Top Places to Visit in Chicago by John Corbett
newsdepo.com
Chicago-based gallery Corbett vs. Dempsey represents an international roster of contemporary artists and presents select 20th-century works, with a specialty in historical Chicago. John Corbett, curator and writer, and with Jim Dempsey, co-owner of the gallerTop Places to Visit in Chicago by John Corbett
Chicago-based gallery Corbett vs. Dempsey represents an international roster of contemporary artists and presents select 20th-century works, with a specialty in historical Chicago. John Corbett, curator and writer, and with Jim Dempsey, co-owner of the gallery, tells us that they have been participating in Expo Chicago since its inception. The gallery was founded in 2004. This year, the fair will run from 13 to 17 September at Navy Pier. “It’s such a rich fair, a total pleasure for us to do and for visitors to attend. Also, we get to sleep in our own beds, which is a rare treat for dealers during art fairs!” says Corbett. “During the week of the fair, at Corbett vs. Dempsey we will have an exhibition called Small Sculpture, featuring more than 50 tabletop works by over 50 artists, ranging from people in our program including Joyce Pensato, David Hartt, and Christopher Wool to artists we admire such as Mike Kelley, Carol Bove, and Rachel Harrison. In our project spaces, we’ll have a wonderfully weird show of new paintings by Orion Martin,” he adds.The gallery also publishes a catalog with each of its exhibitions, and it has a record label which has released 40 CDs to date. Blouin ARTINFO spoke to Corbett about his top travel and culture tips.What are your recommendations for must-visit places in Chicago and why?Expo this year coincides with the Architecture Biennial, and I’d recommend a trip out to Oak Park, a nearby western suburb, to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright studio and go on the walking tour of his nearby homes. And while you’re at it, don’t miss the Architecture Foundation’s boat tour, which provides an incredible nautical vantage on the city’s major buildings. A trip to Hyde Park on the city’s south side is highly recommended, to see a different part of the city and take in the site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the so-called White City, fragments of which still exist around the Museum of Science and Industry. While you’re down around the University of Chicago, visit the Renaissance Society – Chicago’s non-collecting museum, a bellwether for international contemporary art – as well as the Hyde Park Art Center (where the Chicago Imagists debuted in the mid-1960s) and the Smart Museum of Art, and head over to the Seminary Co-op Bookstore, but prepare to fall into a delightful rabbit hole. Up on the north side, there’s Evanston, which is a nice lakefront suburb and home to Northwestern University, where you can visit the Block Museum of Art. Chicago’s version of the High Line, the Bloomingdale Trail, is also a pleasant way to experience a cross-section of the city, cutting through a multitude of different neighborhoods. What restaurants, bars, and cafes would you recommend in Chicago and why?Chicago is an outstanding site for imbibing. To eat, a few of my favorite haunts are Maude’s Liquor Bar and Publican, both close to downtown, Lula Café and Fat Rice, which are both in Logan Square, and my very favorite these days, Osteria Langhe, which specializes in Piedemontese food, has a terrific wine list, and makes a knockout Negron. If you are a beer drinker, I suggest the Hop Leaf, up in Andersonville, which also has an excellent restaurant, or go old-school and head to the Rainbo in Wicker Park, a classic Windy City hipster bar. I am also a fan of Longman & Eagle, both for eating and drinking, and a recent trip to Mott Street, just up Ashland Avenue from our gallery, made clear why its Asian fusion is a cut above others. Also, they served me a stupendous old fashioned. I also like the down and dirty bar in the lower level of the Drake Hotel. Where would you go and what would you do if you had a free morning or afternoon in Chicago?Mornings along the lakefront can be absolutely beautiful. I suggest a walk northward from Oak Street Beach, perhaps up to Montrose Harbor. Or head south, hugging the lake, and take a long walk in the recently renovated parklands at the water’s edge. Or I would head up to the 95th floor of the Hancock Center, where you can have an overpriced drink and admire the unthinkable flatness of the prairieland from your table. The view west is incredible. Where would you head to in Chicago for the best shopping and what would you buy?I would head right to Dusty Groove, one of the greatest record stores in the world, where I would buy Brazilian music, jazz, and soul on vinyl or CD. And two storefronts down, I’d head to Circa Modern, a killer mid-century furniture store with prices that will make folks from elsewhere scratch their heads.Where would you recommend people stay (hotels etc.) when they visit Chicago?Chicago Athletic Association, which is downtown and is beautiful and also The Public; The Park Hyatt, where there’s always very interesting (often important) art in the lobby and The Robey, in Wicker Park. The James is reputedly lovely, and we have artists who love to stay at the Peninsula. What are the best places to see and buy art in Chicago?Chicago is an incredible museum town. There are great smaller institutions, as I mentioned above, the Renaissance Society, the Smart, Hyde Park Art Center, and the Block, as well as De Paul Art Museum (superb new facility). And of course the Art Institute of Chicago and the MCA – both highlights of any trip to town. Chicago’s art gallery scene is not centralized anymore, so you need to be proactive and get out into the neighborhoods to see, for instance, Richard Gray’s new Warehouse space, on the west side, or Shane Campbell Gallery, in the South Loop region. Along with mainstays like Rhona Hoffman and Kavi Gupta, and strong galleries that have been around for a while, like Western Exhibitions, Monique Meloche, Carrie Secrist, and Andrew Rafacz, look for some of the terrific younger galleries, like Patron, Regards, and Document.What are the best places to see live bands or musicians in Chicago and why?I have four suggestions for live jazz and creative music: Constellation, The Green Mill, The Hungry Brain, and Elastic Foundation. For pop and rock, there’s The Empty Bottle, Schubas, and the Metro. Up in Evanston, a place called Space is a wonderful room for listening. And great world music and folk and sometimes rock come to the Old Town School of Folk Music.What are the best spots for experiencing Chicago’s nightlife after spending the day at an art fair?Danny’s often has a great dance party. But I must admit, I’m more attuned to sitting, kibitzing, and sipping than shaking my thing.What projects are you currently working on/involved in?Jim Dempsey and I are working on curating a show in 2018 at the Tang Museum in Saratoga, New York, called “3-D Doings: The Imagist Object”, exploring the history of sculpture in Imagist art. I’ve just published a new book on record collecting called “Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium”, which I’ll be signing at Expo. The gallery’s record label is about to issue five new releases, including two dub records, a reissue of a classic Sun Ra LP, and a 1977 recording by guitarist Eugene Chadbourne called “The Lost Eddie Chatterbox Session”. We’re staying busy!Click here to view a slideshow on Chicago. Read more