CHI: Explore the Art World

Chicago has a vibrant art scene, and who better to ask about where to go and what to do than an artist? Dolan Geiman gives us a head start on getting immersed in the scene.

Where is a good place to get a sense of the art scene in Chicago?
Since Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, the art scene tends to follow this same pattern and be spread out across different areas of the city. Some areas have a higher concentration of artists and galleries such as Bridgeport, Pilsen, Wicker Park and the West Loop and therefore unify their openings and open studios into specific first and second Fridays type events (see chicagoartsdistrict.org for 2nd Fridays openings in Pilsen and chicagogallerynews.com for West Loop gallery listings and openings on 1st Fridays). There is also the West Town Gallery Network with gallery walks in the fall and spring. In addition, you can visit festivals, open studios and gallery walks in multi-use arts buildings such as the historic Fine Arts Building, the Flatiron Arts Building, Cornelia Arts Center, Network of Visual Arts Studios, Splat Flats, Lillstreet Studios, Tree Studios and Acme Art Works. If you're looking for more alternative art and music programs, just head to Wicker Park and spend five minutes picking up flyers in coffee shops along Milwaukee Avenue. You can also visit these websites for event postings and reviews: Chicago Arts, Chicago City Arts Review, Chicago Artists Resource, Spaces.org, Art or Idiocy, Iconoduel, Art Letter, and ChicagoArt.net.

Is there a particular gallery or museum that you like to visit?
A fan of both Aron Packer Gallery and Schopf Gallery on Lake, I'm naturally a fan of the recently merged Packer Schopf Gallery. In addition to being a gigantic space for a gallery in Chicago, I have always enjoyed the more tactile sensibilities of Aron Packer's aesthetic. Packer shows many collage and mixed media artists I admire at both his location in the West Loop and his Three Oaks, Michigan location. While you're in the area, you can also visit another notable Chicagoland gallery, Judith Racht Gallery, organizer of the annual Outsiders Outside Art Fair.

Since opening in 1979, Carl Hammer has been a leading proponent of outsider art along with Judy Saslow Gallery and the not-for-profit organization Intuit (catch the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art at the Merchandise Mart April 27-30). Showing everything notables like Lee Godie and Henry Darger to vintage sideshow banners, Carl Hammer always exhibits artists and work that are inspirational to my own work in the studio.

Polvo's alternative space in Pilsen welcomes curators and artists from all over the world and has provided an exhibition venue for countless installation and new media artists that might otherwise have difficulty finding venues to present their work. Miguel Cortez, one of the founders of the Polvo collective and director of the gallery, is a true supporter of Chicago arts, even going so far as to maintain artist directory sites like Subaltern. Polvo is hosting a benefit on Friday, March 2, with a silent auction of works by many well-known Chicago artists.

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