A Trip to Atropolis 2008
How much farther until we get to the other side?
Today, Richard and I went to Artropolis at the Merchandise Mart about 11 a.m. and left about 2:30 p.m. There are 5 concurrent shows under one roof.
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Art Chicago (12th floor) — art in a gallery atmosphere featuring works appealing to curators and collectors
NEXT (7th floor) — an invitational exhibition of international contemporary emerging art focusing on single artists or special projects
The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair (south side of the 8th floor)
The Artist Project (north side of 8th floor) — work of independent artists
The Intuit Show (northwest corner of the 8th floor) — folk and outsider art
We estimated we walked about 5 miles at The Artist Project, part of Intuit, Next, and part of Art Chicago. We saw some of our friends at The Artist Project, including Hiroshi Ariyama, Dawn Brennan, Karen Gubitz, Pamela Johnson, Deborah Maris Lader, Hugh Musick, and Casey Ann Wasniewski.
Both of us really enjoyed Next, which had very interesting, varied and spectacular art. We stopped by Stux Gallery, NY, which features several emerging artists, including Anna Joelsdottir and Don Porcella. Walsh Gallery, Chicago, had an interactive “play and record your own performance installation,” using records in a tree-like sculpture. At Western Exhibitions, Chicago, our friends Dutes Miller and Stan Shellabarger, performed their crochet installation project and we saw their “butter” books (page after page of butter wrappers). Three artists I liked at Next: Michael Velliquette (DCKT, NY) showed his playfulness with fanciful paper collages of dreamlike creatures and monsters; Dana Melamed (Priska C. Juschka Fine Art) expertly used transparency film printing waste, acrylic and charcoal on paper to create 3D phantasmagorical paintings; Aidas Bareitis (Leo Koening, NY) used charcoal pencil on paper to create spontaneous portraits and landscapes with seemingly scratchy brilliance.
Craig Anderson plays with his sculptured paintings
You can’t help but notice Dutes Miller and Stan Shellabarger
crocheting their pink tube. Permission: Western Exhibitions, Chicago.
What a great idea Dutes and Stan. Butter books.
Permission: Western Exhibitions, Chicago.
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As a participant at the artist project but not mentioned, probably to much of good stuff going on but I agree with the ones shown, they all stand out. I had the chance to talk to most of them. As far as me I came for a reason and that alone was worth it . To be recognized. The result a Gallery in Michigan who is interested in representing me. It’s not all about sales. It’s about art.
Zaki
Glad to hear the show was helpful to you. I attended on Friday and was very impressed by the work of many of the artists. My question is did they sell much?
DeeDee
in response to deedee, my sales were very good this year, but last year, they were not, so i know what it feels like to have to load up your car at the close of the show with everything you started with. many of the artists did not sell this year, but like zaki stated, this thing is about art, which does not always intersect with commerce. i just hope that the artists who lost financially don’t let themselves think that in any way it reflects on them as artists, cause it doesn’t. we all have to figure out how to be honest with our work, and not let a “sale” affect our opinion of our artist selves.
Yes, Deborah!
For example, you get a solo exhibition and you are thrilled! You tell folks. Maybe they didn’t make it because it was out-of-town. The first question from some artists and non-artists is “how much did you sell?”
Of course we are in business. Of course we want to sell our work. Sometimes we need to make room for new work. A sale sometimes “validates” our efforts. A sale pays our rent. But, in general, we are the rare birds who would do the work whether we got paid or not!
And though it seems that there are tons of
artists (and there are), there is only one you!
Congrats to all who weathered the grueling task, and mustered the internal fortitude, to exhibit at the Merchandise Mart show.