Angelic Doctor needs your help!
Dear AT,
Now that my wife and I have settled into our happy home in Lincoln Square/North Center, we would like to replace some of the framed posters (gasp! I know how horrible this is) with affordable prints/paintings/wall sculpture, not neccesarily in that order.
(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: chicago(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
One of my brothers has worked out a service swap arrangement of his legal services for original art with a local artist in his neck of the woods (Oak Park-ish), and another sister-in-law has found a favorite painter by chance, by observing art at a local restaurant. So, I am aware of some options, but I would like to see what others have to say here about it...Thanks.
We want to know (and Angelic Doctor really needs to know) where you buy, swap, and collect your art. Please give us some of your resources or original ideas!
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
right now all the artwork in my apt is photographs. my husband is a photographer...thus the photographs. the only non photo thing we have is one drawing/collage of my mine from college. but i would love to get other stuff up on our walls and finding great sculputure would be incredible! recently i heard about a monthly event in Pilsen(?)... second friday of every month there's an open gallery thing with free wine and what-not. this would be a great opportunity to just start talking to artists and getting an idea of what's out there. plus there's free wine!
Here is some info on the Pilsen art walk (aka 2nd Fridays).
http://www.chicagoartsdistrict.org/events_main.asp
Also keep in mind, October is Chicago artists month. There are always a ton of art happenings all over the city, so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events. You might spot something great around then. The summer is generally a slow period for the art community.
In my apartment, most of the art on the walls is either my own paintings, afforadable prints, or some art I've traded with other artist friends.
I've bought a couple great prints through Tiny Showcase, but you need to be quick the prints can sell out really fast.
http://www.tinyshowcase.com/
I've also bought some wonderful letterpress prints through Etsy.
I'd recommend checking out some galleries that feature emerging artists. Take a look at
http://www.chicagoart.net/
It is a great web site that sends out mass emails for various openings at galleries around the city. It also has info on each of the galleries linked up with the service.
In the spring, check out the MFA graduating gallery shows.
And don't forget about the Around the Coyote arts festival. You can often find affordable art there.
Happy hunting!
This is sort of related, but a few weeks ago, there was a site listed (it actually may have been on one of the other city sites) that had a good amount of affordable artwork. It was the site that has the pendant lampshades you wrap around a lightbulb, and new images appear when the light is turned on (there was one with hunters and animals).
I know I should have bookmarked it, but for the life of me, I can't remember.
Anyone else?
I also forgot to mention Hotcakes Gallery up in Milwaukee. I think they have a great goal:
Hotcakes Gallery shows contemporary installation and fine art created by local, national and international artists. Hotcakes provides patrons a comfortable environment to engage art that is affordable without compromising intellectual integrity.
What Affordable Means
Generally, artists provide the gallery with work in a broad price range. Every show at Hotcakes has work priced under $200. Milwaukee has an economically diverse art buying population. Hotcakes embraces that, and seeks to grow the number of people buying art by providing an "entry point" to art collecting. Many people begin collecting art with a trip to Hotcakes.
It's definitely worth making a trip up to Milwaukee!
http://hotcakesgallery.com/
I think art in your home needs to reflect your tastes, your passions, your life. It's hard to walk into a gallery or art show cold and then buy stuff.
I have been working with minority students as a volunteer and now as a career so a lot of my art reflects them. I often find things at Gallery 37, which has art done by school children. The art is cheap--usually less than $50, often much less.
One of the most expensive pieces that I have ever bought was at a silent auction for one of my favorite non-profits. The piece was created by some kids that I worked with--it's really not great art, but it means a lot to me and guests always ask about it. (It's hung over the mantel.)
My husband is into nature, esp. the Chicago river, so we have posters and prints of that up. And we both love Chicago, so we have several framed maps and other artwork of the city.
I have a friend who takes a lot of meetings in coffee houses and often finds great inexpensive art for sale there. I was with him when bought a piece by a local artist at a Starbucks.
If those concert posters represent your passion, don't toss all of them. Just add other pieces slowly.
I love the handmade papers that you can find at Paper Source and similar places. I look for pieces that I like and that complement the room, cut them to size and frame them in borderless glass frames. They look like tiles. I get tons of complements on them, and they cost me less than $10 each to make.
-T
There are a lot of independent artists selling reasonably/cheaply priced paintings on Craigslist and ebay.
I have a collection of thrifted art, myself. It's not always that good, per se, but I only pick art that is unusual or interesting. A good deal of it came from a junk shop up on Devon between Clark and Sheridan called Policia's. She seems to get a lot of discarded canvases from students but they are worth picking through. I've found some real treasures there.