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See what's happening this month on EarlyWork.

Friday

Oct

18

Cathy Marston's 'Atonement' at The Joffrey Ballet

Join EarlyWork at The Joffrey Ballet for renowned choreographer Cathy Marston's 'Atonement' in her re-imagining of Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel-turned Academy Award®-winning film production of Atonement.

The poignant story follows Briony Tallis, revealed in the book as its author and now portrayed in the ballet as a celebrated choreographer, as she grapples with the haunting echoes of her past through a breathtaking dance of redemption. Marston’s adaptation unfolds the tragic love story of Briony’s older sister, Cecilia, against the historical backdrop of 1935 England to explore the intricate layers of societal norms and the enduring impact of a single lie. Enveloped in Rossi’s evocative musical score, with dynamic choreography portraying the complexities of self-deception, the transformation of memory, and the weight of guilt, 'Atonement' shares an emotionally charged experience with a startling twist finale that will linger in the soul.

TICKETS ARE FREE WITH RSVP. We have a limited amount of tickets, so please only RSVP if you know for certain that you will be able to attend!

7:30-10 PM

Friday

Oct 18

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Wednesday

Oct

23

Re/Match Artist Benefit

Join us for cocktails and bites at Maxwells Trading in West Town to raise funds for Re/Match’s 2025 artist grant cycle! Centered in artist advocacy, Re/Match (501c3) provides direct funding to Chicago visual artists to support the development and sustainability of their arts practice. In 2024, Re/Match distributed $50,000 in unrestricted funds to five Chicago artists, each artist receiving a $10,000 grant.

Guests will be able to bid on a few select art pieces as well as engage with a making station. Re/Match's first Artist Benefit will celebrate our 2024 awardees - Sofía Fernández Díaz, Cathy Hsiao, zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal, Alberto Ortega, and Maryam Taghavi, and raise funds for the second cohort of artists (2025 - 2026).

EarlyWork members can use discount code EARLYWORK for $25 off ticket price. Purchase tickets at

https://givebutter.com/ReMatchArtistBenefit?promo=EARLYWORK

5:30-8PM

Wednesday

Oct 23

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thursday

Nov

7

Delta Blues: Art + Music Experience at Steppenwolf Theater

Join EarlyWork and Steppenwolf for the Delta Blues: A Cultural Connection! On Thursday, November 7, The EarlyWork crew will head to the iconic Steppenwolf theater in Lincoln Park to see Leroy and Lucy and experience an evening of theater, music and art. At 6 pm we'll gather at the theater's Tap Bar for pre-show cocktails and an intimate conversation with artists and musicians about their work in connection to the themes of the play. When 7 pm rolls around we'll head to the Ensemble theater within Steppenwolf for the 7:30 pm production of Leroy and Lucy!

Enter promo code EARLY to purchase tickets to the play with an exclusive EarlyWork discount — https://cart.steppenwolf.org/19613/19632

About Leroy and Lucy:
Written by Ngozi Anyanwu, Leroy and Lucy is about two lost souls who meet at a crossroads, in the dead of night, deep in the Mississippi of it all. They laugh, they flirt, they make sweet music. Together, they conjure a familiar sound from long ago, one of wondrous deals and dangerous aspirations. In this sultry world premiere inspired by the myth of musician Robert Johnson, the Delta Blues fills the air, and every strum has the chance to change your life.

6-9 PM

Thursday

Nov 7

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Friday

Nov

8

Exhibition Preview & Private Dinner with Jake Troyli

In celebration of Jake Troyli's third solo exhibition at moniquemeloche, EarlyWork will visit the gallery for a sneak preview with the artist before the show opens to the public the next day. Following the exhibition preview, we'll head around the corner to Big Delicious Planet for a beautiful and intimate dinner with Jake!

About Jake Troyli:
Jake Troyli’s work investigates the construction of otherness and the commodification of the Black/Brown body, confronting and exploring labor capitalism and sweat equity as a demonstration of value. He makes energetic paintings, often featuring a self-portrait or avatar of himself embedded in engaging scenes, with a markedly classicist approach. Utilizing techniques formalized during the High Renaissance, underpainting and toning are central to the conception of each work, beginning with a burnt sienna foundation to establish values. In a timely evolution of his practice, Troyli expands the functionality and influence of his figures, imbuing them with new agency and establishing absurd narratives to consider the timeless conversations surrounding the preconceived notions of identity and value structures. Through the presence of prop-like iconography and compositions reminiscent of community theater sets, Troyli positions his figures as performing commodities constantly on display. 

7:30-10 PM

Friday

Nov 8

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Monday

Feb

3

Save the date: Trip to Guadalajara and Mexico City

Save the date! Join EarlyWork for our first member trip to Guadalajara and Mexico City, Mexico, February 3-9, 2025.

