Our weekly calendar is a list of visual art related events happening in Chicago. The events that we choose are loosely curated based on the information that is put in front of us. If you would like to take advantage of having your event listed on our website please send a press release to nicolettecaldwell(at)sixtyinchesfromcenter.org.
MONDAY || May 14th, 2012
Peace Party for AREA
Come party, dance and celebrate – a portion of bar proceeds will be donated to AREA Chicago to help keep our work going. PEACE PARTY is a monthly funk & soul fundraiser hosted by Danny’s Tavern featuring DJs Jocelyn Brown, Maggie Mui, Naomi Walker & Dave Marques. A portion of the bar proceeds go to a different beneficiary each month. AREA Chicago was chosen this month. So drink wisely! Friends welcome!
Founded in 2005, AREA Chicago supports the work of people and organizations building a socially just city. AREA actively gathers, produces, and shares knowledge about local culture and politics. Its newspaper, website, and events create relationships and sustain community through art, research, education, and activism.
Bringing you the funkiest of funk and deepest of soul are: DJ’s Maggi Mui, Naomi Walker, Shazam Bangles, Itzi Nallah, and Jocelyn Brown.
Danny’s
1951 W. Dickens Ave.
Chicago, IL
9:00p
Suggested donation
21+
TUESDAY || May 15th, 2012
TBD
WEDNESDAY || May 16th, 2012
Piranha Club #4: Garlic & Greens
This month, Chef Eric will team up with Fereshteh Toosi and her Garlic & Greens
projects to cook up vegan soul food with Dara Cooper of Fresh Moves mobile
grocery and Chef Tsadakeeyah of Majani Catering. Our menu will include peanut
buttered collard greens, okra & mushrooms, baked bbq black-eyed peas,
cornbread, yam-ginger pie, sweet tea and mint juleps.
Roots & Culture
1034 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL
6:00 – 8:00p
$30 in advance // Only 10 seats available // Buy tickets HERE
THURSDAY || May 17th, 2012
BON VOYAGE CELEBRATION and FUNDRAISER
The African Festival of the Arts proudly presents a BON VOYAGE CELEBRATION and FUNDRAISER as FANTA CELAH prepares to represent / present her FINE ART at this year’s International Exhibition at DAK’ART 2012 in Senegal, Africa!!!! This glorious exhibition will take place from May 11 through June 10, 2012. Fanta will be participating for 10 days and will share her experiences via FB posts and photos!
About DAK’ART: DAK’ART is an international artistic event devoted to African Visual Arts, gathering African and foreign artists from ALL continents! DAK’ART supports and encourages creativity, promotion, diffusion, artistic training and art education in Africa; promotes African artists internationally; encourages the integration of contemporary African Art into the international Art market; contributes to the development of art appreciation in Africa and publications on art and contemporary African artists.
Africa International House
6200 South Drexel
Chicago, IL
5:30 – 8:30p
$15 Suggested Donation
FRIDAY || May 18th, 2012
Nearer to Know Less // Performances by Husband, Robby MacBain, and Hannah Verrill
Please join us for an evening of performances organized by Original Features (Benjamin Chaffee and Samantha Topol). Included in the program will be new work by the group Husband (Annie Maurer, Matthew Shalzi, Millie Kapp and Noah Furman), a sound piece by Robby MacBain, and a performance related to past performances by Hannah Verrill.
ALDERMAN EXHIBITIONS
1138 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60607
Doors at 7:00p, begins at 7:30p
$5 Suggested Donation
8 x 8 at The Coop
In the spirit of artistic collaboration, The Coop and Gapers Block teamed up to produce 8×8, an experiment in writing and design. Eight Chicagoland designers were paired with eight local writers to create collaborative works, with text informing and influencing art and vice versa. The results of this experiment are presented in limited edition poster form, with writing and design back to back.
