My Bike Betty

Author Archives: jan

• A Spiritual Pursuit and Practice

  Posted at 4:33 pm by jan, on August 17, 2016

  This week Betty and I headed over to Great Lakes Tattoo Chicago.

  

  Great Lakes Tattoo and Great State Gallery, 1148 W Grand Ave

  Now until the end of the month check out the work of tattoo artist and painter Robert Ryan. The exhibit, in the Great State Gallery below the shop, features paintings and his book release, The Inborn Absolute. Merging classic American tattoo style and Eastern religious iconography, Ryan’s spiritual practice both informs and is reflected in his paintings and tattoos.

  

  Chinamasta

  

  Shiva Nandi

  

  Creator Sustainer Destroyer

  

  Maha Smashan Kali

  

  Shankara

  

  Nataraja

  

  Sri Ganesha

  

  Maha Ganapati 

  

  While visiting the gallery don’t miss the tattoo shop itself. A welcoming atmosphere invites you to enjoy art along the wall and encased tattoo memorabilia.

  

  

  Super kewwwwl! Alright! Betty and I are off on our next journey and inviting you to do the same. Look for art and artistic expression everywhere, post it here, and SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

  Posted in An Extension To All, Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged Great Lakes Tattoo, Great State Gallery

• Revisiting Work We Love!

  Posted at 5:39 pm by jan, on August 4, 2016

  This week a trip to Millennium Park Boeing Gallery. But first remember this entry from 6/17/2014 and the work, Take Out at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park?

  

  And remember this entry from 11/03/2015 featuring, Brick House on the 606 Trail at The Damen Arts Plaza?

  

  Well it was thrilling to discover a body of work from Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, Chakaia Booker at the Boeing Gallery. With an invitation to kids to climb and play on these organic works made from old tires, Betty and I had to arrive early to take images minus children.

  

  Boeing Gallery (north end)

  

  ShapeShifter, 2012

  

  One Way, 2008

  

  Pass the Buck, 2008

  

  LBD Duty Free, 2014

  Boeing Gallery (south end)

  

  Looking through, Take Out at two-piece, Gridlock
  2008

  Woo! and Yea! I love recognizing the work of artist and remembering past adventures!

  Betty and I are off on our next exploration and of course inviting you. Along the way look for art and artistic expression EVERYWHERE. Last of all share your experience here and SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!!!

  Posted in Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged Chakaia Booker, Millennium Park Boeing Gallery

• What Do Art and Beer Have in Common?

  Posted at 5:31 pm by jan, on July 24, 2016

  DRYHOP BREWERS! Activist for Support Local Art, Dryhop (3155 N Broadway) exhibits the acrylic paintings of Chicago artist, Frank Quintero all while serving up delicious micro-brew and scrumptious eats.

  Interested in how his work defines the viewers space, Quintero’s illustrations and abstractions are on display until September 12. 

  

  

  

  

  

  Last, I wanted to share a moment everyone should experience during and after an awesome ride…

  

  And then there was this…

  I couldn’t be more thankful for these experiences! They fire me up to reach out to you and say, get out there, look for art and artistic expression EVERYWHERE! Along the way post your discoveries here and then SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!!!

   

  Posted in An Extension To All, Eats, Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged DryHop Brewers Chicago

• Informed by Family

  Posted at 5:00 pm by jan, on July 14, 2016

  This week’s adventure begins at the …

  

  Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.

  Both exhibitions featured below share a common thread where bodies of work are informed by family culture. Regardless of medium, I am always drawn to artist’s visual biography and how they present these ideas.

  Carlos Rolon/Dzine exhibits, I Tell you This Sincerely, where installations, sculpture, and paintings reference memories with family and pay homage to the hopes and dreams of immigrants, in particular his parents, who come to the US for a better life.

  

  

   

  

  

  

  Phyllis Bramson’s, Under the Pleasure Dome, displays assemblages and paintings layering family memories and it’s cultural influences then and now.

  

  Adam and Eve (The Perfumed Garden and The Loss of Happiness) , mixed media, 2016

  

  

  Rapunzel’s Scenario, mixed media, collage and oil on canvas

  

  3 Dilettante Artists (The Love of Outsiders), mixed media, collage and oil on canvas

  

  Serial Longing, mixed media, collage and oil on canvas

  

  The Good Keeper of the Animals and Birds, mixed media, 2016

  Thanks to the Chicago Cultural Center for presenting these personal stories where art connects us all.

  Ok explorers, we’re off on our next adventure and inviting you to do the same. Along the way, look for art and artistic expression EVERYWHERE! Post your experience here and SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

  Posted in An Extension To All, Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers, Theaters, Festivals, Music, Parades | 0 Comments | Tagged Chicago Cultural Center, The Hideout

• A Continuum of Color

  Posted at 6:11 pm by jan, on July 3, 2016

  Greetings all! This blog entry is brought to you by my number one fan, mom! As a very special birthday treat we headed over to Briar Street Theatre for this…

  

  Woo! Blue Man Group!

  New York street performance artists and original founders, Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink give an incredible show that dates back to 1987. Accompanying the music they create is constant color, light, and energy that fill the theatre transforming it into a space where artists and audience participation converge. My favorite part of the show was when the Blue Men were playing pc pipe instruments and the entire audience stood up and danced all while gigantic neon balls bounced above our projected hands. We were giddy, laughing like the five year old beside us!

  Although pictures weren’t allowed in the theatre they certainly were in the theatre-front gallery where this happened…

  

  True to the Blue Man project, where collaboration is an emphasis, the gallery also features artist’s work inspired by Blue Man performances and gives visitors the opportunity for interactive play.

