brunch & soiree

On April 29th, Justin, Robbie, Esteban, and I woke up to attend a brunch over at the Rhona Hoffman Gallery of Chicago, as well as the Walsh Gallery, in the west loop area.

Rhona Hoffman's exhibition was entitled "COMMEMORATING 30 YEARS
1976 - 2006: PART TWO 1980-1990" This year marks 30 years for Rhona Hoffman as a gallerist in Chicago. It seems fitting to celebrate this significant anniversary with a series of exhibitions and installations that pay homage to the art and artists who have been the lifeblood and substance of the gallery's existence. The gallery is presenting many of the artists work in a roughly chronological fashion, according to the era they first exhibited.



Below is an image of the Franz West piece that the gallery had on display:


On March 16th Walsh Gallery presented photography and sculpture by Beijing-based artist duo the Gao Brothers. "From China with Love" is an investigation into the effects of Chinese urbanization on the spirit. The show ran from March 16 to April 28.
Below is an image of one of the photographs that were exhibited at Walsh Gallery:


After attending the open galleries and the brunches that were held there, we headed over to the Merchandise Mart for a final viewing of the shows. We got a chance to take a look at the New Insight Show which was an exhibition of artwork by promising young contemporary artists curated by Susanne Ghez, Director of the University of Chicago, Renaissance Society. New InSight was comprised of artwork from 24 graduate students at 12 of the country’s most influential Master of Fine Arts programs, which included the following:

California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts)
Carnegie Mellon University
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Hunter College (City University of New York)
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC)
Yale University



In the middle of our afternoon we quickly switched plans and location so that we could attend the opening of Dusseldorf-based artist Katharina Grosse (b. 1961, Germany) at the Renaissance Society located on the University of Chicago campus. Engaging a range of surfaces, including aluminum, canvas, paper, and existing architectural elements, the site-specific abstract paintings are executed in a manner that emphasizes color over brushwork, movement over stasis, and transience over permanence. This is the first one-person exhibition in the Midwest for the artist.



Here is an image of her installation:




At 6:30 pm that day we attended the Blanc International Fashion Show. Blanc is a contemporary runway presentation highlighting the worlds top designers and the citys most distinguished retailers who paint the canvas with a modernist approach to fashion. We were invited to experience the Spring/Summer 2007 collections brought to life through ten individual designer segments at the first ever International Fashion Event during Art Chicago.



Once the fashion show was over, we drove to the North end of Chicago on Lake Shore Drive to get a bite to eat in the Indian/Pakistani part of town called "Devon".



This was the drive:




and here we can see how happy Neil and Esteban are to have eaten quite a delicious meal:




Our last event of the weekend occurred at the home of Dr. Dan Berger and Mr. Matthew Piechowski. The two gentlemen, who are very fine collectors of art, opened their beautiful home located just outside of Chicago in the neighborhood of Roger's Park for a private viewing. Their collection includes but is not limited to works by Roger Brown, Rashid Johnson, Mr. Imagination, Bernard Williams, Kehinde Wiley, and William Hawkins. Dr. Berger served as the Chair of Collections and Acquisitions Committee for the Intuit Show here in Chicago.



In the photographs below you can see images taken of that joyous night with Dan Berger, Robert Cooper, Mr. Imagination, Robert MacNeill, Matthew Piechowski, Justin Polera, Esteban Schimpf, Bernard Williams, and myself. We are standing in front of one of their Roger Brown Paintings and holding in our hands the many sculptures done by none other than Mr. Imagination...




The night concluded with a fun car ride taking all our friends home, the weekend was long and exciting and we all needed a good night's sleep.

early bird

I woke up early this morning to attend a brunch where the Art Fairs were being held. Christopher G. Kennedy who is the president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. organized this morning event.


below is a picture of the Merchandise Mart advertising its "Artropolis" event:

and here is a picture of a banner inside the actual venue, advertising the Intuit Show:




After the morning brunch I attended the C6 Symposium at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
in Millennium Park, Chicago. The inaugural Symposium C6 THE ART WORLD IS FLAT
"Globalism—Crisis and Opportunity" brought together an international group of socially engaged artists, scientists, curators, technologists, patrons and cultural entrepreneurs who are confronting the new challenges and possibilities of our profoundly interconnected world.
To read more about the C6 Symposium follow the attached link: http://symposiumc6.com/



After attending the Syposium I headed back over to the Merchandise Mart to see the Hubbard Street Dance Company perform in a tented area outside of the mart, for one of the special events being held in line with Art Chicago.


