<![CDATA[Edgewater Artists in Motion

<![CDATA[Edgewater Artists in Motion - Blog]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:57:13 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[A History of Celebrating the Arts: 6th annual Edgewater Arts Festival is going to be amazing!]]>Fri, 21 Sep 2018 15:49:45 GMThttps://www.edgewaterartists.org/blog/a-history-of-celebrating-the-arts-6th-annual-edgewater-arts-festival-is-going-to-be-amazing

Kick off autumn with the Edgewater Arts Festival, which will feature an amazing array of artists, musical performances, and activities for the whole family that has become one of Chicago’s premier artistic events over its 6 year history. Here’s just a preview of some of the artists you’ll see when you visit the Granville between Broadway & Sheridan on September 29-30.

Creative Minds Coming to Chicago Festival
A wide range of artists and multimedia specialists have found their way onto the 2018 Edgewater Arts Festival roster. Many hail from the city and have been part of the artistic heritage in the city throughout their careers.

Elizabeth Chin: Born and raised in Chicagoland, Elizabeth is currently coordinating the Multi-Racial & Ethnic Collective Public Art project, aimed at fending off gentrification and inspiring communities to nurture multi-ethnic, -racial, and -cultural backgrounds.
John Cooper: John is an award-winning third-generation artist from Chicago who approaches art from an impressionistic style to guide his realist creations. His art has been exhibited in a number of local galleries, including at the Granville Picture Gallery and the Lincoln Square Art Walks.
Rob Hogan: A native Chicago resident who paints pop culture characters using classical methods and techniques tied to Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, Hogan has hosted more than 750 local social painting events. He is also an instructor at the Oak Park Art League.

Unique Visions, Uniquely Edgewater
A myriad of approaches to artistic expression are on display this year.

Don Widmer: Don combines handmade paper, bookbinding, and printing to create inspired stories and imagined histories.
Liliana Bilbao: Liliana mixes oils on canvas with sculpture elements to accentuate her poetry.
Justin Miller: A graphic designer and self-taught painter, Justin uses Magic Realism to portray built environments and altered landscapes.
Therese Burton: Therese brings her project, “Of Art and Socks” to the festival, sharing her experience in leading an art group for people with mental health conditions.
David Kogan: Since his first photograph at age 10, David has been working in commercial and location photography in Chicagoland his entire career.
Susan Abelson: Susan takes a conservationist approach in creating her hats, reusing materials to make her wearable artwork both affordable and eco-friendly.
Steve Connell: Using the Chicago nightlife and entertainment scene scene as a backdrop to explore urban isolation, Steve explores how night can transform the city through digital finger painting.

More Than a Celebration of Art, A Festival for All
More than a celebration of Chicago’s rich artistic community, the Edgewater Arts Festival will feature stage performances, musical acts, and craft beers, as well as activities for children of all ages. Visit Edgewater Artists’ Arts Festival page to learn which artists will be on display and performing, how your business or organization can sponsor the event, or for opportunities to volunteer at the event.

]]><![CDATA[6 Reasons Why You Need to Attend the Edgewater Arts Festival]]>Fri, 31 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.edgewaterartists.org/blog/6-reasons-why-you-need-to-attend-the-edgewater-arts-festival

Celebrate the beginning of autumn by stopping by the sixth annual Edgewater Arts Festival on September 29th and 30th. Produced by Edgewater Artists in Motion, the festival showcases the best of the neighborhood. Taking place on Granville between Broadway and Sheridan, it’s the perfect afternoon outing to take with your friends or family. See the top reasons why you should stop by:

See & Shop Art of All Mediums
Find the perfect painting, poster, photograph, or drawing to decorate your home or office. Our arts vendors offer art in all mediums, so you can also find handmade jewelry and furniture at the open-air stalls.

Eat Delicious Food
There’s nothing more fun than enjoying food and craft beer outdoors while listening to live music! Try a new dish or an old favorite from one of our food vendors. You’re sure to find something delicious that the whole family will enjoy.

