As we head into the second week of the city-sponsored "Chicago Artists' Month," the events and programming continue to thrive. From an exhibit devoted to the Day of the Dead to neighborhood art walks to open studios, there are endless opportunities for you to get to know not just the city's art scene, but the city's web of rich cultures and histories. Here are some highlights of not-to-be missed shows.
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
"The Journey Home"
through Dec. 11
The nation's largest Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibition is in our fair city, at the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Pilsen. This year the annual exhibition brings in 35 artists from the U.S. and Mexico, hailing from such cities as Chicago, Los Angeles, Oaxaca, Michoacan and Mexico City. Beyond the "Dia de los Muertos" theme, the exhibit honors three preeminent artists who all recently passed away: Carlos Cortez, Allen Stringfellow and Ed Paschke. While the official start of Mexican holiday is not until October 31, this exhibit is just what you need to gear up before for the parades and parties. One of the many events associated with this exhibit is ongoing demonstrations of how to make sugar skulls, a delicious and deathly confection long associated with the Day of the Dead.
Smart Museum of Art
"Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art"
opening reception Oct. 6; 5-7 p.m.
through January 15
For those of you who consider art to be an unnecessary luxury, this exhibition will change your mind. The artists in "Beyond Green" are more invested in saving the world than getting in galleries. The philosophy of sustainable design is to balance environmental, social, economic and aesthetic concerns for the betterment of earth and mankind. Artists such as Nils Norman, Dan Peterman (who had a solo show at the MCA last year), Michael Rakowitz and the group Temporary Services are among those exhibiting. The projects on display range from sculptures made from recycled materials to works that consider corporate and governmental exploitation of natural resources to new architectural designs for more utopian urban planning. Check the Web site for a roster of activities that includes community design workshops, ongoing lectures on the future of sustainable design and family-oriented programs. On Thursday night, Curator Stephanie Smith will lead a gallery talk at 5 p.m.; exhibiting artists will be available to answer questions and discuss their work.
Stolen Buick Studio
"Ten Years After"
through Nov. 19
While you might come to expect some kind of ironic art school work at a gallery named after a displaced car, there is only straight-forwardly gorgeous photography on view at Stolen Buick. Husband and wife team Alexandra and Michael Buxbaum celebrate the tenth year of this studio space and gallery by exhibiting the entire 10-year archive of their work. More than 2,000 images from 13 countries will be available for viewing this weekend. This body of work focuses on "the people, places and nuances of everyday life" from various cultures from the Windy City to New York to Thailand to Spain and beyond.
Peter Jones Gallery
"Ravenswood Corridor Arts and Industry Walk"
Oct. 8; noon-6 p.m.
This annual art walk gives Ravenswood locals and other curious Chicago folk a chance to check out the neighborhood: Beyond the famous Zephyr dinner and the Architectural Artifacts store of unattainable antique treasures, there happens to be a world of studios and artists. Start the art walk by stopping in Peter Jones Gallery (1806 W. Cuyler) where the Chicago Women's Caucus for Art holds its fourth annual juried exhibition, "Looking Back, Leaping Forward," devoted to the theme of the Women's Movement. While there pick up a map and hit Ravenswood Avenue. Destinations include Fire Arts Center, a foundry and sculpture studio; Hawkeye Scenic Studios, a studio where stage-sets for theaters in Chicago and around the country are made; the Chocolate Factory, a one-time cookie manufacturing plant that now houses a collective of artists' studios.
Chicago Cultural Center
"Under the Flag of the Rising Sun"
Oct. 11; 7 p.m.
You may never have heard of Kinji Fukasaku, but he's best explained as the Martin Scorsese of Japan. Fukasaku's own star rose in the '60s when he mastered the art of gangster and crime dramas, which bore the influence of French new wave and always included a tinge of social criticism to boot. Quentin Tarantino's bad-ass retro gangster aesthetic is indebted to this Asian filmmaker. "Under the Flag of the Rising Sun" follows a war widow's plight to clear her husband's name with Japan's Ministry of Welfare. This film is one in a series of six of the Japanese maestro's films which will be shown on DVD projection at the Cultural Center's Cassidy Theater over the course of the month. Curator Tatsu Aoki will discuss each film prior to the screening. Note: This and all of Fukasaku's films are unrated and contain graphic violence unsuitable for children.
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