Chicago Artists’ Coalition is pleased to present EXCHANGE, two group exhibitions culminating from a Midwest Artist Exchange project launched this first year with Power House Productions in Detroit. EXCHANGE (in Chicago) will feature the work of Detroit artists Taurus Burns, Design 99, Jessica Frelinghuysen, Scott Hocking, Chido Johnson, Nicola Kuperus, Faina Lerman, Adam Lee Miller, Clinton Snider, Vince Troia and Graem Whyte, with an opening reception on Friday, January 11 from 6-9pm at Chicago Artists’ Coalition (CAC), 217 North Carpenter Street in Chicago, IL, and continuing through January 31, 2013. The second exhibition, EXCHANGE (in Detroit) will feature CAC’s 2011-12 BOLT Residents Melika Bass, Sarah Belknap and Joseph Belknap, Gwynne Johnson, Jenny Kendler, Homa Shojaie, Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite, Eric Wall and Stacia Yeapanis,  with two opening receptions on February 23  at CAVE, Russell Industrial Center, 1600 Clay Street, 3^rd floor in Detroit, MI (&-10pm) and Public Pool, 3309 Caniff Street in Hamtramck, MI (6-9pm) and continuing through March 16, 2013.

In Spring 2012, Chicago Artists’ Coalition’s BOLT Residency launched a Midwest Artist Exchange to connect and collaborate with other artist communities in the region and expose artists to a larger arts network in Chicago and beyond.

CAC’s pilot for this project began in Detroit through a partnership with Power House Productions. In March, BOLT Residents traveled to Detroit and visited artist-run spaces and galleries with a select group of local artists. Artists toured Power House Productions, Salt & Cedar Letterpress, CAVE, The Alley Project, Scott Hocking’s studio, Popps Packing, Public Pool, and 2739 Edwin. This experience deepened Chicago artists’ understanding of the various layers that define Detroit’s cultural production and created new relationships and creative collaborations across neighboring borders.

The Chicago artists reciprocated in May, when the Detroit artists visited Chicago art venues including 6018North, Dorchester Projects, Smart Museum, Mess Hall, threewalls, Southside Hub of Production (SHoP), and the Hyde Park Art Center. Through these visits, artists had the opportunity to experience an intimate view of each space, share one another’s visions and ideas, and foster new connections and relationships.

From this first iteration of the Midwest Artist Exchange new friendships emerged as well as the idea of an exchange exhibition, in which the CAC would host a show of the Detroit artists in its gallery space, and the Chicago artists would be hosted in tandem at two spaces, CAVE and Public Pool.

EXCHANGE offers the opportunity for extended social engagement, by exposing audiences to the artistic practices of another Midwestern city, fostering fresh dialogue and cultivating new insights for one’ s own community and neighbors.  Following the success of the pilot project, CAC plans to act as the organizational hub and continue to build on the artist exchange model—adding new cities each year and inviting previous artists from other participating cities to engage in this continuously expanding Midwest Artist Exchange. For the 2012-13 year, CAC plans to partner with two dynamic organizations in Minneapolis: Springboard for the Arts and Soap Factory. Learn more about this project in January 2013.

EXCHANGE (in Chicago)
Featuring Detroit Artists Taurus Burns, Design 99, Jessica Frelinghuysen, Scott Hocking, Chido Johnson, Nicola Kuperus, Faina Lerman, Adam Lee Miller, Clinton Snider, Vince Troia and Graem Whyte

Chicago Artists’ Coalition
217 North Carpenter Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312.491.8888

Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday 12-6pm

EXCHANGE (in Detroit)
Featuring CAC 2011-12 BOLT Residents Melika Bass, Sarah Belknap and Joseph Belknap, Gwynne Johnson, Jenny Kendler, Homa Shojaie, Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite, Eric Wall and Stacia Yeapanis.

CAVE
Russell Industrial Center, Building 4, Floor 3
1600 Clay Street, Detroit, MI 48211
313.872.4000

Public Pool
3309 Caniff Street
Hamtramck, MI 48212
313. 405.7665

Gallery Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11am-5pm

EXCHANGE is co-curated by Jacqueline Chao and Nancy Jones. An online catalogue will be made available by January 2013 at chixdet.com.

These exhibitions are made possible with support from:
Art Founders Inc. / CAVE / Chicago Artists’ Coalition / Grigg Graphic Services / Power House Productions / Public Pool/Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

With design support from Debra Kayes and Lina Kyznyte.