CGN
HURVIN ANDERSON AT THE ARTS CLUB FRIDA KAHLO: TIMELESS AT CLEVE CARNEY COLLECTORS GARY METZNER AND SCOTT JOHNSON TAKING THE ART WORLD’S TEMPERATURE UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ART
SUMMER 2021
CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS • MIDWEST GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS • ART LISTINGS
VERTICAL GALLERY Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery
Louis Masai
May 1 - 22: Louis Masai ‘MEAT my friends’ June 5 - 26: Imon Boy July 10 - 31: ROA
Vertical Gallery, 1016 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60622 | 773-697-3846 www.verticalgallery.com New second gallery: Vertical Project Space, 2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R – view exhibition calendar online
JUNE 5 - SEPT 6, 2021
Cleve Carney Museum of Art | Glen Ellyn
FRIDA2021.ORG | 630.942.4000
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Small Monkey, 1945 (Oil on masonite). Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo, Xochimilco, Mexico. © 2019 Banco de México, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico City, Mexico.
Inspiring Chicago Communities Through Public Sculpture
20th
celebrating
ADMISSION IS FREE
20
2021 CSE is a 501(c)(3) Illinois Corporation
Anniversary Celebrates the
RICHARD HUNT
years
Award
312.772.2872
ChicagoSculptureExhibit ChicagoSculpture CSESculpture
w: ChicagoSculptureExhibit.org e: ChicagoSculptureExhibit@gmail.com
YANNIS
TSAROUCHIS: DANCING IN REAL LIFE
The first retrospective exhibition of Yannis Tsarouchis in the United States
Curated by Androniki Gripari and Adam Szymczyk
FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS
MAY 7 – JULY 31
TICKETS AT Wrightwood659.org The exhibition Yannis Tsarouchis: Dancing in Real Life is organized by the Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation, Athens. Support for the exhibition is provided by Alphawood Foundation Chicago. IMAGE CREDIT: Yannis Tsarouchis. Military policeman arresting the Spirit. 1965. Watercolour and pencil on paper. © Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation
100 acres of open prairie Grass paths guide visitors around a lake and through a collection of 30 monumental outdoor sculptures On and around the campus of Governors State University Free admission and parking Free Otocast app for GPS guide to the collection Open from dawn to dusk 365 days a year
Paul, 2006 Tony Tasset
www.govst.edu/sculpture Governors State University 1 University Parkway University Park, IL 60484
Tony Fitzpatrick, The Watchman Of Humboldt Park (I, Apostle), 2021
T O N Y F I T Z PAT R I C K
T h e Wa t c h m a n o f H u m b o l d t P a r k ( I , Ap o s t l e ) October 2021 Coming to Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage tonyfitzpatrick.co
325 W Huron St | Chicago, IL 60654 | 312.944.1990 | ZollaLieberman@sbcglobal.net | ZollaLiebermanGallery.com
DENNIS LEE MITCHELL Recorded Traces May 21 - July 17, 2021 Image: DENNIS LEE MITCHELL - Portugal #3, 2021, smoke on paper, 34 x 34 in.
coming May 29
Coming Memorial Day Weekend!
RANDOLPH MARKET harbor country three oaks, michigan
Chicago’s world renowned, one of a kind Randolph Market is taking a road trip this summer to Three Oaks Michigan!
3 OAKS, MI
Our long time venue Plumbers Hall is under construction so we have decided to take our show on the road. Ninety minutes from the city your world will be transformed. Three Oaks is a quintessential small “hometown” community nestled within Harbor Country, which is the summer home to many Chicagoans. Come shop our curated dealers’ treasures, cruise the stores on Three Oaks’ main drag and even stop for a swim at Warren Dunes State Park. It will be worth the trip and the start of a new tradition! 2021 Market Dates
harbor country art • antiques • timeless treasures
RANDOLPHSTREETMARKET.COM
MAY 29+30 JUN 19+20 JUL 3+4
AUG 7+8 SEP 4+5
Located at: 16860 Three Oaks Road - Three Oaks, Michigan Check website for updates & times: RandolphStreetMarket.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @randolphmarket
ˆ
MoCPat 45
JUNE 10, 2021 PRESENTED VIRTUALLY
A virtual event celebrating Chicago Artists Coalitions’ 47 years supporting Chicago artists and curators.
Nick Cave and Bob Faust. Photo credit: Whitten Sabattini.
2021 HONOREES
EVENT DATE
NICK CAVE + BOB FAUST
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021
6:00 - 6:30 pm free, public event includes recognitions, grants and art auction and highlights from Chicago artists!
6:30 - 7:30 pm VIP event tickets at $300 per person includes additional private event with a virtual tour of Facility, Nick Cave and Bob Faust’s multi-disciplinary creative space in Northwest Chicago. A live conversation with the artists follows the tour.
Tickets for both the free and VIP WIP 2021 events are available at chicagoartistscoaltion.org
TowardCommonCause.org Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40, is organized by the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art in collaboration with exhibition, programmatic, and research partners across Chicago
“The magical thing about Leving’s work is that it pulls you into it. It displays an understanding of how the world really works.” – L. Reichel
JEFFERY LEVING LEVINGGALLERY.COM
CGN SUMMER 2021
ALEXANDER CALDER’S FLAMINGO SCULPTURE IN CHICAGO’S FEDERAL PLAZA. COURTESY CHICAGO LOOP ALLIANCE.
CONTENTS
24 12
ART SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Notable exhibitions in galleries + museums
13
GALLERY OPENINGS
14
ART LISTINGS: MAY–AUGUST
Galleries, museums, exhibitions, maps
FEATURES Frida Kahlo: Timeless at the Cleve Carney Museum 24
42 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: FRIDA KAHLO AT CLEVE CARNEY; FEATURE ON PAGE 24 THE COLLECTION OF GARY METZNER AND SCOTT JOHNSON, PAGE 28 LOOKING FORWARD TO COMMON CAUSE; PAGE 42
10 | CGN | Summer 2021
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of Art. A Transformative Exhibition for the Glen Ellyn Community 28 Vibrant Art Enlivens a Home: Collectors Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson 32 Taking the Temperature of the Art World: How Is It Actually Going in Chicago’s Art World? 34 Re-Discovering the East in the West: Ukrainian Museum of Art (UIMA) 38 Hurvin Anderson’s Artistic Translations at the Arts Club of Chicago 41 Gallery Expansions & Plans 42 Looking Forward to Common Cause 44 Head North: Exploring Art in Wisconsin
45
ART SERVICES + RESOURCES
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
WHEN LEANING BACK MOVES YOU FORWARD haven’t taken over the world, but it also hasn’t managed to take us over either. Leaning back this past year is what kept us on track and balanced as we navigated unpredictable, sometimes scary times.
BALANCING WORK/LIFE WITH ONE OF CGN’S TOP INTERNS, PICTURED ON AN OFFICIAL OUTING WITH PUBLISHER GINNY B. VAN ALYEA TO THE ART INSTITUTE, SPRING 2021
Remember when many businesses and corporate leaders emphasized that women “lean in” to achieve professional progress as well as a work-life balance? I think at some point we started to lean so much we tipped over. I physically did this at the time Sheryl Sandberg’s book of the same name was published, and I was a few months pregnant with my daughter. I was leaning in to admire something at an art fair, and I didn’t yet understand how my own bodily center of balance had shifted. My mother had to help me stand back up and I had to brush off my embarassment. For me eight years after that art fair and two children later, the center of many things has continued to shift. 2020 was basically one big lurch in another direction for all of us. Settling into 2021 I’m not sure I will ever go all the way back to the late night multi-tasker I was before the pandemic. I’m finding I’m a better mother, wife and publisher when I lean back – I get more sleep and I keep my to-do list short and my social calendar more limited. Leaning, for me, is balancing, not falling over or getting whiplash. When the pandemic hit last spring, I fretted about what to do at work – how could CGN help galleries and artists? Should we organize a benefit auction? A crisis symposium? Would CGN even survive? Should we find a way to build e-commerce into our website? How could I fix everything? Ultimately, in the CGN office Emily and I decided to just keep doing what we always do: cheerlead the arts. Doing one thing for over 38 years has worked. We
In this summer issue we’ve tried to seek balance and perspective once again, grateful to be publishing according to our usual schedule, not under lockdown, and with a host of exhibitions and news to cover, all while keeping our eyes open for good news and green shoots. So far we have seen a notable number of galleries moving and smartly expanding this year, deepening roots in the creative economy long term. Mayor Lightfoot also announced “Arts 77” — a citywide arts recovery and reopening plan with an initial investment of over $60 million to ”place the arts at the center of our city’s recovery efforts.” If 2020’s flood almost wiped us out, 2021 is a year of replanting ahead of what we hope will be a cultural harvest in 2022 and beyond. For now openings still look different and are fewer in number, and the art fairs and large events haven’t officially returned yet, but we do see people seeking out art in person this summer, visiting galleries in small groups, buying timed tickets to museums, and hitting the road on weekend trips to Midwestern cities and towns that offer art and culture within a couple hours drive. A year of leaning back has helped artists and dealers reevaluate plans as well as resources, and it has helped me build up the resolve, not to mention appreciation, to wade back into the water and enjoy our city again. I see I don’t have to do it all, but I will strive to do it well. Grateful to be able to continue publishing CGN as we approach our 40th anniversary next year, we’ve recommitted to making sure this lovely magazine continues to exist and connect to many in our little part of the art world. As long as I can keep my balance, and my head, we can stay right where we are. That is good and it’s enough.
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. Magazines are available by subscription. Complimentary issues are available in galleries, museums and art centers, the Chicago Cultural Center and select hotels throughout the region. Published 3 times annually: CGN Arts Guide / Summer / Fall © 2021 Chicago Gallery News, Inc. Publisher + Executive Editor Virginia B. Van Alyea Managing Editor + Business Manager Emily Ackerman Contributors Anna Dobrowolski Jacqueline Lewis Alison Reilly Interns Isobel Van Alyea Thomas Van Alyea Chicago Gallery News Chicago, IL 312-649-0064 chicagogallerynews.com Summer 2021 Vol. 36, No. 1 © 2021 ISSN #1046-6185 ON THE COVER: Hurvin Anderson, CGN Flat Top, 2008, oil on canvas, 98-3⁄8 x 81-7⁄8 in., Collection Thomas Dane, London Photo: Hugh Kelly. On view at the Arts Club of Chicago through August 7, 2021 HURVIN ANDERSON AT THE ARTS CLUB
FRIDA KAHLO: TIMELESS AT CLEVE CARNEY COLLECTORS GARY METZNER AND SCOTT JOHNSON
TAKING THE ART WORLD’S TEMPERATURE UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ART
SUMMER 2021
CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS • MIDWEST GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS • ART LISTINGS
Summer 2021 | CGN | 11
THE SEASON’S HIGHLIGHTS MANDELA: STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM This exhibition at the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie traces the history of the fight against apartheid in South Africa, with Nelson Mandela as one of its central figures. Among its many dramatic features and original artifacts, the exhibition replicates the 8 x 7 foot cell where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in jail. • Thru Sept 12 ilholocaustmuseum.org
MANDELA WITH A RAISED FIST, MOMENTS AFTER HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON (AFTER 27 YEARS) ON FEBRUARY 11TH 1990, PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAEME WILLIAMS
MOCP 45TH ANNIVERSARY + DARKROOM BENEFIT MoCP is turning 45! At their annual fundraiser photography enthusiasts will enjoy good company virtually while perusing auction items by celebrated contemporary artists, including Dawoud Bey, Barbara Crane, Pete Souza (shown at right) and others. Proceeds raised support essential MoCP exhibition and education programs. • June 10 mocp.org
PART OF MOCP’S 2021 DARKROOM AUCTION: PETE SOUZA, HAIR LIKE MINE, 2009, INKJET PRINT, 10 X 15” ON 13X 19” PAPER
YANNIS TSAROUCHIS: DANCING IN REAL LIFE
ARCHITECTURE TOURS ARE BACK For more than 25 years, the Chicago Architecture Center’s expertly trained docent volunteers have led the famous river cruise, sharing fascinating stories behind more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River. This is the best overview of Chicago’s architecture and its history you’ll get in 90 minutes. Other walking, bike, even El tours are also being offered again. architecture.org
57TH STREET ART FAIR Organizers of the 74th Annual 57th Street Art Fair committed that this long-running Hyde Park fair will happen, rain, shine or pandemic. They’ve planned a robust virtual fair with hopes of producing a safe in-person event if the City issues the special event permit in time. • June 5-6 57thstreetartfair.org 12 | CGN | Summer 2021
YANNIS TSAROUCHIS, WINDS: KAIKIIAS AND ZEFYROS, 1966, OIL AND ACRYLIC ON CEMENT TILE, PRIVATE COLLECTION, USA. (C) YANNIS TSAROUCHIS FOUNDATION.
