Look.Learn.Collect.

JE & DV Press, Plus New Video Shot Onsite for Jordan Eagles

2010-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

We've been getting some great press on the Jordan Eagles & Dylan Vitone exhibit in it's first week, including an interview with Jordan from Newcity's Valerie Piotrowski. She spoke with Jordan about his series, New Blood, from which comes the work we are currently exhibiting. You can read the article in full on Newcity Art.

Paul Klein wrote a bit about the show on his blog, Art Letter, the show was one of Flavorpill's Editor's Picks.

Also, Christopher Knight wrote a review for the Los Angeles Times on Dylan's new body of work, the Miami Project which is also being exhibited at DNJ Gallery in LA. Knight describes the work as "[inviting] participation in a perceptually heightened dance between seeing and being seen."

Also, Jordan arranged for a video to be produced on location here at the gallery that can be seen on Vimeo. You can watch another video showcasing his work there from the same videographer, Leo Herrera that reveals some of the processes Jordan uses to make the work. Check them out, they're awesome!

Jordan Eagles & Dylan Vitone - Opening Friday

2010-11-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron has been working hard over the past couple days to get our next exhibit ready for Friday. We are so excited to reveal this show Friday, and we can't wait to hear your questions and feedback.

Both artists will be here for the opening - Friday, November 5, 5-8PM, so don't miss this chance to ask them about the work.

This is Eagles' debut Chicago exhibit. We will be showing work from the past 3 years, showing a variety of Eagles' experimentation within his self-invented process. The work is made using combinations of UV & white resin, plexiglass, copper and blood. Jordan suspends, encases and permanently preserves cattle blood, salvaged from slaughterhouses, in a manner that is designed to retain the blood's natural colors and textures and to expose its finite details.

This will be Vitone's second solo show with the gallery, and will show a selection of work from his new series, the Miami Project. In this series he explores the heightened sexuality, spectacle and income-based disparities that exist throughout the city of Miami. This marks Vitone's first body work in color, but he sticks with his tradition of assembling large-scale panoramic photographs that simultaneously show the details and relationships at multiple special and perceptual levels.

Check out our website for more images, and to read further about the two artists' work in the press release.

David Burdeny

2010-10-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

October is here, and through the end of the month, David Burdeny's photography, along with a selection of work from the Yale University School of Art MFA Photography graduates will be on display.

Burdeny's work comes from his series Sacred & Secular in which he is using long exposures to "see" and present the world in a way that our cannot. Shooting with 8x10 transparencies, Burdeny is able to produce large, highly-detailed prints in vivid color of the man-made landscapes he is exploring. Images in the show come from world cities including Shanghai, Dubai, Venice, New York, Cairo and Uummannaq, Greenland. Through his images, Burdeny aims to show the viewer how each location has its own unique identity but becomes related through its common connection to humanity.

See what others have had to say about the show:

ArtLetter 9/10/10
by Paul Klein
"David Burdeny’s show opening tonight is of wonderful landscape photographs/documentation of international cities and locales. The detail is exquisite and the color and tones exist in a range from flamboyant to whisper. It’s kind of like being there, but they never look quite this good without the refinement of a gifted photographer."

Hyperallergic 9/17/10
by Ian Epstein

"Similar to the vertiginous, disorienting blurs of a tilt-shift lens, the effect — done more or less by hand and not some trick of mechanics or optics — creates an image that is toy-like. The effect on a cityscape, like a tattoo sinking ink beneath skin to take an image and make it flesh, is soft and somehow naturalizing."

Newcity 9/27/10
by Michael Weinstein

"Although Burdeny depicts compelling configurations when he snaps at middle distance or from above, his most arresting images are panoramic ribbons of skyline taken from afar that bisect expanses of water and sky, revealing in a frozen moment the energizing experience that we have when we approach the towers of a city’s center."

Fall Education Opportunities at DWG

2010-09-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

Free Regular Programs @ DWG

Check out our snazzy arts education Fall Program for 3rd grade - college. You're missing out if you haven't brought your students for a program! Any one of our three program options are guaranteed to enrich your students education and offer a new perspective on contemporary art.

Download our Brochure with all of the details HERE.

Special Collaborative Program w/ One of our Fave Groups - Open Books!

*Click on image for larger view!

Hope to see you in the gallery soon!

-Meghan

Natasha Egan on Miss Aniela

2010-09-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Natasha Egan, Curator at MoCP Chicago and judge of the 6th annual Art of Photography Show at the Lyceum Theatre, recently spoke with Maureen Cavanaugh on the program "These Days" on KPBS radio. They spoke about what distinguishes great photography from the countless number of images being produced on a daily basis in the current age of prevalent digital media. This discussion is also the basis of the exhibit, the Art of Photography, which is free through November 7 if you happen to be in San Diego.

During the discussion, Miss Aniela's "The Smothering" is compared to another artist's image, quite literally entitled "Chris helps his girlfriend, Mona, smoke crack in their apartment in Hackney, London" by Sebastian Meyer. Cavanaugh, referring to the Photoshop manipulations of Aniela's image in contrast to the documentary style of Meyer's image, purposes the question of, "I wonder how do you compare such two different photographs?"

Egan responds that they are not so different after all. She explains, "I actually don’t think they’re quite different because for me both of them are very psychologically challenging," and goes on to say, "They’re both in a box, both pictures are taken in these tight quarters, and yet the results are different people experimenting with... life’s challenges."

