🖼️ Black visual artists and galleries in Chicago

Faie Afrikan Art, Nikko Washington, and Faith Ringgold [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | February 23, 2024 Today is the last Friday of the month - meaning our fourth and final spotlight in our Black History Month newsletter series is here. Fresh off the release of our Best of Chicago issue, we’re talking visual art with a quick shoutout to [Englewood Arts Collective]( voted best art group or collective! They're passionate about amplifying and supporting artists through mutual-aid, placemaking, and pop-up educational arts programming. [Faie Afrikan Art Gallery]( in Bronzeville showcases outstanding pieces from the Western, Eastern, Central and Southern Regions of Africa. Beginning in 1995, their purpose is to make quality African art available to a wider audience, especially to those in the African diaspora. Also located in Bronzeville is [Gallery Guichard]( which creates a platform for contemporary artists and collectors to meet through experiential events and fine art exhibitions. In case you missed [episode 3]( of The Sit Down hosted by Shawnee Dez, Shawnee interviewed multimedia visual artist Nikko Washington about his new exhibit [For the Old Gods and the New]( at Kavi Gupta in the West Loop. The exhibit takes on heroes of folklore and American values through sports stars like Jesse Owens and Jack Johnson; through this lens, Washington—an avid boxer—explores the cultural identity of Black America. In the last article featured in this newsletter, “Faith Ringgold’s America”, Kerry Cardoza reviews the survey of Ringgold’s work at the MCA. [The exhibit]( is the most complete assessment of her 60-year career to date, “linking the multidisciplinary practices of the Harlem Renaissance to the political art of young Black artists working today”. You’ll find me there this weekend trying to catch it before it closes! Keep reading to dive into some current visual art making a splash in Chicago’s arts and culture scene, plus a look back at exhibits from the past. Happy Black History Month! Maja Stachnik | Marketing Associate at the Reader [an older man in a suit standing in front of a book shelf]( [‘African-American Designers in Chicago’ is an important corrective to art history]( November 2018 | The new Cultural Center exhibit shows how much design innovation came from black artists in Chicago. by [Danielle A. Scruggs]( | [Read more]( → [Being with Lilith]( February 2024 | A video installation by Candace Hunter draws on the work of Octavia Butler. by [Coco Picard]( | [Read more]( → [Faheem Majeed’s art holds up a mirror to institutions, and himself]( May 2021 | The artist’s new solo exhibition explores the impact and imperfections of the South Side Community Art Center. by [Kerry Cardoza]( | [Read more]( → [‘I didn’t come here to make blankets’]( May 2023 | Local designer Chelsea B makes crochetwear cool. by [Boutayna Chokrane]( | [Read more]( → [Faith Ringgold’s America]( December 2023 | The MCA’s survey of the artist’s work shows the country in a stark, yet hopeful, light. by [Kerry Cardoza]( | [Read more]( → Never miss a show again. [A BACKSTAGE LOOK AT CHICAGO’S MUSIC CALENDAR]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, February 22, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 10]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Become a member of the Chicago Reader.]( [Twitter icon]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616