A Night at the Fine Arts Building- Holiday Celebration

On Friday December 14th, the Fine Arts building at 410 S. Michigan Ave. opened it's studios for a holiday celebration. It was brought to my attention that they host building wide open studios at least once a month; this particular opening was more crowded than normal because of the holiday excitement.

It was great to speak with several different artists and hear their stories. The building's studios surve many different functions from painting studios, to classical music studios, to yoga studios. Most of the artists I spoke with were painters. They were all of different ages, and have been showing work for a varying number of years. Some artists have been working out of Chicago for over ten years, and others for just a few months.
I enjoyed talking with Jill McLean. She does a lot of large abstract oil paintings with very nice color combinations. I was also lucky enough to see some of the first paintings in Jennifer Cronin's new series. Jennifer has previously shown at Elephant Room Gallery so I am somewhat familiar with her earlier work.

Aside from speaking with various interesting artists, I saw some great musicians. A man named Davin Youngs played piano and sang wonderful christmas songs. I also was more than happy to see a band covering old songs by Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.

"Hello From New York"

November 30th was opening night for Walter Robinson's show "Hello From New York" at Firecat Projects gallery off Damen. The gallery is small and intimate and I enjoyed my visit there. When I walked in I felt good energy throughout the gallery and everyone looked like they were enjoying each others company, the art, and beverages.

I live over in this area and the flyers posted were intriguing enough to get me in the door. When I first saw the paintings I thought of the designs on the front of fabric patterns, almost like sketches but with paint. The vintage, unfinished quality was used with purpose because I think the artist wants the viewer to look at the people more than what is around them and it was effective to me. I also liked the detail of having a highlight color behind the subject in each painting. It really made the people pop out to the viewer.

These pieces to me were a depiction of girls these days taking provocative photos of themselves with their phones or computer cameras. It was humorous to me, and I think that was the intention behind these paintings. I feel like pop culture has changed drastically since children today have iPhones better than most adults. I also think sex is being introduced earlier these days and has lead to the media being misused by children and adults. These pieces in the show had the most impact on me, I felt something behind these more than the others.



Check out their site for more details!
http://www.firecatprojects.org/

What I Was Thinking

What Was I Thinking was a fantastic turn out at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in the River North last night celebrating the 25th anniversary. The exhibit featured over 100 images from 75 different photographers such as Nan Goldin, Keith Carter, Annie Leibovitz, O. Winston Link, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, and even two of my Columbia professors Terry Evans and Elizabet Ernst.

Seeing all different types of photography put into one show was quite the experience and sparked my creative bones. This particular gallery is one of my favorites, not just because it is photography but because of the atmosphere and passion for art you feel from the owner and staff. This gallery continues to be successful and I think it will keep developing more brilliant shows in the future.

http://www.edelmangallery.com/exhibitions/2012/25year/25yearshow.htm
Located at 300 West Superior Street  Chicago, IL 60654
www.edelmangallery.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5:30pm

  

1979:1–2012:21: Jan Tichy Works with the MOCP Collection

The Museum of Contemporary Photography is currently exhibiting the works from its extensive collection thanks to artist Jan Tichy, who organized and compiled the various works based on the characteristics and highlights of the collection. The museum commissioned the artist in an effort to map out its collection and create an accessible narrative in which to view the photographs in the exhibition. The exhibition includes digital, video and physical works that embody and define the Museum's catalogue of incredible works and also reflects an incredible history documented by the photographers.

According to the Museum of Contemporary Photography's website, "the exhibition 1979:1–2012:21 invites us to make unexpected connections, to consider individual photographs as well as the nature of the collection as archive in both its physical and digital forms—and to experience the wonder of the art object." (source) 

This exhibit allows the viewer to examine the Museum of Contemporary Photography's collection while contemplating ideas about photography itself as an art form and expression; revisiting the wonder and scope of the photographic art form.

 

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.