and ceramic.
JAY S T RO M M E N CAUSES September 6–October 19, 2019 ECHT GALLERY • 210 W Superior echtgallery.com
CAUSE & EFFECT DAVID KROLL, NEW PAINTINGS
November 1, 2019–January 11, 2020 ZOLLA/LIEBERMAN GALLERY • 325 W Huron zollaliebermangallery.com
CGN
SUMMER 2019
MANET AND MODERN BEAUTY RUNS MAY 26–SEP 8, 2019 AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. PICTURED FROM THE EXHIBITION: BOATING, 1874–75, METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, H.O. HAVEMEYER COLLECTION, BEQUEST OF MRS. H.O. HAVEMEYER, 1929, 29.100.115
CONTENTS
34
56
38
20
SOCIAL CALENDAR
Summer Art Fairs and Markets, Sculpture Milwaukee, and Art on the Mart
22
SEASON PREVIEWS
Exhibition highlights in galleries and museums
24
GALLERY OPENINGS
26
ART ON VIEW: MAY–AUG
Galleries, museums, exhibitions, district maps
FEATURES An Interview with Artist Edra Soto 34 38 Collectors as Stewards:
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: EDRA SOTO’S OPEN 24 HOURS; THE HOME OF ART COLLECTORS LEE WESLEY AND VICKI GRANACKI; THE ANGAD ARTS HOTEL IN ST. LOUIS, JUST ONE OF SEVERAL ART-CENTRIC HOTELS THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST
18 | CGN | Summer 2019
42 46 48 51 52 55 56 58 59
Lee Wesley and Vicki Granacki Money Talks: Costs to Run a Gallery in Chicago Tourist for a Day: Deborah Lader’s Day Off Art in Progress: What Artists Are Up to Now The Golden Triangle Expands to Thailand #Instaart: How Artists are Using Instagram A Collaborative Benefit at Hyde Park Art Center Art–centric Hotels Invite You to Stay Designer Collaborator: Artist Patrick Rouillier 30 Years Since the River North Gallery Fire
60
ART SERVICES + RESOURCES
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
GINNY B. VAN ALYEA, CGN PUBLISHER. PHOTO BY JESSICA TAMPAS
S T E W A R D S H I P : W I L L A RT B E W H AT R E M A I N S ?
On an early Tuesday afternoon in Chicago, one week before this magazine was due at the printer, it was evening in Paris. About 30 minutes before word came that a fire was ravaging the city’s famed 850 year old Notre Dame Cathedral, I had just completed and posted an article on CGN’s website to mark the 30th anniversary of another fire, one that, on April 15, 1989 levelled a city block in Chicago’s River North, destroying nine galleries, and forever altering the lives and careers of many more artists. The timing of the shocking news from Paris, especially in the context of a local fire still clearly recalled by many in our art community, made me think about two elements that primarily draw people to art: that it is beautiful to behold, and that it may contain insights or represent treasures that will outlive us. When art, or a significant place, that moves us, is physically eradicated, it is heartbreaking. This continues to be the case where Chicago’s Great Gallery Fire is concerned. Though most of the affected galleries managed to reopen, nothing could replace the countless works of art and scores of critical records destroyed by the blaze, not to mention the dozens of artistic careers that were so abruptly and permanently disrupted.
In these early days following the fire at Notre Dame, while some damage scenarios are not as dire as they seemed initially – there was no loss of life, and the destruction was not total – it’s clear that the structure will never be as it originally was, and it will perhaps take decades, and untold sums, to complete a restoration of the building and its contents. Even for one of the world’s most documented structures, some things are gone forever. Many people will never behold the cathedral with its original roof beams and Gothic spire.
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.
The similarities between the Paris and Chicago fires that so rapidly incinerated artistic treasures, spooked me, but I was able to consider another interview I was completing for this issue, a profile of Vicki Granacki and Lee Wesley, collectors who have amassed more than 125 works of art in their home. Vicki and I discussed the idea of stewardship when it comes to art, since she has held a distinguished career in historic preservation. As she put it, “I’ve always thought especially about being a steward of the historic buildings that we live, work, and worship in. They were built by our ancestors, and if we care for them kindly and properly, will be enjoyed by our descendants.”
Published 3 times annually: CGN Arts Guide / Summer / Fall © 2019 Chicago Gallery News, Inc.
I wondered, what about when we outlive the art and architecture that we care for? Does that care end with the existance of the art or structure? In addition to embracing our instincts to restore and resurrect, it seems important to think beyond physical, even archival, preservation and consider conceptual stewardship, since meanings and interpretations change from generation to generation. Perhaps the art and structures we hold dear at one time will never truly be lost, since time enables change, and future generations may even see what we never did.
Complimentary issues are available in galleries, museums and art centers, the Chicago Cultural Center and at select hotel concierge desks throughout the region. Magazines are also available by subscription.
Publisher + Executive Editor Virginia B. Van Alyea Managing Editor + Business Manager Emily Ackerman Digital Content Coordinator Jacqueline Lewis Contributors Sarah Adler Alison Reilly Interns Isobel Van Alyea Thomas Van Alyea Chicago Gallery News 858 N. Clark St., Ste. 204 Chicago, IL 60610 Tel 312-649-0064 www.chicagogallerynews.com Summer 2019 Vol. 34, No. 1 © 2019 ISSN #1046-6185 PICTURED ON THE COVER: GRAFT (detail) by Edra Soto, 2019, 1 of 50 viewfinders embedded on a 10’ x 38’ wall structure. Photo credit: Jeanne Donegan
Summer 2019 | CGN | 19
SOCIAL CALENDAR CHICAGO RIVERWALK Seasonal walkway opens May 13 Stroll along the east branch of the Chicago River and admire new and permanent public art installations along the banks while enjoying creative food and entertainment. New this year: banners by artist Ebony G. Patterson. From Lake Shore Dr./Lake Michigan west to Franklin. chicagoriverwalk.us CHICAGO ANTIQUES + ART + DESIGN SHOW May 16–19 The third edition of this dynamic show features 100 exhibitors and a sequel to last year’s splashy, refreshed opening night party benefitting the Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Show tickets: $20+ 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, chicagoantiquesartdesign.com RANDOLPH STEET MARKET MEMORIAL DAY GARDEN PARTY May 26 and 27 Kick off the season’s outdoor markets with a live band, fancy foods, market bars, on site-appraisals and more. Check website for early buying hours. 1340 W. Washington, randolphstreetmarket.com Tickets: $5–10 SCULPTURE MILWAUKEE June–October A free outdoor urban sculpture experience in downtown Milwaukee returns for a 3rd year with works by 20+ internationally and locally renowned artists. Past exhibitors have included Magdalena Abakanowicz, Sanford Biggers, Robert Indiana, Hank Willis Thomas, Erwin Wurm and others. Works on view and for sale. sculpturemilwaukee.com 20 | CGN | Summer 2019
KINGSTON-BORN MULTIMEDIA ARTIST EBONY G. PATTERSON IS CREATING A SERIES OF FIVE INTRICATE AND COLORFUL BANNERS TITLED …BETWEEN THE BELOW…
THIS LARGE ICONIC VINTAGE GEORG JENSEN STERLING EEL DISH IS FROM GREG PEPIN SILVER FROM DENMARK, EXHIBITING THIS YEAR AT THE CHICAGO ANTIQUES + ART + DESIGN SHOW
TUESDAYS ON THE TERRACE © MCA CHICAGO
RANDOLPH STREET MARKET TAKES PLACE NEARLY EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR, BUT THE OUTDOOR SUMMER EVENTS BECOME MORE POPULAR EVERY YEAR. THINGS KICK OFF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN THE WEST LOOP.
SUMMER 2019 57th STREET ART FAIR June 1 and 2 72nd annual two-day outdoor celebration of the arts in Hyde Park. 57th St. at Kimbark, 57thstreetartfair.org
FEATURED IN SCULPTURE MILWAUKEE’S 2018 EXHIBITION WAS RICHARD DEACON’S BIG TIME, 2016, PAINTED AND LACQUERED STAINLESS STEEL, IMAGE COURTESY OF MARIAN GOODMAN GALLERY, NEW YORK
“THE NATE” SCULPTURE PARK HOSTS A SUMMER SOLSTICE EVENT BASED AROUND EDVIN STRAUTMANIS’S PHOENIX, BUILT FROM STEEL BEAMS
JOE MILLS IS JUST ONE ARTIST PARTICIPATING IN THE 72ND 57TH STREET ART FAIR IN HYDE PARK
ART ON THE MART WILL PROJECT SEVEN NIGHTS A WEEK THIS SUMMER AND COORDINATE PROGRAMMING WITH THE CITY’S YEAR OF CHICAGO THEATER IN 2019
CAC’S WORK IN PROGRESS PARTY IS ALWAYS CREATIVE AS WELL AS SUPPORTIVE OF ARTISTS. 2018’S THEME WAS CONSTRUCTION ATTIRE...
CAC’S WORK IN PROGRESS June 6 Chicago Artists Coalition’s annual benefit is CAC’s biggest night of the year and raises over $100,000 to support residencies, education programs, and resources for Chicago artists. This year’s party honors artist Hebru Brantley + Gensler. 2130 W. Fulton Tickets: $60–$350 chicagoartistscoalition.org SUMMER SOLSTICE SUNSET CELEBRATION June 22 Arrive at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park in south suburban University Park, IL around 6:30pm “Ravinia” style (BYO picnic and beverages) enjoy ambient tunes with our guest DJ next to the bonfire near the lake, take a walk around the park and watch the sun go down through the geometric angles of Phoenix, by Edvins Strautmanis, which is sited to frame the sunset on the Solstice. FREE and family friendly. www.govst.edu/sculpture/ ART ON THE MART Nightly May 13–Sept 30 With its minimum 30-year duration, its location downtown along the Chicago River and its substantive and relevant content, Art on theMART is a milestone on Chicago’s trajectory of public art. Local and international works are on display and freely accessible with no branding nor sponsorships.Best viewed on The Chicago Riverwalk between Wells and Lake St. artonthemart.com
Summer 2019 | CGN | 21
SEASON PREVIEWS SUMMER OFFERS ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUT AND TO SAVOR ART IN MANY WAYS. THE OFFERINGS IN OUR LISTINGS ARE BROAD, FROM 60 YEARS OF AN OCTOGENARIAN’S PHOTOGRAPHY, TO A SERIOUS LOOK AT A FAMOUS TOURIST TRAP, AS WELL AS NEW WORK FROM AN INTERNATOINAL STREET ARTIST AND GROUP SHOWS OF ARTISTS WORKING IN EVERYDAY MATERIALS.
JOEL-PETER WITKIN: FROM THE STUDIO CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERY The gallery inaugurates their West Town location with Joel-Peter Witkin: From the Studio. For over 60 years Witkin has aimed to create photographs that show the beauty of marginalized people by placing them into art referential tableaus, often laced with Catholic overtones. In his eyes all people are beautiful, regardless of societal norms. May 3–July 3 • 1637 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago edelmangallery.com IMAGE: JOEL-PETER WITKIN, HARVEST, 1984
DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD ZOLLA/LIEBERMAN GALLERY The gallery opens its first show of new work by artist Deborah Butterfield in three years. Butterfield is known for her large-scale sculptures of horses that are made in wood and then cast in bronze in her Montana foundry. May 17–Aug 9 325 W. Huron, Chicago zollaliebermangallery.com IMAGE: DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD, UNTITLED (#5095), 2018, ORIGINAL WOOD TO BE CAST BRONZE, 36” X 41” X 17.5”
STINKFISH SOLO SHOW VERTICAL GALLERY Born in Mexico, but raised in Colombia, Stinkfish has been honing his skills on the streets of Bogota since an early age. His murals, always featuring a stenciled portrait at their center, are inspired by photos the artist shoots during global travels. He also heavily relies on found photographs. Jun 8–29 1016 N. Western, Chicago • verticalgallery.com IMAGE: TEGEL GIRL, 2015, SPRAY PAINT ON WOOD PANEL, 12 × 12 IN
22 | CGN | Summer 2019
AMONG THE WONDERS OF THE DELLS: PHOTOGRAPHY, PLACE, TOURISM MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART Among the Wonders of the Dells explores the emergence and transformation of the Wisconsin Dells into what is today the single-most important tourist destination in Wisconsin. The uniqueness of the Dells encompasses a range of themes to be discussed in essays in the exhibition’s 192page catalog: shifts in leisure practices and family vacations since the nineteenth century, the uneasy assimilation of the Ho-Chunk tribe with early settlers and contemporary tourists, and the Dells’ as a subject of both commercial and artistic photography. June 1–Sept 8 • 205 Veterans Ave., West Bend, WI • wisconsinart.org IMAGE: MARK BRAUTIGAM, MT. OLYMPUS, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPH, 2018
MANIFESTATIONS: GUNJAN KUMAR, RHONDA WHEATLEY, STACIA YEAPANIS ONE AFTER 909 This summer group show features three Chicago artists who work with everyday materials in vibrant ways, transforming discarded objects into art. June 14–July 6 • 906 N Ashland, Chicago oneafter909.org IMAGE: STACIA YEAPANIS, DEVOTION IS A STEADFAST BARNACLE, MAGAZINE PAGES, GOLD LEAF AND LAZY SUSAN, 2018
SOFT CHICAGO PRINTMAKERS COLLABORATIVE
IMAGE: MEG ROBERTS ARSENOVIC, MARINE-TARGET (CHESAPEAKE BAY IMPACT CRATER COLOR STUDY 6 & 7), 2018, FAUX FUR ON PAPER, 10 X 10 X 1 INCHES. PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID HUNTER HALE.