Many individuals had private viewings of their art collections because so many people were in town for the large art event. After attending the performance of the Hubbard Street Dance Company we headed over to the house of Contemporary Artist Nick Cave who invited people over to visit his collection. It was a wonderful evening full of excitement.



About Nick Cave....
"New York Times art critic Roberta Smith wrote of Nick Cave’s solo show at the
Shainman Gallery (NYC) last November, “Whether Nick Cave’s efforts qualify as
fashion, body art, or sculpture...they fall squarely under the heading Must Be Seen to
Be Believed.�? Cave has resided as chair of SAIC’s fashion department since 2005, and
is a practicing artist who was the recipient of several prestigious awards in 2006. One of fifty-four American artists to receive a $50,000 fellowship from United States Artists, he was also named the recipient of an Artadia Award in the Visual Arts for artists working in Cook County, IL, and was given a $50,000 Joyce Foundation Award to fund the exhibition of his solo show Nick Cave: Soundsuits at the Chicago Cultural Center, which allowed for the creation of several dozen new pieces for the exhibition." (taken from http://www.saic.edu/pdf/news/pdf_files/release_saicfashion07.pdf)

Below is a sound suit by artist Nick Cave:


The night wasn't over yet though (I told you this would be a rather lengthy blog) as we headed over to another collection viewing, we ran into a protest that was occurring just south of Chicago's Soldier Field. It was the protest called "Invisible Children" in which more than 60,000 Americans Nationwide protested the horrors of Joseph Kony and his army against children in Uganda. They did this to end the enslavement of child soldiers in Uganda, who spend every night of their lives sleeping in cardboard boxes. They did this through the awareness and aggressive campaigning of the US government. One more thing to note about this event, was that children taking part in the protest spent the night sleeping in their own cardboard box houses to raise awareness in regards to the events occurring in Uganda.

Below are the images that I managed to take, it was a powerful sight to encounter:






Our last event of the night was a visit to the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Blackburn. They had an absolutely beautiful array of outsider art which included one of my favorite artists, William Hawkins. The event was lovely and a great way to conclude the evening.


Below are images of that visit to the Blackburn's home:

day 1-the shin' dig

Today I met up with my friend, Justin Polera who is on the committee for the Intuit Show. Together the four of us, Esteban Schimpf, Robert MacNeil, Justin and myself, headed to the home of Larry Fields, to view his private art collection of contemporary art. Larry Fields is the inheritor of Marshall Fields and the Field Museum here in the city of Chicago. We were absolutely astonished to view his collection which included but were not limited to works by Richard Serra, Allora and Calzadilla, Lari Pittman, Ed Ruscha, Matthew Barney, and a beautiful Sol Le Witt that faced the Northern window.


After attending the event at Mr. Field's home, we headed over to the west loop where many of the galleries had their openings. The pictures below are of our visit to the Kavi Gupta Gallery, Carrie Seacrest Gallery, and the Nova Gallery of Chicago.






after the gallery visits, we headed over to the Debonaire Social Club in which Bridge held a reception, the photos are below:




The night ended with a quick pit stop of midnight tacos!

Art Chicago, Intuit Show, and Bridge Art Fair

About the events---
Art Chicago: an annual contemporary and modern art fair, presents the world's leading galleries and artists in a thriving, international city with a rich artistic legacy, a sophisticated community of art dealers, collectors and curators, and a diverse cultural identity. Under new management since 2006, Art Chicago makes its new home at the world renowned Merchandise Mart, America's epicenter of high design and luxury goods.


The Intuit Show---
The best of folk and outsider art can be found this fall in Chicago at the third annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art. One of the premier outsider art events in country and the only of its kind in the Midwest, this sale and exhibition features art from 40 of the leading dealers in folk and outsider art from across the country. The show is the primary fundraiser for Intuit, a nonprofit art center with a mission to promote appreciation for self-taught art forms that have emerged outside of established academic traditions.


