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EXPO 2015

Kristina — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:36:14 +0000

Our highlights from this year’s EXPO!

We can’t resist the snarky art:

A local Masterpiece by Dan Sullivan and Edra Soto:

6018North:

Mikey McParlane and Caleb Yono performance of Foolish Heart of the Golden Boy, 2015. Loosely based on a story about Pope Leo X, who had a boy painted gold in his honor and subsequently died. The performance will be staged in relation to Rodrigo Lara-Zendejas’ Chapel.

Some of us at ITAK looking fancy:

Chris G with ITAK interviewee, Jaclyn Jacunski.

Kristina D with ITAK interviewee, Edra Soto.

Butternut Squash Risotto || Starving Artists Recipe

Jess — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 14:40:24 +0000

For the past couple of years ITAK has had the pleasure of meeting artists featured during the Starving Artist’s fundraiser. The event seeks to raise money for Chicago Artists’ Coalition and this year they’ve moved to an expanded space at Venue One due to the immense popularity. Portions of the proceeds to go CAC’s Maker Grant and the proceeds will also be matched by OtherPeople’sPixels, an artist-run design collaborative. You can come join the fun Thursday, June 25, 2015 – 7:00pm to 11:00pm.

Tickets are available here. The installations and tablescapes at the event will be created by a slew of talented artists collaborating with a band of equally talented chefs. The artists working on this are Maurene Cooper, Andrew Rosinski, Tori Terzakis and Stacia Yeapanis.

We spoke with Stacia Yeapanis about one of her go-to recipes and decided to try it out for ourselves in preparation for Starving Artists!

Stacia Yeapanis (CAC BOT Resident 2011-2012) Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist Yeapanis explores the relationship between repetition, desire and impermanence in impermanent, improvisational installations. She is an instructor in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where earned she her MFA in 2006 and interviews artists weekly for the OtherPeoplesPixels.

“I cook like I make art, transforming existing products by combining them in new ways. And I tend to make the same recipes over and over again. Also, because I’d rather save time to spend in the studio, I often start with products from Trader Joe’s, augmenting them with fresh vegetables. This also allows me to experiment with one recipe, by changing up the added ingredients for variety. Below is one of my staples.”

[yumprint-recipe id=’49’]

EXPO Chicago 2014

Kristina — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 23:43:20 +0000

Just some of the action at Expo Chicago 2014.

Bling Bling | 6018North

Colombian Coconut Rice || Starving Artists Recipe

Kristina — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 14:16:49 +0000

Chicago Artists Coalition turns 40 this year! Their annual fundraiser, Starving Artists, is today. The popular event will raise money for CAC’s mission, programming, and Maker Grant. Tickets are available here. One of the exciting collaborations for the evening will be between Artst Diana Gabriel and Chef Chris Pandel.

Chris Pandel opened The Bristol, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which boasts a menu of locally-sourced, seasonal dishes with a Mediterranean influence, in 2008. The Illinois born chef won Eater’s award for Chef of the Year in 2012, and his second restaurant, Balena, was a 2013 James Beard semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant in the Midwest.

Diana Gabriel makes process-based, site-specific works from string and other fibers that are responsive to nature and often rooted somewhere between logic and a daydream. For Starving Artist, Gabriel will create an immersive installation of large tassel forms. The piece Diana is working on for Starving Artist is called Ciclos.

“I’m very much into the slow food movement and was happy to find out that Chris Pandel, the chef I was paired with, is all about local food. I like the idea of seeing the world around you grow. That includes the food you eat and people you surround yourself with. I think transformation and growth is one of the most beautiful things we can experience as humans.

In relationship to food and art, the bridge is “nourishment”, an important part of growth. In food, the idea of nourishment is pretty obvious on a biological level. But if we dig a little deeper, art and food nourish through curiosity, creativity and the connection to someone else’s vision.”

Diana gets us cooking early and shares her Family’s Colombian Coconut Rice recipe with ITAK.

[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]

SOFA 2013

Kristina — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:34:24 +0000

For as long as I’ve lived in Chicago I’ve explored SOFA. Usually opening night is a crowded evening full of interesting people, as well as art. Tonight was no exception, creative outfits and accessories were in abundance. I couldn’t tell how much of it was because it was SOFA, and how much was because it was also Halloween. We arrived early, and were able to have the room to spend wandering, and looping back, and slowly noting the things we liked.

A Whimsical moment amidst the contemporary art | Photo Credit: Michael Soto.

