Categories: Entertainment and Attractions

ARTropolis 2008: A Massive Visual Art Extravaganza - April 24-28

Author: Dana Felmly

Chicago 's citywide celebration of arts, antiques and culture, ARTropolis™ is expected to attract thousands of visitors this year. There are more than 100 seminars, guided tours, music, theatre and dance performances offered by the 80 institutions involved. Participants include: the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Hyde Park Art Center, the Smart Museum Art at the University of Chicago, the Gene Siskel Film Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, Adler Planetarium, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Shakespeare Theater, the Goodman Theater, Redmoon Theater, Steppenwolf Theater and Second City.  

ART SHOWS AT THE MERCHANDISE MART

The main hub of Atropolis is the Merchandise Mart, where an international contemporary art show, a world-class antiques fair and three satellite art shows will run concurrently. All of the shows focus on contemporary art, but each one substantiates itself in subtle, but distinct, ways.

Art Chicago - 12th floor
Art Chicago™ 2008, an annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, brings together 181 of the world's leading emerging and established galleries to showcase the work of more than 2,000 renowned artists. From cutting-edge to modern masters, Art Chicago™ offers a wide variety of media including painting, photography, drawing, prints, sculpture, video, and special installations.  

There will also be a special exhibition of political contemporary art called Partisan that will be presented on the Art Chicago show floor. Partisan is designed to ensure that art continues to challenge society. The show is curated and juried by panel of well-known Chicago artists.

Those who can’t wait to see Art Chicago can get a sneak preview of the exhibit on Thursday, April 24, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $100 (admits one plus guest).  
 
The Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art - 8th floor north
This art fair is sponsored by and benefits Intuit: the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. The Intuit Show features the sale of self-taught art, outsider art, art brut, ethnographic art, non-traditional folk art, and visionary art. The First Look preview of this show will be held Thursday, April 24, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $75, benefiting Intuit. The preview opening will be held Thursday, April 24, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The Artist Project - 8th floor
The Artist Project is an exhibition and sale featuring original work from cutting-edge artists undiscovered by the gallery community. It is a great opportunity to discover and obtain interesting and affordable art directly from this talented group of artists. The preview opening for The Artist Project will be held Thursday, April 24, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair™ 8th floor

The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair - 8th floor

Now in its 11th year, the International Antiques Fair features more than 100 of the world’s top dealers and showcases the best antiques and fine art from a wide range of categories, periods, and locales. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to shop for rare items in sculpture, paintings, barometers, books and maps, jewelry, tribal art, and more. The preview party for this exhibition will be held Thursday, April 24, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.  Tickets are $150. For more information, contact the Women's Board office at 312-238-6023 or visit the Women's Board website.

NEXT - 7th floor                                                                   NEXT is a new invitational art fair, installed in 150,000 square feet of space and offering focused curatorial visions of some of the most important developments in contemporary art. An opportunity to redefine the relationship between art and its public, NEXT is a portal to seeing contemporary art in brand new, innovative, eye-opening ways. The largest collection to date of significant art trends, NEXT presents approximately 160 of the best young galleries from every major international center of art production. Special projects by artists Marco Maggi, Guy Ben-Ner, SIMPARCH, Graham Hudson, Ricky Swallow, Leo Villareal and Jonathan Schipper will be featured, along with special video booths, the presence of private entities like The West Collection, and a curated exhibition by Renaissance Society Director and Documenta 11 curator, Susanne Ghez.

ATROPOLIS TICKETS

Tickets are $20 for one-day pass and $25 for a multi-day pass, and may be purchased online or onsite during the show on the first floor of The Merchandise Mart. Tickets will provide entry to Art Chicago, NEXT, The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, The Artist Project, Intuit and many additional events taking place as part of Artropolis. For more information or to view a brochure of all the citywide events and seminars offered during this festival, visit the ARTropolis website.

Show Hours
Friday, April 25  11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 26  11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 27  11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Monday, April 28  11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Art Chicago, The Artists Project)  Monday, April 28  11:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. (International Antiques Fair, Intuit, NEXT)