21c Chicago

Curator Conversations
2021-02-04 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Zoom
Date: Thursday, February 4th
Time: 6 pm
Where: Zoom
How: Free event, just register on Eventbrite link to get login information
21c Chicago is thrilled to kick off our Curator Conversations series with Jefferson Godard, Jean Alexander Frater, and Derrick Woods-Morrow! Curator Conversations asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice also from the Chicago arts community. Each month we’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
This event is FREE but please sign-up on our Eventbrite link to get the Zoom login information. This is sure to be an exciting conversation you won’t want to miss!

Check Out Their Work:
Jefferson Godard is a video art curator, gallerist, educator, and trained architect. In 2012, Godard founded Aspect/Ratio Projects, a contemporary art gallery focused on video art. The gallery is currently located in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago and represents both emerging and mid-career internationally based artists. In addition to the gallery, he has curated video art based exhibitions and screenings at spaces including: The Chicago Architecture Biennial, Gallery 400 at UIC Chicago, Nice and Fit Gallery Berlin, Souvenirs from Earth channel in France, Shane Campbell Gallery Chicago, and The Mission Chicago. As a trained architect, Godard has worked on several high-rise residential projects in his hometown of Miami, Florida as well as an award-winning urban park competition Bahndeckel in Munich, Germany. In addition to his curatorial and gallery endeavors, Godard has lectured or participated on panels at Northwestern University, MCA Chicago, Moving image Art Fair New York, Chicago Artists Coalition, Art Cologne, and chaired a panel discussion at the College Arts Association Conference.
http://www.aspectratioprojects.com/about–contact.html
IG: @jeffersongodard and @aspectratioprojectsgallery
Jean Alexander Frater experiments with the materials inherent to painting and then integrates other histories, traditions and language into this form. Alexander Frater is represented by Aspect/Ratio Gallery in Chicago. She was a 2017-2018 Chicago Artists Coalition BOLT resident, received an MFA from School of Art the Institute of Chicago, and a BA in Philosophy, from the University of Dayton, Ohio. Her work has been exhibited internationally in venues such as the Wexner Center for Arts, Columbus; El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe; Images Festival, Toronto; Possible Project Space, Brooklyn; Ben-Gurion airport, Tel Aviv; Kulturhuset, Stockholm, THE MISSION Gallery, Chicago; Transmitter Gallery, Brooklyn and Guest Spot @ The Reinstitute, Baltimore.
https://alexanderfrater.com/home.html
IG: @jeanalexanderfrater
Derrick Woods-Morrow‘s (b.1990) work is a meditation on deviation and disruption, on language and representation – on growing up in the American South. Currently based in Chicago and originally from Greensboro, North Carolina his artistic practice explores black sexual freedoms and the complicated histories concerning access to these freedoms.
As he navigates historical archives, he searches for moments, or ‘glitches’ that show alternative queer futures, existing, emboldened, and exacting – Freedom. Together, with other Queer Folx, he creates photographs, moving images, performance, installations and sculptures that recognize histories they were written out of and future places they wish to occupy.
Woods-Morrow’s work questions the very validity of the personal archive, of memory (ever fleeting), and of being ever-present with oneself. He is questioning the performance of the self untethered from expectation, both in his art, and his life – a new ideal of intimacy, where darkness liberates us, and blackness is inherently queer.
A recipient of the 2018 Artadia Award, Derrick Woods-Morrow received his MFA in Photography from the School of Art Institute of Chicago in 2016, and was most recently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Photography and Teaching Artist at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is an alum of the Fire Island Artist Residency & Chicago’s Bolt Residency. He has screened films at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center & Chicago Arts Incubator. His work has exhibited in collaboration with Paul Sepuya in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; at YNCI V: Detroit Art Week Expo (curated by Darryl Terrell); in Photography Now at The Center for Photography at Woodstock; and Down Time: On the Art of Retreat at the Smart Museum Chicago (curated by Leslie Wilson and Berit Ness). In Winter of 2019, a new film, much handled things are always soft (2019) will debuted in collaboration with the VISUAL AIDS 30th Annual Day With(out) ART programming at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art LA, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Brooklyn Museum, The New Museum & over a hundred institutions worldwide.
http://www.derrickwoodsmorrow.com/
IG: @moresweetbeef

Curator Conversations - March 19th
2021-03-19 18:00 - 19:00 | IL
Date: Friday, March 19th
Time: 6 pm
Where: Zoom
How: Free event, just register on Eventbrite link to get login information
Curator Conversations at 21c Chicago is back with Ciera McKissick and Erin LeAnn Mitchell! Curator Conversations is a monthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice also from the Chicago arts community. Each month we’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
This event is FREE but please sign-up on our Eventbrite link to get the Zoom login information. This is sure to be an exciting conversation you won’t want to miss!
Check Out Their Work:
Erin LeAnn Mitchell is a Birmingham, Alabama native who attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011. Mitchell’s interest in teaching and continued passion in the arts led her to Columbia College Chicago, where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Art Education in 2016. Upon returning to Birmingham, Mitchell’s work has been featured on the nationally syndicated television show, Empire, presented her work in honor of Dr. Angela Y. Davis, and is currently featured in the exhibition, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
https://www.erinleannworks.com/
Ciera Mckissick is an independent writer, curator, cultural producer, and the founder of AMFM. She is also the coordinator of Public Programs at the Hyde Park Art Center, and Communications Associate at Ox-Bow School of Art. She created AMFM, originally a web magazine, as an independent study project in 2009 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied Journalism and Mass Communications. Her work since then often involves collaboration through supporting Black and brown artists, local arts organizations, and seeks to stimulate community engagement that’s driven by inclusivity, accessibility, intention, and care. Projects and events have been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, The Chicago Sun Times, Southside Weekly, Afropunk, and DapperQ, The Milwaukee Business Journal, and Milwaukee Neighborhood News.
http://www.amfm.life/