INTUIT’S 30TH VISIONARY BALL Celebrate 30 years of Intuit, from home! Enjoy speakers, Intuit’s famed auction, and inspiring art stories. Register for a $250 Party-InPlace Package (even Henry Darger’s magical blenginsinspired gin cocktails), shipped anywhere. • June 10 art.org
Wrightwood 659 hosts the first U.S. exhibition devoted to the work of Yannis Tsarouchis (1910–1989), widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek painters of the 20th century. • May 7–July 31 wrightwood659.org
GALLERY OPENINGS While the nature of gallery openings has changed for the forseeable future, every gallery has their own policy in place to handle receptions and gallery visits. The vast majority of area spaces are now open to in-person viewing with safety adjustments in place that are mindful of COVID-19. Openings typically take place the first night of a new exhibition and are now distanced and masked. Galleries are committed to staying safe but also available, with dealers accomodating visitors by appointment as well as sharing digital previews and viewing rooms. Due to the tenuous nature of scheduling at press time, we have temporarily adusted this “Openings” page to feature new exhibitions coming this summer, some with opening receptions. Please check Chicagogallerynews.com for daily updates, and sign–up for CGN’s weekly newsletters for highlights.
RIVER NORTH WEST SIDE SOUTH SIDE MICHIGAN AVE / LOOP NORTH SIDE SUBURBS/MIDWEST
JUNE ANDREA R. COLEMAN
MAY
DISTRICT KEY:
ADDINGTON
May 1–31
Virginia Carstarphen: Wanderings, Maps and Memories ARC
May 29–Jun 19
Ania Jaworska: BRICKS VOLUME
A Composition of Memory
RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
FLXST
Jun 13–Aug 1
Jul 24–Aug 29
JULY
AUG
Dorothy Graden: Liminal Spaces
RELEVANT: Daphne Walsh
First Virtual Employee Art Show 2021
EVANSTON ART CENTER
OLIVA
FERMILAB
Jun 5–Jul 11
Jul 16–Aug 7
Aug 2–Oct 29
June 4
NANCY PEOPLES
Cat Crotchett, Tethered
Matthew Metzger: Heirloom
Summer 2021 | CGN | 13
ART LISTINGS – SUMMER ‘21 WEST TOWN UKRAINIAN VILLAGE KINZIE CORRIDOR GARFIELD PARK ARC Gallery
1463 W. Chicago (60642) www.arcgallery.org Thru May 22: Jeanette May Thru Jun 19: Observing Mothering Thru Jun 19: Virginia Carstarphen Jun 25 – Aug 14: Our Planet: Ourselves Jun 25 – Jul 17: Monica J. Brown
Paris London Hong Kong
DOCUMENT specializes in contemporary photography, film and media based art. The gallery has organized more than 50 solo exhibitions and actively promotes the work of emerging national and international artists.
Curating world-class exhibitions, featuring works from luminaries of the 20th century as well as emerging and thought provoking contemporary artists, PLHK is an exclusive experience set to challenge and enhance the discourse of contemporary and 20th century art.
1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.documentspace.com
Catherine Edelman Gallery 1637 W. Chicago (60622) www.edelmangallery.com
2320 W. Chicago (60622) www.uima-chicago.org
Gray Warehouse
2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com
1711 W. Chicago (60622) www.rhoffmangallery.com
Chicago Artists Coalition
Rhona Hoffman specializes in international contemporary art in all medias, and art that is conceptually, formally or socio-politically based. From its inception, the gallery has launched emerging artists’ careers.
Chicago Truborn 1741 W. Chicago (60622) www.chicagotruborn.com
Chicago Truborn is a non–traditional gallery dedicated to supporting, often neglected, mediums of artistic creation with an emphasis on street/urban/graffiti.
14 | CGN | Summer 2021
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) Thru Jun 20: Abstraction as Metaphor: Corey Postiglione and Kathie Shaw Jun 26–Aug 22: West Gallery: Ricardo Manuel Diaz and Margarita Fainshtein
Ken Saunders Gallery
2041 W. Carroll, Ste. C-320 (60612) www.kensaundersgallery.com Opening May 1: Fever Dreams Opening Jun 5: Catharine Newell: Immersed Opening Jul 10: Sarah Vaughn
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
Chicago: 2010 W. Carroll (60612) North Shore: 1963 Johns Dr., Glenview (60025) www.artsoflife.org
June 9: Work in Progress annual benefit (virtual)
1612 W. Chicago (60622) www.patrongallery.com
Goldfinch
3522 W. Franklin Blvd. (60624) www.thefranklinoutdoor.tumblr.com/
CAC is a non-profit organization that supports contemporary Chicago artists and curators by offering residency programs, exhibitions, professional development and resources.
PATRON
Thru May 29: Jamal Cyrus: Manna and Braised Collards
The Franklin
2130 W. Fulton (60612) www.chicagoartistscoalition.org
1709 W. Chicago (60622) www.parislondonhongkong.com
Since 1987, Catherine Edelman Gallery has established itself as one of the leading galleries in the country devoted to the exhibition of prominent living photographers, alongside new and young talent.
Thru May 29: Damon Locks: The X Enters Jun 5–Jul 17: Gallery 1: Meghan Borah: Polite Company Gallery 2: Hyun Jung Jun
Circle Contemporary (Arts of Life)
Chicagogallerynews.com is updated daily with new exhibitions and events, both in person and virtual.
DOCUMENT
319 N. Albany (60612) goldfinch-gallery.com
WATERCOLOR ON PAPER, DEBRA JOHNSON, PART OF COLOURED FIRE, WHICH WAS ON VIEW ONLINE THIS SPRING AT ARTS OF LIFE
A note about exhibitions and events: the info here is current as of press time, but as we all know everything is subject to change.
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art 756 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.art.org
Intuit is a premier museum of outsider art, defined as work made by artists who didn’t, or sometimes couldn’t, follow a traditional path of art-making, using materials at hand to realize their vision
Monique Meloche Gallery 451 N. Paulina (60622) www.moniquemeloche.com
Thru June 12: • Ebony G. Patterson: She is Land... She is the Mourning • Brittney Leeanne Williams: How Far Between and Back
SARAH VAUGHN AT KEN SAUNDERS GALLERY
Vertical Gallery
1016 N. Western (60622) Vertical Project Space: 2006 W. Chicago, 1R www.verticalgallery.com We are Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery. Established in 2013, the gallery focuses on work influenced by street art, urban environments, graffiti, pop culture, graphic design and illustration. Please check the gallery website for our exhibition schedule.
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CARROLL FULTON
KAVI GUPTA #2
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RANDOLPH
WEST LOOP
GREEN
LAKE PEORIA
HINDMAN
ELIZABETH
DAMEN
ASHLAND
CARROLL PAULINA
LAKE
CHICAGO ARTISTS COALITION
WEINBERG /NEWTON
KINZIE
WOOD
FULTON
KEN SAUNDERS
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KINZIE CORRIDOR
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• GOLDFINCH • THE FRANKLIN
MONIQUE MELOCHE
• FILTER PHOTO • SPUDNIK PRESS
HUBBARD
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ARC
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PATRON
• RHONA HOFFMAN • PLHK • VOLUME • DOCUMENT • WESTERN EXHIBITIONS
ERIE
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CHICAGO
WEST TOWN
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UKRAINIAN INST. OF MODERN ART
W IL
AUGUSTA
• RIVER WEST • WEST LOOP • GARFIELD PARK
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UKRAINIAN VILLIAGE
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• UKRAINIAN VILLAGE • WEST TOWN • KINZIE CORRIDOR
RACINE
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WASHINGTON
CARRIE SECRIST
MADISON
• KAVI GUPTA • MCCORMICK
ADAMS
EPIPHANY
Volume Gallery
Hindman
Volume Gallery focuses on design and art, with a strong emphasis placed on emerging contemporary designers and artists.
Hindman operates more U.S. salesrooms than any other firm and conducts over 100 auctions annually in categories such as fine jewelry, fine art, modern design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, couture, Asian art, arts of the American West, and numismatics.
1338 W. Lake (60607) www.hindmanauctions.com
1709 W. Chicago, 2B (60622) www.wvvolumes.com
June 4: Ania Jaworska: BRICKS
Epiphany Center for the Arts
Weinberg/Newton Gallery
201 S. Ashland (60607) • epiphanychi.com
688 N. Milwaukee (60642) www.weinbergnewtongallery.com
Weinberg/Newton Gallery is a non-commercial gallery with a mission to collaborate with nonprofit organizations and artists to educate and engage the public on social justice issues. Through artwork and programming, the gallery provides a vital space for open discourse on critical contemporary issues facing our communities.
Western Exhibitions
1709 W. Chicago, 2nd Floor (60622) www.westernexhibitions.com Jun 4 – Jul 17: Edie Fake Jul 31 – Aug 28: Paul Nudd’s Black Mayonnaisery
CJ HUNGERMAN, WE RISE #1, 2018, ACRYLIC, SPRAY PAINT, INK, MARKER ON CANVAS, 36” X 48”. PART OF AMERICAN ROULETTE, THRU JULY 18 AT EPIPHANY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
WEST LOOP Kavi Gupta Gallery 835 W. Washington and 219 N. Elizabeth (60607) www.kavigupta.com
Kavi Gupta is a leading contemporary art gallery based in Chicago that hosts more than a dozen museum quality exhibitions each year; its publishing imprint, Kavi Gupta Editions, produces unique, high quality artist books and catalogues.
May 7 – Jul 18: Juan Arango Palacios: Payasadas May 8 – Jul 11: Chicago: Home of House May 21 – Jul 25: Wangari Mathenge - The Expats Studies Jul 16 – Sept 19: Like Queer Animals: Jessie Mott and Chantal Nadeau Jul 23 – Sept 12: Thresholds: Identity of (Y)ourselves
McCormick Gallery 835 W. Washington (60607) www.thomasmccormick.com
Jul 15 – Sept 4: Whitney Bradshaw, Outcry
Carrie Secrist Gallery 900 W. Washington (60607) www.secristgallery.com
Recent exhibitions may be found in our new virtual “gallery space” with some shows accessible via the gallery’s Online Viewing Room archive via our website. Summer 2021 | CGN | 15
WHAT’S ON VIEW THIS SUMMER Planting and Maintaining a Perennial Garden: Shrouds by Faheem Majeed
Color Splurge: Mauricio Ramirez and Sheri Rush
HYDE PARK ART CENTER
May 3 – July 24
HOFHEIMER GALLERY DETAIL OF PUSH /PULL, NEW PERFORMATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE SELDOMS AND FAHEEM MAJEED, 2021
LEFT: SHERI RUSH; RIGHT: MAURICIO RAMIREZ
May 1–28
Edie Fake WESTERN EXHIBITIONS
Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now
Jun 4–Jul 17
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
EDIE FAKE, BUTTES 2019, GOUACHE AND INK ON PANEL, 11H X 14W”
Jun 19–Oct 3 LYNDA BARRY, 100 DEMONS: DANCING, 2000-02. WATERCOLOR ON BOARD; 8 × 10 IN. COURTESY ADAM BAUMGOLD FINE ART
Meghan Borah: Polite Company
Deborah Butterfield
GOLDFINCH
ZOLLA/ LIEBERMAN
Jun 5–Jul 17
Aug 13–Oct 16 DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD
Phyllis Bramson / Robert Indiana / Mayumi Lake
A Question of Emphasis: Louise Fishman Drawing
LUBEZNIK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
KRANNERT ART MUSEUM
Jun 14–Oct 15
Aug 26–Feb 26, 2022 ROBERT INDIANA, WABASH 40 - TERRA HAUTE LOUISE FISHMAN, BEL CANTO, 2014
16 | CGN | Summer 2021
ADDINGTON
ZOLLA / LIEBERMAN RICHARD NORTON
HURON
HERITAGE AUCTIONS
Addington Gallery
806 N. Dearborn (60610) North: 342 Park Ave., Glencoe (60022) www.alankoppel.com
May 1: Cat Crotchett: Tethered June 5: Encaustic in America Pt. 1 Jul 10: Joan Holleb
For over two decades, Alan Koppel Gallery has played a leading role in introducing contemporary international artists to American audiences. In addition to organizing extensive solo and group exhibitions the gallery maintains an inventory of select primary and secondary works by leading artists from the major movements in 20th C. American and European Art.
Jean Albano Gallery 215 W. Superior (60654) www.jeanalbanogallery.com
Special Exhibiton - Bill Mauldin at 100 “Weeping Lincoln” and Famous World War II “Willie and Joe” Cartoons Ongoing: Gallery group show, featuring Bonnie Lautenberg, John Maloff, Amy Perlmutter, and Donna Rosenthal
300 W. Superior (60654) www.galleryvictor.com
The gallery exhibits compelling contemporary art in a variety of media by both established and emerging artists. Focusing on figurative art, museum quality works of Realism and Studio Furniture, including that of renowned steel furniture maker Jim Rose.
Carl Hammer Gallery
740 N. Wells (60654) info@carlhammergallery.com • 312–266–8512 www.carlhammergallery.com Thru July 2: In From the Cold is a celebration of the self-taught brilliance of “outsider” art and artists which, unlike years ago, such recognition the world art establishment now readily makes.