SOFT is an exhibition of prints and textiles curated by Victoria Marie Barquin and Cassie Tompkins. In addition to exploring the shared appreciation for craft, repetition, imagery, and physicality between textile and print production, SOFT confronts the often gendered interpretation of the word by exhibiting works that are all at once emotive, graphic, skillful, and strong. Featuring art by multiple artists. June 22–Aug 31 • 4912 N. Western, Chicago chicagoprintmakers.com
Summer 2019 | CGN | 23
GALLERY OPENINGS Openings usually take place the first night of a new exhibition. Artists are often present. The public is welcome. Chicagogallerynews.com is updated daily. Sign–up for CGN’s weekly newsletters for highlights. DISTRICT KEY: RIVER NORTH WEST SIDE SOUTH SIDE MICHIGAN AVE/LOOP NORTH SIDE SUBURBS/MIDWEST
MAY FRI MAY 3 Addington Jean Albano Victor Armendariz Rangefinder Vale Craft Catherine Edelman Filter Photo Hofheimer Studio Oh! SAT MAY 4 McCormick Carrie Secrist Spudnik Bert Green Pagoda Red Ice House Perspective Sugar Row FRI MAY 10 Chicago Arts District Logan Center Thomas Masters VGA SAT MAY 11 Vertical Intuit SUN MAY 12 Goldfinch THU MAY 16 Golden Triangle Spencer Rogers
FRI MAY 17 Carl Hammer Zolla / Lieberman Bridgeport Art Woman Made Cornelia Arts Oliva Art Center Highland Park Compassion Factory SAT MAY 18 Bert Green WED MAY 22 Arts Club FRI MAY 31 Logan Center Firecat Evanston Art Center Fermilab
JUNE SAT JUNE 1 Kavi Gupta Ice House Museum of Wisconsin Art Perspective THU JUNE 6 Monique Meloche FRI JUNE 7 Victor Armendariz Filter Photo Spudnik Ukrainian Institute Western Exhibitions Eat Paint Hofheimer Oliva Studio Oh! Compassion Factory Rockford Art Museum
SAT JUNE 8 Vertical WED JUNE 12 Christopher Art Gallery FRI JUNE 14 One After 909 Chicago Arts District Art Center Highland Park SAT JUNE 22 McCormick Chicago Printmakers WED JUNE 26 ARC FRI JUNE 28 Woman Made Firecat SUN JUNE 30 Goldfinch
JULY FRI JULY 5 Rangefinder Hofheimer Studio Oh! SAT JULY 6 Ice House THU JULY 11 Smart Museum
FRI JULY 12 River North Art Walk Addington Jean Albano Victor Armendariz Carl Hammer Rangefinder Vale Craft Zolla/Lieberman Filter Photo One After 909 Chicago Arts District SAT JULY 13 Vertical Museum of Wisconsin Art FRI JULY 19 Bridgeport Art
AUGUST FRI AUGUST 2 Eat Paint Hofheimer Oliva Studio Oh! Compassion Factory SAT AUGUST 3 Ice House FRI AUGUST 9 Woman Made Chicago Arts District SAT AUGUST 10 Vertical SUN AUGUST 25 Evanston Art Center THU AUGUST 29 Art Center Highland Park FRI AUGUST 30 Firecat VGA
24 | CGN | Summer 2019
The Rangefinder Gallery
Luftwerk: Parallel Perspectives
works from the legendary
Elmhurst Art Museum
camera
300 West Superior, Second Floor Monday-Friday 9-5:30 - Saturday 10-2 312 642-2255 rangefindergallery.com
May 11–August 25
Join us for First Friday receptions!
May-June José Guadalupe Posada: Legendary Printmaker of Mexico
Perfect Life
by Arina Dähnick
Cleve Carney Art Gallery June 17–September 13
FRAYED: Fiber Beyond Craft
July-August
ARC Gallery
Connecting with Place & People: Traveling the World
June 26–July 20
with a Leica by Keith Sbiral Chicago Works: Assaf Evron Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) July 23, 2019– February 16, 2020
...plus Artist Talks & Photo Walks offered throughout the summer ! Summer 2019 | CGN | 25
ART ON VIEW: MAY–AUG ‘19 WEST TOWN UKRAINIAN VILLAGE KINZIE CORRIDOR GARFIELD PARK ARC Gallery
1463 W. Chicago (60642) www.arcgallery.org
Catherine Edelman Gallery
Mongerson Gallery
Opened in 1987 CEG is one of the leading galleries in the Midwest devoted to exhibiting prominent living photographers alongside new and young talent.
Monique Meloche Gallery
1637 W. Chicago (60622) www.edelmangallery.com
May 3–July 3: Joel-Peter Witkin: From the Studio
Filter Photo
Jun 26–Jul 20: FRAYED: Fiber Beyond Craft
1821 W. Hubbard, Ste. 207 (60622) www.filterphoto.org
Arts of Life
May 3–June 1: Sasha Phyars-Burgess June 7–July 6: Rita Maas, Judy Haberl & Brenda Biondo July 12–Aug 10: Daniel Ramos Aug 16–Sept 14: Seunggu Kim
Chicago Artists Coalition
GOLDFINCH
2010 W Carroll (60612) www.artsoflife.org
2130 W. Fulton (60612) www.chicagoartistscoalition.org
Chicago Truborn 1741 W Chicago (60622) www.chicagotruborn.com
Chicago Truborn works with local and international artists alike — most of whom paint predominantly with aerosol. Every 5 weeks, we rotate the artwork in the gallery to feature a new solo or group exhibition.
2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com
Rhona Hoffman Gallery, founded originally as Young Hoffman Gallery in 1976, specializes in international contemporary art in all medias, and art that is conceptually, formally, or socio-politically based. Thru May 25: Deana Lawson & Dru Donovan
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art 756 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.art.org
DOCUMENT specializes in contemporary photography, film and media based art and has organized over 40 solo exhibitions promoting the work of emerging national and international artists. 26 | CGN | Summer 2019
Jun 6–Aug 17: Cheryl Pope: BASKING NEVER HURT NO ONE; Brittney Leeanne Williams, Jake Troyli, and Bianca Nemelc: Show Me Yours
Richard Gray Gallery – Gray Warehouse
1711 W. Chicago (60622) • www.rhoffmangallery.com
1709 W. Chicago (60622) • www.documentspace.com
451 N Paulina Street, Chicago (60622) www.moniquemeloche.com
Thru June 22: Carris Adams; Kate Conlon June 30–August 3: An Archive of Touch: Yesenia Bello, Dana DeGiulio, Andreas Fischer, Alejandro Jiminez Flores, SaraNoa Mark, Kellie Romany
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
DOCUMENT
2251 W. Grand (60612) www.mongersongallery.com
319 N. Albany (60612) www.goldfinchgallery.org
Thru Jun 29: Theaster Gates: Every Square Needs a Circle
CHICAGO TRUBORN ROTATES EXHIBITIONS EVERY FIVE WEEKS
Please refer to the openings on page 24 to confirm reception dates and exhibition details. chicagogallerynews.com is updated daily
May 11–June 16: Teacher Fellowship Program Student Art Exhibition
Line Dot Editions 1023 N. Western (60622) www.linedoteditions.com
Line Dot’s full inventory is available to view and purchase at linedoteditions.com. Our brick and mortar space showcases a changing array of artwork, with exclusive editions released monthly.
CHERYL POPE AT MONIQUE MELOCHE
One After 909
906 N. Ashland (60622) www.1after909.com Thru June 8: Torluemke: Born in the USA June 14–July 13: Manifestations: Gunjan Kumar, Rhonda Wheatley, Stacia Yeapanis
Paris London Hong Kong 1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.parislondonhongkong.com
PATRON
673 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.patrongallery.com Founded, by Julia Fischbach and Emanuel Aguilar, on the defining characteristics of a patron, the gallery hopes to open new avenues helping audiences access contemporary art.
Spudnik Press
1821 W Hubbard St., Ste 302 (60622) www.spudnikpress.org/category/exhibitions/ Thru May 25: Eternal Recurrence: New Editions from Spudnik Press Cooperative June 7–Aug 17: Noah Breuer: CB&S Werkstätte
THE WEST SIDE
• RIVER WEST • WEST LOOP • GARFIELD PARK
LINE DOT
M IL W
AUGUSTA
NOBLE
N
HALSTED
DE OG
KINZIE
LINC THELEN
CARROLL
CHICAGO ARTISTS COALITION
KAVI GUPTA #2 LESLIE HINDMAN RANDOLPH ST MKT
LAKE
ADA
WASHINGTON
FULTON
LAKE RANDOLPH
GREEN
DAMEN
HUBBARD
PEORIA
CARROLL
GRAND
RACINE
FULTON
ARTS OF LIFE
ASHLAND
WESTERN
GOLDFINCH
PATRON
94
GRAY WAREHOUSE
INTUIT
0/
HUBBARD
MONIQUE MELOCHE • FILTER PHOTO • SPUDNIK PRESS
CHICAGO
ARC
I-9
MONGERSON
GRAND
E
D AN GR
ERIE
CATHERINE CHICAGO EDELMAN TRUBORN • RHONA • VOLUME HOFFMAN • WESTERN • DOCUMENT EXHIBITIONS • PLHK
KE
CHICAGO
AU
ONE AFTER 909
UKRAINIAN INST. OF MODERN ART
ELIZABETH
VERTICAL
• WEST TOWN • KINZIE CORRIDOR • UKRAINIAN VILLAGE
WASHINGTON • KAVI GUPTA • MCCORMICK • CARRIE SECRIST
SARAH RASKEY
MADISON ADAMS
Linc Thelen Gallery 1620 W. Carroll (60612) www.lincthelenart.com
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA)
WEST LOOP RIVER WEST Kavi Gupta Gallery 835 W. Washington (60607) 219 N. Elizabeth (60607) www.kavigupta.com
In addition to maintaining a robust annual schedule of 7–9 exhibitions and associated wing events, UIMA produces numerous multidisciplinary events to expand its engagement among new and existing audiences.
Thru May 25: Devan Shimoyama: We Named Her Gladys June 1: Inka Essenhigh: Uchronia
Vertical Gallery
835 W. Washington (60607) www.thomasmccormick.com
Thru June 15: New Work by Pooja Pittie June 22–Aug 3: Melville Price
Randolph Street Market 1350 Block of W. Randolph (60607) www.randolphstreetmarket.com May 25–26, 10 am–5 pm Jun 29–30, 10 am–5 pm Jul 27–28, 10 am–5 pm Aug 24–25, 10 am–5 pm
1016 N. Western (60622) • www.verticalgallery.com May 11–June 1: Grant William Thye, Second Time Around June 8–29: Stinkfish July 13–Aug 3: Mau Mau Solo Show Aug 10–31: Alex Face and Mue Bon (USA debut)
Sarah Raskey Fine Art 17 N. Elizabeth St. (60607) www.sarahraskey.com
Volume Gallery
Carrie Secrist Gallery
1709 W. Chicago, 2B (60622) www.wvvolumes.com
835 W. Washington (60607) www.secristgallery.com INKA ESSENHIGH OPENS JUNE 1 AT KAVI GUPTA
May 4–Jun 22: Shall we go, you and I while we can
1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.westernexhibitions.com
Thru June 1: Paul Nudd, in Gallery 1; Julia Schmitt Healy, in Gallery 2 June 7–July 27: Marshall Brown, in Gallery 1+2
SUSANIN’S AUCTIONS
McCormick Gallery
2320 W. Chicago (60622) • www.uima-chicago.org
Western Exhibitions
HARRISON
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers 1338 W. Lake (60607) www.lesliehindman.com
Susanin’s Auctions 900 S. Clinton (60607) www.susanins.com
Summer 2019 | CGN | 27
RIVER NORTH
ALAN KOPPEL
CHICAGO • RANGEFINDER/ TAMARKIN CAMERA • VICTOR ARMENDARIZ MELANEE COOPER
Addington Gallery 704 N. Wells (60654) www.addingtongallery.com
HILTON | ASMUS ADDINGTON
HURON
LASALLE
JEAN ALBANO
WELLS
215 W. Superior (60654) • www.jeanalbanogallery.com
ZOLLA / LIEBERMAN
FRANKLIN
Jean Albano Gallery
CARL HAMMER
SUPERIOR ORLEANS
May 3–July 7: Molly McCracken Kumar, Celestial Vigor, New Paintings; Brooks Anderson, Illumina, Cloud Paintings July 12: 3rd Mid-Summer Art Walk in River North Thru Aug 29: Rebecca Crowell, New Cold Wax Paintings
VALE CRAFT
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
RICHARD NORTON
Exhibiting a diverse roster of artists who have helped shape Chicago’s art scene since the gallery’s inception in 1986. May 3–Jun 30: Kitsch’n Art July 12–Aug 31: Gallery Group Show
ERIE
Gallery Victor Armendariz
300 W. Superior (60654) • www.galleryvictor.com May 3: Art Shay (1922-2018): A Lifetime of Photographs; Christopher klein: Dystopian Utopia June 7: State of Undress: Group Show; Mary Borgman: New work July 12: Peter Lupkin & Steve Banks: Not Windmills, But Giants
Melanee Cooper Gallery
Richard Norton Gallery
Vale Craft Gallery
Notable American + European Impressionist + Modern paintings, drawings + sculpture from 19th + early 20th C. Consultation, appraisal, consignment + purchase of artwork. Participating in EXPO CHICAGO 2019.
