Openings

Chicago artist, Gregory Jacobsen will present new paintings and works on paper in his sixth solo show at Zg Gallery. Inspired by the Chicago Imagists and Harry Who, Gregory Jacobsen's paintings explore the fringes of society, shining a spotlight on the beautiful freaks and geeks that populate his world as he seeks to reverse the insider / outsider societal roles to the point that "normal" is no longer the norm.

Chicago-based mid-career artist Karen Reimer exhibits a new large-scale, architecturally and mathematically-based sculptural installation alongside preceding works centered on the prime number sequence, as well as older works similarly concerned with space and environment. Gallery 400’s exhibition is paired with a concurrent commissioned Reimer installation at Gahlberg Gallery at the College of DuPage. In both installations, Reimer, who for years has married minimalist concerns and craft techniques, turns mathematical concepts into materially resonant experiential manifestations. A catalogue featuring three essays, an artist’s interview, and documentation of the new commissions and Reimer’s older work will accompany the exhibitions.

“APOCALYPSE 2012 : GENESIS 2013” is a unique exhibit at Jackson Junge Gallery, 1389 N. Milwaukee Ave in Chicago, running in conjunction with Chicago Artists Month. The exhibit will feature over 30 local and national artists’ take on the Mayan Calendar prediction of 2012 as the year that life, as we currently know it, will come to an end and the dawn of a new era will begin. The work in this exhibit explores the artistic interpretations of transition and rebirth, both abrupt and subtle, through a variety of media. The pieces approach the positive and negative aspects of change, within us as well as around us, in addition to exploring what the new world might bring. The exhibit runs from September 14th thru October 28th 2012. An opening reception with the artists is scheduled for the evening of Friday, September 14th from 6-9pm. Reception and exhibit are free to the public.

The Exhibition is based on the visions of Saul Aguirre for the society, his work recently seen in New York, Miami, Texas, among other cities. Mr Aguirre a Multidisciplinary artist has been able to transcend through his work in several genres. He was a grantee of the Propeller Fund for his collaboration with Tamallis Space Charros Collective 2011. Aguirre’s recent performances have captivated the viewers for the dramatic slow movements to portray his response to social issues; his paintings reflect the relationship we encounter with society and the problems we face manipulating images that are not to be expected.

The Ten Cat is a bar that specializes in blues and jazz and art. Here in Chicago the baseball team on the Northside has the blues. Exhibiting portraits of baseball players, jazz and blues musicians. A Chicago flavor resounds in all of the portraits. A premier artist who exhibits throughout the US but is rooted in Chicago.........from Ron Santo to Koko Taylor.....we take pride in our heritage and how these individuals contributed to the fabric of this great city. Check out the show have a cocktail and listen to some great music.

The Bronzeville Neighborhood Research Project (BNRP) aims to examine the history, culture and social institutions of the Bronzeville community located on Chicago’s South Side. Forming in the late 19th century and reaching its height during the Great Migration of African-American migrants from the South to Northern cities, the Bronzeville community has long been a cornerstone of African-American history and cultural expression in Chicago. Over the years of its development as an African-American community, Bronzeville has been home to renowned African-American historical and literary figures as well as a center of rich cultural traditions and political movements. Research from the Bronzeville Neighborhood History Project will culminate in a symposium at Northeastern Illinois University’s Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies where participants will share their research projects with the NEIU community as well as residents of Bronzeville. The two faculty members of the Bronzeville Neighborhood Research Project each bring a distinct set of expertise and research perspectives. As a trained anthropologist, Professor Zada Johnson has expertise in the area of African-American performance as well as African-American historical consciousness and identity logics. Professor Arlene Turner Crawford has expertise in art history and visual arts as well as the history and expressive cultures of Bronzeville. Having worked as an artist in Black Arts Movement organizations such as the National Conference of Artists, founded by Dr Margaret Burroughs, and attended as a working participant on the Education Task Force of CONFABA, the Conference on the Functional Aspects of Black Art, Professor Crawford a founding member of the artists collective Sapphire & Crystals, has experience in the arts communities of Bronzeville and the greater Chicago area. In addition to their academic training, both faculty members are residents of the Bronzeville community and have worked with numerous community organizations and neighborhood initiatives within the Bronzeville area. Several research community participants will join Professor Arlene Crawford in her project of creating a mural painting related to the Great Migration of African-American to the Bronzeville community. This mural will be a visual archival of images and symbols representing the histories of people and places in Bronzeville during the three major migration eras, 1850 – 1870; 1920 – 1940 and finally 1960 – 1980.

