Merry Everything to EVERYBODY!

Merry Everything to EVERYBODY!, originally uploaded by featherbed.

This artwork is by the amazing Laura Park.

Wooding Out

Artist Matt Sauermilch has a show of work made with graphite, carved bones, and wood including this piece titled Highlife...

Opens tonight Friday at Heaven Gallery in Wicker Park.

Matt Sauermilch: The Process of Wooding Out
at Heaven Gallery
1550 N Milwaukee Ave
2nd floor
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 16, 2011
7 to 11pm
Also open this Saturday, December 17 from noon to 5
The show will be on view through Jan 15, 2011

Revenge of the Nerd...Art Show!

Chicago graffiti artist, NERD, will have an art extravaganza open tomorrow night Friday at the 2612 Space in Chicago featuring artwork and an installation. 

Revenge of the Nerd...Art Show!
at the 2612 Space
2612 W Nelson (at Elston)
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 15, 2011
6 to 10 pm
Music by DJ Madcap Mook

Under Monster

A collective from the School of the Art Institute Chicago will have a collaborative installation open tomorrow night Friday at the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport.

Under Monster
at the Co-Prosperity Sphere
3221 S Morgan
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 16, 2011
6 to 9 pm
On view through January 13, 2012

Register for the Chicago Zine Fest

Registration opened this morning for the Chicago Zine Fest and now more than 1/2 the tables are sold out!  Going on its third year, the 2012 edition will feature more zinesters than ever.  In addition to the day of exhibition and sales there will also be workshops, a film festival, readers, and the Spring '12 Zine Olympics on the night before hosted by Billy da' Bunny.  Fun will be had by all.

Here's the 2012 schedule...

SILVER TONGUE READING SERIES PRESENTS
Gender, Race and Sexuality: A Discussion with Women in Self-Publishing 1 - 3pm
A panel discussion to feature Cristy Road, Anne Elizabeth Moore and Mimi Nguyen
Conaway Center
Columbia College
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL


YOUTH ZINE READING, 6 - 7pm
EXHIBITOR ZINE READING, 7- 9pm
826CHI
1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.
SPRING '12 ZINE OLYMPICS, 9:30 - 11pm
Hosted by Billy da Bunny!
Quimby’s Bookstore
1854 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL


SATURDAY, MARCH 10th
ZINE TABLING EXHIBITION, 11am - 6pm
Conaway Center (1st & 8th Floor)
Columbia College
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL


Featuring a 150+ tablers, DIY Film Festival, Workshops, Kid's activities
and More!
KARAOKE AFTERPARTY, 8pm - 12am
Hosted by Shameless Karaoke!
Location TBA

You can register for a 1/2 table for $10 at http://www.chicagozinefest.org/. Chicago cartoonist Lilli Carré designed this year's poster as well as this t-shirt that you can pre-order here!

X-Men Crew Art Show

RGB Lounge in Wicker Park is celebrating their 1-year anniversary with an art show celebrating the X-Men graffiti crew.  There'll be photography documenting the crew as well as artwork by crew members.

X-Men Crew Art Show
at RGB Lounge
1420 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL

Saturday, December 3, 2011
Doors open at 7pm

Hold Fast to Dreams

I'll be showing some photographs in a show opening tonight Friday at the Believe Inn.

Chinatown, NYC by Oscar Arriola

Erik DeBat has some mesmerizing geometric pieces that are in a different direction from other work I've seen by him.  Alex Bradley Cohen has a huge, fun drawing full of characters, some of which are replicated with some handmade fabric figures.  Aregentian artist Irana Douer has some beautiful mixed media drawings, David "COVE" Gonzalez is showing several canvases and drawings done in his distinctive abstracted character style that I love.  Kim Hoffman has some great pieces including two that include a Ginko leaf collage that meshes excellently with her artwork.  Ellen Greene has an amazing set of flash tattoo inspired imagery painted on white vintage leather gloves. Erik Harris has drawings and birdhouse-like structures made from relcaimed materials and there'll also be prints, paintings, and constructions by Mirtes Zwierzynski, Chris Silva, Lauren Feece, Andrew Schansberg, and Danny Mansmith.

I'm looking forward to this show because there's a great mix of work on the walls and I've always liked visiting this space.

There are 5 art openings (including this one) in the Bucktown/Wicker Park/West Town area opening tonight and I plan on visiting all of them.  The other 4 shows are listed in the entries below.

Hold Fast to Dreams
at the Believe Inn
2043 N Winchester Ave
(1 block east of Damen, 1 block north of Armitage, look for the black gate that says Believe Inn)
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 2, 2011
7pm to 10pm
Other viewing hours by appointment

Text and Drugs and Rock & Roll

Curator Billy Craven has put together a massive show of almost 50 artists from Chicago and around the world opening tonight Friday at Maxwell Collette Gallery.

Including work by Abe Lincoln Jr, Antonio Martinez, Bask, Bill Connors, Brian Knowles, Brooks Golden, Chad Davis, Clown Soldier, Colt Bowden, Dain, Derek Erdman, Don’t Fret, El Celso, Elik, Emily Cunningham, Faust, Fred Litch, Glenn Wexler, Goons, Greg Mike, Hebru Brantley, Infinity, Instigator, Joe Padilla, Klepto, Lloyd Patterson, Mark O’Brien, Mike Murdock, Mike Perry, Nice-One, Posterboy, Priest, Ron Copeland, RP Reeson, Ryan Duggan, Scott Albrecht, Sebastian Napoli, Stikman, Telepath UK, TEWZ, Thomas Billings, Tim Pigott, Victor Kaifas, Weed Wolf, Zero, and Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff, this show will contain a great mix of text-based street art, paintings, drawings, and more.

The Chicago Reader has it listed as their Critic's Pick this week.

Text and Drugs and Rock & Roll
at Maxwell Collette Gallery
908 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 2, 2011
6 to 9 pm
On view through January 7, 2012

Bob Jones at 65GRAND Gallery

Milwaukee artist Bob Jones will have a show of new work opening tonight at 65GRAND in West Town.  Exploring various materials to produce artwork that are a mixture of painting and sculpture, this show should have some interesting work to check out.

Bob Jones: Mountains and Matter
at 65GRAND
1369 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 2, 2011
7 to 10 pm
On view through December 31, 2011

Neche Collection

Wicker Park's Public Works Gallery will have a show titled Neche Collection opening tomorrow night Friday.  Veronica Corzo-Duchardt will be showing a series of photo diptychs and prints illustrating the life of her grandfather Neche through images of his possessions.  Public Works is conveniently located just south of the Damen Blue Line CTA station.

Veronica Corzo-Duchardt: Neche Collection
at Public Works Gallery
1539 N Damen Ave
2nd floor
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, December 2, 2011
7 to 11 pm
On view through December

Tony Fitzpatrick: New Etchings

Chicago's Tony Fitzpatrick will have a show of his distinctive etchings at Firecat Projects tomorrow night Friday in Bucktown.  It should be a fun time.

Tony Fitzpatrick
Nickel History: The Nation of Heat
Firecat Projects
2124 N Damen Ave
Friday, December 2, 2011
7 to 10 pm

Grilled

Grilled, originally uploaded by fotoflow / Oscar Arriola.

I just got this great zine in the mail featuring NYC doors and the tons of tags they're covered with. It's got a silkscreened cover and 72 pages of full-bleed black and white photos by Sabeth.  It's really well done and I highly recommend it. It was put out in an edition of 100 and there's still a few left. Ordering info here.