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A little bit of the suburbs will be spending some time in the city this month while some of the city will take up residency in the suburbs during an art gallery swap between Glencoe’s Gallery 659 and Chicago’s ARC Gallery.
Through July 26, Gallery 659’s exhibit “Figuratively Speaking,” a show featuring mixed media, will be on display in Chicago ARC Gallery, while Gallery 659 will feature ARC’s exhibit “5 foot 2,” a show featuring paintings and conceptual art.
The 23 artists participating in the swap will have the opportunity to show their art to new audiences, who will hopefully realize that it doesn’t matter whether you live in the city or the suburbs, great art is being produced all over.
Harriet Kohn, a Highland Park resident, and a Gallery 659 artist and spokesperson, said she believes there’s an assumption that great art can only be found in the city.
“We wanted to show there is art out in the suburbs,” Kohn said. “The city isn’t just the place to see art.”
The swap came about with the help of former Gallery 659 member and new ARC Gallery member Pamela Louik, Kohn said.
ARC artist Laurie Sucher of Chicago said the idea for the swap came at the right time when the group was looking for a local venue to take over, temporarily.
“We do a lot of exchange shows. We’ve done Edinburgh, Paris and we’re working on Toronto,” Sucher said. “But we wanted to do one closer to home and Gallery 659 contacted us.”
ARC Gallery artist Esther Chabit of Chicago said the gallery likes to show wherever they can and consider all opportunities good for its artists.
“The more people who see my work, I feel good about that. I certainly like people to see what I’m doing,” she said. “The more people we can communicate our ideas with the better off we are.”
Chabit said the swap allows Chicago audiences to see what suburban artists can do and allows artists who don’t normally show their work in the suburbs access to a different audience.
Gallery 659 artist Ruti Modlin of Highland Park said she finds both shows comparable.
“I’m really just thrilled and I think we measure up,” she said.
The galleries, which are both cooperative and have member artists, approached the swap without a theme, but instead had dimensional requirements. The Chicago artists had a 5 foot by 2 feet limit while Glencoe gallery’s artists had a 2 feet by 2 feet limit.
Both Kohn and Sucher said that the dimensions were unusual sizes to choose, but found the artists stepped up to the task.
The ARC Gallery exhibit in Glencoe features 11 artists, a majority of which focus on painting. The show also has conceptual pieces including a mannequin wearing a wedding dress made of adult diapers and a piece utilizing animal gut.
The Gallery 659 exhibit in Chicago features 12 artists in a mixed media show, featuring painting, photography, beadwork and ceramics.
ARC Gallery found inspiration for its exhibit’s title in the Dean Martin song “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Gal?),” Sucher said. Her own painting “Reading Harry Potter” depicts her 17-year-old son with the thick novel.
“It’s fascinating to see how 12 different people treated the challenge,” Sucher said. “Each has a whole different take on what making art is.”
Both galleries will host openings for their respective shows with the artists on hand. ARC Gallery, 832 W. Superior St. #204 in Chicago, hosts a reception for Gallery 659 from 6 to 9 p.m. July 11. Gallery 659’s, 659 Vernon Ave. in Glencoe, open for ARC Gallery is 6 to 9 p.m. July 18. Both shows will be on display through July 26. All the artwork in the show is on sale. ARC Gallery’s pieces range from $100-$1500 and Gallery 659’s pieces range from $150-$2800.
Gallery 659 is looking for new members visit its Web site for more information.
All photos courtesy of Gallery 659.
