No. 1 - BRILLIANTE RECORDS PRESENTS: THIS AND THAT
No. 2 - POLVO: THE EMERGENCY SHOW
No. 3 - THE ARTIST PROJECT: PART OF ARTROPOLIS, A CITY-WIDE CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL ARTS
No. 4 - DOWN THE STREET: INFIDEL GROUP OPEN HOUSE
BONUS! THE ART COMMUNITY CALENDAR


I have come out of hibernation and am ringing in Spring with a flurry of exhibitions around Chicago. There is something on my exhibition schedule for just about everyone between now and early May: No. 3 is a brand new high-end exhibition within a grouping of international art fairs all located at a major downtown venue. No. 1 and No. 4 are alt-space group shows put together by the some of the exhibiting/performing artists, both incorporating live music and both located on the near Northwest side. No. 2 is a showing of 5 artists at a widely respected cutting-edge gallery in Pilsen. So, break out your Spring wardrobe and come see some art!



This group exhibition is another installment in an every-once-in-awhile series of art exhibitions that Brilliante Records has put on at Country Club Chicago, a Wicker Park event space. The event is actually co-sponsored by Brilliante, 312 Chicago and Nyet Nein, No, which also means that 312 beer will be provided for the evening of the opening, Friday, March 23. The second night, Saturday, March 24, will feature live music by Maradona (Maradona drummer Ed Menacho, also of Brilliante, is who invited me into the show), Damo Nara, LMNOP and Walter Meego DJs from 7-10 PM. Beer for Saturday evening will be provided by The Burlington, a new Logan Square bar opening this summer.


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Polvo is an engaging space at 1458 W 18th St 1R (entrance on Laflin), just a few blocks east of the 18th St Blue Line Station. Since February 2003, the collective, Polvo, has been organizing and curating art exhibits at this space in Pilsen. Co-founder Miguel Cortez and I have talked in the past about doing a show, and then the perfect opportunity came along. Needing to develop a new show in a pinch, Miguel looked to me, Barbara Koenen and Jamie Mendoza to fill the bill. (Barbara and Miguel will also be participating in The Artist Project.) A video installation by acclaimed Chicago artist(s) CarianaCarianne will also be on display. If you've never been to Polvo, I encourage you to check it out. There is usually an energetic crowd and a fridge full of beer.

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This is expected to be a great show, and a great weekend for Chicago. Artropolis is a city-wide celebration of international arts. Included are several big-name, high-end art fairs - Art Chicago, Bridge Art Fair, The Intuit Show, The MFA Show, The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair and of course, The Artist Project, all centered around the Merchandise Mart Complex. The Artist Project will feature a juried selection of about 50 independant artists in spacious booths arranged in a grand marble lobby. All artists will be available at their booth, and none has representation with a gallery, so this may be a rare opportunity to purchase works directly from these artists outside of their studios.

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The Infidel Group is a collective of 9 young, emerging Chicago-area artists who share a common enthusiasm for engagement, professionalism and balance amongst contemporary artists, and have set out to coordinate and host exhibitions. Down the Street is a Cinco de Mayo double-feature open house, and the first show with the entire group: Me, Kevin Lustrup, Jono Tosch, Guillermo Munro, Danny Powell, Anne Zakaras, Eulalio Fabie de Silva, David Keel and Anna Soltys. We'll have work on display in two locations near the Logan Square Blue Line Station from noon-10 PM - 3016 Logan Blvd and another location TBA. We'll also have live music by indie pop artists Renee-Louise Carafice, A Light Sleeper and Shemilaya.

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Not long ago, I added a new feature to The Art Community page of my website - The Art Community Calendar. This gives me a forum from which to share with you exhibitions and events that I think are of great interest and that I wish to support. Artist and gallerist friends out there - please let me know when you have events coming up so I can help spread the word. There are even events currently listed that coorespond with some of my above exhibitions, and could offer great show-hopping opportunities: On March 23, when This and That is opening on Damen, Jennifer Singer's one night show at TOJO Gallery will be open just around the corner on Division. Saturday March 24, Animals and Insects featuring Dolan Geiman opens at Lillstreet just before the bands play for the second night of This and That. As mentioned, during the entire length of The Artist Project, Art Chicago and other major events will be going on in the same complex. If you come out that weekend, I would encourage you to also visit In Particular, Kristin Komar's solo exhibition at Chicago Art Source, opening that Friday, April 27.

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