THE NEW “LUXE”: INNOVATION WITH PURPOSE

Chicago’s emerging artists, designers, and musicians merge their talents for spring gala
 
By Jeanna Fazzalaro
 
 
CHICAGO – If luxuries remain in short supply during these tough economic times, Friday night’s fusion of art, music, and fashion at the Ugly Step Sister Gallery in the Fulton Market district provided a shot of glamour into Chicago’s nightlife.  The spring gala, titled “Melting Luxe,” saw a hip crowd of musicians, models, and up-and-comers mingling with young professionals, from schoolteachers to accountants, all looking to kick-start the weekend with a look at a runway show and the paintings and multimedia creations of over 40 emerging artists.
 
“This is like a cross between a 1960’s ‘happening’ and Andy Warhol’s Factory,” said David Leonardis, 43, a Wicker Park gallery owner and television personality on Chicago’s CANTV.  
 
The event, co-hosted by Jennifer Lindsay Sullivan of TheArtTrade.com and Chicago designer Rose Mae Turner of Rosina~Mae also featured Lidia Wachowska of Evil Kitty, styling company Sugar Your Spice: Creative Fashion Imagery, and body paint by Mario Ink celebrated collaboration and innovation in art and design.  Sullivan, 24, launched TheArtTrade last month to promote the exchange of new works and ideas within the art community.
 
“I know how it feels to come home from a gallery show holding your own unsold painting and feeling bad,” Sullivan said.  “This is a tough economy for selling art.  I started this business to encourage artists to become collectors themselves and to help them form partnerships.  It’s a way for new artists to gain exposure while the economy rights itself.”
 
The creator of pop art himself might have been pleased by the celebration of creativity, color, and self-invention.  For the fashion show finale, a preview of Rosina~Mae’s fall line, models clad in monochromatic mini dresses in black and pewter marched down a runway framed by two multi-hued, Warhol-like portraits of Mick Jagger painted by TheArtTrade’s featured artist, Pete Nawara.   A male model in metallic body paint by Mario Ink and a billowing kilt made of silver foil struck a pose on top of the bar.  After the show, the popular band Untitled entertained the crowd with a set of original songs and covers that intermingled rock, reggae, and hip hop.
 
“I loved the gallery setting for the show,” said 25-year old Chicago resident Andrea “Dre” Parsons.  “Fashion shows are usually big productions where you don’t always get a feel for what the designer is trying to convey.  This felt more intimate.”
 
Sullivan plans to host more networking and social events in partnership with other local venues supporting the arts.
 
“We started the TheArtTrade.com with the intention of bringing artists together in an online community,” Sullivan said.  “Now we want to take it a step further and give them a real-life platform to share their work, talents, and ideas.”
 
The timing feels right to Parsons, who said the artworks on display provided “the frosting on the cake” to the entertainment extravaganza.
 
“The pieces are gorgeous—I love the variety,” she said.  “There were so many things to look at, and none of it was dull.  An event like this, with this many collaborators and cultures in one room, is a really good thing.”