  

  Mom singing happy birthday through a series of tubes that line the walls and ceiling

  

  

  Water-driven art installations

  Lastly, some of the original art work that lines the outside of the theatre…

  

  Audrius Plioplys, Blue Consciousness, digital painting

  

  Kuzana Ogg, Khshathra, oil on canvas

  

  Kathy Czopek, Blue Frenzy, watercolor and ink on cotton paper

  

  Candace Wark and Shirley Nannini, Tangled All in Blue 5, photo

  Wow! Super thankful for a joyous event where artists collaboration saturates the entire experience. Many thanks to my beautiful mother and all those who make up the Blue Man Group.

  Betty and I are off on our next adventure and extending you an invitation to join in. Of course as you look for art and artistic expression everywhere, don’t forget to SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

  Posted in An Extension To All, Theaters, Festivals, Music, Parades | 0 Comments | Tagged Blue Man Group Chicago

• It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…NO, IT’S CHI-BOY!!!

  Posted at 5:50 pm by jan, on June 22, 2016

  A quick note, remember this from last year’s posting of Hebru Brantley’s, Chi-Boy in Wabash Arts Corridor?!

  Well check out where I spotted him last…

  

  At the CTA’s red line stop, Lawrence

  KEEP THOSE EYES SEARCHING FOR ART EVERYWHERE!

  Posted in An Extension To All | 0 Comments | Tagged CTA Lawrence Chicago

• In Addition to

  Posted at 5:40 pm by jan, on June 13, 2016

  Greetings explorers! Betty and I cruised this week to the south loop to check out recent mural additions from the project initiated by The Wabash Arts Corridor, Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), Vertical Gallery, and The Buckingham. First stop is a photo op Betty couldn’t resist…

  

  At Balbo Ave. and Wabash Ave.

  As awesome as Betty looks aside this piece, check out the work below juxtaposed on our city’s landscape.

  

  Van Buren St. and Wabash Ave.

  

  

  

  Balboa Ave. and Wabash Ave.

  

  

  Balbo Ave. and State St.

  

  

  Wabash Ave and Balbo ally

  It’s so fun to ride around and discover these works. There’s also a lot to be said about a community that supports their artist along with enhancing our incredible city. Woo!

  Betty and I are off but first we encourage all to get out there and EXPLORE! Discover art and artistic expression and then share those experiences. Lastly, SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

  Posted in An Extension To All, Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged and The Buckingham, Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), The Wabash Arts Corridor, Vertical Gallery

• On These Streets

  Posted at 4:55 pm by jan, on June 2, 2016

  

  756 N Milwaukee Ave.

  There’s no better way to get a feel for a city than to travel it by foot or by bike. It was only when I  immersed myself biking the city of Chicago did I begin to have a personal relationship to the unique history and cultures that make it so interesting. I now feel like I a a part of the city. So when Betty and I rode to Intuit:The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art to check out the work of Courttney Cooper I was delighted by the visual journeys on display.

  From memory alone he creates maps of his city, Cincinnati. On paper he collects at his job with Kroger grocery store, and with ballpoint pen, he passoinately depicts his city with incredible detail.

  Images are taken from Untitled 2009 and Untitled 2015.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  We love the Intuit gallery and the work they do in order to present art and artist stories we may have never known about.

  Betty and I are off on our next exploration! Join in all, look for art and artistic expression everywhere, and then please…SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!!!

  Posted in An Extension To All, Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

• The ECHT Gallery

  Posted at 5:37 pm by jan, on May 23, 2016

  Greetings All! This week’s ride was to a gallery district I sometimes avoid. On a quest to find work with an emphasis on the conceptual I really enjoyed the work at…

  

  ECHT Gallery, 222 West Superior St.

  

  Therman Statom, Casa del Los Angeles, glass and paint

  

  Therman Statom, Birds, glass and paint

  

  Misty Gamble, Tan Hands, ceramic

  

  Mira Maylor, A Bag for the Mythological Traveler,
  slumped glass, wood, mixed media

  

  Shayna Leib, Sunset Over the Tundra, glass

  

  Mira Maylor, Untitled, glass cage

  And last, I was visually enamored with these obsessive twinkly delights…

  

  Daniel Jacob, Tranquility Buddha, crystals on hard resin

  

  Alright! Betty and I are off (with a special friend) but before we go we’re inviting you to join in on the adventure fun. On your journeys of discovery look for art and artistic expression everywhere and then please, SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!!!

  

  Posted in Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged ECHT Gallery Chicago

• Heeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrreeee’s Johnny

  Posted at 6:12 pm by jan, on May 15, 2016

  Greetings all! This week Betty and I headed over to the…

  

  Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N State St.

  Exhibiting now until October 15 is The Making of the Tonight Show. A retrospective of 30 years Johnny Carson delighted and entertained the American public. Images, costumes, monologue cue cards, and personal objects trigger memories of the past and of pop culture’s reflection of and response to changing times.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Oh and don’t pass up this opportunity…

  

  Last, and one aspect of the museum’s permanent collection, check out these televisions! I can’t help but to think about all the news, music, movies, soap operas, and commercials piped into our lives.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  How wonderful that these objects are preserved and invite a unique conversation by all those who view them.

  Alright! Betty and I are off on our next adventure but as always we invite you to join in. Go out, explore, look for art and artistic expression everywhere, and then SHOW ME WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

   

   

  Posted in Museums, Galleries, Cultural Centers | 0 Comments | Tagged Museum of Broadcast Communications

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