Writers:
Patrick Somerville, Claire Zulkey, Ramsin Canon, Kevin Guilfoile, William Shunn, Veronica Bond, Wendy McClure, Scott Smith
Designers:
Jesse Hora, Andy Luce, Chad Kouri, Ina Weise, Letterform, Ryan Sievert, Paul Octavious, Kyle Fletcher
Proceeds benefit Open Books
The COOP | A co-working space in River North
230 W. Superior, 2F
Chicago, IL 60654
6:00 – 10:00p
A MICROGALLERY :: Galerie F Fundraising Event
Finch’s Beer Co. will be hosting a fundraising event for the upcoming Logan Square gallery and shop, Galerie F. The night begins at 7pm at their brewery located at 4565 N Elston Avenue. Galerie F will turn the brewery in to an active gallery by hanging screenprinted posters on fermenters and can stacks.
We will have an OPEN BAR for the event duration, featuring their Cut Throat and Golden Wing brews. A live DJ will be spinning all evening long while small brewery tours are given by the Finch’s staff. Finch’s Beer Co. and Galerie F merchandise will be available for purchase as well.
Meet the printmakers and gallery owners while socializing with local artists, art supporters, and beer enthusiasts. A portion of all ticket sales will go towards the Galerie F Kickstarter. There is limited space so buy your ticket today!
Finch’s Beer Company
4565 N. Elston
Chicago, IL 60630
7:00 – 10:00p
Purchase Tickets HERE: http://store.finchbeer.com/collections/frontpage/products/gallery-f-benefit-hosted-by-finchs-beer-co
21+ Event
Sex, Spraypaint & Satire: Parody without Humor
Ray Noland has been an urban art pioneer. Noland is a Chicago native and graduate of the School of the Art Institute. He operates the Creative Rescue Organization (CRO) and works under the same pseudonym. During the 2008 Presidential election, CRO gained national attention with his street art campaign ‘Go Tell Mama!’ His striking images of Obama appeared throughout Chicago and across the country in the streets and alleyways. The concept was particularly interesting because of its contemporary, urban aesthetic, which proudly defied traditional campaign propaganda and stood apart from the street graffiti most of us are accustomed to seeing.
CRO followed up that campaign with a series entitled ‘Run, Blago Run!’ As the former Governor of Illinois pleaded his innocence on television, his image started appearing on Chicago buildings. CRO began garnering national attention for his provocative and instantly recognizable imagery.
CRO draws his inspiration from contemporary political discourse. His work is particularly powerful because of the elegant manner in which it depicts serious, complicated and contentious issues, while insightfully critiquing the political culture in which we all live. The visuals are lighthearted, satirical, funny, and contentious all at the same time. All the while, he has maintained an intense focus on local, national and international politics.
Grand Bizzare
1418 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL
7:00 – 11:00p
FREE
Design Cloud Gallery Reception: Culture Shocked
This multi-media event is designed to take you completely out of your element.
Paintings, photographs, installations and short film are exhibited together for a cohesive look at how beautiful, frustrating, and shocking cultural disconnect can be. Featured Curator: Susan Kissinger
Design Cloud, LLC
118 N. Peoria 2N
Chicago, IL 60607
6:00 – 9:00p
$10 Suggested Donation // Drinks and live jazz included.
a PERSONAL PROJECT show
13 chicago artists
baring their souls
so you can see
how their photographs,
paintings and other
expressions came to be.
it’s extraordinary.
Sandra Antongiorgi – Painter/mixed media
Alyssa Miserendino – Photographer
Donte Tatum – Photographer
Damien Thompson – Photographer
Alan Rovge – Photographer
Jeff Dalhgren – Photographer
Michelle Hierzer – Painter/mixed media
Robin Croke – Photographer
Luis DeLeTorre – Painter/mixed media
Scott Thompson – Photographer
Emily Gualdoni – Photographer
Tyler Mallory – Photographer
Sabrina Antoinnette – Painter/mixed media
Defibrillator Gallery
1136 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, Illinois
7:00 – 11:00p
FREE
“And Then…” Artist Reception
“and then…,” showcases the work of Pattie Chalmers, Gerit Grimm and Maggy Rozycki Hiltner, three artists using traditional craft mediums to tell whimsical, fantastical and bitingly ironic narratives. Through figurative ceramics and textiles, Chalmers, Grimm, and Hiltner reinterpret childhood memory and 20th century American cultural history to create modern fairy tales.
