FAIR PROGRAM

Curious encounters ahead. See what we’ve got in store for you this April 27 – 30.

Plan Your Visit

Here you’ll find all the information you need to help plan your day (or days!) at The Other Art Fair Chicago. We’re known for our immersive art experience, and we can’t wait for you to experience just that this April 27 – 30 —from interactive displays, collage-making workshops, murals, live DJ sets, refreshing cocktails, and Chicago’s top food trucks, there’s something for everyone!

Meet Our Artists

Who’s on your list? Browse original and limited edition artworks by 110 independent artists. Discover artworks starting from $100 and in a variety of different mediums – there will be something for every budget and taste!

Have a peek at our exhibitor list.

New Futures Chicago Class of 2023

Ray Madrigal (They/Them)

Ray Madrigal (b.1999) is trying to think clearly in a foggy time, and making helps them do that. Madrigal hopes that whatever clarity, absurdity, and medicine they dig up in their own work may also be experienced by those who encounter it. They have a queer soft spot for things that are trying their hardest (and often failing) to be something they are not.

Theo Schweiger萧世通

Theo Schweiger萧世通 (b. 1998) is a multidisciplinary artist from Shanghai and San Francisco, currently living in Chicago. His focus is on painting, drawing, and photography, working primarily with figure and experience to explore the basis of subjective reality: perspective, emotion, reflection, unconscious, and time. Tormented by forgotten moments and intangible figures, Theo 萧世通 works tirelessly to preserve what he can of the past while exploring the nuances of life in the present. His artwork emphasizes the fleeting and malleable nature of existence by embracing the unforgiving, cyclical relationship between imagination, hope, and memory.

Emilie Plunkett (They/Them)

Emilie Plunkett (they/them) is a poet and photographer based in Chicago, their practice focuses on the domestic space and the mess, comfort and materiality of that intimate environment. They enjoy long walks by the lake, Alice Austen’s photographs and plums.

AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Interactive art experiences for you to discover and immerse yourself in.

Max Li Tin-type Portrait Booth

Get ready for a journey through time with Max Li while he captures one-of-a-kind portraits that will stand the test of time.

About Tintype Photography

Tintype, or wet plate collodion, is an organic photographic process that captures its subject onto a metal plate– making a tangible image that can endure hundreds of years. The process was invented in the 1850s, captured the US civil war, and remained to be used for portraiture until the latter part of the 19th century; then arrived ambrotype, dry plate, gelatin film, digital cameras, smartphones, VR, etc.

Tintypes must be taken and developed when wet; therefore, each plate has a life of a few minutes before it dries up. That’s why a tintype is always developed onsite, capacitively, catching its audience’s breath when the image appears from the “blue”.

At the fair Thursday, April 27 – Sunday, April 30.

Sessions will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Portraits $100 – $250 (depending on size). Portrait sessions will last approximately 15 mins. Portraits will be direct mailed post-fair.

Chicago Collage Community Workshops

Bring your imagination, we’ve got the glue! Come explore the vibrant and talented creations of local Chicago collage artists and have the chance to express your own creative energy with a hands-on workshop presented by @chicagocollagecommunity whose goal is to create and grow a diverse and inclusive space for all collage enthusiasts.

Workshop Session Times:

Friday, April 28:

8 PM – Workshop led by Chicago Collage Community Co-founder & artist Christine Vilutis.

Saturday, April 29:

3 PM – Workshop led by artist and activist Shahzaad Raja.

5 PM – Workshop led by Chicago Collage Community Co-founder & artist Christine Vilutis.

Sunday, April 30:

1 PM – Workshop led by collage artist Lo Marie.

3 PM – Workshop led by collage artist Lo Marie.

Purchase your $25 ticket for a session via our tickets page.

All supplies are provided and participants take home a unique handmade artwork. Sessions will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The We Were Never Alone Project

Art Therapy with @thewewereneveraloneproject. TWWNAP aims to create a safe, supportive, judgment-free community while creating woven art. They’ll be featuring past participants’ weavings and their inspiring stories.

You’ll also have a chance to create your own weaving masterpiece with Founder Bryanna Bibbs. Learn more about TWWNAP here.

At the fair Saturday, April 29 – Sunday April, 30.

The Simple Good Collective Mural

Looking to do some good? Join The Simple Good in contributing to their collective mural at the fair! As a non-profit, they connect the global meaning of “good” to empower youth through art and discussion. Their interactive mural activation project is all about showcasing “the simple good” in our lives.

Pick up your activity card at the Welcome Desk to discover what the simple good means to you.

Chicago Artists Coalition

Get ready to discover the vibrant and thriving art scene in Chicago, courtesy of the Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC). As a non-profit organization, CAC supports contemporary artists and curators with residency programs, exhibitions, and professional development resources.

You’ll witness firsthand the unique opportunities for collaboration and idea exchange offered by the BOLT and HATCH residencies!

