Chicago’s art scene is happening, and not just in the West Loop, where most of the major galleries are located. Art spaces have opened up throughout the city and suburbs and are showcasing fresh, local talent. Whether you’re a collector or just someone who likes to feast your eyes, here are the galleries that should be on your radar.
Anne Loucks Gallery
This airy gallery in downtown Glencoe specializes in contemporary American artists in the fields of sculpture, painting and works on paper. It represents more than 30 artists and curates a handful of shows each year. Now through Feb. 12, the gallery is showcasing dreamy landscape paintings by Rodger Bechtold and Marshall Noice. You can also purchase paintings on the gallery’s Shop For Good page. 309 Park Ave., Glencoe
Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery
A unique combination of nursery and art gallery, Evanston’s Cultivate aims to be a community hub, offering workshops, events and kids’ activities. Currently on view is the work of Sharon Bladholm, who uses mixed media to explore science, conservation, art and nature. 704 Main St., Evanston
The Mission
This gallery is dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of artists throughout the Americas, and it has presented numerous national debuts of artists from South America. Below the main gallery is The Sub-Mission, a space specifically dedicated to artists living and working in Chicago. On view in these two spaces through Feb. 27 are works by Curtis Gannon — collages, paintings and an installation, all taking inspiration from comic books — and Kelly Lloyd, who takes a close look at gift-giving practices with her gift baskets comprised of found objects. 1431 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Gallery 2506
This woman-owned Logan Square gallery showcases art in various media, as well as ceramics, photography and jewelry. Through Feb. 19, there’s an exhibition of encaustic paintings, which are made by using a technique that involves suspending pigment in hot wax. 2506 N. California Ave., Chicago
Perspective Gallery
This gallery is a not-for-profit, community-oriented cooperative that’s dedicated to bringing fine art photography to a wide audience. In addition to exhibitions, it hosts an annual international juried show, lectures and artist talks, and a show for Chicago-area high school students. 1310-1/2B Chicago Ave., Evanston
Patron Gallery
Opened in the fall of 2015 by Emanuel Aguilar and Julia Fischbach, this gallery was founded “on the defining characteristics of a patron of the arts, that is, a person chosen, named or honored as a special guardian, protector or supporter,” says the gallery’s website. Aguilar and Fischbach feature artists from around the country as well as emerging local artists, and have called their vibe architectural and a blend of Chicago and South America. 673 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
One of the boldest names in the Chicago art scene, this gallery, founded in 1976 at Young Hoffman Gallery, launched the careers of many emerging artists and was one of the first galleries to offer exhibitions to women artists such as Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger. The West Loop gallery now exhibits art-world stars such as Spencer Finch and Kehinde Wiley. Through Feb. 20, the segregation photos of Gordon Parks, the first African American photographer employed by Life magazine, are on display. 118 N. Peoria St., Chicago
Monique Meloche
A veteran of the Chicago gallery scene, Meloche’s Wicker Park gallery has fostered some of the top artists in the global contemporary art world, such as Rashid Johnson. Meloche also started Gallery Week Chicago, which takes place in the fall, to promote the city’s art scene. The gallery will open a solo exhibition of Sanford Biggers, a Harlem-based interdisciplinary artist, on Feb. 11. 2154 W. Division, Chicago
Corbett vs. Dempsey
Get your art fix and your vinyl fix in one shot when you visit Corbett vs. Dempsey, located in the same building as Dusty Groove on North Ashland near Division. Jim Dempsey and John Corbett, who both have long histories with Chicago arts organizations, founded the gallery in 2004. It’s known for discovering new talent and showcasing the work of artists in this region, such as Magalie Guerin, one of our favorite Chicago artists. Two solo exhibitions open on Feb. 5: mixed media artist Llyn Foulkes and painter Brian Calvin, who works in acrylics. 1120 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago
Western Exhibitions
This gallery was originally conceived as a nomadic exhibition space that would migrate between apartments, lofts and other galleries, but eventually became so successful that it needed a permanent space. It first opened on the West Side and later moved to its current location in Chicago’s West Loop gallery district. The artists represented by the gallery run the gamut when it comes to contemporary art, and the gallery has a special focus on artist books and multiples — see its sister entity, WesternXeditions. On view currently are folk art-influenced works by Daniel Rios Rodriguez and a collection of sculptural portrait heads. 845 W. Washington Blvd., 2nd Floor, Chicago