Curator Conversations - April 14th
2021-04-14 18:00 - 19:00 | IL
Date: Wednesday, April 14th
Time: 6 pm
Where: Zoom
How: Free event, just register on Eventbrite link to get login information
Curator Conversations at 21c Chicago is back in April with Cortney Lederer and Yasmin Spiro! Curator Conversations is a monthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice with ties to the Chicago arts community. Each month we’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
This event is FREE but please sign-up on our Eventbrite link to get the Zoom login information. This is sure to be an exciting conversation you won’t want to miss!
Check Out Their Work:
Cortney Lederer is an art consultant, curator, and educator with 20 years of experience managing an array of artistic programming for organizations and businesses. From 2011–14 she served as the director of exhibitions and residencies at Chicago Artists Coalition. In 2014, Lederer launched CNL Projects to provide artists and organizations with a platform to creatively produce impactful art experiences. CNL’s work is deeply centered on her unique, collaborative approach to working with artists, clients, businesses and organizations to advocate for the value of art and culture in our daily lives. As a respond to the pandemic, CNL launched ART- IN-PLACE May 2020, where 400 artists from around the world activated their homes with works of art to share with their neighbors and through a virtual platform. This collective action provided artists and community members with a sense of hope and connectivity through the experience of public art. Cortney is faculty in the Arts Administration and Policy department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and provides professional development workshops and individual consultation to artists. Most recently, she curated two site-specific installations at the Willis Tower by artists Olafur Eliasson and Jacob Hashimoto.
www.cnlprojects.org/
IG: @cnlprojects
Yasmin Spiro was born and grew up in in Kingston, Jamaica and currently lives and works in Chicago. Spiro’s work is multi-disciplinary, primarily based in sculpture and immersive installations, with video, drawing and performance – exploring issues of cultural identity and socio-economic issues within the framework of urban development and social politics – often through the lens of Caribbean culture.
Spiro’s work explores concepts related to architecture and urbanism, socio-economics, futuristic cities, and craft and culture. Research is often layered with personal narratives connected to both the landscape and culture of Jamaica. Much of the work is textile based connecting directly to personal history and reconstructed memories. The work also utilizes casting – plaster, ceramic, and cement – creating architectural elements that reference futurism and femininity in our built environments. Her studio practice pulls in various aspects of personal and cultural history to build stories within the work – layered with conceptual research, and material experimentation.
Spiro’s work has been shown at galleries in the US and Caribbean and she was a founding member of the tART women’s collective in NY (F2004). Her work has been covered in NewCity, Art News, Washington Times, Miami Herald and others. She attended Pratt Institute for her BFA, and MFA studies. She has held residences at the Kohler Arts and Industry program in Wisconsin, Vermont Studio Center, Chicago Artist Coalition and an upcoming residency as a Dora Maar Brown Foundation Fellow in Menerbes, France.
www.yasminspiro.com/
IG: @yspiro

Curator Conversations - May 25
2021-05-25 18:00 - 19:00 | IL
Date: Tuesday, May 25
Time: 6 pm
Where: Zoom
How: Free event, just register on Eventbrite link to get login information
21c Museum Hotel Chicago is honored to collaborate with DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) on this month’s Curator Conversation. DPAM’s Assistant Curator, Ionit Behar will be in conversation with artist José Lerma who currently has work on view in DPAM’s exhibition LatinXAmerican which features 38 Latinx artists from the Chicagoland area and beyond.
Curator Conversations at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago is a monthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice with ties to the Chicago arts community. Each month those pairing switch up to give viewers a look into the rich arts community in the city.
Join DePaul Art Museum and 21c Museum Hotel Chicago for this free program on Tuesday, May 25th at 6pm CST.
Check Out Their Work:
Ionit Behar is Assistant Curator at DePaul Art Museum (DPAM), Chicago and teaches art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Prior to joining DPAM, she was the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, a Research Assistant for the exhibition “Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium” at the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Graduate Curatorial Assistant at Gallery 400, University of Illinois at Chicago. Her writing has appeared in exhibition catalogues and art journals such FIELD: A Journal of Socially-Engaged Art Criticism, The Chicago Reader, THE SEEN, and The Exhibitionist. Born in Israel and raised in Uruguay, Behar is a Ph.D. candidate in Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her dissertation is titled “Intimate Space and the Public Sphere: Margarita Paksa in Argentina’s Military Dictatorship.”
Born in Mexico in 1981, Rodrigo Lara Zendejas is a Chicago-based artist who received an MFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2013 and his BFA, Summa Cum Laude, from the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico in 2003. Lara has had solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art, Kruger Gallery in Marfa, Texas, and Test Site Projects in Las Vegas, among others. He has been in such residencies as the Vermont Studio Center, ACRE, Ragdale, Mana Miami, Rogers Art Loft, and Cross Currents: Cultural Exchange. Lara has received many awards including an Emerging Artist Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
https://www.rodrigo-lara.com/
Instagram: rodrigo_lara_81