Contemporary American fine craft objects, sculpture. Works in clay, fiber, metal, glass, wood, mixed media.
612 Merchandise Mart (60654) www.richardnortongallery.com
740 N. Franklin (60654) www.melaneecoopergallery.com
The Golden Triangle 330 N. Clark (60654) www.goldentriangle.biz
May 16: 30th Anniversary celebration and exhibition
Carl Hammer Gallery
740 N. Wells (60654) info@carlhammergallery.com • 312–266–8512 www.carlhammergallery.com Carl Hammer represents both modern and contemporary art and is recognized for its discovery and representation of “Outsider”/self-taught artists. May 17–Aug 17: Legendary, summer group show July 12: 3rd Annual River North Mid Summer Art Walk
The Rangefinder Gallery at Tamarkin Camera
230 W. Superior (60654) www.valecraftgallery.com
May 3–July 6: Midwestern Metal group show July 12–August 31: Summer Group Show
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery
300 W. Superior, 2nd Fl. (60654) www.rangefindergallery.com
325 W. Huron (60654) www.zollaliebermangallery.com
May 3–June 29: Perfect Life, Arina Dahnick July 5–August 31: Connecting with Place & People: traveling the World with a Leica by Keith Sbiral.
May 17–August 9: Deborah Butterfield July 12–August 30: Blake Aaseby
CGN SATURDAY GALLERY TOURS
Hilton | Asmus Contemporary 716 N. Wells (60654) www.hilton–asmus.com
Alan Koppel Gallery 806 N. Dearborn (60610) alankoppel.com
Featuring a rotating exhibition of modern master artists in every medium. Visit us to view photograpny by Garry Winogrand, sculpture by June Leaf, paintings by Robert Moskowitz, plus so much more.
The 3rd Annual Mid-Summer Art Walk in River North takes place on Friday, July 12 28 | CGN | Summer 2019
FREE SATURDAYS, 11AM –12:30PM RIVER NORTH 714 N WELLS ST
CHICAGOGALLERYNEWS.COM/TOURS
GRAHAM FOUNDATION
STATE
DELAWARE
HUBBARD KINZIE
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum 40 E. Erie (60611) • www.driehausmuseum.com
Thru Aug 11: Treasures from the White City: Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 Thru Sep 29: A Tale of Today: Yinka Shonibare MBE
RANDOLPH WASHINGTON
WABASH
STATE
SAIC SULLIVAN GALLERIES
SAIC SITE SHARP
Exhibiting emerging, mid-career and underrepresented artists. We present smart, challenging work and site-specific exhibitions, and publish original limited edition lithographs, letterpress, giclees, and photographic prints.
140 E. Walton (60611) www.hildtgalleries.com
R.S. Johnson Fine Art 645 N. Michigan (60611) www.rsjohnsonfineart.com
LIK Fine Art Chicago 444 N. Michigan (60611) 312–929–4116
ONTARIO OHIO GRAND
NAVY PIER (600 E GRAND)
ILLINOIS
WACKER
CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER MILLENIUM PARK
MADISON
BERT GREEN
MONROE ADAMS JACKSON VAN BUREN CONGRESS
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) 220 E. Chicago (60611) www.mcachicago.org
One of the world’s largest contemporary art venues, offering exhibitions and programs for all ages. Jun 10–Sep 22: Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech
Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP)
Columbia College Chicago, 600 S. Michigan (60605) • www.mocp.org MoCP is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography, with a permanent collection of over 15,000 works. The MoCP generates ideas through groundbreaking exhibitions and programming.
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO SAIC SITE COLUMBUS GRANT PARK
COLUMBUS
980 N. Michigan, Ste. 1330 (60611) www.lesenluminures.com
Hildt Galleries
THE ARTS CLUB
LAKE
Les Enluminures
8 S. Michigan, Ste. 620 (60603) • www.bgfa.us
FAIRBANKS
ERIE
Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington (60602) www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
R.S. JOHNSON FINE ART
MICHIGAN AVE MICHIGAN AVE
STATE
JOEL OPPENHEIMER
HURON
RUSH
DRIEHAUS MUSEUM
111 S. Michigan (60603) www.artic.edu
Bert Green Fine Art
CHICAGO
SUPERIOR
The Art Institute of Chicago
John Hancock Building, 875 N. Michigan (60611) West Town Location: 2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MCA)
PEARSON LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART (LUMA)
201 E. Ontario (60611) www.artsclubchicago.org
Richard Gray Gallery
RICHARD GRAY
CHESTNUT
The Arts Club of Chicago Thru June 22: Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford: Garden Gispoteca May 22–August 3: Amy Sillman
HILDT
WALTON
DR
MICHIGAN AVE GOLD COAST THE LOOP SOUTH LOOP
BURTON
RE HO ES LAK
DOWNTOWN
• SOTHEBY’S • LES ENLUMINURES OAK
• MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY (MOCP) 600 S. MICHIGAN • SPERTUS INSTITUTE 610 S. MICHIGAN
Joel Oppenheimer, Inc.
10 E. Ohio, Tree Studio Annex (60611) www.audubonart.com
Sotheby’s Chicago
980 N. Michigan, Ste. 1815 (60611) www.sothebys.com
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 Thru June 23: The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt original artwork by New Yorker cartoonist Ken Krimstein
CGN | Summer 2019 |29
NORTH SIDE
FOSTER CHICAGO PRINTMAKERS COLLABORATIVE
LINCOLN PARK LAKEVIEW OLD TOWN
LI
LINCOLN SQ. + RAVENSWOOD
GALLERY STUDIO OH! HOFHEIMER GALLERY
N
LAWRENCE
CO LN
Art De Triumph & Artful Framer Studios
2938 N. Clark (60657) • www.NancieKingMertz.com
RAVENSWOOD
EAT PAINT
UPTOWN
MONTROSE
CLA
Featuring work by Master Pastelist Nancie King Mertz, who paints & instructs en plein air around Chicago & the world in oil & pastel. Open seven days a week, featuring Mertz’s originals, Giclee prints, cards & gifts, & expert framing
RK
Chicago Art Source Gallery
IRVING PARK
1871 N. Clybourn (60614) www.chicagoartsource.com
94 0/
I- 9
ADDISON
Cornelia Arts Building
CORNELIA ARTS BUILDING
1800 W. Cornelia (60657) www.corneliaartsbuilding.com
LAKEVIEW
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.
BELMONT
3816 W. Armitage (60647) • Open Saturday 12-4 PM www.olivagallery.com May 17: Tamara Wasserman, Solo Exhibition June 7: 1940s Boudoir Photography by Kate Roth August 2: Hrayr Attarian, Solo Exhibition
PAGODA RED
400 N. Morgan (60642) www.pagodared.com
4912 N. Western (60625) www.chicagoprintmakers.com
June 22–Aug 31: SOFT, an exhibition of prints and textiles
Hofheimer Gallery Video Game Art Gallery (VGA) 2418 W Bloomingdale, #102 (60647) www.vgagallery.com 30 | CGN | Summer 2019
4823 N. Damen (60625) www.hofheimergallery.com
May 3–30: Europa Europa: Susan Aurinko
WICKER PARK
• THE DIME • ADVENTURELAND
RAVENSWOOD LINCOLN SQUARE Chicago Printmakers Collaborative
RN
Oliva Gallery
NORTH
OU
May 31: William Counter June 28: Bill Horberg August 30: Nelson Armour
VIDEO GAME ART
ART MUSEUM
E
2124 N. Damen (60647) • www.firecatprojects.org
ARMITAGE
KE
Firecat Projects
FIRECAT
AU W IL
1513 N. Western (60622) • 312-659-0464 facebook.com/thedimechicago/
OLIVA
BUCKTOWN M
The Dime
PALMER SQUARE
LINCOLN PARK DEPAUL YB CL
WICKER PARK / BUCKTOWN
PAGODA RED
HALSTED
DAMEN FULLERTON
RACINE
DIVERSEY
WESTERN
245 W. North (60610) www.thomasmastersgallery.com
CALIFORNIA
Thomas Masters Gallery
PULASKI
1000 W. North Ave (60642) www.madrongallery.com
KEDZIE
Madron Gallery
CENTRAL PARK
ART DE TRIUMPH
ASHLAND
Thru June 29: Friendship with the Unknown: A solo show of new work by Ahavani Mullen July/August: New Works by Gallery Artists
CHICAGO ART SOURCE
OLD TOWN MADRON
THOMAS MASTERS
Eat Paint Studio
5036 N Lincoln, (60625) • www.eatpaintstudio.com Thru May 12: Bo Whang June 7–July 20: Marion Kryczka Aug 2–31: Andrew Steiner Ongoing / open studio: Emily Rapport
Gallery Studio Oh!
4839 N. Damen (60625) • art-studio-oh.com Thru May 10: Joseph Bounds; Erica Entrop; Julie Rotblatt-Amrany May 16–June 28: Jane Barthès; Dennis Kowalski July 5–Aug 16: Lois Beatty; Doug DeWitt
HYDE PARK ART CENTER
HYDE PARK BLVD
E OR DR
56TH ST
DUSABLE MUSEUM
57th STREET ART FAIR
SH
SMART MUSEUM OF ART
WASHINGTON PARK
CHICAGO’S 72ND ANNUAL
KE LA
57TH ST RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
211 West 23rd St (60616) www.theart8.com Thru May 11: Lion Dance - Cultural Symbol
STONY ISLAND
DORCHESTER
HYDE PARK DORCHESTER DuSable Museum 740 East 56th Pl. (60637) www.dusablemuseum.org
Hyde Park Art Center
3rd Friday Gallery Nights, Monthly 7–10pm
May 10–26: Department of Visual Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition: Part I May 31–Jun 16: Department of Visual Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition: Part II
1945 S. Halsted (60608) www.chicagoartsdistrict.org
Renaissance Society
2nd Friday Gallery Nights, Monthly 6–10pm
University of Chicago 5811 S. Ellis Ave, 4th Floor (60637) www.renaissancesociety.org
National Museum of Mexican Art
Thru June 23: Liz Magor: BLOWOUT
1852 W. 19th St. (60608) www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Prospectus Gallery 1210 W. 18th St. (60608) 312–733–6132
Woman Made Gallery
2150 S. Canalport, Suite 4A3 (60608) www.womanmade.org May 17–Jun 8: Ain’t I Grand Jun 28–Jul 20: Dear Earth... Aug 9–31: 22nd International Open
PROSPECTUS
18TH ST
PILSEN EAST
Logan Center Exhibitions
Bridgeport Art Center
Chicago Arts District
18TH ST
5020 S. Cornell (60615) www.hydeparkart.org
University of Chicago 915 E. 60th St (60637) www.arts.uchicago.edu/logan/gallery
1200 W. 35th St. (60609) www.bridgeportart.com
Between Kenwood and Woodlawn WWW.57THSTREETARTFAIR.ORG
Smart Museum of Art University of Chicago 5550 S. Greenwood (60637) www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
Thru May 19: Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection June 14–Sept 29: Tara Donovan: Fieldwork Jul 11–Aug 18: Cross Currents / Intercambio Cultural
19TH ST NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
PILSEN 21ST ST
CERMAK
6760 S. Stony Island (60649) www.rebuild-foundation.org
Thru Aug 25: Rob Pruitt: The Obama Paintings
BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER
CHICAGO ARTS DISTRICT
RT
O LP
NA A C
CHINATOWN HER
ARC
BRIDGEPORT
Stony Island Arts Bank
19TH PL
21ST ST
WOMAN MADE GALLERY AT LACUNA
MANA CONTEMPORARY
HALSTED
The ART Gallery
STONY ISLAND ARTS BANK
MORGAN
BRIDGEPORT PILSEN CHINATOWN
PLAISANCE
ASHLAND
SOUTH SIDE
KENWOOD
LOGAN CENTER
WOODLAWN
MIDWAY
ELLIS
67TH ST
COTTAGE GROVE
MLK DRIVE
58TH ST
60TH ST
JUNE 1–2, 2019
HYDE PARK
RACINE
51ST ST
THE ART GALLERY
26TH ST 31ST ST 35TH ST
Summer 2019 | CGN | 31
SUBURBS + MIDWEST
Perspective Group + Photography Gallery, Ltd. 1310-1/2 Chicago Ave., Evanston (60201) www.perspectivegallery.org
A 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the art of photography to the public with exhibitions, lectures, classes, and outreach while creating a dynamic and diverse community of photographers who share ideas and inspiration.
