Sweet Home Chicago

New Works by Cindy Scaife

February 3-26, 2017



BYOB Opening Reception Friday, February 3, 7-10pm

Cindy Scaife was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and she graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). For over 25 years Cindy has worked as a full-time professional artist, muralist and art educator. Cindy is greatly influenced by the art, design and advertising illustrations of the Atomic Age. Drawing heavily from the colour palette and optimism of this era, Cindyʼs work reflects its own nostalgia and innocence. Cindy arrived at her style of art by way of the 1950ʼs advertising industryʼs development and use of the product mascot, an anthropomorphic character used to promote a companyʼs wares to a wide audience. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries in the Ontario, British Columbia and Los Angeles. Sweet Home Chicago is a tribute to Chicago’s rich candy history. With this show Cindy continues her exploration of food and advertising mascots by creating anthropomorphic imagery that examines the origins, cultural influences, history and significance of a variety of food products. While conducting extensive research into the food items that are specific and significant to the Chicago area, Cindy discovered the city’s unique and noteworthy connection to the confectionery industry. For over a century Chicago has been the candy manufacturing hub of the United States. With this exhibit, Cindy will be highlighting a selection of the candies that have become some of the most beloved and enduring sweets in the United States, all of which have Chicago roots.

Join us and Cindy for the opening reception on the evening of Friday, February 3, 7-10pm where we'll have snacks and beverages (BYOB if you want beer or wine), not to mention awesome music courtesy of DJ Sean Doe.

Works will be available to purchase at the gallery beginning at 11am on Friday, February 3 or via email starting at 2pm the same day for members of our Gallery Previews List (sign up here).

The 33 — A Cabinet of Curious Characters

New Works by BaM! (Bruce Bachelder and Mike Rende)

February 3-26, 2017



BYOB Opening Reception Friday, February 3, 7-10pm



“Check your ego at the door.” is the driving thought when Chicago-area artists Bruce Bachelder and Mike Rende (collectively known as BaM!) set out to create their collaborative art. The artists, both graduates of Northern Illinois University, each start a painting and then hand it to the other to complete. Sometimes they follow the original vision for the painting, but it’s always more interesting when they don’t.

The 33 – A Cabinet of Curious Characters is their newest series of paintings, inspired by a box of old "cabinet cards" that Bruce's mother found while cleaning out her basement. After pulling out all of the relatives she could identify, she planned to discard the remaining photos that were of people she did not know, but Bruce rescued them from that untimely fate and inspiration struck when he presented them to Mike.



Why not bring their ‘artistic misunderstanding’ to a more tangible format? Why not leverage a basic, clear, starting point and build on that? So they embarked on a challenge to create 33 new portraits, each based on a cabinet card from the basement find.

Join us, along with Bruce and Mike, for the opening reception on the evening of Friday, February 3, 7-10pm where we'll have snacks and beverages (BYOB if you want beer or wine), not to mention awesome music courtesy of DJ Sean Doe.

Works will be available to purchase at the gallery beginning at 11am on Friday, February 3 or via email starting at 2pm the same day for members of our Gallery Previews List (sign up here).