Opt Art: Art Sales Event without Attitude is a collaborative effort of twenty Chicago area artists and art professionals to create a new market for Chicago artists and collectors. Location: the Iron Studios Building, 3636 S. Iron Street, in the Bridgeport arts district, the city's newest destination for the arts. The 2nd floor 8,700 sq. ft. exhibition space will be brimming with art works in a variety of mediums and styles.

Preview reception is on Friday, June 16 from 6 to 8 PM. 
Sale hours are Saturday, June 17, from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday, June 18, from Noon to 4 PM.

Participants in the inaugural event are: Maureen Bardusk (www.maureenbardusk.com), Patty Carroll, Molly Carter, Laurel Delaney, E. Richard Fowler, Barbara Friedl, Nancy Gardner, Deirdre Hamill-Squires, David Jones, Corey Postiglione, Marilyn Propp (www.proppjonesstudio.com), Susan Sensemann, Madeline Shea, Nicholas Sistler, Rick Smith, Mary Strasevicius, Michael Thompson, Ellie Wallace, and Jennifer Yorke.

To link to other participants websites and view a map to the location go to http://www.optart.org/. 
For further information contact Barbara Friedl at b@friedlgallery.com.

Coming soon: I’m working on a collaboration with a number or artists and poets who wish to bring there imagery and words to life. We will be incorporating dance and performance into the mix – watch here for progress on dates and venue.

Chicago Artists’ Coalition:  http://caconline.org/default.asp
"A visual arts organization whose mission is to fulfill four basic needs: the education of the general public regarding the value of the visual arts to society; the advocacy of visual arts issues for members and the art community; the provision of professional and educational services for artists and the arts community; the improvement of the environment in which artists live and work."

Woman Made Gallery: www.womanmade.org
"Supports and cultivates the diverse contributions of women artists through exhibitions, educational programs and community outreach. We believe that such contributions are an essential component in the spectrum of cultural expression."

R&F Handmade paints: http://www.rfpaints.com
Wonderful people with great encaustic paints and pigment sticks. They also have a chat room to exchange information with artists all over the world working in encaustics.

Anchor Graphics: http:// www.anchorgraphics.org
A not-for-profit fine art print shop and gallery. They have terrific classes
and have wonderful exhibitions of top notch printers throughout the year.

The Academy of American Poets: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/202

The Poetry Center of Chicago: http://www.poetrycenter.org/about/index.html

Paul Klein: http://www.artletter.com/html/current.html
Paul Klein, a previous gallery owner who is now writing reviews of local exhibitions and, more importantly, spearheading the project to start a “Chicago Artist’s Museum.”

Saatchi Gallery: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist/details.php?id=3658