EVANSTON The Block Museum of Art
THE NORTH SHORE NORTHWEST SUBURBS
Thru July 21: Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa May 2–June 23: Art Theory and Practice MFA Thesis Exhibition
The Art Center – Highland Park 1957 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park (60035) www.theartcenterhp.org
Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery
Thru June 8: Streaming Reflections, Bert Leveille; enLIGHTen, group exhibition June 14–August 3: Undercurrents; Inside/Outside; August 9–Oct 2: IMPACT Color IMPACT Black & White
704 Main St., Evanston (60202) www.cultivateurbanrainforest.com
Evanston Art Center
1717 Central St., Evanston (60201) www.evanstonartcenter.org
Ice House Gallery
309 Park Ave., Glencoe (60022) www.loucksgallery.com
THE ART CENTER HIGHLAND PARK
LAKE COOK ROAD
ANN LOUCKS GLENCOE
ART POST AN ID
ER
SH
NORTH SHORE + EVANSTON
D OA YR BA AD N RO REE G
S EDEN SSWAY E EXPR
ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM GOLF ROAD
• • • • •
CHURCH DEMPSTER MAIN
BLOCK MUSEUM CULTIVATE EVANSTON ART CENTER ICE HOUSE PERSPECTIVE
EVANSTON TOUHY
DEVON ROAD
nR ridOaAD SDhAe NR
ERI
SH
N
N
ED Y
150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst (60126) www.elmhurstartmuseum.org
Fermilab Art Gallery
Kirk Rd & Pine St., Batavia (60510) events.fnal.gov/art-gallery May 31–Aug 16: Artist-in-residence 2018 Adam Nadel Aug 23–Oct 28: Shanthi Chandrasekar: Cosmic Design; Fermilab Artist-in-Residence Program for 2020: Application opens July 1; closes September 1, 2019
Komechak Art Gallery (Benedictine University) Water Street Studios 160 S. Water, Batavia (60510) www.waterstreetstudios.org
Established in 2009 and located in the arts district in downtown Batavia Water Street Studios is a nonprofit art center with a mission to make the arts more accessible to the Fox Valley region.24 exhibitions per year.
Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College
202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights (60411) prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/index.aspx Featuring 8 exhibitions yearly, 5 of works by renowned artists from the Midwest and beyond, and 3 student exhibitions. Artists exhibited have included Dawoud Bey, Terry Evans, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Gladys Nilsson and Joseph Jachna.
HOWARD
IRVING PARK ROAD
May 16–27: A Day in the Life of Brookfield, Photography June 7: Expression Exhibition, Opening 7-10pm June 21: Summer Solstice Art Gala 7-11pm. Ticketed
SOUTH SUBURBS
WILMETTE
KE
9210 Broadway Ave, Brookfield (60513) www.compassionfactory.com
5700 College Rd., Lisle (60532) www.ben.edu/komechak-art-gallery/index.cfm
HIGHLAND PARK
WINNETKA
The Compassion Factory Art Gallery + Studio
May 11–Aug 25: With a Capital P: Selections by Six Painters; Luftwerk: Parallel Perspectives
Anne Loucks Gallery
NORTHBROOK
Multifaceted public art program featuring contemporary art installations and exhibitions by emerging and established artists. Permanent commissions by Daniel Arsham, Carlos Rolón/Dzine, Jen Stark and more.
Upscale gallery with one of the largest inventories of original art in Chicagoland. Representing 125+ artists. Contemporary/Transitional/Traditional styles. Many large-scale paintings. Fine framing offered.
9603 Woods Dr., Skokie (60077) www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
First Saturday monthly solo show receptions 5–8pm May 4: Contemporary Finds May: Jade Yu June: Janice Wojciechowski July: David Kogan August: Max Lusk
ES
CHICAGO d.
EX
PR
32 | CGN | Summer 2019
THE COLLECTION at Fashion Outlets of Chicago
Elmhurst Art Museum
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
609 South Blvd., Evanston (60202) www.icehousegalleryevanston.com
O’HARE INTL’ AIRPORT
College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn (60137) www.clevecarneygallery.org/
Art Post Gallery
984 Willow Rd., Ste. G, Northbrook (60062) www.artpostgallery.com • 847–272–7659
The Evanston Art Center is dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts among diverse audiences through classes, exhibitions, interactive arts activities and community outreach.
GLENVIEW
Cleve Carney Art Gallery
5220 Fashion Outlets Way, Rosemont (60018) www.fashionoutletsofchicago.com/TheCollection
Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Dr. Evanston (60208) www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu
WILLOW ROAD
WESTERN SUBURBS
SW AY
Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery Moraine Valley Community College Fine and Performing Arts Center 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills (60465) www.morainevalley.edu/fpac/artgallery
WESTERN + SOUTH SUBURBS
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, University Park (60484) • www.govst.edu/sculpture Jun 22: Summer Solstice Sunset Celebration, 6:30–10 pm Sept 14: Sculpture, Wine and Dine, 4:30–9 pm
Salon Artists Gallery
294 Main St., Park Forest (60466) www.salonartistsgallery.com
INDIANA GREATER ILLINOIS Krannert Art Museum (KAM) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 500 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign (61820) kam.illinois.edu
Connecting people and the arts at the Univ. of Illinois. Free admission. Summer hours: M–F 9–5, Sa 10–4; Thru Aug 31: Blue & White Ceramics: An Enduring Global Obsession
Northern Illinois University (NIU) Art Museum
Altgeld Hall, 1st Fl., West End, DeKalb (60115) www.niu.edu/artmuseum Aug 27–Oct 18: Exploring Aspects of War In and Through the Visual Arts
Rockford Art Museum
711 N. Main St., Rockford (61103) www.rockfordartmuseum.org Thru May 27: Cheryl Pope: Not Without a Fight June 7–Sep 29: Julie Heffernan + Shelly Mosman: Chance Encounter
Tarble Arts Center
Eastern IL Univ. 2010 9th St., Charleston (61920) www.eiu.edu/tarble/
Brauer Museum of Art
Valparaiso University, 1709 Chapel Dr. Valparaiso (46383) www.valpo.edu/brauer-museum-of-art May 17–August 4: Corey Hagelberg: No Beauty in This; New Acquisitions: Selections from the Permanent Collection July 10: Gallery Talk at 7 pm
South Shore Arts
1040 Ridge Rd., Munster (46321) www.southshoreartsonline.org
MICHIGAN Krasl Art Center
WISCONSIN Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Art Museum Dr., Milwaukee (53202) www.mam.org 30,000 works of art. 400,000+ visitors a year. 125 years of collecting art. From its roots in Milwaukee’s first art gallery in 1888, the Museum has grown today to be an icon for Milwaukee and a resource for the entire state. June 14–Oct 6: Nares: Moves
Museum of Wisconsin Art 205 Veterans Ave, West Bend (53095) www.wisconsinart.org
MOWA explores the art and culture of Wisconsin. Founded in 1961, the museum’s permanent collection consists of over 5,000 works of contemporary and historic art by more than 350 Wisconsin artists.
707 Lake Blvd., St. Joseph (49085) www.krasl.org
Sugar Row Gallery
Krasl Art Center’s mission is to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts providing diverse education opportunities, meaningful events and high quality exhibits and collections.
Wantoot Gallery
To view Google maps of galleries and museums in the near midwest, please visit chicagogallerynews.com or pick up a copy of our annual 2019 CGN Arts Guide
234 High St., Mineral Point (53565) www.sugarrowstudioandgallery.com
236 High St, Mineral Point (53565) www.wantoot.com Thru May 26: Rande Barke, New Work June 1–July 28: Sandra Peterson, New Work Aug 3–Sept 15: Terrence James Coffman, New Work
Summer 2019 | CGN | 33
ARTIST EDRA SOTO MINING PERSONAL HISTORY TO CREATE ARTISTIC ENGAGEMENT
EDRA SOTO, OPEN 24 HOURS, 2018. PHOTO: JAMES PRINZ
By ALISON REILLY Edra Soto’s warmth, generosity, and kindness are apparent (and contagious). She speaks candidly about her work, her influences, and her upbringing in Cupey, Puerto Rico. Her motivations, her life experiences, and her perspectives push her audience to more closely examine their own neighborhoods, sidewalks, fences, and homes. In a contemporary art world that can often reject the participation of the audience, Soto takes the hands of her viewers and looks them in the eye. She acknowledges their bodies, their physical presence, and their memories. Her artistic and personal lives are bound together, which some might consider a great risk. However, her exceptional body of work demonstrates the opportunity for shared growth by revealing vulnerabilities. Below is an edited version of our recent conversation about her move to Chicago, her ongoing series GRAFT, and her upcoming projects. Chicago Gallery News: Can you tell me about how you grew up? Which part of Puerto Rico are you from? Edra Soto: I grew up in a middle class family in Cupey, Puerto Rico. Cupey is the biggest and most populated barrio in the metropolitan area of San Juan. Both my 34 | CGN | Summer 2019
parents worked hard for my brother and me. My father worked for an insurance company and for the military through the air force. He traveled a lot. My mom stayed with us at home and did many jobs. She had a home nursery; she ran a commercial ceramic business with my dad at home; and she was a baker. She made amazing wedding, quinceañera, and birthday cakes. I have childhood memories of chewing hard sugar flowers and looking at my reflection in the immense mirrors she made by pouring sugar in order to create a fake pond. Perhaps that was the beginning of my appreciation for installation work. CGN: What did it feel like to move from Puerto Rico (via Paris) to Chicago? ES: I felt fortunate to have parents that had faith in me and who could help me make the move. But I also thought that I was not going to make it outside of Puerto Rico. I became a commercial artist very early in my life. During my last year at Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico I won a few awards at my bachelor’s graduation and sold out two shows at a commercial gallery in San Juan. My parents were impressed and motivated to help me transition into higher education.
It took me awhile to get used to Chicago’s weather. I even did an installation, titled I Love Chicago Project, dedicated to my relationship with Chicago, the School of the Art Institute, and the weather. I created an alter ego in the form of a lion tamer to symbolically build self-empowerment. This was my first time bringing people together to activate a project. I invited artists I met at the school, my roommate, my boyfriend (now my husband), and whoever wanted to be a part of this project. I made posters to promote the events and opened my semi-private studio for visitors. CGN: You mentioned your commercial success as an artist in Puerto Rico, but you have now moved away from the gallery/artist relationship model. How do you support yourself? ES: After grad school, I supported myself by working at a Chicago public school. Some years later, I worked at a charter school. I dedicated ten years of my life to teach high school. It was hard work, but I learned a lot from the experiences. I met wonderful students who brought great joy and pride to my life. After those ten years, I built enough confidence to teach at the college level. I’ve been a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for the past five years and just recently started to teach an Introduction to Social Engagement course at the University of Illinois in Chicago. As my visibility as an artist increased, I started to get approached by colleges and universities to lecture and do exhibitions. These opportunities increased to the point where I could become a freelancer. CGN: Do you encourage other artists to follow your example? ES: Perhaps following my path is not even practical for me. I tend to live in the moment and my planning is mostly work-related, not life-related. My life works because my art works, and I try to keep that way. It is not a predictable or financially stable situation. At this precise moment I don’t feel great financial support, but I am creating projects that might bring financial support in the future. So, I’m still gambling. CGN: How has your experience as an art teacher in Chicago public schools shaped your practice as an artist? ES: Many of the methods and materials I used with my high school students became a part of my artistic practice. Structure doesn’t manifest naturally on me. When I’m telling a story, I have to make a conscious effort to keep it on track to build a natural progression. Becoming a high school teacher forced me to work with a type of structure that allowed me to keep order. To be an administrator, you have to be organized. It turns out that so
EDRA SOTO, GRAFT (DETAIL), 2019.
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can become a conversation on values, from self-value, to value of a place, to others’ values. At the MCA, all the refuse that I collected in 2017 was on display to evidence what I witness daily. I designed a transactional procedure between the museum visitor and me. I created a contract that they had to sign if they wanted to acquire, or “adopt” as the museum described it, a glass bottle that I had found in my neighborhood, picked up, and cleaned. In the contract, I describe the bottle as “a piece of American history” to instigate intrigue in the meaning behind the bottles. The procedure was a strategy to elevate the desire and value of these objects. They taught me about a history that I was not aware of, so I couldn’t simply offer them for free. Through the procedure, I also asked people for their time. Perhaps time is one of the things we all value the most. CGN: You started your ongoing work GRAFT in 2013. What does the title mean?