Curator Conversations - June 24
2021-06-24 18:00 - 19:00 | IL
Date: Thursday, June 24
Time: 6 pm
Where: Zoom
How: Free event, just register on Eventbrite link to get login information
June’s Curator Conversations at 21c Chicago will feature Vincent Uribe and Hope Wang! Curator Conversations is a monthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice with ties to the Chicago arts community. Each month we’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
Join us on Zoom, June 24th at 6pm CST to hear about these artists’ work and what’s going on in the Chicago art scene. Check out the artist’s work below!
Check Out Their Work:
Hope Wang is a Chicago-based artist, arts facilitator, and poet. Contending with sloppy traces of human activity around sites of industrial labour and transit, her work explores the fallibility of memory and contemporary conditions of alienation. She also hosts and operates LMRM, a floor loom rental resource for Chicago fiber artists. Wang received her BFA (2018) from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a 2021 recipient of the gener8tor Art Accelerator Program Grant. She has attended the Digital Weaving Lab Residency at Praxis Fiber Workshop; The Weaving Mill WARP Residency; and Spudnik Press Cooperative Fellowship. Her work has been exhibited at Ignition Project Space (Chicago, IL); Gallery No One (Chicago, IL); Chicago Art Department (Chicago, IL); Sullivan Galleries (Chicago, IL); and Zhou B Art Center (Chicago, IL), among others.
https://www.hopewang.com/
Vincent Uribe is an artist and creative community builder based in Chicago, IL. A Los Angeles native, Vincent is a dual-degree graduate from the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago. He is the Founding Director of LVL3, an artist-run exhibition space and online publication launched in 2010. Through LVL3, Vincent has organized hundreds of exhibitions featuring exceptional emerging and mid-career artists both nationally and internationally, including in Miami, New York, and Mexico City. In 2013, Vincent joined the team at Arts of Life to help expand opportunities for artists with disabilities. Through the Artist Enterprise Program, he launched Arts of Life’s in-studio Circle Contemporary galleries and expanded Arts of Life’s public exhibitions locally in Chicago and on a national scale. His work includes shows with the Chicago Cultural Center, Art on theMART, INTUIT Center for Outsider Art, and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art among many others. Vincent serves as a founding board member for Equity Arts. He has participated in numerous talks dedicated to artists’ professional development. His work has been featured in publications such as The Chicago Tribune and New City.
https://lvl3official.com/

Curator Conversations - July 20
2021-07-20 18:00 - 19:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Date: Tuesday, July 20
Time: 6 pm
Where: 21c Chicago, Main Gallery
How: Free event, RSVP at our Eventbrite link to get reminders for the event
July’s Curator Conversations at 21c Chicago will feature local artist Emma McKee! She’ll be in conversation with our Museum Manager, Adia Sykes.
Curator Conversations is a free monthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice with ties to the Chicago arts community. Each month we’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
Guests are welcome to stay after the talk and enjoy our current exhibition, This We Believe.
About our Speakers:
Emma Mckee isn’t your average cross stitcher. Born in Kansas City, she was first introduced to the medium through her mother, a British opera singer who frequently attempted to teach Emma how to stitch during her childhood. Yet she always refused to learn, finding the British craft too antiquated — that is, until she found a way to make cross stitching work for her.
In 2014, Emma stitched her first piece: An adaptation of Will Prince’s artwork for Chance the Rapper’s song “Hey Ma.” She followed that with a jacket that Chance wore on the cover of Billboard magazine. Her portfolio expanded from there, as she firmly planted herself within Chicago’s rap community, as the scene’s preeminent — and only — hip-hop cross stitcher, earning the name Stitch Gawd.
Since 2014, she’s created countless pieces for musicians and artists both in and outside Chicago. In 2017 she started exploring large scale non traditional cross stitch with an install for Adidas’ Originals windows. She continues to explore large scale cross stitch most recently with a 9 foot portrait of Chairman Fred Hampton- Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party.
Adia Sykes is the Museum Manager for 21c Chicago, where she organizes a wide range of arts programming, often in collaboration with other cultural and civic organizations, all open and free to the public. Through her independent curatorial practice, Sykes has realized projects in Chicago and abroad with organizations such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Woman Made Gallery, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Comfort Station, ACRE Projects, and Centro Opificio Siri in Italy.

Curator Conversations - September 28
2021-09-28 18:00 - 19:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Date: Tuesday, September 28
Time: 6 pm CST (Doors open at 5:30)
Where: 21c Chicago, Main Gallery
How: Free event, RSVP at our Eventbrite link to get reminders for the event
Our next Curator Conversations at 21c Chicago will feature Olivia Junell with local artist A.Martinez!
Curator Conversations is a bimonthly series that asks a local art curator to chat with an artist of their choice with ties to the Chicago arts community. We’ll switch up those pairings to give you a look into the rich arts community that we have here in the city.
Light refreshments will be provided and guests are welcome to stay after the talk and enjoy our current exhibition, This We Believe.
This event will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page.
About our Speakers:
Olivia Junell is Director of Development & Outreach at Experimental Sound Studio. She has over 15 years of experience working in development at small to mid-sized arts non-profits, where she has gained extensive, diverse experience in fundraising, project management, project development, budgeting, production, strategic planning, and marketing. Along the way, both independently and in the context of organization-based projects, she has worked with dozens of artists to secure funding for their visions.
A native Texan, Olivia moved to Chicago in 2013 to earn a dual Masters in Arts Administration and Public Policy and Modern Art History and Critical Writing at the School of the Art Institute Chicago (2016). She has held various roles at a number of contemporary arts and music organizations including significant development and leadership roles at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival (Chicago), the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, High Concept Labs (Chicago), and Women & Their Work (Austin), among others.
Olivia serves on the board of Honey Pot Performance, where she is also Chair of the Development Committee. She is also the Program Director for Back Alley Jazz, a project of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and South Shore Works.
A.Martinez is a poet, visual artist, mother, and community and arts organizer living in Chicago. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Writing Program, and has been published in LVNG Magazine, Contratiempo, Poiesis, and will release a limited edition artist book of poetry and drawings, Turn, in 2022. Her work explores identity, memory, spirituality, and the body.
In addition to her creative practice, A.Martinez produces community and cultural events. She most notably helps produce Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival and is production and development coordinator for Grammy-nominated, Spektral Quartet. She also curates her own independent events that center on and for mothers of color in the arts, and is an organizer and member of the Wild Yams cohort of black artist mothers. A.Martinez is a proud recipient of the 2019 3Arts Make a Wave Award.
You can find out more about her work and projects at https://www.alyssahydemartinez.com/

Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art - New On-Site Exhibition Opening Event
2022-03-24 18:00 - 20:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 2022
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Where: 21c Chicago, Main Gallery
How to Attend: Free event
Join us for an opening reception for 21c Museum Hotel Chicago’s newest on-site exhibition, “Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art.”
21c Museum Director and Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites with introduce the exhibition and have a conversation with featured artist Brendan Fernandes.
The reception begins at 6:00 p.m. with remarks scheduled at 6:30 p.m.
Guests will be treated to food tastings from Lure Fishbar along with house wine.
The multi-media exhibition illuminates the intersection of celebrity, commerce, technology and the media, including notable works by Nick Cave, Titus Kaphar, Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley and Brendan Fernandes, among others. “Pop Stars!” features over 90 works of art by 55 artists from around the world.
[Brian Paumier, “Act of Faith,” 2014, unique cuadros and archival pigment prints on panel with resin. Photo courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.]

