The Arts Club of Chicago

10/09/2020

The latest Artforum includes an article by Lauren O’Neill-Butler on the Feminist Art Coalition. 

Earlier this year, The Arts Club joined this new consortium of art institutions from across the United States. Together we will mount a nationwide season of programming informed by feminist thought and practice. Our upcoming show, 𝘜𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘱, is devoted to the politics and aesthetics of care. The artists in the show address the demands made on those charged with the care of self or others. This exhibition proposes that daily acts of care may be interpreted as quietly, yet decisively, disruptive of the status quo.

“Conceived in the wake of the 2017 Women’s March, the Feminist Art Coalition is a call to action that encompasses climate change, decolonization, racial justice, Indigenous struggles, diasporic experiences, gender identities, sexuality, and body politics by going beyond bromides to display feminism at work: through the organizing of exhibitions, the building of museum collections, and public programming.” - Artforum (@artforum)

The latest Artforum includes an article by Lauren O’Neill-Butler on the Feminist Art Coalition. 

Earlier this year, The Arts Club joined this new consortium of art institutions from across the United States. Together we will mount a nationwide season of programming informed by feminist thought and practice. Our upcoming show, 𝘜𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘱, is devoted to the politics and aesthetics of care. The artists in the show address the demands made on those charged with the care of self or others. This exhibition proposes that daily acts of care may be interpreted as quietly, yet decisively, disruptive of the status quo.

“Conceived in the wake of the 2017 Women’s March, the Feminist Art Coalition is a call to action that encompasses climate change, decolonization, racial justice, Indigenous struggles, diasporic experiences, gender identities, sexuality, and body politics by going beyond bromides to display feminism at work: through the organizing of exhibitions, the building of museum collections, and public programming.” - Artforum (@artforum)

10/07/2020

Congratulations to cultural theorist and poet Fred Moten, who was just awarded a MacArthur “Genius” grant! The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation distributes $625,000 in unrestricted funds over five years to select individuals for “extraordinary originality and dedication.”

We’re honored to feature an essay by Moten in the catalog for our recent exhibition, Jennie C. Jones: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. Stay tuned for info on how to obtain a catalogue!

“In dense and evocative texts that bridge the gap between art theory, philosophy, musicology, and many other modes, the 58-year-old Moten homes in on abstract and humanistic notions of Blackness and queerness that have been instrumental for many artists, including Wu Tsang, Kevin Beasley, Arthur Jafa, and American Artist.” - ArtNews

10/03/2020

Happy birthday to Russian-born surrealist painter, set designer and costume designer Pavel Tchelitchew, born on this day in 1898!

Tchelitchew painted this portrait of Alice Roullier while visiting Chicago for his first show at The Arts Club in 1935, perhaps as a token of gratitude for her role in the exhibition’s realization. As chair of the Arts Club’s exhibition committee from 1918 to 1941, Roullier helped fulfill The Arts Club's mission of bringing contemporary art to public audiences in Chicago.   

Tchelitchew began making portraits in Paris in 1923, producing nearly one hundred over the next 25 years. In 1938, The Arts Club held an exhibition devoted entirely to Tchelitchew's portraiture, which featured the likenesses of his close friends Sitwell, Lincoln Kirstein, Charles Henri Ford, and Ruth Ford.

Portrait of Alice Roullier, 1935
Ink on paper
(16 x 10¾ in.)
Gift of Josephine R. Harris, 1964.

Happy birthday to Russian-born surrealist painter, set designer and costume designer Pavel Tchelitchew, born on this day in 1898!

Tchelitchew painted this portrait of Alice Roullier while visiting Chicago for his first show at The Arts Club in 1935, perhaps as a token of gratitude for her role in the exhibition’s realization. As chair of the Arts Club’s exhibition committee from 1918 to 1941, Roullier helped fulfill The Arts Club's mission of bringing contemporary art to public audiences in Chicago.   

