It is impossible to speak about Chicago’s artistic lineage without acknowledging the profound contributions of Theaster Gates.

EarlyWork invites you to an afternoon of admiration and exploration of a truly monumental, internationally-renowned hometown-hero artist; on Saturday, December 20 from 11 am-1:30 pm EarlyWork and friends will spend the afternoon traversing Gates’ current exhibitions on view across the city, ending with brunch at GRAY.

We’ll begin at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago campus with a guided walkthrough of Theaster's first solo museum survey exhibition in Chicago, Unto Thee. This exhibition highlights Theaster's installation-based artistic practice, drawing from key archival collections, many of which he acquired through his work at the University, where he serves as Professor of Visual Arts. Theaster breathes new life into these discarded collections, which range from the Department of Art History’s glass lantern slides and display vitrines from the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute), to paint-stained concrete from the floors of Midway Studios and wooden pews made for Bond Chapel. In creating new works with them over the years, Gates disrupts that sense of stasis, instead excavating additional histories and narratives embedded within the objects.

After exploring Unto Thee, we'll hop on the EarlyWork shuttle to GRAY in West Town to celebrate the final day of his fourth solo exhibition with the gallery: OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY.

In OH, YOU’VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY, Gates brings together a new series of tar paintings, sculpture, and installation to tell an allegory of the city in decay and the potential contained within its ruins. The exhibition’s title comes from a song by Chicago musician and poet Marvin Tate, in which the City, personified as a character, has cleaned up its act and attempts to lure its residents back from the suburbs.

GRAY's CEO & President, Valerie Carberry, will walk us through the exhibition and afterwards we'll nosh on light brunch bites and mimosas! Don't miss the opportunity to dive deep into the legendary artist's practice and how Gates' engages with and reinterprets Chicago’s cultural and material history, using it as a foundation for his unparallel studio practice.

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11 AM-1:30 PM