All Rise Gallery, Around the Coyote Gallery, Caro d'Offay Gallery, Blake Palmer Gallery, David Leonardis Gallery Wicker Park, Gosia Koscielak Studio & Gallery, Johnsonese Gallery, and Th!nkArt

Extended Gallery hours, special receptions and performances

Chicago, IL- The newly formed Wicker Park Bucktown Gallery Association is holding a Second Saturday Gallery Walk on April 14, 2007 from 6-10pm at multiple venues throughout Wicker Park and Bucktown. The WPBGA is an organization of galleries in the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhood (roughly defined with the southern border at Division, the northern border at Fullerton, the western border at Western, and the eastern border at the Chicago River). Membership is by invitation, and is limited to: curated spaces that exhibit multiple artists throughout the year; galleries that do not charge their artists a fee to exhibit; galleries that operate within the contemporary art dialogue; galleries that operate within the ethical and professional practice guidelines developed by the Wicker Park Bucktown Gallery Association.

*New this month! WPBGA will have a free shuttle service provided by our sponsor iGo Car Sharing for all those not into the "walking" part of the Gallery Walk or for those who just don't have a lot of time, but want to see all the galleries. Two cars will stop approximately every 10 minutes at each of the galleries participating in the Gallery Walk offering to shuttle patrons on to the next gallery. The drivers will announce themselves at each gallery, making it easy to jump on the shuttle!

1542 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The Definitive American Presidential Portrait Series Paintings by Scott Sawtell
extended gallery hours April 14 from 6-10pm
allrisegallery.com, 773.292.9255

All Rise Gallery ecstatically welcomes Canadian painter Scott Sawtell and his beguiling Definitive American Presidential Portrait Series to Chicago. Sawtell depicts America's presidents from the point of view of an outside observer. They are quite playful and will make you laugh out loud, but the abundant details included prove to be worthy of discussion and serve as pertinent reference, just in case you forgot a few things. "One of the reasons that I have referenced American History is to mark the disparity between the ideals of the American Dream and the opposing, often brutal, reality". Scott Sawtell is an art instructor at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. He has an M.F.A from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design. This exhibition closes May 3.

1935 ½ W. North Ave.
Subtle Combat: Burtonwood & Holmes/Robert Burnier
extended gallery hours April 14 from 6-10pm
aroundthecoyote.org, 773.342.6777

Around the Coyote, one of Chicago's most diverse non-profit emerging arts organizations, is pleased to announce Subtle Combat, a dual exhibition featuring work by collaborative artists Burtonwood & Holmes, and self-taught artist Robert Burnier. This exhibition seeks to illustrate ways in which artists today are choosing to confront the subtleties and complexities of living in a time of war. Favoring a holistic look at our decision to go to war -- rather than an oversimplification of the social, political and economic times used in so much protest art -- these artists have found ways to question our present course while still working with an aesthetic beauty. Burtonwood & Holmes' site-specific installation of large and small scale military tanks along with various paintings will be accompanied by Burnier's large and small scale grid paintings. This exhibition closes May 5.

1656 N. Bosworth Ave.
New Breed
extended gallery hours April 14 from 6-10pm
blakepalmergallery.com, 773.384.4142

The Blake Palmer Gallery presents New Breed. This show features the paintings, sculptures and photographs of the best up and coming talent in Chicagoland. Exhibited artists include Gabriel Megia, Scott Johnson, Pamela Johnson, Frol Boundin, Brett Richards, Marshall Svendsen, Terry Dixon, Edgar Cuarezma, Alyse Liebovich, Tifanie O. Riley and Gosia Podosek. This exhibition ends April 27.

2204 W North Avenue
Audio April: sound event
extended gallery hours April 14 from 6-10pm
carodoffaygallery.com, 773.235.7400

This week's Audio April Event will be a Benefit for DWBC (Diamond Way Buddhist Center Chicago) The event features: Live cello performance of contemporary and improvised music by Isabel Castellvi (Dal Niente, the Accende Ensemble, Millennium Chamber Players, Ensemble Akashaand); The kinetic sound sculpture of Jesse Seay ("Your Favorite Chicago Sounds"), Silent art auction; Documentary footage of Buddhists in action; Music by local DJs. Entrance fee is $10 at the door.

