{"article":{"id":748,"title":"Collector Robert Buford: Embracing the Connectivity of Art","excerpt":"","body":"<html><head></head><body><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418602/zdtjn2ht2dpv4gsvev3b.gif\"><figcaption>The top floor of Bob Buford’s home is devoted to art. Pictured from left to right are works by Martin Kippenberger, Laura Owens, Peter Halley, and Marc Camille Chaimowicz.</figcaption></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><p>By GINNY VAN ALYEA</p><p>When I took the elevator to collector Bob Buford’s apartment, I thought it was to the top of the building, since that’s where the floor numbers stopped. I soon learned that a series of opportunities over nearly ten years gave Mr. Buford access to several units above as well as next to the main one, ultimately creating a four story home in the sky, with 360° views of Chicago and Lake Michigan.</p><p>Housed throughout this spacious urban refuge is a top tier art collection. After my arrival, I expected to start talking about how Bob first became interested in art and when he began to actively collect it, but as we walked through the apartment, passing dozens of paintings, through a library, by a wine cellar, into an office, we were distracted by what could be described as a “Lollapalooza Study Center.” The four-day music festival had just ended a few days prior, and Bob was at the center of all of it.</p><p>Headphones still on the table, Bob admits, “I listened to nearly a thousand cuts before I went, plotting out each day of the event.” Bob’s methodical approach to navigating a sweltering, jammed music festival quickly revealed to me how he approaches something he is passionate about, filtering through a copious amount of information in order to explore more deeply what he likes. In the case of Lollapalooza, Bob made a loose plan that allowed for him to have fun putting himself into the world of the typical Lolla fan while learning as much as possible.</p><p>Grabbing a binder filled with program sheets in plastic sleeves, Bob showed me the band line-ups for all four days, as well as the worksheets, heavily marked up in pencil, he spent 50 hours creating, indicating all the bands and the songs he listened to. He would assign a pre-grade to each band before attending the festival, and then an updated, final rating after he saw them perform.</p><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418603/zwqacnvailbmdialxptp.gif\"><figcaption>Buford is pictured in front of a framed triptych by Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992), <i>Parasol</i>, 1977, Oil on canvas, in 3 parts. Purchased through Sotheby's.</figcaption></figure><p>Whether it’s Lollapalooza, wine, or art Bob relies on extensive, personally conducted research to inform a sort of predictive analysis of his interests. By investing time and attention up front, he confidently lays out a plan. At Lollapalooza, his pre-grades determine which bands he will see and the route he needs to take to efficiently get there. To follow up, his summary of the event informs his music library and future concert attendance.</p><p>When I asked if he applies this approach to art buying, he takes me to a closet lined with auction catalogs, each of which is flagged with dozens of page markers to indicate where his notes are.</p><p>“When the auctions come up, especially during the big weeks, I’ll have several catalogs spread out in the kitchen.” Bob explains that, much like his pre-concert strategy, he always has an auction game plan: “I make a worksheet that will have a list of estimated values, preferences, and little notes.” Then he documents which auctions take place in the morning, afternoon and evening and at which houses (Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips, for instance) so if he’s able to attend in person, he is prepared as the auctions unfold. On top of that, he plots which works of art he’s interested in. Eventually he records which pieces he purchased on the bottom of a summary sheet.</p><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418604/ga1st0rkbooplq4padc8.gif\"><figcaption>Bob’s library displays a trove of art books and catalogues related to the art in his collection. paintings pictured from left to right: Sam Gilliam, Fernand Léger, and Hans Hofmann</figcaption></figure><p>The first painting Bob ever bought at auction, in 1998, was by French artist Edouard Cortès, a Post–impressionist painter who painted European street scenes in the rain and at night. As he began to live with art, his knowledge of and appreciation for it grew.</p><p>Over the next couple of years, Bob’s interest in art continued to grow, as he acquired additional 19th Century European and American paintings. From there he embraced Post–Impressionists, like Henri Lebasque and Henri Martin, as well as Fauve and Neo Impressionist works. He acquired art by German Expressionists, like Erich Heckel, and by Cubists, such as Jean Metzinger. In each area he was drawn to color, texture and vibrant presentations</p><p>As we move more quickly through the apartment, the list of artists who are part of Bob’s collection grows more impressive and more modern. Everywhere there is color – in paintings by Kenneth Noland, and Larry Poons; on a large canvas by Helen Frankenthaler; and a vibrant Fauve by Kees van Dongen. The 1988, 12-part series entitled <i>AIDS</i>, by the activist Canadian trio General Idea, hangs in a row facing a brilliantly blue Lake Michigan. On another level is a print by Andy Warhol, with another Ellsworth Kelly print nearby. We stop to admire a stunning blue, geometric woodcut by Richard Diebenkorn, which Bob says his ex-wife, Tish, encouraged him to purchase in 2000 at Art Chicago, the predecessor to EXPO CHICAGO. He says while he was drawn to the blue palette, Tish saw much more in the work, which ultimately piqued Bob’s interest in more contemporary art.</p><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418605/xz0xnly6z5n2i0dr3at8.gif\"><figcaption>From left: Adolph Gottlieb, Beverly Fishman, Thomas Houseago, and Kennth Noland</figcaption></figure><p>Moving upwards through the floors, we see a few more sculptures. In a room with a pool table, a series of glazed, ceramic bottles by Michael Kaysen, purchased from 65Grand Gallery on North Avenue, are placed just a couple of feet from a striking round closed pot by Toshiko Takaezu. Tucked into an alcove is a pair of red and green, port-and-starboard-like vertical rectangles by Anne Truitt.</p><p>As Bob rattles off more names of artists and galleries, he refers to professional-looking gallery labels placed next to each work, sometimes pausing to tell me a story about the art, such as the time a chunk of thick oil paint fell off of a Hans Hofmann, and it required attention from a conservator. There is so much to see and appreciate, it feels a little like dashing through a museum before closing time.</p><p>The art in Bob’s home seems imbued with life, so much so that just because something is put away or moved to another location does not mean it’s forgotten. Much like the wines in his expansive cellar, the art in Bob’s collection continues to mature. The prospect of a new phase is part of the fun. Says Bob, “To make sure you catch it all, the process involves awareness, education and motivation.”</p><p>The depth and significance of Bob’s collection today hides the fact that, as he says, the art world once passed him by, without anything more than a peripheral awareness. 30 years ago, he recalls, he used to feel as if he was an outsider among people speaking a different language.</p><p>However, once Bob purchased a few of pieces of art and lived with them, he recalls, “The door opened a little bit, I was allowed to come in. And it wasn’t so dangerous, though the learning curve was steep, and never ending.”