The Art of Storytelling

I just picked up the premiere issue of Taost: The Art of Storytelling Magazine. At first, I didn't know what it was about. I was just intrigued by the cover artwork by Bigfoot. Based on the title, I thought it was some sort of writing or poetry magazine until I flipped through it. That's when I saw the graff pictures inside. Covering the colliding worlds of graffiti, skateboarding, music, tattooing, and more, this New Jersey-based magazine looks like it's off to a great start. The first issue includes interviews with Rime, Suga, Bigfoot, and Iron Maiden cover artist Derek Riggs.

Here are some sample pages...






The magazine is available in Chicago at Quimby's, as well as at Barnes & Noble's and Borders nationwide.

Not If, But When

Tonight's the final opening for The Believe Inn's summer art show series, The Out of Towners. NY artist Trevor Reese will open, Not If, But When, a show featuring his diorama-like installation art. I've heard good things about the show.

Trevor Reese: Not If, But When
Believe Inn
2043 N Winchester (1 blk north of Armitage, 1 blk east of Damen)
Chicago, IL

Opening Saturday, September 26, 2009
6 to 10 pm

Trophy

Lana Crooks has a show of new soft sculptures titled, Trophy, opening tonight at OhNoDoom! Gallery. Featuring an array of stoic, mutant handmade creatures like these...


Lana Crooks: Trophy
OhNoDoom! Gallery
2955 W Lyndale (@Sacramento)
Chicago, IL

Opening reception
Saturday, September 26, 2009
6 to 10 pm

Proximity: The Phototgraphy Issue

Proximity magazine issue 5 flip thru from lumpen on Vimeo.

Tonight's the release party for Issue 5 of Proximity.
Click on the name for info.

Friday, September 25, 2009
$10 donation
Co-Prosperity Sphere
Chicago, Il

A Stone's Throw

I love this 2-color print by Jeremy Tinder. It's titled, A Stone's Throw, and was printed by Angee Lennard of Spudnik Press. Using just red and blue inks, they used halftone screens, white paper, and layering to also get pink, light blue, purple, and white in the composition as well. This will be available at Heaven Gallery tonight as part of a show of work by Jeremy Tinder, Anya Davidson, Lauren Anderson, Stan Shellabarger, Stacey Colangelo, Onsmith, Paul Nudd, and others, called, A Unique Marquee. This will be paired with Jeremy Lundquist’s NOTICE – CLOSED show of etchings produced by reworking the same copper plate.


NOTICE – CLOSED
Jeremy Lundquist

A Unique Marquee
Spudnik Press

Sep 25, 2009 – Oct 17, 2009

Opening Reception:
Friday, Sep 25, 2009, 7 – 10 pm
Heaven Gallery
1550 N Milwaukee Ave
2nd floor
Chicago, IL

Pilsen East Artist's Open House

It's time once again for the annual peek at all the artwork and studios displayed in the rehabbed buildings owned by the Podmajersky family. It's always a nice walk through the hidden Spanish colonial looking courtyard and the other areas that are normally closed off to the public. Work by over 50 artists will be displayed over a 6 block area.

Maps available at the info center at 1821 S Halsted St.

Free
Friday Sept. 25th 2009, 6-10pm
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26th&27th 2009, 12-7pm

39th Annual Pilsen East Artist's Open House
Centered in the area around 18th and Halsted St.
Chicago, IL

My Kind of Town

Rotofugi presents a Chicago-centric show of art by a great roster of artists including, Anthony Lewellen, Chad Kouri, Chucho, Dan Grzeca, Delicious Design League, Gabe Lanza, Jeremiah Ketner, Jeremy Tinder, Joe Tallarico, Joey D., Joey Potts, Lana Crooks, Mitch O’Connell, Netherland, Oh No Doom, Peabe, Revise, Shawn Smith, Travis Lampe, and Veggiesomething.

The opening reception will feature DJ Genghiswon and will be from
7 to 10pm
Friday, September 25, 2009
My Kind of Town
Rotofugi Gallery
1953 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL

The exhibition runs through October 11, 2009

Dan Flavin

Donald Young Gallery will have a show of Dan Flavin's work opening this Friday. I don't think I've ever seen any of his earliest lightwork pieces like this one from 1961 titled, Holy Sculpture.

There'll also be several examples of the work Dan was later known for like this (Untitled) for Ellen piece from 1975.




Dan Flavin
Donald Young Gallery
The Santa Fe Building
224 S Michigan Ave
Suite 266
Chicago, IL

The exhibition runs from Friday, September 25 to November 14, 2009.

Contemporary Shanghai

Olivo Barbieri, Shanghai, 2001 from NSFE series

The Museum of Contemporary Photography has a show focusing on Shanghai opening tomorrow night. Info from their site...