Read or listen to the conversation in it's entirety on the KPBS wesbite, and check out the many links available there for more information about the show, Egan and the 111 chosen images, narrowed from thousands of submissions from around the world.

Images: (Top) Miss Aniela The Smothering (Bottom) Sebastian Meyer Chris helps his girlfriend, Mona, smoke crack in their apartment in Hackney, London

Amanda Friedman & Miss Aniela Reviews, Season Opener

2010-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Next week marks the conclusion of our current exhibit, Amanda Friedman & Miss Aniela.

Read reviews by Michael Weinstein in Newcity, and by reporter Lauren Veira in the Chicago Tribune and come out by next Saturday to see the show.

Our next exhibit features a solo show from David Burdeny's new series Sacred & Secular and a group show in galleries 2 & 3 with prints from the Yale University School of Art 2010 MFA Photography candidates. Check out the press release on our website, and come out for the season opener on September 10. Galleries in every district will be open; this is a night to clear your schedule and make sure you get out and see some art!

You can find a complete list of galleries that will be premiering new shows for the season opener (September 10), and a schedule for the rest of the year on Chicago Gallery News' website. They also now organize the Saturday morning art tours around River North, and you can find that schedule here.

Images: (above) Amanda Friedman, Santa Monica #8
(below) David Burdeny, River Nile, Cairo, Egypt, 2009

Educational Program Experience

2010-08-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Written Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Maria the intern here with more good experiences to share!

Wednesday's visit to Horizons for Youth was a success in my eyes. As mentioned in the earlier post, we worked on a printmaking project with first through third graders. I later found out how this is connected to the gallery. As the Education Program Director at DWG, Meghan reaches out to nonprofit organizations, like Horizons for Youth, to provide students with art education (not just 'gallery school'). When I look back to my elementary years, I can't say that I remember much at all from my art class. Students these days may not even be exposed to art because of the recent economic crisis. If educational funding gets cut, art or music seem to be the first to disappear. Therefore, I commend DWG for reaching out to the community in such a great way.

Anyway, about the class. At around 3:30PM, students began to slowly file in to the cafeteria (substituting as an 'art room'). As I walked around each table to make name tags for students, I noticed many of them were gloomy, quiet, and even irritated. Some just shook their heads when I asked for their name, while others said, "I don't want to do art," under their breath. It made me feel bad, especially since it was one of my first teaching experiences and none of these kids were even close to excited. Meghan explained a simplified version of printmaking. She took a soft, thin block, rolled paint onto it, and drew designs on the block using a wooden pick. She then placed paper on top and pressed down. Tada, a print! Eyes began to light up, mouths began to chatter about designs and patterns. The energy completely changed! The kids had a really good time creating prints at each station. Each station had a different color of paint - the young students could barely wait to get to the next table for the next color. Time quickly passed, leaving many students disappointed that they couldn't continue printmaking. After being in school the whole day, their disappointment faded when they realized it was time to go home.

This educational program made me realize a couple things about myself. As an incoming freshman at Columbia College, my future plans are to become a photography teacher and give students a creative escape when life throws crappy obstacles at them. I've never thought of myself teaching crafts to elementary students. In fact, I have always found little kids to be, let's say, quite challenging. Although I won't base my changed thoughts completely on this experience, it has definitely sparked ideas for potential opportunities. This experience mainly helped me realize that I do love to help, a whole bunch, in any way shape or form, which is obviously important for teaching. And even though my public speaking skills could use some work (as well as my patience), teaching seems like the right field for me.

I hope Meghan takes me along on another trip to Horizons!

-Maria

DWG from an Intern's Perspective

2010-08-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Written on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Hi! My name is Maria and I am a brand new intern at the David Weinberg Gallery. Thanks to Marwen, a nonprofit organization which offers free courses and learning opportunities to underprivileged kids, I was assigned to work for DWG for six weeks. I got the internship by applying for the Art @ Work program at Marwen. I had to select five internship sites, explain why I wanted to work for them, and what I could contribute to each site. I was fortunate enough to be chosen for DWG! For the next four weeks, I hope to post a few blog entries about my experiences in the gallery (good or bad!), personal opinions on the current show, as well as introduce certain areas of the gallery via photos that I will take and post.

I am about to finish my second week here, and I have to say, I feel quite comfortable in an environment I did not originally envision myself in. As I walk to the gallery from Marwen, I notice how busy and on-edge life can really be - crazy drivers, everyone running to the subway stations, etc. The city is very fast-paced, which to me can get fairly stressful after a while. However, when I come here, it's the indoors version of a breath of fresh air. Warm welcomes and happy faces greet me, mixed in with some casual conversation but serious work. There is a solid team of people here (as well as a strong leader and great photographer, Mr. David Weinberg) who run this gallery smoothly. I never realized how much really goes into operating a gallery, but these talented and dedicated people make it look easy (which I'm sure it's not!).

My duties thus far have been mostly administrative work: finding new contacts, entering them into the system, organizing tear sheets into their designated artist folders, etc. I would not give that "six flags" on the fun-o-meter, but it is important work that needs to be taken care of. It is good to know that I can help handle all the small tasks so that Aaron, Meghan, Johnna and Heather can move on to bigger and better tasks. I did get the chance to help install two pieces in the display window to advertise for the current show, though. It was nice to physically see my help, even if it was just holding tools and erasing pencil marks.