MOONEY FOUNDATION
Alan Koppel Gallery
704 N. Wells (60654) www.addingtongallery.com
Gallery Victor Armendariz
ERIE
DEARBORN
HILTON | ASMUS
SUPERIOR LASALLE
JEAN ALBANO
WELLS
FRANKLIN
VALE CRAFT
CLARK
CARL HAMMER
VICTOR ARMENDARIZ
ORLEANS
RIVER NORTH
ALAN KOPPEL
CHICAGO
John David Mooney Foundation 141 W. Kinzie (60654) www.mooneyfoundation.org
A WORK BY LEE GODIE IS PART OF IN FROM THE COLD, A GROUP SHOW OF OUTSIDER ART AT CARL HAMMER GALLETY THROUGH JULY 2
Heritage Auctions 215 W. Ohio (60654) www.ha.com
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer, with locations in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Hilton | Asmus Contemporary 716 N. Wells (60654) www.hilton–asmus.com
Specializing in modern and contemporary paintings, works on paper, mixed media and sculpture with a special focus on photography. Featuring internationally known artists from United States, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Region.
All exhibitions and events hosted by the Foundation are free and open to the public.
Richard Norton Gallery 612 Merchandise Mart (60654) www.richardnortongallery.com
Founded in 2000, Richard Norton Gallery offers a diverse selection of notable American and European Impressionist and Modern paintings, drawings and sculpture from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Vale Craft Gallery 230 W. Superior (60654) www.valecraftgallery.com
Contemporary American fine craft objects and sculpture. Works in clay, fiber, metal, glass and wood.
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery 325 W. Huron (60654) www.zollaliebermangallery.com
May 21 – Jul 17: • Dennis Lee Mitchell • Josh Garber Aug 13 – Oct 16: Deborah Butterfield
Summer 2021 | CGN | 17
DEARBORN
OAK
OAK WALTON
GRAY
DELAWARE CHESTNUT
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MCA)
PEARSON
The Arts Club of Chicago
CHICAGO
201 E. Ontario (60611) www.artsclubchicago.org
R.S. JOHNSON FINE ART
MICHIGAN AVE MICHIGAN AVE
ERIE
The Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington (60602) www.chicago.gov
June 2: • Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford: League of Nations • what flies but never lands. June 19: Chicago: Where Comics Came to Life, 1880–1960
HUBBARD KINZIE
Gray
Downtown: 875 N. Michigan (60611) • 312-642-8877 Warehouse: 2044 W. Carroll (60612) www.richardgraygallery.com
ONTARIO
FAIRBANKS FAIRBANKS
HURON
RUSH
Thru Aug 7: Hurvin Anderson: Anywhere but Nowhere
SUPERIOR
STATE
Exhibitions are free and open to all. Please visit our website for information on programming, membership, and the collection.
DR
MICHIGAN AVE GOLD COAST THE LOOP / SOUTH LOOP
PALETTE & CHISEL
RE HO ES LAK N.
DOWNTOWN
THE ARTS CLUB
OHIO GRAND ILLINOIS
NAVY PIER
WACKER
LAKE
Founded in Chicago in 1963, Gray is located in both Chicago and New York and works with prominent private and institutional clients worldwide as a leading dealer of Modern, Post-War and Contemporary American and European art.
CHICAGO
RANDOLPH CULTURAL CENTER WASHINGTON MILLENIUM PARK
MONROE ADAMS JACKSON VAN BUREN CONGRESS HARRISON
BERT GREEN
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
GRANT PARK
COLUMBUS
MADISON
MICHIGAN AVE
WABASH
STATE
SAIC SULLIVAN GALLERIES
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY (MOCP) – (600 S)
BALBO
V - VAMPIRE VIRUS, PART OF REBECCA GRAY SMITH, ALPHABET & NUMBERS: THE PANDEMIC PRINTS, MAY 8 – JUNE 18 AT BERT GREEN FINE ART
Bert Green Fine Art
8 S. Michigan, Ste. 620 (60603) www.bgfa.us Contemporary Art and Limited Edition Prints. Please check gallery website for exhibitions schedule. May 8 – June 18: Rebecca Gray Smith, Alphabet & Numbers: The Pandemic Prints
R.S. Johnson Fine Art 645 N. Michigan (60611) www.rsjohnsonfineart.com
Established in 1955, R.S. Johnson Fine Art specializes in museum quality works of art ranging from Old Master works on paper to 19th and 20th Century paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures. 18 | CGN | Summer 2021
The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts
Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP)
Visit our website for class and open studio schedules.
The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography, with a permanent collection of over 16,000 works.
1012 N. Dearborn (60610) www.paletteandchisel.org
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) 220 E. Chicago (60611) www.mcachicago.org
Thru May 13: Emerge Selections 2021 Thru Jul 4: Unfinished Business Thru Jul 18: Chicago Works: Omar Velázquez Thru Aug 1: Dependent Objects Thru Aug 8: Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River Thru Sep 5: Christina Quarles
Columbia College Chicago 600 S. Michigan (60605) • www.mocp.org
Now in its 45th year, the MoCP continues to offer a stimulating and innovative forum for the collection, creation, and examination of contemporary images from diverse aesthetic traditions and technologies.
NORTH SIDE
FOSTER
N CO
Chicago Printmakers Collaborative
LI
LINCOLN SQUARE
CHICAGO PRINTMAKERS COLLABORATIVE
Chicago’s longest running independent printshop and gallery featuring affordable fine art prints and works-onpaper. Also offering classes and tours.
LAWRENCE
MONTROSE
UPTOWN
DAMEN
May 8 – Jun 26: DIS- (highlighting the advocacy work of 7 artists with disabilities, curated by Matt Bodett) Jul 10 – Aug 31: CPC 30 Year Portfolio
Eat Paint Studio
IRVING PARK
5036 N. Lincoln (60625) www.eatpaintstudio.com
Gallery Studio Oh!
CLAR
94 0/
I-9
K
ADDISON
4839 N. Damen (60625) www.art-studio-oh.com
Please visit our website for upcoming exhibitions and events.
LAKEVIEW
Hofheimer Gallery
BELMONT
2019 N. Damen (60647) • www.firecatprojects.org
OLIVA
Springboard Arts
1910 W. North Ave (60622) • www.springboardarts.com A Wicker Park art gallery that has a mission of supporting unrepresented artists. Our works include sculpture, paintings, works on paper, photography and mixed media.
LINCOLN PARK / LAKEVIEW OLD TOWN Art De Triumph & Artful Framer Studios
2938 N. Clark (60657) • www.NancieKingMertz.com We’re Expanding! Visit our Gallery / Artist Retreat / Learning Center in our historic home in Rockford, just 85 miles from downtown Chicago. Come for the Day, or Come for a Stay.
WICKER PARK
NORTH
HALSTED
ASHLAND
DAMEN
N
E
3816 W. Armitage (60647) • www.olivagallery.com
DEPAUL ART MUSEUM
UR
KE
Oliva Gallery
May 14: Symbolic Totems, Jason Kriegler Jun 18: Shape Shift, Beth Herman Adler Jul 16: Relevant, Daphne Walsh Apr 13: Marc Benja and Daniel Flood
LINCOLN PARK O
ARMITAGE
FIRECAT PROJECTS
AU ILW
2418 W. North Ave (60647) www.anorangemoon.com
BUCKTOWN
WRIGHTWOOD 659
YB CL
An Orange Moon
ART DE TRIUMPH
FULLERTON M
LOGAN SQUARE
DIVERSEY
WESTERN
Firecat Projects
CALIFORNIA
WICKER PARK / BUCKTOWN / LOGAN SQUARE
KEDZIE
Hofheimer Gallery opened in 2018 showcasing both contemporary and modern art with a focus on mid-career and established artists, featuring primarily Chicago artists.
CENTRAL PARK
4823 N. Damen (60625) • www.hofheimergallery.com
RACINE
Hours may vary, visit our website or call for updates.
GALLERY STUDIO OH! HOFHEIMER GALLERY
LN
4912 N. Western (60625) • 773-293-2070 www.chicagoprintmakers.com • F, Sa 12–5 or by appt.
RAVENSWOOD
RAVENSWOOD
EAT PAINT
RAVENSWOOD LINCOLN SQUARE
AN ORANGE MOON T.F. PROJECTS
DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) 935 W. Fullerton (60614) www.artmuseum.depaul.edu
Gallery 1871
1871 N. Clybourn (60614) www.chicagoartsource.com (Formerly Chicago Art Source Gallery) Gallery 1871 exhibits and sells work in a wide range of media with a focus on painting, mixed media, photography and sculpture. We represent over 100 diverse artists, both established and emerging, from across the US and around the world. The gallery mounts five themed exhibitions each year and is open to the public five days a week.
SPRINGBOARD
GALLERY 1871
OLD TOWN MADRON
Madron Gallery
1000 W. North Ave, 3rd Fl (60642) • 312-640-1302 www.madrongallery.com Featuring an extensive inventory that showcases the breadth and depth of art in the U.S. between 1890–1940, as well as a growing inventory of modern and contemporary artists. Through curated exhibitions, publications, and community collaboration, Madron highlights work of underappreciated American artists.
Wrightwood 659
659 W. Wrightwood (60614) wrightwood659.org May 7 – Jul 31: Yannis Tsarouchis: Dancing in Real Life
Summer 2021 | CGN | 19
SOUTH SIDE
PILSEN / BRIDGEPORT / CHINATOWN 18TH ST
PILSEN EAST
RT
C
ASHLAND
MANA CONTEMPORARY
RACINE
L
MORGAN
PO
HALSTED
CULLERTON
CANAL
19TH PL
CULLERTON
A AN
PRAIRIE SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE DISTRICT MICHIGAN AVE
PILSEN
WOMAN MADE GALLERY
Bridgeport Art Center
19TH
19TH ST NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
BRIDGEPORT / PILSEN / CHINATOWN
18TH ST
STATE
PROSPECTUS
CERMAK
CHINATOWN
23RD ST
FLXST
1200 W. 35th St. (60609) • www.bridgeportart.com Thru May 29: BAC Artists’ Spring Show May 21 – July 2: 9th Annual BAC Competition July 16 – Sept 3: Ilie Vaduva exhibition
FLXST Contemporary
2251 S. Michigan Ave., Ste. 220 (60616) • www.flxst.co Thru May 23: Leasho Johnson, OUT & BAD May 1 – Jun 27: Shan Wallace & Erin Mitchell, won’t you celebrate with me Jun 5 – Jul 11: Francisco Donoso, Elsa Muñoz, Daniel Ochoa, Entre Mundos Jul 24 – Aug 29: Andrea Coleman and Warith Taha, A Composition of Memory
26TH ST
ER
H
C AR
BRIDGEPORT 31ST ST
BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER
35TH ST
THE SINDHU PROJECT: ENIGMA OF ROOTS, SOUTH ASIA INST.
BRONZEVILLE
SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY ART CENTER
PERSHING
South Asia Institute 1925 S. Michigan (60616) www.saichicago.org
Thru May 15: Diasporic Rhizome (Virtual) Jun 10 – Aug 15: The Sindhu Project: Enigma of Roots
HYDE PARK
Woman Made Gallery
2150 S. Canalport, Ste. 4A3 (60608) www.womanmade.org
HYDE PARK ART CENTER
51ST ST
Thru May 16: Boundaries. Juried by Whitney LaMora
KE
LA
HYDE PARK BLVD
RE O SH
SMART MUSEUM OF ART
DR
WASHINGTON PARK
56TH ST
DUSABLE MUSEUM
RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
20 | CGN | Summer 2021
PLAISANCE
STONY ISLAND ARTS BANK
STONY ISLAND
DORCHESTER
ELLIS
WOODLAWN
67TH ST
COTTAGE GROVE
MLK DRIVE
60TH ST
Hyde Park Art Center 5020 S. Cornell (60615) www.hydeparkart.org
Thru July 18: The Metamorphosis of Gabriel Villa Thru July 24: Planting and Maintaining a Perennial Garden: Shrouds by Faheem Majeed July 11 – Sept 19: Heather Brammeier: Maybe Never July 19 – Oct 23: Toward Common Cause
58TH ST MIDWAY
HYDE PARK / DORCHESTER
The Renaissance Society
Univ. of Chicago, 5811 S. Ellis, 4th Fl. (60637) www.renaissancesociety.org Apr 10 – May 23: Jill Magid: Tender Balance Jun 13 – Aug 1: Matthew Metzger: Heirloom
Smart Museum of Art
Univ. of Chicago, 5550 S. Greenwood (60637) www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu Thru Jun 13: Lust, Love, and Loss in Renaissance Europe Jul 15 – Dec 19: Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change, and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40
SUBURBS + MIDWEST EVANSTON Evanston Art Center
1717 Central St., Evanston (60201) www.evanstonartcenter.org • 847-475-5300 The Evanston Art Center is a non-profit that inspires art education, exhibitions and expression for all. Our galleries exhibit contemporary artwork by emerging and established artists, and are committed to providing a venue for new artistic ideas and forms.
THE NORTH SHORE AND NORTHWEST SUBURBS The Art Center – Highland Park 1957 Sheridan Rd., Highland Park (60035) www.theartcenterhp.org
The Art Center – Highland Park is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to education in the contemporary visual arts through classes, outreach programs, gallery exhibitions and events. In four gallery spaces we showcase national and regional artists and host exhibitions for established and emerging artists.