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST EDRA SOTO. PHOTO: DAN SULLIVAN
much of the work I do, as an artist, is administrative. If I’m not efficient at keeping track of what needs to get done, I will miss deadlines, opportunities, and even relationships. CGN: What is your studio like? ES: My studio looks like a warehouse! My process is very embedded in my daily life. I’m less of a craftsperson and more of project manager, designer, and researcher. CGN: In 2017-2018 you presented Open 24 Hours at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA). In an interview you stated, “Putting the bottles in other people’s hands is putting the responsibility of littering in their hands, which was my initial motivation for picking up the bottle.” Can you talk about your relationship with the viewer (or participant)? Why is it important for you to put the responsibility of littering in their hands and how does that relate to your motivations as an artist? ES: I consider the action of picking up garbage my civic duty. I learned this when I was in ninth grade. I forget a lot of things, but that lesson I never forget. A teacher took a group of students and me to a hallway and told us, “Even if it’s not your garbage, you pick it up, and place it in the trashcan.” The action of picking up garbage became a sign of education. This is the same model brought to life in Open 24 Hours. The work is about respect for the land, appreciation for the place you live, and the people living in it. Cleaning 36 | CGN | Summer 2019
ES: GRAFT is an imaginary migration. Citing structures known as quiebrasoles and rejas found prominently in Puerto Rico, GRAFT physically interconnects existing architecture to a site-specific place while conceptually representing an imaginary transplant or migratory gesture. CGN: Do you keep an inventory of quiebrasoles and rejas patterns? Are the patterns in your work based on ones you have seen, or do you create new patterns? ES: I source all the patterns for GRAFT. My visits to Puerto Rico have been steadily increasing since my father passed in the summer of 2017. But I’ve been documenting quiebrasoles and rejas patterns for many years, even before I started the project. I used to make drawings of the patterns, but at the time I didn’t see great value in the gesture. Living a greater part of my life surrounded by these patterns makes me sensitive to the role they play in visual culture. Presenting them through architectural interventions becomes a way of reinstating them rather than reproducing them. The history that this project unveils explains why it is so easy to “borrow” their beauty without thinking about their greater cultural significance. CGN: Do the materials of quiebrasoles (concrete) and rejas (wrought iron) resonate with you? ES: The purpose of concrete and wrought iron to the casa criolla (common house) in the Caribbean was for protection and ventilation. These are familiar, raw, nostalgic, and even seductive materials to me, but I wouldn’t appropriate them and take them out of their original function and context.
CGN: How does it feel to present GRAFT in different settings? For example, in 2013 you installed it at Terrain Exhibitions in Chicago and recently in 2018 at the Untitled Art Fair in Miami. ES: At both of these spaces the architectural interventions were remarkable in terms of visibility and audience responses. They both motivated creative thinking and negotiation of space. At Terrain it was the first architectural intervention I’ve made. At Untitled I took the opportunity to introduce photo documentation as a new element. I embedded small viewfinders in the circular spaces of the structure. By peering through the viewfinders, the audience is met with an image documenting my everyday life during visits to Puerto Rico. Photos of my childhood home, scenes from various neighborhoods, and destruction from Hurricane Maria are just some of the images viewers see. The act itself is akin to peering through the quiebrasoles and rejas surrounding a Puerto Rican home to glimpse the house behind the walls.
CGN: For each iteration of GRAFT you include a literary component. Why is that important to you? ES: GRAFT allows me to expand the multidisciplinary aspects of the project and explore visibility by providing a format that can be disseminated beyond the gallery experience. The literary component creates an accessible history of Puerto Rican vernacular architecture. While quiebrasoles and rejas are popularly recognized in Puerto Rican’s visual culture, there is little exploration or research on the origin of these patterns. Contrary to the familiarity of colonial architecture, vernacular architecture has yet to be included as an exploratory subject in primary and secondary education in the Caribbean. Writers from disciplines of art history, art, architecture, and politics are invited to reflect on rejas in the contexts of their individual fields of expertise. The content is published in both English and Spanish and is available to the public. CGN: Some iterations of GRAFT include a shelter that resembles a bus stop. Why is this type of structure significant to you? ES: The elements of GRAFT are specific to each space, and sometimes I include a shelter, reminiscent of a bus stop, that serves as a bench for visitors to sit and read the accompanying publication. Bus shelters in Puerto Rico may be made of concrete, wood, and aluminum. I’ve seen a few made in concrete that integrate quiebrasoles in their design. CGN: What are your upcoming projects for this year? ES: Currently, my work is on view until June 2, 2019 at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art as part of an exhibition curated by Risa Puleo titled Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly. Another group exhibition I’m part of, Art of the Neighborhood, is currently at the Willis Tower through the summer, curated by CNL Projects and Chicago Artists Coalition.
EDRA SOTO, MANUAL GRAFT, 2019. ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION AT THE NERMAN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. PHOTO CREDIT EG SCHEMPF.
CGN: Have you presented GRAFT in Puerto Rico? ES: Not as an architectural intervention; it would be redundant. At the Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, documentation of GRAFT was included as part of an exhibition titled Ida y Vuelta curated by Dr. Laura Bravo. I recently donated these prints to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico for their permanent collection.
I’m involved in three MacArthur Foundation cultural exchanges! One is currently at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan. The second, an exchange with Cuba, will have its Chicago presentation at the Smart Museum in summer 2019 and in Cuba in 2020. The third, an exchange with Brazil curated by Jordan Martins, will take place in 2020. A long overdue commission for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line Western station is on its way as well. This summer I was invited to create work with a client from the Light & Salt Coalition, a grassroots movement that mobilizes individuals and organizations to heal, educate, and empower youth and women in the fight against slavery. My donation will be auctioned at their summer gala. Summer 2019 | CGN | 37
STEWARDS OF ART AND HISTORY THE EXPANSIVE COLLECTION OF LEE WESLEY AND VICKI GRANACKI
LEE AND VICKI CAUGHT THE ART BUG IN THE 1980S WHEN THEY NEEDED SOMETHING TO GO ABOVE THEIR SOFA. TODAY THEY HAVE ART OVER EVERY PIECE OF FURNITURE AND ON EVERY WALL, INCLUDING WORKS BY ROGER BROWN, ED PASCHKE, ANDY WARHOL AND CINDY SHERMAN
By GINNY VAN ALYEA One late February morning I found myself driving to a sleepy part of Chicago and realized how much it would be transformed soon, once baseball season started in a few weeks. I was on my way to visit collectors Lee Wesley and Vicki Granacki, where the classic graystone exterior of the couple’s Wrigleyville home similarly revealed no hint as to the creative energy that I would soon discover inside. I’d never met Vicki or Lee, but as soon as they welcomed me in, they seemed somehow familiar. Their home is first and foremost a place to live – as comfortable for the couple as well as the volume of art it contains. The antithesis of a stark white or glass cube, all angles and sharp edges, it’s distinctly old Chicago, framed inside by warm wood trim, lots of doorways and natural light. That this historic residence houses so much locally significant contemporary art makes perfect sense when I learn that Vicki runs a Chicago-based historic preservation firm, Granacki Historic Consultants, and she serves on the 38 | CGN | Summer 2019
Emeritus Board of Landmarks Illinois and the Board of Directors of the Polish Museum of America. Lee is President of the Dr. Newton K. Wesley foundation Fund, continuing the legacy of his father’s pioneering work in contact lenses. A minute after passing through the front door and taking off my coat, I was sitting on the sofa, which is essentially where the couple’s art collecting journey began. It all started in the 1980s in a practical way, when the couple needed something to hang over their couch, which happened to be pink and velvet brocade. The pair had bought this distinctive piece of furniture in London at Harrod’s, the famous department store, and they had it shipped home to Chicago after their honeymoon. Vicki and Lee had long been interested in the Hairy Who – an artistic group formed in Chicago in the 1960s by graduates of the School of the Art Institute. Vicki
says, “When our son was just over a year old we started hanging out in Chicago’s River North galleries on Saturday mornings. Our first purchase, in 1981 from Phyllis Kind Gallery, was a pinkish pastel watercolor, Duplicate and Triplicate by Gladys Nilsson, a member of the Hairy Who, whose mice-like figures could hold their own against our flowered suite.” More than 38 years and over 125 works of art later they’ve had plenty of time to carefully build a significant collection that includes other Hairy Who members and associates, such as Ray Yoshida, Don Baum, Jim Nutt, Karl Wirsum, and Suellen Rocca. In addition, the collection includes pieces by Imagists such as Ed Paschke and Roger Brown, and Monster Roster member Seymour Rosofsky, not to mention dozens of other contemporary figurative artists – Phyllis Bramson, Joanne Carson, Robert Lostutter, Jim Lutes, and Hollis Sigler – who followed in their creative footsteps. To wander through Vicki and Lee’s home is to understand that their pursuit of art is serious and unending. Together they each have an eye for what may stand the test of time and trends.
Vicki’s childhood was filled with art, in part because her father was a commercial as well as amateur artist – many of his personal watercolor landscapes are hung throughout the house. Similarly, Lee was inspired by his father, whose creativity saved himself from blindness when he invented the first commercially successful contact lens. Lee’s own research team extended that tradition with development of the soft lens. Once Vicki and Lee became parents, they worked to make art a part of their children’s lives through hands-on art projects for each developmental stage, until adulthood. Among the many works of art hung on the walls of their home, several by their son and daughter fit in nicely alongside pieces by famous artists. • It’s not uncommmon for collectors, who may have been actively buying art for decades, to reach a natural stopping point. Vicki and Lee are not at that juncture. When we met just before March, they were preparing to head to New York to attend the spring art fairs, as they have for years. An important part of collecting for them is to continue to discover and support living artists.
AN ECLECTIC MIXTURE OF TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONAL WORK FROM A RANGE OF PERIODS IS PLACED THROUGHOUT VICKI AND LEE’S MAIN LIVING AREAS. FEATURED HERE ARE TWO WORKS BY PHYLLIS BRAMSON: “A GENDER BENDING MELODRAMA,” (ABOVE PIANO) AND “LOVEMAKING AT THE END OF SPRINGTIME (FEMALE)” (ON PEDESTAL), YINKA SHONIBARE’S “TOY PAINTING 10,” 2003 (ABOVE CENTER), AND JOANNE CARSON’S “THE ROPE TRICK SERENADE” (ABOVE SOFA)
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Lee shared a story of when they were last at The Art Show in 2017, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) at the Park Avenue Armory. It was there that they encountered the powerful works of artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn, who happened to grow up in Chicago and was exhibiting with David Nolan Gallery. When the couple met the artist in the booth, they hit it off. As Lee remembers, “We just enjoyed being around him. And he has an incredible story to tell.” Lee recalled a backstory about Quinn, that after his mother Mary had died, he returned home from boarding school to the public housing apartment in Chicago where his family lived and found it empty. They had moved out while he was gone. According to Lee, “We didn’t buy a work in New York, but later we visited Rhona Hoffman Gallery here [in Chicago] for a show of Quinn’s
ART IN VICKI AND LEE’S HOME IS NOT OFF LIMITS TO ANYONE, EVEN THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. SHOWN: HAIRY WHO COMIC BOOKS SIGNED BY KARL WIRSUM, ONE OF DON BAUM’S CONSTRUCTED HOUSES, AND KEITH HARING DOMINOS AND PLAYING CARDS.
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work and when we walked in and saw each other, it was like we were old friends. When we told him we had not been able to get a work of his yet, he said he wanted us to have a cherished portrait of his mother that was hanging in the gallery.” Quinn’s narrative-driven portraits occupy a unique place on the art history timeline of Vicki and Lee’s collection, but they are also representative of the pair’s focus on contemporary figurative work that is rooted in Chicago’s artistic tradition. The abundance of faces and figures throughout the couple’s home imbues each room with an energy that seems to come from not only on but also within the walls. Even in quiet moments, instead of solitude, it feels like action is happening somewhere; the collective energy made evident through color, complex narratives and examinations inspires a kind of continuous search for
artistic themes and messages. Explains Vicki, “Although our Chicago collection is the strongest and most coherent, we’ve taken side trips into realism and pop art. Besides painting and drawing, there are sculptures and photography in the mix. But above all the theme remains figuration, from the real and recognizable to the stylized, illustrative, and even truly weird.” Lee adds that figurative art speaks volumes about that inspired spark found both in technology and art where human beings continually reinvent themselves. • Vicki and Lee frequent galleries, but as they strive to add to their collection they enjoy the hunt for rarer pieces, which are sometimes acquired at auction. The couple
has maintained their interest in the Hairy Who ever since they first began buying art, but renewed interest nationally, most notably when the Art Institute of Chicago hosted an exhibition of the Hairy Who’s work in 2018, means increased competition for anything related to shows that took place during the 1960s. Yet sitting on a glass coffee table in the living room, next to a Don Baum house with a cutting board for a foundation, are the newest additions to the couple’s collection, won just last year at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers: a pair of comic books, and a flyer, published to accompany the first Hairy Who exhibitions held between 1966 and 1968, illustrated and autographed by member artist Karl Wirsum. There is also a cloth covered catalog, Who Chicago? An exhibition of contemporary Imagists, published in 1980 and packaged with an etching by Jim Nutt.
MANY FACES Figurative paintings dominate Vicki and Lee’s collection. Highlights, often prime examples from an artist, span styles and decades and often reference art history.
