It Pours

My 2017 photo Singing Sands—shot on my iPhone 5s—has been selected to be exhibited in Ancestral Landscapes: Investigating Heritage and Home at NOT REAL ART! View the show here. Thank you to curator Kirsten Bengtson-Lykoudis for choosing my work.

(This is a photograph I took while walking to Crescent Lake after a camel ride on Echoing Sand Dune, a.k.a. Singing Sand Dune, or Mingsha Shan, or Mingsha Mountain, in the oasis of Dunhuang—which in ancient times was a bustling hub on the Silk Road—in Gansu province, China. One of my favorite places on Earth. View more of my mobile photography here.)

So, with Twitter imploding, for social media you can also follow me at:


And if anyone has a Bluesky invite, I’d be much obliged!

When It Rains

I’m one of the Selected Photographers for the Urban Photo Awards 2023 in Trieste, Italy! And the competition received a staggering 12,000 submissions! Two of my works have been published in their gallery: My 2014 photos Petal (yes, the same piece in yesterday’s post) and On the Boardwalk, both shot on my iPhone 5s. Thank you to all the jurors!

[Update: I’m a Semifinalist!]

Speaking of that beloved phone I used as my camera for seven years… Here’s one of the photographs Taylor Glascock took of me for HuffPost Culture Shifters 2023 that did make it into the article.

My favorite portrait in the feature.

As Taylor wrote on her Instagram, “Jenny was so game for my ideas on a frigid Chicago day.” It’s not often I’m in front of the lens, and it was fun!

And: Stay safe in this air quality, everyone!

Baby don’t you wanna go

My 2014 photograph Petal—shot on my iPhone 5s—has been selected to be exhibited in Sweet Home Chicago at the Bridgeport Art Center! I’ve always thought the BAC was such a beautiful venue and I’m overjoyed to show my art there. Thank you to curator Marci Rubin for choosing my work.

Bridgeport Art Center. Photo via BAC.

When:
July 21 – September 1, 2023
Opening Reception: Friday, July 21, 7-10pm

Where:
Bridgeport Art Center, 4th Floor Gallery
1200 W. 35th St., Chicago, IL 60609

Petal, 2014

Also, in case you missed the previous post: I’ve been named one of HuffPost’s Culture Shifters of the Year!

And right on time for this post: I’ve just received the photos taken of me for the feature, including outtakes! Here’s the very first photo Taylor Glascock shot of me on that chilly March day, outside the Chicago Cultural Center, before we headed to Chinatown. They were both among my list of locations that are important to me.

Sweet home Chicago indeed.

Culture Shift

I’ve been sitting on this news for months, but now that it’s been published, I’m giddy with excitement (and embarrassment?*) I can finally share with you that I’ve been named one of 2023’s Culture Shifters by HuffPost! *(I burst into laughter when I saw the headline.)

I’m so honored to be featured on a list alongside such creative change-makers. Endless thanks, love, and gratitude to:

  • Reporter Yue Li, a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Yue had reached out to me for “a profile story about an outstanding Chicago-based artist” and interviewed me all the way back in January (I remember we wished each other a Happy Chinese New Year!). She then pitched her story to the HuffPost culture team in March… and not only did their editorial team say yes, but the editor also said she’d love to include me as a Culture Shifter!

  • Freelance photographer Taylor Glascock. Taylor took these photos of me in Chicago’s Chinatown on a brisk (to say the least!) but bright March afternoon. Everything I’m wearing in them I’ve had for at least 14 years (exception: my sneakers, which I’ve had for 7) (this is a pattern you’ll find with me and belongings)

  • Senior editor of culture Erin Evans

  • Senior photo editor Chris McGonigal

  • Artist Nancy Bechtol, one of my Artists on the Lam, who was also interviewed for this piece and had such kind words to say about me

  • Everyone who’s been a part of my journey. We don’t get here alone!

Read the interview here.

Talk of the Town

To accompany my solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, I’ll be doing an Artist Talk on Monday, May 15, 1-2pm! The talk is a hybrid event that can also be attended via Zoom.

Image via Chicago Public Library.