TIMBERLAND JEFF KOEHN, ART POST GALLERY
Art Post Gallery
984 Willow Rd., Ste. G, Northbrook (60062) www.artpostgallery.com • 847–272–7659 This lovely, upscale gallery features one of the largest inventories of original art in the Chicagoland area, including: Contemporary and Transitional styles; Representing 25+ artists; Many large-scale paintings; Fine framing offered.
THE ART CENTER HIGHLAND PARK
ART POST
ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
Alan Koppel Gallery – North 342 Park Ave., Glencoe (60022) www.alankoppel.com
Anne Loucks Gallery specializes in contemporary American painting, photography, and works on paper. Celebrating our 20th year, the gallery curates six exhibitions annually and offers a complete range of art advisory, framing and installation services.
Perspective Group and Photography Gallery, a 501(c) (3) organization, 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.
ALAN KOPPEL NORTH
Designed by renowned Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, the third largest Holocaust museum in the world, honors the Survivors and victims of the Holocaust.
309 Park Ave., Glencoe (60022) www.loucksgallery.com
1310-1/2 Chicago Ave., Evanston (60201) www.perspectivegallery.org
ANN LOUCKS
9603 Woods Dr., Skokie (60077) www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
Anne Loucks Gallery
Perspective Group + Photography Gallery, Ltd.
Please check the gallery website for special events and dates.
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
WESTERN SUBURBS Cleve Carney Museum of Art College of DuPage 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn (60137) www.theCCMA.org
Jun 5 – Sept 6: Frida Kahlo: Timeless
Elmhurst Art Museum
150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst (60126) www.elmhurstartmuseum.org Jul 7 - Sept 26: • Par Excellence Redux–Front 9 • McCormick House, From the Collection Purchase tickets in advance. Visit our website for our COVID protocols and more.
NORTH SHORE + EVANSTON
• EVANSTON ART CENTER • PERSPECTIVE
PAR EXCELLENCE REDUX: THE FRONT 9 COMES TO ELMHURST ART MUSEUM JULY 7 – SEPTEMBER 26
Fermilab Art Gallery
Kirk Rd & Pine St., Batavia (60510) events.fnal.gov/art-gallery Fermilab Art Gallery specializes in the intersection of art and science. Visit our website for updated virtual exhibition and virtual event information. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory, bringing the world together to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time. May 3 – Jul 30: Curves of Infinite Order paintings by Jody Rasch Aug 2 – Oct 29: Virtual Employee Art Show
Summer 2021 | CGN | 21
WESTERN + SOUTH SUBURBS
O’HARE AIRPORT
ROSEMONT ST CHARLES
KAVANAGH GALLERY AT FINE LINE CREATIVE ARTS
N O R T H AV E .
ELMHURST
ELMHURST ART MUSEUM
FERMILAB B ATAV I A
R O O S E V E LT R D .
CLEVE CARNEY
BROOKFIELD
GLEN E L LY N HINSDALE
E A S T W E S T T O L LW AY
LISLE
KOMECHAK ART GALLERY
5 5 T H S T.
• CHRISTOPHER GALLERY • SALON ARTISTS NATHAN U N I V E R S I T Y MANILOW PA R K
Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center 37W570 Bolcum Rd., St. Charles (60175) www.fineline.org
May 13 -–Jun 26: Diverse Expressions VI: Celebrating artists who teach at Fine Line. Jul 1 – Aug 12: Fanciful Expressions: Exploring the whimsical, fantastical, or silly aspects of life.
Komechak Art Gallery (Benedictine University)
5700 College Rd., Lisle (60532) www.ben.edu/komechak-art-gallery/index.cfm
CHICAGO HEIGHTS + PA R K F O R E S T
SOUTH SUBURBS Christopher Art Gallery at Prairie State College
202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights (60411) prairiestate.edu/christopher-art-gallery/index.aspx The gallery features outstanding artists from the Midwest and beyond in five yearly exhibitions, as well as three student exhibitions. This year, due to Covid-19, our eight exhibitions will all be virtual with an expected physical reopening in summer 2021. Please visit our website to view all virtual exhibitions.
Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park Governors State University, 1 University Pkwy., University Park (60484) • www.govst.edu/sculpture
Open for public viewing 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, and is free of charge – even parking on the campus of Governors State University is free! GSU and theNate are connected to Chicago’s Millennium Park Metra Station by the Metra Electric Line; an 8 minute walk from the University Park Metra Station to GSU’s campus and theNate will begin to reveal the beauty of the prairie and the outdoor sculpture collection.
LINDA CURL, COLOR STUDY FOR MCM #4 - (MID CENTURY MODERN SERIES), ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 12 X 24”, SALON ARTISTS GALLERY
Salon Artists Gallery
294 Main St., Park Forest (60466) www.salonartistsgallery.com
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers 818 North Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60301 www.toomeyco.com
Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, a specialty auction house, is considered one of the premiere auction houses in the country to sell 20th Century Art & Design since 1987. We hold 4-6 carefully curated auctions a year that include Paintings, Prints, Drawings and Sculpture from the 20th and 21st Century, works from the Arts & Crafts movement, Art Nouveau and Art Deco Periods and MidCentury Modern Design.
Download our FREE Otocast app for a self-guided tour, complete with recordings of artists talking about their work
THE FINE LINE CREATIVE ARTS CENTER IN ST CHARLES OFFERS IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL ART CLASSES AS WELL AS EXHIBITIONS
22 | CGN | Summer 2021
TOOMEY & CO. HOLD ITS FOLK, OUTSIDER & SELF-TAUGHT ART AUCTION ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 12
INDIANA
WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE
MADISON MINERAL POINT
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM LILY PAD WEST
WANTOOT GALLERY
Lubeznik Center for the Arts MICHIGAN
LAKE MICHIGAN
KRASL ART CENTER ST JOSEPH
ROCKFORD
ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM
SNITE MUSEUM
CHICAGO
DEKALB
NOTRE DAME MICH. CITY
LUBEZNIK CENTER
VALPARAISO
BRAUER MUSEUM
NORTHERN IL UNIV ART MUSEUM
MUNSTER
SOUTH SHORE ARTS
INDIANA CHAMPAIGN
TARBLE ARTS CENTER
CHARLESTON
GREATER ILLINOIS Krannert Art Museum (KAM)
Rockford Art Museum 711 N. Main St., Rockford (61103) www.rockfordartmuseum.org
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 500 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign (61820) www.kam.illinois.edu • Open Tu–Sat 10–4
The RAM Permanent Collection focuses on modern and contemporary art, photography, studio glass, outsider art, and regional art; exhibits change throughout the year.
Thru Jul 3: Homemade, with Love: More Living Room Open Jun 5: Modernist Strategies: Highlights from the WPA Open Aug 26: • A Question of Emphasis: Louise Fishman Drawing • Hal Fischer Photographs: Seriality, Sexuality, Semiotics
Jun 11–Sept 26: Selections from Rockford Art Museum’s Modern + Contemporary Collection
Northern Illinois University (NIU) Art Museum
Tarble Arts Center’s mission is to engender appreciation for and involvement in the arts as a major arts resource for the people of east-central Illinois and Eastern Illinois Univ. through the presentation of temporary exhibitions and community-based educational and outreach activities. Tarble has a mandate to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the university’s permanent collection of art.
Altgeld Hall, 1st Fl., West End DeKalb (60115) www.niu.edu/artmuseum
Galleries plan to reopen Tues, Sept 8 with new limited hours. Please check our website for updates prior to your visit. All entries will be timed, require a mask, and social distancing will be encouraged.
Thru Jun 5: Lost & Looking Jun 14 – Oct 15: Phyliss Bramson/ Robert Indiana/ Mayumi Lake. Opening Reception Jul 2
Snite Museum of Art
University of Notre Dame, 100 Moose Krause Circle Notre Dame, IN (46556) www.sniteartmuseum.nd.edu/
South Shore Arts
1040 Ridge Rd., Munster, IN (46321) www.southshoreartsonline.org
MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS KRANNERT ART MUSEUM
101 W. 2nd St. Michigan City, IN (46360) www.lubeznikcenter.org
Tarble Arts Center
Eastern IL Univ., 2010 9th St., Charleston (61920) www.eiu.edu/tarble
Krasl Art Center
707 Lake Blvd., St. Joseph, MI (49085) www.krasl.org Krasl Art Center offers high-quality contemporary art in the galleries, unique artist-made items in The Shop, ongoing studio classes, special events, and dynamic programs. KAC is free & open to the public.
BLOW UP II: INFLATABLE CONTEMPORARY ART IS ON VIEW JUN 12 – OCT 3 AT KRASL ART CENTER IN MICHIGAN
WISCONSIN Lily Pad | West
215 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI (53202) www.lilypadgallery.com Lily Pad | West hosts eight physical exhibitions per year, and runs a virtual exhibition every two weeks. Visit our website for more information and our full exhibition schedule. May 28–Jul 4: Susan Hall and Allison B. Cooke: Beneath the Surface
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Art Museum Dr., Milwaukee, WI (53202) www.mam.org
Wantoot Gallery
236 High St., Mineral Point, WI (53565) www.wantoot.com
Summer 2021 | CGN | 23
FRIDA KAHLO: TIMELESS, AT THE
A TRANSFORMATIVE EXHIBITION FOR THE GLEN ELLYN COMMUNITY
FRIDA KAHLO, THE BUS, 1929, OIL ON CANVAS, COLLECTION MUSEO DOLORES OLMEDO, XOCHIMILCO, MEXICO © 2020 BANCO DE MÉXICO DIEGO RIVERA FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUMS TRUST, MEXICO, D.F. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
BY ALISON REILLY In March of 2020, Justin Witte, curator of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, was working tirelessly with his staff to prepare for the opening of an expansive exhibition featuring the renowned artist, Frida Kahlo. In order to accommodate the 26 works of art that were scheduled to arrive, the college expanded the gallery from a 1,850 square foot exhibition space focused primarily on showing contemporary artists to a 2,500 square foot museum equipped with state of the art lighting, security, and climate control systems. “While the administration of the college was closely monitoring the coronavirus situation, in the museum, we were very focused on our exhibition. The week of March 10th, we were busy with installation plans, working out final aspects of delivery and really moving towards the exhibition,” Witte 24 | CGN | Summer 2021
recalls. “Because we had come so far with the exhibition, our immediate thought was, ‘How do we operate with less access to campus for what we hoped would be a short period of time?’ We had the idea that we may have to pause some of our in-person preparations for a week or two. At worst, a month.” Witte had been working on preparations for the Kahlo exhibition with Diana Martinez, director of the McAninch Arts Center (where the museum is located) since 2017. Alan Peterson, a longtime supporter of the college and the art center, was a close friend of Carlos Phillips, the director of the Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico City and son of the collector Dolores Olmedo. “Alan always had the idea that he wanted to bring the collection to the College of DuPage to help bring awareness to all the amazing cultural things happening here,” Witte explained.
CLEVE CARNEY MUSEUM OF ART
While Peterson made the introduction, Witte and Martinez developed a proposal for the exhibition and outlined how it could deeply benefit the local community. “Frida was the people’s artist,” Martinez said, “To bring this to a community college with accessibility to students would have been something Frida loved, because she was a teacher herself.” Witte said that even later in her life, when Kahlo was no longer able to teach at school, her students visited her at her home, La Casa Azul, in Mexico City. “Her students were fiercely dedicated to her, and she offered them a lot.” Inspired by Kahlo’s own example, Witte and Martinez worked with faculty to integrate themes from the artist’s life into the college curriculum. Departments offered classes on Mexican art history, the impact of the Mexican Revolution, and the social and economic context of post-revolutionary Mexico. The fashion department organized projects related to Kahlo’s wardrobe that addressed ideas of self-identity and disability, while the culinary school delved deeply into Mexican gastronomy.
“As a community college, we have an incredibly diverse population of students from young to old, from a variety of social and economic backgrounds,” Witte said. “DuPage County is an enormous area of land that covers a lot of different areas. The college serves a lot of communities. That idea of wanting to provide accessible education to such a wide range of people very much aligns with Frida’s beliefs.” Kahlo was developing as an artist at a time in Mexico City when the scene was dominated by “Los tres grandes”—the three big Mexican muralists (Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco)—whose goal was to make work for the people. “Not squirreled away for the elites but very much for a broad population,” Witte said. “Those are also strong ideals of a community college. I think that nothing would have made Frida happier than the idea that her work would be serving as such a pivotal point in the education of the students at this college.” Summer 2021 | CGN | 25
When it became apparent to Witte and Martinez that the exhibition could not take place during the summer of 2020, they quickly responded by reaching out to their partners at the college and Museo Olmedo to see if it could be rescheduled for the following summer. “It was never on the table,” Witte said, “maybe in the back of our minds as fears, but it was never discussed by the college or the art center or museum that we would not be doing this exhibit—it was just the focus of when. The commitment of everyone involved never really allowed for the idea that it wouldn’t happen.”
