This is where blogging gets complicated and "conflicts of interest" arise. It's the argument for why artists and curators should not be writing about art. Yet here we are. And before you set out to get me fired, know my contract allows for this.
Cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die, I applied for artXposium because I've always thought it was an interesting program, and worthy of the press I'm giving it. It's a "multimedia art experience, were national and international artists come together to display a variety of art work ranging from traditional media, to interactive and multimedia installations."
To counterbalance my conflict of interest, I'll mention that the show is greatly downsized from
last year, from 70 artists to 23. Whereas the show had a huge space last year, now it's in a few storefronts, and mostly takes place in the West Chicago City Museum (yes, West Chicago is a city totally separate from Chicago - one that's a 45-minute drive from downtown).
Why did it shrink? Why did West Chicago not throw open it's doors further? Was the art too weird for the townspeople? Did the promise of artists swarming in and increasing property value not materialize? It's hard telling, but for whatever reason, it's not a huge city-wide festival, and West Chicago has yet to become our own little Marfa.
Still, it was the debut of the mattress bunny and has a two-year history as a strong show and - thus why I applied- and Anni Holm (international performance artist) and Irene Pérez (of Second Bedroom) are formidable forces in the art scene. The fact that they could rally 70 artists and get all the cool people to drive an hour out of town is quite an accomplishment.
Here's the details :
Locations:
West Chicago City Museum
Gallery 200
Main Street Storefronts
19th century CB&Q Depot,
West Chicago Public Library District.
Friday 9/18
7PM - Meet the Artists Potluck
After- screening of "Reach the Rock" written by the late John Hughes and filmed in West Chicago in the 1990s.
Saturday 9/19
11AM - exhibition opens
2 PM Guided tour
5-10 closing reception with an artist talk by Danish Artist in Residence, Berit Nørgaard, performances by Alison Rhoades, Core Project, me (Kathryn) and John & Mandy Rakow, along with food, drinks, and a silent auction. (Full program available at artxposium.org.)
I am going to facebook friend all the artists on this list and invite them to provide additional inofrmation about their contribution in the comments section.
Featured artists and performers:
Lise Haller Baggesen, Chicago, IL/Denmark - http://www.baggesen.org/
Kathryn Born, Chicago, IL - http://www.diamondlifecafe.com/
Jessica Bruah, New York, NY - http://www.jessicabruah.com
Tom Burtonwood, Chicago, IL/England - http://tomburtonwood.com/
Andrew Coppersmith, Chicago, IL - www.andrewcoppersmith.com
Core Project, Chicago, IL - http://www.myspace.com/coreprojectchicago
Stephanie Dean, Chicago, IL - http://www.stephaniedean.com/
Adam Farcus, Chicago, IL - http://www.adamfarcus.com/
Benjamin Funke, New Bend, IN - http://www.listen-hear.blogspot.com/
Annie Heckman, Chicago, IL - http://annieheckman.com/
Anni Holm, West Chicago, IL/Denmark - http://anniholm.com/
Holly Holmes, Chicago, IL - http://www.hollyholmes.net/
Nate Mathews, Bartlett, IL - http://natemathews.com/
Sara Peak, Chicago, IL
Irene Pérez, Aurora, IL/Spain - http://ireneperez.net/
John & Mandy Rakow, West Chicago, IL - http://www.rakow-arts.com/
Brian Reis, St. Charles, IL - http://www.brianreis.com/
Alison Rhoades, Chicago, IL
Rachel Weaver Rivera, Hinsdale, IL - http://www.imagineartstudio.com/
Ingrida Slajuvienne, Willowbrook, IL/Lithuania
Christopher Smith, Chicago, IL
Ted Strandt, Justice, IL - http://www.strandtmonuments.com/
Allison Yasukawa, Chicago, IL
artXposium is curated by Anni Holm and Irene Pérez and organized in conjunction with the West Chicago International Artist in Residency Program featuring Berit Nørgaard's project: If I Can Do It - You Can Do It Too (press release about project).
This event is open to the public and free (suggested donation $2).
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: anniholm, artXposium, irenePerez, mattressbunny, WestChicago
I am new here but I did not find a Photograph Blog in Chicago Now. I do not belive. Pleasee do it !!!!!!
Write to staff@chicagonow.com and pitch that you could do a Chicago Photography Blog. They're looking for more bloggers, and it doesn't happen by itself, someone has to step up and committ to at least 90 days, posting 3x's a week. Go for it.
Hi Kathryn and all -- so great to see the event highlighted here. I just posted information about my project on my blog -- http://annieheckman.com/blog/?p=402 -- it's an animation piece I made for the train set space after mining through the West Chicago City Museum's archives, with kind assistance. Looking forward to the kickoff tonight!