</p><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418606/knhwt4b776g2dcpdbsaa.gif\"><figcaption>Edouard Cortès, <i>Boulevard Montmartre</i></figcaption></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Bob’s “Art 101” was 19th century European art, but his art buying continues to span a mix of periods, artists and mediums, eluding classification as a whole. For him, “It’s just opened up more rooms. I open up the door and go, ‘Whoa, this is nice. I want to know more.’”</p><p>His curiosity piqued, he doesn’t hesitate to look for help understanding what is new for him. As Bob started to immerse himself in contemporary art, just a few years ago, he learned more and added to his collection. As new art continued to come home, he bought reference books to accompany the works and kept flagging the pages of auction catalogues. Constant communication with his friends in the art world has helped him learn holistically.</p><p>With a growing knowledge and education, his earlier focus shifted forward in history into American post-war and contemporary art. As Bob’s awareness grew, so did his confidence and his exposure to a wider range of art.</p><p>When I ask Bob how much of his collection has been acquired at auction, he says the majority. “The specialists at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, and Leslie Hindman have all been so informative and helpful. That’s how I learned. They’ve each become as much a partner and a consultant as salesman.”</p><p>As Bob got his feet wet at auctions, he credits a few key friends, including his ex-wife Tish, Bill Gross of 65Grand Gallery, and associates at local museums, with advising him about acquiring work and helping him test drive an expanding body of knowledge.</p><p>Bob is drawn to auctions because there’s a clear market history, and, as he puts it, the option to work with the houses on the buy side as well as on the sell side, should the need arise. “If you buy auctionable wines and you decide you don’t care for a particular region of the world of wine any more – for instance, you’re done with Bordeaux – you could consign it with Hart Davis Hart [a Chicago-based wine auction and company], sell it and even receive a return on your initial investment.” Bob’s experience with wine collecting made him realize the same could be true for art.</p><p>Bob says he hasn’t reached the point where he’s outgrown a work of art and wanted to sell it. Instead, he relocates and rehangs art as needed, or whenever a new piece arrives at home. Often a newcomer alters the dynamic that familiar works create with one another. Sounding as if he’s talking about children he says, “It’s almost like they’re competing with one another for space on the wall. When art gets put in storage, you can hear whether it’s upset or not. It can’t stay there too long.”</p><figure class=\"image\"><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1721418607/btw2omd8o48lgsgwzwmr.gif\"><figcaption>A trio of prints by Francis Bacon hang near a 12-part series entitled <i>AIDS</i>, by the Canadian artist collective General Idea</figcaption></figure><p>–</p><p>I started to think about Billy Beane, who scouted for and managed the Oakland Athletics baseball team in the late 90s and became the inspiration for Michael Lewis’s book <i>Moneyball </i>and the follow-up film. Beane avidly mined statistics to identify undervalued ball players and ended up finding value others didn’t see. To me, while Bob is clear he’s not looking to profit from art collecting, his serious study of works coming up for&nbsp; auction is representative that, in addition to listening to the advice of friends and art colleagues, by assembling much of a star collection on the secondary art market, not only is some risk mitigated, but there is a corresponding resale market that helps Bob find and preserve value on his own terms.</p><p>–</p><p>Living with art is also social for Bob. His love of wine, and the space and versatility of his home, means he entertains often. With nearly floor to ceiling windows, two levels even have temporary or pivoting walls that allow for flexible exhibition space as needed.</p><p>Whether it’s art, wine, food, music or travel, people from all walks of life can be connected. “All of a sudden, the door opens again, and a conversation begins. Art transcends all the professions,” says Bob. “It can fit in with people of every political persuasion, business background and age. No one’s excluded. Remember I mentioned I was afraid to walk in a room because I wouldn’t belong? It’s just the opposite, this is the most welcoming room you’ll ever get into.”</p><p>&nbsp;</p></body></html>","published_at":"2019-09-17 11:00:00","state":"published","slug":"collector-robert-buford-embracing-the-connectivity-of-art","type":"NewsPost","meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2019-08-20 21:03:54.186378","updated_at":"2020-02-04 15:58:38.294259","category_id":3,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'101':1275B '12':843B,1759B '1925':391B '1977':394B '1988':842B '1992':392B '1998':680B '19th':735B,1277B '2000':905B '3':399B '30':1204B '360':110B '50':340B '65grand':981B,1517B '90s':1791B 'abl':600B 'access':87B 'accompani':1376B 'acquir':733B,762B,1451B,1528B 'activ':150B 'activist':850B 'ad':1360B 'addit':734B,1854B 'admir':883B 'admit':216B 'adolph':943B 'advic':1859B 'advis':1525B 'afraid':2007B 'afternoon':581B 'age':1997B 'ago':1206B,1355B 'aid':847B,1763B 'alcov':1005B 'allow':284B,1249B,1940B 'almost':1714B 'also':1905B 'alter':1692B 'alway':549B 'alyea':42B 'american':390B,739B,1415B 'among':1219B 'amount':261B 'analysi':425B 'andi':872B 'ann':1021B 'anoth':866B,875B,1122B,1701B,1721B 'anyth':1198B 'apart':53B,159B,796B 'appli':486B 'appreci':713B,1086B 'approach':237B,251B,488B 'area':779B 'aris':1578B 'arriv':131B,1686B 'art':8A,20B,127B,144B,411B,490B,621B,647B,654B,708B,727B,763B,907B,940B,1055B,1100B,1139B,1191B,1234B,1274B,1280B,1283B,1350B,1366B,1394B,1421B,1439B,1651B,1667B,1678B,1728B,1839B,1863B,1875B,1903B,1950B,1977B 'artist':684B,800B,1030B,1292B,1767B 'ask':483B,1442B 'assembl':1866B 'assign':355B 'associ':1520B 'athlet':1785B 'attend':364B,480B,602B 'attent':433B,1075B 'auction':500B,520B,552B,575B,610B,678B,1385B,1453B,1501B,1544B,1582B,1622B,1849B 'avenu':985B 'avid':1809B 'awar':1170B,1203B,1425B 'away':1118B 'background':1995B 'bacon':1755B 'ball':1815B 'band':320B,346B,362B,450B 'base':1620B 'basebal':1786B 'bean':1777B,1808B 'becam':141B,1793B 'becom':1484B 'began':148B,704B 'begin':1976B 'belong':2017B 'bever':945B 'big':526B 'bill':1514B 'billi':1776B 'binder':308B 'bit':1246B 'blue':862B,886B,922B 'bob':13B,50B,139B,201B,215B,234B,278B,316B,412B,538B,640B,674B,723B,805B,893B,934B,1024B,1102B,1141B,1159B,1179B,1227B,1272B,1343B,1423B,1443B,1495B,1540B,1636B,1652B,1829B,1892B,1908B,1983B 'bodi':1537B 'book':648B,1374B,1800B 'bordeaux':1608B 'bottl':975B 'bottom':635B 'bought':676B,1372B 'boulevard':1270B 'brilliant':861B 'buford':3A,14B,51B,86B,378B 'build':63B 'busi':1994B 'buy':491B,1284B,1566B,1581B 'camill':37B 'canadian':851B,1766B 'canva':397B,829B 'care':1590B 'case':275B 'catalog':501B,532B 'catalogu':650B,1386B 'catch':1164B 'ceil':1929B 'cellar':170B,1137B 'center':186B,205B 'centuri':736B,1278B 'ceram':974B 'chaimowicz':38B 'chicago':113B,908B,913B,1619B 'chicago-bas':1618B 'children':1709B 'christi':588B,1463B 'chunk':1061B 'classif':1296B 'clear':1549B,1831B 'close':997B,1097B 'closet':497B 'colleagu':1864B 'collect':128B,151B,657B,807B,1143B,1181B,1363B,1448B,1641B,1768B,1840B,1871B 'collector':1A,49B 'color':784B,817B 'come':521B,1251B,1369B,1846B 'communic':1388B 'compani':1624B 'compet':1718B 'concert':479B,546B 'conduct':417B 'confid':437B,1430B 'connect':6A,1964B 'conserv':1078B 'consign':1611B 'constant':1387B 'consult':1491B 'contemporari':939B,1349B,1420B 'continu':728B,1144B,1285B,1367B 'convers':1975B 'copious':260B 'correspond':1887B 'cortè':686B,1269B 'could':179B,1610B,1647B 'coupl':720B,990B 'creat':101B,342B,1698B 'credit':1503B 'cubist':772B 'curios':1326B 'curv':1262B 