Looking at this table filled with precious, temptingly touchable pieces of history and works of art, I asked if they had brought these objects out for me, or if they’re regularly so accessible. Vicki says, referring to their young grandchildren, who live locally and come over often, “We leave these out and encourage our grandchildren to touch the art. These are things they enjoy.” • Despite having actively collected for so long Vicki and Lee have kept their passion mostly to themselves. Their daughter, Monica, married a man also passionate about art, and he has encouraged them to enjoy their collection through sharing it. The most significant step so far towards celebrating the assembling of these 125 plus works may is a private project to catalog each piece, noting relevant details on each work – artist, title, date, dimensions, acquisiton and so on – as well as artistic groupings. The resulting booklet, which continues to be updated and is sometimes brought along to art fairs and galleries, provides a tidy, personal summary of the works that comprise this unique collection. Before I ended my morning on the Northside, Vicki took me into one last room upstairs in their home, where, tucked away were items not officially part of the couple’s collection: watercolors, maps, and journals created by Vicki’s father, Leon Granacki, during his four years spent serving in the US Army 132nd Infantry Regiment in the South Pacific during WWII, from 1941–1945. Explains Vicki, “He rose from private to Master Sergeant, and while attached to the G-2 Intelligence Section, prepared original maps and target photos used by both ground and air troops.” Today she’s using her professional experience in historic preservation to capture and save what’s so beautiful and important about her father’s work. She says, “His small but historic contribution was to a cause larger than himself.” This effort, along with Lee’s work finding a home for his father’s collection of artifacts tracing the innovative history of contact lenses, also informs how they think about their art collection. Though Vicki and Lee have spent decades learning about, acquiring and living with art, ultimately they believe that they are just caretakers. Says Vicki, “I’ve always thought especially about being a steward of the historic buildings that we live, work, and worship in. They were built by our ancestors, and if we care for them kindly and properly, will be enjoyed by our descendants. That’s what my career in historic preservation was about. As part of our work we were always doing research – looking for maps, plans, sketches, photos and journals that identified who came before us and what they created. We would be so excited to find records kept by ordinary people of the world around them. I have this idea that someday someone else may be looking for something that I’ve taken care to collect and put in a public archive or museum and they will be just as excited to find my treasure.”
Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Bring Yo Big Teeth Ass Here!, 2017
Fabrizio Arrieta, 1947 (detail), 2018
Jim Lutes, Dr. E. Victor (detail), 1989
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MONEY TALKS WHAT DOES IT REALLY COST TO MAKE A GALLERY LAST?
By GINNY VAN ALYEA Headline-making auction results never fail to draw in established collectors tracking art’s hottest names, speculators monitoring investment opportunities, and of course many casual observers. Art prices are frequently at the heart of the attraction of the global art market as well as the source of the intimidation people new to the art world feel when they wonder why a piece of art costs what it costs. With more than 130 galleries operating in the Chicago area, there is no single best way to work on behalf of artists and collectors, but there are a few key ways to keep the lights on year after year: save, and build a good reputation. Here we share five examples of the financial expense side of running a physical gallery in Chicago in order to pull back the curtain on what the numbers can look like in our local art market. While the overall income figures remain mostly private, I am grateful to this group of dealers who agreed to be candid about a significant portion of their own unique operational costs and to share why being in art business is worth more than money. 42 | CGN | Summer 2019
McCORMICK GALLERY Features both modern and contemporary art, focusing primarily on painting, works on paper and sculpture
Location: West Loop Principal: Tom McCormick Years in business: 50, although McCormick Gallery opened in 2000 Number of artists represented: 20 living; 12 estates Number of art fairs per year: We used to do up to 10 per year. Now it’s down to 3, and shrinking! In 2018 our 3 fairs totaled $115,000 in expenses. Major expenses: Commissions to artists on sold works: $996,110. Salaries: $101,659 (I don’t take a salary) Other necessary expenses: taxes, framing, shipping, publications, utilities, repairs, etc. Annual rent: $72,000. We own this building, which helps, but I have to pay the mortgage and taxes
Is there one factor that has mostly kept you afloat? I am at heart very conservative with money. I started almost 50 years ago, very modestly as a picker and runner (antiques, textiles, paintings… whatever), and didn’t have a proper gallery until I was in my 50s. So I built up a very solid base of knowledge and experience and never got too big for my pants, which helps in the down times. I think a reputation for being honest and reputable is very important. We also believe in giving clients artwork they will love and want to live with at a fair price. That’s sort of old fashioned, I suppose. What makes the gallery business worth it for you? I make a good living, so no complaints there. After all this time I’m pretty good at this and don’t know what else I’d do. While I am more and more disheartened by the whack-a-doodle art world, and what passes for “contemporary art”, I still love finding and selling a good painting. I like the artists we represent and enjoy seeing careers flourish. I love the occasional letter from a satisfied client who writes to say how much they enjoy their purchase. That pretty much makes it worthwhile.
WESTERN EXHIBITIONS Contemporary gallery that shows artists who work across most media, also featuring artist books and multiples
Location: West Town Principal: Scott Speh Years in business: 15 Number of art fairs per year:3–5 Number of artists represented: 21 Expenses: Without sharing dollar amounts, here’s a list of expenses that are part of the business, in no particular order. I’m sure that I’m missing something: Insurance (Art as well as liability); Utilities; Photography; Advertising; Framing; Shipping and supplies (FedEx and art handlers); Rent; Professional organization dues; Accountant/bookkeeping fees; Quickbooks; Credit card processing platform; Software (MS Office / Photoshop, as well as an Inventory management system, plus Constant Contact); Artsy; Telephone; Office supplies; Refreshments for opening receptions; Website host; Artist book inventory; Hardware and paint; Physical improvements/ maintenance; Artist dinners; Tickets to non-for-profit galas/benefits; Employee wages; and my wages (LOL). Single biggest expense: Combined art fair costs, which include art fair application fees, booth fees, art fair shipping, lodging, travel, and entertainment. Is there one factor that has mostly kept you afloat? I don’t have mouths to feed, I’m on my wife’s health insurance, and our rent is relatively cheap. And I don’t own a car. My personal life expenses are pretty low. What makes the gallery business worth it for you? It beats working!
WESTERN EXHIBITION’S BOOTH AT THE 2019 ART LOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR, HELD IN FEBRUARY, WITH WORKS BY ELIJAH BURGHER, EDIE FAKE, ROBYN O’NEIL AND DEB SOKOLOW.
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COURTESY OF VGA GALLERY AND GALLERY 400, OPENING NIGHT OF CHICAGO NEW MEDIA 1973-1992, 2018
VIDEO GAME ART GALLERY (VGA)
Focused on increasing cultural appreciation of and education about video games and new media
Location: Wicker Park Executive Director: Jonathan Kinkley (Co-Founder with Chaz Evans) Years in business: 6 Number of art fairs per year: 4-5 Single biggest expense: Artist fees and staff compensation was around $20K in 2018, higher than normal because we had a huge exhibition Chicago New Media 19731992 that was grant-supported, allowing us to pay artists, scholars and workers. Also, we are nonprofit. Average annual art fair fees (booths, travel, shipping): About $3–5K in 2018, all for local fairs like BitBash, C2E2, Minefaire, GDEX. In 2019 since we are traveling Chicago New Media to the Ars Electronica fair to reach 100K people, with the help of the Terra Foundation, that presentation will cost around $10K. We estimate $3–5K for additional local fairs but also for a trip to present at Games For Change Festival in NYC and also the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. 44 | CGN | Summer 2019
Annual or monthly rent: In 2018, monthly costs averaged around $500. VGA has generous landlords (my wife Melissa and I!) who subsidize rent and post the space on AirBnB when it is not in use by VGA, freeing up funds for programming. We worked with a law firm to draft a transparent lease that was approved by the VGA board. Annual revenue About $70,000 in 2018 What has primarily kept you afloat? The Chicago video game and art community believes in us, and that takes the form of material support through grants, donations and volunteering, plus hundreds of people buy VGA prints. Sheer grit and determination are factors too! Why is it all worth it? This is a tough question I confess I ask myself often. We bring pure delight and wonder, and people’s reactions are amazing and appreciative. The artists too, are so hungry and deserving of recognition. Without VGA, kids at Humboldt Park Library wouldn’t learn how to make games; artists working in games and new media wouldn’t be appreciated in artistic spheres. Books about gaming wouldn’t be published, and people seeking art and games wouldn’t have this dedicated place to go.
BERT GREEN FINE ART Exhibiting emerging, mid-career and underrepresented artists
Location: The Loop/Michigan Ave. Principal: Bert Green Years in business: 20 Number of art fairs per year: 1–2 art fairs a year at at cost of about $8,000 per fair. Number of artists represented: 14 represented, plus about 20 more exhibited but not represented. Did you have a ‘real job’ before becoming an art dealer? Was it more or less lucrative? I had been curating freelance since 1982, directly out of college, but did not open my own gallery until 1999. In the meantime I was a freelance graphic designer but did now and then hold the occasional job, never as a career and never was my previous work especially lucrative. Single biggest gallery expense: The rent ($15,000 per year) Annual revenue: It varies, but gross sales are usually between $150–$200K Is there one factor that has mostly kept you afloat? Low overhead, especially cheap rent.
Why is it all worth it? Being self employed is liberating and allows for an amazing amount of independence and freedom. Plus, the world of art and artists is unconventional — the people who inhabit that world are the most interesting characters and do not fall into the predictable patterns of tiresome career-based drudgery and unhappiness that so many people experience.
CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERY Devoted to the exhibition of prominent living photographers, alongside new and young talent.
Location: Newly in West Town (after 31 years in River North) Principal: Catherine Edelman Years in business: 32 in December 2019 Number of art fairs per year: 4-6 Number of artists represented: Approximately 30 Major expenses: My single biggest expense is rent. I pay over $100,000 a year in rent and have for a long time. I have always had long term leases, but everything was off the base rent [from 1987], which when I started was either $11 a square foot or $13. Now rents are $31–$34. We just moved to West Town, where rent will still cost me $31/sf but it is $2,000 less per month for almost twice as much space as what I had in River North. Average annual art fair fees (booths, travel, shipping): They all average to $40,000–$45,000 per art fair, all included. I do 4–6 per year, depending on my energy level. How do the fairs stack up for you financially? Up until a year and a half ago we probably netted anywhere from 2–4 times our expenses. The last year and a half I’ve been losing money at art fairs, which is a first for me. I don’t know what changed, but it’s been pretty consistent, well except for EXPO CHICAGO – we always do well there. Miami, we usually are pretty good – six figures net, but we lost money the last two years, which is just unheard of. I know some of it is one of my artists, who is a real mainstay financially, is not producing work that’s of quality that he used to, so where we might have done $1 million of sales of his work, it’s dropped to $200,000. Because the art fairs cost so much money, and the average piece of art that I bring is between $2,000–$10,000, that’s a lot of art that one has to move if it doesn’t come from him. I have to sell 20 $2,000 pieces to make up for one work that is $40,000. I specialize in discovering new people and bringing thier careers up, so it’s a hard balance.
There is a financial obligation tied to representing artists. How many artists do you represent now? Probably around 30 – I think that’s been consistent. I work on projects now, so that can be a year, year and a half and then they go. I’m finding that’s much more rewarding for everybody. It’s not as much pressure on the artist to produce things that I like, but it has to be a really strong body of work if collectors are going to get behind it. [Collectors] like to see things year after year, but artists just aren’t working that way, or at least the photographers that I engage aren’t working that way any more. The lineage used to be really simple, but I’m assuming that’s because a lot of the kids coming out of art school now aren’t focusing on just one specific medium anymore. They’re kind of combining things – maybe they want to try audio with video and photography, and it takes some time to figure that out. I find that exciting, but it also is nerve wracking. You can’t really represent it the same way. Is there one factor that has mostly kept you afloat? My passion for what I do and the fact that I save well. When we were doing really, really well I saved, so that now when things are a little funky we’re still OK. Why is it all worth it? Because it’s what I do. At a certain point, you make the decision about ‘Is this really what I’m doing for the rest of my life?’ Because unless you’re the one percenters, so that you buy your way into the art world and can buy your way into the blue chip artists, the 99.9% of us who are not that way and who are the ones who really do suport the art world, it’s difficult. There are a lot of highs and lows, and you only do this if you really love what you’re doing, because you don’t do it to get rich, although it’s afforded me a very good life. But I’m clear it’s a fininte number of years I’ll do this. I’ve said when I’m finished with the gallery, I’ll start a not-for-profit. With 30 something years behind me, it’s going to take a long time to start a new business. Now I’m starting CASE Art Fund – we seek to raise awareness of human rights issues by supporting fine art photographers and their work. We finally have our 501(c)(3), and we have a different way of thinking about costs. For instance it only costs $2,000 for an outside wall at an art fair, but at $1,800 a photo – and we’re making only 25% [of the sale] as well as covering the production costs of the work – we have to sell nine photos to cover the net of $2,000 [of that wall at the fair]. Once again it’s not about making money, it’s exposing the art to the right audience. It’s a whole different engagement. It’s not for me, it’s not for them; it’s for the greater good. Summer 2019 | 45 | CGN
TOURIST FOR A DAY WHEN AN ART INSIDER TAKES TIME OFF
WE LOVE ANISH KAPOOR’S CLOUD GATE IN MILLENNIUM PARK TOO BUT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO SEE TOO!