“It’s made us more creative and connected in new ways,” Martinez said. “We hosted a virtual gala where over 460 people tuned in. I think if it had been a regular gala, everyone would have been sitting at their tables, just eating. But we were able to really share information. We had the Consulate General of Mexico speak, and we gave a tour of Frida’s house in Mexico City.” While the museum and the art center at College of DuPage have demonstrated great skill and agility in adapting to the virtual environment, for Witte, who trained as an artist, there is still no substitute for being in a room with Kahlo’s paintings. “I understand how much time is put into each work and how the decisions of the artist are recorded on the surface of the painting in every brushstroke,” he explained. “When you go to see a painting, you’re really spending time in front of something that the artist themselves spent so much time in. The way the paint dries, it captures literally whatever happens to be in the air of the studio at the time—the dust, her cigarette smoke. The opportunity to stand in front of it is the closest we can get to spending time with the artist herself.” The expansion of the space at Cleve Carney Museum of Art will allow visitors to see 19 oil paintings and seven drawings by Kahlo, which is notably the largest exhibition of her work shown in the Chicago area in over 40 years. The paintings and drawings come from the collection of Dolores Olmedo, which was originally owned by one of Kahlo’s major patrons, Eduardo Safa. Visitors may recognize some of the works, iconic self-portraits such as Broken Column or Henry Ford Hospital, which have defined her career. But alongside these notable paintings are lesser known portraits from the late 1920s and early 1930s, which give incredible insight to Kahlo’s development as a painter. “We’re doing all these amazing things for this exhibit,” Witte said, “there’s so many great aspects to it, but in the end, in those galleries, we’re really just creating a platform for Frida to tell her own story.”
FRIDA KAHLO, THE BROKEN COLUMN, 1944, OIL ON MASONITE, COLLECTION MUSEO DOLORES OLMEDO, XOCHIMILCO, MEXICO © 2020 BANCO DE MÉXICO DIEGO RIVERA FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUMS TRUST, MEXICO, D.F. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
Fortunately, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across the United States and the support of the College of DuPage and the Museo Olmedo, Witte and Martinez are confident that the exhibition will open this summer on June 5, 2021. Not only have the staff at the museum and the art center worked diligently to move the programming online, many museums in Chicago and throughout Illinois have been able to reopen safely using proper protocols and social distancing. Additionally, Cleve Carney Museum of Art has created a virtual tour so that those who are not able to visit the exhibition in person will still be able to participate. 26 | CGN | Summer 2021
In the context of the pandemic, Kahlo’s story has taken on even more relevance. As a woman who struggled with chronic pain and illness for most of her life, she confronted the fragility of health in a way that many have experienced this past year. “Even though our time shifted and so much of the world shifted,” Witte said, “we can still find something we can relate to in Frida’s life. Her strength serves as an inspiration for how to navigate this unprecedented time.” Frida Kahlo: Timeless is on view June 5 – September 6, 2021 from 10am-6pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10am-10pm Thursday. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Frida2021.org. Note: On July 5 a new piece, unveiled as part of Art on theMART, will feature several of Kahlo’s most recognizable works, animated by George Berlin and projected onto the Merchandise Mart, accompanied by an orchestral score from Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.
MORE TO SEE Accompanying Frida Kahlo: Timeless this summer are several special features designed to enhance a visitor’s experience at the exhibition.
FRIDA IN PHOTOS
FRIDA ON WHITE BENCH, PHOTO BY NICKOLAS MURAY; © NICKOLAS MURAY PHOTO ARCHIVES
Frida Kahlo: Timeless features paintings and drawings by the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, which will be installed in the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, but the exhibition will extend beyond the walls of the museum to the entire McAninch Art Center, located on the campus of the College of DuPage. In a space adjacent to the galleries, photographs from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s personal collection will be on display. While visitors may be familiar with the iconic Kodachrome color portraits of Kahlo taken by Nickolas Muray, this selection of photographs will offer a more candid view into the artist’s life with husband Rivera.
THE ARTIST’S GARDEN In 1931 while in San Francisco, Frida Kahlo painted a portrait of Luther Burbank, a pioneering American botanist and horticulturist. Kahlo was impressed with Burbank’s research related to plant hybridization and memorialized him in the painting holding a philodendron. Inspired by Kahlo’s portrait and others in the Frida Kahlo: Timeless exhibition, local plant grower and distributor Ball Horticultural Company will create and install a garden located on the McAninch Art Center’s south patio near the amphitheater. The installation will showcase flowers and plants that were part of Kahlo’s own personal garden at her home, La Casa Azul, in Mexico City. Featured plants for the garden include: agave, alocasia dark star, bougainvillea, canna cannova bronze orange, old man cactus, oleander, prickly pear, pomegranate tree, and yucca.
KAHLO’S CORNER – FRIDA & FAMILIES FRIDA KAHLO, PORTRAIT OF LUTHER BURBANK, 1931, OIL ON MASONITE, COLLECTION MUSEO DOLORES OLMEDO, XOCHIMILCO, MEXICO © 2020 BANCO DE MÉXICO DIEGO RIVERA FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUMS TRUST, MEXICO, D.F. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
FRIDA KAHLO, PORTRAIT OF DOÑA ROSITA MORILLO, 1944, OIL ON MASONITE, COLLECTION MUSEO DOLORES OLMEDO, XOCHIMILCO, MEXICO © 2020 BANCO DE MÉXICO DIEGO RIVERA FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUMS TRUST, MEXICO, D.F. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
“Many aspects of Frida’s work and her life deal with very complex, real issues,” Justin Witte, curator at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art said, “and we thought it was important to offer some contextualization for younger visitors to get a sense of who she was.” Diana Martinez, director of the McAninch Art Center, collaborated with several partners to make a compelling and safe area for families. She befriended local author and illustrator Mike Venezia who helped interpret Kahlo’s life through the lens of a child. Venezia – a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – has written hundreds of children’s books about artists, as part of The World’s Greatest Artists series. Venezia has also collaborated with the CCMA and the MAC to create “The Frida Kahlo Coloring Book,” for sale at the exhibition’s gift shop. Martinez also partnered with the architectural firm, Wight & Company, to design a full scale replica of La Casa Azul, Kahlo’s home in Mexico City, which visitors can explore. Martinez hopes that the model will allow visitors to understand the particular architecture of the house and the central role that the garden played in Kahlo’s life. Children’s area activities will include an animated video about Kahlo’s life and a mural activity designed by Venezia. Two free printmaking workshops are planned for July 6 and Aug. 21, 10 a.m. -2 p.m., led by printmaking collective Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. Activities are geared for pre-K through third grade.
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A BRIGHT PAINTING BY THE ARTIST FEDERICO HERRERO HAS SERVED AS GARY’S ZOOM BACKGROUND SINCE LAST SPRING. DISPLAYED ON THE CUSTOM SIDEBOARD, FROM LEFT: LYNDA BOX BY HAAS BROTHERS; GIOLIGHT LAMP BY JOHANNA GRAWUNDER. ON THE RIGHT WALL, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JAKE TROYLI, BEVERLY FISHMAN AND WENDY WHITE.
VIBRANT ART ENLIVENS A HOME
COLLECTORS GARY METZNER + SCOTT JOHNSON By GINNY VAN ALYEA Visiting the home of an art collector has, for me, always been a very personal as well as in-person endeavor. Requesting that someone let me invade their privacy and ask that they divulge what they buy, from where, and why, is an intimate thing – one I feel better about doing face-to-face, in order to find out what collecting art is like for Chicagoans, as well as to show how it is never the same thing for anyone. This past year has taught me to rethink how I do a lot of things, and collector interviews have not been spared the increased distance that so many of us have experienced. But clearing hurdles has meant meeting opportunities. Despite the apparent challenges, connecting with collectors Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson was a pandemic delight. Already Zoom experts, having attended dozens of art events virtually for a year, Gary and Scott and I met from our respective homes and offices, sharing screenshots and Instagram stories to keep the interview going in a way 28 | CGN | Summer 2021
that would not have happened previously. It also allowed me to sit with and study Gary and Scott’s collection for a couple of weeks, enjoying it fully and for repeat visits. While this interview format may not be needed forever, I was surprisingly grateful for it this spring. * Gary and Scott’s fondness for color is apparent in their home and their art collection. An abundance of saturated, modern hues – which touch most surfaces in their three bedroom River North condo they’ve inhabited for 15 years – dominates a variety of objects, from the orchids, to the linens, to the art. In particular they both love orange. Bold pigment serves as bait, luring the couple to the thing they first admire and then get hooked on, while unifying their taste and lending a vibrancy and sense of fun to the space. Amidst all the first-impression giving colors, I notice a range of artwork and mediums on display in each room, from mid-career contemporary artists who are Chicagobased, to those with international profiles: constructions by
Theaster Gates and Nate Young, a text painting by Mel Bochner, an edition of America: A Hymnal by Bethany Collins, photographic portraits by Ayana Jackson, Ian Michael, Hellen van Meene, and Carrie Schneider, among others. Quite a bit of sculpture – pieces by Neil Goodman, Chris Garafalo and Kennedy Yanko – and ceramics, not to mention artist books, are also placed on nearly every available surface. Though the walls are not yet full, the art, particularly smaller works, has tripped onto tables and sideboards, floating shelves and nightstands. I can imagine reaching for a drink and picking up a four-inch wire sculpture instead, or looking into a corner to discover a glazed piece by Anders Herwald Ruhwald. If I need to iron a shirt, perhaps I can borrow (kidding) a Roger Brown painted 1930s iron, featuring ship passengers visible through yellow-lit portals. I realize a guest can’t see, or appreciate, all the art in a single visit. I asked Gary to give me an idea of the scope and scale of the collection, as I was interested in just how many pieces they had acquired to date and if they considered a focus for their lively assemblage. “We should be a bit more organized,” Gary admits. “We have every invoice of every piece we ever purchased, but we just never made one of those lists for when people come over. It’s taken us a while to think of ourselves as collectors.”
years old. Having saved some money, he tagged along with his art loving parents at the Beth-El Synagogue Art Fair, found something priced under $500 and convinced his parents he would pay them back the difference. This piece, a 1920’s Belgian poster, was purchased from a dealer Gary would later do business with.
to buy what they like, and they have come to enjoy the communal nature of collecting art, soliciting suggestions from colleagues, curators, and advisors. While Gary’s auction background means he is often giving advice to clients, he and Scott rely on shared insights and often check out galleries or auctions to see what might catch their eye next.
Having more or less been a part of the professional art world since he was in graduate school, Gary remembers that on a trip to New York in 1986 – with Lori Kaufman, a great friend and mentor and part of Hokin Kaufman Gallery, where he had his first art world job – he went to visit Marlborough Gallery. It was there he pointedly asked what he could afford, and was told he could buy two Alex Katz prints for $300 each, unframed. He bought them on the spot and still has them on display today.
Scott recalls he has always loved art and he has regularly visited museums around the country ever since he was young. When he began working at the University of Chicago hospital, following graduate school in Boston, and was commuting to Hyde Park from the North Side, he says he was living near art rather than with it. For awhile he was focused only on starting out in an intense career that left little time for anything else. It took meeting Gary to really introduce him to the art world in Chicago.
* Scott and Gary began buying art together years ago. Though they got their starts in different ways and at separate times, they have jointly amassed a collection of artists with diverse backgrounds, and they enjoy keeping things varied. As a couple they have adhered to the sage advice
While one was the first to bring the other along, today they both cite local museums as doing an incredible job helping them learn about art. The couple spent their 20’s regularly visiting the Smart Museum in Hyde Park, and today they are formally supportive of most of the museums in the city. They credit these museums, and other area
Gary and Scott’s reluctance to admit they are collectors sounds familiar. One by one works of art are purchased and then carefully installed. Invoices are filed, and eventually careers are followed, museum donations are made and gifts are promised. Yet many resist the designation of ‘collector.’ It sounds so obligatory. Gary estimates they now have about 80 works in their condominium – he suspects they may be out of room – with another 32 in his Gold Coast office, where he is the head of Sotheby’s Chicago location. Yes, they are definitely collectors. Gary explains that his very first personal purchase was when he was just ten
ONE OF GARY AND SCOTT’S NEWEST ACQUISITIONS IS BLACK RICE, BY AYANA JACKSON, PURCHASED FROM MARIANE IBRAHIM GALLERY. SHOWN AT RIGHT: LEAF FACE BY BRIAN BRESS.