Participating Artists

Michelle Chun

“When I Think of Home: Freedom, Migration, Transition and Love” – Presented by Pigment International

“When I Think of Home: Freedom, Migration, Transition, and Love” – a thought-provoking installation presented By Pigment International. Artists Jade Williams and Edo will be showcasing their works that highlight complex topics such as migration and transition; the intersection of freedom and escape; and the abiding power of love.

Intrigued? Learn more by checking out Pigment Magazine: Black Fine Art the Gilded Age.

“CUT, COPY, PASTE” – Presented By All Star Press

“CUT, COPY, PASTE” presented by All Star Press is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that’ll blow your mind! With a triptych format and repurposed imagery, you’ll get a unique perspective on how artists approach their craft. So don’t miss out on this opportunity to witness some serious artistic wizardry!

Participating Artists

Friday Night Late – Presented By AMFM

AMFM is a Chicago-based art platform that supports and features emerging and established artists through our website, which includes content with local artists and creatives from all over the globe, and through our curated events, exhibitions, partnerships, and activations. Through programming, AMFM combines the arts to cultivate community, diversity, inclusivity, intergenerational engagement, and of course, good vibes with a purpose, mission, or cause. Learn more about AMFM here.

Singles Mixer – Hot Potato Hearts

Planning to come solo? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Join us for a night of casual speed dating, presented by @hotpotatoheartshotpotato, and who knows? You might just leave with new friends or even a potential partner. Everyone is welcome to participate, so come and join us for some fun.

At the fair Friday, April 28 at 7PM. Tickets can be purchased here.

Live Sets

Friday Late, April 28 from 6-10PM

6-8PM: DJ CQQCHIFRUIT

CQQCHIFRUIT (Jacquelyn Carmen Guerrero, she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, originally from Miami, FL. Cqqchi’s love and obsession with dance music began at an early age when she heard Miami bass, freestyle, trance, drum and bass, and other types of dance music broadcasted on Miami’s radio stations, some coming live from night clubs across South Florida. They got their start as a DJ in 2013 playing with the Chances Dances collective in Chicago, along with their first exposures to house music and underground queer culture. Since then, they’ve performed in nightclubs, art galleries, museums, and festivals across Chicago, nationally, and internationally. Their approach to DJing comes from their love of dancing, and their sound incorporates elements from her Miami roots, Chicago/Midwest residence, and global interest, with an emphasis on tribal and vocal house, hypnotic trance, and banging bass. Jacqui is also an accomplished visual and performance artist, often adding visual and vocal flare to their DJ sets. Cqqchifruit is a cofounder of production company and artist duo of TRQPITECA, who currently hold a 2023 guest residency at Smartbar.

8-10PM: DJ Bonita Appleblunt

Bonita Appleblunt (they/them) is a Chicago based multifaceted DJ and Audio Visual Professional who specializes in exploring the lineage of modern and underground genres with their African roots. Bonita has been nominated as Best Hip Hop DJ 2021 & 2022 by Chicago Reader’s Best Of Chicago, and played a set at Afropunk Brooklyn in 2022. They continue to play all over Chicago at venues like Berlin, Retreat Currency Exchange, Virgin Hotels, and Sleeping Village to name a few.

Special Performances

Friday Late Performances

7:30PM- Ale Campos will present a drag performance as their persona, Celeste. Campos carries drag as a form of queer expression and performance with a reverence to its purest origins – the queer underground.

Ále Campos (b. Los Angeles, California) is a multidisciplinary artist and performer whose elastic studio practice is anchored by drag and their persona, Celeste. Their performances, often mediated by technologies (cameras, green screens, live-streams, projections), test the directions of the gaze and the scales of hyper-visibility, stretching the boundaries of the stage. Their live work naturally unfolds into sculpture, video and print-media at the hand of exploring ephemera and the after-life of performance. Drag is at once their material but also their scaffolding for performance making, guiding their efforts in returning to formative experiences and re-constructing familial archives and cultural mythologies. Through this process they strive to give shape to the constellation of their own intersectionalities whilst navigating a queer, future-thinking state of becoming. Their work harnesses the potential of melodrama, vulnerability and camp as an act of political resistance and vibrates between the traditions of both performance art and drag.

8:30PM- Bimbola Akinbola will present a performance that explores performance as a mode of remembrance and care to reflect tender moments of rest and connection.

Bimbola Akinbola is Chicago-based artist and scholar. Working at the intersection of African diaspora studies, performance, visual culture, and postcolonial theory, Dr. Akinbola’s scholarly work is concerned with kinship and belonging, gender performance, and affect in the African diaspora.

9:30PM- Jordan Brown will present a performance that explores history, folktale, and landscape to examine how memory and sensual knowledge lives within the body.

