Eco-Chic Showcase at The Field Museum

Slip on your salmon-skin dress and get your hand-woven handbags ready because the latest eco-friendly designs are coming to Chicago.

On May 13 The Field Museum (1400 S. Lake Shore Drive) unveils the Gary C. Comer Family Gallery, a space devoted to celebrating the environment and sustainable design. The inaugural showcase, entitled Design for a Living World, was developed by The Nature Conservancy and features the works of 10 internationally acclaimed designers, including Paulina Reyes of kate spade new york.  The artists were challenged to visit areas across the world and use those area’s most sustainable materials to create innovative, yet practical, pieces.

Tickets to The Field Museum are available for purchase here; the exhibit is included with price of basic admission.

A Green Queen Arrives This Week

What stands at 8-feet tall, has a heart of tin, a hard booty and makes doughnuts in the morning?  Doreen!  She’s the perfect “woman” and the newest, interactive sculpture from reclaimed materials.  Doreen will be unveiled at Hotel Felix at 11 a.m., April 22 (Earth Day), where she’ll then have her permanent home. Allen Christian, the sustainable artist behind the sculpture, will unveil this new masterpiece.  Doreen joins “Loren the Doorman,” who stands at 7-feet tall, as the newest addition to Hotel Felix’ staff.  Doreen and Loren are two hard-to-miss sustainable sculptures, both created by Christian of House of Balls

(www.houseofballs.com).

One of a Kind Show (Dec 2-5)

December has arrived, which means it’s time to find the perfect gift for everyone on your shopping list.  If you are in Chicago this weekend and looking for gift-giving inspiration, try the 10th Annual One of a Kind Show and Sale at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart happening this Thursday, December 2 to Sunday, December 5.

Featuring the unique creations of over 600 artists, from furniture to fashion to gourmet gifts, the One of a Kind Show and Sale also includes handmade and eco-friendly products.  For example, Abbey Brown Soap Artisan uses fair trade ingredients and locally grown organic herbs in its products.  All of the packaging is also done in house by hand.  Here is photo of one of their signature soaps:

Abbey Brown Signature Soap (http://abbeybrown.com)

Another artist featured at the One of a Kind Show and Sale, David Stine, uses only native hardwoods harvested from Stine’s family’s forests in Dow, Illinois.

David Stine Woodworking (Stinewoodworking.com)

To view the show’s artist directory and for ticket information, visit the One of a Kind Show and Sale website at http://www.oneofakindshowchicago.com.

Welcome Home Chagall!

American Windows (credit: Art Institute of Chicago)

After five years in hiding, Marc Chagall’s American Windows are back on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, and we couldn’t be happier.  If you are looking for something interesting to do during your stay here in Chicago, consider making a trip to the Art Institute to visit this remarkable work.  The windows were dismantled in 2005 for safe keeping during the “lengthy, vibration-heavy construction” of the Modern Wing, but now that the new wing has been completed, the Chagall windows are back where they belong.  Click here for more about the return of American Windows (Chicago Tribune).

Additionally, this Friday, November 12, you can view American Windows at the Institute’s After Dark event, which will feature live DJs and performances by acclaimed theatrical ensemble Collaboraction.  Click here for tickets and more information.

Summer Heats Up in Lincoln Park

This weekend, we’re takin’ it to the streets… Racine, to be exact.

Saturday and Sunday (July 31 & August 1) mark the Second Annual Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival, on Racine between Webster and Fullerton. Gates are open Saturday from noon ’til 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon ’til 9 p.m. This two-day event showcases nearly 100 local artisans, a variety of Lincoln Park restaurants, live music, and fun for the kids as well. Headliners Pat McGee Band and Buckwheat Zydeco play on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., respectively. A gate donation of $7 benefits the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, Chicago’s largest neighborhood chamber. It’s a great excuse to get outdoors and enjoy time with friends and family!

photo courtesy of lincoln park chamber of commerce

360SEE Gallery and Hotel Felix Chicago Partner to Offer Sustainable Art Tour Package

Book a stay at the Hotel Felix, which recently earned the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging-Silver certification, and enjoy a night out in eco-friendly style. Hotel Felix has teamed up with the 360SEE Gallery to give guests an inside look at the gallery’s sustainable art, for a truly eco-evening in Chicago.