Zoom Meeting: https://chipublib-org.zoom.us/j/83781420618?pwd=bWxNaEJ0TjQzV05YSEZ5TFNMNms2QT09

Meeting ID: 837 8142 0618
Passcode: 775855

If you’re joining in person:
400 S. State St.
1st floor, inside Popular Library
(Enter on State and immediately turn left)

Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

Thank you again to Chicago Public Library for the opportunity and for choosing me to exhibit my artwork in HWLC! I’m proud to be a part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and CPL’s 150th anniversary celebration!

Case of You

Ta-da! I installed my art over the weekend. My solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, the Chicago Public Library’s main branch, is now on view and will be up all of May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as CPL’s 150th anniversary! My exhibit is a photographic love letter to Chicago, featuring photographs I’ve taken around our wonderful city throughout the past decade—all shot on my iPhone 5s.

Also, for any of you who’ve always wanted to find one of my Dreams of a City postcards out in the wild over the years but haven’t been able to: I left some there. Feel free to take one!

Location:
400 S. State St.
1st floor, inside the Popular Library
(Enter on State and immediately turn left. Once in Popular Library, the display cases are right by the front desk.)

Hours:
M-Th 9am-8pm
F & Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 1-5pm

(Note: All CPL locations will be closed May 2 for Staff Training Day and May 29 for Memorial Day.)

Masks are strongly encouraged in all CPL locations.

Happy AAPIHM!

Frame of Mind

It took me hours to mat and frame my photographs but it was well worth it for this result. These 12 photos of mine—all shot on my iPhone 5s beginning in 2014—will be in my solo exhibition at Harold Washington Library, the Chicago Public Library’s main branch, throughout May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as CPL’s 150th anniversary. I’ll be installing this photographic love letter to Chicago tomorrow!

Mobility

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been awarded an Honorable Mention in the 12th Annual Mobile Photography Awards for my 2015 photo In the Sky in the Silhouettes category! Thank you, MPA!

(Shot on my iPhone 5s, it’s a candid of my late paternal grandmother silhouetted against Kowloon on the 100th floor off the tallest building in Hong Kong. Browse more of my mobile photography here.)

And in case you missed the previous post: I’ve been chosen to exhibit my artwork at CICA Museum in Korea! I’ll be featured in the international exhibition Color 2023, which will be held 13 September to 1 October.

P.S. Turn up.

Flying Colors

I’m so excited to share that I’ll be exhibiting my art in Korea! My photos, shot on my iPhone 5s, will be featured in CICA Museum’s international exhibition Color 2023, which will be held 13 September to 1 October 2023. Thank you to Czong Institute for Contemporary Art for the opportunity! This will be my second time showing my work overseas. The first was summer through fall 2022 in Italy!

CICA Museum. Photo via Czong Institute for Contemporary Art.

Pictured below are the photos I’ll be exhibiting. The first and second ones are from 2014, the third and fourth are from 2015, and the fifth is from 2017.

 
 

View more of my mobile photography here, and mark your calendars for my upcoming solo show of Chicago photos this May at Harold Washington Library Center.

And HYGGE, the online group show I’ve curated, is still going! View it here.

Winter Garden

I’ve been chosen to exhibit my artwork at the Chicago Public Library during May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! I’ll be exhibiting at the Harold Washington Library Center—the massive main library downtown on State Street! Thank you, CPL!

In 2018, I was at the West Chicago Avenue Branch in Austin; in 2019, I was at the Coleman Branch in Woodlawn; and in 2020, I was going to show in Logan Square, but it was cancelled when COVID hit.

This year, my exhibit will essentially be a photographic love letter to Chicago, featuring photographs I’ve taken around our wonderful city throughout the past decade—a fitting display, since (unbeknownst to me when I dreamt up the idea) CPL happens to be celebrating its 150th anniversary! Super stoked for spring.

Harold Washington Library. Photo via Chicago Public Library.

Speaking of exhibits and thoughts of spring, I’ve curated a new online exhibition of 30 artists from around the world, at all stage of their careers, working across all media, and it’s all about getting cozy with art. Read the press release for HYGGE below.

Artists on the Lam presents

HYGGE

An online art exhibition

Opening: Monday, 30 January 2023
Exhibition dates: 30 January – 19 March 2023


hyg·ge (pronunciation: hyoo-guh) noun

1.      a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing, evoked by simple comforts such as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc.
2.      a form of everyday togetherness; a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow



We’ve all been there: trudging through snow, trying to shield our faces from wind so cold it hurts, questioning our lives and life itself.

