"Dressed In History" At History Museum
Fort Worth Exhibition For Richard Hunt Lithographs And Midcentury Sculpture
The Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth will present "Richard Hunt: From Paper to Metal" beginning in October. "The exhibition pairs twenty-five never-before-seen lithographs from the Carter's collection with a newly acquired sculpture, 'Natural Form' (1968), which has not been on public view in over fifty years. 'From Paper to Metal' offers an unprecedented look at Hunt's mastery across mediums and the dialogues forged between them, reflecting on and amplifying a formidable legacy a year after his passing. Hunt's newly unveiled lithographs explore themes of growth and transformation that the artist interrogated throughout his seven-decade-long career. The exhibition's centerpiece is 'Natural Form,' the only sculpture in the presentation and a rare example of the direct-welding technique Hunt pioneered." Images and more here .
Michigan Art Dealer Sentenced For Fleecing Elderly Collectors
"A Michigan art dealer accused of swindling seniors out of $1.6 million in a photography consignment scheme was sentenced to five years and three months in prison," reports Hyperallergic . "Former art dealer Wendy Halsted Beard, fifty-nine, allegedly used her fine art gallery in Birmingham to sell consigned photography without providing the original owners their cut of the profit... In addition to cheating clients out of sales proceeds, Halstead reportedly failed to deliver the works to the new owners after receiving payments."
Hollywood Mega-Agency Gets Out Of Visual Art
"UTA Fine Arts, the division of Hollywood giant United Talent Agency that worked to put established and emerging contemporary artists into the collective consciousness by injecting them and their work into the entertainment and social media landscape has put its operations on pause," reports ARTnews . That "includes closing both the Los Angeles and Atlanta locations of UTA Artist Space, the brick-and-mortar exhibition spaces that, since 2015, has housed shows of work by Lonnie Holley, Mandy El-Sayegh, the Estate of Ernie Barnes, Harmonia Rosales, Ferrari Sheppard, Chloe Chiasson, Hely Omar Gonzalez, Sasha December and Yashua Klos."
"Dressed In History" At Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum has announced "Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective." Opening October 19, the exhibition will offer a look at "dozens of extraordinary objects, including some that have never been displayed. Through the exhibition, visitors will explore how clothing captures material, social and changing cultural values throughout history. Featuring over seventy artifacts, 'Dressed in History' is an eclectic mix of garments and accessories representing men's, women's and children's clothing that spans from couture designer ensembles to home-sewn items. Highlighting the long and rich history of fashion, manufacturing and retail that has been part of the city's identity for nearly 200 years, the exhibition is divided into four sections: Everyday/Sportswear, Couture & Designer, Historic Dress, and Art & Fashion. Within the space, guests will be able to see a range of artifacts from a Christian Dior gown to a baby's wool bathing suit." More here .
Vintage Signs Endangered In Changing Chicago Neighborhoods
"'While the transformation of these historic landmarks represents a promising catalyst for continued development along the Halsted Street corridor, it is hard to see the iconic Bridgeport Diner sign being removed,' says Anthony Skokal, an architecture graduate student at Illinois Institute of Technology and lifelong Bridgeport resident. 'I hope it is preserved and showcased as a testament to the rich history of our neighborhood,'" writes Miles MacClure in a report at the Reader . "While it's disappointing for some to see an original taken down in favor of a copy, it's also hard to follow in the footsteps of the original." (More signs and more neighborhoods in the story.)
Fallen Journalists Memorial By John Ronan Architects In D.C. First Entirely Glass Memorial In U.S.
"The design for the Fallen Journalists Memorial has been unveiled in Washington D.C. Located near the National Mall, [it's] designed by Chicago-based John Ronan Architects," reports Archinect . Ronan's design is "the first memorial in the United States to be made entirely of glass. The emphasis on transparency in the memorial seeks to convey the ability of investigative journalists to shed light on issues, to clarify and comprehend, and to make the opaque clear."
Bears Lakefront Plans Meet Community Opposition
"A coalition of community groups has come together to oppose the Chicago Bears' plans for a new Lakefront stadium," reports the Tribune . "The gathering is led by Friends of the Parks, the nonprofit group that waged a successful fight against the plans of 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas for a museum on the same site. Friends says that dozens of groups representing the city's racial, economic, civic and geographic diversity have come together to announce their opposition."
Lawmakers Wary Of White Sox Stadium Funding After Developer-Hosted Event
"Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday said they remained unmoved over the prospect of public funding for a new White Sox stadium a day after the team and real estate developers hosted an event that included a Chicago River cruise to the proposed site for a new ballpark," reports the Trib , with its own skeptical tone. "The public relations ploy by the Sox and developer Related Midwest gave the handful of legislators who attended a chance to see renderings of a ballpark on The 78 property along the river south of Roosevelt Road and hobnob with former Sox stars Ozzie Guillen, Bo Jackson, Harold Baines and Ron Kittle."
