During my first year in Chicago, I have found so much about the city to adore. The art culture is particularly amazing, and constantly expanding. This weekend (March 30—May 2), I attended Artropolis, Chicago’s Celebration of Art, Antiques and Culture at The Merchandise Mart. I spent three days engulfed in the most overwhelming collection of artwork, spanning all media. Artropolis was split into three distinct shows; The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, Art Chicago, and NEXT Art Fair.

After spending Friday at NEXT, and Saturday at Art Chicago, I quickly realized I wouldn’t have time for the Antique show. I was okay with that. And although Art Chicago was twice the size of NEXT—and I got to see some amazing original artwork from artists like Fernando Botero, and even one of Paula Scher’s map paintings—it was truly NEXT that had my attention. The artists that were exhibited in the show are considered ‘emerging talent,’ contributing to an international contemporary movement. I find myself inspired by the majority of this work, because these are the artists who are breaking new ground, applying traditional techniques in unexpected ways, and pioneering new media. Some of the highlights from this year’s show include Michael Rea’s giant and complex wooden sculptures, Takashi Hinoda’s ceramic characters, Sang Sik Hong’s 3D sculptures using only plastic straws, and Laura Ortiz’ detailed thread graffiti series. This collection of highlights I’ve gathered below, is merely a tiny sample of the overall collection, and I strongly encourage visiting each of these artist’s personal websites for more stunning work and information!

Note: I do not claim ownership of any of the artwork featured in these photographs, and all photos were taken with prior permission from the artist, or the gallery representing the artist.



Timothy Berg, Rebekah Myers
Something for Nothing, 2010
www.timothyjohnberg.com
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Daniel Everett
Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen, 2009
www.daniel-everett.com
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Michael Velliquette
Helios, 2009
www.velliquette.com
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Jay Shinn
Contained Element in Black, 2009
www.jayshinn.com
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Micheal Rea
Tsavo Manhunters, Part I, 2009
www.mikerea.com
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Fraser Taylor
Black Flowers, 2009-10
www.frasertaylor.com
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Raychael Stine
Halford (Ready), 2009
www.road-agent.com
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Suzanne Unrein
Tyranian Purple, 2009
www.suzanneunrein.com
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Bryan Drury
Feast, 2010
www.deanproject.com
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Takashi Hinoda
Left: White Fang, 2009
Right: Maid of Consumption, 2008
www.geocities.jp
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Owen Schuh
Anemone, 2009
Ossification, 2009
Coral, 2009
www.owenschuh.com
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Sang Sik Hong
Mouth-Red, (date not specified)
www.patrajdas.com
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Cordy Ryman
Blue Wave, 2010
www.dcktcontemporary.com
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Proximity Magazine
Public Media Institute Research Library, 2010
www.proximitymagazine.com
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Carlos Irijalba
Twilight 16, 2009
www.carlosirijalba.com
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Ana Soler
Specific On-Site Installation, 2010
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Paul Villinski
Orbit 1-9, (date not specified)
www.paulvillinski.com
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Taro Hattori
Purge, 2010
www.tarohattori.com
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Laura Berman
Umbra: DL1, 2009
www.laurabermanprojects.com
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Jeff Carter
Untitled (Chicago Tribune Tower), 2010
www.jeff-carter.net
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Laura Ortiz
Untitled (Graffiti series), 2009
www.antenaestudio.com
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For more information about Artropolis, visit their website here.

I was recently given the task to brand the new and exciting Public Media Institute Research Library, which is essentially a large, portable book shelf promoting a wide variety of independently-published artist books, zines and publications. Actually, “a wide variety” is a severe under statement!

A word from Public Media Institute:
The Public Media Institute is pleased to announce the launch of our latest project, the Public Media Institute Research Library – a collection of art, architecture, and design journals; magazines; and other periodicals. Join us at the fair to browse the new issue of Proximity, find out how you can contribute to our library, and view work from artists that contribute to our projects and publications.

If you’re in the Chicago area this weekend, make sure to grab tickets for the NEXT art fair, hosted by the Merchandise Mart, along the Chicago river, and celebrate the debut of the PMI Research Library!

Above is my poster design for tomorrow nights poster show, Printervention. It’s a modest little idea about growing it yourself, called Grow It Yourself. Come out tomorrow night to the Chicago Tourism Center Gallery and see a suite of way cooler posters! And hang out! If you’re cool at all, you’ll be there.

