ARTICLE

Pilsen- Hidden Art District
Written By Jeff Jackson

As many art focused neighborhoods become less populated with art galleries and art-centric businesses, many would be surprised to discover that one of Chicago’s oldest arts districts can be found just five minutes from downtown.  Celebrating its 36th anniversary this year, The Chicago Arts District is located in the PilsenEast neighborhood and is considered a mixed-use community offering unique opportunities to artists just outside the south loop near the corner of Halsted and 18th Streets.  In the early 1960’s, John and Annelies Podmajersky established the area as a destination for artists and art lovers alike.  The Podmarjesky family still owns most of the property in the neighborhood today and their vision remains the same. The 2nd Friday of every month is opening night for the 21 galleries and studios in the district and allows them to share featured and favorite works with the public. IMAGE was there and following are some of the galleries we visited:

 

 

exp Gallery

726 W. 18th St.

847-217-7520

Website:  www.expgallery.com

Opened in February 2006 by owner Lou Shields, this quaint gallery just off Halsted St. opens its walls to emerging contemporary artists and enjoys featuring several artists at once who use all media of the art world. 

 

 

 

The Listenbee Collection

1745 S. Halsted

312-421-1238

Website:  www.thelistenbeecollection.com

One of three Listenbee locations in the city, this gallery features the work of African and African-American artists and is filled with traditional masks, paintings, sculptures and antiquities.  The Listnenbee family has helped promote art in Chicago for over 30 years.

 

 

Moka Gallery

1825 S. Halsted St.
312-421-8990

Website:  www.mokagallery.com

One of the largest spaces on the block, this gallery owned by John Mar and Roland Locher since January 2006, shows a large body of work from all over the world.  With over 40 artists featured from locations like Russia, Italy, Venezuela and Columbia, this gallery is a sensory overload of color, style and creativity through art….probably why this gallery is referred to as a showcase of the district itself by many in the neighborhood.

 

 

Dubhe Carreno Gallery

1841 S. Halsted

312-666-3150

Website:  www.dubhecarrenogallery.com

Named after its owner, this gallery has been in the district for over 2 years and likes to focus its showing to contemporary ceramics.  With 8 shows per year, the gallery has established itself as the place to be for ceramics artists in Chicago.  

Oculus

1900 S. Halsted

773-499-3761

New to the neighborhood (October 2006), this gallery features mainly photographs and other graphic media.  Owner Dave Grossfield also uses the space as a traditional custom frame shop.  Works displayed here are unique blends of photography and mixed-media. 

 

 

Vespine Gallery

1907 S. Halsted

312-962-5850

Website:  /www.vespine.org/

The moment you walk in the door, you realize that this is not your everyday gallery.  A massive floor piece made from book bindings greets you and the contents of the gallery stay true to that form.  Owned by Shawn Sheehy, Leah Mayers and Jamie and Doug Thome, this gallery focuses primarily on book and paper art and loves to feature emerging and experimental artwork. 

 

 

Logsdon 1909 Gallery and Studio

1909 S. Halsted

312-666-8966

Website: www.marcologsdon.com

Owner Marco Logsdon features mostly his own work in photography and mixed media at this location which doubles as his studio and offers visitors a peak into the artist’s workspace.  Showing his work with that of 1 or 2 other artists, Logsdon takes pride in only showing original pieces (no prints) in his gallery.  

 

Lanza Studio

1917 S. Halsted

312-415-1791

Website: www.gabelanza.com

Lanza Studio, which is another long-standing member of the neighborhood, features artwork done by owners Gabe and Jill Lanza.  The Lanzas work with contemporary acrylic paintings and graphics, as well as photography and book/paper art.

 

 

4Art, Inc.

1932 S. Halsted #100

312-850-1816

Website:  www.4artinc.com

Located on street-level at the Fountainhead Lofts Building, 4Art is the largest of the galleries in the district and is the base of a five-story building dedicated to the arts.   Owner Robin Rios has made her cause the promotion of the arts and artists and it is reflected in her passion.  There are 1–2 guest artists per month that can be involved in a rotating group of shows.  Rios says she enjoys letting people get a sense of the artists progression by allowing the artists to present their work as an evolution.  Additionally, during the 2nd Friday event, 4Art is one of the few places you can actually watch an artist at work.  With such a strong focus on the artists, there is no boundaries to the media, colors or techniques that are displayed here.

 

 

 

 

 

Get Knifed Gallery

1932 S. Halsted #201

312-217-5747

Website:  www.getknifed.com

This emerging gallery, whose tagline is “art on the cutting edge”, focuses mainly on photography, illustrations and graphics.  Owners Max Bare and Nate Bellinger are dedicated to making this gallery a place where emerging artists work can compliment their own.   For the ‘less-cultured’ art fan, this gallery features complimentary Pabst Blue Ribbon each month during the 2nd Friday’s event.

 

 

cyt O.

1932 S. Halsted #405

773-405-0693

Website:  www.cytogallery.com

Walking into this studio, you immediately get a sense of minimalism.  Owner Scott O’Brien, who features artists he finds through his own research, indicates the minimalist feel is intentional and he likes to show works that peak his interest making cyt O. very much a product of the owner’s vision for his gallery.

 

preview article...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE PHOTOS

View All Photos...

 

ARTICLE LINKS