The Business of Art: “Mini” Event Shakes Up, Stirs Art Scene

Notte Magica Art Show- Courtesy of Minibar

 Drop the champagne flutes and pick up the shot glasses. Chicago bars are moving the classic philanthropic art show out of the galleries and onto the dance floor.

A well-groomed man in a form-fitting dark blue suit wanders over to a painting of a meditating Geisha affixed to the showcase wall.

“Are you up to the line yet?”, says the man sipping his whiskey sour.

“Just about”, says a man in a black button-shirt standing next to a vase brimming with $1 dollar bills. A sticker on the vase shows “Donate to Test Positive Network”.

“This should do it”, says whiskey sour toting man as he throws some crumpled $1 dollar bills on the top. “It’s all for a good cause, ya know? Now take off your shirt”.

Welcome to the modern day philanthropic art show.

The Notte Magica Art Show and Fundraiser, held last Friday at Minibar in the Boystown area of Lakeview for The Test Positive Aware Network, was not your average art fundraiser. Complete with bass-bumping music, shot specials, and fundraising jars marked with “shirts off” goal stickers, the event mirrors a new trend in Chicago of making art shows more exciting and accessible to younger demographics.

Who is coming up with these novel ideas? A dedicated team of 20-somethings who have come together from across the arts spectrum to form a cohesive, original event that is more about the business of self-promotion than the art. From the artist, to the event planner, to the fundraiser, each person has specific duties. All are helping to transform the way art shows are planned and executed.

The Artist

Zoe ReBelle immigrated to the United States four years ago from Hungry. Her long black hair paired with her dark eye makeup and thick eastern European accent is reminiscent of a vampire from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Notte Magica Art Show was her first showing in Chicago.

“I was excited to get the opportunity to show my art to the city of Chicago”, said ReBelle. “I hope it will help me to jump start my career in art and land me in the midst of the art scene”.

From a young age ReBelle was interested in art. From her small town in Hungry she would paint pictures of farm animals and landscapes while the rest of her family was crunching numbers in an office.

“I was the black sheep of the family”, said ReBelle. “My family used to joke that I was switched at the hospital because of my creative mind”.

After moving to Chicago, ReBelle began looking for opportunities to show her work and break into the art scene. One night in January, while out with some friends at Minibar, ReBelle met Ricardo Sebastian, the bar’s event coordinator.

“I asked him if he knew of any venues that might be able to carry some of my artwork so that it could be seen”, said ReBelle. “He decided to come out and take a look at my works, and the event started in motion from there”.

Over the next eight months, ReBelle created a collection of nine pieces to be exclusively sold at her art show. Although she had usually painted whimsical children’s murals on bedroom walls for an out of home business, ReBelle decided to paint her favorite music idols.

“I decided to paint a collection of music idols because I know the gay community loves them”, said ReBelle. “I knew they would sell well at the art show”.

From a 4X5 foot acrylic on drywall painting of Britney Spears to latex on drywall painting of Lady Gaga, ReBelle attempted to further tap into the gay niche by adding glitter and Swarovski crystals to her paintings.

“Everyone loves glitter- especially the gays”, said ReBelle. “I wanted to make sure that they sold well because I wanted to make sure enough of the money was given to TPAN (Test Positive Aware Network)”.

ReBelle acknowledges that although that was not her first choice of charity, it turned out to be a good choice because not only was it a good cause, but the charity helped to cross-market and co-sponsor the event.

“I am happy with how it all turned out”, said ReBelle. “They really helped me with my show but no one more so than Ricardo- he is the master of events”.

Sebastian and ReBelle at Notte Magica Event

The Event Planner

For a 23 year old, Ricardo Sebastian (born Ricardo Medina) has accomplished much. As marketing coordinator and event planner for Minibar as well as co-founder of philanthropy event planning company Luxury Management, Sebastian has planned events for charities and bars all over Chicago.

“I started with an internship at Minibar my sophomore year in college” said Sebastian. “I have been non-stop ever since”.

