![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2838/original/gates.jpg\")
Sabina Ott, artist, professor and local creative champion died at age 62. After a four-year battle with cancer, Ott passed away at home Tuesday, June 26. She exhibited extensively throughout Chicago any beyond, and she was represented by Aspect/Ratio. Read more here.
\r\n\r\nLong-time art dealer Roy Boyd died on Wednesday nearly four years after closing his eponymous River North gallery. Read CGN's full tribute here.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers announced that the firm appointed Thomas Galbraith as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 4, 2018. He succeeds Hindman who founded the firm in 1982. The appointment follows a private equity investment that positions the firm for aggressive growth.
\r\n
\r\nGalbraith co-founded The Petraeus Group in 2010. The consulting firm has provided growth and start-up strategies to Steven Murphy & Partners, Art Dubai, Paddle8, Arthena and numerous other luxury brands and VC firms. During this time, Galbraith also served as Managing Director of Paddle8 and prior to that as Director of Global Strategy for Artnet. He was most recently appointed interim CEO by the board of Twyla, a Google Ventures backed startup, tasked with repositioning the company towards a more profitable future.
Hindman will be stepping back from the day-to-day operations of the auction house and said, “We are extremely excited to have Thomas join us as CEO. With his experience at the cross section of technology and art, and his reputation as a thought leader in the industry, we are poised for future expansion." Hindman will still serve as Chair of the firm's board.
\r\n\r\nMelanee Cooper Gallery, which was based in Chicago in River North until closing in 2009 when Cooper relocated to California, will be re-opening after a nine year hiatus. Cooper calls her return to her original gallery space at 740 N. Franklin Street "serendipitous." Cooper is pleased to be among her old neighbors and plans a September 7 opening in conjunction with fellow River North galleries and the River North Design District.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Richard Gray Gallery artist and Stony Island Arts Bank founder Theaster Gates received the Kurt Schwitters Prize. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of Theaster Gates: Black Madonna opening at Sprengel Museum Hannover. Spanning across four European institutions, Black Madonna is a multi-part project that explores the history of the black woman and her image. Additionally Theaster Gates: Black Madonna at the Kunstmuseum Basel takes place in two of the museum’s locations.
\r\n\r\n
Ben Blount, whose exhibition Typecast is on view at Aron Packer Projects in the CGN office through July 28, has a billboard up on the 606 Trail at Kimball Ave. featuring his Make American Great Again art – read between the lines when you go by.
\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2841/original/blount.jpg\")
Artist Lynn Basa has received the largest public art commission in the history of the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods for Worker Cottage Parklet, a sculptural installation that pays homage to the traditional Chicago “worker cottages” frequently found in working- and middle-class neighborhoods in the nineteenth century. The $80,000 commission was awarded to Basa by Wicker Park Bucktown Special Service Area #33, the neighborhood’s business improvement district, after an extensive call for artists and jury process led by Chicago art professionals.
\r\n\r\nBasa’s Worker Cottage Parklet will be installed by July 2018 at the highly visible intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Wood Street in Wicker Park. The intersection was redesigned in 2014 by the Chicago Department of Transportation in collaboration with WPB SSA #33 and 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno, to create a safer transit environment and develop a location specifically for a future public artwork.
\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2839/original/worker-cottage.jpg\")
A giant silver hand by artist Kavi Gupta Gallery artist Tony Tasset is part of FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art. When finished, the 7-ton work will stand 21 feet high. FRONT will be held July 14–Sept. 30 at 18 venues and dozens of sites in downtown Cleveland, Ohio City, University Circle, Akron and Oberlin. (Image pictured at top of page)
\r\n\r\nChicago Art Department is excited to announce the pilot program for the Core Residency Program, an ambitious intervention in the field, one that will challenge artists, organizers, cultural producers to lead studio work, exhibitions, and public programs around topics that matter.
\r\n
\r\nEach of CAD's Core Residencies will come with the challenge of exploring inside a specific topic, and will be fully-funded with stipends and budgets to support professional development. Core Stipends will be $2000 per residency, which will include $500 to specifically support professional development enrolling in outside programs at organizations such as Hyde Park Art Center, Lillstreet Art Center, Spudnik Press, and Chicago Artists Coalition. Applications are due July 8, 2018.