Today is different! First, I am making this post, which is totally awesome. Right after, I get to travel with Meghan to Horizons For Youth to assist with a printmaking lesson. Meghan has been doing a collaborative special summer program with Horizons for Youth kids as part of their summer school program, meeting nine times over three weeks. I'm really looking forward to being a part of it! I am sure I will be learning along with the kids. It looks like it's about time to go, so until my next post, enjoy some art and have fun!

-Maria

Jordan Eagles in review and museums

2010-08-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Jordan Eagles is suddenly everywhere these days. We couldn't be happier. The Everson Museum of Art in New York just acquired a great piece for their permanent collection, Eagles' UR23. And today, we saw that critic Charlie Schultz wrote of Eagles' work that it was the "most spectacular" work in the group show currently Causey Contemporary in Brooklyn. We agree. We are very excited for his solo show with us opening November 5. Jordan, a New Yorker, will be here in Chicago that night so mark your calendar now, stop by the opening, and meet yourself a great young artist.

Jordan Eagles, UR23, 36x36x3, Blood preserved on plexiglass, UV resin

Open Books - Revelry

2010-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you haven't visited Open Books yet, you should. Being a used bookstore fanatic, I was jumping for joy when I heard one was opening down the street from the gallery this past year. Then when I found out it was a nonprofit to promote literacy, I knew my compulsive book-buying was going to enter a whole new dimension. Meghan, our Education Director, has been working on collaborative workshops with them and has nothing but praise for the organization. From the Open Books website:

"Open Books is an award-winning nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond."

They have an incredible store with 50,000 books to choose from (but I've heard they're processing more than 350,000) with very affordable options in any genre you can imagine.

Last night I attended one of their volunteer orientations and was impressed by the turnout. The bookstore itself is staffed almost solely by these volunteers. Click here to get a list of ways you can get involved including story time, school visits, book processing, tutoring, etc.

I'm pretty excited about their upcoming event - The Revelry 2010. Here is the brochure:

Click the image for more details

Our Jordan Eagles opening falls on the same day but that runs from 5-8 pm so there's plenty of time to fit both in the night. Your $100 will go to a great cause and you'll get a fun night of drinks and entertainment to boot!

Jordan Eagles - "Blood Artist"

2010-07-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Writer/comedian Lou Perez wrote an article for Beyond Race M agazine about artist Jordan Eagles and posted it on his blog this week. Eagles is an artist we will be exhibiting in November alongside new photographic work from Dylan Vitone. We decided to exhibit these artists during November to coincide with the Chicago Humanities Festival, whose theme this year is "Body".

Jordan Eagles is a very interesting artist considering his choice of medium. He creates his beautiful, vibrant works with a mixture of animal blood and resin. Lou Perez posted a fascinating excerpt that didn't make the article:

Eagles asked that I keep the resin he uses to preserve the blood a secret. It’s taken him years to find the perfect one. Fearing my loose lips, I didn’t even venture to the corner of the basement where dozens of containers of resin were upside-down, draining into buckets.

Another secret I’m going to keep is how Eagles manages to get black “aged blood” without the horrible stench. He has horror stories of working with old blood, where the entire studio would reek of it. “If you were down here, you’d throw up,” he said. A brownie tin of dry black blood—months’ worth of layering—sits scentless on the table. It actually looks like a slab of uncut brownies.

We are eager to get these works in the gallery to see them in person. Below is a sampling from his series New Blood:

UR21, Blood preserved on plexiglass, UV resin, 48"x48"x3"

TSV+TSV1, Blood, copper preserved on plexiglass, UV & white resin, 36" x 72" x 3"

The exhibit opens on November 5, 2010 with a reception from 5-8pm and runs through January 1, 2011. This will be Jordan Eagles' first exhibit with the gallery and Dylan Vitone's second. Vitone will be exhibiting work from his new series set in Miami.

Amanda Friedman, Opening July 23

2010-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

We just got in Amanda Friedman's work and it's already off to the framers. Her second solo show with us opens on July 23rd. It will be a blend of her Night Landscape series along with her portraiture and architectural photographic works pulled from her work as a professional photographer. Working with clients such as Forbes, GQ, Newsweek, Stella, and Time Out Chicago, Freidman takes full advantage of her hectic travel schedule to shoot in a variety of locations for her private artwork. You may have even seen her recently published photos in Time Out Chicago of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, aka, She & Him. Friedman said of the job, "I only had 15 minutes to shoot as they had to get to Coachella to perform. It was a bit rushed but I’m happy with the results." She has every reason to be. Check this outtake of Deschanel.

Amanda Friedman, Zooey Deschanel, shot for Time Out Chicago, 2010

Coming soon: Miss Aniela

2010-07-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

The work of one of our photographers, Miss Aniela, arrived at the gallery today. We are proud to be the American premier show for London based Miss Aniela. She will be exhibiting with California photographer Amanda Friedman. This will be Friedman's second solo show with the gallery and the first in our main space.