Bridge Art Fair---
Art is our only criteria. Our focus is on emerging and new contemporary work in all media. This includes but is not limited to painting, prints, photography, sculpture, installation, drawing, film, video, new media and conceptual art.The goal of the Bridge Art Fair, an international exposition of new art, is to broaden the exposure of emerging and contemporary art and artists by providing a cost-effective showcase for the best in new art from both established and emerging galleries, ateliers, storefronts, artist collectives and artist-run spaces.

Lawn Games in the Park

Due to beautiful weather I went on yet another picnic in the park with some alumni from the Art Institute. We stayed out till midnight without a trickle of cold weather! We had a bbq and played lawn games.



My friends introduced me to this game called "Kubb". Basically, Kubb (pronounced koob) is tossing sticks at another teams wooden blocks (Kubbs) and the first one to tip all the other teams wood, wins. Kubb is a traditional Swedish yard game game played by Vikings over 1000 years ago. In fact, Kubb has even been called Viking Chess due to the strategy needed to really play.



The last event of the evening was a men's wrestling tournament...

BBQ @ The Plaines Project

So, the sun has come out of its hiding spot and Chicago is absolutely ecstatic! When the sun is out BBQ's are what's happenin'....


This weekend I attended a neighborhood barbecue at "The Plaines Project". A fairly new space, the Plaines Project is an experimental work/live gallery space and artist residency located in east Pilsen. They are currently hosting several artists from the Bay Area and Oakland, California.

Alogon: Stonings

On Friday night I went to the closing reception of a show at Alogon entitled "Stonings". The show had work by artists Ben Fain, Max Schubert, Justin Swinburne, and Bless Tive. Alogon is a gallery space in Bucktown/Wickerpark that shows work by emerging young artists. The gallery is owned and run by students of the Art Institute. The photos below show the work of Bless Tive, whose remaking of the Pyramids of Giza, consisted of sugar cubes and colored sand. In the background the electrifyingly red painting by Max Schubert radiated with a strange optical intensity.




The next opening reception at Alogon is Friday May 4, 2007. Alogon will showcase the work of Clint Jerritt Bargers, the show is entitled "Where I Lead Me". Alogon is located at 1049 N. Paulina 3rd Floor to all who are interested.

Sensory Deprivation Space Time Tanks

Yesterday I went on yet another fascinating field trip with my Nothing class. We went to the sensory deprivation tanks located here in the Lincoln Park area. The procedure starts with a shower, so everyone was given their own room with a tank and a shower. You then enter the tank for a 45 minute session. A worker then enters the room and knocks on the door of the tank to let you know that your session is up and you are to knock back. The experience is concluded with yet another shower.




What's in the tank, you may ask?




The tank is sound and light proof and it is filled with 800lbs of salt. The water is at a controlled temperature of 98 degrees which makes it nearly impossible to feel the difference between your own body and the water it is submerged in.




The experience was absolutely amazing. I interviewed several of my classmates about their experience, this is what they had to say:




"I've done this before but this time i had a very different experience. I feel so relaxed and tired now..."
-Wiley Hoard (also just to add...Wiley chose the "ego" room which is the largest of the three and is very similar to a bath house, Wow Wiley!)




"When I first entered the tank I investigated the space around me and had fun with the space, and then my mind started to think think think, and I may have NEARLY hallucinated! Oh, and not to mention my ears have dried salt in them..."-Erik Dell



"I expected more of an outer body experience, and every time my hand touched the tank, i snapped out of it. I wish it would have been more intense, also, i have salt in my ears..." -Andrew Campbell





As for myself, I absolutely enjoyed the experience. It made me very aware of my mind and heart in relation to the rest of my body, near the end, i experienced what may be described as an OUTER body experience. It was wonderful and I am interested in doing it again.

Hyde Park Art Center

Earlier in the week I went to visit the new and refurbished Hyde Park Art Center with my Advanced Sculpture class. Located in the South side of Chicago near the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Center's mission is to "stimulate and sustain the visual arts in Chicago. It is the oldest alternative exhibition space in the City and boasts a long record of education outreach in the community." You can find more info at http://www.hydeparkart.org/

And for now, here are the pics....