'cut':223B 'danger':1258B 'dash':1092B 'davi':1615B 'day':190B,198B,230B,327B 'decid':1586B 'deepli':269B 'depth':1175B 'describ':181B 'determin':448B 'devot':18B 'didn':1823B 'diebenkorn':891B 'differ':1223B 'display':643B 'distract':176B 'document':573B 'doesn':1329B 'done':1606B 'dongen':840B 'door':1242B,1313B,1970B 'dozen':161B,508B 'drawn':782B,919B,1542B 'drive':1534B 'dynam':1694B 'earlier':1408B 'edouard':685B,1268B 'educ':1171B,1406B 'effici':462B 'elev':47B 'ellsworth':876B 'elud':1295B 'embrac':4A,744B 'encourag':900B 'end':195B,1267B,1818B 'entertain':1923B 'entitl':846B,1762B 'erich':768B 'especi':523B 'estim':565B 'european':693B,737B,1279B 'even':583B,1628B,1933B 'event':233B,472B 'eventu':626B 'ever':675B,2031B 'everi':1991B 'everywher':814B 'ex':897B,1511B 'ex-wif':896B,1510B 'exclud':2001B 'exhibit':1943B 'expand':1536B 'expans':1136B 'expect':133B 'experi':1638B 'explain':539B 'explor':267B 'expo':912B 'exposur':1433B 'expressionist':766B 'extens':415B 'face':859B 'fact':1185B 'familiar':1696B 'fan':299B 'fauv':756B,836B 'feel':1088B,1212B 'feet':992B,1498B 'fell':1066B 'fernand':666B 'festiv':192B,244B,366B 'fill':309B 'film':1807B 'filter':257B 'final':371B 'find':1820B,1893B 'first':140B,672B 'fishman':946B 'fit':1986B 'flag':506B,1381B 'flexibl':1942B 'floor':11B,69B,956B,1927B 'focus':1409B 'follow':466B,1805B 'follow-up':1804B 'food':1952B 'forgotten':1129B 'forward':1411B 'four':103B,189B,326B 'four-day':188B 'frame':385B 'franci':1754B 'frankenthal':832B 'french':683B 'friend':1391B,1507B,1861B 'front':382B,435B 'fun':289B,1157B 'futur':478B 'galleri':982B,1032B,1039B,1518B 'game':553B 'gave':84B 'general':853B,1769B 'geometr':887B 'german':765B 'get':463B,1729B,2032B 'gilliam':665B 'ginni':40B 'glaze':973B 'go':1315B 'got':1496B 'gottlieb':944B 'grab':306B 'grade':359B,447B 'green':1012B 'grew':716B,1426B 'gross':1515B 'grow':730B,808B,1403B 'halley':34B 'han':669B,1070B 'hang':855B,1756B 'hart':1614B,1616B 'hasn':1655B 'headphon':210B 'hear':1735B 'heavili':333B 'heckel':769B 'helen':831B 'help':1335B,1397B,1475B,1531B,1891B 'henri':748B,751B 'hesit':1331B 'hide':1183B 'hindman':1468B 'histori':1413B,1551B 'hofmann':670B,1071B 'holist':1400B 'home':16B,105B,1104B,1370B,1688B,1920B 'hour':341B 'hous':117B,587B,1563B 'houseago':948B 'howev':1225B 'idea':854B,1770B 'identifi':1813B 'imbu':1106B 'immers':1346B 'impress':810B 'impressionist':689B,746B,759B 'includ':1508B 'indic':343B,513B 'inform':263B,420B,473B,1473B 'initi':1634B 'inspir':1795B 'instanc':595B,1603B 'instead':1673B 'interest':142B,428B,624B,725B,936B 'invest':430B,1635B 'involv':1169B 'jam':242B 'jean':775B 'joan':388B 'kaysen':978B 'kee':838B 'kelli':877B 'kenneth':821B 'kennth':950B 'kept':1380B 'key':1506B 'kippenberg':30B 'kitchen':537B 'know':1323B 'knowledg':710B,1404B,1539B 'label':1040B 'lake':115B,863B 'languag':1224B 'larg':828B 'larri':824B 'late':1790B 'laura':31B 'lay':438B 'learn':74B,301B,1261B,1357B,1399B,1480B 'lebasqu':749B 'left':23B,661B,942B 'lesli':1467B 'level':867B,1932B 'lewi':1798B 'librari':166B,476B,642B 'life':1108B,1961B 'like':272B,542B,747B,767B,1017B,1091B,1131B,1715B 'line':322B,498B 'line-up':321B 'list':563B,798B 'listen':218B,351B,1856B 'littl':569B,1090B,1245B 'live':706B,1236B,1901B 'll':529B,2030B 'local':1522B 'locat':1123B 'lolla':298B 'lollapalooza':184B,277B,408B,443B 'long':1748B 'look':1038B,1333B,1835B 'loos':281B 'love':1910B 'léger':667B 'made':279B,1642B 'main':98B 'major':1457B 'make':556B,1161B 'manag':1782B 'marc':36B 'mark':334B 'marker':511B 'market':1550B,1876B,1889B 'martin':29B,752B 'matur':1146B 'mean':1126B,1921B 'medium':1294B 'mention':2004B 'method':236B 'metzing':776B 'michael':977B,1797B 'michigan':116B,864B 'mine':1810B 'mitchel':389B 'mitig':1882B 'mix':1289B 'modern':813B 'moneybal':1801B 'montmartr':1271B 'morn':580B 'motiv':1173B 'move':791B,952B,1120B 'mr':85B 'much':303B,541B,926B,1082B,1110B,1130B,1445B,1486B,1867B 'museum':1095B,1523B 'music':191B,243B,475B,1953B 'name':1028B 'navig':239B 'near':81B,220B,1757B,1926B 'nearbi':879B 'need':458B,1577B,1680B,1946B 'neo':758B 'never':1266B 'new':1151B,1339B,1365B,1684B 'newcom':1691B 'next':95B,719B,1042B 'nice':1319B 'night':701B 'noland':822B,951B 'north':984B 'note':516B,570B 'number':70B 'oakland':1784B 'offic':173B 'often':1689B,1924B 'oil':395B,1064B 'one':99B,1700B,1720B,1999B 'open':1243B,1305B,1310B,1971B 'opportun':79B 'opposit':2022B 'option':1558B 'order':265B 'other':1822B 'outgrown':1663B 'outsid':1218B 'owen':32B 'page':510B,1383B 'paint':163B,658B,673B,692B,740B,819B,1065B 'painter':690B 'pair':1008B 'palett':923B 'parasol':393B 'part':400B,803B,844B,1154B,1760B 'particular':1593B 'partner':1488B 'pass':160B,1194B 'passion':255B 'paus':1047B 'pencil':337B 'peopl':1220B,1956B,1989B 'perform':377B 'period':1291B 'peripher':1202B 'person':416B,604B 'persuas':1993B 'peter':33B 'phase':1152B 'phillip':593B,1465B 'pictur':21B,380B,659B 'piec':630B,1232B,1685B 'piqu':933B,1327B 'pivot':1937B 'place':577B,987B,1041B 'plan':282B,441B,554B 'plastic':314B 'player':1816B 'plot':227B,617B 'point':1659B 'polit':1992B 'pool':968B 'poon':825B 'port':1014B 'port-and-starboard-lik':1013B 'possibl':305B 'post':688B,745B,1417B 'post-war':1416B 'pot':998B 'pre':358B,446B,545B 'pre-concert':544B 'pre-grad':357B,445B 'predecessor':910B 'predict':424B 'prefer':567B 'prepar':607B 'present':788B 'preserv':1895B 'print':870B,878B,1752B 'prior':199B 'process':1168B 'profess':1981B 'profession':1037B 'professional-look':1036B 'profit':1837B 'program':311B 'prospect':1148B 'purchas':401B,632B,903B,979B,1228B 'put':290B,1117B,1555B,1730B 'quick':245B,793B 'rain':698B 'rang':1437B 'rate':372B 'rattl':1025B 're':1605B,1717B 'reach':1657B 'realiz':1644B 'recal':1208B,1240B 'receiv':1629B 'record':628B 'rectangl':1019B 'red':1010B 'refer':1034B,1373B 'refug':122B 'region':1594B 'rehang':1677B 'relat':651B 'reli':413B 'reloc':1675B 'rememb':2002B 'repres':1851B 'requir':1074B 'resal':1888B 'research':418B 'return':1631B 'reveal':246B 'richard':890B 'right':25B,663B 'risk':1881B 'robert':2A 'room':965B,1308B,2012B,2028B 'round':996B 'rout':456B 'row':858B 'salesman':1493B 'sam':664B 'saw':375B,925B 'say':894B,915B,1158B,1189B,1455B,1653B,1711B,1982B 'scene':695B 'scout':1779B 'sculptur':962B 'secondari':1874B 'see':453B,958B,1084B,1825B 'seem':1105B 'sell':1573B,1625B,1671B 'seri':77B,845B,971B,1761B 'serious':1842B 'sever':89B,531B 'sheet':312B,639B 'shift':1410B 'show':317B 'side':1567B,1574B 'signific':1177B 'sinc':64B 'sky':108B 'sleev':315B 'social':1906B 'someth':252B,1115B 'sometim':1046B 'song':349B 'soon':73B 'sort':422B 'sothebi':403B,590B,1461B 'sound':1702B 'space':1723B,1915B,1944B 'spacious':120B 'span':1287B 'speak':1221B 'specialist':1459B 'spent':339B 'spread':533B 'star':1870B 'starboard':1016B 'start':135B,1344B,1772B 'statist':1811B 'stay':1745B 'steep':1264B 'still':211B 'stop':71B,881B 'storag':1732B 'stori':104B,1052B 'strategi':547B 'street':694B 'strike':995B 'studi':185B,1843B 'stun':885B 'sudden':1968B 'summari':469B,638B 'sure':1162B 'swelter':241B 'tabl':214B,969B 'takaezu':1001B 'take':460B,493B,576B 'talk':136B,1707B 'team':1787B 'tell':1049B 'temporari':1935B 'ten':82B 'term':1900B 'test':1533B 'textur':785B 'thick':1063B 'think':1774B 'thoma':947B 'though':1259B 'thought':55B 'thousand':222B 'throughout':118B 'tier':126B 'time':431B,1059B,1098B 'tish':899B,924B,1513B 'today':1182B 'took':45B 'top':10B,60B,125B,613B 'toshiko':1000B 'transcend':1978B 'travel':1955B 'trio':852B,1750B 'triptych':386B 'trove':645B 'true':1649B 'truitt':1022B 'tuck':1002B 'two':1931B 'typic':297B 'ultim':100B,932B 'understand':1336B 'undervalu':1814B 'unfold':611B 'unit':90B 'up':323B 'updat':370B 'upset':1739B 'upward':953B 'urban':121B 'use':1210B 'valu':566B,1821B,1896B 'van':41B,839B 've':1482B 'versatil':1917B 'vertic':1018B 'vibrant':787B,835B 'view':111B 'walk':156B,1959B,2009B 'wall':1726B,1938B 'want':1321B,1669B 'war':1418B 'warhol':873B 'wasn':1255B 'week':527B 'welcom':2027B 'well':93B,329B,754B,1569B 'went':226B 'wet':1499B 'whenev':1682B 'whether':405B,1736B,1947B 'whoa':1316B 'whole':1299B 'wider':1436B 'wife':898B,1512B 'window':1930B 'wine':169B,409B,1133B,1583B,1599B,1621B,1640B,1912B,1951B 'without':1197B 'woodcut':888B 'work':27B,619B,760B,930B,1045B,1378B,1529B,1560B,1665B,1697B,1845B 'worksheet':332B,558B 'world':294B,1192B,1395B,1597B 'would':354B 'wouldn':2015B 'year':83B,722B,1205B,1354B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1721767398/x16ww5l4hmxsglrhjbru.gif","editor_pick":false,"category_name":"Interviews"},"related":[{"id":13767,"title":"Anticipating a Season of Art: Five to Talk to – Nikko Washington","excerpt":"","body":"<p>Fall offers a full slate of exhibitions across galleries and museums throughout the Midwest.