Tchelitchew began making portraits in Paris in 1923, producing nearly one hundred over the next 25 years. In 1938, The Arts Club held an exhibition devoted entirely to Tchelitchew's portraiture, which featured the likenesses of his close friends Sitwell, Lincoln Kirstein, Charles Henri Ford, and Ruth Ford.

Portrait of Alice Roullier, 1935
Ink on paper
(16 x 10¾ in.)
Gift of Josephine R. Harris, 1964.

09/17/2020

On August 27th the Iranian-American artist Siah Armajani sadly passed away at his home in Minneapolis.

In 1992, The Arts Club had the honor of  hosting an exhibition of his works entitled Streets: Sculptures and Notations. Streets addressed issues of community, assembly and civic enterprise, using the vocabulary of architecture and design.

Armajani was best known for public art works such as outdoor gardens, gazebos, plazas, and bridges. Works that exist at the intersection of art, community, and site.

09/11/2020

Join us on the evening of Thursday, September 17th, as we celebrate the closing of Jennie C. Jones’ Constant Structure.  We will culminate the exhibition with a series of mini gallery tours.  

Space is limited, and entry will be time-ticketed. Sign up at the link in bio for a short tour + self-guided exhibition viewing or reserve a 30 minute time slot to wander the exhibition on your own between 4:00 pm and 8:00pm.  All in-person visitors will receive a copy of the exhibition catalog, featuring an experimental text by renowned poet, philosopher, and academic Fred Moten.

Can’t make it to the gallery? Join for a live virtual tour at 6pm via Zoom.

09/04/2020

Our gallery will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Labor Day holiday. We will reopen to the public on September 8th at 11am.

09/03/2020

Congratulations to the artists
featured on @newcitymag Art 50 2020: Chicago's Artist's Artists!

We're honored to have
exhibited works by several of these artists here at the Arts Club. A link to the full list can be found in our bio.

08/24/2020

Writer and University of Chicago Professor Rachel Cohen (@rachelcohennotebook) wrote a beautiful piece on our current exhibition.⁣
⁣
Here are some excerpts from the essay. The essay in its entirety can be found in our link in bio. It's a great, short read! @ Chicago, Illinois

08/18/2020

The Arts Club of Chicago » Constant Structure

A reminder that our gallery is open once again! Swing by to see our current exhibition by @jcjstudio.⁣
⁣
𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 is on view and open to the public until September 19th. We hope to see you soon!⁣
⁣
Please see the link in bio for new COVID safety protocols.

Lingering at the intersection of music theory, painting, and sound, Jennie C. Jones presents a new body of work prompted by the concept of “constant structure”—a term borrowed from Modern jazz composition. It refers to a consecutive chord progression with different root notes that links dispar...

08/14/2020

Excerpts from an interview with Jennie C. Jones (@jcjstudio) and Jared Quinton at BOMB Magazine (@bombmag). Link in bio.

𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 is on view and open to the public until September 19. @ Chicago, Illinois

05/05/2020

Jennie C. Jones: Constant Structure

Image: Lori Wolan

03/30/2020

We're sorry to hear of the passing of the beloved artist Suellen Rocca. She was an original Chicago Imagist and member of Hairy Who, and had a profound impact on so many artists and educators.

We love her drawing below, from the collection at the The Art Institute of Chicago from 1965.

Image: Suellen Rocca, Untitled, 1965. Pen and black ink on wove paper, 480 × 380 mm.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/suellen-rocca-dead-1202682512/

03/13/2020

Art Spaces Go Digital: Virtual Connections to Art – Part I - Chicago Gallery News

We will be closed effective this evening at 9 pm, following Drawing Room service for members. Next week's activities planned for the opening of Jennie C. Jones's exhibition have been postponed. https://bit.ly/39MUf1i

As mentioned below, we have lots of content online if you get curious while social distancing, and hope to update it further in the coming weeks!

In this age of virtual experiences and digital convenience, I'm always advocating for art lovers to get out and explore art in person. Gallery openings are a great excuse to get out into spaces and to mingle with other art lovers and to meet with artists.

