2012 Printers' Ball

What can I say about this event that I haven't said before?  It's a celebration of Chicago's print community.  Magazines, poetry journals, zines, and more are represented and will be giving away free issues as well.  There'll be dj's from the Numero Group, as well as a whole buncha other performances and talks.  It's all free tonight Friday from 6 to 11 pm at Columbia College Chicago.  Full schedule at the link below...

The 8th Annual Chicago Printers' Ball
at Columbia College
1104 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL
Friday, July 20, 2012
6 to 11pm

Synchrodogs at Public Works

Ukrainian duo, Synchrodogs, will open a new photo show tonight Friday at Public Works Gallery in Wicker Park.  This will be their first major solo show in the US.  I've been impressed by every show I've seen at this space, this should be well worth checking out.

Synchrodogs at
Public Works Gallery
1539 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, July 20, 2012
7 to 10pm
On view through August 31, 2012

Galerie F opening

Tonight Friday is the long awaited opening of Galerie F.  A new studio and gallery space in Logan Square devoted to screenprinting, street art and more.  Curator and screenprinter Billy Craven is opening this spot along with a few more screenprinting partners.  They've lined up a great set of artists for tonight and will have a lot of original art and exclusive prints in stock.  Their first show is titled, Send Me Your Pigeons, and will have work by John Vogl of Bungaloo, Landland, and Casey Burns.

Print by Ryan Duggan of Drug Factory Press

Send Me Your Pigeons at Galerie F
2381 N Milwaukee Ave (just south of Fullerton)
Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, July 20, 2012
6 to 10 pm

New issues of Of Note!

Philadelphia artist/printmaker Alex Lukas runs Cantab Publishing, an independent concern that puts out artist books and zines.  One of the projects he's been working on is Of Note, a series of zines documenting the imprint of humans on the built environment.  Each issue concentrates on a specific topic documented by b/w photographs and is composed of an 11" x 17" sheet folded over into quarters.  Past issues have included ones focusing on scribed names on a large plant, paintings of shoes on a storefront in Miami, and graffiti on rocks. 

Alex has just released a new round of issues and is offering them for free through his site for the cost of shipping ($2.00) or you can send him a self-addressed postage paid 6"x9" envelope with $2.00 in postage.  Issue #10 features images of tags done with lighters, #11 pictures "poorly blocked stairways", and #12 presents photos of hand painted couches.

I highly recommend ordering these.  The topics he concentrates on are the same type of subject matter I enjoy photographing and it's really interesting to see them presented in these tightly focused issues.  The spot color on the covers is screenprinted by Alex and each issue is printed in an edition of 150.

Emmy Star Brown for Sharpie

I was happy to see that my friend Emmy Star Brown and her work was chosen for a Sharpie marker commercial.  She's been making great work painting on vintage windows, among other materials, for a while now.  The ad was beautifully filmed...

Fun time at Intuit

One of my all time favorite artists, Karl Wirsum, curated a selection of art from the collection of Intuit opening tonight Friday.  Seeing their collection through his curatorial eye should make for an appealing show. 

There'll also be a show of over 50 hand built radios and drawings by self-taught artist George Kagan. 

If you've never been to Intuit, tonight would be an excellent time to go.  They also have a permanent installation of a recreation of outsider artist Henry Darger's one-room apartment, which was salvaged several years ago.  It contains many items from his studio including his original art supplies, fireplace mantel, photos, and artwork.

Karl Wirsum Eyeballs the Intuit Collection
and Ex-Static: George Kagan's Radios
at Intuit
756 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL

Free opening reception: Friday, July 13, 2012
5-8pm
$5 admission all other times.
The Wirsum curated show will be on view through September 1, 2012 and George Kagan's show will be on view through January 5, 2013.

Time and Materials

In Limbo by James Jankowiak, 2012

Manifold presents a group show opening tonight Friday featuring work by James Jankowiak, Merkled Studio, Bridgette Buckley Studio, and Manifold.

Time and Materials

at Manifold

4426 N Ravenswood Ave

Chicago, IL

Opening reception: Friday, July 13, 2012

6 to 9pm

On view through October 5, 2012

Art from Chicago's Streets at the Harold Washington Library Center

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to curate a street art show for the Chicago Public Library downtown.  There are several exhibit cases with examples of street art (stickers, drawings, paintings, and stencils) by 40 Chicago artists including Saro, Goons, Cosbe, the Viking, You Are Beautiful, Nick Adam, Klepto, Pooper, Clam Nation, Radah, Don't Fret, Left Hand Wave, Rejoice and more.


There are two cases with 25 Chicago graffiti magazines and zines from the past 20 years including issues of Chicago Rocks, Volume 1, Caught in the Middle, Grime Time, Pound the Pavement, Crime Pays, Fly Paper, and Klip Art. This is a preview of a larger Chicago graffiti magazine show I'm working on for the next year.

The main portion of the show is a 20-foot wide exhibition case by Chicago street artists Nice-One and Brooks Golden.  Incorporating members of DIPSTK (a fictional heavy metal band that Brooks created), this installation features the band backstage after a concert sleeping off a sugar high while giving privy to their dreams.  Brooks and Nice-One did a phenomenal job creating the iconic work that fills this huge case.


Here's a preview video of Nice-One and Brooks Golden at work shot by Andrew Roddewig... 



Art From Chicago's Streets: Featuring a Large-Scale Installation, Unauthorized Objects, and Graffiti Magazines
at the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center
400 S State St
Visual and Performing Arts Department 
8th floor
Chicago, IL


On view through August 10, 2012


***There'll be an artist talk about the installation featuring Nice-One and Brooks Golden on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 2 pm in the Art Dept's Reference Room.  The first 50 guests at the talk will receive a copy of Golden's DIPSTK zine, Rocket Mega-Zine issue 2...

Stacey Rozich at CUAS

Seattle artist/illustrator Stacey Rozich has a beautiful show opening tonight at the Chicago Urban Art Society in Pilsen.  In addition to the numerous watercolor and gouache on paper paintings in the show, Stacey also painted a large scale mural in the space.

Here's a preview video shot during installation this past week...



Stacey Rozich: This Must Be the Place
at the Chicago Urban Art Society
600 W Cermak Rd
Unit 1B
Chicago, IL


Opening reception: Friday, July 6, 2012
7pm to midnight
On view through August 4, 2012

Now is the Time - at the Believe Inn

Bucktown's Believe Inn hosts another amazingly varied group show tonight Friday.  Continuing their practice of presenting an entirely different set of great artists for each show, Now is the Time will feature paintings and installations by Uriel Correa (pictured above), Geoffry Smalley, Rob Funderburk, Gabe Lanza, tattoo artist Frog, Damion Silver, Christopher Allman, Luke Pelletier, Hao Ni, Kane One, Chad Davis, and Emmett Kerrigan.

Now is the Time
at the Believe Inn
2043 N Winchester
Chicago, IL


Opening reception: Friday, July 6, 2012
6 to 10 pm
On view through August 4th by appt at 773-562-2270

Ricky Powell at Klughaus

If you're in NYC this weekend I would recommend checking out, "Oh No He Didn't!", a show of photographs by Ricky Powell.  Known for his street shots taken in the 80's and 90's, as well as his portraits of iconic New Yorkers like Andy Warhol and the Beastie Boys, this show will include both classic shots by Ricky as well as never before seen images.

Ricky Powell: Oh No He Didn't!
at Klughaus Gallery
47 Monroe St
New York City, NY

Opening reception: Friday, July 6, 2012
6 to 10pm