Interest is growing in the street photography of Vivian Maier, and a current exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center, “Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer,” is a chance to explore it in person, through early April 2011. To summarize from the terrific blog/website Vivian Maier – Her Discovered Work: Maier was a street photographer from the 1950s to 1990s, whose work was discovered by photographer John Maloof at an auction in Chicago where she resided most of her life. (She was a nanny to Phil Donahue, among others!) Her discovered work included over 100,000 mostly medium-format negatives, thousands of prints and countless undeveloped rolls of film. A quick link to the unfolding mystery can be found here.

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I found the Cultural Center exhibit to be good (it includes a mix of Chicago scenes as well as a lot of New York City and global work), but was hoping it would be in the more expansive upstairs gallery. Still, great to see her getting recognition, and terrific to see which prints were selected and to see their flow and juxtaposition. A number of the pieces selected instantly made me smile, wonder, and consider my own photography and curating in a new light – just what you want an artist and an exhibit to do. (And yes, on a different scale, this is what last year’s Cartier-Bresson exhibit did for me at the Art Institute.)

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I also wonder how many viewers might be temporarily confused, at least, by the juxtaposition of this exhibit against work by unrelated photographers in adjoining galleries. Presence of signage is a challenge for distinguishing all the work on this floor, I think. Don’t mean to overly criticize as we know the Cultural Center, and arts in the city in general, is dealing with big budget cutbacks these days. (On the plus side: the exhibit that is currently housed in the upstairs gallery is a knockout: don’t miss Violence, Women and Art. I hope to blog on that separately later.)

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A side note: a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a documentary on her work has exceeded its goal of $20,000 and now stands at more than $81,000. (And no wonder! 300 lucky early sponsors got this great offer: “You’ll receive one of Vivian Maier’s actual film spools from a roll that has been developed. Comes with authenticity paperwork from the collection.”) Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.

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Related:

• Follow ArtWithinReason on Twitter for updates on posts like this as well as links to items of interest for contemporary art and photographer, in Chicago and beyond.

Stills from "Whoop Dee Don't," DVD by Death by Design Co.

[Oct. 31, 2010] Missed last night’s fun and frightening Halloween-themed exhibit/event at Co-Prosperity Sphere? (Bridgeport/Chicago, IL). Don’t cry over your candy corn, just check out these lovely pieces, as well as some more frightfully good excerpts of the show here on my Flickr page,. Learn more about the event and Co-Prosperity itself via these links. Happy Halloween!

The fabulous "Hyenas," by Emily Roz, 2009.

• Semi-related: my earlier Flickr album from the wondrous C-PS “Typeforce” exhibit earlier this year.
• Unrelated but still quite fun: Download some booty-licious monster mashup music courtesy the devilish and delightful DJ Adrian Roberts (of SF and the world). Perfect for carving pumpkins by. Check it out here!

Check this out: Bauhaus-inspired photo exhibit, on display in Chicago as part of the Filter Photo Festival, through Oct. 29, 2010. Chicago Photography Center, 3301 N. Lincoln Avenue. Phone (773) 549-1631 for more information or check out their website here. Also check out Time Out Chicago’s cool slide show of some of the work.

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Which of the above images is A) from the awesome and provocative exhibit “Black Acid Co-op,” a massive installation shown last summer at Deitch Projects, in the rarified NYC gallery world, and which B) depicts the house fire that plagued the Pilsen residence known as the Whale (home to creative collective Order of the Lamprey)? Take your pick, link on your image of choice to learn the answer, then join the Facebook group to keep up to date and Save The Whale.

