Chicago's Artapalooza

Yesterday was spent in total sensory overload at Art Chicago and Next.

7:40 AM - Leave home

8:25 AM - Catch train to Chicago

9:30 AM - Take one of the top ten most heart stopping taxi rides to David Weinberg Gallery with my friend Sonja Thomsen for her to meet with curator Aaron Ott (who by 10:15 had assuaged a good deal of the cynicism I have been feeling about Galleries and their management, i.e. he's friendly, engaging, energetic, and knowledgeable).

10:15 AM - Quick walk through of Catherine Edelman Gallery to appreciate the current exhibit of work by Cecil McDonald (I am completely over the bed as landscape/environment. This picture changed my mind) as well as the Julie Blackmon prints they have hanging.

Fresh Linens 2006 Cecil Blackmon

11:00 AM - Wade into Art Chicago. I think there is such a thing as going art blind. Think of snow blind and change the visual onslaught to art. If you haven't been to a major metropolitan art fair, the effect is best described as taking MOMA, the Louvre, Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory and Sam's Club, then mixing them together. I plan to post this week on the discoveries that stuck.

1:00 PM - Have an "Arnold Palmer" with the ever charming Brian Ulrich (who we found wandering the aisles with his camera bag, hunting images to further Copia) and Kelli Connell (When Brian introduced me I nearly blurted out "No you're not!", so strong is my sense that her work is comprised of self [albeit contstructed, I'm not that naive!] portraits) whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting.

2:00 PM - Take the elevator to Next to further overload and stop at the Kaune, Sudendorf booth. Christian Patterson and I have been emailing back and forth and hoped to meet at the booth. Having left a message on his cell phone, it was time to visit his work and see about getting a copy of Sound Affects. They weren't entirely impressed with my credentials (or lack there-of) so it took a call to Christian to confirm there was a signed copy waiting for me. More on this tomorrow, but suffice it to say his prints from the project are stunning.

3:30 PM - Meet and thoroughly enjoy Edward Winkelman at his booth. Further evidence that if you read someone's blog for over a year you may be able to suss out whether or not they are "good people". As most of you know Ed Winkelman writes a smart, candid, opinionated, engaging blog on art and galleries. While there is always the possibility of disappointment, this was far from the case. He had several pieces of photography (synchronicity? photographs not being his usual media) by Rory Donaldson, with an exhibit of his work next week at his gallery.

4:00 PM - Return to Kaune, Sudendorf to meet up with Christian and thank him for setting aside the book as well as congratulate him on his upcoming marriage and see where he is headed now that the Exhibit in Cologne and the book are achieved. It would appear not back to blogging (unless you read this at Hiding in Plain Sight and wonder?).

4:30 PM - Head to train station.

6:30 PM - Drive home through hellacious rain, lightening and thunder.

I can only wonder what strange dreams I'll have again tonight, even though we didn't see Joel Peter Witkin this year. I'll be posting through the week on the experience.