TONIGHT!

Just a lil friendly reminder that I'll be at the Beetle this evening from 6-10 drinking Alpha King's and probably eating an Elvis burger (fried plantains and peanut butter) at the bar. I have about 30 framed photographs up for sale in addition to a few screenprinted and painted pieces. I'd love to meet or see ya, but if not tonight, again, my work will be hanging there til mid-October.

CHEERS!

HAPPY FRIDAY

I'm gonna start things off with a lil bit-a-self promoting. I took advantage of an opportunity to display some new work at the Beetle (2532 W Chicago). All the work is already hung in fact. I'll be in attendance Wednesday night from 6-10, so I hope you all can either make it out sometime before October 15 when my work comes down or even better, next Wednesday so we can rap. Most of my work this time around consists of photos, but I did manage to throw in a few additional [non-photographic] pieces for good measure.


Rotofugi moved into their new digs recently up in the Lakeview/Lincoln Park area. They've already had a show there in fact, a couple weeks ago that I missed. And they're not messin around as they already have their second show lined up to open tonight. This time, Dalek and Steve Seeley are the featured artists. Dalek's work is out of my budget, but I do enjoy it. I always enjoyed his space monkeys, but in recent past, he really switched his focus to a more pattern/geometric style with lot's of colors. It worked well at a show I attended last year as he had access to the space's entire wall. This time, his work is scaled down, and more accessible. Steves work is awful interesting. He likes his super hero's. And women. That's all I'm gonna say.


This weekend brings Meeting of Style's back to Chicago! LOTS of writer's in town for this. I'll let the flyer speak for itself.

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Tuesday, September 21, Local Option's hosting a Three Floyd's tapping event. 10 taps total, including Ruggoop, will be flowing for us beer nerds, and quite possibly this year's Nemesis (which is currently on tap at the Small Bar on Division) released less than a month ago from Founder's Brewing Company.

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I hope I get to see or meet you all Wednesday. But if not, have a great weekend.

PEACE

So...it's been a minute.

I've been dealing with a number of issues in the last few months, most notably, I was in a bike accident in early August. August 9th to be exact. Broke my left elbow and right wrist as well as busted my chin. The bike, well the bike is out of commission. The fork is definitely bent, but I've since then bought a new bike (new to me that is) since I can ride now albeit a bit uncomfortably. It's an SE Premium Brew frame, and still needs some work, but if I had to, it is ride-able. Shortly after getting my second cast removed, I came down with the flu, and still to this day am fighting this nagging cough that is driving me crazy. During that whole time, I basically had no energy or will to do much more than veg out on the couch or drink with the homies. But enough about me! It's gloomy outside, but it's not gonna bring me down as there are a few nice art-related events going down this weekend.

However, First things first. Chicago Police Detective Joseph Frugoli, after being involved in several DUI cases already, once again got behind the wheel of his Lexus with a blood-alcohol level 3x the legal limit, and plowed into a broken-down car that was parked on the side of the Dan Ryan. That car immediately went into flames and killed both Andrew Cazares and Fausto Manzera ages 23 and 21 respectively who were sitting in the pulled-over vehicle. To make matters worse, Frugoli was found by police fleeing the scene. He was arrested, and later released on a $500,000 bond. The reason I bring this story up again is because Frugoli's police pals have organized a fundraiser for him to be held this evening at the Fraternal Order of Police headquarters at 1412 W. Washington Blvd. It infuriates me that a piece of shit like this can not only get released from jail, but that his police pals are hosting a fundraiser in his honor. Care to support a shameful cause and slap the faces of every family member and friend of the two young men he killed, then by all means hurry your slimey self to this event, but I assure you there will also be a protest by those seeking actual justice.


Now, back to happy thoughts. FACT is one of Chicago's profound graffiti writers and now he's inviting you all to see what he does on a fine art tip. It's tonight at the Novem Store on Ashland. It should be interesting.

Who doesn't like documentaries? Mark Rosengren is presenting I Write on Stuff tonight at the Silver Room in Wicker Park. The documentary covers some of Chicago's graffiti writers which can always make for good entertainment. The list includes some stand-out names, so I'm expecting a good show here.

Saturday at Oh No! Doom will be the last show at their current location before they move into Bucktown. Curated by Phoneticontrol, this show includes an impressive list of Chicago artists who are all interpreting the same 3D model designed by Phoneticontrol. I love the concept. I've seen Artillery's piece already, and let me tell ya, this is gonna be a good show, and there'll be a lot of good people in attendance. Come out and send the Oh No! Doom collective on to their new digs with style.

Finally, another favorite Chicago artist of mine, Mr. Jason Brammer is opening up a solo show Fragments From the Future Saturday evening at April 7s in Ukranian Village. He never disappoints me. He and his wife, Erin are super people, so please support them and see what he's been up to as of late.

PEACE

Joey Potts!

Love Joey's work. Here's a look inside the mind of Mr. Potts.

VIMBY - Joey Potts

Invader!

He has a show opening in July at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. Love his work, and this is a great promo for it.

Banksy vs. Bristol Museum

Alderman James Balcer: HATER.