"The White Sox proposal for taxpayer money is a tall order for a team that has lost a hundred games for the second straight season, and comes at a time when the Chicago Bears have also appealed for help from lawmakers to pay for a new football stadium that would cost more than $3 billion before infrastructure costs."
DINING & DRINKING
Chef De Cuisine Dylan Patel On Nine Years At Avec
Avec's "chef de cuisine looks back at his nine years at the One Off Hospitality spot," profiles Chicago magazine . Dylan Patel "climbed the ranks by putting his head down and cooking; you don't see him doing a ton of social media, competitions or TV appearances. Originally, he worked in the tiny basement at Avec West Loop... on the day shift. He got the attention of [then-chef Perry] Hendrix and One Off Hospitality chief Paul Kahan with his food—not for the customers, but for the staff. 'The best way to show a chef that you're ready to put something on a menu is through your staff meals,' says Patel. 'Paul and Perry would eat what I made, and they would say I needed to put things on the menu. Trust began to grow, and after a while, Paul told me that he didn't need to taste my dishes anymore before they went on the menu.'"
Scottish Airbnb Lets You Run A Bookstore
A bookshop on the corner of a small town in southwestern Scotland "might not seem like a prime holiday destination," reports the BBC . But "the Open Book in Wigtown—which has been running for a decade—has a two-year waiting list. The brainchild of author and filmmaker Jessica Fox, the volunteer-run enterprise lets visitors live the dream of running their own bookshop." This "contributes about $13,000-a-year to the Wigtown Festival Company's charitable work."
More Workers Out At Manhattan's 92NY Over Policy Against "Personal Politics"
One of New York City's temples to culture faces further turmoil, reports Hyperallergic . "Five workers resigned and one lost her job after the organization announced a policy against expressions of 'politics or social issues,' which they say disproportionately targets pro-Palestine views." A 92NY spokesperson says that the policy "is not directed at what employees advocate in their personal lives or when they are not around patrons at 92NY. It focuses only on what employees express in front of patrons and in public areas of the building, in which context, we ask that they keep their personal politics to themselves."
World's Oldest Sunday Newspaper, 233-Year-Old Observer, May Be Sold
"The Observer, first published in 1791, has been owned by the parent company of The Guardian since 1993, and the papers' content is integrated on the Guardian website. Guardian Media Group was approached by startup Tortoise Media , which pledged to invest $33 million in The Observer's content and marketing," reports Reuters . Said James Harding, a former executive at the Times newspaper and BBC News, "George Orwell described The Observer as 'the enemy of nonsense'; we're excited to show readers, old and new, that it still is."
More Jobs, Programming Lost At New York Public Radio
Will fall feature more cuts at public media nationwide? "New York Public Radio is, once again, cutting its journalism and programming across... its properties, including public radio news station WNYC 93.9 FM, podcast production house WNYC Studios and classical WQXR 105.9 FM," reports Gothamist . "An NYPR spokesperson refused to disclose the salary being paid to the organization's president and CEO LaFontaine Oliver... Oliver said the organization was making cuts in the local newsroom, canceling the show 'Notes from America' with Kai Wright [and] stopping production of WQXR podcasts... Out of a total 302 employees, fourteen were laid off. Another twelve took voluntary layoffs."
Time For Me To Fly: REO DOA
REO Speedwagon, "with deep ties to central Illinois, says... the group will stop live performances after January 1," reports NPR Illinois . "Formed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967, the band went on to sell more than forty million records."
ARTS & CULTURE & ETC.
Mexican Families Majority Population In Fifteen Chicago Neighborhoods
"Mexican families are moving outside of their traditional Pilsen and Little Village strongholds to make up Chicago's new 'Brown Belt,'" reports Block Club .
CTA's AI-Driven Gun Detection Secret
For its AI gun-detection pilot with a company called ZeroEyes, "CTA didn't engage in a competitive bidding process... and the agency failed to hold an open discussion with its own governing board... CTA officials have refused to answer questions about key features of the program or their decision to pay the tech firm to launch a pilot with no clear end date," reports Block Club . "Agency officials cut a deal after private meetings with the company's leaders, according to CTA president Dorval Carter's schedule... CTA procurement policies allowed Carter to authorize the contract without board approval."
Northeastern Sees First Enrollment Gain In Almost Fifteen Years
"Northeastern Illinois University reversed the worrying trend of yearly total enrollment declines, notching its first year-over-year enrollment bump in almost fifteen years," reports Crain's .
