“Our Choice”
Still reeling a bit after quick 3 days in Chicago for the “Our Choice” opening!
Already - the show is almost over :-)
"Our Choice" exhibit at ARC Gallery Chicago
Each artist is amazing. I am so thrilled to be a part of this!
What a wonderful group of people gathered: many artist’s friends, family, colleagues, and Gallery neighbors. The women who run the ARC Gallery are particularly strong in my memory (smiles, sharing of photos of their work, welcoming, accommodating, appreciative and engaging collaborators).
They did a phenomenal job hanging the show, I thought, for highlighting everyone's work (10 artists). Some pieces were placed in intimate spaces, other pieces shouted from their prominent placements, and all invited a closer study. (See photos)
The ARC Gallery is an artist's cooperative gallery. They are celebrating 50 years this year! Check out their website and look at the artist-members who have links to their websites - powerful beautifully executed work.
"Our Choice" occupied the front section of the gallery (store front), and there were 2 different solo shows in addition to our group show: Amanda Nadig and Bryn Gleason. The opening was VERY WELL attended. The gallery has an established following in this West Town/East Village neighborhood.
Friday we went to see the Museum of Contemporary Art, and walked around that whole area (we clocked 6 miles). We had been to the Art Institute of Chicago before, and it was hard to pass it up this time, but we just couldn’t do it all, and MCA did not disappoint. I was taken with Duane Linklater’s installation: mymothersside, and learned yet more about white racism in American social amnesia and propaganda from Enter the Mirror; “artists grapple with violence, trauma, corruption, historical distortion, and the abuse of power, bearing witness to the unmistakable ways that these forces have shaped our contemporary world. In a moment when the willful refusal to confront facts and history is dangerously common, Enter the Mirror asks us to do the opposite: to “enter the mirror” and see our complicity in the world around us reflected in the powerful work of 20 artists.”(from mcachicago.org).
After a preview of “Our Choice”, we had dinner Thursday evening at Amaru. One of the best meal of hors d'oeuvres I have ever had. We got there early and took advantage of Happy Hour prices. It was in the Wicker Park area not a far walk from West Chicago Ave and Damen Ave. It was lovely to walk along admiring each unique and tastefully redone brownstone, brushing by many dog walkers, tidy gardens, good murals, and graffiti.
The Ukrainian Village also borders the East Village. We loved seeing the church, eating great Ukrainian food, and seeing the the Ukrainian Museum of Modern Art: UIMA
Art Kleinman Structure and Chaos: A Delicate Balance
I just loved meeting everyone at opening. I talked to several people about “Bone Ladies”, and simply observing visitors responses (to “Bone Ladies”, but also other’s pieces, from a distance, was both delightful and emotional. Ginny, our organizer and curator, was there with her great magnetism and NYC-brilliant energy, always with humor and aplomb. See Fat Canary Journal for better overview of artists she represents. I was so happy to meet her in person. Together with Marissa Bridge and Rachel Ahava Rosenfeld; we were 4 of the 10 exhibiting who could made it in person to the opening. Overall a very meaningful and enlightening experience of people, art and artists.
