Events Newsletters Subscribe

June 2009
Chasing Sullivan
By Ardis Berghoff
Mark Richard Smith nearly died making his first film. Is his passion enough to get it to audiences? Read more
Queen of Arts
Muriel Newman excelled at the art of collecting. One expert called the paintings that graced her Gold Coast apartment “the greatest private collection of abstract expressionists in the world”—and Chicago’s art scene shuddered when she bequeathed most of those paintings to a New York museum. But no one seemed to blame Newman, whose gregarious personality and boundless generosity endeared her to local art institutions and patrons. Nearly a year after her death, a look back at the colorful 94-year life of an unforgettable grande dame Read more
Event Planning Boutique in Wicker Park
By Bridget Maiellaro
Party On
Three years after working together as event planners at the Merchandise Mart (222 Merchandise Mart Plaza; 800-677-6278 mmart.com), Stephanie Hlinak and Myca Smith wanted to take consulting services to the next level. So the pair opened... Read more
Objectified
 

Rain may have dampened the turnout at The Guerrilla Truck Show on Tuesday, but, luckily, design enthusiasts could seek shelter and satisfy their cravings at the corner of Huron and Franklin where an empty showroom was taken over for the night by Object Society, an ad-hoc consortium of Chicago-based furniture designers. It was hard not to caress Michael Dreeben’s midcentury-modern inspired chair covered in a creamy tan cowhide (see photo above). Dreeben’s curvy lines also showed up on a cocktail table and wood-veneered light fixtures (pictured above), which he did in collaboration with Ray Doeksen -- their simple elegance the result of countless hours of engineering, according to Ray. Michael Koehler never ceases to impress us with his gorgeous walnut creations, and the credenza he had on display made me consider whether all I might need to make me happy was one piece of furniture. (Did I dream it, or did the credenza really open up to reveal a hidden storage space for a rifle?) Other highlights included a great new floor lamp and fabulous teak outdoor lounge chair (pictured below) by Carson Maddox (Maddox’s pieces are on display for a limited time at Lee Weitzman’s showroom in the same building); Jason Lewis’s refined lounge chair (pictured below); metal nesting tables (pictured above) in a perfect color palette by metal+works; more inventive takes on recycled furniture by Roscoe Jackson -- I was particularly taken by his white recycled-plastic nightstand with one organically shaped wood drawer. The group plans to hold other events in the future -- follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates!

 

—MEGAN DUFFY ROSTAN

Read more
Don’t Fear the Siem Reaper
As one last insult, Thailand charges you 500 baht ($14.64) to leave the country. I liked Thailand a lot—fascinating country—but frankly, I was ready to pay their strangely reasonable blackmail fee and go. Sarah and Hannah, on the other hand, were ready to apply for citizenship, living out a life of passive-aggressive Buddhas and chilies, and let me travel on to Cambodia alone. Luckily, I’ve got the Passports. Read more
Unstaged Reading
By Catey Sullivan
Tarot cards play a small but pivotal role in Up, an offbeat drama by the playwright Bridget Carpenter. South Side reader Doña Cristina Read more
Straight Talk
Artist Joel Ross, on the photo Be Gay, part of Joel Ross Roadside: A Presentation of Recent Field Experiments and Prototypes Read more