Fortunate Discoveries currently hosts 32 local chicago artists of all different mediums. Everything from fine art to unique handmade gifts, Fortunate Discoveries hosts the amazing creations of artists such as internationally recognized abstract artist Michelle Gordon. Fortunate Discoveries is the place you can find metal smiths, ceramics, stained glass, mixed media, hand made clothing, folk art, jewelry, mosaics, oils, photography, and textile artwork all under the same roof.

Search for the Exquisite Corpse! Solve the Art Mystery and Win an Original Artwork Created by 12 Dynamic Chicago Artists! The City Art Hunt Game is an exciting and interactive way to learn more about local Artists in real time using paper clues, Twitter, and Augmented Reality via the Junaio mobile app. Visit the website www.arthunt.willtopower.info for more details on how to solve the Art Mystery and win the Exquisite Corpse!

What does it take to build a successful art career without a Master of Fine Arts degree (M.F.A)? To explore this question, we will decay a traditional art gallery and let a group of Artists create art based on the words “will” and “power.” We will install a time-lapse camera in the gallery to document how we decay the gallery. The results from the time-lapse photography will be displayed on the website www.willtopower.info. Saturday, October 6, 2012 - 4:00PM TO 9:00PM ENJOY House Music with Legendary DJ Glenn Underground and then a SPECIAL live music performance with 8fatfat8. 8fatfat8 is the electronic project of Poi Dog Pondering’s lead singer-songwriter Frank Orrall.

Form in Flora III is a sculpture show at Lincoln Park Conservatory that presents artwork relating to Nature. The shows third year will expand throughout the entire conservatory. Sculpture in many forms will coexist or grow from the plants of the conservatory, comparing forms, colors and textures with the plant collection. The opening will be in October and will coincide with the International Sculpture Centers conference that takes place in Chicago this October.

This exhibit will be the work of students involved in the programs at the South Chicago Art Center. It will show our best work of the year from students involved in our free in-school and after-school visual arts programs. There will be a wide range of ages represented as well as use of medium. On Wednesday the 17th the Art Center will host a fundraiser with music, drinks, food and the young people who created the art. This fundraiser is to help support our free programs that last year reached over 2300 young people in Chicago! The Art Center is located on the far southeast side and is one of the few places in the neighborhood where youth can be safe, find aesthetic and social enrichment, and contribute to the betterment of their community. Come see our talented students on opening weekend of artist month, on second Friday's and at our fundraiser!

Raymond A. Thomas, award-winning filmmaker and former longtime art director for Ebony magazine presents a new series of collages and mixed media works that strip away, challenge and repurpose religious imagery and persona making them relevant to modern audiences and residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

Colorful and multi-dimensional paintings that feature one of our favorite treats -- cupcakes! This is an exhibition of textural paintings that deliciously reflect the venue. Paintings by artist Barbara Sistak Baur feature cupcakes in many different ways. Experimentation with multi-dimensional techniques have resulted in paintings of cupcakes that seem to undulate in rows, ignore the edge the canvas or raise above the surface of the painting. Plus, you can treat yourself to actual cupcakes while enjoying the paintings of cupcakes.

