For the cover of our last print issue of 2022, we wanted to capture the spirit of the year, as we see it, in our own Reader way. We asked photographer Carolina Sanchez to see if she could find a street musician who was being ignored, a situation which many can relate to as the […]
Tag: art
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Art is more important than life’
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. in earnest in March 2020, the legacies of HIV and AIDS were a clear reference point when trying to decipher the incomprehensible reality of a world overturned. Groups like the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, offered a vital historic touchstone, as their quest to […]
Posted inAgenda
Calligraphy, puppets, and protest
Whether you’re a calligraphy explorer or a hand-lettering veteran, check out the Newberry (60 W. Walton) today. They’ll be joined by the Chicago Calligraphy Collective for a Calligraphy Fair. From 10 AM-noon, they’ll have a breadth of demonstrations and hands-on how to’s that cover everything from gothic lettering and creative caps to arabic calligraphy and […]
Posted inAgenda
World AIDS Day screenings, the Buttcracker, and more
Last week, the annual winter flower shows opened at the city’s conservatories in Garfield Park and Lincoln Park. This year, the theme at Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park) is “Snow Day,” which they’re channeling with a 12 feet tall “tree” created with white poinsettias, as well as oversized snowmen hidden throughout the conservatory’s […]
Posted inAgenda
Black Arts Movement School, Looking for Jean-Luc, and more
It’s the final week to catch the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s “SAIC Faculty Sabbatical Triennial” exhibition, which features work produced by 38 faculty members who completed a sabbatical or a similar paid leave during the last three academic years. Not only does this show represent the breadth of ideas and creative practices […]
Posted inAgenda
Grabadolandia, Trans Weekend of Resilience, and more
It’s the last day of Grabadolandia, a three-day printmaking festival in Pilsen organized by the Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. From 10 AM-5 PM, they are hosting a printmakers fair at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th) where you can appreciate (and buy!) works from various members of the Pilsen printmaker community. The […]
Posted inArt Feature
Jessica Labatte finds beauty in the detritus of everyday life
Being a parent requires attentiveness, and when you can muster it, patience. In many ways, parenting small children is not unlike being an artist; both necessitate curiosity, mindfulness, and a certain amount of nimbleness. The works in Jessica Labatte’s solo exhibition at Western Exhibitions, “Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm,” form a web of connections between […]
Posted inAgenda
Healing with art, Sex Demon, Studs & Spikes, and more
When we think about holistic healing, what are the tools that people have available to change their selves and, by proxy, their communities? Tonight, the youth and community equity organization Chicago Beyond hosts two Chicago artists, Fantasía “Fanni” Ariel and Eddie “EDO” Santana White, in a panel discussion about the power of healing through the […]
Posted inArt Review
Patching things up
For International Repair Day on Saturday, October 15, artist and environmental activist Jenny Kendler, 42, hosted “Before and After: Mending a Life” along with artists Catherine Schwalbe and Katie Vota. “Before and After: Mending a Life,” a social practice project initiated by Schwalbe in 2021, was hosted by Kendler next to Mending Wall, Kendler’s interactive installation […]
Posted inAgenda
Margo Price, Pilsen art, gospel, hardcore, and more
Today is the second day of Pilsen Open Studios, happening in the neighborhood from noon-8 PM along 18th Street and elsewhere in the area from Halsted to Western. Yesterday we mentioned where to catch some of our favorite highlights, but you can see a more complete list of vendors and activities on the Pilsen Open […]
Posted inAgenda
Art galleries, The Locusts, and more
Tonight, six art venues have teamed up with the nonprofit Old Town Triangle Association to spotlight art in Lincoln Park: Madron Gallery (1000 W. North), Leslie Wolfe Gallery (1763 N. North Park), Wrightwood 659 (659 W. Wrightwood), DePaul Art Museum (935 W. Fullerton), Josh Moulton Fine Art Gallery (2218 N. Clark); and Gallery 1871 (1871 […]
Posted inCity Life
Continuing education
It’s never too late to learn a new skill, or polish an old one. Chicago has many organizations that offer adult education classes and workshops designed to teach students new concepts, technical skills, or even new dance moves. Taking a class is a good way to set an ongoing friend date if you’re someone who […]
Posted inFilm
The African Desperate
Syms’s work—which ranges from performance art to gallery installations to this more straightforward narrative endeavor—is compelled by a preternaturally propulsive energy that sustains its momentum even as she explores various forms of expression.
Posted inAgenda
Murals, clothing swap, Ochin Pahki, and more
Today’s the final day to throw down on a community mural going up in Belmont Cragin. Hades Underworld Tattoo Studio and AnySquared Projects invite volunteers to join them for a cookout and live mural painting at 5034 W. Armitage. Meet neighbors and learn more about the area’s history. Hours have varied daily, but painting should […]
Posted inArt Feature
A new home, a new energy
When I first set out to profile gallerist and art dealer Mariane Ibrahim, she didn’t exactly decline, but she didn’t immediately say yes, either. After being heavily profiled over the past couple of years—both for her curatorial style as well as her unconventional path to Chicago’s gallery scene via Seattle—the gallery’s focus was understandably on […]