Sebastian is the mastermind behind the art/bar mixed event. What started as an opportunity to use Minibar’s space for an Arts For Life showcase late last year has spilled into a twice a month art show.

“We have been having a lot of success with these events”, said Sebastian. “People like the mix of bar and art- it gives more of a relaxed atmosphere”.

For ReBelle’s show, Sebastian tried a few things differently.

“We decided to make it more like a bar scene”, said Sebastian. “We advertised drink tickets, shot specials, and turned the music up a bit”.

Sebastian knows that he has a gay niche market to please. The mix of drink specials and pop diva art helped to bring people through the door.

“The outcome worked perfectly”, said Sebastian. “Having our patrons drink at reduced price while viewing paintings of divas all the while listening to pop music- it sounds a little stereotypical but its what works best for us business wise and our charities”.

Sebastian regularly does charity events with The Test Positive Aware Network. The charity often co-sponsors events in the Boystown area.

“They have helped many of my events get off the ground”, said Sebastian. “If it wasn’t for them, many events would not be as up to par with other events in Chicago”.

One of TPAN's donation vases. Photo courtesy of Minibar

The Fundraiser

Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), which 10% of the shows proceeds were donated to, is a local Chicago-based philanthropy that focuses on HIV education as well as support services in order to decrease the spread but increase the knowledge of HIV and AIDS. The charity co-sponsors events in order to add funds to their ever growing reach in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.

Billy Surber, manager of special events and communications at TPAN, believes it is important to have connections to local causes. Surber is the go to man for any function that wishes to give money to TPAN.

“Charity functions have always been a staple in the way of raising money for a good cause”, said Surber. “But it is this particular mix of art/bar that makes it a little different from past functions”.

Surber, who was present at ReBelle’s art show, noted that the work ethic of the people involved as well as and uniformity of the event made the show a success.

“There was a definite theme”, said Surber. “Part of that was to appeal to gay men- we aided this by bringing in the Bar-lesque”.

Bar-lesque, now in it’s forth year, is a bar competition in which bartenders strip to their briefs over the course of five cycles as more and more people donate to TPAN in that specific bartenders name. At the event, Surber had vase with lines on them. For each line surpassed with donated money, the bartenders were made to take one article of clothing off.

“It’s kind of a fun way to get people to donate”, said Surber. “It ties in with the rest of the art show and gets people talking”.

Although some people may find it racy, a lot of money has been raised for the cause. Dexter Giffard, a bartender at Minibar and a competitor in Bar-lesque, has raised over $1,000 dollars for the charity.

“Yes, these events are created to make money, but they are also for a very good cause. It’s an I’ll pat your back you pat mine”, said Giffard. “It works. If that guy over there donates $25 dollars into the vase to see me take my shirt off, then hey, I’ll do it for the cause.”

Fashion Spotlight : The Rise of Martin Torres

From the Citizen’s Army in the Philippines just six years ago, to fashionista and manager of boutique store Cram Fashion in Chicago today, immigrant Martin Torres has defied odds to become one of Chicago’s newest up-and-coming heavy hitter of the fashion scene, all by the age of 23. I sat down with Torres to talk about his journey to America, the rise and fall of boutique stores, and the bustling Chicago fashion scene. 

What made you decide to come the United States?

Well, I lived in Manilla (capitol of the Philippines) for the first 18 years of my life. Some of my family had moved to America, and they gave me the option of moving to the country. I wanted a better life, so I moved to New York City.

What got you interested in fashion?

When I moved to New York City, I was surrounded by fashion. I would walk up and down 5^th Avenue and look in all the store windows. My aunt worked at Century 21 Department store and was able to help me get a job as a sales specialist, which interested my in fashion even more.

What made you decide to move to Chicago?

The answer to that is in two parts. First, I wanted to be able to spread my wings in the fashion industry and it is very hard to do that in New York, especially as an immigrant with hardly any fashion background. Coming to Chicago, which I had heard had an up-and-coming fashion scene, just made sense. The second reason was money. It is way to expensive to live in New York on a just retail salary.