1346 N Paulina St.
extended gallery hours April 14 from 6-10pm
www.DLG-gallery.com, 773.278.3058

David Leonardis Gallery has been a leader in the Wicker Park Bucktown Gallery District for fifteen years and a land mark for Contemporary, POP, Folk Art, and Photography. DLG Wicker Park will be presenting an exciting group show for the WPBGA Second Saturday Gallery Walk on April 14 including works by: Howard Finster, Miro, Christopher Makos, Joe Pellegrini, Rita Akao, Mike Winn, Michel Balasis, Herb Nolan, Marc Hauser, Andy Kane, Bill Eaton, Mitch Canoff and Chris Peldo.

With the September 2006 addition of DLG River North, the David Leonardis Gallery has been able to reach an even broader demographic of art lovers. Please stop by and see us at 217 W. Huron St. #5, Mon - Fri 12-5:30pm and Sat 12-4pm. Or give us a call at 312-863-9045. DLG River North will host receptions on the 20th and 27th of April from 6-midnight both nights.

1646 N Bosworth Ave.
CROSSMEDIALE 2: An exhibition of American and International art in new media
extended hours March 10 from 6-10pm
Special Performance: An electro-audio-visual performance by La Bande Sans Fin, a Chicago-based multimedia artistic team formed by David Zerlin and David Blum
gosiakoscielak.com, 847.858.1540

Exhibited Artists: Annette Barbier, Hans Bernhard, Drew Browning, David Blum, Scott Kildall, Lizvlx, Erik Olofsen, Silvia Malagrino, Pat Badani, Galina Shevchenko, UBERMORGEN, Patrick Lichty, Susan Sensemann, Richard Purdy, Silvia Rozanka, Ben Chang, Deborah Boardman, Janell Baxter, Tracy Marie Taylor, David Zerlin, and La Bande Sans Fin

CrossMediale 2 focuses on the concept of transcultural change and translation in a broader sense. As a continuation of the ongoing Transcultural Projects initially developed by Gosia Koscielak in 2000 (which was exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in 2001 and at the National Museum in Szczecin, Poland in 2002), Crossmediale 2 continues to investigate how complex identities, a multimedia reality, and the multicultural mosaic of humanity create the Global-Local world and GLOCAL identity through a variety of local and international artistic responses. Ultimately, the artworks featured change our understanding of transcultural society, and thus change our understanding about human existence. Exhibition ends May 12.

2149 W Armitage
ORIGINS
extended gallery hours and opening reception April 14 from 6-10pm
johnsonese.com, 773.252.8750

Origins, a two-person show of contemporary sculpture by Peter Gray and paintings by Robert Putnam, refers to origins of earth, life, beginnings... Their work makes one imagine black holes, galaxies, sun, moon, planets... Gray's work interprets the inherent aesthetics of genetics, microbiology and physics. Putnam creates from images in the imagination, perhaps archetypical, and from observations of nature filtered through emotion and feeling. Exhibition ends May 18.

1530 North Paulina, Suite F
(Un)Restricted
Extended Salon Hours April 14th from 6-10pm
773.252.8672 (office)

Th!nk Art, the newest member of the Wicker Park Bucktown Gallery Association, is an international art salon working with established and emerging artists. Through the world of fine art, we engage collectors and artists in a dialogue of ideas with images words and movement. Art is an opening for ideas to grow and flourish. Th!nk Art is that portal.

Th!nk Art is currently showcasing in its international art salon prints and works on paper of French artists Emmanuelle Renard, Fred Kleinberg, Pierre Marie Brisson, James Coignard, Monique Tello, Jean-Pierre Pincemin, Kijno, Herve Di Rosa, David Gista, Michel Haas, chalk on blackboard drawings by Nicolas Kennett (also a painter and sculptor) and prints and sculptures by François Weil. Also hanging in the salon are prints by Puerto Rican painter and printmaker Ricardo Ramirez, Argentinean artist Antonio Sequi, Todd Narbey of New Zealand, and American artists David Jansheski, Ed Paschke, Thomas Masters, and Tim Anderson.