Deanna Rallins explore notions of home, place, generations and family by illuminating everyday would-be-mundane moments with angles, points-of-view and lighting, infusing them with meaning and

"The Installation Experiment" with artists Nikki Renee Anderson, Gerda Meyer Bernstein, Barbara Cooper, Chelsea Culp, Ben Foch, Barbara Hashimoto, and Bernard Williams. The exhibition will be held in the Chicago Arts District (CAD) September 9 – October 31, 2012. This exhibition presents the installation work of seven accomplished Chicago-based artists who are working from studios throughout the city. The artists range in age from 28 – 89 and have been recognized locally and internationally through exhibitions, collections, publications, and residencies. This unique venue is situated in the Chicago Arts District, a neighborhood with a decades-long commitment to serving artists by providing community, support, and spaces to live, work, and exhibit. The showPOD venue was specifically designed to provide a rich public art experience that breaks down the traditional parameters of a gallery or museum. These storefront exhibition spaces, located on the 1800 S Halsted Street, create an art experience with 24/7exposure. Additionally, to provide opportunities for the public to meet and interact with the artists, four evening and one day-long receptions (and performances, events) have been scheduled. Updates and details of events are posted on facebook.com/TheInstallationExperiment. The exhibition is associated with the 23rd International Sculpture Conference sponsored by the International Sculpture Center (ISC) and is supported by the ISC’s local chapter, Chicago Sculpture International, and is one of 12 Featured Programs for Chicago Artists Month.

The 2012-2013 Chicago Park District / Chicago Sculpture International Outdoor Exhibition is a juried public art exhibition that will enrich the community by bringing art into Chicago’s parks while supporting professional artists. The juried exhibition includes fifty-five large-scale outdoor sculptures in Chicago Park District locations near the vicinity of the the lake and downtown area. The exhibition includes work from CSI and the two other affiliate chapters of the ISC, the Mid-South Sculpture Association and the Texas Sculptors Group. Sculptures will remain on display for one year beginning in September 2012.  Sculptor Richard Hunt and Chicago Park District Director of Natural Resources Adam Schwerner were the jurors for the exhibition. 

The exhibit consists of abstract art that is inspired by the spiritual meditations and reflections of the artist. Spiritually infused, the work is colorful, bold and intended to excite both the eyes and the spirit. The artists’ intention is to create complexity and depth using simple color palettes while engaging the viewer to find the images integrated in the art, provoking intrigue and interest.

In Summer/ Fall of 2012 Woman Made Gallery is partnering with 20 Chicago neighborhood, arts-based, community-based, and housing organizations to create an art exhibition based on Chicago women’s individual and collective experiences and aspirations for their homes, families, neighborhoods, communities, and city. In Summer of 2012 Woman Made Gallery hosts found-object assemblage sculpture workshops for participating women, and in some cases youth, at each organization’s location, culminating in an exhibition of all the participants’ art pieces, as well as an event series, at Woman Made Gallery in October of 2012.

Too often today we see tragic situations that result from the lack of action. This exhibition hopes to explore the destructive results of ignoring a situation or people’s ignorance to thinking everything will be ok when they choose to not get involved in making the world a better place.

Spun out and dragged, painted and shredded, Krepp’s constructed paintings use tires and rubber to blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture, and this exhibition now adds installation elements.

Evocative collages replete with art historical, religious, and symbolic content, combined in enigmatic, often surreal narratives.

The newest exhibit from local artist Sam Kirk takes the "Art Block by Block" theme of this year's Chicago Artist Month quite literally. Living in Chicago her entire life has given Sam the perspective only a native can have. She's seen neighborhoods shift, cultures change and communities mutate over time. These transitions have had a profound impact on the artist and her work. Product of my Environment is Kirk's homage to this type of impact. In this exhibition, she explores the narratives of the various neighborhoods that have had a lasting impression on her. The work addresses not only the places and spaces in these communities, but the characters that have been and continue to be shaped and molded by their immediate environment. The exhibition will feature a combination of illustrations and paintings, as well as prints, sketches and merchandise all centered around the theme, "Art Block by Block". There will be an opening reception on Friday, October 5th from 6:30 - 9:00pm. Admission is free and open to the public!