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ABOVE: PHOTOGRAPH BY IZIMA KOARU, AND CERAMICS BY CAROLYN OTTMERS. PICTURED BELOW: PHOTOGRAPH BY CARRIE SCHNEIDER; AN AMERICAN HYMNAL BY BETHANY COLLINS; CERAMICS BY NOAH SINGER AND JESSIE MOTT.
spaces, with hosting high-quality, amazing programming even during the pandemic, something they appreciate as a great source of information as well as activity when they could not be together in person with other collectors and artists. In return for what they’ve learned from these institutions, they also actively give back. Gary is on the board of the Driehaus Museum and Depaul Museum of Art, and they are both a part of Emerge at the MCA, as well as the Society of Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. This June they will co-chair the Chicago Artist Coalition’s virtual Workin-Progress benefit. * Learning about and acquiring art takes a great deal of time, focus and resources. I wondered if they had sold any works in the collection either to adjust their focus or to make more space at home, and of course I was curious if Gary had sold personal pieces at auction. “We sell very little,” he says. “I know I sell people’s art for a living. I guess if we finally run out of space and there are artists that have a market to resell, we could, but not all do.” Charity auctions have been one outlet for deaccessioning while benefitting a good art cause. “We have donated quite a few works this way. It’s a great way to help museums and 30 | CGN | Summer 2021
organizations.” Gary says they have also started to designate some pieces as promised gifts to area museums. He likes that the work will end up being shared with the public some day, but for now they can still enjoy them at home. For the most part, works stay in the collection. Gary credits his Sotheby’s colleague, Helyn Goldenberg, with encouraging him to make something new work. He shares, “She always says, ‘Don’t worry about space. You will find room if you really like it.’ I don’t know how, but it always seems to work.” Gary has held a prominent position with Sotheby’s since 1997 (his 25th anniversary at the auction house is this July). Locally he has a reputation for actively supporting galleries. I asked him what he thought about that old sticking point that auctions and galleries are in competition with each other, particularly now that there is more overlap between the two markets, due to the pandemic and the absence of in-person art fairs and large market events. He responds, “I think it’s so important to support the local art scene and galleries in general. They make a huge effort to put on exhibitions. Yes, they are for sale, but the effort going into these shows demands they be seen. Scott and I have spent much of the pandemic going to galleries on Saturdays. It’s been masked and safe, and with museums closed [this winter], it was a great activity to do together. I feel one of the things the pandemic has done was to bring galleries, museums and auction houses together to help each other and collaborate. With all the art fairs on hold, Sotheby’s started the Gallery Network last summer as a place for galleries to sell works online to the Sotheby’s audience. Again, it was a way to help each other.” When the fairs do come back, it can’t be soon enough. “We have traveled to Miami many times, and we have never missed an EXPO CHICAGO, ever,” says Gary. “Tony Karman is the king of hospitality. I think we have bought something each year. When we attend an art fair outside Chicago, we end up hanging out with our Chicago gallery friends there too, and we usually buy
GARY METZNER AND SCOTT JOHNSON AT HOME IN RIVER NORTH. PICTURED: A SCULPTURE BY NEIL GOODMAN
something as well. It sounds funny, but I think it’s because dealers often bring the best works to a fair, now even a virtual fair.” Clearly art is a social, as well as professional, focus for Scott and Gary, but for now the big art parties are still in the rearview mirror. Gary says it’s hard to recall the last in-person event they went to because they’ve been busy toasting and connecting online. They have also been meeting with co-chairs to plan Chicago Artist Coalition’s June benefit, as well as brainstorm with another area organization to host an event in the fall. While ready for a return to in-person, they’ve managed to engage well with virtual talks and events. Gary recalls a Zoom talk he and Scott attended where collector and MCA board member Helen Zell spoke with MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztejn last year. Zell said one of the most rewarding things she has enjoyed about collecting is the relationships with artists. For Gary, “We hadn’t really done that, or at least made a point of it. We love the dealers, but now [during COVID] we’ve had more time to directly connect with artists online, in galleries, or even just on social media. It’s sort of just been happening, and it’s great.”
Devoid of an in person social calendar, Gary and Scott have made the effort to buy art throughout the pandemic. Says Gary, “It’s been great to support galleries at a difficult time.” In fact they began buying when the March 2020 lockdown went into effect, acquiring a work by Andrew Holmquist from Carrie Secrist Gallery. Next they selected a piece by Ian Michael, a new artist at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery. As we were on the phone coordinating the interview, they were arranging for delivery of a bright new Beverly Fishman sculpture from Kavi Gupta. There is still one piece, at least, on the way, which Gary confesses he snagged from the Sotheby’s Christo auction in Paris. He says he can’t say any more, or it will ruin the surprise: it’s for Scott’s Birthday this summer. He assured me, “Let’s just say we will have room for it.” Indeed, with a home and art collection that is certainly full, but not yet overflowing, Scott and Gary have focused their collecting enthusiasm on local artists and galleries, supporting so many while adding to the vibrancy of their day-to-day life in a challenging but also suprising year.
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TAKING THE TEMPERATURE HOW IS IT ACTUALLY GOING IN CHICAGO’S ART WORLD?
HAIG AIVAZIAN: ALL OF THE LIGHTS, INSTALLATION VIEW, FEBRUARY–MARCH 2021, THE RENAISSANCE SOCIETY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, PHOTO: USEFUL ART SERVICES
By GINNY VAN ALYEA Last fall we asked some local art world figures what their 2021 Art World Predictions might be. At the time I saw two main scenarios that could shape this year: Life with a vaccine, and life without. Fortunately, we are now several months into a remarkable vaccine development effort and rollout, holding tight to all the cautious optimism we can summon. With this progress in mind, I wanted to check in again with the local art community to see how things are actually going. As in the fall my questions seek everyone’s candid response to how they have been faring and to get their best guess at what’s next. Responses are grouped by topic. I am grateful to those who candidly shared their collective wisdom and hopes for the future as we move through another year. ON 2021 VS 2020 CGN: How are things going for you so far this year? Catherine Edelman, Catherine Edelman Gallery: It’s been a very sobering year, as the pandemic forced me to rethink the gallery model. Tom McCormick, McCormick Gallery: This year so far is a continuation of last, which was outstanding. We finished the year on par with any normal, good year, even with the gallery essentially closed. Almost all sales were out of town and I became a one-man shipping juggernaut. The FedEx store reserved a private parking spot for me (kidding). Demand for 32 | CGN | Summer 2021
certain work, especially from our estates and most especially by women, is through the roof and we cannot meet demand. Julia Nucci Kelly, Asst. Dir. for Marketing & Communications Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois: KAM has been open since February. Much of our staff is still working from home, but unlike last year, we’re able to have our major student art exhibitions (MFA and BFA) in person. That feels like progress. KAM is addressing multiple pandemics — not just COVID, but political division, racism and violence, and struggles for our environment — as much as we can through art, including exhibitions like Homemade, with Love: More Living Room that creates and holds space for Black girls, women, and femmes in the museum, providing space to gather and support one another with art space to create. In the community, we’re hosting Pandemics as a Portal to Change, a virtual community exhibition that gathers creative writing, visual art, music, and performance centered on hope, encouraging artists of all kinds to envision what we can make better beyond these struggles and pain. Kathleen Waterloo, artist: 2021 has been a whirling continuum of 2020, which proved to be one of my busiest years as an artist. I was very fortunate just prior to COVID-19 to open a solo exhibition in River North at Addington Gallery. The following week Mayor Lightfoot put the city in lockdown. My studio is isolated, so I was able to continue working almost daily on projects while maintaining social distancing. Currently I’m juggling works for a solo exhibition late 2021 at Circa Gallery in Minneapolis, in addition to a few commissions. As an artist during this bizarre time in our society, I am feeling very blessed.
Karsten Lund, Curator: I don’t have a simple answer, but I’ve felt grounded by my work at the Renaissance Society throughout everything. I’m grateful to be at a nimble, resilient institution, and it has been energizing to be working very closely with a number of artists during the past year, even if most of our conversations have been over Zoom. At the Ren, we’ve been still able to do a lot, even against such headwinds. I keep returning to the fact that we have a strong close-knit team, and even before the pandemic our museum has been designed to really channel our resources towards our program and artist’s projects, which has made all the difference in a hard year like this. WORKING, OR NOT WORKING, WITH CLIENTS CGN: Have you been able to engage relatively well with current and new clients or patrons? Catherine Edelman: Many of our regular clients have stayed home, unwilling to venture to the gallery. But e-blasts, Zooms, etc. have helped us maintain a connection. Now that we are open by appointment only, new clients have emerged. I think the fact that they can have a private experience has been very powerful. Tom McCormick: Yes. One advantage to doing this for nearly 50 years is that you know a lot of people and they know you. A good reputation is the best thing one can develop, full stop, to weather any storm. Julia Nucci Kelly: Yes — our community has embraced the idea that the museum can be a safe in-person activity, and we know KAM plays a role in wellness both on campus and in Champaign-Urbana. Through our virtual programs, we’ve been able to engage a far broader geography vs. in person only. We know virtual programs are a different experience, but we are coming to understand that they supplement what we do in person and make arts programming more accessible.
1 8 F L AT S B U I L D I N G S 8 NEIGHBORHOODS 3 0 + U N I Q U E A M E N I T Y S PAC E S
Kathleen Waterloo: Thanks to email, cell phones, the internet, and Zoom I’ve been able to engage with current and new clients in addition to gallerists quite well. Most are familiar with my work already, so communicating size, color preferences, budget, etc. are fairly easy to discuss. Digital images of a site, wall location, and surrounding space further helps a successful end result. Karsten Lund: Some projects, such as publications, can adapt relatively easily to working from home. We finished a 400-page book with LaToya Ruby Frazier this winter, which I still draw inspiration from. Now I’m working on a monograph with Kevin Beasley coming out later this year. It’s required accepting a lot of uncertainty and brought new challenges, for sure, but I’ve also opened three exhibitions this year, at least for more limited in-person audiences. That includes solo shows by Haig Aivazian
E X P LO R E O U R CO M M U N I T I E S
F L AT S L I F E .C O M Summer 2021 | CGN | 33
and Jill Magid, and in ways that speaks volumes to their own resilience, both artists produced ambitious new works. We’ve taken this as a time to experiment too. As we’ve shifted to online talks and virtual exhibition tours, and also debuted a new digital platform, Renaissance TV, we’ve had viewers tuning in from many different countries, with great attendance. We will carry that forward and keep exploring these expanded possibilities for a global audience, or those who can’t visit us, even as we return to in-person programming. IT’S STILL HARD... CGN: What challenges remain for you and your business/space since the pandemic began last spring? Catherine Edelman: Creating engagement. Art fairs were a critical part of our business model. It’s been a challenge to introduce new work/artists without that network. Tom McCormick: Even though we are selling well I feel sorry for our contemporary artists (as opposed to the dead ones) as their exhibitions are not well attended. Even when attendance does not equate to sales it is still a great time for friends, family and interested collectors to see the stuff, and COVID has put a lid on a lot of that. Julia Nucci Kelly: I think holding our communities together and supporting one another are our biggest tasks ahead. We’re working hard to make every aspect of the museum’s work accessible to all, and our Curator of Academic Programs Liza Sylvestre is a leader for our staff in that area. We’re also looking forward to when we can do robust school and family programming again as well, so charting the path forward and doing it together in a way that is inclusive and just is an important challenge for us to meet head on.
WHAT ABOUT ARTISTS? CGN: How are your artists – or your contemporaries – doing? Catherine Edelman: I started a monthly Zoom meeting with my artists, in an effort to bring everyone together. It’s been an amazing experience for everyone, as we work together to advance the mission of CEG. Kathleen Waterloo: Ex-studiomates and artist friends stay in touch and we give each other critiques, opinions, moral support and pep talks. We like each other’s social media posts. It’s all been vital during the past year. Early during COVID–19 some artists were locked out of their studio buildings for months – a devastating blow. Those who had studio access and continued working did so diligently; it was the fuel needed to keep them going mentally. Most were prolific. Now many of us are also prepared to face the future with a toughened stamina, honed during this pandemic. I’ve seen a few artists, not previously working, who have emerged from isolation producing new and ridiculously stunning work that comes from being either on lockdown, in fear, actually sick, or recovering from 24/7 child care and home schooling – a situation which has affected many artists and non-artists alike. They are exploding with creativity and waiting impatiently to rock the town.
Kathleen Waterloo: Since many galleries temporarily went online and others, sadly, closed their doors due to COVID19’s economic impact, a few galleries now show my work online only. My work is best viewed in person. If a potential client is only viewing my work digitally some things get lost in the translation – the translucency of the encaustic medium, intimate details that are lost due to the small scale of a cell phone or computer screen, and the experience of seeing the artwork itself which is an ‘object’ in its own right. Karsten Lund: Certain challenges have been unavoidable but we were able to work around them, such as the fact that artists mostly haven’t been able to come on site to install. But more importantly, I think we need to be responsive to the widely varied challenges and hardships different people are facing this year, whether artists, our audiences, or our collaborators. Care feels like an important word and a way of being, more than ever, now and into the future. I continue asking myself how as curators we can meet our moment and what are the best ways we can support artists’ work as our larger contexts shift and so many pressures continue. 34 | CGN | Summer 2021
KATHLEEN WATERLOO, PRESENT TENSE, 2020, ENCAUSTIC ON PANEL 18” X 18”, COURTESY ADDINGTON GALLERY. PHOTO BY TOM VAN EYNDE
Tom McCormick: The dead ones are still dead, but thriving in the market! My living artists, mostly from Chicago, seem to be getting on OK, at least they are not complaining to me.