Chicago Restaurant Week at Lure Fishabr
2022-03-25 - 2022-04-10 | Lure Fishbar, 616 N. Rush Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
Come visit 21c Chicago’s Museum for free before or after your visit to Lure Fishbar for Chicago Restaurant Week! Be sure to secure your reservation.
Lure Fishbar Lunch Menu
Lure Fishbar Dinner Menu

Pop Stars! - Guided Tour with Alice Gray Stites, 21c Museum Director and Chief Curator
2022-03-25 10:00 - 11:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, Pop Stars!, and the artists behind all of the works on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Director and Chief Curator,
Alice Gray Stites.
Meet us in the lobby at 10am to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.

Pop Stars! - Guided Docent Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2022-03-26 10:00 - 11:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, Pop Stars!, and the artists behind all of the works on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Manager,
Juli Lowe.
Meet us in the lobby at 5 pm to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.

Pop Stars! - Guided Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2022-03-30 12:00 - 13:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Curious about contemporary art? Learn about 21c Chicago’s current exhibition, Pop Stars!, and the artists behind all of the works on a guided tour from 21c’s Museum Manager, Juli Lowe.
Meet us in the lobby to explore. Tours are free and open to the public.

Michele Pred and Equal Pay
2022-04-05 08:00 - 2022-05-01 17:00 | IL
Michele Pred and Equal Pay
April 5 – May 1, 2022
Gallery 3
Michele Pred and The Art of Equal Pay is a multi-media installation inspired by her ongoing collaborative project, The Art of Equal Pay. The exhibition features Pred’s Wage Gaps flag alongside The Art of Equal Pay pink dollar bill; Equal Pay Grill, a photographic collaboration with Autumn Breon; and the Vote Feminist Parade film. These works are created within Pred’s practice that shines light on historic and present-day inequities while demanding specific and concrete action. Pred writes, “I created this piece, Wage Gaps, to highlight the connection between the ongoing wage disparities in our country and the political and economic mechanisms that support them. Economic power both drives and reflects political and personal power in our world and change requires we keep those realities in mind. Our country has contained these inequities since its founding and, while positive change has occurred, the pace of that change has been glacial and unacceptable.”
**There will be a special Equal Pay Performance Saturday, April 9 at 12:45pm in Main Gallery.

Blue Alice | EXPO Chicago at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
2022-04-08 17:00 - 19:00 | IL
Performance by Irene Hsiao
Costume by Vin Reed
Friday, April 8, 5-7pm
Main Gallery
“Only the light that falls continually from the sky gives a tree the energy to push powerful roots into the earth. The tree is actually rooted in the sky.” — Simone Weil
Blue Alice explores 21c Museum’s current exhibition, Pop Stars! this Friday from 5 to 7pm. Enter and leave as you wish. Recording is allowed. Feel free to participate. Part of a curiosity-driven series by Irene Hsiao and Vin Reed.

For Freedoms x Wide Awakes Chicago | A series of collaborative programming EXPO Chicago Forum at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
2022-04-09 12:30 - 16:30 | IL
For Freedoms returns to EXPO Chicago (booth number 181) with a special exhibition of Chicago-based artists and an afternoon series of programming at 21c in partnership with the Wide Awakes Chicago.
Expo Chicago Forum schedule, presented by For Freedoms and Wide Awakes Chicago
Equal Pay Performance | 12:45pm
Michele Pred @theartofequalpay

Abolitionist Creativity: The Role Of White Womyn | Black Womyn Allyship In Social Art Movements | 1:00 – 1:45pm
Moderator: Toni Anderson (Consciousness Engineer + Freedom Curator)
Panelists: Mecca Brooks ( Black Ecologist + Arts Strategist | Eileen Rhodes (Co-Gallerist @ Blanc Gallery) | Michele Pred (Artist + Activist)

Expo Chicago For Freedoms Artists Town Hall | 2:00 – 2:45pm
Moderator: Anisa Tavangar (Curator, For Freedoms)
Panelists: Anwulika Anigbo | SHENEQUA | Maria Gaspar | Jasmine Harris

What’s Next? An Exploration Of Post Pandemic Trends And The Way Ahead | 3:00 – 3:45pm
Moderator: Dwight Smith (Art Collector + Arts Strategist)
Panelists: Sho Joung Kim-Wechsler (Ceo If So What/Xverso) Clif Rome (Blanc Gallery) | Seed Lynn (Chicago Artist) | Raphael Dapaah (Polo Lifestyles/Dapaah Gallery) | Michelle Hartney (Artist)

All programs are free and open to the public and will be held in person at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago on Saturday April 9th.
Photo: Moko Jumbies (b+w) – Terrence Jennings | @#terrencejenningsphotography

Michele Pred and Equal Pay
2022-05-01 - 2022-05-31 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Michele Pred and The Art of Equal Pay is a multi-media installation inspired by her ongoing collaborative project, The Art of Equal Pay. The exhibition features Pred’s Wage Gaps flag alongside The Art of Equal Pay pink dollar bill; Equal Pay Grill, a photographic collaboration with Autumn Breon; and the Vote Feminist Parade film. These works are created within Pred’s practice that shines light on historic and present-day inequities while demanding specific and concrete action. Pred writes, “I created this piece, Wage Gaps, to highlight the connection between the ongoing wage disparities in our country and the political and economic mechanisms that support them. Economic power both drives and reflects political and personal power in our world and change requires we keep those realities in mind. Our country has contained these inequities since its founding and, while positive change has occurred, the pace of that change has been glacial and unacceptable.”

