Visual Art
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Greenleaf Art Center GAC, a vast, sky-lit warren of artists’ studios, also offers programs, exhibits, and classes for the public. Its main gallery is its concourse, a 170-foot-long hallway flanked by 40 private studios. It also contains a communal studio, classrooms, and a small commercial print shop. Denis and Kathleen Paluch started the center in 1990 in a building across the street. They bought and gutted its current home, believed to be a former Marshall Field’s warehouse, a little over a decade ago. Denis is a third-generation printer and a real estate broker; Kathleen is an artist and teacher. They run GAC as a business, renting 200-500-square-foot spaces for $300-$500 per month. They also offer several membership options, including one with 24-hour access to the open studio for $75 per month. There are about a dozen classes on offer, ranging from four to ten weeks, in everything from knitting to yoga to portraiture, some taught by resident artists. GAC mounts two annual art shows; its monthly salons and critiques are open to the public. A new event, an exhibit and sale of work donated by GAC artists with everything priced under $200 and all proceeds going toward scholarships for local kids, opens 2/6, with a reception from 6 to 9 PM, and runs through 3/7. a Open to the public Mon-Fri 11 AM-4 PM, Sat-Sun 11 AM-2 PM, 1806 W. Greenleaf, 773-465-4652,greenleafartcenter.com. —DI
Mess Hall This small storefront in the Glenwood Arts District is an experiment in transformational generosity. Housed rent free and run by a group of “key holders” who donate their time and labor and share utility and supply costs, Mess Hall hosts meetings, workshops, art exhibits, and other events, including film series and an ongoing “sewing rebellion.” An attempt to “establish a model of redistribution based on cultivating relationships,” this new take on a cultural center aims to “breach capitalism’s definition of social relations” with “fellowship, mentorship, kinship, and friendship.” The exchange of money is forbidden; all events are free. They’ll be soliciting new ideas for the space at a five-year anniversary party on Sun 2/15, 7-10 PM. No phone, no regular hours; check the Web site for events. a 6932 N. Glenwood, messhall.org. —DI
