There's a lot of new talent emerging on the Chicago art scene, right now; talent that is art-historically knowledgeable and relevant. Artists are taking risks and galleries are following suite.

Antonia Gurkovska is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute and makes a worthy entrance, participating...

The value of three points I stress in my artist empowering, Klein Artist Works course, are borne out in exhibits unveiling tonight in Chicago.

In a studio visit with Veronica Bruce, perhaps three years ago, I noticed her paintings felt like they were constrained and wanted to burst...

One of my latest fascinations is how artists use rules -- constraints or systems -- in the process of making their art. In a show called Moves Thinks Repeats Pauses at Tony Wight, five artists employ arbitrary constraints. One of the artists photographs, prints, creases, rephotographs, reprints, recreases...

Linda Warren has moved to a larger, more handsome space, better for showing art, right around the corner from where she was. The gallery smells great with newly stained surfaces and the oil paintings by Emmett Kerrigan, who's hitting full speed with his new body of work.

Good art is no longer restricted to the established, expected areas in Chicago. Art venues are in the communities, office buildings, condominiums and just plain off the beaten paths. There are pluses and minuses to this. It is good for the communities that are not accustomed to art sites and...

With the waning popularity of physical books Brian Dettmer's tour de force pieces excavate the beauty, power and nostalgia of paperback novels. Like an archaeologist, he digs, explores and presents the evidence. This series is made from myriad paperbacks which relate to the phrases he's reproduced within them. The new...

Here it comes again, the MDW Fair; arguably the best, or at least the best feeling art fair on the south side of Chicago. Anchored at Geolofts, this is the second incarnation of the fair that debuted last spring a week before the mess that was ArtChicago.

Strong shows open this weekend in divergent locations. At Mush Room, in the Flatiron building, Ben Jaffe's photographs made from multiple manipulated photographic images read like paintings. Invariably they document Chicago and present us with places we often know but have never looked at as intently as the...

I got back from Los Angeles last night after taking in a couple of art fairs and portions of the expansive and significant Pacific Standard Time -- a look at art in L.A. between 1945 and 1980 which appears at some 60 cultural institutions.

This ArtLetter focuses predominantly...

We had another weekend of strong exhibitions opening. The long awaited arrival of the new DePaul Art Museum is here. The opening show, titled Re: Chicago is exceptional; full of treasures, contexts and curiosity. Some 40 Chicago art personalities (for lack of a better term) were asked to nominate an...

It's here. The day we've all been waiting for -- the start of Chicago's fall art season, one of the few weekends of the year when the majority of Chicago galleries open in consort and present some of their best art which tends to define the gallery and indicate it's...

The Chicago fall art season opens this week with a massive number of galleries presenting strong art, and they're all jockeying for position and your attention. But right now there are some strong pre-season shows opening -- if you want to see some good shows ahead of the herd.

I'm...

Previously, I've mentioned my annoyance with curators who force their issues on the art -- instead of going with what's there. There was plenty of opportunity in three group shows I saw for curators to get heavy-handed. And they didn't. Instead, they allowed the art and artists' voices to come...

I'm not the only one out there empowering artists. For over a decade, the Artadia folks have been generously supporting visual artists in numerous American cities. Not only have they given financial support, advice and contacts, they are now enabling exchange exhibits to introduce artists from one city...

Often, good art results from collaboration. Such was the case with the William Wegman photos at Carl Hammer Gallery. Over a decade ago Wegman asked Hammer if he could borrow a slew of sideshow banners as backdrops to use in his photos with his dogs. So Hammer shipped...

I have mentioned more than once that the art world is changing, and so are our perceptions of it. It used to be that the vast majority of artists worked in studios, on an easel. That morphed into artists working/painting alone and going out drinking at night. And now it...

More public and corporate entities are stepping up their use of art -- probably because they think it makes them look good and artists can be had for insultingly small money.

Artists want opportunities, exposure and success. That makes them prey to organizations that will manipulate them for the good...

I've been doing these previews for six and a half years. Some trips to galleries are just better that others. I love it when an artist I admire breaks new ground and pushes their work into braver, stronger, more exciting territory. And I love it when I'm afraid that I'm...

I am moved and challenged by the words Chicago artist Titus O'Brien posted on my Facebook discussion about ArtChicago, which will guide me in my perspective going forward:

This is the heart of the matter -- art, truly, is not a commercial proposition. This is...

The ArtChicago circus has rolled back into town. It's a good, enjoyable, pleasant art fair -- until you recall what it used to be.

For the so-called professional, there's still a lot of good art,...