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/chigal/rich/rich_files/rich_files/2840/original/cad.jpg\")
\r\n\r\n
Top of page: Tony Tasset's giant hand sculpture will be installed in Cleveland as part of FRONT
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
SaveSave\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","published_at":"2018-06-29 00:00:00","state":"published","slug":"in-the-news-updates-from-the-cgn-art-community-vol-2","type":"NewsPost","meta_description":"A mostly monthly round up of news from around the Chicago art world.","text":null,"created_at":"2018-06-27 03:52:04","updated_at":"2018-10-22 21:07:32.684514","category_id":1,"highlighted":null,"searchable":"'000':552B '14':689B '18':693B '1982':134B '1st':630B '2':11A '2000':792B '2009':315B '2010':157B '2014':616B '2018':125B,596B,830B '21':681B '26':60B '28':474B '30':691B '33':565B,628B '4':124B '500':798B '606':481B '62':44B '7':359B,676B '740':341B '8':829B '80':551B 'across':415B 'addit':438B 'age':43B 'aggress':147B 'akron':706B 'alderman':632B 'also':189B 'ambiti':732B 'american':489B 'among':351B 'announc':111B,715B,722B 'applic':825B 'appoint':115B,136B,211B 'area':564B 'aron':465B 'around':753B 'art':8A,20B,80B,103B,173B,273B,386B,492B,509B,584B,672B,717B,814B,817B 'art-world':19B 'arthena':176B 'artist':35B,374B,382B,501B,577B,656B,660B,741B,823B 'artnet':206B 'artwork':650B 'aspect/ratio':73B 'auction':110B,248B 'ave':485B 'avenu':604B 'award':375B,397B,555B 'away':55B 'back':222B,238B 'bank':387B 'basa':503B,557B,586B 'base':306B 'basel':446B 'battl':50B 'ben':456B 'beyond':67B 'billboard':477B 'black':407B,419B,433B,441B 'blount':457B 'board':216B,300B 'boyd':83B 'brand':181B 'bucktown':519B,561B 'budget':783B 'busi':569B 'cad':759B 'california':320B 'call':332B,575B 'cancer':52B 'center':815B,818B 'centuri':549B 'ceo':213B,262B 'ceremoni':398B 'cgn':7A,14B,98B,470B 'chair':295B 'challeng':740B,767B 'champion':40B 'chang':24B 'chicago':65B,308B,534B,583B,619B,716B,822B 'chief':119B 'circl':705B 'citi':703B 'class':544B 'cleveland':668B,701B,844B 'close':91B,313B 'co':151B 'co-found':150B 'coalit':824B 'collabor':624B 'come':764B 'commiss':510B,553B 'communiti':9A 'compani':228B 'conjunct':362B 'consult':159B 'contemporari':671B 'cooper':302B,317B,331B,346B 'core':728B,761B,788B 'cottag':523B,536B,589B 'creat':636B 'creativ':39B 'cross':268B 'cultur':743B 'day':242B,244B 'day-to-day':241B 'dealer':81B 'depart':620B,718B 'design':372B 'develop':642B,787B,803B 'die':41B,84B 'director':193B,201B 'district':373B,571B 'downtown':700B 'dozen':696B 'dubai':174B 'due':827B 'effect':122B 'elsewher':378B 'email':30B 'enrol':804B 'environ':640B 'eponym':93B 'equiti':140B 'european':417B 'excit':255B,720B 'execut':120B 'exhibit':62B,377B,459B,749B 'expans':289B 'experi':265B 'explor':428B,769B 'extens':63B,574B 'extrem':254B 'featur':486B 'feet':682B 'fellow':364B 'field':736B 'finish':674B 'firm':114B,132B,145B,160B,184B,298B 'follow':137B 'found':130B,152B,538B 'founder':388B 'four':48B,88B,416B 'four-year':47B 'franklin':343B 'frequent':537B 'front':666B,684B,848B 'full':100B 'fulli':778B 'fully-fund':777B 'fund':779B 'futur':233B,288B,648B 'galbraith':117B,149B,188B 'galleri':96B,303B,338B,367B,381B,659B 'gate':390B,406B,440B 'giant':652B,837B 'global':203B 'go':499B 'googl':220B 'gray':380B 'great':490B 'group':155B 'growth':148B,163B 'gupta':658B 'hand':654B,838B 'hannov':413B 'held':687B 'hiatus':330B 'high':599B,683B 'hindman':109B,128B,234B,290B 'histori':430B,513B 'homag':530B 