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[CHICAGO] Contemporary art, perhaps more than other classifications, can run the gamut, and finding a gallery or museum that you consistently enjoy isn’t always easy. Nor is finding an exhibit to please everyone in your viewing party. If this is a concern, fret no more. The Hyde Park Art Center in south Chicago never fails to delight with at least something among its six or so exhibits on display at most any time. A visit this weekend was a stellar example of this “something for everyone” success, and following are highlights of half a dozen strong exhibits. About 30 more images can be seen at my Flickr gallery:

• INSTALLATION “Notes to Nonself,” from Diane Christiansen and Shoshanna Utchenik. From the HPAC’s always wonderful (if a bit hard to read, due to tiny text type!) exhibit guide: “Wander the Ego Forest, wade through the Relationship Bardo and then take solace in the Temporary Refuge …” or in layperson’s terms: enjoy an illuminated pink octopus (below), a plywood forest festooned with new-age sentiments, Tibetan prayer flags floating in a sea of kite-like clouds, and more. But I don’t want to spoil the fun. Just go and enjoy, through May 2, 2010.

• PAINTINGS from Andreas Fischer, “Ghost Town.” Portraits (below) depicting “intangible mental characteristics excluded from an object-based historical archive.” In layperson’s terms, you might wonder if they are painted from death masks, sepia photos found in an old ghost town, or something from your family archives. A companion show (that I have not seen) boasts landscapes by Fischer, at College of DuPage. Don’t miss the exhibit catalog, a free souvenir, with color selections from the show (and the landscape exhibit). It offers some more explanation and unrelated (?) background about an old West ghost town. Download the PDF free here now!

• INSTALLATION “ThingsThatNeverReallyHappened,” by Stan Chisholm, described as “dedicated to falsehoods, futures, fictions, the beauty of ignorance and cold realizations.” Or, touring the upstairs hallway gallery, you might think the Garbage Pail Kids came to life in someone’s acid-trip and went amok with magic markers, paper of all kinds, string and more. Fun, frightening and fanciful. To create this exhibit, Chisholm spent three weeks in residence at HPAC and blogged extensively about the process (scroll to bottom of page for several installments). Through April 25, 2010.

To enjoy more, visit HPAC, of course, or head over to my Flickr photo album from my visit this weekend, where you will see about 30 other photos of things that struck my fancy. Congrats to HPAC and to the artists!

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[BRIDGEPORT, Chicago] Terrific art is not limited to the worlds of museums and traditional galleries, thank God, and lucky for us in Chicago, we have a world-class city with visual wonders exploding all over the place, and a broad definition of what constitutes art and inspiration. While Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport has been around a while (their graffiti show was a fantastic and mad highlight of last year), it really seems to be ramping up its act, and leading the pack in what truly seems to be an organically forming arts district (versus those elsewhere in the city promoted by private business – not that there’s anything wrong with that).

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The current Co-Pro show, TYPEFORCE: The Annual Chicago Show of Emerging Typographic Allstars (extended through March 19, 2010), shows off an amazing array of beautiful and challenging lettering. Mechanically typeset, produced by hand, some barely legible but with merits galore to compensate, including one large piece (in the gallery window) of the likes I’ve not quite seen anywhere. When viewed from just about any angle, it may appear to be an abstract fabric installation or flight of fancy predicting the impending onset of spring breezes. (Let us pray, anyway.) But squint, and know what you’re looking for, and it’s a larger than life depiction of the show’s title/logo (which you can view on the Co-pro web page promoting the event.).

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Shown here and on my Flickr page are just some quick highlights of some of the pieces I enjoyed the most, during a whirlwind visit on the day after the opening on Feb. 26, 2010. (While I love a good happening as much as the next guy and love chatting up the artists and other patrons, I often find it challenging to really enjoy the art and to focus on details, and especially to try to photograph if there is something I wish to promote for you, the gentle reader.) I didn’t quite have the time to take as many detailed notes as I’d like (bad journalist!) so if you visit my Flickr page and know the names of the artists and/or titles of the pieces shown there, and whether they (the art works) are for sale, feel free to add that caption information under each photo, and web or email contact info regarding the piece.

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Congratulations to all the artists who worked on this show, including Will Miller of Firebelly Design (who were my co-conspirators on benefit group shows the past two Septembers at my within(Reason) gallery space in Pilsen. Here are fun links to Year One and Year Two of our collaboration.) Fun fact: Will is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, Fla.) where years ago I taught several courses, including typography (though a bit before Will’s time).