Semeiotic is hosting a diverse array of local talent from Chicago to produce an exciting show of original artwork. We are excited to share new work and build new friendships around our weekend of celebrating art. This will be a juried arts event featuring original visual, written and performed works by First Free artists and friends. More details to come.

"Two Years of Cloud Cover" is a retrospective show of the best of two years of work by the artists of the Black Cloud Gallery. Black Cloud has been one of the most raw and supportive galleries in the Chicago Arts District over the past two years and through this retrospective curation will present this emerging arts community as a whole.

You are invited to meet and mingle with featured artists alongside some of the most discriminating art lovers and collectors. Enjoy your drink of choice as you meander through this contemporary space - turned underwater with the angst of the unpredictable nature of a sea full of dragons and other life forms. This is the year of the water dragon, and featured artists Anjali Bahl, Cristy Corso, Jenny Lam and Slang will have work on display relating to the theme. Also view a sampling of work by renowned international artist Chaewon Kim and local artist Christina Caruso. Enjoy this diverse group of artists with styles ranging from digital to graffiti, watercolors and more. Word has it that a Chinese-inspired parade of characters may attend this opening! All ages are welcome. While here, don't forget to stop by Art Depth's 3rd Annual Interactive Art Party which will be happening simultaneously just steps away from this exhibit. There you'll get a chance to see the featured artists in action as they create live. Sponsored by Tocco.

"Small Works" Members of CWCA come together from studios in diverse neighborhoods, block by block, to showcase their work in the Near West Side. The mission of the Women’s Caucus for Art is to create community through art, education and social activism. Through its annual members' show, the CWCA hopes to enhance Chicago's cultural landscape as well as help create community. Opening Reception: Saturday, October 6, 4-8 PM. Closing Reception: Saturday, October 20, 6-9 PM

Come view the work of established, emerging and student artists that call Portage Park and its surrounding neighborhoods their home. Opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 6 (6-9pm) will be a lively event with tasty offerings from The Portage as well as local breweries. The exhibit is located in a storefront space on Milwaukee Ave., just north of Irving Park Rd., and will include painting, sculpture, installation and photography. Curated by Johannah Silva, art faculty at Wilbur Wright College, the exhibit features the work of artists Susan Abelson, Michelle Bierbower, Lisa Boumstein-Smalley, Ava Carney, Lorna Filippini, Barbara Hashimoto, Pete Lekousis, Bob Levy, Lesley Loren, Dana Reninnger, Elizabeth Rupprecht, Johannah Silva, Geoffry Smalley, Bill Sosin, Chris Sullivan, Bruce Thorn, Bill Weyna, Mary Lou Zelazny, and others.

Beauty and Brawn Art Gallery celebrates the talents of three incredible women as they combine their creative mediums and unique artistic ideologies to create works based on the beautiful and telling sentiment found in the poem “Public Storage” by Kathleen Gardner. Featured artists: Steph Davies, Jessica Yocherer and Sophie Goodwin. Opening Reception: Saturday, October 6th, 2012 6pm-10pm Featuring music by Matthew Davies (of Matthew Davies and the Thriftones) On exhibition through November 18, 2012.

Black | White | Gray: An exhibition of monochromatic works of art by Chicago area artists at Tom Robinson Studio/Gallery. This exhibition showcases a broad spectrum of artistic voices in a variety of media. Works on paper, prints, painting, photography, 3-dimensional sculpture and installation art are represented in this group exhibition that showcases both representational and abstract forms of expression within the formal control of monochromatic study. Tom Robinson Studio/Gallery has long served the artists community as an exhibition venue for both visual and performing arts and as a center for formal figure study on a weekly basis. Besides gallery exhibition space, it is also a meeting place for various events, such as fundraisers for a variety of causes. It is truly a neighborhood multi-purpose center which reaches beyond its borders. 2012 marks Tom Robinson's 20 year relationship with the Art institute of Chicago as an education resource in the SAIC internship program.