Reversed Images: Representations of Shanghai and Its Contemporary Material Culture examines the city of Shanghai and its development into one of the global economy’s most productive cities in the new millennium. Shanghai is known for its impressive population growth, the increasingly rapid rate of its cultural and environmental transformations, and the tension between Western and traditional Chinese values, lifestyle, and work habits. In addition, the city is caught between a not-so-distant communism and a late-arriving capitalism, between a world founded on its labor force and the world of new technologies. Within this environment, the role of the arts becomes ever-important as artists look to interpret the experience of inhabiting a city and a time that is in the process of defining itself, struggling with the contradictory natures of its past, present, and future. The participating artists in this exhibition take various approaches to capturing a city that seems to continually transform before our eyes.


Zhang Qing, 603 Football Field, 2006, 13 digital prints

Reversed Images: Representations of Shanghai and Its Contemporary Material Culture
Museum of Contemporary Photography
600 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Thursday, September 24, 2009 5 to 7 pm

One of the photographers in the show, Olivo Barbieri, who documents urban environments from the air, will give a free talk at Columbia College's Ferguson Lecture Hall on the 1st floor, behind the museum at 600 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago. 6:30 pm, Thursday, September 24th.

The exhibition runs through December 23, 2009

Dia de los Muertos

This Friday is the opening reception for the Mexican Museum's annual Day of the Dead exhibition. Considered the largest show of its kind in the U.S., this year's show will feature ofrendas by over 20 artists, including one by author Sandra Cisneros.

Free opening reception
September 25, 2009 6pm – 8:30pm
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W 19th St (near the Damen bus as well as the CTA's Pink Line)
Chicago, IL

Exhibition continues through December 13th

Eastern Sentral & Pacific

Chicago's Rumble Arts is hosting this year's edition of the Eastern Sentral & Pacific graffiti art show. Held in conjunction with the annual Meeting of Styles graffiti showcase, there'll be work by many artists including Fred1, Thor, Stef, Melon, Niz, Revise, Nerd, Demon, Flash, Egor, and more. I'll also have some photographs on display.

Performances by Akbar, Ang 13, Steady Serve, and Knowmadz
DJ sets by Fredones, KA, Noble, Marloca, and Editcuts

Eastern Sentral & Pacific
4th Annual Tri-Coastal Graffiti Showcase
Saturday, September 19, 2009
7 to 11 pm
$5

Rumble Arts
3413 W North Ave
Chicago, IL

Vega Estates

Group Show for Daniel Pink, featuring Curt Bozif and Matthew Metzger, with Amy Adler, Conrad Bakker, Vince Leo and Sharon Lockhart and curated by Lane Relyea. This will be the final show at Pilsen's Vega Estates.

Saturday, September 19, 2009
6pm-10pm
Vega Estates
723 W. 16th Street
Chicago, Il

Barrio Art Fest

This weekend is the 6th annual Barrio Art Fest in Humboldt Park featuring work by Puerto Rican and other Latino artists. Full list of participating artists is available here.

Saturday, Sept. 19th, 2009 10am to 6pm
Sunday, Sept. 20th, 2009 10am to 4pm
Historic Humboldt Park Stables
3015 W Division Street
Chicago, IL

MOTHERWELL release party

Tonight is the launch party for Motherwell. Info from the Golden Age site...

Motherwell, a new arts journal published by Paige K. Johnston dedicated to the intimate exchange of ideas and the primacy of publication as object.

Volume One, which is organized around the theme of "Triumphs & Disasters," will be available for purchase at the party. Featuring new work by thirteen young writers, including Chicago-based contributors, Beth Capper, Bryce Dwyer, Zachary James Johnston, Corinna Kirsch, Ariel Pittman, Kelly Shindler, and Ania Szremski. This first issue is 169 pages, hand-bound in leather and iron-branded with the Motherwell monogram.

MOTHERWELL Journal Release Party
Saturday, September 19, 2009
7-10pm
Golden Age
1744 W. 18th St (1/2 blk west of the 18th St Pink Line CTA station)
Chicago, IL

Renegade Aftermath

I checked out the Renegade Craft Fair this past Sunday. A lot of fun stuff as usual. I was glad that the weather was perfect, unlike the huge storms that rolled through there last year. I met up with my friend Gena, but as we progressed we kept finding more people we knew so our posse kept getting bigger. Chicago's Shawnimals had a huge selection of their handmade ninjas, plush mustaches, and assorted pocket lumps, etc.

Sighn of Multipolar Projects, created an immersive It's Ok environment full of clouds and tree stumps displaying several thousand of his hand-numbered ITSOK's (out of an edition of one million).