&nbsp;Behind the scenes, many people in the community are working tirelessly to support artists and bring fresh perspectives to the public. We spoke&nbsp;with five insiders about what excites them now&nbsp;and what they anticipate next.</p><p><br></p><p><em>The following preview is one of five conversations that appear in CGN's Fall 2026 magazine. To receive a copy of the print edition&nbsp;</em><a href=\"https://835ba3.myshopify.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>click here.</em></a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1789517637/noxz9olp47gfneafz8xg.jpg\"></p><p><br></p><h4><em>Nikko Washington –&nbsp;</em></h4><h4><em>Artist</em></h4><p><br></p><p>“I’m thrilled to further expand my artistic and design practice by introducing other mediums into the mix. I’m looking forward to watching the seasons change and devoting a lot of time in the studio as well. Fall/winter is my favorite time to create new works.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>I have an upcoming solo show with <a href=\"https://vsgcontemporary.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">VSG&nbsp;Contemporary</a> that I am excited about. The work will delve further into the topics of cultural mythology and how these tales and narratives have helped shape my worldview.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Also, it wouldn’t be right if I left out my&nbsp;excitement for this upcoming season of Chicago sports.”</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.nikkowashington.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Nikko Washington</a></p><p><br></p>","published_at":"2026-09-11 00:30:00","state":"published","slug":"anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-nikko-washington","type":null,"meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2026-09-16 00:13:58.216","updated_at":"2026-09-16 00:13:58.216","category_id":3,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'2026':76B 'across':19B 'also':174B 'anticip':1A,60B 'appear':71B 'art':5A 'artist':39B,90B,98B 'behind':26B 'bring':41B 'cgn':73B 'chang':117B 'chicago':191B 'click':86B 'communiti':33B 'contemporari':146B 'convers':69B 'copi':81B 'creat':135B 'cultur':161B 'delv':155B 'design':100B 'devot':119B 'edit':85B 'excit':54B,150B,185B 'exhibit':18B 'expand':96B 'fall':12B,75B 'fall/winter':129B 'favorit':132B 'five':6A,50B,68B 'follow':63B 'forward':112B 'fresh':42B 'full':15B 'galleri':20B 'help':170B 'insid':51B 'introduc':103B 'left':182B 'look':111B 'lot':121B 'm':92B,110B 'magazin':77B 'mani':29B 'medium':105B 'midwest':25B 'mix':108B 'museum':22B 'mytholog':162B 'narrat':168B 'new':136B 'next':61B 'nikko':10A,88B,193B 'offer':13B 'one':66B 'peopl':30B 'perspect':43B 'practic':101B 'preview':64B 'print':84B 'public':46B 'receiv':79B 'right':179B 'scene':28B 'season':3A,116B,189B 'shape':171B 'show':143B 'slate':16B 'solo':142B 'spoke':48B 'sport':192B 'studio':126B 'support':38B 'tale':166B 'talk':8A 'thrill':93B 'throughout':23B 'time':123B,133B 'tireless':36B 'topic':159B 'upcom':141B,188B 'vsg':145B 'washington':11A,89B,194B 'watch':114B 'well':128B 'work':35B,137B,153B 'worldview':173B 'wouldn':176B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788406360/ujd84dhihjroxqjs9izj.jpg","editor_pick":true},{"id":13930,"title":"Andi Crist: The Art of The Pun","excerpt":null,"body":"<p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961823/s3lp0uull2s8mvd8funj.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist, </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Extension Cords</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, Glazed stoneware, chrome, Sizes vary 2021-present. Photo: Mikey Mosher</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong><em>This interview is part of CGN's Fall 2026 issue.&nbsp;</em></strong><strong style=\"color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\"><em style=\"color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\"><a href=\"https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color: rgb(51, 51, 51);\" target=\"_blank\">Purchase a copy or subscribe</a>.</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961824/mghrpnghxd9j9ko2dsjt.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>BY ALISON REILLY</p><p><br></p><p>Andi Crist’s warm, engaging demeanor is evident in the first few minutes of our conversation. Generous with her time and forthcoming in her observations, she cares deeply about building relationships through her art making. Crist grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, devoured art classes, wrote songs and played music in high school, and moved to Chicago to study visual art at Columbia College. In 2024, she received her MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a woodworker, sculptor, ceramicist, and conceptual artist, and she teaches at Illinois Institute of Technology. We discussed her multidisciplinary practice, her experience working as an art handler, preparator, and fabricator, and how she thinks about labor, creativity, and value in the art world.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: You grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. How did that environment shape your point of view as an artist?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Andi Crist:</strong> That’s such a funny question. Nobody’s ever really asked.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: Oh, really?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>Yeah, maybe because I never was super connected with the arts community down in Birmingham. I moved to Chicago in 2007, so it’s been 20 years since I lived in the South. I was definitely one of those art kids—one art credit was required in high school, and I graduated with like seven. I was surrounded by artists who had a big impact on me, because they were working artists. All my art teachers were trained in Alabama and then continued to teach and work in Alabama, which gave me this desire to try to expand my community outside of what I was familiar with.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: Do you identify as a Chicagoan?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>My family still lives in Alabama, and I go back every year. I love being in Alabama. Maybe now being in Chicago for almost 20 years, I identify as a southerner living in the city. I carry on the social qualities of a friendly southern person [laughs].&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN:</strong> <strong>You have a varied art practice</strong><strong style=\"color: rgb(71, 71, 71);\">—</strong><strong>woodwork, ceramics, mold making. What drew you to those types of fabrication methods and that type of art making?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC:</strong> My dad is a carpenter and a hobbyist woodworker, but his career was psychology, and my mom was a professor and an incredible craftswoman. I absorbed my mom’s model of creativity, which is to try a bunch of different things and not necessarily finish them but to try to learn as much as I can by just going for it. My practice over the years has become an exploration of conceptual elements of what makes art art and not just craft. Do you have to be a master craftsperson or a professional artist in order to make something that resonates with people?