I've always wanted to see this

I have always admired the work of Chicago-based artist, Tony Tasset, and for a long time I have been meaning to visit a public sculpture of his entitled Snow Sculpture for Chicago.


Tony Tasset created the conceptual sculpture, a pile of snow, as a site-specific installation for the west window of the Goldblatt’s building façade. The window is the only remaining display window of the former department store. The artist endeavored to create a hyper-realistic replica of a typical Chicago snow pile. To that end, Tasset included numerous pieces of handcrafted debris such as coffee cups and matchbooks. When asked abou the sculpture the artist has stated that, “these piles of snow are sublime; both ugly and beautiful, like life.”


I attended a lecture given by Tony Tasset for the Society of Contemporary Art last year at the Art Institute of Chicago and I was inspired heavily by the work that he presented. While driving down Chicago Avenue tonight after a lovely dinner at a local Cuban restaurant, Esteban pointed out the glorious pile in the window, I nearly missed it due to the quick paced car ride and the sudden rain/sleet storm that had sunken into the night. We stopped for awhile to witness the immense pile in the window; the contained sludge, soot, and snow in all it's disgusting and complex layers presented an august beauty. It is a beautiful gesture and quite an homage to the city of Chicago, defined by it's harsh and brutal winters. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend checking out this sculpture located at 1613 - 35 W. Chicago Avenue, the experience was delightful and worth seeing!



Tony Tasset
Snow Sculpture for Chicago
Polystyrene, acrylic, brass, steel, epoxy, oil paint and resin
H 102 in. x W 163 in. x D 93 in.
City of Chicago Public Art Collection

The Red Gate Woods, Burial Ground to the Worlds First Sustained Nuclear Reactor

So to start off i am in a class entitled Nothing taught by Ken Fandell of the Photo department, and if you'd like you can read a summation below:

"Through making, looking and thinking, this interdisciplinary class (based in the photo department) will examine artistic, personal, scientific, political, and philosophical ideas of nothingness. Critiques will be around open projects determined by basic guiding principles and questions (example: “The Ephemeral - create a piece that literally becomes nothing while it is being viewed�?). And although this is primarily a production class, films, television shows, lectures, readings and excursions will supplement production and guide discussions and need to be taken seriously."

For this class we have gone on many excursions, last week we actually visited the Red Gate Woods which as this blog is titled, holds the remains of the world's first nuclear reactor. It was rebuilt at these woods and buried beneath this monument! Located a mere 30 miles outside of Chicago it is an absolutely AMAZING sight to see!!!!!!!!

here is a link you can go to for more information about this site
http://www.lm.doe.gov/documents/sites/il/site_a/inspecrpt/site_a_inspect2005.pdf

and of course... images are below

Botanic Gardens

Here's a jingle for ya'll:

Whether the weather be hot, whether the weather be cold, the botanic gardens will be around for everyone young and old! hahhaha

This weekend i spent sometime at the botanic gardens located in a nearby suburb of chicago, up north. The sights we saw were beautiful and inspiring to all of us artists.

here is a link to the gardens: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/

The image below truly captures the awe inspiring image of the gardens and their powerful impact upon us...

Opening Night at The Museum of Contemporary Art

Amy Mayfield, a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, had her museum debut with the Museum of Contemporary Art's 12x12 emerging artist program. Amy's paintings can be viewed at:
http://www.amyemayfield.com

The MCA also has a photography exhibit which includes but is not limited to works by Tony Tasset, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Demand, Giuseppe Gabellone and also work by a photography professor here at SAIC, Ken Fandell, his work can be seen at this site below:
http://www.kenfandell.com/

The 12x12 opening coincided with the MCA's first friday "singles night" which prohibited any person under 21 to enter because of the MCA's strict guidelines in regards to their alcohol policy. This left some individuals angry because they were not allowed to view the art, which was their sole purpose of attending the opening.

Just a minutes away from the Art Institute, students have the opportunity to visit museums and galleries throughout Chicago, quite easily and frequently.