'home':57B 'hous':249B 'hyde':812B 'imag':437B,709B 'improv':570B 'includ':797B 'industri':283B 'insid':770B 'instal':527B,593B,842B 'institut':418B 'interim':212B 'intern':667B 'intersect':601B,612B 'intervent':733B 'invest':141B 'island':385B 'joe':633B 'join':259B 'juli':473B,595B,688B,828B 'june':59B,123B 'juri':579B 'kavi':657B 'kimbal':484B 'kunstmuseum':445B 'kurt':393B 'largest':507B 'lead':746B 'leader':280B 'led':581B 'lesli':108B 'lillstreet':816B 'line':496B 'local':38B 'locat':455B,644B 'long':78B 'long-tim':77B 'luxuri':180B 'lynn':502B 'madonna':408B,420B,442B 'make':488B 'manag':192B 'matter':756B 'melane':301B 'middl':543B 'middle-class':542B 'milwauke':603B 'moreno':634B 'move':105B 'multi':424B 'multi-part':423B 'murphi':171B 'museum':412B,453B 'n':342B 'near':87B 'neighbor':354B 'neighborhood':520B,545B,567B 'news':3A,22B,29B 'nine':328B 'nineteenth':548B 'north':95B,311B,366B,371B 'numer':178B 'oberlin':708B 'occas':403B 'offic':121B,471B 'ohio':702B 'old':353B 'one':737B 'open':325B,360B,409B 'oper':245B 'organ':742B,809B 'origin':337B 'ott':34B,53B 'outsid':806B 'packer':466B 'paddle8':175B,195B 'page':714B,833B 'park':517B,560B,610B,813B 'parklet':524B,590B 'part':425B,664B,846B 'partner':172B 'pass':32B,54B 'pay':529B 'per':793B 'petraeus':154B 'pictur':710B 'pilot':724B 'place':400B,448B 'plan':356B 'pleas':348B 'pois':286B 'posit':143B 'press':820B 'prior':197B 'privat':139B 'prize':395B 'process':580B 'produc':744B 'profession':585B,786B,802B 'professor':36B 'profit':232B 'program':725B,730B,752B,807B 'project':426B,467B 'provid':162B 'public':508B,649B,751B 're':324B 're-open':323B 'read':74B,97B,493B 'receiv':391B,505B 'recent':18B,210B 'redesign':614B 'reloc':318B 'reposit':226B 'repres':71B 'reput':276B 'resid':729B,762B,794B 'return':334B 'richard':379B 'river':94B,310B,365B,370B 'roy':82B 'sabina':33B 'safer':638B 'said':251B 'save':849B,850B 'schwitter':394B 'sculptur':526B,839B 'section':269B 'send':26B 'sept':690B 'septemb':358B 'serendipit':345B 'serv':190B,293B 'servic':563B 'silver':653B 'site':698B 'space':339B 'span':414B 'special':562B 'specif':645B,772B,800B 'sprengel':411B 'spudnik':819B 'ssa':627B 'stand':680B 'start':166B 'start-up':165B 'startup':223B 'step':237B 'steven':170B 'still':292B 'stipend':781B,789B 'stoni':384B 'strategi':168B,204B 'street':344B,607B 'studio':747B 'succeed':127B 'summari':16B 'support':785B,801B 'take':447B 'task':224B 'tasset':662B,835B 'technolog':271B 'theaster':389B,405B,439B 'thoma':116B,258B 'thought':279B 'throughout':64B 'time':79B,187B 'ton':677B 'toni':661B,834B 'took':399B 'top':712B,831B 'topic':754B,773B 'toward':229B 'tradit':533B 'trail':482B 'transit':639B 'transport':622B 'tribut':101B 'triennial':669B 'tuesday':58B 'two':450B 'twyla':218B 'typecast':460B 'univers':704B 'updat':4A,107B 'us':27B,31B,260B 'vc':183B 'ventur':221B 'venu':694B 'view':463B 'visibl':600B 'vol':10A 'ward':631B 'wednesday':86B 'whose':458B 'wicker':516B,559B,609B 'woman':434B 'wood':606B 'work':540B,678B,748B 'worker':522B,535B,588B 'world':21B,104B 'wpb':626B 'year':49B,89B,329B","thumbnail":null,"editor_pick":false,"category_name":"Announcements"},"related":[{"id":14456,"title":"Illinois Holocaust Museum to Reopen November 11 Following Renovation","excerpt":"","body":"
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1792084737/qrikvx76nvvt5agq24rq.jpg\")
By CGN STAFF