Summer in the midwest is basically one mad dash to be out in the fresh air as long as possible, before the doors of winter snap shut again. Many area gallery owners and artists are often busiest inside, welcoming visitors to see summer shows. We figure they relish the chance to get out and enjoy the city as well as the art that is all around us. Deborah Maris Lader, an artist, musician and the driving force behind the Chicago Printmaker’s Collaborative let us in on what she would do on a day off or a day out with visitors to Chicago. By DEBORAH MARIS LADER, As TOLD TO GINNY VAN ALYEA Since I spend my days in my studio surrounded by artists and/or making art, I enjoy the rare “day off” by feeding my other senses, while simultaneously stocking my visual cupboard with new material. My perfect day would be waking up to my morning matcha, while watching the birds gather at the feeder outside my window. Hopefully I’ll have picked up an oat jammer cookie at Baker Miller the day before to go with my daily soft boiled egg breakfast. If it’s a warm day, I’d bike down the lake trail to Maggie Daley Park and rent some shoes to scramble around on the self-belay rock climbing walls. If it’s cold I’ll rent ice skates and glide on the ribbon. I love walking along Lake Michigan in all kinds of weather, usually starting at the bird sanctuary at Montrose Harbor. 46 | CGN | Summer 2019
Then I’d go to the Museum of Surgical Science in the Gold Coast, which is a fairly serious funhouse of medical history filled with both gory and beautiful curiosities and inventions. Where else can you see a bowl full of kidney stones? Lunch would be something leafy – Left Coast Cafe, or the chopped salad at Cafe Selmarie. In winter, I’m a fan of the Tom Yum soup at Sticky Rice. Since I’m also a musician, I’d run over to the Old Town School of Folk Music, pick up some accessories at the store, and catch up with my musician friends, who I’d likely run into in the lobby. If I’ve got friends in town, I’d give them a tour of the WPA murals throughout the building, which used to house the old Sulzer Library. In the evening, my top picks are to head to Millennium Park for a summer concert, or catch a Shakespeare in the Park performance, or a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Evanston SPACE, or City Winery (my band plays all 3 venues, so I can get good tickets!). Dinner is at my new favorite, Kitsune on Lincoln Ave. It’s one of the most original food experiences I can think of. I’ll eat things there that I would never normally eat, just because it’s so unusual. I had my first bite of bone marrow there (and I don’t really eat beef, but whatevs). In general I love so many places in my neighborhood (Lincoln Square). When I have visitors, I like to show it off. I recently had arty friends visit, and we did a workshop at my studio at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative. I gave
them a tutorial in woodcut and screen printing. Later we headed to Northman Cider pub for a cider tasting, and saw a play at Lookingglass Theatre. We also of course did the Architectural Boat Tour.
DEBORAH LADER, PHOTO BY MONICA KASS ROGERS
If friends are in on a weekend, we’ll attend an opening, usually someplace a bit smaller or offbeat, AdventureLand, or Firecat Projects, or Addington Gallery, or pretty much anything Aron Packer is doing (usually a pop up).
OTHER FAVORITE PLACES TO TAKE VISITING FRIENDS: • The Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington) Ogle the mosaics, stained glass and grand staircases. • Navy Pier (600 E Grand) can be fun. I love walking outside along the pier to see the boats and watch people. • The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool (Fullerton and Cannon Dr.), next to Lincoln Park Zoo, is an example of Prairie School landscape architecture designed by Alfred Caldwell in 1936. • The Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N Central Park Ave) is truly amazing. It’s great in the winter when you need a blast of Amazonian-like jungle humidity. And greenery. • Millennium Park! (Randolph and Michigan Ave.) There is so much to love – the Frank Gehry bridge, the Lurie garden the Crown Fountain, The Bean [Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate] MY TOURIST TIPS: • Skip the “Chicago pizza” experience • Rent a bike (and helmet) on the lakefront trail to see the city skyline • Pick up a CGN Arts Guide for a comprehensive listing of all the galleries and spaces in the city! HELPFUL FREEBIES:
May 22 - August 3 Free and open to the public.
• Walk around downtown. It doesn’t cost anything, it’s good exercise, and you’ll see all kinds of cool stuff. • Hungry? Gallery openings have free booze and food. • Actually, it never costs anything to walk into any gallery in the city and look at art. How great is that?
@artsclubchicago www.artsclubchicago.org Summer 2019 | CGN | 47
ARTISTS AND THEIR ART REVEALING WORKS IN PROGRESS When visiting galleries, wandering a museum or strolling through a fair, the art you encounter is complete. Most of us do not see the process a work of art goes through on the way to completion; we do not often see the artist at work, in the studio testing ideas and concepts or on site tending to an installation. We asked a handful of artists to share what they are working on now as well as to describe their process so we might glimpse what really happens behind the curtain and see what is still a work in progress. –GV
TONY FITZPATRICK Fitzpatrick is a prolific artist who is always sourcing bits and pieces of found materials for his drawing collages. He’s currently working on a series called The Garden Of All Other Ecstasies as well as making maquettes for a large scale local project that will be publicly announced in late spring. “These works are about the Gardens of our Desire. What moves us, and keeps us up, and makes our hearts beat faster... There are thorns, dirt, bramble and burrs. There is conflict, sweat, and the smell of the earth.”
TONY FITZPATRICK
JORDAN MARTINS “I’ve been working through ideas relating to camouflage, signalling theory, and gestalt psychology, including the way plants and animals conceal or advertise themselves visually. The work I’m preparing for Goldfinch for my show in September 2019 is, in a sense, beginning with the idea of a painting behaving like a plant or animal in this active way, rather than an inert object on display. In part this is being worked through with the kinds of patterns built up within in each piece, but also in how individual pieces can relate to another in the space, to conceal or distort themselves or perhaps suggest a level of instinctual communication between them.” JORDAN MARTINS 48 | CGN | Summer 2019
ZACK WIRSUM “These days in the studio I am preparing for a show in October at Jean Albano Gallery. My current body of work is mostly memory related in concept and content; a combination of observational painting from recollections and nostalgic re-explorations of subject matter that fascinated me as a child, now from the perspective of adulthood. The two small paintings [pictured here] are examples of the later working studies for a larger painting about a birthday party for a cryptid attended by monster movie and Disney characters, tentatively titled Feliz Cumpleanos El Chupacabra Expanded Guest List. I am playing with the composition of the party invitees and tweaking coloration. The larger painting, in the background with the masking tape blocking cues and partially obscured by the studies, is about the 1930s Boston Red Sox spring training in Hot Springs Arkansas. It depicts baseball players climbing the wooded Ouachita mountains in full uniform as part of their conditioning, which I learned from a historical plaque. The stylization of the ball players I concocted reminded me of samurais, so I utilized colors I imagine a samurai would chose to paint their house with. I am still working on the patterns and layout of the rock formations and boulders the athletes are scaling. The masking tape is helping to inform these decisions.”
ZACK WIRSUM
ANNA KUNZ Anna Kunz is working towards a collaboration with Emanuel Pratt and the team at the SWEETWATER foundation, which will include new suspended paintings and structures. Parts of the collaboration will be on view in the Artists Garden and Theatre at the Taste of Chicago this summer.
ANNA KUNZ, UNTITLED (ADMIRALS), 2019, 14 X 11”, GOUACHE ON PAPER
Recent exhibitions include Inquiry into Abstraction, University of Cincinnati, curated by Mark Brosseau, and All is Well and Good at Circle Contemporary, curated by Eric Ruschman.
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DIANA GUERRERO-MACIÁ “I use slow craft practices to make hybrid paintings and objects. My core values are: material making is meaningful, craft is a form of consciousness, and the decorative has work to do. Materiality is a meaning that is distinctive. I make surfaces that are collaged, pieced, dyed, and stitched as a reconsideration of the field and form. My early works were constructed from discarded clothing, cut apart, flattened and pieced back together by hand in a way to expand the materiality of painting. I was influenced by Modernism and the Arts and Crafts Movement. In my practice, I admired the Pattern and Decoration movement and artists who used craft and collage methods to challenge categorization of art, craft and design. As a Latina artist, I learned the value of material culture in real-time. My Cuban immigrant parents taught me handwork, material re-use, and improvisational “making-do.” They understood the need to balance the decorative with the utilitarian to resist subjugation. My artwork comes to me intuitively, through my lived experience. I’m not trying to answer with logic, rather, I look to where my hands-on pursuit leads me.”
DIANA GUERRERO-MACIA
GEORGE KLAUBA In October George Klauba will have a solo exhibition at Hofheimer Gallery of his new body of work. He will have 20 oil paintings and drawings on wood of tattoo–related imagery. As of this spring he had completed 10 paintings. The sketch pictured here is one idea in showing women and men tattooed. Klauba explains, “I usually use the head or face of the subject in animal form to blend a similarity of the person’s inner make-up or angst. It’s part of the belief that tattoos mirror the inner side of the person or soul.”
GEORGE KLAUBA 50 | CGN | Summer 2019
A CHICAGO SPACE’S GLOBAL REACH THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE EXPANDS TO THAILAND By GINNY VAN ALYEA The Golden Triangle has sourced global treasures as well as inspiration for customers of its unique, River North Chicago space for 30 years. Founded in 1989 by Douglas Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak, The Golden Triangle has built a reputation for itself as a nexus of antiques, design and art. Today it is one of Chicago’s largest home furnishing stores, housed in an 18,000 square foot former Chicago River warehouse featuring vignettes from various historical periods, such as the Raj, other Colonial periods, ancient China, and 19th Century Europe, as well as an indoor courtyard. As shoppers and designers move from space to space, their experience changes with the context.
THE ARCHES IN TWO OF THE BUILDINGS ARE INSPIRED BY GEORGIO DE CHIRICO’S PAINTING, PIAZZA D’ITALIA, AS WELL AS SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOPHOUSES. THE THIRD BUILDING, SAYS VAN TRESS, IS PURE MODERN.
Owners Van Tress and Tuntisak travel the globe to hand-pick items for the Chicago store, and they regularly visit Chiang Mai, where they have a warehouse for shipping things to Chicago, at least twice a year since the store’s founding. A misty mountainous city in northern Thailand, with colorful hill tribes housing hundreds of elaborate Buddhist temples, Chiang Mai is considered a destination for handicrafts and antiques. The city houses beautiful hotels, lively nightlife and epicurean delights, and as of this past fall, Golden Triangle Hang Dong. According to Van Tress, “Golden Triangle Hang Dong is something new. We want to sell in Asia and even globally.” The new store is a collection of three buildings, adjacent to the existing warehouse, which will become a marketplace and restaurant. The goal, says Van Tress, is to be a new kind of retail space, “A design village where the visitor can explore and see things juxtaposed...in a kind of spiritual experience.” He sees Golden Triangle Hang Dong as a means of bringing “the best of the past, history and human culture into modern design. We’re not a normal antique store.”
VAN TRESS SAYS THE BASIC IDEA FOR THE STORE’S DESIGN – MODERN BUT ALSO A BIT SOFTER, WITH HISTORICAL REFERENCES – WAS HIS OWN, FULFILLED BY ARCHITECT TECHINPHAT KHACHONPHURITHANAKUL.
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#INSTAART INSTAGRAM’S INDEPENDENT ART CONNECTIONS
HAILEY SCOTT, AKA @SUGARMILKK
By SARAH ADLER Lee Godie sold her work on the steps of the Art Institute. A self–taught artist, she insisted her work was better than Cezanne’s. But, it was the late ‘60s, decades before the advent of the Internet, and nearly half a century before Instagram would commandeer the public conscience. In terms of self-promotion, well, the steps of the Art Institute would have to do. Although the internet has revolutionized everything – how we connect with one another, how we look at art, even how we create art, a simple fact remains the same: artists who are starting out, and those without traditional gallery representation, must be their own best advocate. Independent artists are tasked with a critical step after making their work: how to effectively share their art with a wide and engaged audience. Self–promotion can now be created and distributed, for the most part, digitially, originating entirely from the privacy of home 52 | CGN | Summer 2019
or the studio, rather than out on the steps of a major institution. And many of the digital channels available are also, in large part, free. I spoke with two artists without gallery representation on how they self-promote, and in particular, how they use the omnipresent social media application Instagram to do so. I also looked at greater trends in how artists feel about the controversial platform: does its universality and the algorithm of instant gratification ultimately undermine the art, even while bolstering the reach of one’s portfolio? I also wondered, what happens to galleries in the midst of all these great changes? • Haley Scott is a Chicago-based photographer who, on Instagram, goes by the sweetly enticing handle, @sugarmilkk. With nearly 6,500 followers, a bio that proudly claims, “DETROIT MADE * CHICAGO BASED,” punctuated by the link to her professional website, Scott’s feed is a melange of photos united by rich hues
as well as a sense of something intimate: there are close-up action shots of limber basketball players contorted into yoga-like positions, friends posing in moody lighting, and selfies of the artist herself modeling her own heavily tattooed arms. In many ways, Scott’s Instagram serves as both an ode to her work as well a window into her own identity. “I know for a fact that whatever my brain is twisted up in makes me see colors differently,” she says, speaking of both her work as well as her personal Instagram. Last summer, a swath of luscious pinks and purples dominated her images; by December she favored rich blues and darker tones. This kind of casual, light relationship to Instagram seems to be the exception amongst many artists today, at least according to several
popular articles. A 2016 piece in Vice by the artist Brad Phillips claimed nearly the exact opposite with its doomsday title, “How Instagram is changing the art world” and subheader, “The app has made me more successful than ever, but at the expense of my own art.” Written in the tone of an artist who is self-consciously biting the hand that has (literally) fed him luxurious sixcourse meals, Phillips acknowledges the ways in which his own presence on Instagram has dramatically boosted his art practice. Amongst his professional entrees, solo gallery shows and a book deal. His long list of drawbacks, however, underscores a kind of insidious aspect of the social media platform: that it sets up a system of instant gratification, it deletes any merit of privacy or creating work for oneself, and it can
arbitrarily choose content to censor (if it transgresses vague community guidelines). In many ways, his criticisms aren’t too different from that of a regular (read: non-artist) user of the application. “The app has been both an amazing and horrible tool for me, as well as other artists,” Phillips proclaims. His frustration at the outwardly capricious nature of Instagram’s algorithms is mirrored by Hailey Losselyong, another Chicago-based artist who goes under the handle @ hai_ey. Referencing the coveted ability to post active links in one’s Instagram ‘Story’ – a feature that, oddly, is only available to some, seemingly due to a high number of followers or some other account verification (another process with secret guidelines) – Losselyong says, “I think it’s strange
HAILEY LOSSELYONG, AKA @HAI_EY
Summer 2019 | CGN | 53
that not everyone has access to all the app’s features.” Despite her grievances with Instagram’s selectiveness, Losselyong warns that it is easy to hate on Instagram, when, in fact, it is also an incredible marketing tool, especially for artists who aren’t represented by galleries, or who do not employ or have access to a public relations team. Instagram, which is projected to surpass 111 million users in 2019, can serve as a very effective form of advertising. “It’s kind of a place to do a less refined version of a portfolio,” she says. Like Scott, Losselyong does not shy away from the selfie. Her intricate, stylized drawings, characterized by fluid and looping lines, are followed up by equally glamorous images of the artist posing, making her feed a kind of ode to not just the art but the life of an artist: subversive, creative, edgy. In one image she sports a head of bleached white-blue and purple hair, using only a blue emoji as the caption. It isn’t a historically typical artist’s portfolio. The effect of Instagram on art spreads beyond the individual artist. When it comes to galleries, Instagram has also introduced radical change. A 2018 Artnet.com article by Julia Halperin and Tim Schneider describes the phenomenon as an “Instagram takeover.” Gallerists acknowledge that they have discovered artists and evaluated images of art by using the app. Some also claim collectors pay more attention to a gallery’s Instagram posts than their email blasts (which, it’s worth noting, mostly replaced mailed announcements). Halperin and Schneider write, “By providing an unmediated, simple, and ever-present line of communication with collectors, Instagram has allowed the gallery to propel conversations begun with collectors at fairs into finalized sales back at the gallery at a later date…” Like other social media tools, Instagram offers for galleries – which, are in simple terms, small businesses – access to free marketing and publicity. While algorithms may interfere with this in ways that wouldn’t happen in a magazine, per se, much can be said about the fact that not only is the content free, but it’s accessible to everyone. Instagram can ideally be a space to expose contemporary art to anyone who wants to engage with it, regardless of their ability to visit museums or frequent galleries.
♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥
@yvettemayorga Post likes: 358 • 4,434K followers
@ChiGalleryNews follows many artists and galleries. To the right are a few that have notable followings and frequently high post likes. @huntslonem Post likes: 1,183 • 107K followers
@verticalgallery Post likes: 755 • 33.9K followers
Instagram, therefore, remains in a kind of polarized space. In many ways, the continual pressure the platform fosters – to create work and then promote perfect images of it – both helps and hurts artists. This modern means of sharing, beyond the steps of a museum, can also create great anxiety while pursuing independence, encouraging a singular quest for likes. According to Scott though, sharing her art on social media doesn’t change the fact that she has never done her work for anyone else. “It’s just the Aquarius rebel in me.” 54 | CGN | Summer 2019
@sarahraskeyfineart Post likes: 466 • 29.9K followers
COLLABORATIVE BENEFIT HYDE PARK ART CENTER PLAYS ARTISTIC MATCHMAKER In order to thrive, Chicago artists need an active local collecting community. A unique program – Not Just Another Pretty Face (NJAPF) – created to benefit the Hyde Park Art Center also supports artists while showing collectors the suprising ways to make art part of your life. NJAPF allows the Art Center to play matchmaker for artists and potential art buyers, facilitating a fun, accessible commissioning process that builds lasting relationships between artists and patrons, creates a new base of support for artists, and invests in the vitality of Chicago’s cultural community. 2019 marks the seventh installment of the program. A series of salons began early this year, and an exhibit unveiling the works will be presented in December, along with a catalog documenting the collaborations. We asked Linda and Mark Shapiro and artist Candida Alvarez, who worked together during the previous iteration of NJAPF, to share the story behind their artist–patron collaboration. – GV Hyde Park Art Center: Tell us about your experience with Not Just Another Pretty Face. Linda Shapiro: We were fortunate to work with Candida right before she had an amazing exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center in 2017. I’ve always admired her as an artist, and it’s been fun to follow her work. Mark Shapiro: When she invited us to her studio, we had the chance to meet an old friend and neighbor in a different context and to see how an artist works. Candida Alvarez: The commission with Linda and Mark was special because I have known them for years. Their son was a school buddy with my son. I was so touched. HPAC: Describe the piece that resulted from your collaboration. LS: Candida was very responsive to us. She made a beautiful square painting. I really like squares, and she picked up on it. CA: I asked them to share photos and things that meant something to them as a family – a special collection of objects, travel and family
CANDIDA ALVAREZ’S DIGNITY AND TRANQUILITY LAST FOREVER HANGS IN THE FRONT ROOM IN LINDA AND MARK SHAPIRO’S HOME.
photos, landscapes. Those images were my beginning point for the formal structure of the painting. The color was found through the photographs. LS: We sent her photos, mostly of family, with the theme “At Home in Hyde Park.” We have a son, who for years wore a red fleece to school. There’s a little red splotch in the corner that I’ve decided is Michael’s fleece. HPAC: Two years later, how do you reflect on the process? LS: The whole process was great – going to a salon, sitting and reviewing artists, visiting Candida’s studio, attending the unveiling, and now living with the art! CA: The entire process was fluid and surprising. LS: We’ve never commissioned a piece of art before, and it was fun. We’ll do it again next year! To get involved with Not Just Another Pretty Face please contact Maria Nelson: mnelson@hydeparkart.org • 773-324-5520, ext. 1014 Summer 2019 | CGN | 55
IMMERSIVE ART INVITES YOU TO STAY
THE ANGAD ARTS HOTEL IS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF ST. LOUIS’S GRAND CENTER ARTS DISTRICT. IT IS THE FIRST HOTEL IN THE WORLD WHERE GUESTS ARE ABLE TO BOOK THEIR LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS NOT ONLY BY ROOM TYPE, BUT ALSO BY EMOTION OF COLOR.
MIDWESTERN ART HOTELS WORTHY OF A ROAD TRIP In the art world you’re often encouraged to think outside the box in order to consider alternative perspectives, but what if the box itself is the inspiration? Summer is the season of road trips – and staycations – if you have a weekend or to to spare, or need an excuse to visit relatives or show friends around town, consider a stay in one of these artistically amped hotels. Often inspired by the artistic and cultural communities that surround them, you can devote your stay to a contemporary art immersion from start to finish. From Milwaukee to Saint Louis, and Indianapolis to Cincinnati, once you’ve visited one creative metropolis, you may start thinking about where to head next. Perhaps you’ll even see art in your dreams... –GV
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THE BRAND NEW SAINT KATE THE ARTS HOTEL IN MILWAUKEE, BY THE MARCUS GROUP, FEATURES ELEMENTS IN EACH ROOM THAT ARE DESIGNED BY ARTISTS, SUCH AS THIS GUESTROOM BLANKET BY CHRISTIANE GRAUERT.
NESTLED IN THE CITYWAY AREA OF DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS, THE ALEXANDER PAIRS CONTEMPORARY DESIGN WITH HOSPITALITY. IN EVERY ROOM, LOBBY, AND DINING SPACE IS A PIECE OF ART COMMISSIONED OR CURATED FROM LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS.
IN DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI THE HISTORIC METROPOLE HOTEL WAS REIMAGINED IN 2013 AS A CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM. ADJACENT TO THE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER, DESIGNED BY ZAHA HADID, 21C MUSEUM HOTEL IS A MULTI-VENUE 8,000 SF MUSEUM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 24/7, AS WELL AS AN AWARD-WINNING 156-ROOM BOUTIQUE HOTEL. YOU CAN TAKE WEEKLY DOCENT TOURS OF THE HOTEL AND THE ART CENTER OR BUY KEHINDE WILEY DINNER PLATES IN THE GIFT SHOP FOR $99.
IN 2016 THE PENINSULA CHICAGO MARKED EXPO CHICAGO WITH THE CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION, WHOVILLE, FEATURING HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BETH RUDIN DEWOODY COLLECTION, WHICH INCLUDED OVER 30 WORKS, SOME BY ROGER BROWN, NICK CAVE, THEASTER GATES, ART GREEN, KERRY JAMES MARSHALL, BRUCE NAUMAN, GLADYS NILSSON, ED PASCHKE, NATHANIEL MARY QUINN, CHRISTINA RAMBERG, TONY TASSET, H.C. WESTERMANN AND KARL WIRSUM. THE HOTEL HAS CONTINUED THE ALIGNMENT EACH YEAR.
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PATRICK ROUILLER AT WORK CREATING A UNIQUELY INSPIRED MURAL PANELS TO BE INSTALLED IN A CLIENT’S HOME.
PATRICK ROUILLIER CREATIVE COLLABORATOR By GINNY VAN ALYEA Patrick Rouillier, a highly respected name in design– savy circles, got his start almost 30 years ago right after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His first full time employment was with a chicago lamp company, doing design and production and developing business skills. Though he learned a great deal, the job meant he was removed from relationships with clients, and he found the repetition of production painting unfulfilling. He resolved to seek work where each project would be important to the specific client. It was studying scientific illustration at SAIC that fostered Rouillier’s critical eye for looking at objects as well as different periods and painting techniques. He learned to listen to what his professor, and eventually client, wanted to convey through the technical artistic outcome. “It provided me with an employable skill set from the beginning,” he says, “So I began working for and collaborating with designers and clients, listening and 58 | CGN | Summer 2019
translating information objectively into the process of how the materials work, and then executing the artistic expression.” Beyond the meticulousness required to create personal, time consuming works that are often larger in scale and even executed on site, relationships are part of each project. “I enjoy sharing with the people I work with,” admits Rouillier, “comparing the techniques and the history of the materials, such as gilding, or explaining the steps in creating a painting.” He also savors what he says is the natural process of work and a certain amount of experimentation, or twisting a tradition’s technique. “I have been fortunate to be educated by the diverse influences of my peers and the people who have employed me over the years. I enjoy being challenged by those various relationships to consider a new way of looking at design or art I may have undervalued or been ignorant of. Every day is a chance to learn something new.”
in a former manufacturing building. It smoldered for weeks, while the shock persisted and the emotional toll for many throughout the neighborhood and community set in. While most of the galleries in the fire were resilient and reopened, the area changed. It was a couple of years before the vibrant spirit returned. The district continued to house the largest number of galleries in Chicago until the early 2000s, but gradually the block that burned became a site for townhouses and design firms, and new neighborhoods drew many galleries elsewhere in the city.
30 YEARS LATER THE 1989 RIVER NORTH FIRE By GINNY VAN ALYEA CGN Founder Natalie van Straaten contributed to this article. Photos © Jim Skrabel
To talk about the River North gallery fire, which happened 30 years ago this spring, on April 15, 1989, is to travel back in time to a period in Chicago that sounds oddly familiar: the decade heralded the arrival of a visionary art fair amidst a recession, followed by a resounding financial and real estate boom, set against a backdrop of rapid political and social change. 1989 in Chicago capped a robust expansion of the local as well as international art market: John Wilson’s Art Expo debuted at Navy Pier in 1980; dozens of galleries moved to or opened in River North throughout the decade. The country enjoyed significant economic growth in the mid ‘80s, only to be gutted by the 1987 stock market crash. For a group of Chicago galleries, April 1989 literally burned it all down.
Today the district is still home to more than a dozen galleries, with Zolla/Lieberman Gallery remaining as the only one from the group of nine that burned in the fire. Three decades on, most of the galleries and people directly affected by the fire are no longer around or in the gallery business: Ann Nathan/Objects Gallery, Klein Gallery, Peter Miller Gallery, Sazama/Brauer, East West Contemporary, Rowe Company Fine Arts, van Straaten Gallery, and the original Habatat Gallery. A year after the fire, a follow up article in the Tribune relayed, “The city Fire Department never reached a determination on the cause of the fire,” spokesman Tom Shephard said...”The evidence was so badly damaged, we couldn’t come up with a cause.” The destruction of art was ultimately the biggest casualty: a year’s worth of work by Zolla/Lieberman artist Chema Cobo was lost, and the entire estate of a deceased artist at Rowe was incinerated. For dozens of artists work up in smoke meant devastating personal losses, from irreplaceable art to financial lifelines. A tragedy that affected so many throughout the community is worthy of rememberance 30 years later.
A Chicago Tribune article about the blaze from April 1989 reads, “Artwork estimated to be worth millions of dollars was turned into ash Saturday as fire destroyed a historic brick loft building, site of the largest redevelopment project to date in Chicago’s trendy River North district.” Much of what has changed in River North in the last three decades can be traced back to that 5 alarm inferno. At the time River North was truly the heart of the art gallery scene. The fire obliterated an entire square block – bounded by Huron, Sedgwick, Orleans and Superior Streets – that contained nine galleries Summer 2019 | CGN | 59
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Image: Judy Ledgerwood, Trouble, 2010, Courtesy the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery 161