If you stop by our gallery doorstep you'll find the essence of Chicago neighborhoods. From the Spanish guitar mosaic to the raw industrial materials of 3-D elements that thrust out of 2-D painted surfaces, the atmosphere of Chicago is here at Anita Miller Gallery. This artwork absorbs the multi-cultural and architectural climate of Chicago. Here is a sensory description of this city and the energy of the neighborhoods.

Chicago is a new city under new leadership and under the stresses of the economic crisis that has faced the world for the last few years. This exhibition, comprised of monoprints by Christopher Urias and Kathy Steichen, created in the weeks after the NATO Summit in Chicago in May of 2012 reflects the new realities and the struggles Chicagoans have waged to have a voice for change and a better city.

Dominic Sansone Solo Exhibition at FM*Gallery October 4, 7-9 Preview and Artist Talk October 12, 6-10 Opening Reception As a former design engineer of the Military Industrial Complex, Sansone brings his unique perspective to the subjects of warfare, violence, media, and culture. His work asks us to examine the imagery we surround ourselves with, from monuments to video games, and how we've inured ourselves to its represented reality. This imagery impacts us on a personal level every day, and how then does it spread out to impact our neighborhoods and our cities?

Please join us for an exhibit by members and affiliates of ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation celebrating the upcoming 40th year of the gallery's existence. The exhibit, "BLOX", will showcase the work of the current and affiliate members of the gallery. The work created for this exhibition will focus on constructing art works as a sum of parts. Come to see our new space in Bucktown and learn about what we have achieved through 40 years of women working together. We will be having a SILENT AUCTION at the opening on Oct. 12 of small works by member artists. This is a great opportunity for art bargains!

Against the backdrop of the amazing Chicago skyline, Platform Studios, located in the 1821 Hubbard Street Lofts building, celebrates Chicago Artists Month for its 2nd year with an exhibit featuring the latest masterworks of its nine resident artists. The event will again coincide with the HSL building's open house...a twice yearly event that allows the public to roam the halls and explore the studios of the internationally acclaimed artists therein. Fantastic art works, live music, dj's, and refreshments will be offered.

Phantom Gallery Chicago Network and Big Bang Banners announced a call for artists and designers uniquely and in collaboration to “ante up” their creative currency to generate handmade YARD SIGNS that lift up our voices in our community’s visual landscape with a message of “Civility, Cooperation, Encouragement and Peace” which will conclude in a site-specific installation of posters and images-projected into neighborhood spaces.

A circus themed performance with masks, dancers and other forms of circus entertainment.

Jewelry And Wearable Art Chicago is a contemporary exhibition that blurs the lines between fine art and craft. It is an opportunity for collectors to meet artists who have shown work in museums nationally & internationally beside emerging artist who have recently graduated with art degrees, along side professional studio artists. Artist showing at JAWAchic are Sara Goldenberg White, Sarah Holden, Stephanie Voegele, Christine Forni, Laura Kochevar, Michael Dale Bernard, James Charles, Gustav Reyes, Sandra Leonard, Ford/Forlano, Erika & Monika Simmons. JAWAchic opens 10/19 Fri 5-10pm, 10/20 Sat 12-6pm, 10/21 Sun 12-5pm.

A group exhibition by the Artists of Eastbank, documenting/exploring/interpreting our lives in Chicago, in our individual neighborhoods, and in our collective neighborhood, Bridgeport.

Artists at Large is an exhibition based on bridging gaps. It brings together artists of different backgrounds and experiences, as well as fills the void in communication between artists and the public. Artists from all areas of Chicago are selected based on a shared level of talent, although their lives and mediums are varied. Artists at Large bridges the gap between the public and artists through “artists in action,” where artists reveal their creative process through working live during gallery openings. It is an opportunity for people who only ever see a finished work of art to develop an understanding of thought processes and techniques that are usually reserved for artists.