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center will reopen its Skokie location on November 11, 2026, following a renovation that expands visitor spaces, updates its core Holocaust exhibition and adds a new reflection gallery. The reopening is timed to coincide with Veterans Day. Active military personnel, veterans and their families will receive free admission that day.
The project includes a redesigned Lillian & Larry Goodman Auditorium and Gallery, an enlarged lobby in the Shapiro Family Foundation Welcome Center, and a refreshed Resilience Hall with an expanded stage for presentations and public programs.
Updates to the Zev & Shifra Karkomi Holocaust Exhibition include additional material on the roots of antisemitism, the story of Chicago resident Leo Edelman, and the experiences of other groups targeted by the Nazis. A new reflection gallery, accessible from the exhibition, offers visitors a quiet space during and after their visit.
“Every visitor’s experience now begins differently and runs deeper,” said Kelley Szany, the Museum’s senior vice president of education and exhibitions. “The new welcome center sets the tone from the moment people arrive, the enhanced core Holocaust exhibition brings the history and the voices of survivors into sharper focus, and our new auditorium gives us a place to gather, listen, and talk about what it means for our communities today.”
Existing attractions, including the virtual reality theater, the interactive Survivor Stories Experience holographic theater, the Take A Stand Center and the Voices of Genocide Exhibition, will remain part of the Museum’s offerings.
Following the reopening, Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare will open November 15 in the special exhibition gallery. Created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the exhibition examines the intersections of politics, antisemitism, freedom of speech and national security during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. It will remain on view through March 2027.
The Museum’s satellite location in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Experience360, will remain open through December 31, 2026. The downtown space opened during the Skokie renovation to provide continued access to the Museum’s immersive exhibitions.
For information and ticket reservations, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org.
Image: Museum exterior. Photo by David Seide/Definedspace.com
","published_at":"2026-10-15 09:32:55.31","state":"published","slug":"illinois-holocaust-museum-to-reopen-november-11-following-renovation","type":null,"meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2026-10-15 17:18:57.712","updated_at":"2026-10-15 17:18:57.712","category_id":1,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'11':7A,25B '15':269B '1940s':304B '1950s':306B '2026':26B,333B '2027':314B '31':332B 'access':139B,345B 'activ':54B 'add':40B 'addit':111B 'admiss':64B 'antisemit':117B,291B 'arriv':187B 'attract':226B 'auditorium':75B,207B 'begin':158B 'blacklist':261B 'bring':193B 'center':17B,87B,179B,243B 'cgn':11B 'chicago':121B,321B 'coincid':50B 'communiti':223B 'continu':344B 'core':36B,190B 'creat':275B 'david':364B 'day':53B,66B 'decemb':331B 'deeper':162B 'differ':159B 'downtown':335B 'edelman':124B 'educ':16B,173B 'enhanc':189B 'enlarg':79B 'everi':153B 'examin':286B 'exhibit':38B,109B,142B,175B,192B,249B,273B,285B,351B 'exist':225B 'expand':31B,95B 'experi':127B,156B,236B 'experience360':326B 'exterior':361B 'famili':60B,84B 'focus':203B 'follow':8A,27B,258B 'foundat':85B 'free':63B 'freedom':292B 'galleri':44B,77B,138B,274B 'gather':213B 'genocid':248B 