IF THE GLASS IS HALF FULL IS IT ONLY BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING? CGN: What are you optimistic about? Catherine Edelman: December in Miami. I believe collectors are hungry to see art in person, and the art fairs in Miami will be a barometer of the return to some semblance of normalcy. Amy L. Powell, Krannert: We are excited to reunite with objects and continue to build community in our spaces. In addition to A Question of Emphasis: Louise Fishman Drawing opening this fall with questions of queer feminist drawing and abstraction, we’re opening Crip*, a group exhibition and symposium curated by Liza Sylvestre that addresses disability and intersectional thinking. Things cannot “go back to normal,” and we are excited to center artists and our audiences to figure out ways of transformation, together. We’re optimistic about the lessons we learned for virtual content and programming, and hope to take those forward. Kathleen Waterloo: Galleries, museums and even art fairs will fully reopen their doors in the near future. Perhaps a few precautionary measures from COVID–19 will remain, but I’m eager to see public space become just that again, with people able to become the social animals they are. I’m still concerned about the galleries that cannot, or won’t, reopen and will only have an online presence. I recognize that for many that digital business model works, and it might be here to stay. The virtual world has been a lifeline for many attempting to keep the arts afloat. I’m hopeful that physical galleries are also here to stay. Fund the arts now – visual, dance, theater, music, film – let’s get them back on their feet. Karsten Lund: I draw so much optimism from artists, and this year is no exception. As much as ever, I’ve been reminded of how they help us see the world differently, almost in real time in some cases. LaToya Ruby Frazier, Haig Aivazian, and Jill Magid’s projects will all stay with me in that way. Maybe most of all though, this feels like a moment when so many things have the potential to be recalibrated, for museums and other institutions and in our individual lives. Change feels possible when it comes to systemic racism, inequality, accessibility, and our looming climate crisis, though that work will have to carry on long beyond this year. Tom McCormick: Oh, I’m very optimistic about everything. While many, many people were devastated economically by COVID, many collectors and others with financial means have been willing to spend more than ever. This will surely level out once things return to some sort of normal, but something good is always just around the corner. That from Mr. Rose Tinted Glasses!
Hurvin Anderson
Anywhere but Nowhere April 9
August 7, 2021
The Arts Club of Chicago www.artsclubchicago.org
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RE-DISCOVERING THE EAST IN THE WEST: UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ART
INSTALLATION VIEW OF THE UIMA PERMANENT COLLECTION
BY ANNA DOBROWOLSKI Armed with my art gallery guide, mask, and hand sanitizer, I headed out West. West Town, that is. On my mission to rediscover art in a recuperating city, I serendipitously came across the gleamingly white façade of the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art. Docent Elena Smolynets caught me peeking through the door: “Yes, we are open!” No reservation necessary, I sauntered in. Not only is the UIMA open, it’s also preparing to celebrate 50 years of robust existence. President Motria Melnyk, curator Adrienne Kochman, and Smolynets—three women who help keep UIMA’s legacy in the heart of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village alive—spoke with me about the UIMA’s history and plans for the future. Pre-pandemic, the UIMA had an ongoing rotation every six months displaying select works from their permanent collection, which currently houses around 1,200 objects ranging from photography and artifacts to kinetic sculpture. To date the UIMA earned a reputation for having one of the largest collections of Ukrainian art, globally, housing work by Soviet era Ukrainian Non-Conformists such as Alexander Archipenko, Alexis Gritchenko, Mychajlo Andreenko, and 36 | CGN | Summer 2021
other artists of Ukrainian descent. Notably, it features art created by the first generation of artists ever to exhibit with the UIMA, including work by two of its founders: sculptor Konstantin Milonadis and sculptor/painter Mychajlo Urban. It also boasts a growing collection of Chicago-based artists, such as Martin Hurtig, Morris Barazani and Roland Ginzel. Soon (in September) we will be able to appreciate their collection in the context of UIMA’s fast-approaching 50th anniversary. Now, playing catch up with a pandemic-caused backlog of shows slated for 2020, they are leaving exhibitions up longer for visitors to enjoy in person. During my visit, the permanent collection that would usually inhabit the east gallery space was replaced by 38 paintings from Work, People, Art (WPA): selections from the Works Progress Administration collection of the Illinois State Museum. The label introducing the exhibits of WPA, a child program of President FDR’s New Deal, invites us to “consider whose work and perspectives are missing.” Contrary to all talk about ‘unprecedented times’, there is an uncanny parallel between the work of artists commissioned by the WPA, and the art produced eight decades later. Though there are similarities in context, we
Stepping into the west gallery one could relish in Not Afraid, a dual exhibition featuring the abstract, textural sculptural work of Gina Lee Robbins and the bold, expressionist paintings of Janice Elkins. These two self-taught artists hailing form Oak Park regale in the uncertain, and their uninhibited approach to their practice falls in line with the attitudes of the institute’s founding artists. THE U IN UIMA Since its genesis, the UIMA existed as an alternative venue for artists. Following WWII, Konstantin Milonadis and Mychajlo Urban emigrated from Ukraine and met while taking courses at the School of the Art Institute under the GI Bill. While they shared a Ukrainian background, what really drew them together was their love for art that did not fit the status-quo. These artists were experimenting with minimalism, geometric abstraction, and even kinetic media—and it was not just a phase. At the time, they were conscious that these modes of expression were not openly practiced in Ukraine. Curator Adrienne Kochman adds, “When they were working in the late 60s and 70s, Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. In the Ukrainian Republic, at least officially, it was forbidden to pursue Western aesthetic modes, such as abstraction, or they would suffer dire consequences such as loss of income or jobs. The official aesthetic, at least in the late 60s, was Soviet socialist realism.” Many of the literary, artistic, and cultural figures who pushed back faced persecution, imprisonment, or death. This “fueled the need to have a safe haven for artists who wanted to work this kind of aesthetic mode outside of Ukraine.” In Chicago, these artists wanted to explore these ‘modern’ styles without the limitations imposed by larger, often more traditional institutions and sanctioned “academic” styles. To the
artists, “Major art institutions like AIC were conservative, and the general feeling was one of ‘If you waited for them to change, they wouldn’t.’”
MYKHAJLO URBAN, PULSATING FORM, 1969 ACRYLIC, LIGHT BULBS, STEEL PLATES, GIFT OF DR. PHILIP AND MRS. FALK
are challenged to look deeper and be better: art—then and now— is on the frontline, responding to a shift in values spurred by crisis, social fractures, and economic strife.
So, the artists carved out a space for themselves through makeshift art organizations such as the Lion’s Club. The UIMA as we know it was founded through the initiative of prominent doctor and active community member Dr. Achilles and Vera Chreptowsky, and lionhearted artists Konstantin Milonadis and Mychajlo Urban. Thanks to Dr. Achilles and Vera Chreptowsky, who became the patrons, and the efforts of volunteers, the UIMA metamorphosed into a proper institution. From the onset, the founders were interested in establishing a permanent collection. What started as a way to promote Ukrainian artists born in America or abroad, rapidly evolved into an institution that welcomes all walks of art— and has so for the past 50 years. Of the works they have acquired over the years, Adriene Kochman mentions that “Most donors of the artwork to the collection purchased it directly from the artist, or UIMA did through fundraising and grants specifically awarded for an organization to purchase artwork for its permanent collection. Some of course, were donated directly by the artist.” It is a dream for those studying provenance, and a testament to the close relationship between the artist community and UIMA.
For the 50th anniversary, Kochman hopes to fill both galleries with art from the permanent exhibition so that we can appreciate its scope. Looking ahead, they will continue to welcome all contemporary artists, regardless of nationality: “We will always support Chicago artists! If you have a proposal, please submit it,” says Kochman. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ‘Survived first pandemic’ is just another tick off the list that makes UIMA relevant today in Chicago’s art scene. When the art world was upended over a year ago; staff remained in high spirits. On March 5th, after a mandate caused the institute to shut its doors to the public, they moved their permanent collections to a virtual exhibition space. President Motria, seizing the moment to get creative while taking stock of their collection, created “Corona Story,” to playfully present the artwork set to the upbeat instrumental version of Gloria Gaynor’s classic “I Will Survive.” In addition to uploading videos on the museum’s history to their website, she also created a downloadable activity book for children, complete with QR codes linking to the actual art. In our Zoom call, she describes her motivation and vision for the Institute, which includes opening up an educational program for young artists. “The founders of the institute not only envisioned an art museum, but also an institution for learning and teaching. Our dream is to incorporate a children’s art center. As an educator, I feel it is important to give young students the opportunities to explore, discover, learn, and express their appreciation and talent for art, enabling them to become life-long art advocates.” says Motria. Official plans for the 50th anniversary will be announced soon. As ever, plans are tentative, but they will find a way to celebrate and thank all those who made the 50 years possible—artists, patrons, visitors, volunteers. Looking forward, Motria says, “We wait for the day when art exhibition openings, musical concerts, distinguished speakers events, conversations, laughter and energy fills our galleries again.” Summer 2021 | CGN | 37
HURVIN ANDERSON’S ARTISTIC TRANSLATIONS AT THE ARTS CLUB PICTURED: ANYWHERE BUT NOWHERE, INSTALLED AT THE ARTS CLUB, APRIL 2021. PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL TROPEA; COURTESY THE ARTS CLUB OF CHICAGO
By JACQUELINE LEWIS As The Arts Club prepared this past March to open its third exhibition since the arrival of the pandemic, Anywhere But Nowhere, by 2017 Turner Award nominee Hurvin Anderson, I sat down with the club’s Executive Director and Chief Curator Janine Mileaf to discuss Anderson’s new works, the artist’s ongoing barbershop theme, as well as the challenges involved with successfully mounting an international exhibition during the time of COVID-19. I was also fortunate to connect with Mr. Anderson for this interview, and he graciously added deeper insight to this exhibition in regards to his identity as a British-born artist, one step removed from his familial homeland in Jamaica.
By bringing the Jamaica and barbershop series together, he’s considering both his ongoing, formal aesthetic approach, while also thematically linking the two. The barbershop series has to do with the Jamaican diaspora in Britain. Hurvin is a UK–born artist with Jamaican heritage. While growing up in Birmingham, he went to barbershops with his dad. They were a sort of cultural, makeshift space that became a Jamaican hub for him. So they are a closed, interior space of Jamaican gathering within the UK. In contrast the Jamaican spaces depicted in Hurvin’s new paintings are all exterior landscapes. He wanted to bring together these two worlds and explore how they mirror each other in this new exhibition.
CGN: How did the Arts Club begin collaborating with Hurvin Anderson? Janine Mileaf: This exhibition has been on the books for quite some time. It was supposed to take place about a year ago, but the pandemic postponed it. I had met the Hurvin Anderson and did a studio visit in London a couple years a year ago, after which I offered him a show here. He graciously accepted. CGN: Can you give us an overview of the exhibition? JM: The exhibition includes two series coming together: brand new paintings on the subject of Jamaica and its sites of tourism, as well as ongoing work regarding barbershops. Hurvin’s barbershop work is very well known – it’s been going on since 2005 – but he’s made brand new, significant work in that series. 38 | CGN | Summer 2021
HURVIN ANDERSON, JUNGLE GARDEN, 2020, ACRYLIC, OIL ON LINEN 71-1⁄4 X 59-1⁄8 IN. COURTESY DE YING FOUNDATION PHOTO: RICHARD IVEY
HURVIN ANDERSON, FLAT TOP, 2008, OIL ON CANVAS, 98-3⁄8 X 81-7⁄8 IN., COLLECTION THOMAS DANE, LONDON PHOTO: HUGH KELLY
CGN: How do the works depict the dualities of development and dereliction surrounding the Jamaican tourist sites? Can you explain how they happen simultaneously? JM: That was actually the impetus for this series of works. Hurvin took a bunch of photographs when he went to Jamaica in 2017. He was struck by the sites where he would see giant construction projects adjacent to places that were falling apart. There was this investment in the new without care for the existing. It struck him as problematic, so he focused on it visually. In the paintings, you don’t necessarily see the cranes and the active building, but you see a hotel site that’s built in limestone. He focuses on this perforated stone wall covered in foliage, and you cannot tell if it’s being built or torn down. There’s this constant need for redevelopment, growth and construction, but at the same time there’s neglect and decay. CGN: What does the title “Anywhere but Nowhere” mean? JM: The title itself comes from a KC White reggae song of the same name. There are a lot of musical references in the titles of Hurvin’s works. But he’s also referencing the specificity of place – a kind of familiar view that is not specific in terms of its locale. A lot of Caribbean touristic sites are kind of treated in this same way. There’s a monumental landscape painting in this show titled No One Remembers, and for Hurvin, it’s extremely specific in terms of Jamaican context. It’s a combination of abstract planes and signage. To him it’s the visual imagery you see all over Jamaica. For someone familiar with that it would be very recognizable. Anywhere but Nowhere is also wrapped up in a concept of utopia Hurvin is playing with. There is this value placed on a homeland by those who are part of the diaspora, so he has a romanticized Jamaica that he’s never really lived in. He’s a foreigner there, yet he has this very close connection. There’s a paradise people get in their minds, including him, that doesn’t really exist. Summer 2021 | CGN | 39
CGN: How does Anderson’s British Nationality and experience intersect with his Jamaican roots in this exhibition? JM: I actually spoke with Hurvin today, and he said that a goal of his is to merge them. In this exhibition they are still two separate things, but both are equally part of him. He wanted to see them together for structural and thematic reasons, but I think they still do remain separate. There’s a utopian view of both places: this internal community in a broader place like the UK, and then this image of a paradise that’s externalized in the Jamaican scenes. He plays them off each other conceptually.
was full of descriptions of the charm of the place while physically confronted with the beauty yes, but also the reality of economic hardship. The abandoned hotels became a metaphor for me for these mixed feelings of grandeur and loss, of a garden of eden, a lost city and the pain of nostalgia. * CGN: Since the artist is based in the UK, and international travel is difficult during the pandemic, did the Arts Club have to employ new ways to collaborate on this exhibition? JM: Happily I had been to Hurvin’s studio long before the pandemic, and he had basically sketched out the entire exhibition. We were lucky in that way. He just had more time to work on it. This morning we were looking at floor plans to figure out exactly where things would go, and we have FaceTime check-ins scheduled over the next couple days. We’ll do a little with the exhibition, show him virtually, and then repeat the process. Normally he would be here at this point. We’re hoping that he may still come in person this summer for a closing event. That would be nice. We’re all working on getting vaccinated, and travel may be possible, so we haven’t written that off yet. CGN: Do you think that technology like this could allow for even less separation and lead to a more interconnected, global art experience? I mean, you can get things done, depending on the planning, but the richness of the artist’s presence is very much missed. CGN: How is The Arts Club approaching exhibiting art during an ongoing pandemic?