What do you like most about the Chicago fashion scene?

I like that here in Chicago there is still room for genuine creativity. In other cities, like New York, it's easy to get lost in the bustle. But here in Chicago, it's like a clean slate for fashion. One can create, style, or wear new creations and the scene gives it a chance instead of shutting it out.

You have been working for CRAM for about a year and a half now. Tell me about the store.

CRAM is primarily a Men’s boutique store located in the heart of Boystown. We also have a CRAM Woman’s section as well as a detached CRAM Kid’s store down the street. We carry such high-end labels as Ben Sherman, Diesel, and Lacoste. The store gets its name from its owner Marc Engel, whose first name spelled backwards, is cram.

As Manager of CRAM, what are your main duties?

As the Manager my duties are multi-pronged. I check the merchandise everyday to make sure everything is accounted for, I check emails and respond to vendors who are getting merchandise to us, and I do marketing as well.

Marketing during the recession. How does that work for a boutique store?

It has definitely been interesting since I started working here. We used to have some stiff competition with Universal Gear down the street, as well as His Stuff. They all went out of business. What we do differently is connect to the locals here. You have to build a base with the community, create a niche market. One of our main targets are gay men. So, we go out into the community, to Halstead, and sponsor parties as well as lend clothes to fashion shows in the area free of cost, in order to get our name out there.

What has kept CRAM open when so many other area boutique stores have closed?

Customer service. Customer service. Customer service! We take great pride in knowing our customers. That’s what keeps them coming back. We have free champagne for all customers. I know many by name, also key. Besides that, this business is all about the connections you make. We have taken every step to know all the business owners in the area and have collaborated with most of them in order to co-promote as well as cross-promote our store.

What is something that people don’t know about you?

I was part of the Citizen’s Army in the Philippines. It’s basically like the ROTC program here. I got to carry a riffle and everything! Imagine me with my Pan-Am bag trying to do that now? I look back at that and laugh at how much things have changed.

What do you hope to be doing five years from now? 

Well right now I have some investors and together we are working on an e-commerce site. The future of all fashion lies in the internet. What people are surprised to hear is that I love business just as much as fashion. I am going to the Philippines in January to get some samples and do a trial run of the website. Basically I will sell clothes from Hong Kong, Manilla, and Jakarta for a discount price from what you would pay at many stores in the US. Where a shirt will cost $50 dollars here, will only cost $10 in Hong Kong. There is quite a profit to be made in this business.

With everything you have accomplished in such a short amount of time, where does your drive come from?

Definitely my family. I have a very tight-knit family back in the Philippines. My parents taught us to do things on our own from a very young age. They taught us to always do your best and to not take anything for granted. All I want to do is make my family proud while doing what I love.
 

“Then” outweighs “Now” in Minimalist Art Exhibit

 

In a large rectangular dim-lit room, shards of broken glass litter the floor. A florescent ceiling light lies flickering in the corner. Hushed voices slither out over speakers to compete over each other.

Is this some kind Halloween Haunted House?

No, it’s the "The Language Of Less (Then And Now)" Minimalist art exhibit at The Contemporary Museum of Art.

One may not think this is the best way to introduce a highbrow art exhibit. Yet, considering the content and arrangement of some of the artworks, it is shown that the themes chaos and unsettlement are rightfully inferred through the works, but wrongfully so through the arrangement of the said artworks.

The exhibit was split into two parts: “Then” and “Now”. The “Then” or first part of the exhibit focused on great minimalist works of the 1960’s. From great minimalist artists like Alan Sonfist’s dedication to Chicago with his symmetric core earth samples, or Richard Serra’s sturdy lead object representing the marriage between a piece of art and the gallery, “Then” accurately recreated the seamless, minimalist mood of the time period.

The problem arises with the “Now” portion of the exhibit. Although each of the five parts (each represented in one of five rooms) of “Now” are independently great constructed minimalist pieces of art; bringing each together to form a whole ends up mish-mashed at best.