Gabriel Villa spent two weeks painting this mural in Bridgeport for an arts festival on a wall owned by the mother of Ed Marszewski, a festival organizer. In other words, he was granted permission to paint a mural on private property. It didn't last long though, as Ald. James Balcer (Ward 11) had it buffed. In his own words, he was quoted saying:

"You know I don't know if there was hidden gang meaning behind it with the cross, with the skull, with the deer, with the police camera's. Was there something anti-police about it? I don't know what's in his mind. That's how I viewed it."

Hater? Or just dumbass? I call a combination of both. But on the real, this was an entirely unfair move on the governments part to squash the little guy because someone didn't like what was painted. It's art. One of many things art does is challenge you. Even though the wall now bears the infamous brown buff, I sort of consider it a win on Villa's part (even though, I would imagine he may understandably disagree), as he obviously challenged the alderman, and the alderman couldn't handle it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Feel free to contact him and express your disgust with his decision:
3659 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60609
jbalcer@cityofchicago.org
(773) 254-6677

FULL STORY HERE

TONIGHT: Meat Number 5 at Sonotheque!

Flyer design by yours truly. Holla at ya boy if you have any design needs!!!

Meat Number 5's having a release party at Sonotheque tonight for The Oblivion EP. All those performing tonight had a part in the making of this EP which makes this show super tasty. Many will tell you Sonotheque has one of, if not thee best sound system in the city. I'm personally excited to see Meat Number 5, Phaded and Maker all on the same bill. Hopefully you can make it out and support their new release. I'll see ya there!

Studio News

As some of you know, I've branded my own line of apparel, but haven't done anything of great magnitude to see it flourish. It was a big day for me about a year ago, when I stumbled upon several stretched silk screens in an alley. Before then (and even now still), I've used an online service that, for the most part, has been a great resource for my printing, billing and shipping needs. However, they enforce certain restrictions that limited what I could design/print. Well, my friends Meat Number 5 inquired about the screens I found, and asked for my help printing shirts for their upcoming release party on Thursday. Naturally, I was glad to help, but maybe even better, it forced me to get my act together and finally screenprint at home. Tara helped me get the screens prepped, and the shirts were printed last night!

It had been since college when I last printed with silk screens. I learned last night why the shirt needs to be flat. That in turn caused a whole mess. A mess, for a moment, I was sure was gonna end our operation with a quickness. However, with some MacGyvering, we solved our problem and finished the job. They're now drying and will be for sale at their release party.


BE THERE!!!

Ricky Powell

Ricky Powell's another photographer whom I'd love to meet. He's lived quite a life. Here's a somewhat entertaining interview done by Walrus TV.

SHAWNIMALS

VIMBY - Shawnimals

I met Shawn at the Bits + Pieces show a few weeks ago. Cool dude. About 20 seconds into this video, you'll see his Baby Frankenstein piece I am now the proud owner of, although it's still hanging at the coffee shop for another week, so hands off! In this video, they mention that they're working on a video game using his characters. That's awesome; Congrats!!

Things to do this Weekend, 5.1-3.09

DUDE!! It's a big weekend for artist's and art enthusiast's!

I attended Artropolis last year, and let me tell you, this event is enormous. You know of the Merch Mart downtown, right? It's huge, right? well, imagine an art show taking up almost half that building! Luckily, it's open for the entire weekend as I only had the chance to go through one level at my own pace, and another level road runner-style. There's gonna be something here for everyone, so I urge you to stop by. Basically, there will be three levels. One level titled Art Chicago gathers emerging and established galleries of contemporary and modern art from around the world to display their collections. This was the level I was rushed through, and am hoping I get more time to check things out. The level I'm least excited about however (sorry! but it's true), is the International Antiques Fair. Umm, yeah, antiques. But the level I'm most excited about is titled Next. Here you'll get to see, in my opinion, the most exciting, cutting-edge work in contemporary art from both new and established artists.


I always intend on stopping by Caffe Baci on Wacker when they have a show opening, but for some reason, it never happens. AK Events consists of Allison Glenn and REVISE CMW. They curate the shows at Caffe Baci, always opening at 6p on Friday's (about once a month), which is a great reason to head downtown and get your evening started off properly. Complimentary wine from 6-7, DJ Genghis Won on the wheels of steel, and art!


So, I've always had an admiration for Martha Cooper (and Henry Chalfant) thanks to their passion for photographing New York's subway art movement in it's earliest of stages, and still standing strong. Martha released a new book recently titled Going Postal that documents the USPS label craze seen on the streets of probably every city known to man. In addition to that, Martha and Henry's Subway Art book celebrated it's 25th anniversary since it's release. To celebrate, they're releasing a special Subway Art anniversary edition (mentioned a couple posts down). Even better for Chicago, Novem and Upset are bringing Martha to the Novem Store Friday night. Get a chance to kick it with a legendary photographer, maybe even a chance to chat with her, along with a display of hand-drawn stickers from over 70 artists selling for only $5 a piece. Admittedly, I'm a little skeptical of the location for this, because I would imagine this will attract a good-size crowd, and The Novem Store...well, it's not that large. However, to help that situation, just a few doors down, Frank Serpico will have an installation on display as well as slinging his magazine Making Deals all in conjunction with the Martha Cooper book signing. Wow!


