I took a small group here, on a weekday afternoon…read more The staff was friendly and helpful. The store has a range of items to paint and many paints to choose from. Our items were ready for pick up/ after being kilned...as promised in 5-7days. Overall it was a good experience.

I use to manage this studio for three years. Through out my time there I endured some strange…read morebehaviors from not just the owner Kelly but also her husband. The mall this establishment is in celebrates Pride Month as does all of the other stores. So naturally I put up decorations along with the rest of the mall. This angered Kelly and she started tearing down my rainbows. She said she wanted to remain "neutral". That was the first red flag as I, her manager, is queer and she knew this. The 2nd red flag was when her husband picked me up from this location (as I am disabled and can't drive) to take me to their Plano location. When I hopped into the car a song was playing, her husband quickly turned off the song and went looking through his phone for another. He then puts on The Lords of Acid - Pussy Song. We were alone in the car The owner Kelly and her husband are anti LGBTQ and anti immigrant. I ran their studio for three years before their beliefs reared their ugly heads. I, myself am a queer Latino. The mall celebrates Pride Month, Kelly didn't like this so she tore down all of the decorations I put up. She loved the indigenous pottery workshops I would do, they made HER LOTS OF MONEY. I ultimately QUIT because he husband was watching me on the cameras and had an issue with my sick child being at the studio when I had no other option. This man wasn't my boss. He had to pick me up one day for a convention, when I got in the car a song was playing . HE TURNED OFF THE SONG LOOKED GOR A NEW ONE AND PUT ON :LORDS OF ACID- THE PUSSY SONG. I'm queer, married and someone MOTHER. DO NOT WORK HERE IT IS NOT SAFE. We were in the car for at least 20 minutes... The final nail in the coffin was when her husband called me at work because he was watching me that morning bending down sorting the orders. My son, who was 11 at the time had his head down on the table. We had been up all night as my child developed hives and we had just gotten in from the doctor. ​I could not have prepared for this so I took him and his medicines to work with me. Well her husband didn't like that because it "looks bad". Mind you, this is the same kid that would volunteer on the weekends to help me clean the studio after parties for extra allowance. Kelly encouraged this. This man and father told me to find other accommodations. So I did, I easily found another job. If you go here you support an owner who not only makes excuses for her perverted husband but someone who hates kindness and equality. The people who stand by this women all look exactly like HER. Sound familiar?

Great little gallery!…read more Current show is Jim MacRoberts - a talented woodworking artist, and a real gentleman (a dying breed nowdays). Great art, really fantastic stuff. Incredible use of wood. There was even a few framed kids drawings, and the little artists were in attendance greeting their public. What a fun show. The opening was lively and fun. Lots of snacks and wine for patrons. Extremely kid friendly. Juice was on offer too!

A friend of mine hosted a surprise 50th b day party for her husband at this establishment. It was…read morenothing short of a horrible experience. Party was scheduled to end at 1am. The owner pretty much stalked us the entire time. (9pm to 1am) He did not approve of our choice of music. We are African American. The party was classy but the owner was NOT. He insisted that we shut the music off well ahead of our scheduled end time. I would not recommend patronizing this establishment. We ultimately moved the party to a different location.

This is always one of my FAVORITE events of the year! I do with, as Sue L. wrote, it didn't have to…read moreinvolve a LONG walk to the end of the pier; maybe when the hotel opens, a shuttle bus will be available. I am sometimes lucky to get a free VIP Pre-view pass and go the Thursday evening before the opening. I brought no costume while walking the long snowy way. My first stop is usually Yvel,the Israeli pearl place, (beautiful, very expensive, rather standoffish) and local as well as faraway galleries. At the Preview, there's light bites and free wine and boxed water. Talking to the artists or gallery owner adds a nice personal touch that museums don't offer. This year they had a wine tasting, with option to buy, and cute little wine bags from Jadot! The preview is adults only, full but not super crowded like the weekends with the kids. Some of the work is not quite for the young-uns, so be warned. As Sue advised, if you're on a budget, eat first or go elsewhere. This are the kind of priced art where people don't really care about how much they spend on food, but I'm not 'those' people!