</p><p><br></p><p>I make a lot of work that references the mode of making and requires a variety of different media. I just finished teaching a ceramics production class where students learned how to produce molds, think about positives and negatives, and get into a level of production rather than just handicraft as a way to multiply their output.</p><p><br></p><p>I got into fabrication because I’ve always liked working with other artists. I have a background in theater and gallery work. I’m a voracious learner, and I like being able to share those skills with my community. Then I end up making work about that. It’s a self-feeding cycle.</p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961825/zzejqwibga5f5wk6einh.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist,&nbsp;</span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Artist’s Ladder</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, 2023.&nbsp;Photo: Jeff Perlman</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: Thinking about your background as an art handler and preparator</strong><strong style=\"color: rgb(59, 62, 65);\">—</strong><strong>how did you get to the point where you were making work about that experience?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>In 2010, right before I graduated from Columbia, I was living in a storefront in West Logan Square with my partner at the time. We started a gallery called Autotelic in the space and had to build it out using the worst tools with very minimal resources. Then we started curating shows there and that meant helping other artists figure out how to install their work in our unusual space. Eventually, I gained the reputation for knowing how to do that type of work. I started getting invited to work in museums and galleries.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>The Holocaust Museum was the first museum I worked at, and as difficult as that subject matter is, that experience was really important to me because I was learning more about the larger world of gallery work. As an artist working as a preparator, you’re straddling both sides of that space. You’re really seeing how the sausage is made. You’re hearing all the conversations about artists, curators, the process of exhibition making. There is a lot of information you can gather about the economics of the art world by just being the person that has the know-how to touch and handle artwork. Eventually that started feeding into my art practice because I wanted to make work that was contributing to a conversation around art as a type of job. It fueled a methodology of seeing everything in the world as the result of a long line of processes that required effort and thoughtfulness by many hands.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961826/uv5bysb5fbne30gr5czh.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist, </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Fair Warning</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, 2025.</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: The title of your recent exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum—<em>Live, Laugh, Lo</em>—sorry, not <em>Live, Laugh, Love</em>—<em>Live, Laugh, Labor</em>.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC:</strong> [Laughs] That’s what everybody does.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: I love the title—it’s perfect. You incorporate humor along with thoughtful critiques about labor and value in your work. What role does humor play? How does it help you connect with your audience?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC:</strong> One of my biggest criticisms of art with a capital A is how easily it can be overly intellectualized. I think that’s why I end up making a lot of work that references things that already exist or have some kind of real purpose. It’s important to give people a foothold so there’s an obvious place to board that train of thought. As an artist—maybe this is me getting into a sweeping argument about what artists should be—but I personally believe in intellectual accessibility. Humor is a swift way to drop defenses and allow people to come in without feeling like they are not getting the joke or not understanding. I like to make work that can hold both of those things at the same time—it’s funny on the surface level, it’s kind of cheeky, but there’s also another way to look at it that is intellectually clever. There is a joy in the attempt to “get it”. Like the satisfaction of grasping how a crossword puzzle actually works.</p><p><br></p><p>It’s also so much a part of my personality. I take myself seriously as an artist, but my ego isn’t at the heart of it. It’s really something that I do because I love to make things, and I love to connect with other people. My parents raised me on puns, creating those language relationships between things and people and space. Understanding a joke is the same way that we understand art, and while neither of my parents would consider themselves artists, they taught me how to think about art.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961828/gnotyfijabr7e15kb6hm.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist,&nbsp;</span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">69 Bananas</em></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: Your work, <em>Artist’s Ladder</em>, explores hierarchies, workplace cultures, and institutional values. What experiences shaped your reflections on these themes?</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>AC:</strong> The ladder piece distinctly represents the complicated relationship between front of house, back of house, and the hierarchy of labor. Who is the artist in those relationships? How much does another person’s knowledge and expertise contribute to the success of another artist?</p><p><br></p><p>There are enormous, industrialized art practices out there, warehouses full of people making things, and those people are also artists. When you make work that involves other people, it’s important to acknowledge their contributions. I’ve had complicated interactions with other artists who are like, ‘Hey, do you want to collaborate with me on this thing?’ but really they just want me to make their idea. I made <em>Artist’s Ladder</em> while I was in grad school at UIC, and it really represented my relationship with a lot of other artists, because I could be an actual support structure for them. Then it turned into this absurd physical thing. It’s extremely overbuilt with inlaid racing stripes made of exotic hardwood, and a butcher’s block-style plaid top. It’s not really like an FU as much as it is asking for acknowledgement of my skills and the essential support structures that exist.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>CGN: I want to ask you about another piece, <em>Five O’Clock Somewhere</em>, a wool rug that resembles a children’s play mat. I work at a library, and it reminded me of rugs I see all the time. It’s a peaceful image of an office park with a large fountain surrounded by a parking lot. I’m curious why you chose a rug as the medium to depict that image.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong style=\"color: rgb(38, 38, 38);\">AC: </strong><span style=\"color: rgb(38, 38, 38);\">To me </span>the heart of that joke was that it was a landscape. I wanted it to be physically traversable. And that was, I don’t want to say controversial, but it was something that I had to talk about a lot.