Michele Pred is a Swedish American artist and activist whose practice includes sculpture, assemblage, and performance. Her work uncovers the cultural and political meaning behind everyday objects, with a concentration on feminist themes such as equal pay, reproductive rights, and personal security. In 2020 Pred founded the initiative The Art of Equal Pay, the project confronts the racial and gender pay gaps for womxn artists. She is represented by the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York. Her artwork has been written about by The New York Times, The Art Newspaper, ARTnews Magazine, The International Herald Tribune, Artnet News, Ms.Magazine.com, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Playboy.

This exhibit is located in Gallery 3.
Photo caption: Wage Gaps, 2019
© Michele Pred / Courtesy of the artist and Nancy Hoffman Gallery

Rebirth Tour by Free Fyre
2022-05-22 18:00 - 20:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
The Rebirth Tour brought to you by Free Fyre, is a mix of Jazz and Spoken Word poetry live retelling the stories of the Harlem renaissance.
21c Museum Hotel Chicago is thrilled to host a free jazz and spoken word poetry event in collaboration with Free Fyre’s Rebirth Tour Sunday, May 22 at 6 p.m. Organized by Free Fyre, a collective of artists, performers and spoken word poets, the Rebirth Tour will travel nationally to cities across the country, including Chicago. Through jazz music and poetry, the Rebirth Tour will retell the story of the Harlem Renaissance, conveying the impact and influence of these artistic mediums on Black culture.
The Rebirth Tour also acknowledges the impact of society due to the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to restore joy through music and spoken word in the same way jazz and poetry did for the Black community in the 1920s after the Great Influenza and Great Migration. The evening will include performances by Free Fyre co-founders Cameron L. Mitchell and Jazzmin Mitchell. Those interested in attending the event are encouraged to register for free by visiting here.
About Cameron L. Mitchell
Cameron L. Mitchell is the 2022 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, author of the journal “Metanoia: Changing the State of Mind,” and founder of Free Fyre. In addition to mentoring youth with Southern Word, Cameron has presented at creative institutions, arts organizations, high school graduations, regional and national conferences such as Lipscomb University, NAACP, Nashville Public Television and Creative Exchange. He has created performances such as “Blackbird” and “INFAMI” and is a published poet who has been found in commercial work such as Uber, AT&T and Life Way. Cameron is native to Memphis, TN and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University whose poetic prowess and eclectic concepts blend together to create a transformational experience that inspires the community and highlights mental health awareness.
About Jazzmin Mitchell
Jazzmin Mitchell, Co-founder and Assistant Director of Free Fyre, was born and raised in Nashville, TN. Her experience includes five years of non-profit work including program development, community engagement, sponsor recruitment, volunteer and event coordination. Jazzmin’s passion is to serve communities through the performing arts. As a trained vocalist and songwriter, she blends her wide range of skills to educate, empower and provide the tools for artists, clients and partners to serve their communities effectively.

Pop Stars! - Guided Exhibit Tour with Juli Lowe, 21c Museum Manager
2022-05-26 17:00 - 18:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611

Art and Wine Tour
2022-06-02 17:00 - 18:30 | IL
Sip on a glass of wine and enjoy a guided tour of our new exhibit, Pop Stars!. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the work.

Meet in the Main Gallery on the 2nd Floor

Tour starts at 5:00pm and is free and open to the public

RSVP via Eventbrite here.

(Re)Design Fashion Workshop with Scooter LaForge
2022-06-13 18:00 - 20:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Join New York-based artist Scooter LaForge in designing a new look for your wardrobe.
21c Museum Hotel and Scooter LaForge collaborate and bring you this (Re)Design Fashion Workshop that will teach you how to paint directly on clothing with easily accessible materials like acrylic and leather paints. Using simple techniques, Scooter will show you how to bring new life to existing articles of clothing that are currently hiding in your closet. Scooter will introduce best practices for painting on specific fabrics, then assist each participant as they create their first design. While your paint dries, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine with Scooter and other participants.
Please bring one item of clothing or accessory to paint. 21c will provide paint supplies. Dress appropriately for painting activities.
Limited seats available. RSVP here.
About Scooter LaForge
Scooter LaForge (b. Las Cruces, New Mexico) is a New York-based artist who has lived in the East Village for the past 20 years. His unique style mines the canon of art history by infusing classical themes with a colorful sensibility. LaForge works in various media, including painting, sculpture, and drawing, and employs unorthodox techniques and striking iconic images. Often combine-like, his works are a walking journal of images where ideas are explored and refined. LaForge approaches art-making intuitively, absorbing what surrounds him and working with agility and focus—drawing from a fertile inner emotional realm and an extensive painterly vocabulary.
His paintings have been shown at Howl Happening New York, Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York, the Friedrichshof Museum in Vienna, and the Spritmuseum/Absolut Art Collection in Sweden. In 2015, the artist was awarded a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. He holds a BFA in painting from the University of Arizona.
On June 14, Scooter will be the honored guest at the 2022 Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum‘s Annual Meeting. He will give a unique presentation on the intersection of art and fashion. The event is open to Costume Council members as well as all other friends and guests who wish to hear from this lively contemporary artist. Drinks and light bites will be served. For more information, visit ChicagoHistoryMuseum.org.
Photo caption: Photograph by Ron Amato

21c Presents "The Art of Fashion": Fashion's Night Out
2022-06-16 19:00 - 21:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
21c Presents “The Art of Fashion”: Fashion’s Night Out celebrating 8 local Chicago fashion designers, in benefit of Center on Halsted.

21c Museum Hotels Chicago presents the first “Art Of” series premiering with Fashion’s Night Out: The Art of Fashion hosted by Nigel Barker. This evening will celebrate 8 local designers showcasing unique pieces influenced by 21c’s new exhibit Pop Stars! Snap photos of these rare designs, show off your best blue steel look, mingle with designers, and celebrate local fashion with food, drinks, and good music.
This event will be entry by donation, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Center on Halsted, Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Community Center.