One thing this pandemic has taught us is how to better appreciate the simple joys of staying in, being with people you care about, and enjoying art together, from watching a film to browsing an online art exhibition—really!

Creating interactive exhibitions in person—such as 2016’s acclaimed LEXICON and 2012’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT—had been Chicago artist and independent curator Jenny Lam’s forte. When Lam pivoted to digital exhibits during the pandemic, this resulted in such shows as 2020’s acclaimed SLAYSIAN, which not only garnered praise but also had outlets remarking on the very nature of the virtual platform:

Sixty Inches from Center: “Since she couldn’t bring audiences to see the show in person, she brought SLAYSIAN directly to audiences, transforming it into an online exhibition we can view from the safety of our homes. It’s now available for us to click through in digital space, where we are free to take our time and linger over the amazing work of all the artists she brought together, including extra multimedia content that wouldn’t have been possible in a traditional physical exhibition space.”

Winter’s Bloom: “Every one of the featured artists [has] a rich story to share and I encourage you to take a moment to sit with them, to share them. Just this morning my pieces came into bed with me, snuggling on a lazy Sunday. On a whim I pulled up Jenny Lam’s website and we spent the morning scrolling through the exhibit, reading about the artists and choosing your favorite pieces.”

South Side Weekly: “The digital forum offers the opportunity for at-home viewers to take part in this important work—to help these stories grow, evolve, and be seen.”



This new year, Artists on the Lam warmly welcomes you to enjoy HYGGE, a new online art exhibition curated by Jenny Lam. Stay in your PJs, grab your drink of choice, and experience art, all without braving the elements.

HYGGE features 30 talented artists working in all mediums and forms (painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, textiles, you name it) at all stages of their careers (for some of them, this is their first exhibition ever) from all over the world (for a couple of them, it’s currently summer, and we’re quite jealous). They include:

Alix Anne Shaw, Andrew Nelson, Anthony Le, Caroline Walser, Charles Inge, Christine Lozano, Cristy Corso, Danielle Pontarelli, Darcie Denton, Darin Latimer, David Martinez, Diane Ponder, Eli Tatosian, Emily Calvo, Glenn Wexler, Han Songyun, Karen I. Hirsch, Katharine Joy Haupt, Kristel Becares, Kristen Neveu, Kurt Kreissl, Marie Magnetic, Mark Pol, Mendy, Nancy Bechtol, Nancy Natow-Cassidy, Patricia Biesen, Sami Mark, Su Lin Lim, and Tony Tran.


View the exhibition here (main page) & here (click on each thumbnail to reach each artist’s story and browse their artwork).

Collect the art here.


--


About the Curator:

Hailed as a “polymath wave-maker” and “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” Jenny Lam is an award-winning self-taught multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and writer. She is the Chicago-born Chinese American daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, and she graduated from Columbia University in New York City, where she served as the President of Postcrypt, Columbia’s undergraduate student-run art gallery. She is the founder of Artists on the Lam, which was voted “Best Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue, and her interactive show I CAN DO THAT was named the audience choice for “Best Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue. Her artwork has been exhibited at places like the Chicago Cultural Center, and she is the creator of Dreams of a City, an ongoing city-wide participatory public art and mapping project for which she was awarded the Individual Artists Program Grant from Chicago DCASE. Jenny has curated exhibitions at venues like the renowned Zhou B Art Center and guest judged shows at galleries like Line Dot Editions and Water Street Studios. She has served as the Head Curator of 4Art Inc. Gallery, and she has written extensively for publications like Time Out and Sixty Inches from Center and been published in the graphic novel anthology New Frontiers. She has given a Leonardo LASER Talk and spoken on panels at Facebook Chicago and Startup Art Fair; performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and 20x2 Chicago; conducted Visiting Artist Workshops at the Chicago Children’s Museum; conducted portfolio reviews at Harold Washington Library’s West Side Community Bureau; and been featured on PBS, The Huffington Post, PetaPixel, Fstoppers, Character Media, AsAmNews, I Am New Generation, Women Direct, WGN, WBEZ, Crain’s, DNAinfo, Block Club Chicago, Chicagoist, Gapers Block, Gozamos, and more. Her photography—all shot on her iPhone 5s—has been featured in exhibits around the world and on Guardian Travel, NZ Herald, Buzzfeed, Atlas Obscura, Mashable, Matador Network, Folk Magazine, Choose Chicago, Enjoy Illinois, Hong Kong Tourism Board, RedEye, Asia Art Archive, Untapped Cities, Tiny Atlas Quarterly, and more. A lifelong artist who has been drawing for as long as she can remember, she is also the 1st Prize Winner of the National Park Service’s Centennial Project.

