17th Annual Ravenswood ArtWalk
We’ll be opening our gates again this weekend for the annual Ravenswood ArtWalk! Our studio will host 12 local artists from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM both Saturday and Sunday. Our tucked away space has been a crowd favorite over the years and we’re excited to be back for the 17th annual event. Visit and stroll through our beautiful private courtyard as you head inside to see work from traditional oil and canvas artists, jewelry designers, and photographers. Our own industrial design intern, Garrett Son, is also one of the dozen artists and will be displaying and selling his original pottery! Don’t forget to stick around for the live music on two different stages on Berteau and Belle Plaine and we hope to see you this weekend!
RAW History:
The first Ravenswood ArtWalk took place in 2002 when Judith Roth, then President of Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art, sought to involve her community in the celebration of Chicago Artists Month. Judith went door-to-door speaking with artists and asking them if they would open their studios for a day to the public.
In 2003, Ms. Roth encountered two natural partners, artist Dave Avery and Sarah Shumate, Program Director for The Jane Addams Resource Corporation. JARC had been running a “Tour of Industry” since 1998 that focused on the industrial history of the Ravenswood Corridor. The three expressed a mutual desire to include the increasing population of artists working within the community.
The ArtWalk now has a children’s corner. Visit their spot on Berteau for building projects from BitSpace and Crafty Beaver, student artwork, and art projects from Indigo & Violet Studio. Image courtesy of RAW Twitter account.
The Ravenswood Bank joined the CWCA as a sponsor of “The Ravenswood Corridor Arts & Industry Walk” in 2004. William Marquardsen, an employee of the bank, joined Judith Roth in her continued efforts to nurture the Ravenswood ArtWalk. Marquardsen organized volunteers to staple and hand-deliver maps to the 25 locations participating in the tour that year.
2006 marked several milestones for ArtWalk. Dale Davison, inspired by Fire Arts Center founder Vincent Hawkins, brought new energy to forge a fresh, grassroots coalition among key community members. In August of that year, Judith and Dale re-named the organization ArtWalk Ravenswood, and it became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. In addition to the new name, ArtWalk Ravenswood added a logo thanks to the artistic talent of Theodore Atzeff. 2006 was also the first year that ArtWalk Ravenswood awarded the Ravenswood Arts Advocate Award. Conceived by board members Dave Avery and Mary Pat Studdert, the award honors individuals and organizations that have promoted art and industry in the historic Ravenswood Corridor.
In 2013 the ArtWalk Ravenswood Executive Board elected to merge the Ravenswood Community Council, a move deemed necessary to improve the festival’s capacity to serve the artists of Ravenswood, and the ensure that RAW continued long into the future. Operating under the stewardship of the RCC, RAW 2014 contained over 300 artists and artisans displaying across 34 sites, centered around a corridor street festival with two stages of live music, an urban craft beer garden, two stages of live music and a food truck roundup, as well as the introduction of the RAW Children’s Corner and the Ravenswood ConcertWalk.
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Artist Spotlight
Come by to see a diverse mix of artists. Below we have featured 3 of the 12 that will be displaying and selling their unique creations.
Acid Facial
“I am a Chicago-based comic artist and illustrator. My biggest sources of inspiration are horror films, vinyl toys, late-80s/early-90s T.V. and music, Junko Mizuno, food, and a general sense of anxiety and restlessness. I have been making art in one form or another all my life, and am self-taught, self-sustaining, and self-deprecating.”
Cape Horn Illustration
“Cape Horn Illustration has a mission to celebrate architecture, history and maps, and the cityscape in all its forms. Working in Ravenswood, I have created and launched such projects as a classic home styles print series, pieces honoring famous Chicago sites, nine illustrated course maps of the world’s greatest marathons, and hundreds of custom home and building portraits.”
SKG Leather
“SKG Leather is a collection of “rough-luxe” bags, accessories, and home items. Craftsman Sarah Katharine Green uses ancient hand-lacing and branding techniques to craft premium Horween leather into edgy, sturdy pieces that will last for decades.”
Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of summer! Make sure you RSVP here for more details: RAW RSVP
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