Affirmation was photographer’s Kwame Braithwaite’s north star. Considered one of the defining lights of the Black is Beautiful movement of the 1960s, Braithwaite used his camera as a tool of uplift to celebrate self and to embrace African-American culture. In a career that began when he was just eighteen years of age and spanned seven …
Since hanging out its welcome sign in Lincoln Park five years ago, Wrightwood 659 has been energizing the city’s art scene with unimaginable reliability and vigor. Even though referring to itself as space for the “presentation … of architecture and socially engaged art” is completely accurate, the statement doesn’t capture the scope and range of …
Exhibits Shine from the Brilliance of Three Suns Read More »
Dreams stand alone in their mystery and fascination. What do they mean? How can they be both sensationally beautiful and completely bizarre? We even wonder why we dream at all. In the 300,000 years “modern” humans have inhabited the earth, no one’s answered any of these questions. In the hands of artists however, dreams become …
A long stretch of silence opens The Island. Two men stand facing the audience; providing a good look of their outer selves. Young, vital, Black. Their faces appear resolute. Quietly determined. Eventually, still in silence, they move more deeply into character. Hands cross at the wrist as if they’re handcuffed. Their feet move as if …
Consider the two new exhibitions featured in Lincoln Park’s Wrightwood 659 like a fine dining experience. Something that’s best appreciated unrushed and with a receptive mind. That approach will leave you with a new appreciation for art’s ability to transcend language. Impressively ambitious, The First Homosexuals looks at the elusive essence of sexuality from the …
The First Homosexuals & Celestial Stage Energize Chicago’s Arts Landscape Read More »
It’s hard to tell how long Nick Cave has been turning things people throw away into spectacular works of art. He says he started when he was kid growing up in tiny Fulton, Missouri where his family actively encouraged him to explore the contours of his imagination. Now, several decades later, Cave still uses the …
We have specific notions about what a thinker is. Because of the intellectual gifts we associate with those engaged with pursuits of the mind, we often envision philosophers and theoreticians. Rarely do we think of artists. A trio of new exhibits now being shown at Wrightwood 659 help to broaden our notion of who leads …
Three New Shows Compound the Pleasure at Wrightwood 659 Read More »
The world is full of superheroes. People who either save lives or make lives more bearable and better by following their calling. Artists stand in the front of that line. They save lives by showing the importance of all life and by re-balancing the scales to show how value is a subjective measure. They can …
Artistic Truth Sayer, Robert Colescott at the Cultural Center Read More »
Being beautiful is not the goal of conceptual art. Its purpose is to make a point and engage your mind as well as your eye. Few artist do this as successfully as Barbara Kruger. Because her current Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You exhibition at the Art Institute showcases the exceptionalism of her work …
A tad gaudy and slightly fantastical as they sit along suburban thoroughfares, their themes can run the gamut from the aquatic to the Jurassic. A part of the American fabric since the 1920s, miniature golf courses have been around almost a century and can still rightfully claim millions of fans for two reasons. Visiting them …
Miniature Golf Flexes its Superpowers at Elmhurst Art Museum Read More »