This is definitely a long walk at almost the end of the pier from the Navy Pier entrance. The…read moresmaller fair from past years is full of burgeoning and talented artists. I myself like pleasant, classic, and beautiful works of art. Parts of the Andy Warhol exhibit were interesting as well as an exhibit displaying the covers of classic celebrities of the 1950s to 1970s. There were a few pieces which I did enjoy. There were also many pieces which displayed the darkness and pain of our times. Its an interesting way to spend your afternoon. I would have lunch in other parts of Navy Pier. The lunch at this venue looks tasty but is expensive for a small selection. By the way wine is abundantly available for sale.

Home is where the art is, and there's few better places than Firecat…read more The unique approach the owners take is that every single month, there is a new installation, new premiere, new talkback with the artist(s). Although I'm not an avid art gallery visitor, I do pop in at least once a month to see what has taken over the space. Well worth a visit.

Firecat Projects is an independent art gallery in Wicker Park. A friend and I attended their…read more"Fourth Friday" monthly event, in which they have a reception (free admission) for a new and upcoming artist. There are complementary appetizers and alcohol (But you should tip, people. That child support can wait). So many studios take 40 - 50% of what the artist sells but Firecat Projects is unique because, like the artists' hair, they don't get a cut. This is a great, nonchalant crowd. Although most folks there are in the art scene, I didn't feel compelled to make profound, mind-numbing observations about the art. However, I did note that one piece was "transcendent" and another "really ties the room together." There were also a handful of freeloaders. They are the ones sucking down bottles of beer like piglets ferociously attacking their mom's teet. But overall it is a friendly place, and unlike the MCA Friday events, ladies don't need to worry about looking away and then discovering their drinks so bombarded with roofies, if you threw said drink at a charging rhinoceros, it would immediately collapse in its tracks. By the way dress code is way casual. The fashion bar is set so low even Stephen Hawking could jump over it. We are talking about artists after all. My friend and I spent 15 minutes talking to a guy wearing a tin foil sweater and shoes that would've gotten him kicked out of a bowling alley. The conversation about lake toxins and the city's antiquated tax code were interesting nonetheless. So get on out to this event and help local artists fulfill their dreams. Don't worry -- Starbucks will find someone else to make your mocha-cookie frappuccinos.

We had so much fun hosting a private party event here! You just go on their website and choose the…read morepackage you want, date, time, and number of guests. They will correspond with you and you can choose the artwork you want to paint (they have THOUSANDS to choose from). You can also invite your guests to register and pay separately. On the day of your event, you can bring your own snacks, foods, drinks, and decorations. Everything else would be prepared for you, including utensils, ice, and any painting/ candle making supplies you would need. There is also an instructor who will guide you as you follow along. Though that is the case, you can still customize the painting to your own liking (in terms of colors and painting styles). It was so cool to see everyone's unique take of the painting afterwards. We all had a blast! This is such a nice indoor activity for those cold Chicago days. Since there is an instructor, this is a good activity for everyone; those who are more artistically skilled and even for first-timers heheh. TIP: If it's your birthday, you also get to choose a pre-painted painting for free to take home!

Our first time at a paint&sip! We went for my birthday and…read moreeveryone there was so kind. They even offered me to pick out a canvas of my choice since it was my birthday! We had a great time and thought all of the staff was super patient and friendly!

WOW. wow. wow. wow…read more Four hours today and it still wasn't enough. I plan on going back tomorrow or Monday. I loved everything about Art Chicago. The art (duh.), the people, the fashion. People from everywhere in the world speaking all different kinds of languages... all there to buy and look at art. The NEXT floor was like one giant fashion show. I had as much fun looking at the people as I did looking at the art. Most of the gallery staff were friendly and would engage in conversation with my friend and me... even though we obviously would not be buying anything. Spending the day here reminded me of being at the Tate Modern in London... which I visited three times in the month I was there. Such a great vibe. I can't wait to go back... and... I wish there was something permanent like this in Chicago.