The themes of chaos and unsettlement were inferred from the collection. Yet, the actual artist selection for the “Now” section of the exhibit ended up being as chaotic as artwork itself.

One room featured Leonor Antunes use of cork and rubber floor to offset black fishnets that hung from the ceiling. The next room featured Oscar Tuazon’s use of dark lighting, shattered glass, and hushed speech to create a feeling of chaos. Yet another room housed Jason Dodge's interpretation of the economy by presenting tipped over scales and other every day items placed meticulously around the space.

The viewer can appreciate each work on its own but when together, the overall message seems muddled. Walking into a bright room full of cork after reflecting on a dimly lit room seems to upset the senses, therefore taking away from each minimalist piece on its own and instead creating shock value for the viewer. This takes away from the work of the art of minimalism and instead creates a hodgepodge of works whose broad overlapping theme squeezed under the one title “Now”.

While the “Then” period accurately and seamlessly represented a collection of early 1960’s minimalist works, “Now” became the antithesis to the first section by creating a muddled expression of what be a minimalist is artist today.

Overall, “Now” is a scary representation of the state of minimalism today. Halloween must have come early this year to the Contemporary Museum of Art.

* Exhibition Dates:

Then: Oct 8, 2011 – Apr 8, 2012   Now: Oct 8, 2011 – Mar 18, 2012

The Museum is free for Illinois Residents on Tuesday. Click here for other Admission prices as well as Museum hours.

Icon helps inspire return of 'Ivy League' fashion

 “He was the definition of ‘cool’. His tailored, snug two-button suits and Ivy League style made him a fashion icon in the 1950’s. He redefined the meaning of prep”.

Is this an excerpt from some highbrow fashionista magazine?

No, but it could have been according to author and Colombia University professor John Szwed.

Szwed, who gave a lecture on the late famous jazz trumpeter Miles Davis Tuesday night at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus, spent a great amount of time talking not only about Davis’ music, but also of his impact on fashion.

Indeed, as Szwed illustrated, Davis’ interpretation of ‘Ivy League Prep’ bore a trend to the trim clothes so often in 1950’s America. Yet, it is those same styles that have again made its way into fashion houses and boutiques over fifty years later.

Martin Torres, manager of Cram Fashion, a men’s and women’s boutique store in Lakeview, says that the same styles made popular in part by Davis in the 1950’s have again returned to the shelves as “must-haves” for the men's Fall/Winter season.

“We are seeing a return of classic American Prep”, says Torres. “From high-cuffed trousers to fedora hats to loafers- our supplying brands [check them out here] have held common themes for the fall and upcoming winter season- and people are buying it”.

‘Ive League Prep’ has its roots in the eight Ivy League colleges. It is focused on form-fitted clothing, layering, and a dedication to cuffs, collars, solid knits.

Kris Bunch, Visual Merchandiser for the Midwest division of United Colors of Benetton, says this style, which has lasted through the past five decades, has had resurgence in the past few fashion cycles.

“Slowly but surely we have seen the reemergence in popularity of the American Prep style in the US, and especially here in the Midwest”, said Bunch. “The next few fashion seasons will see a lot of cuffed pants and shirts as well as that ‘grown out of your suit’ type look that we have seen with icons like Miles Davis”.

What about those that want to achieve the perfect ‘Ivy League Prep’ look this Fall and Winter?

“That’s easy”, says Bunch. “Just print out a picture of classic 1950’s Davis and bring it into the store. We will take it from there”.

Local LGBT group 'Dances' for a cause

 

“It’s back on everyone!” screams an excited man standing on a barstool.

The bars two large chandlers flicker on and off. Bill Conti’s "Gonna Fly Now" (otherwise known as “The Rocky Theme”) cuts out. A collective hush falls over the packed aptly named Fedora Lounge. Anthony Martinez races over to the main flat screen television to turn up the volume.

“[mumbling]…Chaz…[mumbling]…has what it takes?” says the announcer.