12/05/2019

Amy Sillman is an Artists’ Artist indeed! Thank you Suellen Rocca for selecting Sillman’s “wonderfully bold” work in her exhibition this past summer at The Arts Club for your contribution to the @artforum roundup.

11/11/2019

Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 2

Opening this week in our garden, artist Bernard Williams's "Black Tractor Project", an effort to honor the work of generations of black farmers in the United States. The project opens at The Arts Club on Saturday, November 16th. https://bit.ly/2q26tBC

Williams's sculpture and research is a direct response to the "Black Farmers Settlement", the colloquial name for a lawsuit against the USDA that unearthed decades of racial discrimination in their practices. Learn more about the history through The New York Times 1619 Project Podcast below.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/podcasts/1619-slavery-farm-loan-discrimination.html?action=click&module=audio-series-bar®ion=header&pgtype=Article

In the finale of the podcast, we hear the rest of June and Angie Provost’s story, and its echoes in a past case that led to the largest civil rights settlement in American history.

11/05/2019

The Arts Club of Chicago is PUMPED to join a new consortium of art institutions from across the United States. Together, we will mount a nationwide season of programming informed by feminist thought and practice—timed to coincide with the next presidential election.

In true Arts Club fashion, our programming will include a range of artistic modes, presenting performances, lectures, and an exhibition of international artists entitled Upkeep. The exhibition examines the complexities of subtle acts of care & how they subvert or complicate femme-identified behaviors in unexpected ways.
……...
The Feminist Art Coalition represents an unprecedented collective endeavor by arts organizations in the US, of various different sizes, to generate and support public consciousness of feminist themes and catalyze civic engagement during a critical moment in history. Follow along with the movement and learn more about participating institutions @FeministArtCoalition. #FeministArtCoalition #VoteFeminist2020 @ The Arts Club of Chicago

10/17/2019

We’re participating in #openhousechicago2019 this Saturday! The Arts Club’s galleries and permanent collection will be open to visitors from 9-5 on Oct. 19.
.
Can’t join us on Saturday? We now offer tours of the collection on the first Saturday of each month. More information on our website!

09/20/2019

Currently on view: Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Ballad of Etc. Galleries are open until 6 pm this evening and from 11-3 pm tomorrow.

09/18/2019

Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Ballad of Etc.

On view through December 21.

Photo: Michael Tropea

09/13/2019

TOP V. WEEKEND PICKS (9/12-9/18) | Bad at Sports

Looking for Saturday plans? Spend your afternoon soaking up some arts & culture on the Magnificent Mile.

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Chicago Water Tower with #WaterTowerArtsDistrict and then relax to some reggae by DJ Major Taylor at The Arts Club in our newest Garden Project by Eliza Myrie.

http://badatsports.com/2019/top-v-weekend-picks-9-12-9-18/

TOP V. WEEKEND PICKS (9/12-9/18) by Visualist Chicago | Sep 12, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments 1. Tie Up September 14th, 2019 12-2PM Work by: Eliza Myrie The Arts Club of Chicago: 201 E Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60611   2. LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Last Cruze September 14th, 2019 5-8PM Work by: LaToya Ruby ...

09/11/2019

Tune in at 11 am to Lumpen Radio 105.5 FM or at http://lumpenradio.com to hear the artist Abraham Cruzvillegas on Bad at Sports discussing his work and his exhibition at The Arts Club, opening tomorrow night at 6 pm!

https://www.facebook.com/events/373979616862048/

Below, Cruzvillegas works in the de Saint Phalle studio with a traditional lacquer technique called "maque", applying a mix of vegetal oils and pigments to wood and gourds. Each work int he exhibition features one of these objects.

06/13/2019

Milos Stehlik of Facets: a major force in Chicago cinema deals with cancer, and his organization's next phase

A touching story in the Chicago Tribune today about one of our members, Milos Stehlik, and the iconic Facets Cinematheque.