<span style=\"color: rgb(38, 38, 38);\"> </span>The critique of that work was the fact that I didn’t want to hang it on the wall and turn it into a tapestry. I really wanted it to be a rug that people could walk on. When I showed that work at Chicago Artists Coalition for the New City Breakout Artists show. There was a lot of pushback about having it on the floor and allowing people to walk on it.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That, to me, was such an important conversation, because, in my mind, the fact that you could walk across it and traverse it was part of how I was thinking about the object. Rugs are utilitarian–they are floor coverings. When you make art that doesn’t do anything, you don’t get to participate in that part of the conversation.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I enjoy sparring around art like that. I am totally tickled by the pushback. The critique of display is exciting, and sorting through the politics of utilitarianism in art spaces is fun to me. And then—it was so crazy—we ended up showing it halfway on the wall and halfway on the ground.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961829/r1zylkwfw9rkw191skdl.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist, </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Five O’Clock Somewhere</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, on display at </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Live, Laugh, Labor: Thoughts on Usefulness and Other Myths</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\"> at The Cleve Carney Museum of Art, 2025.</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: Oh, wow.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>I was like, this is the epitome of compromise! I had to build a structure so that it could hang that way safely.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>CGN: I would say just put it on the ground if that’s what you want to do. It’s interesting that there are still very fixed ideas about the way that art should be displayed.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>AC: </strong>That preparator part of it, that’s what I’m all about. I was having that conversation about what physically supports the work or what conceptually supports it in the way that it’s shown.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>CGN: Have you always been a writer? How do your art and writing practices work together?&nbsp;</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>I can’t say that I’m a writer, it’s probably the same way that it can feel weird to call yourself an artist. But I feel like I’ve always been relatively good at writing. The first time I ever did any kind of professional writing was contributing,&nbsp;a long time ago, to a website called eHow. The editors would send me a title, and then I would have to research how to do that thing. Then I would write out step-by-step instructions for how to do that.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>I think that’s how I had to make myself think through my conceptual practice—I had to do the research, coagulate that into some kind of document, and then I would have stream-of-consciousness conversations with myself. “Why are we interested in this? Why would we make it this way? What would I want to talk about if someone were to ask me about this?” It’s almost like I was pre-interviewing myself.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>I think the writing is just another way for me to process that idea before I put in all of the time and energy to actually accomplish it.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: What are you working on right now? What projects do you have coming up?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>The biggest project that I have right now is my house. My family and I suffered a major house fire on New Year’s Day. We’ve been displaced since then and are navigating rebuilding our house. It was a total loss.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961830/kekfqzf9f87fq48juogh.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist, </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Single-Use Fireplace</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, 2025. Photo: Mikey Mosher.</span></p><p><br></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>CGN: I’m so sorry to hear that.&nbsp;</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>Thank you. We’re all okay, but it’s been a really tumultuous year. I moved my studio into a storefront last summer, and so most of my, at least relatively recent, work is safe, and I still have all of my materials, but my home life is starting over. I just had my first full year at this space, and it’s got a little gallery built out in the front called Coming Soon. It’s beautiful with floor-to-ceiling windows on Division and Central Park. I’ve been inviting people into the space to try things out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>After teaching the ceramics class, I came into a bunch of nice slip casting molds, and I’m making some really playful, weird, ceramic stuff. I want to be open and not put too much pressure on myself. Having a big studio by myself is very expensive, so it’s easy to want to make it feel like it’s worth it. But if for now all I can do is make it a resource for other people, then that will be the thing I do. Be less selfish, but more selfish with my time. Saying I can’t do that, or I don’t want to do that. It’s not my nature to say no—I’m such a yes man. I’m learning how to be a yes man for myself.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: That makes sense after going through something so traumatic.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>AC:</strong> I have an amazing support system. Our friends started a GoFundMe. It was incredible. I’m so humbled and floored by how held I felt by Chicago. I can’t help but throw a little shout out to my Chicago people. I can see how people’s lives get totally ruined by this kind of tragedy. I feel so lucky. Chicago definitely showed its love back.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CGN: For your project Coming Soon, are you bringing in other artists?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>AC: </strong>My philosophy is that I want to be involved as little as possible. I am thinking about it more as a hosted than curated space. I’m actively soliciting proposals or ideas for workshops, meetings, book clubs—I’m down for making it a resource, whatever that means. I don’t want to over-think it, I want it to be an intuitive and organic thing, which is why I call it Coming Soon—it can be a placeholder for anything. It’s exciting. Taking my hands off the reins is a good exercise for me.</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.andicrist.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">andicrist.com</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961831/gno5dhliwfnzpuaim78s.jpg\"></p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Andi Crist, </span><em style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">Extension Cords</em><span style=\"color: rgb(136, 136, 136);\">, Glazed stoneware, chrome, Sizes vary 2021-present. Photo: Mikey Mosher</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>","published_at":"2026-09-10 01:00:00","state":"published","slug":"andi-crist-the-art-of-the-pun","type":null,"meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2026-09-09 13:50:32.441","updated_at":"2026-09-09 13:50:32.441","category_id":3,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'20':224B,338B '2007':219B '2010':639B '2021':17B,2614B '2023':607B '2024':106B '2025':897B,1789B,2169B '2026':30B '69':1238B 'abl':579B 'absorb':413B 'absurd':1412B 'ac':198B,313B,387B,637B,921B,964B,1261B,1533B,1793B,1853B,1905B,2120B,2181B,2427B,2506B 'access':1053B 'accomplish':2103B 'acknowledg':1337B,1450B 'across':1667B 'activ':2534B 'actual':1141B,1402B,2102B 'ago':1959B 'alabama':82B,169B,278B,287B,319B,330B 'alison':40B 'allow':1063B,1643B 'almost':337B,2069B 'along':939B 