The exhibit opens on July 23rd and runs through September 4, 2010. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 23 from 5-8pm. Below are a few examples of Miss Aniela's photography:

Miss Aniela, An impromptu performance, 2008

Miss Aniela, The smothering, 2008

Miss Aniela, About Time too!, 2006

Our press release on her work:

This is the first American gallery show for the artist known as Miss Aniela. Born Natalie Dybisz, the artist adopted the alter ego of Miss Aniela (taken from her middle name), as a way to distance her personal identity from the one she explores in her self-portraiture. Aniela first gained notoriety in 2007 when she started, as an untrained photographer, to take and then load her self-portraits onto the photo-sharing site Flickr. Within a year she had over one million hits and had earned a reputation as an inventive, playful and sometimes-brooding young artist. One of her works even graced the cover of the 2009 May/June issue of American Photo with a feature article on so-called “Flickr Superstars.” Aniela is also outspoken on her blog about the method of her work, which is often times manipulated in PhotoShop. Aniela is sometimes attacked for appearing “pretty” in her work (including by world renown photographer Martin Parr who posted just such a comment on her blog) and thus, as the criticism goes, not being concerned with any deep or formal conceptual considerations. On the contrary, Aniela has exhaustively and articulately outlined her point of view on her personal blog, which includes musings on feminist theory, issues of artistic craft, and thoughts on artistic intention vs. viewer bias. Aniela has also engaged audiences at numerous workshops and teaching events, including Photocamp at the National Media Museum in Bradford, England and at the Microsoft Pro Photo Summit in Seattle, with plans to expand her workshops in London later this year. This show will feature works from several bodies of work, including her Self-Gazing series of straight portraiture and her Multiplicity series, which features multiple iterations of the artists within the same image.

Eye & Cardinal Begins Construction

2010-06-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today I saw the first evidence of the latest Chicago Loop Alliance art installation from artist Tony Tasset.

The CLA is set to reveal Tasset's two-part art installation on July 7th. One part is a three-story eyeball that will be installed in Pritzker Park at State and VanBuren, and the other is a series of street banners down State Street that will show the progression of the flight of a cardinal, as if the banners are individual frames in a video sequence.

An explanation from Tasset about the project can be found on the blog Chicago Art Machine.

The Chicago Loop Alliance has also recently turned vacant store fronts around the Loop into temporary art galleries studios. They call the project Pop-Up Art Loop, and each location is open on first Thursdays for opening receptions in the evening.

Installing A New Space

2010-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday Aaron and Heather traveled to Lake Geneva to install Jennifer Scott McLaughlin's work in a space that will house the private viewing of her new work next week. New spaces always pose unexpected challenges. As you can see, Aaron has come up with some creative methods to get the job done; although we hope that we never have to hold our breath and squint our eyes as he hangs trapeze-style ever again!

McLaughlin's work has been shown is several exhibits at the gallery, most recently being paired with the assemblage pieces from Judy Pfaff. McLaughlin was inspired by Pfaff's work as a young artist, and that inspiration can still be seen in her new work. Both artists can still be seen at the gallery for the duration of the current exhibit, Wheatley, Kaiser-Smith & Glink in the front office, although McLaughlin's work will not return until the end of June.

It took a whole lot of bubble-wrap
to keep her work safe for the ride!

Wheatley, Kaiser-Smith & Glink Opening

2010-06-05T10:27:00.001-07:00

Last night was a great time for our opening reception of Wheatley, Kaiser-Smith & Glink. Rhona Wheatley, Yvette Kaiser-Smith and Marissa Glink were all here, and helped to make it a wonderful evening.

Wheatley's work focuses on language, the written word, and the act of translating inner feelings, thoughts and concepts into a particular language throughout history's cultures. Her current body of work focuses particularly on the concept of the divine. Kaiser-Smith has been working with fiberglass, which she crochets into geometric shapes, and then hardens through a process using polyester resin. These shapes are then constructed into larger structures that involve mathematical series and numbers such as pi, the Fibonacci sequence, and Pascal's triangle. Finally, Glink has installed her organic, soda fired ceramic groupings that are reminiscent of oceanic, coral reef life forms.

Wheatley, Kaiser-Smith & Glink will remain on display through Saturday, July 17. Our next show will be Friedman & Miss Aniela, with an opening reception the night of Friday, July 23.

Know Your Artist Tuesday - Jennifer Scott McLaughlin

2010-05-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Scott McLaughlin is one of our gallery's most sought-after painters. The staff is always excited to unwrap one of her shipments and discover new developments in her style. Last year she started to incorporate crushed glass and wax in many of her pieces.

The influence of nature and water are undoubtedly evident in Jennifer's work. This could be in large part due to her surroundings for many years. Recently Jennifer relocated from Colorado to Florida with her family and her husband became a full-time fishing guide and captain. It's hard not to see her inspiration in pieces like this:

Underwater Culmination III, 72" x 72", Oil and beeswax on canvas

Know Your Artist Tuesday - Tricia Rumbolz

2010-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

For the first installment of Know Your Artist Tuesday, we present Tricia Rumbolz.

Rumbolz once worked at a shipyard repairing sailboats. During this time, she undertook a project of self-documentation in a piece entitled "45 Consecutive Days, 6am to 9pm" (Detail on left). This piece is thus composed of the hourly photos she took over these 45 days, each measuring about 1" x .5", mounted on small wooden tabs and displayed in a landscape grid on panel. You can find yourself lost in examining the snapshots into the artist's life, trying to piece together a story that weaves together the hour-long intervals.

Know Your Artist Tuesday

2010-05-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

I think I need some structured posting deadlines on here.

Soooooo, I'd like to introduce a new weekly segment I will call "Know Your Artist Tuesday" (... or at least until I can think of a cleverer name). I'll post an interesting fact about one of our gallery artists each week... b/c who doesn't want to hear about the fun and exciting lives of artists?

Check back next Tuesday for the first installment: Tricia Rumbolz.

ArtSlant

2010-04-30T09:25:00.001-07:00

A post on ArtSlant about our Judy Pfaff exhibit here. I especially like the line "Pieces like I dwell in possibility are almost dioramas or terrariums, little environments unto themselves." Perfect description of the work.

