It's time for the 7th. annual Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. This time it's even bigger, featuring handmade work by over 300 artists from around the country. I've picked up some great stuff there over the years. Full schedule and list of participating artists on their site here.
Renegade Craft Fair *Free Admission* Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2009 11 am to 7 pm On Division Ave between Damen & Paulina Chicago, IL
Chicago Imagist artist Ed Flood (d.1985) has a retrospective of his early work titled, Ed Flood Constructions, Boxes & Works on Paper 1967 - 1973, opening tonight at Wicker Park's Corbett vs Dempsey gallery. They will also put out a 148-page catalog for this exhibition. Corbett vs. Dempsey consistently puts out great catalogs for each of their shows.
Ed Flood Constructions, Boxes & Works on Paper 1967 - 1973 Opening reception, Friday, September 11, 2009 5 to 9 pm Corbett vs Dempsey 1120 N Ashland Ave (1 blk south of Division) 3rd floor (above Dusty Groove Records) Chicago, IL
Ruben is taking over Pilsen's new Adonde Gallery space for his No Such Thing As Separate Events show. Opening tonight, there should be a great mix of new paintings up.
Ruben Aguirre Jr. No Such Thing As Separate Events Opening reception, Friday, September 11, 2009 6-10pm Anode Gallery 718 W 18th St (between Halsted St and the Dan Ryan Expressway) Chicago, IL
I love all the new stuff that James Jankowiak has been working on the past few years. His new installation opening tomorrow night should be fun to check out. Here's some info from the Antena Gallery site...
"James Jankowiak paints organically, each work becoming a ritual of repetition. The organic composition of each piece is part of the evolutionary arch of the manner in which he operates. Specifically, the artist is interested in how simple form can evolve from one incarnation to the next - each step a mutation that replicates what science reinforces about our beginnings and the larger history of the universe. His paintings stand as a testament of a personal meditation on the process of being a living thing, of beginnings and endings, creating and evolving." - Michael Gardner
James was born and raised in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Although his early forays in the Chicago graffiti scene proved to be influential upon several generations of spray can artists, he always took risks with his art and continues to evolve as a painter and installation artist. His work has been exhibited at several notable institutions such as the MCA, Northwestern University and the SAIC’s Roger Brown Gallery, and also continues to be accessible to the community through his work as a teaching artist with Urban Gateways, A.R.T. and Gallery 37.
There's also going to be work by artist Mike Nourse in the Antena Gallery project space.
James Jankowiak and Mike Nourse Opening reception is Friday, September 11, 2009 6 to 10 pm at Antena 1765 S Laflin (just north of 18th st) Chicago, IL
The show will be open by appointment through October 10, 2009
Chicago's Intuit has a show opening tomorrow night Friday called, Freaks & Flash. Info from their site...
Join us as we explore the roots of modern Western tattooing with a selection of tattoo flash (the design drawings for tattoos) hanging alongside circus banners featuring tattooed performers. The works displayed will reflect both Midwestern and international perspectives. Co-curated by Anna Friedman Herlihy and Jan Petry.
Here's a sneak preview of the preparations for the Itsokadia - Where Everything is Okay installation at this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair. Featuring 2,000 "It's Ok's" by Chicago's Sighn displayed in a children's television show-like setting.
Sighn will also show new work Friday, along with Bridgette Buckley and Stacy Peterson, at Pine, a group show at Pilsen's Chicago Art Department.
Pine at Chicago Art Department Opening Friday, September 11, 2009 6 to 10 pm 1837 S Halsted Ave Chicago, IL
Itsokadia - Where Everything is Okay at the Renegade Craft Fair Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, 2009 11 am to 7 pm Division St between Damen Ave and Paulina St. Chicago, IL
London's Delme has some great new shirt designs out now on Chicago label Formula Werks. Besides the All Good in the Hood series pictured above, Formula Werks has also just put out his Heart/Rainy series featuring the love/hate relationship the denizens of London, Edinburgh, Portland, and Seattle have with their weather.
You can check out the full range of designs and create your own color combos here.
Tomorrow's the last day for the H.C. Westermann show, Your Pal, Cliff, at the Smart Museum of Art. This is seriously one of the best art shows I've seen this year. It's drawn from the H.C. Westermann study collection and is full of his illustrated letters as well as the well made and clever art gifts he made for his wife. You can read my original post here.
Admission is free and the museum is open today until 5pm and tomorrow Sunday 11am to 5pm.
Your Pal, Cliff Smart Museum of Art The University of Chicago 5550 S. Greenwood Avenue Chicago, IL 60637
There are still a couple of days left for this fundraiser (by way of eBay) to assist in positively influencing the current health care debate. Started by Chicago cartoonist Anders Nilson, "46 million" refers to the number of people not covered by health insurance in this country. More info from Lilli Carrre's site...
Anders Nilsen has organized an online art auction and fundraiser to promote universal health care. Money raised will be donated to Democracy for America Now, a national advocacy group that is running television ads to push the Public Option in democratic swing districts and offering support to congress members who take a stand for the policy.
contributing artists are: John Porcellino, Genevieve Elverum, Chris Ware, Ivan Brunetti, Dan Clowes, Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), Jeffrey Brown, Paul Hornschemeier, Todd Baxter, Sonnenzimmer Print Studio, Adam Henry, Kevin Huizenga, Jay Ryan (The Bird Machine Print Studio), Lynda Barry, Lilli Carre, David Heatley, Kyle Obriot, Stephen Eichhorn, Buenaventura Press, Sammy Harkham and the organizer, Anders Nilsen.
British literary journal, Granta, has a new issue coming out this month devoted to Chicago. I used to subscribe when I was younger because I really liked the documentary style photography that they featured in some of their issues. It was the type of photography that didn't get published very often at the time. This is only the 2nd time they've devoted an issue to a single city. The first one centered on London ten years ago.
For this issue, they're publishing new work from people like Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street), Stuart Dybek (The Coast of Chicago), and Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here). There's a photo essay by Chilean photographer Camilo José Vergara, documenting the end of an era, the dismantling of one of the largest housing projects in Chicago. He's returned again and again to communities like the Bronx and Chicago's West Side to document the physical changes made by man and nature over the years.
And to top it all off there's the great cover artwork by Chris Ware.
Here's a video by Grant's acting editor, John Freeman, introducing the issue....
