The Biennial “Celebrate the Paperweight” is Back. Plan Accordingly!
Late September Chicago is the place to be for lovers and especially lovers of fine glass paperweights! Two years ago we had to put the Selman biennial on hold in order to assist the Chicago Art Institute in the sale by auction of close to 400 duplicative weights from the Arthur Rubloff Collection and other holdings. After that smashing success for a good cause, we can now return to tradition!
Come to town by the 27th of September to settle in and stop by to have a toast at the gallery with us from 3-7pm.
Gordon Smith & David Graeber
Friday the 28th, We’ll be offering transportation to an all-star glassmaking demonstration at the Project Fire Studio with David Graeber, Andy Najarian, Gordon Smith and Damon MacNaught. The bus will begin boarding at 10:30am from the Congress Hotel, to arrive in time for the 11am-2pm demonstrations. Heading the Project Fire Studio is Pearl Dick, an accomplished glass artist, teacher and social activist who has engineered this operation to give at-risk youth an opportunity to create something meaningful, learn teamwork and develop technical skills that may provide a path to employment. Light lunches will be provided by the gallery. After the event you can come back to the gallery, have a beverage and examine first-hand the paperweights to be offered in the fall auction as they’ll be freshly filling the display cases.
Friday, beginning between 5:30-6pm and going until we’re thrown out, we’ll all converge at the Columbia Yacht Club aboard MV Abegweit, one of the great ships (retired) of the Great Lakes. Enjoy gorgeous views of the lake and the city skyline as the sun settles behind the panorama of “skyscrapers” in the city that gave birth to the word. Take in the Lake air with drinks in hand. Among the speakers will be the aforementioned Pearl Dick. We will also hear from Kathryn Sharbaugh, the Flint Museum curator of the “Small Worlds” Paperweight exhibition, which is running through the PCA conference next April in Dearborn. She also authored the recent and very attractive volume Paperweights: Highlights from the Flint Institute of Arts Collection. This evening will also feature gift bags, a raffle and an auction to benefit the Paperweight Foundation. In addition a portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to them as well.
View from the Columbia Yacht Club
Saturday the 29th at the Fine Arts Building we’ll host the Artist Fair at 10am in a beautiful dance hall with floor to ceiling views of Grant Park. You’ll be seeing many new designs offered by many of the finest glass artists in the field. The fair will run from 10am to 3pm.
Later on Saturday we’ll get back together for dinner and a celebratory send-off at the Walnut Room for our closing dinner (6pm). “The world famous Walnut Room was the first restaurant ever opened in a department store. With Circassian paneling imported from Russia and Austrian chandeliers, the 17,000 square foot dining room is both elegant and comfortable.”
The historic Walnut Room
And for those of you returning home on Sunday, please feel free to stop by in the morning for a goodbye mimosa!
Please refer to the links provided and make your hotel reservations soon. We suggest you make the Celebrate the Paperweight the core of a vacation experience that may include the Art Expo, the new Halim Museum, the Art Institute’s John Singer Sargent exhibition, the play, HAMILTON, the famous Randolph Street Art Fair, and so many other attractions listed on our GUIDE to the weekend’s events.
To purchase a ticket for the event, click here.
To book your stay with the group rate at the Congress Hotel, click here. (more hotels available for recommendation)