**At 6:30PM there will be a special appearance of Blue Alice, performed by 21c’s first Artist in Residence, Irene Hsiao.

RSVPs are now closed.
Featured Designers:
828 collection by Suzette Opara – @828_collection
Ajovang by Adreain Guillory – @ajovang
Delvin McCray – https://delvinmccray.com
Justin LaBlanc – http://www.jleblancdesign.com
Lola Élan Studio by Lola Osire – https://www.lolaelan.com
Raj Patel – @Karmic_couture
Sheila Rashid – https://www.sheilarashid.com
Sublime Remains by Av Grannan – https://sublimeremains.com
About 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
21c Museum Hotel Chicago, one of the newest hotels in heart of downtown Chicago, offers travelers a one-of-a-kind experience that blurs the line between contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. Boasting 297 beautifully appointed rooms, including 106 suites, the hotel is located at 55 East Ontario Street. 21c Museum Hotel Chicago joins eight other renowned 21c Hotel locations across the country to form North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the art of the 21st century. 21c Museum Hotel has over 10,000 square feet of gallery space to exhibit the work of notable contemporary artists. The current exhibition on view, Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art is a multi-media exhibition that illuminates the intersection of celebrity, commerce, technology and the media. Pop Stars! features over 90 works of art by 55 artists from around the world.
About Center on Halsted
Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood.
About Nigel Barker
Barker opened his New York studio in 1996. He served 17 seasons as photographer and judge on the hit TV show, America’s Next Top Model, which airs in over 140 countries, and hosted Oxygen Network’s modeling competition series, The Face, starring alongside Naomi Campbell. Barker also created the VH1 Reality show The Shot. His latest hit show, Top Photographer, premiered to rave reviews and a second season is in the works. Barker’s presence in the fashion and entertainment industry has resulted in an array of exciting projects including the creation of a furniture line, skateboard collection, three fragrances and many more innovative projects. Barker has directed and produced films, documentaries and commercials for Hollywood clients and international charitable organizations. He was awarded the “Film Heals” Award for Humanitarianism at the 6th Annual Manhattan Film Festival for Dreams Are Not Forgotten. Using the power of photography and motion pictures, Barker has been able to spread his humanitarian message to vast audiences through films, PSAs and traveling exhibitions.

Design by Ajovang. Photo by Mateo Hererra.

Thunder & Clash (from Last Audience)
2022-06-24 19:30 - 21:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Thunder & Clash (from Last Audience)
At 21c, interdisciplinary artist Yanira Castro will be guiding the audience through a set of performance scores from her award-winning work, Last Audience. Enacted by the audience, Last Audience is an immersive, participatory work that invites the audience into a sensory-rich communal experience. Drawing on language and themes from requiems and Greek classical tragedy on judgement and democratic formation, Last Audience moves inside the unstable space between the perfunctory and the transformative.
Yanira Castro is the 2022 MOCO Artist-in-Residence. This project is supported in part by the Conference for Research on Choreographic Interfaces (CRCI). For more information, visit www.choreographicinterfaces.org
RSVP via Eventbrite here
INFORMATION FOR AUDIENCES
This performance is an immersive participatory experience with limited seating. Please let us know upon arrival if you require a seat. For everyone’s safety and to care for the performer who will be unmasked, we are requiring audience members to show proof of vaccination and wear masks during the entirety of the 30 minute performance. Masks will be provided.
ABOUT YANIRA
Yanira Castro is a Puerto Rican born interdisciplinary artist living in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY). Since 2009, she has made participatory performances and interactive installations with a team of collaborators under the moniker, a canary torsi. Her work is rooted in communal construction as a practice of radical democracy and invites the public into co-creation. Castro is the recipient of the 2022 Herb Alpert Award for Dance and has received two New York Dance & Performance (a.k.a BESSIE) Awards for Outstanding Production, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Choreography Fellowship as well as various commissions, residencies and national project grant awards. She has been commissioned and/or presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, New York Live Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Abrons Arts Center, Danspace Project, The New Museum, ISSUE Project Room, The Invisible Dog Art Center, The Chocolate Factory Theater, and EMPAC, among others, and has toured nationally and internationally. She has received residency support for her work including MacDowell, Yaddo, IN_Residence @ Dancehouse (Australia), Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, and Rockefeller Foundation (Bellagio, Italy). She is a co-author of “Creating New Futures,” two collectively-written documents drafted as calls-to-action to address deep-rooted inequities in the performance field. www.acanarytorsi.org
About MOCO
MOCO is an interdisciplinary conference that explores the use of computational technology to support and understand human movement practice (e.g. computational analysis) as well as movement as a means of interacting with computers (e.g. movement interfaces). This requires a wide range of computational tasks including modeling, representation, segmentation, recognition, classification, or generation of movement information but also an interdisciplinary understanding of movement that ranges from biomechanics to embodied cognition and the phenomenology of bodily experience. We therefore invite submissions from a wide range of disciplines including (but not limited to): Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Dance, Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Sports Science, Machine Learning, Cognitive Science, Visual Arts, Robotics, Philosophy, Anthropology, Music, Affective Computing, Games, Healthcare and Animation.
Instagram: @acanarytorsi
Facebook: @YaniraCastro
Twitter: @acanarytorsi

