Officially Unofficial

Officially Unofficial - Inspired Art for Obama Exhibition from rebexa on Vimeo.

I'm a little late on this one. It opened April 1, but luckily it's up through the month of May. If you haven't seen enough Obama art during the presidential campaign or if you want to see work up close by artists such as Shepard Fairey, The Date Farmers, Ron English, and many many others, then I would advise you to visit the Chicago Tourism Center at 72 E. Randolph to take in the Officially Unofficial exhibition. The President's campaign brought out the best design and art I've seen to date for any political campaign. Here's your chance to really appreciate it.

Things to do this Weekend, 2.27-28.09

Rotofugi always has some interesting shows in their gallery, and this certainly should continue that perception. STENCILS! They've grown hugely popular in the last several years thanks to artists such as Blek la Rat and Banksy. This time around, the folks at Rotofugi are bringing in three artists to show us some of their creations. Some examples I've seen from these artists have me excited for the opening reception, and if you're a toy collector that hasn't been to the shop yet, you'll likely wet your pants, so don't miss out.


I love sneakers. I don't claim to be a collector, because it can get expensive and quite frankly, as much as I love all the creative releases, I buy them to bless my feet, not the box they came in or some shelf in a closet. With that said, I try to stop by Uprise on occasion to see what they have in stock, and I always see Stevie "Dread" Snyder behind the counter. Now, I've never been a skater, nor have I really followed the sport (I just love the shoes!), so little did I know that Mr. Snyder was some what of a Chicago celebrity.Nike SB collaborated with him in designing a new colorway for some upcoming Blazers (pictured above) set to release very soon. In fact, to celebrate, the folks at Uprise are hosting a release party Saturday for the occasion. Their mentioning a night of art, live music and a Blazer raffle. This should be interesting, so haul yourself to Bucktown Saturday night between 8p-12a and support the cause!

Things to do this Friday, 2.13.09

It's time for A.Okay's 2nd annual custom train art show. Last year's show turned out a huge response from attendees filling the quaint space. In fact, if it's even possible to have too big of a crowd, I'd say they hit it. And I don't anticipate it being anything short of last year's outcome. Be prepared to get cozy with the crowd, but more importantly, to see work you don't see very often. A few examples from last year's show below to see exactly what I mean:

Yoink x Get Up

Peabe x The Grocer
photos courtesy of Formula Werks/Scumbag Nation

There's some great names listed on the lineup, and they're all very likely to be in attendance. So don't bail out on this unique gathering. It's one you don't want to miss - I promise you that.

Also, on my itinerary, is stopping by Revolution Tattoo on Western for the Valentine's Day Art Show. Again, some great names on this lineup as well, and it's sponsored by Three Floyd's Brewing Co.! Can't get much better than that.

Jason Brammer, an Indianapolis native like myself (although he was born in Ohio), has established himself as a highly-respected artist internationally. Airbrush is one of his main weapons of choice, but it isn't all he uses. His installations are incredible; You can see one now at 4Art Inc. in Pilsen, and he'll have work displayed at Friday's custom train art show at A.Okay Official. He'll be painting live at the Hyde Park Art Center as part of their Cocktails and Clay event this Friday, however. Jason and his wife Erin are super cool people, and Jason's art is worth your attention. If you can't catch this live performance, again, you can catch some of his work at A.Okay, or you can wait til next week when he opens his first solo exhibition for 2009 next Friday in Wicker Park. I'll mention that last part again next week.

SEE YA FRIDAY!