About Artists on the Lam:

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives, making art accessible, bringing people together, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone. Praised by the press and the public as “a global arts mover and shaker” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spend the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life. Artists on the Lam has launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows in pop-up locations throughout Chicago. From massive audience participatory exhibitions like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to stories celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly commended or its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for showcasing “a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” Artists on the Lam has always taken pride in being at the forefront of art.


Social media:
@artistsonthelam on Instagram, TikTok, & Tumblr
@TheJennyLam on Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter

Email: artists.on.the.lam {at} gmail {dot} com

Beginnings

Happy and healthy new year, everyone!

Looking back: These were my top liked Instagram videos and photos of 2022. (View ‘em in full here.) Thanks, friends.

Looking forward: As announced in the previous post, I’m starting 2023 by curating a new online exhibition, HYGGE, and here’s the call for artists! All artists working in all mediums and forms (painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, textiles, performance, etc.) from anywhere in the world are invited to apply. Deadline: January 16, 11:59pm.

Call for Artists: HYGGE

Artists on the Lam invites all artists to submit work for this online group exhibition, opening January 30, 2023

hyg·ge (pronunciation: hyoo-guh) noun

1. a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or wellbeing, evoked by simple comforts such as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc.

2. a form of everyday togetherness; a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow

We’ve all been there: trudging through snow, trying to shield our faces from wind so cold it hurts, questioning our lives and life itself.

One thing this pandemic has taught us is how to better appreciate the simple joys of staying in, being with people you care about, and enjoying art together, from watching a film to browsing an online art exhibition—really!

Creating interactive exhibitions—such as 2016’s acclaimed LEXICON and 2012’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT—had been in Chicago artist and independent curator Jenny Lam’s wheelhouse. When Lam pivoted to digital exhibits during the pandemic, this resulted in such shows as 2020’s acclaimed SLAYSIAN, which not only garnered praise but also had outlets remarking on the very nature of the virtual platform:

Sixty Inches from Center: “Since she couldn’t bring audiences to see the show in person, she brought SLAYSIAN directly to audiences, transforming it into an online exhibition we can view from the safety of our homes. It’s now available for us to click through in digital space, where we are free to take our time and linger over the amazing work of all the artists she brought together, including extra multimedia content that wouldn’t have been possible in a traditional physical exhibition space.”

Winter’s Bloom: “Every one of the featured artists [has] a rich story to share and I encourage you to take a moment to sit with them, to share them. Just this morning my nieces came into bed with me, snuggling on a lazy Sunday. On a whim I pulled up Jenny Lam’s website and we spent the morning scrolling through the exhibit, reading about the artists and choosing our favorite pieces.”

South Side Weekly: “The digital forum offers the opportunity for at-home viewers to take part in this important work—to help these stories grow, evolve, and be seen.”

This new year, Artists on the Lam presents HYGGE, a new online art exhibition. Stay in your PJs, grab your drink of choice, and experience art, all without braving the elements.

All artists working in all mediums and forms—painting, illustration, photography, sculpture, multimedia, installation, textiles, you name it—from anywhere in the world are welcome to apply.

Claude Monet, The Magpie

Application

To apply, complete the steps below.

1. Email artists.on.the.lam {at} gmail {dot} com with the following:

  • Your name

  • Where you’re currently based (example: Chicago, USA)

  • Email address

  • Website and/or social media

  • Artist statement and/or bio (this will be displayed alongside your artwork)

  • Title, year completed, medium, dimensions, and retail price of your artwork (it’ll be a 60/40 split, so you’ll receive 60% of the retail price)

    • (example: Home, 2022, acrylic on wood panel, 16 x 20 in., $400)

  • Your Venmo (or PayPal, or if you have another preferred payment method) for if your art sells

  • How you heard about HYGGE Online Art Exhibition

2. Attach the following to your email:

  • In .jpg format, your art you’d like to exhibit in the show (you may submit up to 10 images). Please include the title of the piece in the filename. For those of you who aren’t visual artists (examples: performers, poets), you can provide links to videos on Vimeo or YouTube, or provide a script, or anything else that you think would best represent your piece online.