Michelle Hartney Elevate Exhibition and Residency - Write In
2022-06-30 17:00 - 19:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Exhibition: July 1 – August 28, 2022
Activations: Write-In June 30, 5-7pm and Sewing Circle August 26, 5-7pm
Location: Gallery 3
Partners: 21c Kansas City, 21c Cincinnati
RSVP via Eventbrite here.
21c Chicago’s Artist in Residence program offers prolonged engagement, development, and support for Chicago artists. Through this program, we invite Chicago artists to create new works in response to world events and our current exhibition, Pop Stars!. Our second Artist in Residence is Michelle Hartney, whose artwork lays bare the injustices women have faced, and continue to face, often in attempting to control their reproductive and maternal health and choices. 21c Chicago will host a proliferating exhibition from July 1 through August 28, 2022. The exhibition will launch with a community-led write-in and culminate with a sewing circle on August 26. Throughout the residency, Michelle will be onsite at 21c furthering the development of the project, exhibition, and dialog. Please visit our website for forthcoming dates.
Michelle Hartney and these projects are supported by 21c Museum Hotels.
Upcoming Studio Hours:
July 11 & 14 10-12pm
July 25 2-4
Aug 1, 12-2 Aug 4 12-2
Aug 18 10-12
Aug 22 & 26 10-12
Located in Gallery 3
About Michelle Hartney and Unplanned Parenthood
Unplanned Parenthood is a collaborative, textile-based piece exploring historical attacks on reproductive health access and calling for intersectional reproductive justice. Hartney will work with volunteers from across the country to tell the stories of more than 250,000 women who penned desperate letters in the 1920’s asking for help ending and preventing pregnancies. The letters come from Motherhood in Bondage, a collection published by Margaret Sanger in 1928 of the correspondence she received when any information about contraception was deemed “obscene,” and disseminating it was punishable by law.
To reckon with Sanger’s racism and her legacy with Unplanned Parenthood, Hartney centers the project on the letters and individual stories, instead of her work. These testimonies remind us of how urgent it is to stay organized and focused in this fight, and to work toward a more intersectional future. Through this work—from stitch to show— Hartney will seek to shine light on Sanger’s racist legacy and call out the ways white supremacy persists in the movement for, and attacks on, contraception access and reproductive rights.
Michelle Hartney is a Chicago based interdisciplinary artist who works with fiber, installation, sculpture, performance, and the internet. Her practice focuses on women’s rights, maternal healthcare issues, and misogyny in art institutions. Hartney’s interest in using art to address social issues began during her graduate studies in art therapy at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was an Albert Schweitzer Fellow.
In 2016 Hartney founded the Women’s Health Collective, an art collective dedicated to utilizing creative approaches to raise awareness about women’s health issues by linking artists, writers, musicians, and activists to work collaboratively on socially engaged projects.
Exhibition
Unplanned parenthood: letters to an army of millions is a mixed media installation centered on the stories of people who longed for reproductive justice—and reminding us of the urgency of retaining our control over our destinies. This collaborative exhibition will present a growing number of handwritten letters on the gallery wall. Volunteers who choose to participate will pen a letter from Motherhood in Bondage onto floral paper designed by the artist. Once written, the letter is pinned to the gallery wall. The stories of these 250,000 individuals will unfold as the project and exhibition evolves on the gallery wall.
Activations
This project is a collaboration; a converging of our stories, much like those in Motherhood in Bondage. The Write-In launches the exhibition with a community-led activation. Hartney asks volunteers to handwrite quotes from select letters in the book and pin the penned letter to the gallery wall. Throughout the exhibition, Hartney will be present at 21c furthering the development of the project, exhibition, and encouraging dialog.
The exhibition and residency will culminate with a Sewing Circle on August 26. Michelle Hartney and community volunteers will be embroidering select letters from the collection, hand-written by volunteers from across the country, onto fabric from antique wedding dresses. Each piece of fabric is dyed with dandelion—a flower that was picked for bouquets before it was deemed a weed—to remind us that things can change drastically, even in a lifetime. The artist will supply kits during the sewing circle and the first ten participants will receive a fine art print.
All events are a safe space for community dialog around reproductive rights.
Sign up to participate remotely on Michelle Hartney’s website here.

Art and Wine Tour
2022-07-07 17:00 - 18:30 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Sip on a glass of wine and enjoy a guided tour of our new exhibit, Pop Stars!. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the work.

Meet in the Gallery 5 + 6 on the 2nd Floor.

Tour starts at 5:00pm and is free and open to the public

Open Mic Night at 21c Chicago
2022-07-07 19:00 - 21:30 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Doors open at 7pm to sign up. Performances start at 7:30pm.
All musicians and types of music are welcome. 21c Chicago will provide speakers, a microphone, and an amp. Feel free to bring your own instrument.
RSVP here.

21c Presents: "The Art of Music" Jazz Jam Session
2022-07-14 19:00 - 22:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Join us for 21c Chicago’s first Jazz Jam Session!
RSVP via Eventbrite here.

Jazz jam sessions have long been the place where musicians gather to connect and perform together while honing their skills. Matt Jarosch Quintet will kick off the night with a 30 minute set before opening the evening to Jazz musicians in the audience to come sit-in!
The evening will feature a fundraiser for Bandwidth Chicago, with donations collected upon entry. Lite bites and wine will be served. Free and open to the public.

How does it work?
Musicians can sign up on-site, and fill out a jam session info card listing three to five tunes they can play and improvise on from memory. The jam session host will call up musicians to perform and improvise together in front of an enthusiastic live audience.
What should I bring?
Bring your trumpet/saxophone/trombone/voice/flute/vibes/drumsticks and a list of jazz standard tunes that you know and can improvise over. A vocal microphone, drum set, bass, bass amp, and piano will be provided.
Parking
There is street parking and parking garages in the area, we recommend arriving by rideshare, bicycle, or rickshaw.
About BandWith Chicago
Founded in the Fall of 2015 by Annie Palomino, BandWith is a Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lasting access to high quality performing arts instruction to underserved Chicago communities.
Since its inception, BandWith has addressed the need for access to music and creativity in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Annie Palomino launched BandWith when the band program was dropped from LEARN Campbell Charter School due to budget cuts. Starting a nonprofit allowed Annie to continue providing free access to music instruction to students at the LEARN Campbell Campus while increasing reach to new students.
Since then, BandWith has developed into a stable organization offering individual and small group instruction, weekly ensemble play and performance opportunities to participants throughout the year. BandWith’s free in-school and after-school programs are located in East Garfield Park. They include our longest standing in-school band program, the Titan Band, within LEARN Charter School. BandWith also provides an after-school performing arts program at Marillac St. Vincent’s Hope Jr. Youth Center, which includes Drumline, WestDance, Studio-Engineering and Vocal Training/Choir. This summer, we partnered with After School Matters to support our growing Drumline Program as well as Chicago West Community Music Center to launch the WestDance Program.
BandWith offers instrumental music programs at 3 additional sites that are fee-for-service. The sites of these are St. Procopius School in Pilsen, St. Helen School in Ukrainian Village, and St. John Berchmans School in Logan Square. The three fee-for-service programs ensure BandWith’s financial viability and stability, and help subsidize the cost of our free programs. All other fundraising efforts are used to support free programs.
About 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
21c Museum Hotel Chicago, one of the newest hotels in heart of downtown Chicago, offers travelers a one-of-a-kind experience that blurs the line between contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. Boasting 297 beautifully appointed rooms, including 106 suites, the hotel is located at 55 East Ontario Street. 21c Museum Hotel Chicago joins eight other renowned 21c Hotel locations across the country to form North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the art of the 21st century. 21c Museum Hotel has over 10,000 square feet of gallery space to exhibit the work of notable contemporary artists. The current exhibition on view, Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art is a multi-media exhibition that illuminates the intersection of celebrity, commerce, technology and the media. Pop Stars! features over 90 works of art by 55 artists from around the world.

