
After creating a 3 piece Bike Series (Seen here) specifically for a call for work, I was ecstatic to be accepted into "Chicago's Best Kept Secrets: Unknown Artists of Chicago." 2 of my 3 pieces were selected, along with 2 older pieces that I submitted as well. The opening was October 5th, and marked my first ever showing in a gallery event! I learned a lot, from proper sizing and printing of my images, to proper framing and hanging materials. But besides the technical stuff, I also had the new experience of being a showing artist, seeing firsthand how people besides friends, family, and classmates receive my art.
It was great, and I am super thankful to curator Angela Redmond (who is a talented artist) and One Stop Productions (who have some beautiful photos of the evening here) for making the night happen. The opening was followed by a closing reception on October 26th, where the artists felt like family and a Q&A gave me a chance to talk about my work to people who were genuinely interested. It was a beautiful, fun experience, and I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the great artists and individuals I met there.
With the gallery over and my last full-time semester of undergrad at Columbia College Chicago in full swing, I am still keeping myself busy. This upcoming weekend I head to my home-state of Michigan for an Anime, Sci-fi, pop-culture Expo called 'Youmacon'. I will be participating in the Artist Alley, where for three days I will do my best to sell stickers, magnets, illustrations, and smiles from a 2"x6" booth. Like an art fair, it's an amazingly fun way to connect with people and I'm really looking forward to it!
Look forward to a colorful, picture-filled Blog post about it~
-Ali