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Printervention // Printing for the Public

Following the success of last years’ Version Festival program: the Bridgeport WPA pilot project, we have asked artists from around the country to create works that raise awareness of social and political issues of our day.

Printervention debuts April 16, 2010 at the The Chicago Tourism Center Gallery and continues through Version Festival to include workshops, a mobile silkscreen cart, a window display at The Whistler and more. For more information and a complete schedule of events and participants please visit www.printervention.org

Opening Reception Friday, April 16, 2010 5pm – 7pm
@ Chicago Tourism Center Gallery
72 E Randolph // Chicago
Printervention, organized by Emily Clayton, Chris Roberson and Ed Marszewski, is part of Version Festival 2010, an annual arts festival in Chicago produced by the Public Media Institute that brings together hundreds of artists, musicians and educators from around the world.

www.printervention.org
www.versionfest.org

This will be the book of 2010.

Have you seen this new book cover for Bram Stoker’s Dracula? The talented fellas over at Non-Format just keep the hits coming!

By the way, the drop shadow is very in right now. Use it properly.

I’m excited to share a handful of new pieces I’ve been working on over the last couple months. I’ve talked an awful lot about the Typeforce exhibit that I was invited to participate in, so I’m happy to finally be able to show what I created for it up close. That piece is called And Sometimes Y. There’s also a theatre poster with some aggressive pink language, a branding effort for NYC-based skin care clinic, lettering I created for announcements celebrating my engagement to Jessica Lynn White, and finally a better look at some of the photography I’ve been shooting with my Pentax Spotmatic.

www.lukelukeluke.com

Enjoy the new stuff, and tell one person about it!

A couple weeks ago I was invited to spend an hour with Ryan McGovern of Design Chat, to talk a little bit about the Typeforce exhibition, and a lot about design! I am very honored and grateful to have been offered a spot on the show, among a staggering collection of previous guests including Chuck Anderson, Carlos Segura, Rick Valicenti, Steven Heller, and even design legend Milton Glaser!

I know, right??

As fate would have it, about 30 minutes into our conversation, Ryan’s screen capturing software had a hiccup and cut the recording short. So if you weren’t able to catch the live 80 minute show, unfortunately we could only salvage the first 33 minutes. But in that time, I talk a lot about my background and experience with art & design, and perform some stellar theatrics as well!

Tune into Design Chat every Wednesday night at 9:00pm EST!

Just after Jessica and I got engaged in December, we knew we needed to document this time in our lives as soon as we could. We called our dear friend and super talented photographer, Betsy VanLangen, who agreed to spend a cool Winter weekend, documenting the two of us in nearly every recognizable Frederick County location.

The photos all came out really well, and Jessica and I certainly could not be happier. In fact, just this morning the hip Brooklyn Bride wrote a feature on Betsy’s work, and a bunch of really fun photos from our shoot together were posted!

It’s really great to know that this special time in our lives was so well covered. We will surely have much to look back on, years from now.

Thanks again, Betsy!

From what I can gather, La Bolleur is a Dutch artist collective that builds excellent mini golf courses. This certainly places Putt Putt in the corner!

Blue Sky Studios produced a heart warming documentary about children from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn who become pen pals with orphans from Freetown, Sierra Leone, called Brownstones to Red Dirt. To underline the value of the film, a Postcard Art project was launched, asking over 100 artists to create original artwork that will be auctioned to raise money to build a school for the children of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

More about the effort:
Two colleagues at Blue Sky Studios, David LaMattina and Chad Walker, have created a feature-length documentary about a pen pal program between a group of at-risk sixth graders living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and orphans from the war living in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This Postcard Art project is an extension of the their film “Brownstones To Red Dirt” which features children from both schools. The kids in both places have inspired us all to want to do more and so we’re putting together an art auction of original postcards based around the same central theme of the film in a fundraising effort to build a school for the orphans in Freetown, Sierra Leone and create a library for the youth at their school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

The artwork created for the auction is absolutely stunning, including work from so many talented people. Featured above are two postcards from Scott Gustafson, and Isaac Orloff.

You can read more about the effort here, and be sure to visit the auction site! Proceeds are going to an amazing cause.