'give':208B 'goodman':74B 'group':130B 'hall':92B 'histori':195B 'hollywood':263B 'holocaust':2A,14B,37B,108B,191B 'holograph':237B 'ilholocaustmuseum.org':358B 'illinoi':1A,13B 'imag':359B 'immers':350B 'includ':69B,110B,227B 'inform':353B 'interact':233B 'intersect':288B 'jewish':281B 'karkomi':107B 'kelley':164B 'larri':73B 'leo':123B 'lillian':72B 'listen':214B 'loan':279B 'lobbi':80B 'locat':22B,319B 'march':313B 'materi':112B 'mean':220B 'militari':55B 'milwauke':283B 'moment':185B 'museum':3A,15B,167B,255B,282B,316B,348B,360B 'nation':296B 'nazi':134B 'neighborhood':325B 'new':42B,136B,177B,206B 'north':324B 'novemb':6A,24B,268B 'offer':143B,257B 'open':267B,329B,337B 'part':252B 'peopl':186B 'personnel':56B 'photo':362B 'place':211B 'polit':290B 'present':98B 'presid':171B 'program':101B 'project':68B 'provid':343B 'public':100B 'quiet':146B 'realiti':230B 'receiv':62B 'red':264B,300B 'redesign':71B 'reflect':43B,137B 'refresh':90B 'remain':251B,309B,328B 'renov':9A,29B,341B 'reopen':5A,19B,46B,260B 'reserv':356B 'resid':122B 'resili':91B 'river':323B 'root':115B 'run':161B 'said':163B 'satellit':318B 'scare':265B,301B 'secur':297B 'seide/definedspace.com':365B 'senior':169B 'set':180B 'shapiro':83B 'sharper':202B 'shifra':106B 'skoki':21B,340B 'space':33B,147B,336B 'special':272B 'speech':294B 'staff':12B 'stage':96B 'stand':242B 'stori':119B,235B 'survivor':200B,234B 'szani':165B 'take':240B 'talk':216B 'target':131B 'theater':231B,238B 'ticket':355B 'time':48B 'today':224B 'tone':182B 'updat':34B,102B 'us':209B 'veteran':52B,57B 'vice':170B 'view':311B 'virtual':229B 'visit':152B,357B 'visitor':32B,144B,154B 'voic':198B,246B 'welcom':86B,178B 'zev':105B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1792084731/ziynfdisvbupniolikjr.jpg","editor_pick":true},{"id":14357,"title":"As One New Fair Opens another Familiar Name Announces Its Return in 2027","excerpt":null,"body":"![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791471661/j25vt7cxeohehapkz9n1.jpg\")
By GINNY VAN ALYEA
SOFA Chicago, the longtime fair devoted to sculpture, objects, functional art and collectible design, will return to the city October 28–31, 2027, as part of Chicago Art Fair at THE MART, which opened its inaugural edition last night.
Founded in Chicago in 1994, SOFA became a popular fixture on the city’s fall arts calendar. For much of its history, collectors and visitors gathered at Navy Pier to discover works in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fiber, alongside sculpture and design. Its focus on materials and craftsmanship gave the fair a distinct identity and cultivated a devoted audience.
The announcement comes as the inaugural Chicago Art Fair gets underway at THE MART. The new fair opened with a preview on October 7 and continues through October 10, presenting modern and contemporary art. Tim von Gal, CEO and producer of SOFA Chicago and CEO of Intersect Art and Design, was in Chicago this week for the occasion.
Organizers describe the 2027 collaboration as two distinct but complementary presentations under one roof, with SOFA’s focus on three-dimensional art and design alongside Chicago Art Fair’s broader offerings.
“Chicago has always been an extraordinary home for SOFA and a city with a deep appreciation for art, craft, architecture and design,” said von Gal in the announcement. “Joining the Chicago Art Fair at THE MART gives us the opportunity to build upon that legacy while creating an exciting new experience for collectors and exhibitors alike.”
