March in Wicker Park

Wicker Park in Review:
First Friday Openings in March 2008
Article by: David Downs

It's the first Friday of March, and I'm thinking, "Say, fellas, let's go see some
art!" My friends agree with this idea, and so off we go. Being the first Friday of
the month, we has some quick choices to make. The night was upon us and
we needed a location. River North participates in First Fridays, and might
appear at first to be the best location. The only problem is the areas reputation
for "stale art" Stale art can be defined as art that has been on a gallery wall for
more that two months. A message to galleries in Chicago, You are a place of
exhibition, a place to showcase new ideas, new artwork. You are not a
museum. Please, change your exhibits regularly. On that note, we decided to
venture closer to my friends neighborhood in Wicker Park. Bucktown/ Wicker
Park is known for it's multitudes of trendy shops, great dining, fun bars, and
decorative hipsters. It is also home to Around the Coyote, Heaven Gallery, All
Rise Gallery, and others who show work by emerging artists from around town.
Fresh art! Sounds good to me, let's go!

Our first stop was Around the Coyote to see ATC Select show which opened
tonight. This exhibit was curated with the intention of showcasing some of
Chicago's most promising artistic talent. As we walk into the glass doors we
are greeted by a woman collecting a suggested $5.00 donation in order to
proceed into the show. Hmm... not to be a snob by saying, "Now when I lived in
New York..." but, when I lived in New York, I never paid to see an art show at a
gallery. The whole concept is a little odd to me, but hey, I'm not in New York
anymore. I leave and go to the nearest ATM. Actually the next nearest, the first
was in a bodega and had a sign that warned us not to trust this ATM and to be
sure to count your money before leaving. Since we were near Heaven Gallery,
we decided to visit... oh, it looks as though they are not open tonight. All Rise
Gallery was also not doing a show, but there was a gallery on the floor below
All Rise that was open, so we detour right. $5.00 donation. Good thing we went
to that ATM along the way. The three of us handed over our little green photos
of Lincoln and enter. We start to make our way through the gallery piece by
piece, starting on the right as our human conditioning compels. I can honestly
tell you that I do not remember the first work we saw on the way. I do
remember dodging the... I think it was a podium, it had a microphone
surrounded by junk and a plush doll of Batman, as I moved to the other wall.
Here was something else I remember, paintings purchased from a second-hand
shop with triangles of color painted onto their surfaces by the artist who
appropriated them. If you think this sounds interesting, read that sentence
again and try to really picture it in you head. It was awful. Almost everything in
the gallery was awful. Their were two things worth seeing. One was a set of
textural paintings to the left of the door as you walked in and two were these
modified flashlights. I am not sure how they worked, but the ordinary flashlights
were rigged so their light beams would constantly change shape. The light
would grow and shrink in and out. It was sort of mesmerizing to watch. If I
could, I would tell you the name of the artists, or even the name of the galleries,
but sadly I do not have such information. There was nothing to take home to
remind me. Not a postcard nor business card could be found and some of the
pieces were not even marked.

With the economy in it's current slump, the art world has taken a terrible hit.
Artwork is a luxury and not at all a necessity. Many of us cannot afford to
purchase artwork at it's current inflated price, and spending $5.00 dollars on an
amateurish show seems completely ridiculous. Galleries should be free.
Donations for refreshments, fine. Donations given by choice, great. But to
charge an entrance fee is ridiculous. I really wish I would have chosen to visit
the galleries at River North. After coming home, I looked online and discovered
that tonight there were plenty of gallery openings there with fresh contemporary
art for all to see and enjoy for free. All of it looked professional, and some of it
even looked good. Maybe next time.