“…Safe!”

The crowd roars with excitement. For a moment, the cheers are almost deafening. “Gonna Fly Now” swells up just where it had left off moments before. Two girls standing on the bar kiss as onlookers throw star-shaped confetti at the couple.

So what’s all the hype?

Chaz Bono has made it through week four of "Dancing with the Stars".

“Who would have thought we would be so invested in this over 2000 miles away”, yells Anthony Martinez, referring to the LA-based production. “It’s really helped to bring a greater sense of pride to our community”.

Martinez is the Executive Director of The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), a Chicago-based LGBT advocacy group. On every Tuesday for the past two weeks, his organization has sponsored a “Support Chaz” night at Fedora Lounge, a gay bar in River North. A night that started as a few friends having some drinks has grown into a 50+ weekly event that brings LGBT community members and their allies together for mutual support and camaraderie for Bono as well as each other. 

“Chaz being on ‘Dancing’ is a great opportunity to rally LGBT Chicagoans and their allies around a common cause”, said Martinez. “We are celebrating the visibility of LGBT persons on Television, but more importantly, Chaz’s visibility as a Transgender person in the media”.

Chaz Bono, born Chastity Bono to famous Pop Diva Cher and the late Sonny Bono, underwent female to male sexual reassignment surgery in 2008. As a Transgendered man, Bono has endured a barrage of criticism since “Dancing with the Stars” announced he would be a contestant on the show’s thirteenth season.

It was this criticism that steered Mia Phifer, chief fundraiser for TCRA, to take action. After hearing a string a transphobic jokes about Bono at a downtown bar a few weeks ago, Phifer decided to organize the gay community around Bono and Transphobia.

“I was livid”, said Phifer. “Transgender people are some of the most misunderstood minority we have. So, I thought it was important to bring the LGBT community together here in Chicago to support a cause that was playing out in the national arena”.

Phifer was able to rally ten or so of her close friends for their first event at the Fedora Lounge for week two of “Dancing with the Stars”. By week four, the event was pushing fifty.

“The turnout demonstrates how Chaz has become the LGBT underdog of the show”, said Phifer. “Chaz’s ‘no-bull’ attitude toward criticism has really resonated in his growing fan base”.

Although Chaz’s popularity with the LGBT community is growing, his dancing scores on the show have been lackluster. Chaz was tied for sixth place this past week with a combined score of 21 (out of a possible 30).

But TCRA’s founder and former Illinois State Senate Candidate Jacob Meister says the “hard facts” of the show are beyond the point. Meister says that Bono’s performance this past week is a testament to what the TCRA is fighting for.

“Chaz’s performance of the ‘Rocky Theme Song’ this past week works as a narrative to Trans-persons and members of the LGBT community as a whole”, said Meister. “It illustrates the LGBT community’s ability to rise up against any and all adversity- the importance of that imagery heavily outweighs a judges score”.

But what will become of the event if Bono gets voted off?

“Our event ends with Chaz- however far he may get”, says Meister. “But the resonance Chaz has had on the LGBT community here in Chicago won’t be going anywhere. As far as I am concerned, Chaz has already won”.

Dream House: Not So Dreamy

In one pivotal scene in the Jim Sheridan directed “Dream House”, main character Will Atenton (played by Daniel Craig) drops to his knees in sorrow after finding out devastating news. Orchestra music reminiscent of “The Sound of Music” swells as the camera pans out to the freshly fallen snow. Two minutes later, Atenton happily eats dinner with his family. Two minutes after that, he is again clutching his chest in agony.

For a film with an A-list cast and an original story idea, the schizophrenic "Dream House" can’t decide whether it’s a horror film, a romance, a suspense, or even a drama.

The film follows Will Atenton, a loving father of two girls and a workaholic at a Manhattan Publishing company. Atenton decides to quit his job and move his family to a house in Connecticut to spend more time with his family and write a novel. It isn’t long before Atenton’s wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz) notices something not quite right with the house. Stalkers, devil worshipers, and ghosts abound in a strange mix of occurrences that leaves Atenton realizing this is not their dream home. Aided by neighbor Ann Patterson (Naomi Watts), Atenton embarks on a journey to discover the truth behind his suburban nightmare.

