Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America premieres at the Milwaukee Art Museum
1 Living Architecture (6018 North) A loud and clear response to our current political climate, the multimedia exhibition highlights the impact of immigrant artists in the Chicago creative scene with public programming including performances, tours, workshops and conversational dinners. (Through December 23, Saturday-Sunday, 12pm-5pm)
2 Renegade Craft Fair (Division between Damen and Ashland, Wicker Park) Founded in Chicago in 2003 and growing into the biggest craft-fair showcase in the world, Renegade returns home for a weekend, bringing a wide assortment of artists, designers, makers and entrepreneurs. (September 8-9, 11am-7pm)
3 Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America (Milwaukee Art Museum) The Milwaukee Art Museum brings together more than forty designers to explore the notion of “playful design” in midcentury America through a wide range of media—furniture, toys, textiles, films, posters, ceramics and others. (September 28, 2018–Jan 6, 2019)
4 Bristol Renaissance Faire (Off I-94 at the IL/WI border) Recreating a visit of Queen Elizabeth I to the English port city of “Bristol” in the year 1574, one of the biggest Renaissance festivals in the nation features knights sword fighting, piles of turkey legs, an artisan marketplace, medieval games and rides and more. Dress the part, eat, drink and be merry. Or as they put it, “Party like it’s 1599!” (Through September 3: Saturdays, Sundays & Labor Day, 10am-7pm)
5 Vintage Garage (5051 N. Broadway) This month’s theme is “Vintage Chicago” and the garage-based market, home to thousands of vintage, retro and one-of-a-kind clothes, jewelry, accessories and gifts, features “anything made in Chicago, has a Chicago vibe to it, is about Chicago, or says Chicago on it!” (September 16, 10am-5pm, $5)
Greek-born Vasia Rigou is a seasoned journalist, editor and multimedia content producer largely on the subjects of visual art, culture, architecture and design. She currently serves as an Editor at Newcity, Chicago’s leading culture publication, as Writer and Copy Editor at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) HQ, and regularly contributes to international architecture and design magazines OnOffice and ICON. She has experience creating content for brands and building conference speeches and influential TEDx talks. Simply put: she’s fascinated by finding out the great stories behind the people, places and objects that surround us, and by sharing those stories with the world. When she’s not writing about art or looking at art—wine in hand—she makes lists for pretty much everything, drinks immense amounts of coffee and takes cross-country road trips every chance she gets.
