Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/78288
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN KIRKMAN; STYLING BY IKRAM GOLDMAN TALENT PATROL Monique Meloche at her gallery where she opened her gallery in 2001, and now in Wicker Park) and unearthed a host of emerging artists who have gone on to be included in several major museum shows. (This includes Rashid Johnson, whose solo show recently closed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.) She also has consistently pulled in droves of viewers at her openings and striven to cross boundaries and attract new audiences with novel projects like On the Wall —the ongo- ing public art series she originated in 2010, using the expansive façade of her gallery at the busy intersection of Division Street and Leavitt Avenue. INSIGHT Literally and metaphorically, home is where her heart is—and where she wants everyone, from cli- ents to the Getting started: "In 2000, when I couldn't find gallery space, I held my first show at home. I called it Homewrecker—30 artists and 90 works on my walls." Above the fray: "I always wear five-inch platforms. It's the best way to see it all at an opening." students she meets from programs in conjunction with local schools, to see it. So when Meloche became disen- chanted with the now-defunct Merchandise Mart exposition Art Chicago in 2009, she resolved to remedy the situation. A former assistant curator at the MCA who knows quite a bit about the power of place, Meloche gathered allies—14 like-minded dealers and a handful of prominent Chicago collectors to help with programming and funding— and debuted her own production last September, aptly named Gallery Weekend Chicago. This three-day event features new exhibitions, artist talks, and private tours of some of the city's premier art spaces. It was such a hit that the group is staging a repeat monique meloche M AS GALLERY WEEKEND CHICAGO COMES BACK FOR A SECOND YEAR, THIS A-LIST GALLERIST GIVES LOCALS EVEN MORE ART TO LOVE. BY LISA SKOLNIK onique Meloche has long been known for the cutting-edge art show- cased in her eponymous gallery—and her equally groundbreaking marketing tactics. After all, this is the woman who has been the pio- neering force behind two thriving arts districts (first in West Loop Gate, 68 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM September 21–23. This year, the weekend will have added cachet and a larger international crowd brought on by the September 20 premiere of Expo Chicago, the highly antici- pated reincarnation of Art Chicago. A concept inspired by its predecessor in Germany, Gal- lery Weekend Berlin, Meloche's intimate weekend comes with perks: Besides the remarkable art, there are VIP par- ties with high-profile guests (the honorary chairman is Mayor Emmanuel), private tours, luxury transportation between participating galleries, and instant reservations at some of the city's top eateries, including Grant Achatz's world-renowned Alinea and Next. Participation is already up from last year, with more than 100 collectors signed on as of press time. Meloche is most excited about the pros- pect of increasing attendance at local galleries—and continuing to spread the gospel of art with her next On the Wall installation, a work in neon from Man- hattan collaborative Type A. galleryweekendchicago.com; moniquemeloche.com MA