most creative area of chicago? (Humboldt: living, move, park)

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

To the Chinese rulers, yes. But I don't think the American Chamber of Commerce is mobilized against him.

This is where generalities about people lead to. Closer to home, there was the incident with Mayor Giuliani and the Sensation exhibition in New York, specifically regarding Chris Ofili's painting of the virgin Mary.

Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary returns to London - Telegraph

Or the incident with the Smithsonian Museum:

Smithsonian Museum Removes An LGBT Art Exhibit After GOP Threatens To Defund It | ThinkProgress

There are other less publicised incidents...

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

This is where generalities about people lead to. Closer to home, there was the incident with Mayor Giuliani and the Sensation exhibition in New York, specifically regarding Chris Ofili's painting of the virgin Mary.

Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary returns to London - Telegraph

Or the incident with the Smithsonian Museum:

Smithsonian Museum Removes An LGBT Art Exhibit After GOP Threatens To Defund It | ThinkProgress

There are other less publicised incidents...

Do these artists strike at the most basic interests of the ruling classes, their money and their attempts to control the economy? When you strike at those you're hitting them where it hurts. The godless and amoral elites don't really give a damn about religious and gender issues; they just use them to stir up the rubes to get them to vote the elite's economic interests.

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Do these artists strike at the most basic interests of the ruling classes, their money and their attempts to control the economy?

Not these specific artists, but some artist do in fact make that their work.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Do these artists strike at the most basic interests of the ruling classes, their money and their attempts to control the economy? When you strike at those you're hitting them where it hurts. The godless and amoral elites don't really give a damn about religious and gender issues; they just use them to stir up the rubes to get them to vote the elite's economic interests.

This is so obviously correct, it's sad. But that's why the world never changes.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

This is where generalities about people lead to. Closer to home, there was the incident with Mayor Giuliani and the Sensation exhibition in New York, specifically regarding Chris Ofili's painting of the virgin Mary.

Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary returns to London - Telegraph

Or the incident with the Smithsonian Museum:

Smithsonian Museum Removes An LGBT Art Exhibit After GOP Threatens To Defund It | ThinkProgress

There are other less publicised incidents...

Yes, exactly, less publicized. Billions have been spent to take down unions. Billions.

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Yes, exactly, less publicized. Billions have been spent to take down unions. Billions.

So what! Some are highly publicized, if that's what you're looking for... My response was aimed at the absolute notion that the work of no artist could threaten the "ruling class" to the degree of the "socially conservative UAW member". I gave an example, Ai Wei Wei, who is more threatening to the ruling class. If people are going to throw out generalizations and absolutes about ALL artists, then we should include ALL artists. If people are talking about specific cases in specific contexts... be specific! Otherwise they just come across as uninformed.

[Vlajos]

Who buys art?

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Who buys art?

How many artists art actually get bought? Less than 1% by the 1%ers.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by emathias

Typically Wicker Park/Bucktown is held up as the closest Chicago has to some place like Tribecca. Chicago is its own city, so there aren't a lot of directly comparable neighborhoods.

The largest gallery district in Chicago is still the River North Gallery District, which is also augmented by being next to/part of the interior and furniture design galleries and studios situated in close proximity to the Merchandise Mart. As someone pointed out, it's less cutting edge these days, but a few of the spaces do put on some shows with more adventurous content.

The next largest district-type collection of galleries is probably the West Loop. It's newer, but it's still only slightly more cutting edge than River North. It's mostly populated with galleries that got priced out of River North.

Wicker Park/Bucktown used to be where the starving artists who couldn't afford River North when prices there rose went, but it never really coalesced into what I'd consider a district. The galleries are more scattered around and more studio space-type showrooms.

Wicker Park/Bucktown is now pretty expensive by Chicago standards, but there isn't a real clear destination for them as a group. Pilsen and Bridgeport certainly have more than average, though, because rents there are still mostly inexpensive.

Other places that have working artists in them at various price points include Andersonville/Edgewater, Logan Square, Oak Park, Rogers Park. There are a few pioneers in some of the more downtrodden parts of the South and West Sides, too, but they're just that - pioneers - and not really clumped together.

Also, North Michigan Avenue/Gold Coast has a fair number of high-dollar galleries with more commercial fine art. I wouldn't call it an arts district, because it has so much other retail that the galleries make up a small portion of what's in the area, but if you are selling the kind of art that appeals to rich customers with taste that mostly runs toward the predictable (they'd call it "refined"), it may be worth considering. I don't mean that assessment to be snarky, honest.

Ultimately, River North is probably still the best commercial place to have a gallery if you have enough clientèle to cover the rent, although West Loop and Wicker Park/Bucktown may offer a better combination of gallery and studio space for your particular needs.

The northern (and mostly eastern) part of Humboldt Park is now seeing quite a few of these artist types move in as the rents go up in Logan Square.

[Alacran]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Who buys art?

Lames.