A parade of sculpture once again has popped up on North Orleans, which can mean only one thing. Artropolis is back.
Spring wouldn’t be spring without this celebration of art, antiques and culture that is centered in the Merchandise Mart but also spreads out to cultural institutions across the city.
Under the umbrella title Artropolis is Art Chicago, an international fair of contemporary and modern art, and NEXT, an invitational exhibition of emerging artists. Both are housed on the 12th floor of the Mart. Making it a trio is the International Antiques Fair, now in its 14th year; find it on the Mart’s eighth floor.
Six years ago, Art Chicago, the city’s once-great art fair, was all but dead. But an 11th-hour save by Mart president Chris Kennedy rescued the show. Since then, the Mart team works year-round to bring the fair back to its former prominence in the art world.
“We have a history of listening to dealers and artists and collectors,” said Jennifer Woolford, the Mart’s senior vice president. “Listening helped the event evolve over the years. And we adjusted things to make it right.”
The revived show in 2006 drew 21,600 people. Last year, the number was more than 40,000 attendees, ranging from seasoned and novice collectors to art students and casual observers simply enjoying the vast range of art on exhibit.
A highlight of Art Chicago 2011 is a special exhibition by Shepard Fairey, the creator of the ubiquitous red, white and blue Barack Obama “Hope” poster. He and his Los Angles-based team will create an outside installation on the Mart’s south drive.
