Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. The architecture and decor features are beautiful and the exhibits complement the environment perfectly.

The top floor of the Museum holds fascinating modern interior installations by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Shown above is a huge room dividing wall titled "Clouds".

Also displayed are wonderful charcoal drawings by William Kentridge. These drawings aren't just any drawings. They are actually still pieces that make up animated films. Kentridge's films are free to view at the museum. The animations compose compelling, heart-felt, short films commenting on the atrocities in South Africa in the late 80s and early 90s. The style and flow of the animations is like nothing I have even seen.

Public Storage

Three artists come together using all types of mediums to present the show Public Storage based on ideas from the poem "Public Storage" by Kathleen Gardner.

Works by Steph Davies, Sophie Goodwin, and Jessica Yocherer.

I went to the opening reception on October 6th and the environment was very friendly, with lots of treats for visitors. This little gallery space is located a few blocks away from me in Logan Square. I didn't plan on going to this event but it looked so fun that I couldn't pass it up. I'm glad I went because all of the artwork was stunning!  There were all very unique and different mediums but they tied in together to make a great show. I would suggest making the journey to see this show as you won't be disappointed. The artists were all walking around chatting with visitors and seemed very open to talk about their work.

Beauty & Brawn Gallery are participating in the "Art Block by Block" and are a part of the art walk. So check them out located at 3501 W. Fullerton Chicago, IL 60647.

Design Harvest

This past weekend, Design Harvest Festival was held on Grand Avenue between Damen and Wood. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from my visit, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

The event was a great fall festival including live music, outdoor vendors, and several displays. The festival was sandwiched between Grand Avenue’s lovely unique galleries and the street was lined with hay bales for festivity. 

The galleries are home to artistic interior home furnishings and decorations. Many of the items are older and have been refurbished or brought back to life by a designer. I saw everything from statues, paintings, tables, frames and vases. It was a lot of fun to check out a different gallery scene in Chicago from what I am used to. The galleries emphasized vast varieties of functional home items rather than fine art or fashion. The pieces ranged from modern to rustic; there seemd to be something for everyone. 

I spoke with several vendors throughout the afternoon, including a decor pillow maker, a wood-worker, and a canvas photo printing company. They all do custom work for clients and it was nice to see such a vast variety of designers coming together for such an interactive event. 

Ellen Lanyon: The Persistence of Invention

Today was my first time visiting the Depaul Art Museum, I was very welcomed and enjoyed the small intimacy. I walked into the first room and my eye went to three very large, monochromatic paintings.

The exhibit up now is Ellen Lanyon: The Persistence of Invention (until November 18) presenting work from 1969-present.

 I found her work to be almost like a fairytale, which was very fun for me. Even though the trinkets she modeled from are older, there was a futuristic vibe in the details of her paintings. Her paintings are very clever as well, like she's creating a new idea for us to wonder about and how it fits together. I loved the movement, colors, and texture of each piece plus seeing the collection of trinkets and tools she developed these paintings from felt really personal and inviting to me as the viewer.

The Depaul Art Museum is located at 935 W Fullerton Ave and be sure to check out another great exhibit here Afterimage.