Looking for a very temporary art space in Chicago

January 14, 2008 11:08 PM

Looking for a relatively last-minute DIY-style gallery space in Chicago.

The Skeleton News, an alt-monthly paper that I work with is planning a one-night (longer if at all possible) gallery show on February 8. The place that we were hoping to use is unexpectedly occupied, and I was wondering if any fellow Chicagoans run or know of any spaces that I should look into.

We just want to show and hopefully sell (some of) a medium-sized room full of mostly prints and drawings. If possible, we'd also like to have a couple of bands play, but this is not a requirement.

We will do the publicity, set up, clean up after, and graciously take care of the owners/residents of the space in question.

Spaces that we've worked with in the past (to give you an idea of what we're looking for) include: Reversible Eye, Mr. City, and People Projects.

We're basically hoping for something along the lines of the recently gone Heaven and Buddy galleries (but on a slightly smaller and less rowdy scale).

Target neighborhoods (although we're down for basically whatever at this point): Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Avondale, Bridgeport, Pilsen..........)

I'm going to cold-call the Elastic Arts Foundation tomorrow.

Other than that, any ideas for spaces? Contact info would be much appreciated.

I'm out of the loop folks, and just hoping to help out my fellow staff members.

posted by macrowave to media & arts (4 comments total)

I know of a space in the Flat Iron Building, Wicker Park. Email me (in profile) and I'll give you the details.
posted by lee at 6:46 AM on January 15, 2008

I would talk to the guys at Quennect Four
(http://www.myspace.com/quennect4)
(http://www.myspace.com/quennectfour)
If you work with them, make sure you have some sort of agreement about money and clean-up hammered out in advance. In some ways they're very professional, and in some ways they are just straight stoned incompetent. They usually use their own people for security, door, drinks, sound, et cetera

It's a two-floor loft around North and Rockwell
if they aren't down, theres a new space a block east that doesn't have a name yet that might be
(some friends live there; email is in profile)

On the less underground, more efficient tip The Peter Jones Gallery in Ravenswood is a good fit for avant-garde / art / community events (so long as they aren't just parties, which have not worked so well for Peter Jones in the past)

Fred Burkhart might be willing to let you do a dual benefit at Burkhart Studios

You could always contact Happy Dog Gallery (the old Buddy space) or Enemy (the floor above Heaven Gallery) and ask them, but I don't have contacts for them, and there are a couple new-ish venues in the Diana's Shoes building at 1278 N Milwaukee that hold events and have myspaces: Lucky Gator Loft, which is more geared towards punk rock, and Fuck Mountain
posted by elr at 1:02 PM on January 15, 2008

Wow guys, thanks for the help. I'll start trying some of these places ASAP.
posted by macrowave at 4:55 PM on January 15, 2008

I hate the internet. I just got some feedback about from the guys at Q4. I didn't mean to sound so harsh towards them in my post earlier. They run one of the best venues in the city, and a few of the best regular events (the 20 Khz Open Mic, the Story Slam, and community dance classes). When I worked with them, things didn't go super smoothly on either side and I don't think anybody was totally happy about it, but I would still recommend working with them. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted about them.
posted by elr at 1:40 PM on March 25, 2008