P.S. WE think the show feels like a "bang".

Open to Public - Free Tour & Complimentary Ticket to Art Chicago

2010-04-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 1st, the David Weinberg Gallery is running a special program, consisting of in-depth tours of the Judy Pfaff and Jennifer Scott McLaughlin exhibit. This program is open to the general public, by registration only. The hour-long tours will be offered to adults and children with parental supervision at 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participating in this tour will include a complimentary ticket for Art Chicago, the international art fair taking place at the Merchandise Mart the same weekend. Visit the David Weinberg Gallery's booth(#142) at Art Chicago as well.

Contact Meghan McCook, Education Program Director, at meghanqmccook@gmail.com to register. Limited slots available.

Hope to see you this weekend!

-mqm

Artist, Helen Maureen Cooper, brought her students from Harold Washington College, for an educational program.

Art Fairs This Week in Chicago

2010-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

The 12th annual Chicago Art Open is already in session and continues through May 7. This show features 350 local Chicago artists selected by a jury of Chicago art experts at the River East Arts Center with no charge for admission. On May 2 from 12 - 3pm, there will be a panel discussion: "How to Collect: A Panel of Experts" followed by guided tour of the fair. The Chicago Art Open is sponsored by the Chicago Artists' Coalition. To see samples of featured work click here.

Artropolis, consisting of Art Chicago, NEXT and the International Antiques Fair kicks off this week at the Merchandise Mart. There are various preview events for each show on Thursday, April 29, with the official opening Friday, April 30 at 11am. Our gallery will be featured in Art Chicago, at booth #142.

Art Chicago (12th floor) features emerging and established galleries from around the world who show contemporary and modern art, NEXT (7th floor) explores the interaction "between art its public," and the Antiques Fair (8th floor) brings together over 100 of the finest international antiques dealers.

This is an event not to miss! Each fair will be open from 11am – 7pm on Friday and Saturday, 11am – 6pm on Sunday, and 11am – 4pm on Monday, with the Antiques Fair closing an hour early at 3pm.

Judy Pfaff in Chicago Art Magazine

2010-04-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Another great article about Pfaff's work.
Judy Pfaff at David Weinberg Gallery in Chicago Art Magazine by Robin Dluzen.

Install Week - Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek

2010-04-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

This Friday we have our much anticipated Judy Pfaff opening, along with new paintings by returning artist, Jennifer Scott McLaughlin. Take a sneak peek at the worker bees, making it all happen after the artists put their art in our hands.

the elusive HR

Kerri, Johnna, and Heather - pro art packers

New gorgeous paintings by Jennifer Scott McLaughlin.

Kerri and Aaron deinstall a delicate Noelle Allen piece after the Alumni (SAIC) exhibit.

New work by Jennifer Scott McLaughlin amongst the organized chaos.

Monday, ready for Judy's work to arrive on Tuesday.


Rob and Aaron unpacking on Tuesday. Rob has worked for Judy for 16 yrs and drove her work all the way from NY!

One of Judy's pieces. Rob said she will continue to work on it when she arrives on Thursday. This is how Judy often works, her process...a piece evolves up until the very end, before exhibiting. A true installation artist.

Amazing!

Don't miss this amazing exhibit, opening this Friday, April 16th from 5-8pm.

Learn about and watch Judy's process on Art 21.

-meghan

SAIC Panel Discussion - Creative Economy

2010-04-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last week most of us from the gallery headed over to the School of the Art Institute's ballroom on Michigan Avenue. Aaron and David were invited to sit on a panel discussion, Creative Economy - Galleries, Artists, & the Market. Also contributing to the panel were a few other figures in the CHGO art community; Rhona Hoffman, Larry Fields (art collector), Shannon Stratton, and moderator, Duke Reiter. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and for the panel to answer questions from the audience, which consisted mostly of SAIC students. Afterward, I was on hand to disperse gallery postcards and information, but also to spread the word about our free art education programming. It was a great event, and I hope we get to be a part of more like them in the future. More frequent discussions and exchanging of ideas from all players in the art world, will only help CHGO's art community.

- meghan

Gorgeous SAIC Ballroom

Rhona, David, Aaron, Shannon, Larry and Duke.

Our info table, wo-manned by yours truly.

Judy Pfaff and DWG in Weekly Roundup

2010-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our upcoming exhibition of Judy Pfaff's work caught Art 21's eye! Check out the Weekly Roundup for information about her solo show at DWG as well as other events, exhibitions and write-ups on Pfaff's fellow female visionaries.

♥ me some Banksy

2010-04-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop | Art & Design | Lifelounge

Great little video detailing bansky's work and street art.

Two More Days for Alumni Show

2010-04-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Only Friday and Saturday left to see our Alumni show featuring SAIC MFA grads Noelle Allen, Helen Maurene Cooper, Amy E. Mayfield and BFA grad Michael Ratulowski. Recent MFA grad Daniel Kim still has artwork in Dave's office as well.

We'll be starting deinstall Saturday evening gearing up for the Pfaff opening on Friday April 16. Jennifer Scott McLaughlin's work shows up Monday. Judy's Tuesday. And by Thursday night we will have transformed the gallery into something else.

This will be . . .

this by Monday morning.

