Great variety of work displayed during art walk weekend. Receptionist was super friendly and also…read morean artist currently on display here. Prices seemed reasonable.

ARC recently moved into a larger space on the corner of Webster and Damen and their programming has…read moreexploded! High profile openings, later hours, and community outreach has elevated the gallery into an active member of the Bucktown neighborhood. Super pleased to see the gallery continuing to thrive.

Beautiful art space and exhibit center. I see that it is also used for reception and gatherings…read more There is plenty of parking space and a Maritime Museum also available to check out.

This was our second time attending an art show opening at the Bridgeport Art Center. Other than…read moretwo popular event venues, namely the Skyline Loft on the 5th floor and the Sculpture Garden on the first floor, the huge building also provides art studios and office spaces, and two spacious art galleries on the 3rd and 4th floors. Both times we attended the art openings on the 4th floor by taking a manned-freight elevator from the 1st floor. The first time we went two years ago, there was a public ticketed event going on. So, there were long lines just getting into the building. This time we arrived at 8:00 pm for a 7:00 - 10:00 pm opening, they had the entrance on the side of the building, and there were no lines. We attended "The Landscape is Changing" art exhibition that runs from July 18 to September 5, 2025 on the 4th Floor Gallery. It featured multimedia artworks from 101 contributing artist. There were paintings, photos, 3-D art, and sculptures that depicted natural and man-made structures of our surroundings, inspired and influenced by the landscape. The galleries were spacious and well-lit, and the exhibitions well-planned and professionally done. Since refreshments and beverages were on the 3rd floor, we decided to go down one floor by taking the stairs instead of the freight elevator. However, be prepared to go through quiet hallways of storage spaces that felt like a maze and adventure. It was nice that all the spaces were clean and well-maintained. However, I hope Bridgeport Art Center would look into improving the air conditioning in the art gallery spaces. Two years ago, it was hot and miserable during a hot summer night. This year, we were lucky that we had an exceptionally cool summer evening, that the outside temperature was only in the 70s. But the inside of the galleries was not too hot, but still on the warm side. I saw a couple of ladies fanning themselves with paper or something in their hands, while complaining about being too warm. However, other parts of the building could be nice and cool, that included their office. When we were leaving, the freight elevator door opened on the 5th floor, where a wedding reception was going on, we could feel a nice blast of cold air getting into the elevator. I highly recommend "The Landscape is Changing" art exhibition with free admission and runs until September 5, 2025, but please check the weather forecast and pick a cool day so that your experience will be more enjoyable.

What a special place! Wow. Step inside to a Time Travel, Back to the Past, before the World…read morebecame so fake and the Real Treasures existed all around us. This place is Very Unique and filled with so many wonderful items. The Sports Section is so Original and Authentic. Very unique NBA Custom lamps, Baseball collection cards. Many special Chicago Items. Step into Grandma's Kitchen, all those wonder 1950's items are here. Many unique prints and treasures from Closets, Dining Rooms.... You must go inside and take a look. You most definitely are bound to find at least 1 nice treasure piece. I couldn't resist the Undisclosed book. I will return again and definitely recommend it. They accept Cash, Apple Pay, Card. There is meter parking outside. $1 per hour. Lovely area to visit. Enjoy!

I do love a good garage sale, and my kid loves shopping in vintage stores, so today we found…read moreourselves at Forest Park Emporium after our planned ice cream outing at the Brown Cow ice cream parlor, next door, ended too quickly. Sadly, the Brown Cow is closed for construction, so we missed out. We had already found parking, so instead of buying ice cream, we went treasure hunting next door. We had a lot of fun moving from one vendor area to the next as we worked our way around the store. It is very, very full of merchandise, but didn't feel super cramped. It would be harder to navigate if you are a larger size or if you need a walker or wheel chair. The aisles and vendor set-ups are narrow, so it does take some patience and balance to maneuver in and around. But everything is clean and well organized, so big plus there. And there is a massive amount of unique things. Smelled fine, too, not stuffy or smoky. The owner was walking around with a spray bottle, tidying up. Owners and customers all wore masks. 6-foot distancing marks are on the floor and additional signs are all around the shop, reminding shoppers about COVID precautions, which was appreciated. I think this would be a fun place to go on a masked, socially-distanced date! Ice cream + treasure hunting.

Such a cute gift shop! It's near Marion street. We are always on or nearby Marion Street, shopping…read moreor eating. They have lots of fancy gifts for those friends that already have everything. Cute jewelry, candles, lotions and kitchen gifts. I love that they wrap the gifts for you. This sold me. I will be back just for the gift wrap courtesy. I bought a small gift for a girlfriend's birthday but I will be back again soon.

My mom and I went to CarefulPeach Boutique for the first time recently. It was very lovely and they…read morehave a good unique selection of French items for sale. They had my favorite coffee which was great and surprising to see. The staff were also very friendly and welcoming.

They have awesome products and resennable prices any holiday or party they have it allread more

Why do you advertise that you are open 10 AM to 6 PM? I drove over there, in the blasted rain and…read moreyour doors are locked.! Ugh At least post something on FB because that where I found you.

