Fall is when Chicago is at its best: the weather, the way the city looks, and especially the art. No wonder October is Chicago Artists Month.
A couple weekends ago Wicker Park hosted over 300 booths of artists/crafters in the annual Renegade Craft Fair. This is one my favorite art fairs in Chicago for a couple of reasons (Yes, I just referred to a “craft fair” as an “art fair”—I’ll spare you my thoughts on the art versus craft debate for a later post):
- A lot of great ideas to steal draw inspiration from for things I can probably do myself.
- A lot of cool stuff that I could probably manage to cough up enough dough to buy.
While you’ll have to wait until next year for the next full-blown renegade craft fair, they also host an indoor, holiday version of the fair in December.
The best way to take in art, though, is at any of the many open-studio events around the city coming up in October. Put on walking shoes, grab a map, and wander through the streets and buildings in the city’s most right-brain-dominant neighborhoods to meet artists in their workspaces. Check out chicagoartistsmonth.org for a listing of these events. While I haven’t personally been to all of the events listed, I strongly recommend making it to the Ravenswood Art Walk (Oct 3-4) and the Pilsen Art Walk (Oct 17-18).
If you’re reading this and don’t live in Chicago, think of this as your excuse to make the trip to Chicago to take in some art. It’ll be worth it.