Take advantage of the unseasonable weather and check out a film there this weekend, or next!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-milos-stehlik-facets-interview-0614-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1fEOyhzFY2XQOh2Qx0jpYAHxcKeqQcrsWQEWYk1di0LWArHRTGG1pYAkM

In early 2019 Facets founder Milos Stehlik was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Now he takes stock of his legacy and the evolution of the medium he loves

06/10/2019

An exhibition of works by Amy Sillman entitled "The Nervous System" is on view in the galleries at The Arts Club of Chicago until August 3rd. Our galleries are always free and open to all.

Amy Sillman, "Dub Stamp", 2018-2019. Acrylic, ink, and silkscreen on paper. 18 double-sided, each: 60 x 40 inches. Photo: RCH Documentation. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.

05/07/2019

Congratulations to one of our artist members, Pooja Pittie, for her exhibition Pooja Pittie: Moon Illusions at the McCormick Gallery.

Her paintings will be on view thru June 15th.

We are excited to open Moon Illusion - new works by Pooja Pittie on Saturday, May 4 from 5-7pm! The show is #1 on New City's Art Top 5 for May!

05/01/2019

What *in all the world wide web* could neoclassical sculpture and "Grumpy Cat" possibly have in common? Find out this Friday, 6 pm at The Arts Club.

Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford & Historian Jonathan Levy will take on the meme in a conversation about the role of reproduction in taste-making, value, status-signaling, and social relations.

03/18/2019

The 5-Minute Journal: Artist Amy Sillman Opens Her Diary for Galerie

Have you ever been curious about what a week looks like for a contemporary artist? Peek inside the diary of painter Amy Sillman, who chronicled her week for Galerie Magazine.

Spoiler: it includes some work she's doing for her exhibition at The Arts Club, opening May 22nd!

https://www.galeriemagazine.com/gratitude-journal-amy-sillman/

Galerie Magazine

02/20/2019

Currently on view until April 27: Thessia Machado: 'Toward the Unsound'. Photo: Michael Tropea

01/31/2019

Art Top 5: February 2019

Our galleries remain closed today, but we'll reopen tomorrow 11 - 6 pm and Saturday 11 - 3 pm, free and open to all.

Our current exhibition Thessia Machado: Toward the Unsound is listed in Newcity Art's Top 5 for February!

https://art.newcity.com/2019/01/30/art-top-5-february-2019/

Love and climate change (and pain and pleasure and death and hate) heat up this otherwise glacial month.

01/29/2019

Due to the forecast of extreme weather, the galleries at The Arts Club will close early this evening and remain closed through midday Thursday, January 31st. For members,

The Drawing Room will not be open tonight or tomorrow evening, and the dining room will be closed Wednesday and Thursday for lunch service. Be on the lookout for more information about Thursday evening's concert with Cellist Seth Parker Woods & Pianist Andrew Rosenblum. Stay warm and stay safe!

12/20/2018

Best visual art of 2018, from spaces big and small

Our galleries will be open until 6 pm today and tomorrow for the final days of Gaylen Ge**er's exhibition, which was just named as one of the "Best in Visual Art" for the year in the Chicago Tribune!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ae-best-chicago-art-2018-1223-story.html

The best visual art of 2018 includes a broad array of shows, from the MCA and De Paul Art Museum to the Chicago Cultural Center.

12/17/2018

Gaylen Ge**er at The Arts Club of Chicago

It's the final week to see our exhibition of works by Gaylen Ge**er in the galleries, which closes December 21st!

Our galleries are free and open to the public this week Tuesday - Friday from 11 am - 6 pm.

https://www.artforum.com/picks/gaylen-gerber-77960

If you spend enough time scrutinizing the artifacts gathered in Gaylen Ge**er’s survey exhibition, you will discover a moment of leaching, where a sepia stain seeps through from a twentieth-century wooden protective figure, sullying the pristine white layer of paint intended to cover it. In this r...