    • There’s no theme; submit your best work! (But if you’d like some guidance for subject matter, here are a few ideas: warmth, community, solidarity, love, healing, hope, home, colorful art that will brighten up mid-winter gloom, the new year, resolutions, new beginnings, fresh starts, the Year of the Rabbit, winter, thoughts of spring, etc.)

  • (Optional) In .jpg format, a photo of you (this will be displayed alongside your statement and/or bio). This could be a professional headshot, a photo of you in your element in your studio, etc.

3. Application fee of $25:

  • (This goes towards helping to cover the costs of putting the show together. Note that this is non-refundable. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, so if you need assistance, email an inquiry before applying.)


Timeline:

  • Submission deadline: Monday, January 16, 2023, 11:59pm CST

  • All applicants will be notified whether they’ve been selected for the exhibition about a week after the deadline.

  • Online exhibition opening: Monday, January 30, 2023

  • Online exhibition dates: January 30, 2023 - March 19, 2023 (after this, the show will still be accessible and viewable on the website as an archive)


Selected artists:

  • Will be notified by Artists on the Lam if their artwork sells, and will be paid via Venmo (or PayPal or the artist’s other preferred method) immediately afterwards.

  • Will be responsible for mailing or transporting their artwork to the buyer.

About the Curator:

Hailed as a “polymath wave-maker” and “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” Jenny Lam is an award-winning self-taught multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and writer. She is the Chicago-born Chinese American daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, and she graduated from Columbia University in New York City, where she served as the President of Postcrypt, Columbia’s undergraduate student-run art gallery. She is the founder of Artists on the Lam, which was voted “Best Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue, and her interactive show I CAN DO THAT was named the audience choice for “Best Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue. Her artwork has been exhibited at places like the Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Public Library, and she is the creator of Dreams of a City, an ongoing city-wide participatory public art and mapping project for which she was awarded the Individual Artists Program Grant from Chicago DCASE. Jenny has curated exhibitions at venues like the renowned Zhou B Art Center and guest judged shows at galleries like Line Dot Editions and Water Street Studios. She has served as the Head Curator of 4Art Inc. Gallery, and she has written extensively for publications like Time Out and Sixty Inches from Center and been published in the graphic novel anthology New Frontiers. She has given a Leonardo LASER Talk and spoken on panels at Facebook Chicago and Startup Art Fair; performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and 20x2 Chicago; conducted Visiting Artist Workshops at the Chicago Children’s Museum; conducted portfolio reviews at Harold Washington Library’s West Side Community Bureau; and been featured on PBS, The Huffington Post, PetaPixel, Fstoppers, Character Media, AsAmNews, I Am New Generation, Women Direct, WGN, WBEZ, Crain’s, DNAinfo, Block Club Chicago, Chicagoist, Gapers Block, Gozamos, and more. Her photography—all shot on her iPhone 5s—has been featured in exhibits around the world and on Guardian Travel, NZ Herald, Buzzfeed, Atlas Obscura, Mashable, Matador Network, Folk Magazine, Choose Chicago, Enjoy Illinois, Hong Kong Tourism Board, RedEye, Asia Art Archive, Untapped Cities, Tiny Atlas Quarterly, and more. A lifelong artist who has been drawing for as long as she can remember, she is also the 1st Prize Winner of the National Park Service’s Centennial Project.

About Artists on the Lam:

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives, making art accessible, bringing people together, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone. Praised by the press and the public as “a global arts mover and shaker” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spent the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life. Artists on the Lam has launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows in pop-up locations throughout Chicago. From massive audience participatory exhibitions like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to storied celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly commended for its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for showcasing “a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” Artists on the Lam has always taken pride in being at the forefront of art.

Humanities

Contributed to the #artvsartist challenge with closeups of some of my quick sketches! View my drawings (and more) in full here and here. Lensa who? AI what? All you need is a pencil and paper, baby.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been selected to exhibit my drawing Tree Hugger, which I made when I was in high school, in Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery’s 12th Annual Nature Art Exhibition! View the show here. Thank you, LST!

