Art on the crosswalks in downtown Chicago. Many of these guys are all on the downtown Chicago crosswalks. Are they sanctioned by the city? [read more]

With video instillations, performance-based work, photography, painting, works on paper, and space filled instillations, the New Approaches: Four Exhibitions of Current Work from recent SAIC alumni and current SAIC students was sophisticated and yet unsurprising. Some of the four exhibitions in the show had obvious themes, like the grouping that dealt with food (or consumption) and We Must Indeed All Hang Together that tries to reconcile the vast and rapid changes in our time. [read more]

Eating lunch everyday around Clark and Whacker along the river I notice large works of art bolted to the wall that divides lower Whacker from the river walk. There is no explanation of the work except the work descriptions and artist bios. Not until I searched on the internet did I find a description for this very diverse, interesting, and hidden exhibition. [read more]

Is art education necessary? Can creativity be taught? The skills of an artist can be. Drawing, painting, and sculpture can all be learned, but what to draw, paint, and sculpt cannot. And now the de-emphasis on skill created by open departments that allow students to try different mediums giving art students the opportunity to discover what they like and how they want to express their ideas. This may also create artists that know a little about a lot. And even so, does it matter? In the age of the art factory where the Jeff Koons and Damien Hursts of the world have other artists execute the ideas. [read more]