HURVIN ANDERSON, PHOTO CREDIT: SEBASTIAN NEVOLS
JM: We were closed, then open, then closed, and then open by appointment. Now with Hurvin’s exhibition, I believe that we will be able to open at regular gallery hours. We are always watching and will respond based on the city’s guidelines.
* CGN: Mr. Anderson, will you please share your experience as a British citizen visiting your familial country of Jamaica? Hurvin Anderson: In this body of work I’m offering a representation of Jamaica as told to me through two generations of the diaspora. Although based on photographs of a real location on Jamaica’s North Coast, these works are also creations of my imagination and born of a powerful oral history. As such, I am always one step removed, trying to understand the visceral pull of a homeland I’ve never known but that has been so richly described. The Jamaica of people’s memory dominated conversations in my childhood, so representing these conjured images on the canvas is, I suppose, a way of filling a loss or void. Life in Jamaica was not my experience, but in recreating a version in my own language I can, in part, relate or share in it. The retelling of stories from Jamaica mythologised the country of my parents and siblings’ birth. On a visit in 2017, my mind 40 | CGN | Summer 2021
Unfortunately we cannot have a live opening, but we have been doing some public, mini tours instead of a big tour, as well as a public Zoom talk in April. In June we will have an open house with tours. Over the summer and depending on regulations, we may have another talk or event. CGN: What aspects of the exhibition are you most excited for people to experience? JM: I am excited for people to experience the tactile qualities of the art that you just cannot get on a screen. The scale and the embodied relationship between the viewer and the painting is also very important in these works, as well as those physical textures. There is also this structure under his paintings that reveals itself gradually, making time extremely important for his works. Hurvin Anderson: Anywhere But Nowhere, Thru August 7, 2021 at The Arts Club of Chicago • artsclub.org
IMAGE COURTESY PATRON, CHICAGO. PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN JENKINS
KAVI GUPTA GALLERY’S NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN SPACE WILL BE MULTI-FUNCTION AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO VACATIONERS FROM CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE.
EXPANSIONS & PLANS FORWARD MOMENTUM AFTER A HARD YEAR We’ve all heard of doubling down. It’s harder than it sounds to face adversity, take a big gamble and make it happen. Amidst a challenging pandemic fortunes have been varied in Chicago’s art spaces, but everyone has been adversely affected in one way or another. CGN has been seeking out the gallerists and others who decided to make some lemonade out of 2020. Each effort is a testament to the enduring power of art and the creative people behind it all. This summer visit these spaces and places to see what’s new and to wish those leading the charge well. – GV
THE NEW GOLDEN TRIANGLE OPENS THIS SUMMER AT 2035 W GRAND AVE. IT PROMISES TO BE PART GALLERY AND PART ATELIER-WORKSHOP.
PATRON has been talking about a move from its original River West location for quite some time, but 2020 put plans on hold. As of April 2021 they have moved to a fabulous new space in a reclaimed theater in West Town. • patrongallery.com THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE held an epic sale to clear out its 18,000 sf. Clark Street space in River North to move to West Town. Co-founder Doug Van Tress says, “Our new space is a more industrial space, a combination of gallery and atelier-workshop where things are not just sold; they are made. • goldentriangle.biz 2020 dealt the vintage mainstay RANDOLPH STREET MARKET a near-fatal blow, with the cancellation of in-person events. With construction planned this summer for the market’s traditional Plumber’s Hall home, Schwartz moved the market to Three Oaks, MI for five weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. • randolphstreetmarket.com
IF YOU’RE IN MICHIGAN THIS SUMMER, OR LOOKING FOR A REASON TO GO, AIM FOR THE LAST WEEKEND OF THE MONTH TO ATTEND RANDOLPH MARKETS
KAVI GUPTA GALLERY already has two West Loop locations, and now it has a new, multi-functioning art space on the main strip of the lakeside town of New Buffalo, MI, a common spot for Chicagoans to vacation. Plans include an exhibition space, outdoor sculpture garden, as well as art storage facilities. • kavigupta.com ALAN KOPPEL GALLERY expanded beyond their downtown Dearborn Street space to open a satelite gallery in suburban Glencoe April 1. Their first show featured photographs by Diane Arbus, along with works by artists she influenced. • alankoppel.com
ALAN KOPPEL GALLERY–NORTH IS A SATELITE SPACE SERVING A NORTH SHORE SUBURBAN AUDIENCE
Read about additional gallery plans and expansions at chicagogallerynews.com Summer 2021 | CGN | 41
SEEKING COMMON CAUSE MACARTHUR FELLOWS PROGRAM AT 40 Abigail Winograd: Three years ago the McArthur Foundation invited me to propose an exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Fellow’s program. The invitation included an open-ended proposal to present a theme. I made a selection of artists and proposed an exhibition that uses the “commons” as a thematic umbrella to look at four areas of inquiry: human society and communication, the natural environment, the built environment, and identity and representation. The show was a response to what felt like, at the end of 2017 and start of 2018, a moment in which we were, as a society, grappling with the realization that what we had thought was common ground or a common understanding, was being called into question. CGN: One of the first exhibitions to open is Much Unseen is Also Here, which runs from June 3–August 29 at the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP). Can you tell me more about the process, and some of the conversations you had with the artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander and the curators? SHAHZIA SIKANDER, PROMISCUOUS INTIMACIES, 2020, PATINATED BRONZE, 42 X 24 X 18”, EDITION OF 5 WITH 2 APS. © SHAHZIA SIKANDER. PHOTO: JASON WYCHE, NEW YORK, COURTESY: THE ARTIST AND SEAN KELLY, NEW YORK.
By ANNA DOBROWOLSKI Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? These are just some of the existential questions tethered to creatives in any age, but this summer, as part of the upcoming multi-site exhibition Toward Common Cause: Art, Social Change and the MacArthur Fellows Program at 40, 29 artists add another question to the enduring list: Are we paying attention? The exhibition materializes as we emerge from isolation (and general art deprivation) to once again encounter artists’ creative solutions to contemporary issues. Abigail Winograd, MacArthur Fellows Program 40th Anniversary Exhibition Curator, spoke with me about some of the collaborative efforts involved in the project. CGN: 29 artists, 19 exhibition venues, and over a dozen research partners and community partners — in only three short years? Can you tell me more about Toward Common Cause and how the initiative unfolded? 42 | CGN | Summer 2021
AW: In the past couple of years, my conversations with artists An-My Lê and Shahzia Sikander involved thinking through their identities and representation as women of color in this moment in history. It developed into a conversation about their relationship to America and American-ness. That was happening in the midst of debates about monuments; the whole world, it seems, has been experiencing this moment of iconoclasm. After the murder of George Floyd, we see monuments literally being pulled off their pedestals because we’ve reached this moment of reckoning. * Both artists were already questioning the role of monuments through their own media and practice—An-My Lê through a 19th century photography apparatus, and Shahzia Sikander through mixed media (drawings, video installations, and patinated sculptures). Since 2015, An-My Lê has been working on a large-scale photography project, The Silent General in which she explores the complicated relationships to landscape, war, and history. As part of her project, she documents the decommissioning of the statues of General Robert E. Lee and General P.G.T. Beauregard Monuments (2017) from their established locations to the Homeland Security Storage in New Orleans, where they were ultimately withdrawn.
Shahzia Sikander was interested in monuments from another angle. In 2017 she served on the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Markers in New York City, which exposed her to ongoing discussions and competing public opinions surrounding the role of monuments. This culminated in an anti-monument, such as her Promiscuous Intimacies (2020 patinated bronze sculpture) depicting Greco-Roman Venus and the Indian Devata. An anti-monument cross-examines the social tenets underpinning monuments: its historical and classical implications, material structure; the power structures they inherently reveal along with the histories they conceal. Bringing these two bodies of work together into MoCP’s space crescendos into a duet of artistic practices that interrogate how –and whose—history is portrayed. When Winograd conceived the idea three years ago, she could not divine that the project would coincide with a pandemic. If anything, the work by the McArthur fellows gained another level of urgency. She felt deeply grateful to forge relationships with participating artists who were already using their art as a platform to confront realities and injustices in the world. “In this fraught moment, working with this cohort of artists and spaces is an unimaginable privilege. It’s been all a very humbling experience,” she says. “It’s also been special for me to work on one of the largest exhibitions I’ve ever done in my hometown. It really took a village.” Chicago was the natural choice for the exhibition, not least because it is the home of the McArthur headquarters, but also because of its wealth of art schools, ethnic diversity, and working-class roots.
IÑIGO MANGLANO-OVALLE, WELL 35°58’16”N -106°5’21”W (SANTA CLARA PUEBLO, NM), 2014. PICTURED: IÑIGO MANGLANO-OVALLE. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.
CGN: What is Chicago’s role in this project? Does the initiative underscore the city as an exhibition space? AW: From the beginning, what we hoped to do was try to make the art available to as broad an audience as possible, which means lowering barriers of access. We thought about where museums and cultural resources are located and how we can integrate alternative venues to diffuse art across the city. We are collaborating with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) for one of the exhibitions. This is the first time the CHA has participated in a contemporary art exhibition. After the last year, we all need more art in our lives. The CHA is another chance to work with organizations that don’t normally participate in these projects. * Due to the number and breadth of the exhibitions distributed across the city, it is impossible to look forward to just one. The fellows in the initiative – such as Jeffrey Gibson, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Kara Walker, and Kerry James Marshall, to name a few – field a spectrum of social, environmental, and political issues in their practice. Toward Common Cause exposes where we are left vulnerable as a society and allows us to reflect and take the necessary steps to move forward. Are we paying attention? If so, how can we unearth common ground? JEFFREY GIBSON WORKING IN THE STUDIO. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.
For more information visit TowardCommonCause.org Summer 2021 | CGN | 43
HEAD NORTH
EXPLORE ART IN WISCONSIN With many of us eager to stretch our travel legs this summer – to make up for all we missed during the last one – an easy trip, or two, around Wisconsin to visit the state’s many destinations for art will satisfy your wanderlust as well as your cultural cravings. Check out these highlights on now and hit the road! MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PHOTO: NICHOLAS SADOWSKI
RACINE ART MUSEUM
Mary Giles, Fading Light, 2007, waxed linen, fine copper wire, and fine iron wire, 13 x 17” D, Racine Art Museum, gift of Jim Harris. Photo: Petronella J. Ytsma. Part of Collection Focus: Mary Giles thru July 3.
The Racine Art Museum holds the largest and most significant contemporary craft collection in North America, with more than 9,500 objects from nationally and internationally recognized artists. A trip to RAM is less than 60 miles from downtown Chicago. • ramart.org
SCULPTURE MILWAUKEE Richard Woods, Holiday Home (Milwaukee), 2019, wood, steel. Courtesy the artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London.
44 | CGN | Summer 2021
Sculpture Milwaukee’s fifth exhibition will be co-curated by Theaster Gates and Michelle Grabner, running June through fall 2022. One of the largest annual outdoor exhibitions to focus on contemporary sculpture and public art practices, the works selected by Gates and Grabner will be explored through programming and educational initiatives. • sculpturemilwaukee.com
MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
For 60 years MoWA has evolved from a small hometown gallery to one of the leading regional museums in the country, devoted to exploring the art and culture of Wisconsin. • wisconsinart.org
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Mary Cassatt, Spanish Girl Leaning on a Window Sill, ca. 1872. Oil on canvas, 24 3/8 × 19 in. Collection of Manuel Piñanes GarcíaOlías, Madrid. Photo, Cuauhtli Gutierrez
The Milwaukee Art Museum is open to the public again, with several exhibitions planned for this summer, including Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel, 1820–1920, the first major exhibition to focus on the influence of Spanish art and culture on American painting. Jun 11–Oct 3 • mam.org
JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ART CENTER
Annabeth Marks, Across the Split, 2019, oil on canvas, 80 x 62”
Painter Annabeth Marks is equally concerned with acts of construction and of deconstruction. Her work considers the boundaries of painting in both process and form. For her contribution to the Return to the Real series at the JMKAC, May 30–Jan 9, 2022, Marks presents a new body of work in a site-specific installation. paintings.
ARTS MINERAL POINT
The creative community of Mineral Point offers a haven for working artists as well as a bucolic weekend art destination southwest of Madison, towards the Iowa border. Enjoy late night shopping, live music, workshops, artist receptions and more. The 8th annual Paint the Point live painting fundraiser takes place August 11–14. • artsmp.org
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