A tiny little place filled with so much affordable creativity !…read more Beautiful gallery. Very small room, with nicely and openly displayed art, open and warm. Creative affordable art, fine art paintings on canvas and paper, ceramics, functional sculpture and photography averaging $200.00. Very sweet owner Nadine "Yadi" Royster Internationally known artist, known for her representational fine art I enjoyed the visit and just fell in love with the place. Just a note, it on the corner of Greenbay and Emerson, right in the same building with Hecky BBQ. It is very easy to miss.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the Podmajersky's have really priced out all of the working artists…read morein Pilsen. About 10 years ago almost all of the buildings between 18th street and Cermak along Halsted were filled with high quality fine artists. From photographers to large scale installation artists. I personally knew the tenant who rented the building smack dab on the corner of Halsted and 18th and he had a wonderful working installation piece that was an arch with thousands of bottle caps riveted into the 20 foot sculpture....he was priced out of the space. Moved to LA where the rent is just as high but the exposure and acceptance of artists is much more viable. Chicago is a shitty place for most visual artists who have not yet made a name for themselves. Most midwesterners have more interest in the Cubs than the arts. Even if the Cubs continue to lose they still have people paying for tickets. Not so with art. The minute the economy got bad and the real estate market started sliding the artists who used to be part of this vibrant community were shafted by slumlord tactics of high rents and an 'imagined' River North Gallery atmosphere. When it was evident the 'district' was not going to bloom in the gentrified way they wanted, the owners just alienated the artists enough by raising the rents and leaving the buildings in dilapidated conditions so they would leave. AND, guess what? Surprise, they did. They mecca'd to NYC and LA. I wasn't surprised. The artistic environment in Chicago is quite small and limited and does very little to encourage artists to reach their creative peak and then, even if they do, most of the community is ready to tear them down for fear of never clawing their way to the figurative 'top'. It is no surprise that most of the reviews of the Chicago Arts District are negative. If you could have actually seen the district when it was a supportive, creative, vibrant microcosm of art you probably would have a different opinion. But, all we can do now is continue to support the people who have stuck it out in Pilsen, literally against all odds. There are some really great stores, Deliciously Vintage, Agga B....to name a couple. The Chicago Art department is an artists collective that has gallery space there and they produce some stunning works for working peoples' prices. Attend the 2nd Friday's event they host once a month. Stop in at the 'tourist center' on the south corner of 18th and Halsted and grab a brochure of galleries open during the event. You will be amazed and surprised that there is life beyond River North. The galleries are warm and friendly, not pretentious. Most of the owners and artists are present and love to talk about their work. The last 2nd friday's event was even sponsored by the Italian Expo...and they had the best risotto I have ever had. It is important to support this community instead of just schlepping down Halsted and complaining that you don't like the art. Now more than ever, Pilsen artists need to be supported in Chicago. Otherwise they will just move on to where they are appreciated and then you can have something else to bitch about.

If you are coming from out of town, don't get mislead by the name if this neighborhood, and think…read moreit's some thriving artists' community. It's not. Once a year, there is an open house of the artists-who-live-and-work-here galleries/workshops and lofts, which is fun and voyeuristic. The other 363 days of the year, it's a depressing ghost town. It sucks. Hardly a "community" in any sense of the word. No street life or activity. No storefront businesses. No public transit save a long wait for the Halsted bus. You can count on one hand the places remotely worth visiting: The Sylark, Kristoffer's Cafe and Bakery, Simone's., and of course the galleries on Halsted, when you can find one open. If you are looking for vibrant, stimulating, diverse, areas with street traffic, human activities, art, food, theater, cafes, live music and good pubs, head to Wicker Park or the Morse/Glenwood area of Rogers Park. I don't understand where this area of East Pilsen deserves the seemingly centralized and offciial moniker "Chicago Arts District." There may be some artists living and working there, but otherwise the title is quite the misnomer.

I had a summer internship with Aron Packer back when his gallery was on Peoria and really loved…read moreworking with him. I hadn't been to his new space (having merged with Schopf on Lake) until tonight. It was the same great owner and artwork, but in a bigger, even more beautiful space. Aron is a really friendly, fun guy who is very knowledgeable about the work he carries. Some of my favorite pieces are photos by Toni Hafkensheid and the really fun "Shark Girl" work by Casey Riordan Millard. Packer Schopf is a great place too look at some contemporary artwork and have a glass of wine (in tonight's case, served in Spongebob Dixie cups).

I'm really lucky, because one of my closest friends, Victoria Fuller, is an artist - a sculptor and…read morepainter. Not just your average every day artist, but I mean a real one. Since I'm kind of on a staycation this week, we took our boys into the city for an art gallery experience... a private tour of *Auntie* Vicki's art show and tour of the rest of the exhibits. Aside from the fact that her show is incredible, especially seeing all the little tidbits of art she's been working on around her studio all come together in entirety, the gallery is small and really nice inside. You wouldn't know from the outside what to expect. It looks like any older building in the area, but walk in and you are greeted by a completely renovated space that feels like a designer showroom from the Mart. Well lit, with artwork nicely displayed. The sculpture exhibits are upstairs, and downstairs there is a unique basement space, with lots of head room and art on paper. Today we saw engraved laptops by Michael Dinges in his exploration of objects that go on living after they are dead, and a custom canoe made from siding. Vicki's exhibit explores nature and our environment around us, and Geoffry Smalley's works on paper jabs at the world of American sports. There were also scanned collage pieces by Karen Savage exploring the various emotions and angles of depression and anxiety. I met the owner of the gallery, Aron Packer, who is super nice and welcoming (and a banjo player). It was nice to be in a space that didn't feel stuffy and unwelcoming to my two inquisitive eight-year old boys. Parking is a bit of a challenge around there, but so worth the stop. The train on Lake makes a stop right outside the gallery if you are local. Also, lots of great restaurants in the area, like Little Goat and Grange Hall Burger Bar (our stop) for a true urban experience.