Art Chicago for 2009 is housed in the Merchandise Mart, though events are occurring throughout the…read morecity. This annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, brings together the world's leading emerging and established art galleries. Art Chicago offers curators, collectors, artists and art enthusiasts a comprehensive survey of current and historic work, from cutting edge to modern masters in a wide variety of media including: painting, photography, drawings, prints, sculpture, video and special installations. Now that I've got the official information over lets get down to brass tacks............. As a fine art photographer myself I was thrilled to be able to attend an Opening preview of this 4 day event last night. If you've never been on an upper floor of the Merchandise mart, you'll be shocked at the shear size of this building. It took me 2 hours to cover just one and a half floors on this building............and I was moving pretty quickly seeking primarily just photographic artist. Keep in mind these floors house not 1, not 2, but 3 cafes they are so big and over 18 elevators per floor. The 12th floor housed the primary galleries where collectors were looking at the hottest artist in the America and the world today. I was amazed at the artists I saw in this space and who were some of the best fine art photographers in the world. Artist like Michael Wolfe; Fred Korth; Wayne Miller who did some incredible imagery of the lives of average blacks living in the Southside of Chicago in the 40s; Luis Gonzalez Palma; Walker Evans; Alec Soth; and Achim Lippoth just to name a few. But there were painters that also inspired me.......Yigai Ozeri is a painter that does such a good job with oils that his paintings look like photographs!!! But I want to be clear about art in America......it is run, managed, directed, and facilitated by the very wealthy and very powerful and no where was that more evident than last night. There were many people there looking to buy or promote art and when pieces are going in 5 and 6 digit prices and they range in the thousands, this is the Super Bowl of art collecting at its best. Art, particularly in such economic times is a luxury and usually only a luxury the rich can afford. The crowd was no less than the most eclectic group of folks assembled in one place that I have ever seen and fashion statements abound. The event will cover the first 4 days in the month of May and involves just about every type of art venue in the city. If you get a chance you should definite check this out.

We hired Wellington Strings to perform as a string trio for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour…read moreat the Morton Arboretum on Jan. 22, 2011. If I could give them six stars, I would. Everything, from planning to execution was flawless. Working with Emanuel was wonderfully collaborative and really helped eliminate any stress we felt about our wedding music. We selected some unusual pieces for our processional and recessional, and Emanuel was incredibly accommodating. When we were walking through the room before the ceremony and heard them practicing (our first time hearing the songs played live), we both got teary eyed, it was so beautiful. As anyone planning a wedding knows, communication is key when it comes to vendors, and WS excelled in this area, even when we got picky and had lots of questions. Emanuel was very patient and willing to share his expertise when we were unsure about one thing or another. I went into my wedding day confident that I didn't have a single worry about the ceremony music. They were even generous enough to let us use their PA and mic for the ceremony itself. The music itself was performed beautifully. The two Joe Hisaishi songs we special-requested (from Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving castle," two of our favorite movies) had never sounded better. There was such a fullness and richness to the sound -- we received many compliments as to how lovely the music was, both during the ceremony and cocktail hour. To say the Wellington Strings are a great value would be a huge understatement -- they were a bargain beyond what we'd hoped for, and they helped bring an added element of elegance to our special day.

Wellington Strings played absolutely beautifully during my wedding ceremony. Their music added…read moresophistication and elegance and they were able to accompany the church pianist during mass songs. Overall, easy to work with, good selection of music, and talented performers. 100% recommended.

My family and I planned my sister a surprise Sip & Paint party . We informed Desire that it would…read morebe 15 people attending . When we arrived the venue was extremely small , definitely wasn't enough space for 15 adults to fit comfortably and enjoy Sip & Paint ! The paint brushes was very worn out which made it difficult to have a nice painting. The venue overseer Tamia had to issue us out paint & makers like a kindergartner one color at a time ! The bathroom soap was watered down. So I wouldn't recommend this venue for any events that's more than 8 people .

Had an outstanding time here for my birthday. I was allowed to bring in food and cake at no…read moreadditional charge. Made my own playlist but loved the ones Desire had. I hosted 15 people and she made it so easy for everyone to make a great painting. Several people actually hung theirs in their homes. The space was very clean, very welcoming and Desire was so fun. 10/10 would do it again!