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.)

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Password: EarlyWork24!

Catch up on EarlyWork's monthly newsletter.

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.

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.

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

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.