CHICAGO, IL.- In its second year of planning,
Gallery Weekend Chicago announced the appointment of Mayor Rahm Emanuel as Honorary Chair of Gallery Weekend Chicago, taking place September 21-23, 2012. Gallery Weekend Chicago also welcomes the city’s cultural commissioner Michelle Boone as a member of the initiative’s Host Committee, which is comprised of over 20 top collectors and supporters of contemporary art in Chicago. Gallery Weekend Chicago, which strives to make the city a destination for contemporary art, is inspired by Gallery Weekend Berlin, a global art event that has substantially grown Berlin’s arts community.
“Gallery Weekend Chicago is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our vibrant contemporary art community to the world,” said Mayor Emanuel. “From Alexander Calder to Jean Dubuffet, Zaha Hadid to Anish Kapoor, I look forward to welcoming art enthusiasts, critics and collectors to see our local artists and to ensure Chicago remains a global destination for contemporary art and culture.”
“We are thrilled with Mayor Emanuel’s commitment to support the arts in Chicago and his understanding of the long term vision for Gallery Weekend Chicago,” says Monique Meloche, art dealer and founder of Gallery Weekend Chicago.
A select group of 15 of Chicago's premier contemporary art galleries have been invited to participate in the weekend, which is designed to attract an exclusive group of national and international clientele to experience Chicago’s dynamic contemporary art scene. Chauffeured visits to top contemporary art galleries, museums and world-class institutions, access to hard-to-secure reservations at Chicago’s finest restaurants, and private VIP events will make up the weekend’s activities. Participating galleries to date include: Alderman Exhibitions, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Carrie Secrist Gallery, Corbett vs. Dempsey, devening projects + editions, Donald Young Gallery, Kavi Gupta Gallery, moniquemeloche, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Richard Gray Gallery, The Mission, Threewalls, Tony Wight Gallery, Valerie Carberry Gallery and Western Exhibitions.
Gallery Weekend Chicago was founded by Monique Meloche and is organized in partnership with Scott Speh of Western Exhibitions and Andrew Rafacz of Andrew Rafacz Gallery. Gallery Weekend Chicago aims to showcase the best of the local art scene to out-of-town art enthusiasts, critics and collectors. While attendance at Gallery Weekend Chicago VIP events is by invitation only, there will be many happenings that are free and open to the public at the various participating GWC galleries over the course of the weekend, including opening receptions and conversations with artists and curators. The James Hotel will once again be the official hotel of GWC.
