PRESS RELEASES
Curatorial Focus Renews Historic Art Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago, September 8, 2011– Next Art Chicago, the newest art fair to emerge from the MMPI Art Fairs Group, will debut a curatorial approach to the traditional fair model this spring. The international fair of contemporary art will breathe new life into the Chicago marketplace through a new core exhibition, and a renewed mission to revitalize the historic fair.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (MCA), the longstanding primary partner and beneficiary of the fair organization, will host the exclusive First Focus Opening Preview event on Thursday, April 26, 2012. This celebrated spring vernissage benefit will be hosted by the Women’s Board of the MCA as an opportunity to preview the fair the evening before it opens to the public. "First Focus has always provided a wonderful opportunity to preview the spring fair and to engage collectors and the community while fundraising for the museum," said Marcia Fraerman. "As President of the MCA Women's Board, I am greatly looking forward to the renewed Next Art Chicago and the evening opening preview benefit in 2012."
New to the 2012 fair is Exclusive, an innovative exhibition series presented within Next Art Chicago which will include one work each by approximately 20 world-renowned artists. The annual exhibition series will provide a unique visual and educational experience for fair attendees. The 2012 exhibition will highlight and celebrate the extraordinary artists who live and work in Chicago, while educating and guiding the next generation of artists. Internationally-recognized artists who teach at the leading schools in Chicago – the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University – will present an important new work or one not seen in Chicago before.
In a model new to the Chicago fair, the works in the Exclusive exhibition section will be lent by the artists and available for sale through their galleries. Interested collectors will be able to contact the seller via phone, email, or internet while at the fair, and communication will be facilitated by trained staff within the space. Exclusive is still in development, and currently includes: Dawoud Bey, Paul D'Amato, Jeanne Dunning, Julia Fish, Terry Evans, Michelle Grabner, Joseph Grigely, Judy Ledgerwood, Jose Lerma, Laura Letinsky, Jim Lutes, Dan Peterman, Richard Rezac, Jason Salavon, Jessica Stockholder, Catherine Sullivan, Tony Tasset, and Anne Wilson.
This model of “art fair as exhibition” will extend into the fair structure, with a focused and thoughtfully installed presentation of 100 galleries and 20 solo project spaces in the iconic Art Deco Merchandise Mart building, at its prominent location on the banks of the Chicago River – ideally situated downtown between gallery and cultural arts districts. In a strategic move to the expansive and flexible 7th Floor space, Next Art Chicago will dedicate nearly three quarters of the 200,000 square foot floor plan to public space, exhibitions, and a video component. Through consultation with an outside architectural team, the new floor plan will be fresh and easily navigable, with a cohesive aesthetic identity.
Executive Director Staci Boris will lead the curatorial vision, drawing on her 20 years of curatorial experience at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and Spertus Museum. “The focus of the 2012 edition of Next Art Chicago is the art,” said Ms. Boris. “With our commitment to quality, dialogue, and diversity, we are building a show that is substantial, enduring, and thought-provoking. We know our exhibitors will have great success and our visitors will be impressed and engaged.”
Next Art Chicago, committed to developing a citywide event to engage and celebrate the diverse visuals arts community of Chicago, has been restructured to include both a 2012 Host Committee and Curatorial Committee. Comprised from leaders of the civic and cultural arts sectors alongside new and established collectors, the Host Committee lends its support to fair endeavors. The Curatorial Committee culls curators from leading regional institutions, enlisted to help formulate the topics considered in the celebrated Talk Shop programming.
"Next Art Chicago builds on Chicago's long commitment to the visual arts. I am pleased to support a fair which recognizes the distinct impact we have while bringing an international perspective to our city each spring," said Michelle T. Boone, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
2012 HOST COMMITTEE
Virginia Berg, Chicago Gallery News
Dan Berger, Collector and Director, Iceberg Projects
Michelle T. Boone, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
Matti Bunzl, Artistic Director, Chicago Humanities Festival
Jennifer & Curt Conklin, Collectors
Douglas Druick, Eloise W. Martin Director, Art Institute of Chicago
Natasha Egan, Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography
Susanne Ghez, Director, The Renaissance Society
Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director, Museum of Contemporary Art
Marj Halperin, Vice Chair, Chicago Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee
Gary Heiferman, Collector and President of AAA Rentals
Jan & Brian Hieggelke, New City Publishers
Leslie Hindman, President, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Anthony Hirschel, Dana Feitler Director, Smart Museum
Scott Hunter & Richard Renfro, Collectors
Mary Jane Jacob, Executive Director of Exhibitions, School of the Art Institute
Lee Kelley, Director of Visual Arts | Public Art Program, Chicago Office of Tourism & Culture
Susan & Lewis Manilow, Collectors
Walter Massey, President, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Tricia Van Eck, Artistic Director, 6018 North
2012 CURATORIAL COMMITTEE
Naomi Beckwith, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Lisa Freiman, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Marilu Knode, Laumeier Sculpture Park
Dominic Molon, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
James Rondeau, Art Institute of Chicago
Gilbert Vicario, Des Moines Art Center
Next Art Chicago is a merger of Art Chicago, the longest running contemporary art fair in the United States, and NEXT – The Invitational Exhibition of Emerging Art. As the largest, most important visual arts event in the Midwest, it will provide collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts with the opportunity to experience the most compelling art of our day April 27 – 29, 2012.
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For more information:
NEXT ART CHICAGO
222 MERCHANDISE MART PLAZA, SUITE 470
CHICAGO, IL 60654 USA
312.527.3701
WEBSITE: WWW.NEXTARTCHICAGO.COM
EMAIL: INFO@NEXTARTCHICAGO.COM
For additional images, headshots, and media requests please contact Lauren Pearson at lpearson@mmart.com