Pilsen Open Studios Taking Over the Community This Weekend

Jaime Guzman
Published: October 14, 2009

It is Chicago Artist Month, and this weekend marks the opening of another round of the Pilsen Open Studios tour. Organized by local artists, it has become one of the most prominent displaying of art exhibitions in the city of Chicago.

This year’s three-day event will be kicked off with an opening night, Friday October 16 at Prospectus Art Gallery – 1210 W. 18^th St – 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be 25 artists displaying their work on opening night.

Then, on Saturday October 17^th and 18^th, more than 60 artists will be displaying in over 30 spaces and galleries, from Carpenter St. to Leavitt St. and from 17th St to Cermak road. The event over the weekend is from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Trolley-like buses will be running to transport people up and down the Pilsen community to facilitate the process of visiting as many locations as possible.

Visit the Pilsen Open Studios website for more information. Click on the "map" link on the left to download a map of each of the sites and the trolley route.

Voices from Pilsen

Two of the featured artists this weekend are Roberto Ferreyra and Montserrat Alsina, founding members of the Pilsen Open Studios and the owners of Colibri Art Gallery, located at 2032 W. 18^th St. Both Ferreyra and Alsina remember the open studio’s humble beginnings.

“We had to seek out artists at the beginning,” Ferreyra says, adding “now we have all types of people coming in and asking to display their work.” Ferreyra says that the process of selecting artists and spaces is very transparent, and while at times it has created some challenges, nothing has every been a real problem.

Alsina, now the director of the Open Studios, says, "every year I have a wonderful group helping out." She also added that, "this is run by us, the artists, no corporate sponsorship and we want to keep it that way."

The Pilsen Portal had the privilege of seeing some of her work to be on display this weekend, ahead of the crowds. Check out the videos . . .