Creative Chicago Expo

2010-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend Chicago Artists Resource will be hosting the annual Creative Chicago Expo at the Chicago Cultural Center. The event is on Saturday, April 10 from 10 am to 4 pm and it's free! I recommend that anyone involved in the arts stop by, as there is something for everyone among a long list of free workshops, consultants and over 100 vendors. Some interesting workshops include Contemporary Approaches to Promoting Art, DIY Web Basics, Forming a Non-Profit, and Using Social Media. Consultants will be available for 45 minute appointments at $15 each for matters including legal, portfolio or grant review, casting agents and more.

All the details for the event can be found here on Chicago Artists Resource's website.

Childish Creativity

2010-04-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Peter Pan: Well I will not grow up! You cannot make me! I will banish you like Tinkerbell.
Wendy: I WILL NOT BE BANISHED!
Peter Pan: Then go home. Go home and grow up. And take your feelings with you!

In his article, Childish Creativity , writer Jonah Lehrer looks into the loss of creativity children experience as they age. Blame it on our brain (our prefrontal cerebral cortex to be exact!) The good news is that, by just thinking of ourselves as children again, we are actually able to regain the creative thinking that we have slowly lost as adults.

(posted on the Frontal Cortex by Jonah Lehrer, March 25, 2010)

Looking for a Good Read?

2010-04-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

AIGA is a fantastic organization that exists to support and advance the graphic arts and design. I am personally a student member of the Chicago chapter, and have attended several events, all of which have been outstanding and rewarding. In trying to keep up with all the marvelous things that AIGA does, I came across a collection of books they have assembled, called 50 Books/50 Covers, chosen for demonstrating excellence in design. This collection was one of the best ways I have lost a couple hours of my life in a long time! In this collection you will find one amazing, intriguing book after another, with a design, layout, and details that were carefully chosen to match and enhance the book's contents. I suggest taking the time to go through as many as you can, and reading the descriptions of the books as you go. You might just find your next Must Read! Below are some of my favorites from the collection.

For it's use of strong, simplified graphic elements to give the contents a fresh, new face: "Clássicos Saraiva collection"
Multiple Contributing Authors
Design Firm: REX Design

For its playful nature: "L is for Lollygag"
Illustrator: Melinda Beck
Designer: Tracy Sunrize Johnson

For it's elegance and use of visual metaphor:
"Zibaldone, de las cinco etapas de la vida"
Author, Director, Designer: Ana Cortils

For enhancing the title, and visual interest: "The Age of Entanglement"
Author: Louisa Gilder
Design Firm: Alfred A. Knopf
Jacket Design: Jason Booher

For it's power through simplicity, and unique design:
"The Way Through Doors"
Author: Jessie Ball
Design Firm: Vintage Books
Designers: Jason Booher & Helen Yentus

For the perfect use a single image:
"Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible 1840 - 1900"
Multiple Contributing Authors
Design Firm: San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art
Designer: James Williams

Judy Pfaff Studio Visit

2010-04-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

I visited Judy Pfaff's studio this week to check out the work that will be here for her show. Judy's studio is on a large plot of land at the base of the Catskill mountains. It is pretty idyllic. It was raining pretty hard that day, but Judy warmed me up with a cup of tea and her generous spirit. She's an outstanding and lovely individual.

Her studio is a place of constant flux - the way any good studio is. She's simultaneously preparing for our show at the gallery, our booth at Art Chicago and a concurrent show at the Reavley Gallery at the Texas National 2010 show in Nacogdoches, Texas.

The Texas National show is an annual competition, open to all artists living and working in the United States, juried each year by an internationally acclaimed artist. This year, 191 artworks by 161 artists were chosen by Judy. The TN 2010 show will be held in the Ledbetter Gallery of The Cole Art Center at the SFA School of Art. Previous jurors have included Doug and Mike Starn, who have also show at the David Weinberg Gallery, along with the likes of Leon Golub, Donald Sultan, Sandy Skoglund, Ed Moses, and - one of my favorite enigmatic artists - Mel Chin.

On top of managing all of this, Judy is also the head of the Art Department at Bard. It's pretty astonishing to think that she can handle the (overly)full plate that is in front of her, especially considering that several works we will show are very large, new, and never before seen. She's amazing and the show will be amazing. See you there!

New, in progress and as yet untitled work by Judy Pfaff - likely to appear on the back wall in Gallery 1, Assemblage materials / Mixed media, 91x91, 2010

A photo I snapped on my last visit to Judy's studio in August of 2009. Judy is a sponge and takes inspiration from nearly everywhere, but this is just outside her back door and I think you can see a direct relationship to the previous image. Awesome.

Studio view

Another studio view

Women's Lib

2010-04-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

A letter from Nancy Spero to Lucy Lippard, dated 1971. (via)

In discussing our exhibition schedule yesterday, we discovered 10 out of 13 of our upcoming artists will be women. I know we're just one teeny gallery in the grand scheme of this crazy ass art world, but hopefully Saltz will agree this is a step in the right direction.

How Our Brain Interprets Visual Information - Optical Illusions

2010-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

So this is not necessarily art related, but you have to watch this video! I find it incredible what our own brain can do when trying to interpret and fill in visual information, in order to make sense of it. It begs the question, do you really have to see it to believe it, especially when our brain can play such a trick on one's self?

instant art critic

2010-03-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

Never know what to say at an art opening? Try this.

Judy continued...

2010-03-23T07:45:00.001-07:00

Judy's studio:

Examples of her work from The Year of the Dog series and others:

Judy Pfaff

2010-03-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

Our new exhibit will be opening on April 16 and we are delighted to have the honor to host the work of Judy Pfaff. This is a must-see show and a rare opportunity since Judy has not exhibited in a Chicago gallery since the 80's.