PARALLEL VISION is a solo exhibition by Chicago based artist and curator Sergio Gomez. It explores aspects of our human weakness contrasted with ideas of spiritual empowerment. As a multidisciplinary artist, Sergio seeks to connect all the aspects of his creative career into an organic and parallel direction towards the future. Sergio Gomez is a Chicago based visual artist, Owner/Director of 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curator/ Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center. Founder/Director of VisualArtToday.com; a curated online exhibition space for international contemporary art, Creative Consultant for Idea Seat Marketing & Advertising, Contributor for Italia Arte Magazine and Co-founder of 3C Wear. In addition, Sergio is an accomplished graphic designer, web designer and art & design professor at South Suburban College.

On Friday, October 19th, over 35 of Chicago’s most talented artists and fashion designers will present the first annual Bustes en Rose: Art and Fashion Against Breast Cancer (Bustes en Rose), an art and fashion exhibit that will raise funds for the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force. Bustes en Rose will take place in the heart of the Bridgeport Art District at the Zhou B Art Center located at 1029 W. 35th Street from 7pm – 10pm. The exhibition will showcase one of a kind bustiers and corsets, a runway show, and live entertainment. There is no entry fee for the exhibit but a suggested donation of $10. Guests can make their donations early or pre-register for the event at http://www.bustesenrose.com. Our artists’ statement: “As artists and designers we believe breast cancer is not selective. It does not care about color, race, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, or financial status. It is a disease that affects everyone, even men. We hear from the victim and the survivor, we hear from their families and the various support groups but now it is time to hear from the creative minds. The visual representation of breast cancer is much more than a pink ribbon. It is human, it is emotion, it is color, and it is black and white. Now it is time for creative minds to come together take a stand and create awareness about how breast cancer affects us.”

All are welcome to attend this reception and group show. Come view select artwork and footage created during Art Depth's 2012 Art Party which occurred two weeks prior. See what masterpieces can be made in a five hour span! 100% of the proceeds going straight to the artists. At the bar enjoy drink specials, appetizers and a chance to speak with the artists themselves. Artwork will be on display throughout the space, however the digital display and video clips will be projected at the large back wall so reserving a table may be in your best interest. View art by featured artists from Art Depth 2012 as well as additional Chicago based artists - to be announced at ArtDepth.org. Sponsored by: Blick Art Supplies, Chicago Costume Company (1120 W. Fullerton), Casa Couture (3256 N. Damen Ave), Mark Phillips of Studio 935 (1257 N. Milwaukee Ave), Tocco (1266 N. Milwaukee Ave) and WPB (Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area).

“STREET IMAGES: the City Speaks through Art” will explore the works of Black Public Artists/Muralists, and their relationship to the culture, spirit, and energy of the City. Artists such as Hebru Brantley, Max Sansing, Kiela Smith-Upton, and Carla Carr share their experiences and works. Program includes opening reception/meet the artists, as well as Panel Discussion on "Demystifying Public Art"

This is an annual event and feature artists from the Lillstreet community. Items on exhibition will include, ceramics, painting, photography, fabric and jewelry. Lillstreet's art programs is perhaps the largest on the north side of Chicago.

In celebration of Chicago Artists Month the Chicago Public Library presents an exhibition by Beth Shadur. Inspired by an artist residency in Ireland, her mixed media paintings explore the ancient sacred symbol of the spiral as found in nature and in the artwork of early civilizations. Shadur states “The spiral speaks to me as a universal symbol implying unity with the universe.” Beth Shadur is an artist who has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. Her work is owned in numerous private and public collections. There will be an artist talk on Saturday, October 27 at 2:00 pm in the Chicago Authors Room on the 7th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center.