A lot of great printmakers were there including Milwaukee's Little Friends of Printmaking, Jay Ryan's Bird Machine, Sonnenzimmer, The Post Family, Spudnik Press, Pittsburgh's Tugboat, Delicious Design League, and Mat Daly (who designs the Renegade Poster each year).

This was the 2009 poster. You can check out some of his previous designs here.

Jay Ryan seemed pretty pooped after a long weekend. His booth was nearly sold out by the time I swung by. In fact he gets pooped there every year. Here he is all tuckered out after the Renegade Craft Fair a couple of years ago...


I picked up a couple things at the Seibei booth and also got an awesome print of a Posada skull-themed Chewbacca by artist Jose Pulido of L.A.'s Mis Nopales. Pictured at the top of the page. You can see more of his work here.


David Murray of Sebei, pictured at his booth a couple of years ago.

If you couldn't make it to the fair, they'll have a holiday edition this December 5th and 6th at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse in Wicker Park.

Destroy All Monsters: Hungry for Death

White Flag Projects in St. Louis has a new show opening Saturday night featuring Michigan-based artist collective Destroy All Monsters.

I enjoyed the Strange Frut: Rock Apochrypha series of paintings (pictured below) they had up at the Whitney Biennial and at the MCA in Chicago a few years ago. They were huge banner-sized paintings that featured a who's who of Detroit rock musicians and other underground celebrities.


This show will feature photographs, posters, flyers, magazines, records, and other ephemera documenting the group's various incarnations as a punk band, magazine, and art collective. Work by Mike Kelly, Cary Loren, and Jim Shaw will be represented.
More info on the show here. There'll also be a limited edition poster by Cameron Jamie.

Opening reception, Saturday, September 19, 2009
7 to 10 pm
The exhibition runs through October 24, 2009

Destroy All Monsters: Hungry for Death
White Flag Projects
4568 Manchester Ave
St. Louis, Mo

Violent Realities

Photojournalists Jon Lowenstein and Carlos Javier Ortiz have a show opening tomorrow night, Thursday, at Roosevelt University's Gage Gallery. Jon and Carlos have spent several years documenting the victims of gun violence in both Guatemala and the U.S.

Violent Realities: Photographs by Jon Lowenstein and Carlos Javier Ortiz
Gage Gallery
Roosevelt University
18 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL

Opening reception is Thursday, September 17, 2009
5-8pm
The show runs through January 10, 2010

Chicago Meeting of Styles, 2009

This coming weekend is the annual Meeting of Styles in Chicago. This graffiti showcase event is held in at least 15 cities around the world each year. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the NYC and LA events have been cancelled this year, but the Chicago location is still a go.

Here are some pictures I shot at the 2006 Chicago Meeting of Styles...




The Meeting of Styles
Friday, September 18th - Sunday, September 20, 2009
Chicago, IL

Full list of locations and hours is posted here.

No More Worlds

Brand spankin' new apartment gallery, Concertina, has a show opening tonight at their 2nd floor space. Titled, No More Worlds, this show will feature work by Madeleine Bailey, Mark Hensel, Racer Levan, Alex McLeod (whose digital print is pictured above), Jessie Mott, Shana Moulton, and Luke Painter. Concertina will also begin programing artwork in their 1st floor sidewalk level window. I'm looking forward to see what appears in there.

No More Worlds
Opening reception, Saturday, September 12, 2009
7 to 10 pm
Concertina
2351 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL

Renegade Chicago

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

Family View

Photography by Paul Elledge, Leasha Overturf and Jo-Nell Sieren, on view at The Post Family.

Family View
Opening reception, Friday, September 11, 2009
7:30pm to midnight
The Post Family
1821 W Hubbard St #202
Chicago, IL

Melanie Schiff : The Mirror

L.A.-based artist Melanie Schiff has a show of new photographs opening tonight at Kavi Gupta Gallery in the West Loop.


Melanie Schiff: The Mirror
Opening reception Friday, September 11, 2009
Kavi Gupta Gallery
835 W Washington (2nd floor)
Chicago, IL

The exhibition runs through October 24, 2009

Ed Flood @Corbett vs. Dempsey

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

The exhibition runs through October 10, 2009

Women

New photography by Craig Doty at Roots & Culture.

Craig Doty
Women
Opening reception Friday, September 11, 2009
6 to 9 pm
Roots & Culture
1034 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL

Ruben Aguirre Jr. @Anode Gallery

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

James Jankowiak at Antena

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

Freaks & Flash

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.



Freaks & Flash
Opening reception Friday, September 11, 2009
from 5 to 8pm at
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
756 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL

Greetings from Itsokadia -

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

All Good in the 'Hood

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.

Ooo-lala

France's Space Invader has a new commissioned piece up now at Paris restaurant OHLALA.

And there's a new video interview with him here by Friends We Love...

Off The Wall :: INVADER from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.

Westermann at the Smart Museum

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