The Arts Club of Chicago

The Arts Club of Chicago is like your cool aunt: worldly, fun, disposable income…

Using funding from their paying members, The Arts Club brings art from around the world to their public gallery space. You know how your cool aunt takes you to lunch to dish about her latest adventures with her artsy friends? The Arts Club does that too, hosting free artist talks and events on weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

Peruse their architecturally iconic gallery space, frolick through their outdoor garden installations, or ponder the insights of their guest speakers. There are many ways to make the most of The Arts Club.

The Arts Club of Chicago exterior. Photo courtesy of The Arts Club of Chicago.

About the art/ists

The Arts Club doesn’t directly represent artists like a traditional commercial gallery. Instead, they work with other galleries to bring artists from around the world to a Chicago audience. Their tradition of celebrating modern artists* dates back to 1916, when the gallery began. They hosted Picasso’s first institutional solo show in the U.S., giving them the biggest “I liked that artist before they were they were cool” flex of all time.

These days, The Arts Club hosts artists like Jessi Reaves, Kamrooz Aram, and Brenda Draney. Each working in different media, these artists incorporate modernist aesthetics*, encouraging dialogues about identity, or functionality, or implicit boundaries in art and life.

The Arts Club puts on three gallery shows and two outdoor shows in their garden space per year, offering unique modern-inspired contemporary art* experiences suited for seasoned collectors and new art lovers alike.

Photos courtesy of The Arts Club

Clockwise, from top:

Jessi Reaves, Kamrooz Aram, Brenda Draney

*What is Contemporary art?

Contemporary art cozies up against modern art, timeline-wise. The two are also often confused, understandably. Contemporary art refers to the art of today… pretty broadly. Contemporary art movements began in the late 20th century, and continue to the present. It continues the tradition that Modernism began of challenging and questioning art expectations. Using new media, pushing back against aesthetic expectations, and using art to provoke sociopolitical change are facets of contemporary art.

*What is Modern art?

Modern art refers to work made between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. It does not describe one style but encompasses many art movements that occurred during the time period, including fauvism, impressionism, surrealism, cubism, and abstract expressionism. The heart of modernism is its forward-thinking, boundary-pushing ethic. It describes a period of innovation and rejection of traditional aesthetics.

It’s not like other galleries

The coolest part of The Arts Club isn’t its outdoor exhibition space or its iconic Mies van der Rohe staircase, it's the organization’s commitment to providing unparalleled arts and culture opportunities to both members and the public. While members get the country club treatment — access to an exclusive restaurant and lounge and invitations to members-only artist talks, events, and swanky parties, you don’t have to be a VIP to make the most of the space.

For the low low price of one phone call or email to their super friendly office, anyone can schedule a tour of the gallery, including their permanent collection. Doing a research project for your art history class? Ask for access to extensive archives. The hits don’t stop there. The Arts Club offers public programming in addition to its member events, bringing curators, musicians, performers, artists, professors, and architects to their space to share creative and cultural knowledge with their community of “art lovers and art workers.” There are even virtual options for public programming if you prefer to absorb arts and culture from the comfort of your couch.

The Arts Club shows great art, but its unique membership structure and simultaneous commitment to public exhibitions and opportunities are what sets it apart.

Photos courtesy of The Arts Club

Garden installations by Adrian Wong and Yasmin Spiro

*What is a “modernist aesthetic”?

Because The Arts Club shows working artists, none of them were part of the original Modern art period. However, modernist influences drawn from movements like Expressionism, Cubism, and Bauhaus can be found in their work. In this case “modernist aesthetic” refers to the elements of Modernism that persist in these Contemporary artists’ practices.

Inside the walls

If you’re downtown on a Michigan Avenue shopping spree (or just taking the intercampus bus back to Evanston), drop by The Arts Club before you leave. It’s easy to get to and free – the two main criteria for any good outing.

The gallery space is on the first floor, right when you walk in. Take an immediate right to read about the current show, or peruse the show without any background — you’ll have a good time either way. The Mies van der Rohe staircase is at the back of the gallery. It’s not purely ornamental, it leads upstairs to their members-only lounge. Make sure you do the full loop through the gallery – there is art around every corner.

Galleries like The Arts Club are the place to see work from artists that may not be art-world celebrities yet, but are pushing their fields forward and provoking new concepts and questions with their work. You can follow them on Instagram @artsclubchicago to stay up to date on their shows and public programming. Some programming is free, while some require a low-cost ticket.

What’s up with the staircase?

Yeah sorry, I keep name-dropping. It’s cool because Mies van der Rohe was a trailblazer in modern architecture, and pretty famous as far as designers and architects go. They also pulled the whole staircase out of their last building to put it in the current space, so they seem to really like it.

Mies van der Rohe’s “Floating Staircase”

Photo courtesy of The Arts Club

About the art/ists

It’s not like other galleries

Inside the walls

Visit The Arts Club of Chicago

Gallery In-Sight