Listen to A Wide Range of Music
We don’t stick to just one music genre at the fest. If you’re nostalgic for the “Good Old Days’, you’ll love listening to the barbershop quartet, the Take Note Quartet. If you’re a fan of indie music, you’ll want to check out Snake Season, a group with a punk edge, and Liz and the Lovelies, a band with a folk vibe. The lineup also includes La Tosca, a gipsy jazz band, several rock groups, and even music for the children to enjoy. See the full music lineup on our site!

Participate in Family-friendly Activities
The festival is the perfect time to introduce your children to the visual arts and music. They’ll be able to experience a wide range of cultures too. Look for family-friendly events and activities taking place throughout the weekend.

Visit a Vibrant Neighborhood
Situated along Chicago’s lakefront, Edgewater has a rich history. Explore the turn of the century architecture, colorful street murals, and antique shops that are located on Broadway St and Sheridan Rd. Nearby Devon Street offers a taste of India in Chicago with dozens of restaurants and stores to explore. If you’re new to the city, or haven’t explored the neighborhood before, festival weekend is the perfect chance to do so.

It’s Easily Accessible Via Public Transit
If you’re taking public transit, the festival is located a short walk from the Granville red line station. The Broadway bus also makes stops near the fest. If you’re driving, we’re easy to get if you take Lake Shore Drive to Hollywood Avenue.

Stop by the Fest
We’re looking forward to seeing you at the Edgewater Arts Festival! We think it’s the perfect way to wrap up the fest season in Chicago, and it’s the perfect time to get a jump start on some holiday shopping. After the festival, drop by Gallery 1070, the home of Edgewater Artists in Motion. As the organizer of the festival, we’d love to introduce you to the neighborhood and the artists working here.

]]><![CDATA[Experience Art From All Walks of Life at The Edgewater Arts Festival]]>Tue, 28 Aug 2018 17:44:10 GMThttps://www.edgewaterartists.org/blog/experience-art-from-all-walks-of-life-at-the-edgewater-arts-festival

Just like the last two years, the artists at this year’s Edgewater Arts Festival represent a range of genres, content, and process to arrive at the variety that is offered during the event. Taking place on September 29th and 30th on Granville Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood, this fest is perfect for art lovers to enjoy a lot of artwork, but it is also ideal for collectors of both emerging and established artists.

Photographs by Kevin Flynn
The work of Kevin Flynn for example praises the beauty and complexity of urban landscapes in Chicago and around the world. Born just a few miles from the Gallery 1070, his photographs have a unique textural appearance due to his painterly approach as he adds digital effects to make his compositions really pop. His work is available in multiple sizes from a postcard to large prints and would be an intriguing addition to any fine art collection.

The accessibility of the artwork at the festival is due to the range in price, genre, and subject as the list of artists show (http://www.edgewaterartists.com/artists.html).

Paintings by Melanie Dix
Artist Melanie Dix is a painter whose emotions are part of her media arsenal. Her motto is, “Art is open, and art is endless. There's a world of creative possibility out there. Go find it. Go do it. Go create it.” With this motto as her guide to create her emotive paintings, they also guide the viewer to their own emotional power and the meaning within that emotion.

Surreal Work by Daniel Johnson
Then the surreal works by Daniel Johnson possess a nod to a surrealist aesthetic mixed with paintings celebrating and narrating African American historical references. Of his works he says, “I crystallize what I visualize...to bring an idea to life.” This crystallization results in paintings that will appeal to a range of visitors to the Edgewater Arts Festival while bringing deep ideas to life.

Wearable Art by Jaleh Malakooti
If your interest is in artwork you can wear, unique and cutting-edge jewelry artisans will also be a part of the festival. Jaleh Malakooti uses nature as her inspiration as she creates wearable works that respect and celebrate our natural surroundings. Using sterling silver as a base, she adds stones to her works that tell a story with her organically conceived necklaces and more.