Artist opportunity: Chicago DCASE’s 2023 Individual Artists Program Grant application is now open! The deadline is January 10, 2023, 5pm. I’m a past recipient. Both times I applied, I was selected to receive the grant!: The first was for my interactive public art and mapping project, Dreams of a City*; the second was when I conceived of SLAYSIAN**. More details for IAP here.

*(Recent interviews about that passion project / labor of love!: WGN Morning News (video, recorded live), WBEZ (audio, recorded live), Chicago Reader (article).)

**(Which finally happened in person last year! You can continue to enjoy the original virtual version from 2020 here and read about SLAYSIAN in press coverage (including feature articles, reviews, and interviews with the artists and myself) from 2020 here.)

Can you believe this was a decade ago?: Throwback to December 2012 when I went to Miami for the first time and then wrote my now-classic blog post “Notes from [an] underground [art scene advocate / Miami Art Week virgin].” The middle paragraph of image 3 might be one of the funniest things I’ve written. Also, check out the tags I wrote (bottom of image 4). And the 5th image is the kind of comment I love receiving, and what makes it all worth it.

And speaking of older blog posts: Congratulations on winning the World Cup, Argentina! The last place my parents and I traveled to before the pandemic (remember when I lived up to the “globetrotting polyglot” descriptor in my bio?), and I miss it. I waxed wistful about it in the post “Alegría”; read about people, love, life, and getting stranded.

Happy and healthy holidays, everyone! Consider making a year-end gift to Artists on the Lam here. As always, I am so grateful for all of you.

Become a Patron for Giving Tuesday

Support Artists on the Lam here

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives (our motto!), making art accessible, bringing people together, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone—all to acclaim.

Hailed by the press and the public as an “art wave-maker,” “a global arts mover and shaker,” “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spent the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life.

We’ve launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, which was voted “Best Local Visual Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue by readers like you, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows, such as the landmark exhibition I CAN DO THAT, which was voted the audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue by visitors like you.

From massive audience participatory shows like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to storied celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly praised for its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for showcasing “a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” at Artists on the Lam we’ve always prided ourselves in being at the forefront of art.

We’ve also always prided ourselves in being entirely independent and free.

If you’ve ever had fun at one of our events, connected with one of our artworks, enjoyed reading—or been oddly moved by—a post on the blog, found respite perusing a pandemic-era virtual exhibition, or would simply like to express your appreciation for the things we do, consider making a donation here! Your name will be included on a published list of patrons.

Your support goes towards:

  • Keeping the site (including the online art galleries of hundreds of talented artists) up and running;

  • Keeping the site and blog ad-free and without any paywalls;

  • Keeping in-person events free to attend;

  • Helping produce these events and allowing them to be the best they can be;

  • Helping pay our assistants;

  • And so much more.

In the past, Artists on the Lam has been awarded grants from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and has received COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from The Soze Foundation’s Artist + Activist Relief Fund Grant, Chicago Artists Relief Fund, Secret Walls’ Support Your Local Artist Fund, and Propeller IMPACT Fund Grant.

Thank you endlessly for your generosity and for supporting artists and the arts!

FAQ


Can I make my donation recurring?
Yes! To make your gift monthly, donate on PayPal here.

I’d like to support Artists on the Lam in other ways. Is this possible?
Yes! You can browse the online shop, you can write about / feature Artists on the Lam in articles and interviews, you can utilize our services, you can attend our exhibitions (both in-person and virtual) where you can collect the original works of our talented artists (join the mailing list to keep up with when these events happen), and you can spread the word about all the things we do!

Can I give to you in someone else’s honor?
Yes! You can donate on someone else’s behalf. Make a note of their name and any other details you’d like in the “Additional Info” field.

Is my donation tax deductible?
No, since Artists on the Lam is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Who/what processes payments?
The payment processors used are Stripe (for credit cards) and PayPal.

Laureate

Last summer, a college student completed her undergraduate thesis about SLAYSIAN! I have her draft and it’s 26 pages all about the artists in the exhibition I curated! I’ve always talked about wanting to inspire others but when it actually happens I’m always surprised. So unbelievably honored.