'alreadi':1001B 'also':1111B,1145B,1323B 'alway':555B,1892B,1937B 'amaz':2431B 'andi':1A,8B,37B,42B,182B,602B,893B,1236B,1764B,2163B,2605B 'andicrist.com':2604B 'anoth':1112B,1292B,1303B,1468B,2083B 'anyth':1697B,2588B 'argument':1041B 'around':859B,1713B 'art':4A,75B,84B,101B,145B,161B,209B,238B,241B,273B,366B,385B,464B,465B,618B,821B,845B,860B,971B,1217B,1235B,1309B,1692B,1714B,1738B,1788B,1849B,1899B 'artist':126B,181B,258B,270B,481B,560B,604B,696B,771B,800B,1032B,1044B,1159B,1227B,1243B,1285B,1304B,1324B,1347B,1374B,1396B,1621B,1628B,1930B,2505B 'artwork':838B 'ask':194B,1448B,1465B,2063B 'attempt':1128B 'audienc':963B 'autotel':667B 'back':323B,1274B,2493B 'background':564B,615B 'banana':1239B 'beauti':2259B 'becom':455B 'believ':1050B 'big':262B,2323B 'biggest':968B,2122B 'birmingham':81B,168B,213B 'block':1432B 'block-styl':1431B 'board':1025B 'book':2542B 'breakout':1627B 'bring':2502B 'build':71B,674B,1806B 'built':2249B 'bunch':425B,2292B 'butcher':1429B 'call':666B,1927B,1963B,2254B,2578B 'came':2289B 'capit':974B 'care':68B 'career':399B 'carney':908B,1785B 'carpent':392B 'carri':350B 'cast':2296B 'ceil':2264B 'central':2269B 'ceram':369B,515B,2286B,2306B 'ceramicist':123B 'cgn':27B,163B,195B,306B,361B,611B,898B,928B,1240B,1461B,1790B,1817B,1889B,2105B,2173B,2417B,2494B 'cheeki':1107B 'chicago':97B,117B,217B,335B,1620B,2454B,2467B,2488B 'chicagoan':312B 'children':1480B 'chose':1523B 'chrome':14B,2611B 'citi':348B,1626B 'class':85B,517B,2287B 'cleve':907B,1784B 'clever':1121B 'clock':1472B,1768B 'club':2543B 'coagul':2020B 'coalit':1622B 'collabor':1356B 'colleg':104B 'columbia':103B,645B 'come':1066B,2118B,2255B,2498B,2580B 'communiti':210B,298B,586B 'complic':1268B,1343B 'compromis':1802B 'conceptu':125B,459B,1879B,2012B 'connect':206B,960B,1187B 'conscious':2035B 'consid':1225B 'continu':281B 'contribut':855B,1298B,1339B,1955B 'controversi':1563B 'convers':57B,798B,858B,1656B,1709B,1870B,2036B 'copi':34B 'cord':11B,2608B 'could':1399B,1611B,1665B,1812B 'cover':1688B 'craft':469B 'craftsperson':477B 'craftswoman':411B 'crazi':1749B 'creat':1197B 'creativ':156B,419B 'credit':242B 'crist':2A,9B,38B,43B,77B,183B,603B,894B,1237B,1765B,2164B,2606B 'critic':969B 'critiqu':942B,1577B,1725B 'crossword':1139B 'cultur':1249B 'curat':688B,801B,2530B 'curious':1520B 'cycl':601B 'dad':389B 'day':2145B 'deepli':69B 'defens':1061B 'definit':234B,2489B 'demeanor':47B 'depict':1530B 'desir':292B 'devour':83B 'didn':1586B 'differ':427B,508B 'difficult':744B 'discuss':136B 'displac':2149B 'display':1727B,1771B,1852B 'distinct':1265B 'divis':2267B 'document':2026B 'doesn':1694B 'drew':373B 'drop':1060B 'easi':2333B 'easili':978B 'econom':818B 'editor':1966B 'effort':887B 'ego':1162B 'ehow':1964B 'element':460B 'end':589B,990B,1751B 'energi':2100B 'engag':46B 'enjoy':1711B 'enorm':1307B 'environ':173B 'epitom':1800B 'essenti':1456B 'eventu':708B,839B 'ever':192B,1947B 'everi':324B 'everybodi':926B 'everyth':872B 'evid':49B 'excit':1729B,2591B 'exercis':2601B 'exhibit':805B,904B 'exist':1002B,1460B 'exot':1425B 'expand':296B 'expens':2329B 'experi':141B,636B,751B,1254B 'expertis':1297B 'explor':457B,1246B 'extens':10B,2607B 'extrem':1417B 'fabric':149B,379B,551B 'fact':1583B,1662B 'fair':895B 'fall':29B 'famili':315B,2133B 'familiar':304B 'feed':600B,842B 'feel':1069B,1924B,1933B,2339B,2485B 'felt':2452B 'figur':697B 'finish':432B,512B 'fire':2140B 'fireplac':2168B 'first':52B,737B,1944B,2236B 'five':1470B,1766B 'fix':1843B 'floor':1641B,1687B,2262B,2447B 'floor-to-ceil':2261B 'foothold':1017B 'forthcom':63B 'fountain':1512B 'friend':357B,2435B 'front':1271B,2253B 'fu':1442B 'fuel':867B 'full':1314B,2237B 'fun':1741B 'funni':188B,1098B 'gain':710B 'galleri':568B,665B,731B,767B,2248B 'gather':815B 'gave':289B 'generous':58B 'get':531B,625B,724B,1037B,1074B,1130B,1701B,2476B 'give':1014B 'glaze':12B,2609B 'go':322B,446B,2422B 'gofundm':2438B 'good':1940B,2600B 'got':549B,2245B 'grad':1381B 'graduat':250B,643B 'grasp':1136B 'grew':78B,165B 'ground':1763B,1826B 'halfway':1755B,1760B 'hand':892B,2594B 'handicraft':540B 'handl':837B 'handler':146B,619B 'hang':1590B,1813B 'hardwood':1426B 'hear':795B,2179B 'heart':1167B,1537B 'held':2450B 'help':694B,958B,2458B 'hey':1351B 'hierarchi':1247B,1279B 'high':92B,246B 'hobbyist':395B 'hold':1087B 'holocaust':733B 'home':2227B 'host':2528B 'hous':1273B,1276B,2131B,2139B,2157B 'humbl':2445B 'humor':938B,953B,1054B 'idea':1371B,1844B,2090B,2538B 'identifi':309B,341B 'illinoi':115B,131B 'imag':1504B,1532B 'impact':263B 'import':754B,1012B,1335B,1655B 'incorpor':937B 'incred':410B,2441B 'industri':1308B 'inform':812B 'inlaid':1420B 'instal':701B 'institut':132B,1251B 'instruct':1993B 'intellectu':983B,1052B,1120B 'interact':1344B 'interest':1837B,2042B 'interview':23B,2075B 'intuit':2570B 'invit':725B,2274B 'involv':1330B,2515B 'isn':1163B 'issu':31B 'jeff':609B 'job':865B 'joke':1076B,1209B,1540B 'joy':1125B 'kid':239B 'kind':1006B,1105B,1950B,2024B,2481B 'know':714B,832B 'know-how':831B 'knowledg':1295B 'labor':155B,920B,944B,1281B,1775B 'ladder':606B,1245B,1263B,1376B 'landscap':1546B 'languag':1199B 'larg':1511B 'larger':764B 'last':2203B 'laugh':360B,911B,916B,919B,922B,1774B 'learn':438B,520B,760B,2408B 'learner':574B 'least':2211B 'less':2370B 'level':534B,1102B 'librari':1488B 'life':2228B 'like':252B,556B,577B,1070B,1081B,1132B,1350B,1440B,1715B,1796B,1934B,2070B,2340B 'line':882B 'littl':2247B,2462B,2517B 'live':228B,317B,345B,648B,910B,915B,918B,1773B,2475B 'lo':912B 'logan':654B 'long':881B,1957B 'look':1115B 'loss':2162B 'lot':494B,810B,994B,1393B,1517B,1575B,1633B 'love':327B,917B,930B,1179B,1185B,2492B 'lucki':2487B 'm':571B,1519B,1863B,1912B,2175B,2300B,2401B,2407B,2443B,2533B,2545B 'made':792B,1373B,1423B 'major':2138B 'make':76B,371B,386B,463B,485B,492B,502B,591B,632B,806B,851B,992B,1083B,1181B,1317B,1327B,1369B,1691B,2007B,2048B,2301B,2337B,2354B,2419B,2548B 'man':2405B,2414B 'mani':891B 'master':476B 'mat':1483B 'materi':2224B 'matter':748B 'mayb':200B,331B,1033B 'mean':2554B 'meant':693B 'media':509B 'medium':1528B 'meet':2541B 'method':380B 'methodolog':869B 'mfa':110B 'mikey':20B,2171B,2617B 'mind':1660B 'minim':683B 'minut':54B 'mode':500B 'model':417B 'mold':370B,524B,2297B 'mom':404B,415B 'mosher':21B,2172B,2618B 'move':95B,215B,2197B 'much':440B,1147B,1290B,1444B,2317B 'multidisciplinari':138B 'multipli':545B 'museum':729B,734B,738B,909B,1786B 'music':90B 'myth':1781B 'natur':2396B 'navig':2154B 'necessarili':431B 'negat':529B 'neither':1220B 'never':203B 'new':1625B,2142B 'nice':2294B 'nobodi':190B 'o':1471B,1767B 'object':1681B 'observ':66B 'obvious':1022B 'offic':1507B 'oh':196B,1791B 'okay':2187B 'one':235B,240B,965B 'open':2312B 'order':483B 'organ':2572B 'output':547B 'outsid':299B 'over':982B 'over-think':2560B 'overbuilt':1418B 'parent':1192B,1223B 'park':1508B,1516B,2270B 'part':25B,1149B,1673B,1706B,1856B 'particip':1703B 'partner':658B 'peac':1503B 'peopl':490B,1015B,1064B,1190B,1204B,1316B,1321B,1332B,1610B,1644B,2275B,2360B,2468B,2473B 'perfect':935B 'perlman':610B 'person':359B,827B,1049B,1152B,1293B 'philosophi':2508B 'photo':19B,608B,2170B,2616B 'physic':1413B,1552B,1873B 'piec':1264B,1469B 'place':1023B 'placehold':2586B 'plaid':1434B 'play':89B,954B,1482B,2304B 'point':176B,628B 'polit':1734B 'posit':527B 'possibl':2519B 'practic':139B,367B,450B,846B,1310B,1902B,2013B 'pre':2074B 'pre-interview':2073B 'prepar':147B,621B,775B,1855B 'present':18B,2615B 'pressur':2318B 'probabl':1917B 'process':803B,884B,2088B 'produc':523B 'product':516B,536B 'profession':480B,1952B 'professor':407B 'project':2114B,2123B,2497B 'propos':2536B 'psycholog':401B 'pun':7A,1196B 'purchas':32B 'purpos':1009B 'pushback':1635B,1723B 'put':1822B,2093B,2315B 'puzzl':1140B 'qualiti':354B 'question':189B 'race':1421B 'rais':1193B 'rather':537B 're':777B,785B,794B,2185B 'real':1008B 'realli':193B,197B,753B,786B,1172B,1363B,1387B,1439B,1602B,2193B,2303B 'rebuild':2155B 'receiv':108B 'recent':903B,2213B 