Before we dive in, I need to confess something.
About two years ago, I — in a valiant attempt to dip my toe into Chicago’s vibrant arts scene — threw on my best black turtleneck and went to a free art opening I found online. And honestly, it was great! The opening had it all: Good art! Nice people in interesting outfits! Little styrofoam cups full of cheap wine! It was everything I wanted it to be. Until I accidentally kicked over a bucket filled with green liquid that turned out to be part of the exhibit.
As a woman dramatically screamed, “THE ART!!” into the air like the leading actress of a Lifetime movie, I tried (and failed) to scoop the water back into the bucket.
This is all to say, I was excited to finally have the chance to redeem myself, as I attended the monthly 2nd Fridays event in the Chicago Arts District. Spoiler: I didn’t ruin any art exhibits this time. (At least as far as I know.)
Second Fridays take place in the Chicago Arts District, which was formerly known as Pilsen East. The area covers several blocks of artist studios, galleries, lofts and retail spaces, many of which are open to the public every(ish) second Friday of the month. It’s a great (and free!) way to spend a Friday night in the city, meeting some of Chicago’s talented artists and checking out a bevy of art, ranging from the traditional to the bread-based (more on that later).
(A note here that the Chicago Arts District was hit pretty hard by the pandemic, but it’s bouncing back. For the most part, 2nd Fridays are still a monthly occurrence, although there are some months where it’s not happening. You can check out an updated schedule and a list of participating galleries here.)
Sailboats and Architecture Converged at This Copenhagen Art Fair
Innovative design played a part at the Chart Art FairI rounded up my husband and two of our coolest friends to join me at November’s 2nd Friday event, which happened to be just three days after a certain U.S. presidential election. (As a very objective journalist, I’ll just say this — the election is a thing that happened, and many folks at the Art Walk had an opinion on that.)
Our first stop was the Chicago Art Department, which is exactly what you hope an impossibly cool artist community would be like. Founded in 2004, the center features 11,000 square feet of galleries, studio spaces and more, with a hugely diverse range of artists and mediums.
I chatted with Eric Von Haynes, the incredibly talented artist and designer who is showing his print work in one of the main galleries. Von Haynes has spent most of his time in Chicago living in the Arts District.
“I’ve been in Pilsen for 23 years,” he tells me. “[The art] is why I moved to Pilsen. I looked around and realized that this was the kind of Chicago I wanted to be in. This is a true arts district.”
From his exhibit, we bop into one of the building’s other main galleries, which is running a show called “21st Century Wanderer.”
As a robot resembling a bed slowly zips across the room (this isn’t a typo, it’s a well-done interactive piece called Sleep Sound by Yalin Zhao), people around us take part in experimental video games, and we’re tempted by a pile of candy sitting on a picnic table that may be an exhibit or a refreshment. (Spoiler: My friend bravely ate a piece, and he’s still standing.)
Among the larger galleries are rows of studio spaces that are all showing pieces — works made of faux fur, of book bindings, of paper mache. We go through a door and up a steep set of wooden stairs to the studio of Diana Solis, a wonderful documentarian and portrait photographer who has lived in Pilsen for most of her life, and many of her photos are of the neighborhood and the people in it.
As she shows me her work, she reflects on what the next four years will look like for artists in Pilsen.
“I think this art community that exists is going to be stronger over the next four years because we need to really fight to survive this and make the changes we need,” she says. “A lot of strength is going to come out of this, but it all depends on how we react to this. We need traction, action and to take care of ourselves, and we need to help each other more than ever.”
We walk back down the wooden stairs, thinking about Solis’s thoughtful words, only to find ourselves now blocked inside by the robotic bed, which has positioned itself directly in front of the staircase’s door. No matter what we do or how much we jiggle the door handle or call out “Hey, can someone move this robot?”, the bed stays there.
Now, a wiser writer than I would find a juxtaposition here, something brilliant about Solis’s point about taking care of each other and this robot blocking our way. But instead, I’ll just say this: we waited patiently for five full minutes for the bed to move, and we apologized to the robot on our way out, like the good Midwesterners that we are.
Our next stop is just down the block at the beautiful Fountainhead Lofts Building, which also has a slew of open studios and galleries to explore.
The whole experience of 2nd Fridays feels like an adult, art-centric version of the 1990s classic Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple. There’s something new around every corner, and each space you find yourself in feels like an adventure. (Although, much to my dismay, I don’t think that there’s a week at Space Camp given out to anyone at the end.)
We spend much of our time in the Fountainhead Lofts exploring Chicago Vintage Posters, a large, bright space filled with every kind of vintage poster imaginable—- from WWII propaganda to retro movie posters to old political slogans and ads for now-defunct airlines — all restored to near-perfect condition.
Chicago Vintage Posters’ owner, Andy Zavelson, created the business after starting his own collection.
“This business is born out of a passion of mine,” Zavelson explains. “I used to have another profession, and people are always asking how’d I get into this. Well, I bought one. Then I bought a second. Then I bought more and more until I had thousands. I get them wherever you can think — estate sales, auctions. It’s the thrill of the hunt.”
Bruce Gustafson, a collector from Minnesota, comes by the gallery during his visits to Chicago to see his son. Gustafson collects vintage train posters, and he says that it’s hard to beat Chicago Vintage Posters’ collection.
“Not a lot of places have this big of a collection that you can effectively touch,” Gustafson explains. “It’s definitely worth the trip. These posters are a piece of history. A lot of these are from the 1950s and, the reality is, there’s only a handful of them left around, and here you can take one home.”
While I furiously google “get rich quick schemes” on my phone so I can make this beautiful 1920s Field Museum poster mine (no luck), I’m interrupted by a phrase I’ve never heard before.
“Can I offer you a bread face?”
We’ve found ourselves in the gallery space of Alex and Nicole Loud-Ramirez. Alex — a CPS art teacher by day — has made a sourdough mold of his face, which he’s cooked up and is serving in the gallery, as a way of examining his own Cuban-American identity. (The bread is delicious.)
It’s the perfect way to end our art walk.
We leave past the studios filled with thoughtful art and twinkling lights and back out onto the street, where we’re parked in front of a giant energy drink ad featuring the zoomed-in face of one of YouTube’s Paul Brothers. (I’m not sure which though, as science hasn’t figured out a way to tell them apart yet.)
I’m grateful to know that no matter what’s happening outside — whatever breaking news alert or new Paul brother they discover — Chicago’s artists will be there, finding ways to bring joy, stir conversations and create community — all while, of course, sipping from a styrofoam cup or two of cheap wine.
I’ll be back at 2nd Fridays in December.
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook Chicago newsletter. Sign up now for more from the Windy City.