Guests at the Hotel Felix who book the 360SEE package will be picked up from the hotel in a hybrid Going Green Limousine and drive to the 360SEE Gallery, located in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. At the Gallery, guests will receive a private tour by owner Jordan Witkov, who will show them the gallery’s sustainable art, furniture and design object collection while they enjoy a sampling of organic wine, beer, cheese and fruit.

Photo courtesy of 360SEE

The package is available for $175 in addition to the hotel room rate.  For rates, reservations and more information, visit www.hotelfelixchicago.com or call toll-free 877-848-4040 or direct at 312-447-3440. For up-to-the-minute information on special promotions, become a fan of Hotel Felix on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Sustainable, eco-chic art showcased at 360SEE

360SEE, 1924 N. Damen Ave.

Check out the newest show at 360SEE (1924 North Damen Ave), entitled “2nd Anniversary Show: 3rd Year, 3 New artists, 3 Media” running from July 17 through August 20 (gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10-7, and Sunday 11-2 or by appointment).

The exhibition will feature new work by Eric Bessel, Stefanie Dueck, Heidi Martin Kuster, as well as showcase work by two years of gallery represented artists and designers.

Jordan Witkov, 360SEE director and owner, hand picks artists and designers from around the country and the world exhibiting offerings exclusive to Chicago, the region, and the country. The three new artists in this show, Bessel, Dueck, and Kuster, offer unique, well-executed pieces using a variety of media elements.

Brooklyn photographer Eric Bessel’s newly completed series of photographs, grass / hair , explores the similarities in captured moments of wind-combed marsh grass and the parts and tufts of hair on the back of people’s heads.

Eric Bessel untitled #1 from grass / hair 2010

Metal sculptor, and trained blacksmith, Stefanie Dueck creates fine art, jewelry, and one-of-a-kind flatware out of her Vancouver studio. Her pieces focus on the relationship between animals, material, and environment.

Stefanie Dueck Iguana Box 2009

Chicago trained painter Heidi Martin Kuster currently creates art in Paris. Her series of work focuses on geological forms starting from a micro focus such as small pebbles and rocks developing into images that evoke the feel of vast aerial cartography. Her pieces contain hip, sustainable elements, such as tree-free paper and aluminum from organic food containers.

Heidi Martin Kuster Geographical Notations II 2010

“2nd Anniversary Show: 3rd Year, 3 New artists, 3 Media” is running for a short time only so don’t miss it! We can’t wait to view and learn more about these outstanding (and eco-friendly) works of art. For more on this must-see-event, head to www.360SEEgallery.com, and follow 360SEE on facebook and twitter.

Meet Loren

Behind every piece of artwork there is story. Some stories are more worth telling then others  - the Hotel Felix is really proud to share the story of our newest piece of sustainable art by Allen Christian.

Meet Loren the Doorman

Allen is a artist and sculptor who believes in animism, the idea that non-living objects have souls or spirits. Allen uses found items to create his masterpieces and believes each item he finds has it’s own personal history that contributes to it beauty. (Read more about Allen’s philosophy here.)

Loren the Doorman really embodies Allen’s artistic philosophy.  The sculpture was created out of found objects from Allen’s friend Loren, who passed away in 2009. During his lifetime, Loren was a great collector of odd objects and after his passing, Allen and friends gathered Loren’s objects with the intention of using them in their artwork.

Loren the Doorman is made of up a plasma cut milk bucket, umbrella stand, pipes from a pneumatic tube company, and core drill bit.  The word “taxi” is carved out on the torso in Old English script and on either side of the script are eight musical keys – guests can use the mallet to play a tune or call for a taxi!

Allen says of this piece, “I feel quite blessed to have been given the opportunity and to have him greet the hotel guests as they enter.”