Much of what we will show will be brand-new (she's still creating it) and LARGE. So large, in fact, we sadly can't even fit many of the pieces in the gallery. After talks of ripping out door frames and smashing through cement walls (not kidding) were quieted, we decided to exhibit the smaller works here (and by small we're still talking 6ft) and take 2 large pieces to Art Chicago. Like I said... you don't want to miss this.

To get a little background on Judy, here is her bio and her segment on Art:21 -

Biograhpy......................
Judy Pfaff was born in London, England in 1946. She received a BFA from Washington University, Saint Louis (1971) and an MFA from Yale University (1973). Balancing intense planning with improvisational decision-making, Pfaff creates exuberant, sprawling sculptures and installations that weave landscape, architecture, and color into a tense yet organic whole. A pioneer of installation art in the 1970s, Pfaff synthesizes sculpture, painting, and architecture into dynamic environments in which space seems to expand and collapse, fluctuating between the two- and three-dimensional. Pfaff’s site-specific installations pierce through walls and careen through the air, achieving lightness and explosive energy. Pfaff’s work is a complex ordering of visual information composed of steel, fiberglass, and plaster as well as salvaged signage and natural elements such as tree roots. She has extended her interest in natural motifs in a series of prints integrating vegetation, maps, and medical illustrations, and has developed her dramatic sculptural materials into set designs for several theatrical stage productions. Pfaff has received many awards, including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award (2004); a Bessie (1984); and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1983) and the National Endowment for the Arts (1986). She has had major exhibitions at the Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison (2002); Denver Art Museum (1994); St. Louis Art Museum (1989); and Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo (1982). Pfaff represented the United States in the 1998 São Paolo Bienal. Pfaff lives and works in Kingston and Tivoli, New York.

Video link......................

Art Handling Olympics

2010-03-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

Yep, pretty much what an install looks like =)

This weekend marked New York’s first Art Handling Olympics, a competition to determine the city’s best art handlers.

Here is an interview with the founder, Shane Caffrey.

Here is a recap.

UPDATE: Photos!

via Art Fag City

Art Chicago 2010

2010-03-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

David Weinberg Gallery's 2010 Art Chicago booth #:

12-142

This will be our second year exhibiting at Art Chicago. Please stop by and:

(a) Bring a caffeinated beverage
(b) Tell us our booth is best in show (ego boost!)
(c) Buy 3 pieces
(d) All of the above (... and become our new very bestest friend in the whole wide universe)

a taste of NYC

2010-03-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

I can never resist taking pictures on the airplane.

A glowing dose of spring in the Pierogi booth at The Armory. They had lots of great art in their booth, but I failed to take more pictures there (silly me).
(piece by Patrick Jacobs)

At VOLTA, there was a Parisian gallery with these intriguing websites listed all over their booth. The artist is Rafael Rozendall, and the gallerist walked us through some of these great and fun websites. Worth checking out... www.newrafael.com

We also saw these beautifully constructed taxidermy hybrid animals by Enrique Gomez De Molina in the Spinello Gallery booth that looked like they jumped out of The Field Museum cases. Definitely had to do a double take...

after a few long days of art browsing, a good cocktail can taste like magic.

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

'Building a Better Teacher'

2010-03-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting article that I recently read in The New York Times Magazine discussing and investigating what characteristics make up a good teacher and how better teachers may solve many of the problems failing schools are facing today. While it doesn't present any conclusive answers, there are many interesting questions posed about what makes an effective teacher, and if nothing else, it is a thought provoking read. Of course, art or art teachers are not mentioned once in this article (sigh), and most of the research used is dependent on incessant standardized test taking (double sigh), but it's refreshing to see educators calling themselves out in a seemingly productive way. Get yourself a cup of coffee, because it's a long read, but well worth it.

'Building a Better Teacher,' NY Times Mag

Illustration by R. Kikuo Johnson, The New York Times Magazine (March 2, 2010)

NY Art Fairs

2010-03-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

New York Art Fair weekend is here. Aaron and Cassi are strolling the streets as we speak looking for our next great lineup of artists at The Armory Show and many, MANY ancillary fairs. To show you just how ridiculous and overwhelming this weekend can be (and how impossible it is to see everything) 20x200 emailed out a downloadable PDF of " The Art Fairs and Other Useful Spots Map" by Jason Polan:

Granted these aren't all art fairs, but museums and galleries schedule some of their best exhibits around the fair in anticipation of the art crowd influx. So really, you feel guilty missing out on anything!

Good luck and have fun guys! Can't wait to see the proposals and a blog post with a recap (hint, hint) =)

Click the image to be directed to the 20x200 blog post and read about their Art Fair Survival Kits!

Fun poster

2010-03-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

This has made its rounds on the blogs, but I still really like it. So clever.

Via Design Milk
For purchase here

Why you should buy art!

2010-03-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Print for purchase on 20x200

Thanks for coming!

2010-03-02T09:14:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone that made it to the opening Friday night! The turnout was amazing and it was such a great crowd. It's wonderful to see SAIC continue to support its students after graduation and even more impressive to witness the long lasting network the alumni create with each other.

The exhibit is a fun one. People were really engaged and I had more than a few highly entertaining conversations spurred by the work. If you didn't make it on Friday, get over here before it comes down on April 10th!