SoFar Sounds Concert @ 21c Chicago
2022-07-15 19:30 - 22:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Attn: Live music lovers!
This month, we’re bringing a SoFar Sounds show to YOU! ICYMI, they transform everyday spaces into captivating venues for secret, live music shows. Expect three local and diverse artists, great vibes, and a whole lot of magic– get your tickets here.
Use promo code SOFARSPACES15 for 15% off the show.
Located in the Main Gallery on the 2nd Floor.
Doors open at 7:30pm. Show starts at 8:00pm.

Lyrics & Legends: Live Storytelling with Music by Kelly Campos
2022-07-27 18:00 - 19:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Lyrics & Legends (Teen/Adult Version)
A haunting melody chills your spine in a ghostly folk tale… A driving rhythm has you leaning forward to follow a journey…
Join storyteller-singer-songwriter Kelly Campos for a series of stories intertwined with song in this one of a kind performance.
RSVP via Eventbrite here.
About The Performer
Kelly Campos is a Librarian, a musician, and the winner of the 2022 Folktale Fight. She twists folk & fairy tales into new patterns and highlights life with her true stories, and weaves music through them all
About 21c Museum Hotel Chicago
21c Museum Hotel Chicago, one of the newest hotels in heart of downtown Chicago, offers travelers a one-of-a-kind experience that blurs the line between contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. Boasting 297 beautifully appointed rooms, including 106 suites, the hotel is located at 55 East Ontario Street. 21c Museum Hotel Chicago joins eight other renowned 21c Hotel locations across the country to form North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the art of the 21st century. 21c Museum Hotel has over 10,000 square feet of gallery space to exhibit the work of notable contemporary artists. The current exhibition on view, Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art is a multi-media exhibition that illuminates the intersection of celebrity, commerce, technology and the media. Pop Stars! features over 90 works of art by 55 artists from around the world.

Art and Wine Tour
2022-08-04 17:00 - 18:30 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
Sip on a glass of wine and enjoy a guided tour of our new exhibit, Pop Stars!. Learn all about contemporary art and the artists behind the work.

Meet in the Gallery 5 + 6 on the 2nd Floor.

Tour starts at 5:00pm and is free and open to the public

RSVP via Eventbrite here.

Virtual Sewing Circle with Michelle Hartney
2022-08-23 18:00 - 19:00 | 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E Ontario, Chicago, IL, 60611
August 23, 6-7pm
RSVP via Eventbrite for Zoom link
Join Michelle Hartney on August 23 for a virtual sewing circle and introduction to Unplanned Parenthood: Letters to an Army of Millions, a collaborative mixed media project currently on view at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago. During the virtual sewing circle, Hartney will introduce Unplanned Parenthood and lead a community sew-in via Zoom. She will also share tips for participants to sew independently at home.
As a community, we will sew select letters from Motherhood in Bondage, a collection of letters received by Margaret Sanger in the 1920’s from mothers asking for help to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Sewing circles have traditionally served as a time for women to gather and talk, sometimes working on projects, such as this one, focused on creating a more just society. Hartney invites all genders and community members to join her contemporary sewing circles that create space for community advocacy and dialog around reproductive rights.
Order your sewing kit by August 16 to insure delivery before Aug 23. Order online here. Sewing kit not required to attend event.
Unplanned Parenthood: Letters to an Army of Millions is a collaborative, textile-based piece exploring historical attacks on reproductive health access and calling for intersectional reproductive justice. Hartney will work with volunteers from across the country to tell the stories of more than 250,000 women who penned desperate letters in the 1920’s asking for help ending and preventing pregnancies. The letters come from Motherhood in Bondage, a collection published by Margaret Sanger in 1928 of the correspondence she received when any information about contraception was deemed “obscene,” and disseminating it was punishable by law.
To reckon with Sanger’s racism and her legacy with Planned Parenthood, Hartney centers the project on the letters and individual stories, instead of her work. These testimonies remind us of how urgent it is to stay organized and focused in this fight, and to work toward a more intersectional future. Through this work—from stitch to show— Hartney will seek to shine light on Sanger’s racist legacy and call out the ways white supremacy persists in the movement for, and attacks on, contraception access and reproductive rights.
Michelle Hartney is a Chicago based interdisciplinary artist who works with fiber, installation, sculpture, performance, and the internet. Her practice focuses on women’s rights, maternal healthcare issues, and misogyny in art institutions. Hartney’s interest in using art to address social issues began during her graduate studies in art therapy at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was an Albert Schweitzer Fellow.
In 2016 Hartney founded the Women’s Health Collective, an art collective dedicated to utilizing creative approaches to raise awareness about women’s health issues by linking artists, writers, musicians, and activists to work collaboratively on socially engaged projects.
Visit 21cChicago.com for more information about Michelle Hartney’s exhibition, Unplanned Parenthood: Letters to an Army of Millions, currently on view at 21c Chicago and the in-person sewing circle on August 26 (in partnership with ACLU)