Handcrafted Sustainable Furniture
An environmental consciousness continues in the work of Paul Segedin as his works come out of a combination of sustainable or reclaimed wood with the inclusion of copper. Working out of nearby Evanston, his furnishings are modern and sleek and work as pieces that will add personality and an earthiness to any room. Small wire sculptures are also a part of his work and they can beautifully accompany his tables, trays, trivets, and tablet stands.

Visit This Year’s Festival
These are just a few of the artists on display at the Edgewater Arts Festival and they illustrate the fest’s mission to bring together a variety of mediums and content as well as making it an accessible two-day event. It is a venue to enjoy the work, the music, the Edgewater neighborhood and the many things it has to offer. Surrounded by local restaurants and businesses, your time at the festival can be a true celebration of this vibrant Chicago neighborhood.

Stop by this year’s festival to enjoy live music, craft beer, visual art, and more. It takes place September 29th and 30th on Granville between Broadway and Sheridan in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.

]]><![CDATA[Sneak Peek: Musical Lineup at 2018’s Edgewater Arts Festival]]>Wed, 15 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.edgewaterartists.org/blog/sneak-peek-musical-lineup-at-2018s-edgewater-arts-festival
The Edgewater Arts Festival is back again this year with a bevy of art, music, brews, food, and more to highlight the neighborhood’s cultural importance to the city. This annual event is perfect for the whole family and that is shown with last year’s diverse stage lineup. From captivating flamenco dancers like El Payo Flamenco Cuadro to infectious jazz and pop-influenced Chicago Traffic Jam Street Jam performing at last year’s festival, it is apparent cultural and musical diversity is happening even with the stage lineup.

This year’s festival takes place on September 29-30 and again is ready to deliver an array of music to add some rhythmic flair to the colorful event. Amid the vast representation of visual artists of all genres and the food and drink supplied by popular local restaurants and breweries, the stage adds more dimension to this annual event.

Great Moments in Vinyl
The popular band Great Moments in Vinyl is one of the performers is taking the stage this year to share their infectious and impressive set of the music of cherished artists. On the East Stage during the festival, the band will be a headliner and playing the music of David Bowie and The Beatles. On Saturday, they will channel a legend with a set celebrating the work of the late David Bowie and on Sunday, the ever-popular and canonized band, The Beatles will be channeled by Great Moments in Vinyl to add a deep nostalgia to the artful vibe the festival is none for yet again this year.

La Tosca
Co-headliners, La Tosca from the Pilsen neighborhood will bring their Italian and Latin flavor from the southside to the northside on the West Stage for the Edgewater Arts Festival. Supported by an array of publications and organizations like Best of Chicago Magazine, the Garfield Park Conservatory, and Italian and Latin organizations, La Tosca is truly a part of the fabric of Chicago’s rich musical canon. The band will be the headliners on Saturday, September 29th to feed the festival’s celebration of the diversity and talent in our city.

Music for All to Enjoy
The lineup of incredible music this year doesn’t stop with the headliners, though. Unfinished Business, Melody Angel, and Rhythm Revolution will also be taking the stage during the festival to further the mission of the annual event to bring the cultural vitality present in the city to the arts-driven Edgewater neighborhood. Unfinished Business will bring classic rock to the East Stage while southside-born Melody Angel whose bluesy rock repertoire will heat up the vibe of the fest’s events. Headed by master drummer and educator, John Yost, Rhythm Revolution is an interactive drum circle whose mission is to bring healing and joy to its audience while educating through interaction.

Stop by the Festival
As visitors find themselves surrounded by the inspiration art affords, the performers on the festival stages just add even more energy to the two-day event and should not be missed. This year’s edition of the Edgewater Arts Festival will again fulfill its mission to spotlight the richness of the city of Chicago and particularly the northside neighborhood.

From the beginnings of the Edgewater Artists in Motion filling empty storefronts with the work of local artists to the Edgewater Arts Festival’s success since 2016, the fest is a wonderful component to Chicago’s fall arts scene as it brings together so many creatives.

This year’s festival will take place September 29th and 30th on Granville between Broadway and Sheridan. Be sure to visit for live music, craft beer, art, and more.

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