Gallery Weekend Chicago draws in artists, collectors across the country
WITH ELIZABETH HAMEL September 19, 2011 6:58PM
Angela Robins, Sarah Albrecht and Jennifer Conklin | ROBERT CARL
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Updated: November 30, 2011 12:18AM
The inaugural Gallery Weekend Chicago, an event designed to attract contemporary art curators and collectors from across the country to experience the city’s dynamic gallery scene, kicked off its festivities Friday night as philanthropists and art aficionados Sandra and Jack Guthman welcomed more than 100 VIP guests to dine with them at the James Hotel, 55 E. Ontario.
Gallery Weekend Chicago founder and art dealer Monique Meloche and her husband, Evan Boris, mingled with out-of-town guests, including Angela Robins of Los Angeles’ Honor Fraser Gallery, Indianapolis Museum of Art curator Lisa Freiman, New York-based artists Cary Smith and Chuck Webster, and Jane Glassman, an art collector from L.A.
During dinner, partygoers could be heard buzzing about the impossible-to-get restaurant reservations they had secured for the weekend — including seats at Next, the fine dining, server-crashing spot that foodies across the nation have been drooling over since it opened last April — thanks to the VIP services offered to guests of Gallery Weekend, which also included chauffeured gallery visits and curator-led tours of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute.
Other high-profile attendees spotted at the exclusive, invite-only soiree: MCA artist Dan Gunn, Next Art Chicago director Staci Boris, collector and McCormick family heir Conor O’Neil and MCA board member Sara Albrecht.
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Chicago Gateway Green, the organization known for finding corporate sponsors to beautify the greenery flanking the city’s expressways, took a hiatus last year from its largest annual fund-raiser, the Green Tie Ball. But this year, the event returned better than ever for the 20th anniversary celebration as more than 2,000 emerald-clad young professionals flocked to the A. Finkl & Sons steel plant to sample cuisine from hot restaurants and sip cool cocktails while dancing late into the evening to a stellar lineup of musical acts.
The soiree, co-chaired by Timothy Smithe and reality television personality Stephanie Castagnier, attracted notable guests, including Chicago Cubs owners Tom and Cece Ricketts, Richard Roeper, Roe Conn, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith and former Chicago Bull Dickey Simpkins.
Partygoers enjoyed libations from the open bar while perusing the sprawling silent auction tables or sitting down to charity blackjack provided by the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. Eating also was on the agenda as guests lined up to taste delicious dishes from more than 50 chef stations including samples from Saigon Sisters in River North, Big Jones in Andersonville, Prasino in Ukranian Village, and Real Urban Barbecue in suburban Highland Park.
Tunes from Dr. Bombay, DJ Rock City, Too White Crew and DJ Yours Truly kept the dance floor full until well after midnight, while others lounged on white couches around the perimeter.
Although final numbers have not been tallied at press time, organizers expect a record-breaking year for the fund-raiser.
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