With more twists and turns and roadblocks than I-90 construction , "Dream House" can’t decide what ‘dream’ it is trying to be. Is it a nightmare filled with trips to the mental hospital, late night stalkers staring through windows, and erie séances? Or is it a dream turned dreary soap opera due to suburban paranoia of lustful neighbors and vengeful ex’s?

Sheridan's "Dream House" could have been a great movie with a focused storyline using the actors' talents to complement the tone of the film- unfortunately, it was all just a dream.

*1 and half stars out of 4. 

*PG-13

Once 'Scarlet' bar sees 'Green' through music

“ It’s really important to get a sense of the audience when…”

Boom. Boom. Boom.

“…the music…”

Boom. Boom. Boom.

“…brings it all together.”

DJ DOLO toggles the base slide on his soundboard. His head bobs in sync with each thumping beat, mirroring the fist pumping of the audience below. DOLO slides the synth bar up and the techno beat rises like a teakettle before transitioning into "6 foot, 7 foot" by Lil Wayne.

For just a moment, the crowd’s satisfied screams drown out the music.

Kevin Neal, a bartender at Scarlet, gives a “thumbs-up” to DOLO, while pouring a drink to a demanding drag queen.

“Ever since we brought DJ’s like DOLO to Scarlet...”, yells Neal from across the bar, “…we’ve really seen an increase in club-goers. But most of them come out for DOLO.”

Scarlet, a gay bar located on Halstead in the heart of Boystown, is known for its high-energy Techno/Top 40 atmosphere and 20-something music loving crowd. Yet Scarlet was not always the place to go to hear the best up-and-coming DJ’s on Chicago’s Northside.

“Before the fire, we played a lot of House music and drew an older crowd ”, said Neil. “Since we rebuilt, we changed our music from House to Techno mixed with Top 40 and all of a sudden, younger guys started coming in droves”.

House music was, in part, created in Chicago at a gay bar known as The Warehouse in the early 1980’s. Since then, most of the gay bars in the Boystown area play the genre, all up until Scarlet changed the scene.

Scarlet opened in 2007 after the former bar in the space, Gentry, closed. Gentry was known in Boystown as a “senior gay” bar, so when Scarlet opened shortly after Gentry closed, the bar’s crowd stayed within the same demographic.

“There was nothing wrong with it”, said Neil. “But we knew we could get more people through the door- so we hired new DJ’s”.

After a devastating fire that hollowed out the bar in 2009, Scarlet rebuilt and brought in a fresh new sound.

“Most of the bars on Halstead like Sidetrack play House music”, said DOLO. “It’s cool and all, but the younger people like to hear Top 40 mixed with Electro as dance music starts to claim its stake on radio- and that’s whose spending all the money”.

That’s exactly what Scarlet did. After changing the music up, the crowd changed almost over night.

“Within two weeks, our Thursday nights went from a few older guys drinking beer to hundreds of 20-somethings bumping to the music with a line out the door and around the corner- all thanks to the music of DOLO and our other DJ’s”, said Neil.

DOLO likes to mix music from the 80’s and 90’s with current hits with intermittent techno riffs (listen to one of his sets here) . He claims that his music is what brings the crowds in.

“What these other bars don’t understand is that the music has to cater to a crowd demographic”, says DOLO. “People want to come and dance, have a good time. Music choice is a big factor in what people, especially gay people, look for in a highly competitive bar scene like Boystown- and I am glad that I can provide that”.

DOLO fastens the beat once again, strobe lights in sync. The entranced crowd raises their arms back and forth to a modern techno mash-up of “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics and “End of Time” by Beyonce.

“It’s all in the mix”, says DOLO. “Top 40, techno riffs, old time classics- the mixes bring mixed crowds in to harmonize as one”.

.