(Here’s the online art show, March 2020-∞; here’s SLAYSIAN 2.0, the in-person exhibit, November 2021-January 2022; and here’s press coverage of the virtual exhibition, from 2020.)

And: The previous post has a massive roundup of updates; check it out if you missed it!

Rebel with a Cause

First, some personal art announcements and news:

I got interviewed by CanvasRebel! Read it here. Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story!

I’m happy to announce that I’ve been selected to publish my art in Bruxelles Art Vue’s Limitless Nature book! Here are my pages in the volume, featuring my 2015 photo Fall in Love and my 2017 photos Singing Sands, Danxia, and Binglingsi, all shot on my iPhone 5s (view more of my mobile photography here).

You can get a free digital copy here.

Thank you, Art Vue Foundation!

I’m also excited to share that I have an exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago: An activation / site-specific installation of my Dreams of a City project! Thank you to Museum Manager Juli Lowe and everyone at 21c for making this happen!

(For those of you who aren’t familiar with my labor of love: From 2008-2009 in Manhattan, and then from 2012-now in Chicago, I’ve been making thousands of pre-stamped self-addressed postcards, each with the prompt, “Tell me one thing you dream of doing before you die. Use this card as your canvas,” and each with a different code on the bottom. I’ve been leaving these postcards in public places all over the city, using the codes to record where I leave each one. So, when a card returns to me, I’m able to match its code with its location / am able to tell where each one was found, and have been gradually creating a map of the city from all your dreams. It’s a love letter to the city and a message of hope.

Watch, listen to, and read recent interviews about the project on WGN Morning News (live TV interview), WBEZ (live radio interview on Reset), and the Chicago Reader.)

And now, on to a visual recap of MdW Art Fair!

In the lobby of Mana Contemporary Chicago.

Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who came to the Artists on the Lam booth, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years or hadn’t met in real life, and who had such overwhelmingly kind words to say! (And the rest? New folks who got so into the interaction!) What a great weekend that was.

Edra Soto and Fiesta!

I love this Reel that featured artist Cristy Corso made of the opening night! I can’t believe I was completely oblivious to the video’s creation. You can see me chatting with artist Devin Kenny (! such a nice surprise—last time we saw each other I’d visited his studio nearly a decade ago!) and many others.

From the second night (which also happened to be Mid-Autumn Festival): My dad came towards the end and took this far-away candid of me being very animated. The person I’m chatting with? Artist Juliann Wang, who was in the original virtual version of SLAYSIAN 2.5 years ago! It was our first time meeting in person, after all this time!

As for the aforementioned new folks: During the Vernissage, someone replicated featured artist Emily Calvo’s painting How We Move to Be Fruitful so well! I didn’t get his name (and he didn’t want to be photographed and I respect that) but he was amazing and sat there for an entire hour and would’ve stayed even longer [until they kicked everyone out at the end of the night] and asked me for my critique and was so dedicated to making this perfect and it is perfect!

Earlier that evening: Emily with her piece and its first interaction.

From Day 2: This visitor made this outfit herself! LA artist Jaana Baker had traveled to Chicago for the first time to attend the closing of a show she had a piece in, and then came to MdW afterwards—and I’m so glad she did! One of many lovely people I had the pleasure of meeting at our booth, Jaana added the worm to Emily’s piece.

Here are some of my favorite interactions with featured artist Zachary Trebellas’ Time Warp, which was an evolution of his work in 2012’s I CAN DO THAT!

This is Artists on the Lam’s assistant for that weekend, Nanxi Jin—thank you for your help!

And: Featured artist Nancy Bechtol surprised me with this gift for the 10th anniversary of I CAN DO THAT (which she was also in back in the day) during install! I didn’t have time to open it until after the fair, and oh my goodness. Thank you, Nancy! You are a treasure.

(Some context for the Lee Groban shirt: Nancy and I met in 2010 when she was an artist in the very first big show I curated in Chicago, SOMNAMBULIST, spanning the cavernous second floor of the Zhou B Art Center, back when that space was still raw and warehouse-y and had no walls you could hammer into. I co-curated that exhibition with my mentor Robin Rios (this was when I was Head Curator of her 4Art Gallery), and to solve the wall problem, we suspended the art from the ceilings, truly adding to the show’s dream theme. Nancy’s piece was an multimedia installation about local artist Lee Groban.