Lillstreet Art Center
4401 N. Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60640
5:00 – 8:00p
FREE
Artists of Eastbank Open Studio
View cutting edge and representative art at the Artists of Eastbank Open Studios the 3rd Friday of the month. The visually breathtaking 500,000 sq. ft. structure is site of the former landmark Speigel Catalog Warehouse. Artist Turtel Onli will give a workshop covering the simple use of airbrush at 6:30PM followed by a hands on session. Artists of Eastbank represent many artistic disciplines, including: painting, sculpture, graphic design, jewelry design, glass, custom furniture design, paste painting, ceramics, and fiber arts. Also, on display will be the Center’s new 20 piece multidimensional sculpture garden, including the 9ft. tall satiric metal sculpture in the image of Sarah Palin’s head. Attached you will find an image of Turtel Onli’s work and his biography as well as the Sarah Palin sculpture by Taylor Wallace.
Bridgeport Art Center
1200 W. 35th St.
Chicago, Illinois
6:30 – 10:00p
FREE
BAC Artist Series Presents: Peter Craig
Join us to celebrate Peter Craig’s 25 years of Art making in the Chicago Advertising community! This exhibit will display a range of paintings, drawings, and digital work!
Berwyn Route 66 Museum
7003 W. Ogden Avenue
Berwyn, IL 60402
5:30 – 9:30p
FREE
Art-N-Spoke Bike Banner Workshop
A free teach in to build your own bike banner! To keep costs low we ask people interested in the project to bring extra materials if they have them/can afford them. Materials will be provided but will be limited.
IF YOU HAVE IT BRING: Paper (poster board works best), Markers, Colored Tape, Hole Punchers, Scissors.
INVITE AND BRING ALONG FRIENDS! THE MORE THE MERRIER!!
500 W. Cermak
Chicago, Illinois
6:00 – 8:00p
MUSES & VALKYRIES new works by MEG LEARY
Muses & Valkyries is the first solo exhibition by Chicago-based artist Meg Leary. Trained as a classical opera singer, Leary is fluent in both the languages of music and visual arts, using one to inform the other. She uses a variety of mediums to explore ideas of sonic theory, the power of the human voice, and the construct of the “Diva.” Performance is at the center of Leary’s practice, engaging her interest in the body and the ephemeral nature of music. This work functions in conversation with her more formal object making practice, using materials such as cassette tape and vinyl records.
For the event at Thalia Hall, Leary is collaborating with the empty space at the historic opera theater, thinking about cultural memory and how music, art and performance can rejuvenate a space. Using a combination of performance, sculpture, music and dance, the show will be a two-night event followed by a gallery show of documentation and materials from the performance at Thalia Hall.
Thalia Hall
1215 – 1225 W. 18th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60608
7:00 – 11:00p
*This performance also takes place Saturday, May 19th from 7:00 – 11:00p.
Peter Dallos – The Struggle Series
More information coming soon …
Gallery Swarm
2902 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
7:00 – 10:00p
FREE
SATURDAY || May 19th, 2012
LOOK Back: The Chicago Art Renaissances
Nigel Freeman, Director and Founder of the African-American Fine Art
Department at Swann Auction Galleries in New York City will discuss Chicago¹s art history in the context of American culture. Don¹t miss your chance to view and hear the stories behind rarely seen works of classic African American artworks from SSCAC¹s permanent collection.
South Side Community Art Center
3831 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Illinois
2:00 – 5:00p
FREE
Summer Open House: Free Workshops All Day
Celebrate the summer with Lillstreet Art Center! Enjoy FREE workshops and demonstrations for the whole family. Take something home that’s handmade by YOU in 1-2 hours.
Kids’ Activities: 12-4pm
Introduction to Drawing Workshop: 12-1pm
Glass Flameworking Workshop: 1-3pm
Hammered Bracelets: 1:30-2:30pm?
Wheelthrowing Workshop: 2-4pm
Wheelthrowing Big Demo: 2-4pm
Handbuilding Clay Slab Vases: 2-4pm
Screenprinting T-Shirts Workshop(bring your own or purchase from sales locker): 2-4pm
Band Rings: 3-4pm
Lillstreet Art Center
4401 N. Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60640
12:00 – 4:00p
Suspended
Suspended is a state, a moment, some kind of disbelief, a stalemated gesture frozen in its own established conditions. Richard Galling’s paintings deconstruct and utilize marks and gestures within a framework of abstraction, proposing a new system of painted signs. Daniel Shea’s objects and installations examine the mythologies and histories of the post-industrial ruin and a perceived material authenticity. Together their work offers an interplay between an aesthetic and conceptual modernism and industrial modernity. As one history implicates another, their work shown together suspends multiple moments in aesthetic and political lineages.