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For more visuals from the TypeForce show, visit my Flickr fan page. If you have other images from the show you want me to link to here, please email me and let me know, at ron (at) artwithinreason.com. Finally … why not follow me on Twitter?

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[I'm not sure what this holds, but another type/art show is coming up, TypO, at College of DuPage, March 4 to April 10, 2010. Might be worth checking out.]

Check out a wide range of creative work – from fantastic hand lettering to poster design to artful web design work for places like Groupon – at the personal website of Chicago designer Will Miller. Will is part of the Firebelly Design family and one of my collaborators in last September’s group exhibition in Pilsen. He’s one of the artists showing at TYPEFORCE: The Annual Chicago Show of Emerging Typographic Allstars, in Bridgeport. Opening this Friday, February 26, 2010. Check it out if you’re a type fiend and in Chicago! More of my some of my favorite work by Will, after the jump:

Web design for thequeerist.com

Promo card for “Change Today Change Tomorrow” gallery exhibition at within(Reason): a contemporary art and photo space. (Visit link for more on the show and samples of cool work presented there.)

Hand lettering for poster submission. “Do you and your TV see eye to eye?”

[Design samples from Will Miller.]

Ever wonder what goes on inside a day-long crit session at a top school like CalArts? Behind the scenes at Art Basel or the Venice Biennale? Inside the judging for the Turner Prize?

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Author Sarah Thornton takes the reader inside each of these phenomena of contemporary art in Seven Days in the Art World (W.W. Norton, 2008). In addition, she takes us along for a visit to the studio of art world superstar Takashi Murakama, unveiling a masterpiece for museum curators for the first time; we spend a day inside the pressure-cooker world of influential Artforum magazine; and we get a front-row seat at Christie’s auction house, inside the minds of bidder, artist and auctioneer alike.

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Each chapter is a fascinating glimpse of the multi-billion dollar world of contemporary art. From the CalArts students with their eye on the big time, to those who have made it, each story weaves a complex global tale of power, money, ego, beauty, history, publishing and politics. Though Thornton said in an interview with ArtWorldSalon that “I was never trained as a journalist,” the book comes off as impeccably reported. (My view as a journalist who has taught much about the craft.) Stories are told out of fairness from multiple points of view; the author never judges. Colorful details abound from her interviews with more than 250 people were interviewed. In the end, a “you are there” feeling prevails.

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Some favorite quotes from the book:

• Artist Keith Tyson, winner of the Turner Prize in 2002, at the Christie’s auction: “Unlike gold and diamonds, art has this other value, and that’s what makes it fascinating. Everything else is trying to sell you something else. Art is trying to sell you yourself. That’s what is different about it. Art is what makes life worth living.”

• Paul Schimmel, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles: “Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of – that often  makes for very good art.”

• Phil Collins (the artist and 2006 short-lister for the Turner Prize, not the singer): “Award-winning art? … You might find a great work of art in someone falling over in a supermarket. That might be the most extraordinary visual encounter of your day.”

• Hans-Ulrich Obrist, codirector of the Serpentine Gallery in London: 90-year-old British historian Eric Hobsbawn “said that he would summarize his life as a ‘protest against forgetting.’ I think that might be the best definition for what curating could be – ‘a protest against forgetting.’ “

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Those with even a passing interest in contemporary art should seek out this finely written book.

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• Sarah Thornton’s website
• Links to her articles from The Economist, The Times and more
• Check out the book at Amazon
• Interview with Sarah Thornton in ArtWorldSalon.

CHICAGO}  Just when I’m about to give up on Facebook and all its trivial distractions, along comes along a cool breeze of inspiration to keep me coming back. This morning was treated to this wonderful photo collection, the portfolio of my friend Tom Slazinski who is the creative director for windows and interiors for the Anthropologie chain of stores. (Tom is based in Chicago but many of the images are for other locations.) A few of my favorite images are presented here, or you can link to his photo album to view more. Amazing stuff considering the found objects and other ephemera that make up its ingredients!

(book pages)

(Fun with accordion folded newspapers)