Ginny's Bio

Ginny began working at Chicago Gallery News and the Art Dealers Association of Chicago right after moving to the city in 2002.  She worked with Chicago's many galleries for five years before purchasing, and taking over as publisher of, Chicago Gallery News in 2007.

Her job as art maven seamlessly overlaps with her personal interests in culture and the visual arts, and when she's not in the office laying out the next issue or combing cultural calendars, she can be found touring area galleries, talking to local art dealers, visiting artist studios as well as the latest museum exhibitions. She's also on an endless quest to inspire anyone she meets to support artists and the arts by learning about the many ways to collect art in Chicago.

Ginny's Questionnaire

Q: Favorite local Chicago artist or performer?

A: There are too many from which to pick! Really, my choices change all the time, which is one of the best things about Chicago's art community.  I always enjoy the work of painter William Conger, collage artist Tony Fitzpatrick and photographer Terry Evans.  They're all artists from Chicago or the Midwest, and through their artwork, they each reveal something about Chicago as a living, breathing, unique city. Plus, they're all genuinely smart, hard working, kind people who care deeply about our city.  The best part about working in the art world is that I continue to meet engaging artists at galleries, cultural events or on studio visits. So, I'm adding to my list of favorites regularly.

Q: Most interesting event of 2009 so far?

A: Also a great thing about Chicago - the gallery shows, museum exhibitions and city art happenings are non-stop. So far in 2009, I've really enjoyed Across the Divide: Reconsidering the Other at the Illinois State Museum. The show has a stellar line-up of artists from Chicago and beyond, and it deals with a range of important social and political issues.  Chicago has an outstanding public art program, and many exhibitions put on by the Illinois State Museum and the Chicago Cultural Center are too good to pass up.  

The Olafur Eliasson show at the MCA was really fabulous. No matter what your feelings are about contemporary art or conceptual art, everyone enjoyed participating in this show.  There were so many things to see and even to smell and feel.  The artist is a bit of a magician. We're very lucky that this show came to the MCA and that the artist created some work specifically for this museum.  But, it now makes me just look forward to 2010 at the MCA, including a show about artists in their studios, and a show of work by Alexander Calder.

And the opening of the Modern Wing was huge to be a part of in May 2009. The building is fabulous, the attention on our city has been unbelievable, and I can't help but be excited about all that's still to come.  When the new wing opened, the parties and press events were fabulous - but the extra space and beautiful setting means that so much more is possible. The member events and young programs that have been rolled out have really given some new energy to the museum's scene.

Q: Weirdest/Wildest thing you’ve ever seen on stage or in a gallery/museum?

A: The first time I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art was with my mother when I first moved to Chicago in 2002. When we walked to the upstairs gallery, the first piece we encountered was a video loop, by artist Jeanne Dunning, of a woman sucking on her own big toe for minutes at a time.  I can't say it was my favorite piece I saw that day, but it was memorable.  And at the time, you wouldn't have seen it at the Art Institute (but you just might now at the new Modern Wing - let me know your honest thoughts about Bruce Nauman's Clown Torture video series there now...)

Q: Best performance or exhibition you've ever seen?

A: I've lived in Chicago and worked in the art world since 2002.  There are so many strong exhibitions that have come through the city's many galleries, spaces and institutions. But the best exhibition, because it's still changing and improving, is Millennium Park.  The opening of the Park in 2004 thrilled Chicagoans and visitors alike, and it's become a cultural and civic core for the city.  It was a real endorsement of the city's creativity as well as the power and importance of public art. The Crown Fountain and Cloud Gate ("the Bean") will continue to be interactive and popular for decades. The artists who created the Crown Fountain (Jaume Plensa, Spain) and Cloud Gate (Anish Kapoor, India) are from far away countries, but they are forever part of the Chicago's artistic community. Plensa is currently represented by Chicago's Richard Gray Gallery. 

And now the Burnham Centennial pavillions opened in the park this summer; they're stunning. I urge everyone to spend an evening downtown to see them both before they come down October 31, 2009: http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/

Q: Favorite summer arts festival?

A: Back to that Park...  I love going to the Music Without Borders and Grant Park Music Festival summer concerts in Millennium Park. You get to hear amazing music for free, right downtown, while picnicking in the grass with friends - and you get to be surrounded by Frank Gehry's  Pritzker Pavilion and our one-of-a-kind lakeside city.