Chicago’s art world offers artists and dealers a beacon of hope

Luke Agada can move anywhere after completing his master’s degree at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023, presenting his work at national and international exhibitions, and has received multiple awards and scholarships in the process.

But the Nigerian painter and his wife decided to make Chicago their home—New York or Los Angeles are the two largest art hubs in the United States.

“Chicago has a good balance in everything,” Agada told Artnews Before his solo exhibition opened, the “Translation is about translating” held at the Monique Meloche Gallery during the third edition of the Chicago Exhibition Weekend (CXW) last month.

There is a lot of uncertainty and concern in the art market right now, with slow sales, and tariffs and federal art grants being cut. But among American art cities, Chicago is probably the best option, in part because it continues to attract and inspire people like Agada.

Chicago has art schools, art museums and the 7th most connected international airport in the world. Art professionals, artists and galleryists tell Artnews Even during this greater economic and political turmoil, the city’s cooperative attitude, affordable residential and commercial real estate, a better work-life balance and a long history of cultivating talent are still advantages.

“I’ve seen more artists move to Chicago over the past decade,” said Monique Meloche, whose gallery of the same name recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.. “Anyway, there are always good artists here, but there are a lot of huge outsiders coming in and they realize how great the city is, minus the first few weeks of January.”

“Chicago is part of doing what you do,” Emanuel Aguilar, co-founder of the sponsor, told The Co-founder of the sponsor, told The Artnewspoint out how long he can conduct exhibition tours to tourists. “Then, so we can do things that others can’t do. It’s like sharing work with the community, sharing work with anyone who walks through that door.”

Work together to solve problems

This year, more than 70 galleries have participated in CXW, which also includes presentations, exhibition openings, studio visits, collection tours and its popular tennis mixer.

In the third edition, the four-day event expands scope and programming, including the Chicago Architecture Biennale and a selection of exhibitions”On My Head: Meet Concept Art in the Overpass City“Artists exhibited, sold or produced in Chicago between 1984 and 2015, including Rashid Johnson, Rosemarie Trockel, Dara Birnbaum, Martin Puryear and Gaylen Gerber, showcased their work.

CXW is the creative idea of ​​Gertie, a cultural and civic consulting firm founded by billionaire film producers Gigi Pritzker and Michael Pucker (and the cousin of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker). Pucker started the event in 2023, partly to bridge the gap in the Chicago art world: the city already has a fair Expo Chicago, this time on COS-Organight’s CXW, but the last version of the Chicago Gallery Weekend Chicago took place in 2019 with a model commemorating Gallery Weekent Berlin.

Local galleryists say CXW helps them connect and educate young and emerging collectors, even providing them with more locals than they did in the past. “The traffic is great.” Artnews. “Even from today, we have more people in the gallery than any other Thursday of the year.”

The city’s collaborative spirit could also include additional efforts to avoid conflicts in arrangements with other institutions.

Melok told Artnewsnoting that her gallery of the same name has just changed the opening ceremony of her next exhibition opening in November to avoid overlapping with the evening party at Hyde Park Art Center. “They are honored to be one of our favorite artists, they aren’t even on our roster, but she’s like our dear friends. I’m like, you know? So many of our clients will be there.

Meloche’s spirit of collaboration expanded to the operations of Mariam Ibrahim Gallery next door. “We’re going to bring her the client,” Meloche said. “She’ll bring customers to us. We’ve worked together on dinner before. It’s like someone buying something from the next door won’t stop them. [from buying from us]or maybe that year, that week or month or anything, but in the end, it’s like everyone’s best interest. That’s not something in New York or something in Los Angeles. ”

Chicago has cheap commercial and residential real estate compared to New York, Los Angeles and Miami. This means galleries like Corbett vs. Dempsey and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery can afford larger spaces, including on-site or nearby storage. Meanwhile, artists can get apartments and art studios for less money, frugal curators can launch apartments, collectors can buy larger houses and spend more money on art deco.

“You can get 2.5 times the real estate for half the price in New York,” Molteni Stoves art collector and publisher Michael Poulos told Artnews.

“There is a bedroom, like $1,500,” said Delia Pelli-Walbert, co-founder of Old Friends Gallery, who moved from Los Angeles to Chicago. “In the first two months, I think Rich. ”

A professor at the University of Chicago told Artnews. “I’m full of art.”

One of the biggest benefits of Chicago’s affordability is that it provides artists with psychological and financial space to experiment and try different things.

Independent Curator Scott Vincent Campbell, International Midwest Program Manager Artnews last year. “I feel like we’ve forgotten that: you can try to do a project, you can rent space, try to perform and fail and it won’t destroy you for years.”

Several also pointed out the importance of how many Chicago artists are not interested in the expectations of collectors and institutions, a factor they cannot find in other cities.

Artist Armani Howard tells Artnews. “You have the ability to be an artist in Chicago and make art that really doesn’t sell much,” agreed Pelli-Walbert, co-founder of Old Friends Gallery.

Growth and hope for the future

After focusing on incubating young artists through sustainable, conservative growth and observation of growing demand for design, it is now planned to expand to a larger space in January, near by Monique Meloche and Mariane Ibrahim of two of the city’s top dealers. Warner said it will have a private area of ​​major gallery space and secondary market materials, as well as smaller spaces for galleries to “incubate young talents” and allow mature artists to “incubate new ideas.”

Meanwhile, artist Agada is spreading the word. “A friend just moved from Nigeria,” he said. “He had a studio in Brooklyn for about a year and then when he got his O-1 [artist] Visa, he thinks Chicago is also a place he wants to come. He arrived earlier this week. ”

“Sometimes I feel a little selfish because I don’t want to let someone else come because it’s so good and I want to protect it,” Howard said. “But at the same time, if that means there may be more opportunities to create and sustain financial growth, then I’m going to go all out.”