LVL3
1542 N. Milwaukee Ave. 3rd fl
Chicago, IL 60622
6:00 – 10:00p
FREE
SUNDAY || May 20th, 2012
HOW THINGS STAND new works by JANINE BIUNNO
Janine Biunno’s body of work exhibited in How Things Stand is visually informed by the continual gathering of images, both via photographing her daily commute across New York City and by simultaneously searching the internet for existing imagery of the same spaces. These reference images, equal parts original and digitally sourced, investigate the relationship between representation and interpretation in the built environment. As an artist Biunno is primarily interested in the often overlooked in-between spaces and physical boundaries of the structures that comprise cities. The work presented here is a distillation of the dense visual information of urban space. How Things Stand includes thirty Constructivist-inspired paper cutouts and an accompanying take-away zine of a selection of the reference materials, intended to provide context to the minimalist works.
ACRE Projects
1913 W. 17th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
4:00 – 8:00p
FREE
Haiku Hike
Join us for an afternoon workshop of walking, chalking, crafting haiku, and bookmaking in this fun and family-friendly two-hour event. With the help of artist Guillermo Delgado and the North Branch Projects staff, participants of all ages will construct a handmade book for their very own haiku. This event is open to the public – no registration necessary – and donations of any amount will be accepted. All monies collected at this event will go toward the support of North Branch Projects – a community bookbinding facility.
This event is part of “Haiku-In-Residence: Daily Conversations with Nature,” an artist residency project by Guillermo Delgado in collaboration with North Branch Projects. Guillermo Delgado, an interdisciplinary artist, reflects on daily life – annotating the wisdom in nature through a daily practice of haiku poetry. Since March 24th, and for the 100 days following, North Branch Projects will exhibit Mr. Delgado’s sequential haiku articulations in its storefront window. In addition, the collected texts and images will be available for viewing on North Branch’s website and on the artist’s blog. A hand-bound book collection of haiku poems will become part of North branch Projects’ Neighborhood Archives and available for viewing at the end of the residency.
North Branch Projects
3550 W. Lawrence
Chicago, IL 60625
1:00 – 3:00p
FREE
Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres in the Garden with Eric May
Iceberg Projects cordially invites you to an evening of hors d’oeuvres & cocktails in the garden. For this event, chef Eric May will be serving a menu of exquisite finger foods featuring locally sourced ingredients.
Iceberg Projects
7714 N Sheridan
Chicago, IL 60626
5pm – 7pm
FREE
MUSIC AND ART MEET CULTURE FEST: Chicago’s Largest Indoor Music and Art Festival
Be part of the most mind-blowing multisensory experiences ever brought to the City of Chicago!!! Bringing together Chicago’s top artistic and musical talent to Congress Theater, My Daily Escape and Myhabanero.com proudly presents:
This event will feed your 5 senses: SIGHT ● HEARING ● TASTE ● TOUCH ● SMELL
OPEN BAR, FREE appetizers, and sweets from 6:15PM-7:15PM
Art displayed throughout the theater with over 100 artists showcasing and selling their work. Live art stations, Body painting and walking art pieces, Live music performances on the main stage by:
Delamancha, The Second, Jesse “Fuser” Santoyo, Boom Shakalaka, Estrella Negra (w/ StankStar), and Shadow the Machine Angel!
Top Chicago DJ’s including Video DJ’s spinning all night long: Soulphonetics, DJ Al-T, DJ Kulprit, & DJ WarMachine
Free glow sticks and a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes
The Congress Theater
2135 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
5:00p – 12:00a
$10 in advance // $15.00 cash at the door // Purchase Tickets HERE
18+ event // IDs required
- Art Talk Chicago
- Bad At Sports
- Chicago Artists Resource
- Fotoflow
- Gapers Block
- The Visualist
- The Pilsen Project
- Chicago Gallery News