Eric Smith, owner of Chicago Art Fair and CEO of Redwood Art Group, said the addition would broaden the fair’s scope while preserving SOFA’s identity.
“SOFA has a remarkable legacy and a distinct identity, and its return adds an important new dimension to the fair while reinforcing Chicago’s position as a destination for collectors, galleries and art lovers from around the world,” Smith said.
For those who remember SOFA as an annual opportunity to encounter ambitious work in craft and design, the return will be welcome news. The participating galleries and programming, still to be announced, will provide a fuller picture of how that legacy will take shape in its new setting.
SOFA Chicago is produced by Intersect Art and Design, which also organizes annual art and design fairs in Aspen and Palm Springs.
Additional details about exhibitors, partnerships and tickets are expected in the coming months.
Visit chicagoartfair.com for updates.
","published_at":"2026-10-08 08:42:55.758","state":"published","slug":"as-one-new-fair-opens-another-familiar-name-announces-its-return-in-2027","type":null,"meta_description":"","text":null,"created_at":"2026-10-08 15:01:02.232","updated_at":"2026-10-08 15:01:02.232","category_id":1,"highlighted":false,"searchable":"'10':145B '1994':61B '2027':13A,40B,178B '28':38B '31':39B '7':140B 'add':302B 'addit':278B,400B 'alik':262B 'alongsid':96B,200B 'also':388B 'alway':209B 'alyea':17B 'ambiti':341B 'announc':9A,118B,234B,361B 'annual':337B,390B 'anoth':6A 'appreci':222B 'architectur':226B 'around':325B 'art':28B,45B,72B,124B,150B,164B,197B,202B,224B,238B,268B,274B,322B,384B,391B 'aspen':396B 'audienc':116B 'becam':63B 'broaden':280B 'broader':205B 'build':248B 'calendar':73B 'ceo':154B,161B,271B 'ceram':91B 'chicago':19B,44B,59B,123B,159B,169B,201B,207B,237B,267B,312B,379B 'chicagoartfair.com':414B 'citi':36B,69B,218B 'collabor':179B 'collect':30B 'collector':79B,259B,319B 'come':119B,411B 'complementari':184B 'contemporari':149B 'continu':142B 'craft':225B,344B 'craftsmanship':105B 'creat':253B 'cultiv':113B 'deep':221B 'describ':176B 'design':31B,99B,166B,199B,228B,346B,386B,393B 'destin':317B 'detail':401B 'devot':23B,115B 'dimens':306B 'dimension':196B 'discov':87B 'distinct':110B,182B,297B 'edit':54B 'encount':340B 'eric':263B 'excit':255B 'exhibitor':261B,403B 'expect':408B 'experi':257B 'extraordinari':212B 'fair':4A,22B,46B,108B,125B,133B,203B,239B,269B,282B,309B,394B 'fall':71B 'familiar':7A 'fiber':95B 'fixtur':66B 'focus':101B,192B 'found':57B 'fuller':365B 'function':27B 'gal':153B,231B 'galleri':320B,355B 'gather':82B 'gave':106B 'get':126B 'ginni':15B 'give':243B 'glass':90B 'group':275B 'histori':78B 'home':213B 'ident':111B,289B,298B 'import':304B 'inaugur':53B,122B 'intersect':163B,383B 'join':235B 'last':55B 'legaci':251B,294B,370B 'longtim':21B 'lover':323B 'mart':49B,130B,242B 'materi':103B 'metal':93B 'modern':147B 'month':412B 'much':75B 'name':8A 'navi':84B 'new':3A,132B,256B,305B,376B 'news':352B 'night':56B 'object':26B 'occas':174B 'octob':37B,139B,144B 'offer':206B 'one':2A,187B 'open':5A,51B,134B 'opportun':246B,338B 'organ':175B,389B 'owner':265B 'palm':398B 'part':42B 'particip':354B 'partnership':404B 'pictur':366B 'pier':85B 'popular':65B 'posit':314B 'present':146B,185B 'preserv':286B 'preview':137B 'produc':156B,381B 'program':357B 'provid':363B 'redwood':273B 'reinforc':311B 'remark':293B 'rememb':333B 'return':11A,33B,301B,348B 'roof':188B 'said':229B,276B,329B 'scope':284B 'sculptur':25B,97B 'set':377B 'shape':373B 'smith':264B,328B 'sofa':18B,62B,158B,190B,215B,287B,290B,334B,378B 'spring':399B 'still':358B 'take':372B 'three':195B 'three-dimension':194B 'ticket':406B 'tim':151B 'two':181B 'underway':127B 'updat':416B 'upon':249B 'us':244B 'van':16B 'visit':413B 'visitor':81B 'von':152B,230B 'week':171B 'welcom':351B 'wood':92B 'work':88B,342B 'world':327B 'would':279B","thumbnail":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791471648/qlsatdxqgau2braeekxu.jpg","editor_pick":true},{"id":14324,"title":"Pigment International Dedicates Black Fine Art Month 2026 to Richard Hunt","excerpt":"","body":"![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791479103/r9oi9u47474rx2synx0p.png\")