Some DWG insider tips:
At the gallery we always hang a few pieces from the last exhibit in David's office (so be sure not to skip it when you visit!). If you really enjoy the current exhibit, remember to ask our staff (we're friendly, I promise) if there are any other pieces available for viewing. Sometimes we run out of wall space or we've asked the artist for works on paper or examples of another series and we keep this extra work in the flat file or the back.

Currently, we have Noelle Allen's Accipiters series on the wall but in back inventory we have another series entitled Osteoids. These are stunning photographs that you really, really must see in person. Can you guess what they are?

***Hint: A 1999 black comedy starring Rose McGowan, Rebacca Gayhart, and Julie Benz.

images: Noelle Allen, (left) Osteoid B, 30" x 30", 2004, (right) Osteoid C, 30" x 30", 2004, contact gallery for pricing

A Brief History of Art

2010-03-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Via suicideblonde

70 Million by Hold Your Horses

2010-03-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Such a fun video :)

"An entertaining and cheeky music video for “70 Million”, hit song by Franco-American band, Hold Your Horses!, offers a wink at art history as band members playfully reconstruct famous paintings in an off the wall lyrical interpretation all their own."

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

Via NotCot.org

Alumni Opening at DWG

2010-02-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Come see our newest exhibit opening this Friday! Details:

Alumni

School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates:
Noelle Allen
Helen Maurene Cooper
Amy E. Mayfield
Michael Ratulowski

February 26 - April 10, 2010

Opening reception Friday, February 26 from 5-8pm

Noelle Allen (b. 1979) received her MFA from the SAIC in 2004. In 2007 she was chosen for an MCA 12x12 exhibition. Noelle lives and works in Chicago and teaches sculpture at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. Noelle’s current work is based on images of the genus Accipiter, birds of prey, as well as fossil studies and scientific renderings of cellular mitosis. These materials are the basis for the fragmented forms and ruptured avian figures that appear in her ink and graphite drawings on mylar. Beyond these particular sources, however, the works demonstrate a sustained interest in corporeal transformation: the ability of physical bodies to break, tear, decay, heal and regenerate. When viewed closely, the drawings can be explored as intricately detailed compositions, or a microscopic topography of precise markings. However, on a macro level, there exists an aesthetic of fantasy, in which there is a quick transition from recognizable forms to abstracted areas of line and movement. In this shift and in the flux of states, there is an investigation of the process of decay and the pleasure and pain of transformation.
http://www.noelleallen.com/

.........................................................

Amy Mayfield (b. 1978) received her MFA from the SAIC in 2006. In 2007 she was also chosen for an MCA 12x12 exhibition. Amy lives and works in San Diego. Amy's work is challenging and fun, exuding energy with obscure darkness lurking just beneath the surface. Amy's paintings are highly saturated surreal landscapes, permeated with unusual and fantastical creations that she refers to as "bearded membranes, encrypted anthropomorphic mythical creatures, and biomorphic poisonous blossoms." Her seductive surfaces are at once decadent and disturbing, an exploration of dreamlike imagery resulting in patchwork of non-linear narratives.
http://www.amyemayfield.com/

.........................................................

Helen Maurene Cooper (b. 1980) received her MFA from the SAIC in 2007. Cooper lives and works in Chicago and teaches at Harold Washington College, Wilbur Wright College and SAIC. Cooper is concerned with the act of storytelling mutated by pop culture. Often, her works take the form of a disjointed narrative, skewing the location, subjects and motivation. These works are influenced by a preoccupation with longing, desire and the containment of wildness. With some works, Cooper takes on the role of producer, director, photographer and subject. In other works she explores the dichotomy between the synthetic and the real, romance and sex, the exchange of power between male and female bodies, and the relationship of the body to landscape. With a minimum of information, Cooper allows viewers to interpret a story and make their own conclusions concerning subject, action and place.
http://hmcooper.com/

.........................................................

Michael Ratulowski (b. 1980) received his BFA from the SAIC in 2007. Michael's work is deceptively simple. Through a deft and minimal touch, his pieces are profound and sublime. However, Michael is far from a passive artist. He supplies viewers with sufficient information, but also insists on a certain level of engagement from participants in order to realize the full concept and understand every nuance. This is evidenced in his new Anniversary Series, which is at once funny, sad and deadly serious. The title of each work consists of a date, or “anniversary.” Each photo is a self-portrait of Ratulowski pouring out a 40oz beer onto the ground. Ratulowski has mined hip-hop culture through much of his emerging career, but here the work becomes less observational and more personal. There is a stoic air to Michael's actions, which mark the deaths of rappers, many of whom died tragically and young. The viewer is left to decide whether or not the gesture is genuine and (if they don't know) inquire as to whom the anniversary refers. Among artists that Ratulowski has memorialized are Notorious BIG, Proof and Tupac. This will be Michael’s second exhibition with the gallery.
http://michaelratulowski.com/

.........................................................

(1) Noelle Allen, Accipiters, 2007, graphite & watercolor on mylar, 42" x 162"
(2) Amy E. Mayfield, Slithering Bear Bread, 2007, 17" x 15"
(3) Helen Maurene Cooper, Untitled, 2006, inkjet print, 32" x 40
(4) Michael Ratulowski, April 11, 2009: 3rd Anniversary (detail), 2009, inkjet print, 24" x 36"
** contact the gallery for pricing information

Welcome!

2010-02-11T12:34:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the David Weinberg Gallery blog! Please check back regularly or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up-to-date with our newest exhibitions, educational offerings, and more.