First, the EarlyWork crew will venture to Guadalajara to explore a plethora of vibrant artist studios before journeying to Mexico City to explore the local gallery scene and partake in the festivities of the Zona Maco art fair. The trip will include studio visits, gallery and museum walkthroughs, intimate dinners, collection visits and more! Stay tuned for additional information.

RSVP here to show that you're interested in traveling with us!

FEB 3-9, 2025

Monday

Feb 3

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Ongoing

Tuesday

Aug

1

Stoodio x EarlyWork

Use the link below to access the latest collection on Stoodio, curated for EarlyWork members.

Password: EarlyWork24!

Tuesday

Aug 1

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Newsletter

Wednesday

Aug

1

EarlyWork Newsletter Archive

Wednesday

Aug 1

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Past events

Sunday

Oct

6

EarlyWork x Good Weather Chill and Spill

Wrap up your CXW experience with EarlyWork and Good Weather! We’re chilling and spilling the art tea at Good Weather, where you’ll have a chance to see their current exhibition and also visit two new galleries with inaugural exhibitions in the same building: Grunts Rare Books and Letters to Nora.

4-7PM

Sunday

Oct 6

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Saturday

Oct

5

Collection Visit with Jack and Sandy Guthman

Join EarlyWork, EXPO CHICAGO & Art21 for a Chicago Exhibition Weekend (CXW) collection tour hosted at the Gold Coast home of Jack and Sandy Guthman, two influential Chicago art collectors. You’ll get to explore their iconic art collection and take in the stunning works on view that range from contemporary masterpieces to timeless classics. Afterwards, make your way to the historic Murphy Auditorium  at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, where the grandeur of the Gilded Age meets the vibrancy of modern art, for Embracing Chicago, the official CXW kickoff conversation.

Gold Coast | Address shared the day prior to the event.

9-10:30 AM

Saturday

Oct 5

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Friday

Oct

4

CXW 2024 Kickoff Dinner

Join us for the 2024 Chicago Exhibition Weekend Kickoff Dinner, hosted at UMMO for a night of great food, fun, and networking. Get ready to meet fellow art enthusiasts and kickoff an arts and culture filled weekend. Don't miss out on this exciting evening – mark your calendar now!

EarlyWork members can use discount code CXW24EW for $20 off ticket price. Purchase tickets at www.eventbrite.com/e/1004706152147/?discount=CXW24EW

8-10PM

Friday

Oct 4

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Friday

Oct

4

EarlyWork x GRAY Cocktail Party

Join EarlyWork & GRAY for a cocktail party celebrating CXW and a preview of GRAY's newly expanded galleries. With its rich history and influential presence, GRAY continues to be a beacon of artistic excellence–come raise a glass as we toast to their continued investment in the Chicago art scene.

After the festivities, head to the official CXW kickoff dinner at UMMO in River North.

5-7PM

Friday

Oct 4

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thursday

Oct

3

CXW Kick Off Party

Join Povos, Tala and EarlyWork for a night of dancing to celebrate the start of CXW at Arbella. From 9 pm until 1 am, Blesstonio, Finding Ijeoma and Francine Almeda will curate the sonic backdrop of the evening with back to back DJ sets.

9PM-1AM

Thursday

Oct 3

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thursday

Oct

3

EarlyWork x ICI Cocktail Party at Mariane Ibrahim

Join EarlyWork and ICI at Mariane Ibrahim for cocktails in celebration of Chicago Exhibition Weekend. Enjoy an evening of art, conversation, and beverages as we come together to honor the vibrant cultural scene of Chicago. Mingle with fellow art enthusiasts, collectors, and creatives in the elegant setting of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.

5-7 PM

Thursday

Oct 3

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thursday

Sep

19

Studio Visit & Conversation with Isabella Mellado

FEATURING TAROT CARD PULLS FROM TAROT READER LAUREN OBERLIN

Join us for an intimate studio visit and conversation with Isabella Mellado! Mellado’s paintings are to the artist as sigils are to the witch, and are a visual exploration ofself actualization through relationships—coven, platonic, romantic, familial & self. Through painting, she underlines queer trauma and Catholic shame by making reference to religious symbolism found in renaissance and medieval art. By relating gargoyles, demons and angels as seen in Catholic art to the contemporary queer coded figure in their paintings, Mellado questions moralizing tales as seen in the European art canon. Mellado’s work centralizes queer narrative, womanhood and latinidad as she has lived it, framing it with symbolism taken from mythology, folklore, tarot, astrology and Puerto Rican pop culture. On the 19th Mellado will walk us through how all of the above informs her practice and we'll explore her latest large-scale triptych that marks a turning point in the evolution of her visual language. After we hear from Mellado, members will have the opportunity to have a tarot card pulled by Tarot reader Lauren Oberlin! (Photo: Isabella Mellado in her Chicago studio. Photographer: Dayson Roa. Courtesy of the artist.)