I love OG hippies!)

Image courtesy of Nancy Bechtol.

Also pictured: An adorable selfie Nancy and her husband Dave Bechtol took in the Mana Contemporary Chicago lobby, as well as a photo I took of Nancy, Dave, and Emily and her husband Scott (whose review of LEXICON I still cherish) unpacking their art, and Nancy’s piece at various stages of interaction.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Cuernos

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been selected to exhibit my 2020 photo Torres del Paine and my 2015 photo Fall in Love—both shot on my iPhone 5s—in Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery’s 12th Annual Landscapes Art Exhibition, and I’m one of the Top Winning Artists in the Photography & Digital Category! Thank you, LST! View the show here and view more of my mobile photography here.

Torres del Paine (early January 2020)

Sold: My 2016 sketches Of Dragons and Assassin II! Thank you so much to the collector for your support! (It’s like the universe balanced things out; that day I hired a fellow artist to be an attendant for my upcoming art fair booth, and then less than an hour later I received a notification about this sale!) If anyone else is interested in giving my art a new home, more of my handmade illustrations/drawings and paintings are available for purchase here.

Of Dragons (2016)

Assassin II (2016)

Here’s a little video I took before sending them off. (Not pictured: How nerve-wracking slowly tearing out Assassin II from my sketchbook without ripping it was.)

And: The updated COVID-19 booster (the one that finally helps protect against omicron) is available in the Chicago area! I scheduled my appointment at Walgreens for next week. Get your shots!

Midway There

I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in MdW, the local alternative art fair that’s back after 10 years and will be held Sept. 9 to 11 at Mana Contemporary Chicago! This will by my (and Artists on the Lam’s) first time exhibiting at an art fair! (I so love that MdW is free to apply to, present at, and attend.) And what’s more… I’m putting together a mini version / 10th anniversary edition of I CAN DO THAT at our booth! (Throughout the past decade a lot of folks have been asking me if ICDT would ever happen again, and I’m so pleased to finally be able to give you an answer!) Thank you to everyone at MdW for this opportunity. View more details here or/and keep reading below.

Image courtesy of MdW.

Artists on the Lam presents

I CAN DO THAT 10th anniversary edition and celebration

2022 marks the 10th anniversary of Artists on the Lam’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT, the groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive show that Chicago artist Jenny Lam created and independently curated based on how a lot of people go up to contemporary art and say, “Well, I can do that,” or “my kid could do that.” So at the show Lam had the artists’ original art supplies in front of each piece, as well as blank canvases and other surfaces, and challenged people to see if they could, indeed, “do that,” or if they felt like they could improve a piece, they were able to directly paint or make any mark on that original work of art. It was glorious fun, and was eventually named audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue. Read more and view [many] photos here.

Now, a decade of anticipation later, Artists on the Lam is finally bringing I CAN DO THAT back! Enjoy a mini version at MdW, an artist-run alternative art fair showcasing over 100 artist-led projects. In keeping with MdW’s focus, the participating artists of this new iteration hail from throughout the Central Midwest. They include: Cristy Corso, Emily Calvo, Nancy Bechtol, Zachary Trebellas, and you. Celebrate with us!

Location: Booth #40 at MdW Art Fair, 4th floor of Mana Contemporary (2233 S. Throop St., Chicago, IL 60608—enter on East side of building)

Opening Night / Vernissage: Friday, September 9, 2022, 5-8pm

Other Visiting Hours: Saturday, September 10, 2022, 12-9pm & Sunday, September 11, 2022, 1-5pm

Admission is free.

You must wear a mask at all times. Let’s continue to keep each other and our communities safe. Read Mana’s COVID safety protocol here.

Instagram: @artistsonthelam | Twitter: @TheJennyLam | Email: artists.on.the.lam {at} gmail {dot} com

More from the original exhibition:

  • Read the original press release for 2012’s I CAN DO THAT here.

  • View the 2012 opening reception photos in their original albums on Flickr and Facebook.

  • Journey behind the scenes of 2012’s I CAN DO THAT via these posts on the blog.


Job Opportunities:

  • Art fair booth attendant needed! This is a paid opportunity. Apply here. [Update: This position has been filled. Thank you to the applicants!]