1. One of the first things that Michael and I were excited to see was Pratt Institute’s submission for Connect. I noticed the big billowing cloud like ceiling portion first and my interest was piqued. As we lingered on the fringes trying to figure out if we would want to sit on the benches below the clouds a set of students from Pratt encouraged us to have a seat. Curious, we moved closer. We were to discover that the installation was meant to be a submission for a lounge space design competition called Connect. This was the first year SOFA organizers had invited design schools to participate, and compete. These Pratt students had used recycled materials that were the bountiful detritus left over from their department’s basic operation. Tubes from printer paper, and bags. Despite essentially being made of garbage, the seats were functional, and the space was devoid of color or distractions. It was a calm space to sit and take a break from the flurry of SOFA activity. Encouraged by this experience we set off to see what the other schools had designed. Learn more here: The Pratt Connect Lounge, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Iowa, & Edinburgh College of Art.

Porcelain Gate Valve | Michael Schwegmann

2. Porcelain Valve | Michael Schwegmann. ITAK’s Michael first noticed this piece and walked over to investigate. The artist, also named Michael, happened to be onsite and introduced himself to us. I didn’t feel the nostalgia related to this piece that Michael did. He recognized it as an irrigation valve that was common around his grandparents’ house in rural Texas. My thoughts were more technical in nature. I was impressed that this was all ceramic even though it appeared to be metal. If the piece hadn’t been shaped with so much accuracy we’d have known instantly that it wasn’t what it seemed. Nostalgia and interest piqued.

The Dinnerware Museum

3. I quite enjoyed the miniature exhibition put on by The Dinnerware Museum. Their small space was full of dinnerware in all manner of materials. The Ann Arbor-based Museum is the first museum in the world devoted exclusively to dinnerware. It began showing bits of it’s collection in special exhibitions in 2012, and hopes to soon fund a permanent space. Learn more here.

She Defines Herself | Donna Rosenthal

4. She Defines Herself | Donna Rosenthal | Jean Albano Gallery. The series of works by Donna Rosenthal surprised me with their detail and somewhat hidden significance. At first glance this work’s cute profile and hanger style display suggests that it could be something you could pick up in the home decor section of a local craft store. The Jean Albano Gallery space had many of the miniature dresses displayed, and I had to inspect them more closely. She defines herself is made of pages from a dictionary and the fact that there is a material significance to the words chosen elevates these for me. The messages on each work are very amusing, and the material significances clever. Overall there is no denying that these are still in the cute realm, but we enjoyed them anyway.

Written in the Stars & Meant to Be | Donna Rosenthal

5. This year my attention was also captured by food related pieces purely because of the nature of this website. Food and art. There seemed to be a lot of it around. First the Dinnerware Museum, and now these? Food and art is trending.

Spring Pod | Randy Walker | Wexler Gallery.

Nostalgic diner food made of glass.

Those Fries in the back? Glass. Yep. Glass.

EXPO Chicago: Home

Kristina — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 07:59:50 +0000

Home, curated by Tricia Van Eck, was a hidden gem nestled on the second floor of EXPO Chicago. As the title suggests, the space was set up to evoke rooms of a house. I found the quiet unassuming feeling and the dim lighting a welcome reprieve from the main EXPO floor. The space was centered on a kitchen designed by John Preus and several contributing artists. It only makes sense that most of the people centered around the kitchen counters, a kitchen is the heart of any home. Drinks and snacks including burned cookies were up for grabs. Just like that time you forgot to set the timer…and burned your own cookies.

The Kichen w/ cabinets contributed by Deborah Boardman and Edra Soto, among many others.

Lamp? Glass Storage? Creative Cabinet? We’ll let you decide.

Mini Interview: John Preus

Preus is a craftsman and artist. Also, a featured Chicago artist for Chicago Artists Month. Interviewed with Chris Grieshaber.

Kristina: Tell me more about this fantastic kitchen. How did it come to be?

John: I was asked to participate, and knowing it takes a lot of work to build a kitchen, I decided to ask others if they were interested in building sections.

K: I am really enjoying this piece on the end with kitchen plates and pans covered in white.

J: Yeah, that guy is not even an artists. That’s what makes this interesting.

Chris: Not an artist?

J: A woodworker.

K: I have to ask, because of the nature of this website, if you cook?

J: No! I rely on others for that.

K: That’s lucky!

C: But you’ve made something here with this kitchen. A sort of stew.

J: Yes, it’s a stew. A chunky stew. You can still see the carrots.

The Living Room | Sabina Ott

The Studio | Lise Haller Baggesen

Mini Interview: Tricia Van Eck

Van Eck, former MCA curator, now runs 6018NORTH.

Kristina: Can you tell me a little more about the idea for this show?

Tricia: It’s set up in rooms similar to 6018NORTH, which is a dilapidated mansion. We question the boundaries between the public and the private aspects of space.

K: Is it going to stay dilapitated?

T: Well, it’s going to take a little more than we anticipated to get it restored, but we’re working on it.

Expo Chicago 2013

Kristina — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 05:45:25 +0000

2013 marks the second year of EXPO Chicago, and the first year we’ve attended. EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, showed us a glimpse into over 125 galleries. Below you can see some of our favorite works, and if you missed this EXPO be sure to mark the next one on your calendar. September 18-21, 2014.