A few weeks ago, I was talking to some good friends of mine at Sangha Rising about meeting some more local Chicago artists in our respective neighborhoods. Andy convinced me to check out an article collaborative event that he had been a part of for the past year that occurs the last Thursday of each month at a bar called Evil Olive on Division and Ashland. I was told that the place is usually crazy busy and artists are there en massé to present their work. Needless to say, this was EXACTLY what I had been looking for.
TJ and I arrived at Evil Olive at about 7, when the whole event kicks off, and we were surprised to see quite a bit of activity for “early” on a Thursday night in Chicago. There were at least 20 artists crafting pieces at various locations throughout the bar. I was later told that some people just show up unannounced and being working on bar tables, couches, or whatever else can be found.
Atomic Sketch Event signage at the entrance
Some artwork posted at the July Atomic Sketch Event
The main draw for eyes are two large cork showcase boards where artists pin their finished pieces up with prices. Everything that is posted up on the board is done by one of the artists at the event. That is the rule: It HAS to have been created during the time of the Atomic Sketch Event. You can’t work hours and hours on a piece at home and bring it in to sell on the cork board. It’s a real machine-gunner artist pressure-cooker in there!
Overall, I was personally blown away by the talent and just the amount of people that were in attendance and creating work. It’s a real tight community of people involved with this, and RIPT is happy to say that we will be at the next Atomic Sketch Event next week, Thursday July 30th. We will be there hanging out and might even have a few coupons to give away.
If you are a local artist, or just an art lover at heart, you wont’ want to miss the Atomic Sketch Events this Summer. They have just passed their first year anniversary and show no signs of slowing down. In fact, you might find yourself waiting in line to get in by the time you read this, so get there early!
See ya next Thursday!
You can find out more about Chicago’s Atomic Sketch Event by joining their Official Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.
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