Rotofugi's bringing Ken Keirns and Scott Tolleson to Chi-Town for their Common Nonsense show. I still remember the show Ken had at Rotofugi last year. I love his work, and am extremely excited to see his new work. You should be too.


Something I didn't know until now, May is National Cancer Research Month. In conjunction with that is Paint the Town Blue! Some friends are listed on the flyer as contributing artists, and there's more still, just not listed. All proceeds benefit Cancer-Sucks and The American Cancer Society. Check it out!


A few weeks ago, the art community was hit hard after news spread about the loss of AFROE 42, EVOL and KOOL KEP. The fine folks at Upset have organized a wonderful silent art auction where all money raised will be split amongst the families of these three individuals. It includes a great lineup of artists, but for an even greater cause. Please try to make it out for this event, and show love and support for the family and friends of Fausto, Andrew and Nazon.


I have wanted to see a Matthew Sharp show for some time now. I really dig his characters. Both he and Toby Stanger have a show opening Saturday at Revolution Tattoo. The flyer mentions Kuma's as caterer which makes my heart skip a beat, but then I think back at their valentine's show that promoted Three Floyd's brewery as sponsors. The only beer I saw at that show was a case of Schlitz in the fridge, so I'm not holding my breath for Kuma's at this point. That's all irrelevant however. I mean, c'mon, it's about the art baby!

BE SAFE & HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

04.25.09 Dark Lord Day!

Subway Art

This year marks the 25th year since it's release. To celebrate, they're releasing a special Anniversary edition. The best part for me? Martha Cooper's coming to Chicago next week!! I'll mention that again at a closer date...

Things to do this Weekend, 4.17-19.09

It's The Version Festival User-Directed Super Raffle and V-Bay Buy-it-Now Art Auction!

Donate at the door and get raffle tickets ($5 for 2 tickets/ $10 for 5 tickets) Put tickets in the cups underneath the items you want (art, objects, dates, services.) At 11:30pm, a winner will be drawn from each cup. You must be present when your ticket is drawn, or another winner will be chosen.

Or, if you really must have it, pull the ticket with the "BUY IT NOW" price, bring it to the Reception desk and pay cash (or check) on the spot.
http://version09blog.blogspot.com/

Going down at Chicago Country Club tonight from 7p - midnight.
1100 N. Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60622


The Guys at Oh No! Doom are bringing The Every Day Club in for a show Saturday from 6p - 10p. The description is fairly vague, but sounds interesting.


Here's a fun event going down Sunday afternoon. A swap meet! Bring your records and your art, and trade with others in attendance. There may be more events like this in the future if the economy keeps up like it has, but if I'm wrong, wait... nevermind that; regardless, you should check this out. what else are you gonna be doing on a Sunday afternoon?!

TONIGHT: Bits + Pieces

Peep this cartel show. It's not being advertised as one, but everyone listed is part of cartel, a group I have a lot of respect for (which is why their linked from this blog!). It's at New Wave Coffee in Logan Square. For a coffee house, this place looks huge. They have two entrances, the one mentioned on this flyer, and an entrance on Logan Blvd. where the farmers market sets up in the summer time. The weather's beautiful today, so stop by, and support these dudes.

Ron English

20 Minutes With Ron English from Art and Design Films on Vimeo.

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, 4.3-4.09

Nicole Gordon opens her exhibition at the Linda Warren Gallery Friday called SALIGIA. I love the colors in the above piece. The idea behind this show is interesting too. From the gallery's web site: Her exhibition depicts the ways in which the seven deadly sins have driven mankind to forsake the environment. Each piece explores consumer demand for excess and industry’s willingness to supply it, often despite negative consequences on the natural world.


The title of this next show ought to get some peoples' attention. Sandra Bermudez opens her exhibition at the Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery Friday titled The Happy Pussy and Other Endings. They call Sandra's style feminist pop art, and yes, she's referring to that pussy. By the descriptions of her works for this exhibit, it's gonna be an orgy of sculptures, prints, etchings and more!

Also at Kaisa Kay Art Projects Gallery, will be Daniel Bruttig debuting some new paintings in The Project Room.


Saturday night brings Cut & Paste back to Chicago at the Congress Theatre. This is a design competition that tours through several cities finding the best graphic and motion designers and illustrators. Because it's based on a time-limit, I'm told not to expect anything mind-blowing, but it should be fun to watch. I don't know exactly what to expect with this event, as I've never attended one before, but I understand there's a DJ and drinks to accompany the competition at hand. Also a good place to meet like-minded people if you're into this sorta thing.

TONIGHT: Pieces (Encore Showing)

If, like me, you didn't get a chance to make it to the opening Saturday night, they're presenting an encore opening tonight. So glad they're doing this, as I was not in top shape Saturday, plus the weather was just plain miserable. So head over to Oh No! Doom at 2955 W. Lyndale in Palmer Square between 7p-10p.