The artist Richard Hunt
By CGN Staff
Pigment International has dedicated Black Fine Art Month 2026 to Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt (1935–2023), recognizing his contributions to American art and his lifelong connection to the city.
As part of the month’s programming, the organization will host Pigmented: Chicago to the World — A Black Fine Art Convening on October 23 at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center for the Arts. Partners include the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation, Adler University, CAI Designs, Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago Sculpture Exhibit and Diasporal Rhythms.
Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Hunt developed an internationally recognized practice while continuing to live and work in his hometown. His welded metal sculptures brought together abstract forms, references to the natural world and an enduring interest in freedom and social justice.
Hunt identified attending Emmett Till’s funeral in 1955 as a turning point in his artistic life. Till had lived just two blocks from Hunt’s home. Decades later, Hunt’s public commissions would honor figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Jesse Owens and Ida B. Wells, while also addressing the Middle Passage and the Great Migration.
In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Hunt to the National Council on the Arts, where he became its first African American member. In 1971, at age 35, he became the first African American sculptor to receive a retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. His career encompassed more than 150 solo exhibitions and more than 160 public art installations.
![](\"https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1791479104/lltcodkx39gd8sbhtus1.png\")
Richard Hunt with artist Chris Devins, who recently completed a mural honoring the sculptor in Hyde Park. Photo courtesy of Chris Devins.
Recent projects in Chicago offer new ways to encounter Hunt’s work and history. This fall, the Logan Center opened the Hunt, a café honoring the artist. Created and designed by Little Black Pearl founder and executive director Monica Haslip, the space incorporates two Hunt sculptures, African art, archival materials and photographs by Sandro Miller.
In Hyde Park, artist Chris Devins and historian Michelle Duster have brought a mural of Hunt to 1515–19 E. 54th Street. The portrait is based on photographs Devins took in Hunt’s studio before the sculptor’s death.
“Richard Hunt was a giant in the arts world and people need to see what he looked like and be inspired by his legacy,” Devins said.
Pigment International’s dedication also reflects its own relationship with Hunt. The organization featured him in its magazine in 2020, and he welcomed its Black Fine Art Month programming into his studio in October 2021.
#
Two events take place this month:
Pigment International at SPECTRUM Chicago Art Fair
October 7–10, 2026.
Chicago Merchandise Mart, seventh floor, booth #3091.
Wednesday, October 7, 5–8 pm, with a champagne toast in the booth and an artist meet-and-greet.
Thursday, October 8, 6-8pm with Diasporal Rhythms
Featured artists: Jesse Howard, Howard Simmons, Edo, Candace Hunter, Sura DuPart and Max Sansing.
Additional events are taking place during the fair
Chicago to the World: A Black Fine Art Month Convening
Presented by Pigment International as part of Black Fine Art Month, which the organization has dedicated this year to Richard Hunt.
Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:30 am–5 pm.
Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th Street, Chicago.
Details at pigmentintl.com