Jordan Brown is a visual artist and performer. His interdisciplinary work in textile, sculpture and performance has been exhibited at Never Apart Gallery (Montreal, QC), Clear Gallery (Tokyo, Japan), Dancemakers (Toronto, ON), Theatre Lachapelle (Montreal, QC), Sophiensaele (Berlin, Germany), and Espaço Alkantara (Lisbon, Portugal). In 2020, his video “Family Tree” won the Hybridity Award at the OFFTA Festival (Montreal, QC) for “successfully merging languages, materials, techniques, forms and processes of various kinds”. As one-fourth of the Chicago-based Black performance art collective Suspended Culture, he has performed at No Nation Art Lab, Links Hall, Ohio University and the Mois Multi Interdisciplinary Arts Festival in Quebec City, QC. Jordan will complete an MFA in Sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in May of 2023.

Garrett Popcorn

Sweet or Savory? Why not both?

Indulge in Chicago’s favorite popcorn with Garrett Popcorn. They’ll be offering goodie bags filled their fan favorites and other staple flavors. Snack away as you find new favorite artworks.

Since 1949, Garrett Popcorn Shops® has been handcrafting gourmet popcorn recipes in small batches from scratch. Garrett fans created the original, Chicago-style popcorn that mixes cheese and caramel, which is famously known as Garrett Mix®.

Enjoy free samples Thursday – Sunday.

DISCOVER MORE

Explore unforgettable art installations and collections throughout the Fair.

“Windows of Opportunity” – Kate Lewis

Discover a colorful and curious world through “Windows of Opportunity”, where artist @kate.lynn.lewis playful experimentation with forced perspective will transport you to a a curious and colorful 2D world inspired by MC Escher & Oscar Reutersvard, creating “impossible” arrangements that will have you questioning reality.

“Our Garden Here” – Nikki Renee Anderson

Step into a world of growth, renewal, and transformation with “Our Garden Here” installation featuring fantastical sculptures by Artist Nikki Renee Anderson! Each candy-colored piece is a representation of the human psychological experience and the cycles of life, inviting you to explore and contemplate your own journey.

Maria Burundarena Installation curated by Jude Gallery

Maria Burundarena was born in 1989 in Paris, France and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Maria is an artist and educator who has worked as a photographer and fashion designer, printing different narratives in diverse objects and environments such as garments, sculptures, installations and led screens.

“I am currently focusing on site specific installations where I seek to seduce and confuse. While contouring the spaces that are given, I explore the boundaries of the image as a material itself. I look to question our relationship to how we experience and understand what we are seeing, our depth of feeling. Through different mediums such as photography, print-media, collage and light I cut out, reassemble, and condense pieces of my reality. I deeply believe that surfaces work as supportive skins carrying intentions and messages that are often encrypted. I am drawn to materials that speak about urgency and accessibility, fibers, paper and light, which through superficial layering transformations can raise haptic qualities of a screen defying perception and creating an immersive and physical experience of being absorbed by an image. My use of color is a reflection of growing up in a world with screens, and the tone of my speech is a raging RGB.” – Maria

Maria’s installation is curated by Jude Gallery, a woman/POC-led exhibition and project space in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. The gallery supports emerging, contemporary, and BIPOC/queer/trans artists with a focus on experimental art formats and community-centered programming. It was founded and directed by Francine Almeda, a Chicago-based Filipina-American independent curator, arts administrator, and gallerist. Learn more about the gallery and its mission here.

The Waterfall – Emily Moores

Experience a whimsical world as bright colors and hand-cut paper and fabric cascade down the stairwell in ” The Waterfall” installation by artist @emilymoores_art. Inspired by everyday objects like wallpaper and decorative china, the intricate patterns and design elements create a space that empowers your imagination and connects you to a tangible historical space of Artifact Events.

Let your body move through this immersive space and escape the overstimulation of screens and a fast-paced culture.

Opening Night Programming

Get ready to dance all weekend long with Chicago’s hottest up-and-coming DJs and special performers.

Opening Night, Thursday April 27

DJ VAYDA & DJ Blesstonio

The Other Store x Magic Castles

Step into the soon-to-be-launched mystical merch shop in collaboration with the ‘never-ending band of misfits’ that is Magic Castles, exclusive to our 2023 global fairs. Discover a limited edition line of shoppers, tees, and caps designed with magic and art in mind. Prepare to be spellbound.

Art Proficiency Art Installation Services

Art Proficiency will be on-site all Fair long wrapping your new found obsessions free of charge for safe transport. Need to ship? Art Proficiency can provide a custom quote for you.

FUEL UP & INDULGE

Swing by the outdoor lounge area where you’ll find delicious eats from some of Chicago’s top food trucks

Soul & Smoke

Soul-pleasing barbecue that’s worth the potential slip-up of barbecue sauce brought to you by @soulandsmoke. Comfort food that deserves your attention and attendance.

Stop by the Fair Thursday – Sunday to enjoy.

Fat Miilk

Woman-owned Vietnamese coffee. The story behind this coffee brand is even better than the coffee and that’s quite the feat. Check out their story @fatmiilk.

Enjoy a cup or two at the fair from Thursday – Sunday.

Explore Artifact Events

More Surprises Inside

There’s so much more in-store. Experience performances, installations, and other mysteries unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Book Tickets Now

FAIR PROGRAM