6-8:30PM

Thursday

Sep 19

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Wednesday

Sep

11

Alice Tippit: The Deep Element Exhibition Preview & Walkthrough

Join us at Patron in West Town for an exhibition preview and walkthrough of Chicago-based artist Alice Tippit's solo exhibition The Deep Element! Tippit deftly uses color, image, and language in a looping game of “yes, and...” continually twisting what we do, don’t, and think we know. The Deep Element embraces the gallery space itself, with a single mural element that flows along the east side of the gallery, a watery frieze set at floor level. Her signature intimately-scaled paintings, collaged works on paper, and wooden wall sculptures—a recent expansion of her practice—share this environment. Tippit’s works for the exhibition are steeped in thinking about the inadequacies of language when confronting our interior landscape.

6:30-8PM

Wednesday

Sep 11

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Thursday

May

30

Artist-led Walkthrough with Chicago Artists Coalition's HATCH Residents

Join EarlyWork for a Artist-led Walkthrough with Chicago Artists Coalition's HATCH residents Molly Blumberg & Vince Phan of their exhibition: Garden of Liminal Bodies. Followed by a studio visit with BOLT resident Alexis De Chaunac.

6:30-8 PM

Thursday

May 30

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Tuesday

May

7

Studio Visit with Re/Match Artist Zakkiyyah Najeebah Dumas-O'Neal

Join EarlyWork for a studio visit with Zakkiyyah Najeebah Dumas-O'Neal follwoed by an exhbition walkthrough of The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige at Hyde Park Art Center

6:30-8 PM

Tuesday

May 7

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

Saturday

Apr

27

EarlyWork Kickoff | Art, Music & Mimosas

Join EarlyWork for an Artist & Curator-led walkthrough with mimosas and musical stylings by BSA Gold (Barédu Ahmed) in Celebration of Lawrence Agyei : Drill, curated by Rikki Byrd.

12-2 PM

Saturday

Apr 27

EarlyWork Event

Become a subscribing EarlyWork member to view this event and get access to our monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries. Interested in a corporate membership or need support? Send us an email at [email protected].

EarlyWork is a membership network comprised of energetic, vibrant builders in Chicago — community seekers and builders with a common passion for sharing new cultural experiences in the city.

"EarlyWork is probably my favorite investment so far this year. I've always enjoyed art and humanities, but really didn't have the language for the what, why and how. Getting to hear the meaning and language be applied to the work via these artist and/or curator led exhibition walkthroughs and artist studio visits is really helping me contextualize the joy that art brings me!"

-ANGELA BRANCH

"I enjoy the incredible access, for both myself and my clients, to the behind-the-scenes art world-collection visits, studio tours, meeting artists. I have met many fascinating people with common interests that I may never have crossed paths with if not for EarlyWork."

-LAURA LESTER, ART ADVISOR

“When I joined, I met a bunch of people that I didn't know and was able to admire art, get different people's perspectives, learn a lot about galleries, and pieces that people have curated in their homes [through collection visits] and their personal connection to the art — whether through touch, smell, sight, etc. It just made me feel very connected to the arts and culture scene in Chicago again.”

-JEN GUZMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RISE CHICAGO

“With EarlyWork, I get to be surrounded by like-minded people and have the opportunity to have conversations that I don't get to have in my day-to-day. It's been a great entry into this amazing art world that I'm in now.”

-JASMINE CHI, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PRODUCT MANAGER

FAQ

WHAT'S EARLYWORK?

EarlyWork is a membership network comprised of energetic, vibrant builders in Chicago, community seekers and builders with a common passion for sharing new cultural experiences in the city.

WHEN WAS EARLYWORK FOUNDED?

EarlyWork was started in May 2024 and is produced by Gertie, a cultural agency in Chicago. Learn more about our team here.

HOW CAN I JOIN?

Membership is currently open to new members. Sign up here.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP?

Subscribing members get access to EarlyWork's paid monthly newsletter with our picks of the most exciting things to explore in the art world and other creative industries, along with two in-person gatherings per month, exclusive works from emerging artists, early access to available works from partner galleries, tickets to select Gertie and partner events, and more. Learn more about membership benefits here.

IS MEMBERSHIP PAID?

Yes. Current membership prices can be found here.

DO YOU HAVE A REFERRAL PROGRAM?

Yes. Email us at [email protected].

I'M HAVING TROUBLE SIGNING IN / SOMETHING ELSE

Please contact support and we'll get back to you ASAP, usually within 1 business day.

WHO ARE YOUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS?

EarlyWork's gallery partners are Mariane Ibrahim, Monique Meloche, Patron, and Povos. Our affiliate partners are MCA, Steppenwolf, and Stoodio. Learn more about our partners here.

CAN I BECOME AN EARLYWORK PARTNER / AFFILIATE / CORPORATE MEMBER?

Let's talk. Email us at [email protected].