'refer':498B,998B 'reflect':1257B 'reilli':41B 'rein':2597B 'relat':1939B,2212B 'relationship':72B,1200B,1269B,1288B,1390B 'remind':1491B 'repres':1266B,1388B 'reput':712B 'requir':244B,504B,886B 'research':1978B,2019B 'resembl':1478B 'reson':488B 'resourc':684B,2357B,2551B 'result':878B 'right':640B,2111B,2127B 'role':951B 'rug':1476B,1494B,1525B,1608B,1682B 'ruin':2478B 'safe':1816B,2216B 'satisfact':1134B 'sausag':790B 'say':1562B,1820B,1909B,2378B,2398B 'school':93B,247B,1382B 'sculptor':122B 'see':787B,871B,1496B,2471B 'self':599B 'self-feed':598B 'selfish':2371B,2374B 'send':1968B 'sens':2420B 'serious':1156B 'seven':253B 'shape':174B,1255B 'share':581B 'shout':2463B 'show':689B,1616B,1629B,1753B,2490B 'shown':1888B 'side':780B 'sinc':226B,2150B 'singl':2166B 'single-us':2165B 'size':15B,2612B 'skill':583B,1453B 'slip':2295B 'social':353B 'solicit':2535B 'someon':2060B 'someth':486B,1173B,1567B,2424B 'somewher':1473B,1769B 'song':87B 'soon':2256B,2499B,2581B 'sorri':913B,2177B 'sort':1731B 'south':231B 'southern':344B,358B 'space':670B,707B,783B,1206B,1739B,2241B,2278B,2531B 'spar':1712B 'squar':655B 'start':663B,687B,723B,841B,2230B,2436B 'step':1990B,1992B 'step-by-step':1989B 'still':316B,1841B,2219B 'stonewar':13B,2610B 'storefront':651B,2202B 'straddl':778B 'stream':2033B 'stream-of-consci':2032B 'stripe':1422B 'structur':1404B,1458B,1808B 'student':519B 'studi':99B 'studio':2199B,2324B 'stuff':2307B 'style':1433B 'subject':747B 'subscrib':36B 'success':1301B 'suffer':2136B 'summer':2204B 'super':205B 'support':1403B,1457B,1874B,1880B,2432B 'surfac':1101B 'surround':256B,1513B 'sweep':1040B 'swift':1057B 'system':2433B 'take':1154B,2592B 'talk':1572B,2057B 'tapestri':1600B 'taught':1229B 'teach':129B,283B,513B,2284B 'teacher':274B 'technolog':134B 'thank':2182B 'theater':566B 'theme':1260B 'thing':428B,999B,1091B,1182B,1202B,1318B,1361B,1414B,1983B,2281B,2366B,2573B 'think':153B,525B,612B,985B,1233B,1678B,2000B,2009B,2078B,2522B,2562B 'thought':889B,941B,1029B,1776B 'throw':2460B 'tickl':1720B 'time':61B,661B,1095B,1499B,1945B,1958B,2098B,2377B 'titl':900B,932B,1971B 'togeth':1904B 'tool':680B 'top':1435B 'total':1719B,2161B,2477B 'touch':835B 'tragedi':2483B 'train':276B,1027B 'traumat':2426B 'travers':1553B,1670B 'tri':294B,423B,436B,2280B 'tumultu':2194B 'turn':1409B,1596B 'type':377B,383B,719B,863B 'uic':1384B 'understand':1079B,1207B,1216B 'univers':113B 'unusu':706B 'use':677B,1778B,2167B 'utilitarian':1684B,1736B 'valu':158B,946B,1252B 'vari':16B,365B,2613B 'varieti':506B 've':554B,1341B,1936B,2147B,2272B 'view':178B 'visual':100B 'voraci':573B 'walk':1612B,1646B,1666B 'wall':1594B,1758B 'want':849B,1354B,1366B,1463B,1548B,1560B,1588B,1603B,1832B,2055B,2309B,2335B,2388B,2512B,2558B,2565B 'warehous':1313B 'warm':45B 'warn':896B 'way':543B,1058B,1113B,1213B,1815B,1847B,1884B,1920B,2051B,2084B 'websit':1962B 'weird':1925B,2305B 'west':653B 'whatev':2552B 'window':2265B 'without':1068B 'woodwork':121B,368B,396B 'wool':1475B 'work':142B,269B,285B,496B,557B,569B,592B,633B,703B,721B,727B,740B,768B,772B,852B,949B,996B,1084B,1142B,1242B,1328B,1485B,1580B,1618B,1876B,1903B,2109B,2214B 'workplac':1248B 'workshop':2540B 'world':162B,765B,822B,875B 'worst':679B 'worth':2343B 'would':1224B,1819B,1967B,1975B,1986B,2030B,2046B,2053B 'wow':1792B 'write':1901B,1942B,1953B,1987B,2080B 'writer':1895B,1914B 'wrote':86B 'yeah':199B 'year':225B,325B,339B,453B,2143B,2195B,2238B 'yes':2404B,2413B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788961816/q8i9yimdkrhqptwlczmp.jpg","editor_pick":true},{"id":13766,"title":"Anticipating a Season of Art: Five to Talk to – Debra Kerr","excerpt":"","body":"<p>Fall offers a full slate of exhibitions across galleries and museums throughout the Midwest.&nbsp;Behind the scenes, many people in the community are working tirelessly to support artists and bring fresh perspectives to the public. We spoke&nbsp;with five insiders about what excites them now&nbsp;and what they anticipate next.</p><p><br></p><p><em>The following preview is one of five conversations that appear in CGN's Fall 2026 magazine. To receive a copy of the print edition&nbsp;</em><a href=\"https://835ba3.myshopify.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>click here.&nbsp;</em></a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><img src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1789516769/izokunnmrufdyjbjnypk.jpg\"></p><h4><em>Debra Kerr –&nbsp;</em></h4><h4><em>CEO, Intuit Art Museum</em></h4><p><br></p><p>“Intuit Art Museum’s renovated, expanded spaces give audiences the chance to connect with art through daily art-making, third Thursday Art After Work, group Slow Looks designed to provide a mindful experience with a single work and upcoming conversations with sculptor Bill Brady (Oct. 3) and Dr. Mary Trent (Oct. 15), who curated our current exhibition on the role of scrapbook-making in Henry Darger’s art.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>On view is the thought-provoking <em>Monumental: The Sculpture of Dr. Charles Smith</em>, which encourages guests to consider the lack of historical representation of African Americans and Black people in America. Dr. Smith’s memorials champion Black history and stories of everyday life he sees missing in mainstream narratives.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>This fall we’re opening an exhibition of paintings by Karla Wong, an artist who immigrated from Oaxaca and who explores themes of life and death, gender identity and self-discovery.”</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://art.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Intuit Art Museum</a></p>","published_at":"2026-09-09 00:30:00","state":"published","slug":"anticipating-a-season-of-art-five-to-talk-to-debra-kerr","type":null,"meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2026-09-15 23:59:29.662","updated_at":"2026-09-15 23:59:29.662","category_id":3,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'15':146B '2026':76B '3':140B 'across':19B 'african':189B 'america':195B 'american':190B 'anticip':1A,60B 'appear':71B 'art':5A,92B,95B,108B,112B,116B,163B,247B 'art-mak':111B 'artist':39B,227B 'audienc':102B 'behind':26B 'bill':137B 'black':192B,201B 'bradi':138B 'bring':41B 'ceo':90B 'cgn':73B 'champion':200B 'chanc':104B 'charl':176B 'click':86B 'communiti':33B 'connect':106B 'consid':182B 'convers':69B,134B 'copi':81B 'curat':148B 'current':150B 'daili':110B 'darger':161B 'death':239B 'debra':10A,88B 'design':122B 'discoveri':245B 'dr':142B,175B,196B 'edit':85B 'encourag':179B 'everyday':206B 'excit':54B 'exhibit':18B,151B,220B 'expand':99B 'experi':127B 'explor':234B 'fall':12B,75B,215B 'five':6A,50B,68B 'follow':63B 'fresh':42B 'full':15B 'galleri':20B 'gender':240B 'give':101B 'group':119B 'guest':180B 'henri':160B 'histor':186B 'histori':202B 'ident':241B 'immigr':229B 'insid':51B 'intuit':91B,94B,246B 'karla':224B 'kerr':11A,89B 'lack':184B 'life':207B,237B 'look':121B 'magazin':77B 'mainstream':212B 'make':113B,158B 'mani':29B 'mari':143B 'memori':199B 'midwest':25B 'mind':126B 'miss':210B 'monument':171B 'museum':22B,93B,96B,248B 'narrat':213B 'next':61B 'oaxaca':231B 'oct':139B,145B 'offer':13B 'one':66B 'open':218B 'paint':222B 'peopl':30B,193B 'perspect':43B 'preview':64B 'print':84B 'provid':124B 'provok':170B 'public':46B 're':217B 'receiv':79B 'renov':98B 'represent':187B 'role':154B 'scene':28B 'scrapbook':157B 'scrapbook-mak':156B 'sculptor':136B 'sculptur':173B 'season':3A 'see':209B 'self':244B 'self-discoveri':243B 'singl':130B 'slate':16B 'slow':120B 'smith':177B,197B 'space':100B 'spoke':48B 'stori':204B 'support':38B 'talk':8A 'theme':235B 'third':114B 'thought':169B 'thought-provok':168B 'throughout':23B 'thursday':115B 'tireless':36B 'trent':144B 'upcom':133B 'view':165B 'wong':225B 'work':35B,118B,131B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1788406120/wgkj5rkg0rq42watsxad.jpg","editor_pick":true}]}