Culture Shift

I’ve been sitting on this news for months, but now that it’s been published, I’m giddy with excitement (and embarrassment?*) I can finally share with you that I’ve been named one of 2023’s Culture Shifters by HuffPost! *(I burst into laughter when I saw the headline.)

I’m so honored to be featured on a list alongside such creative change-makers. Endless thanks, love, and gratitude to:

• Reporter Yue Li, a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Yue had reached out to me for “a profile story about an outstanding Chicago-based artist” and interviewed me all the way back in January (I remember we wished each other a Happy Chinese New Year!). She then pitched her story to the HuffPost culture team in March… and not only did their editorial team say yes, but the editor also said she’d love to include me as a Culture Shifter!

• Freelance photographer Taylor Glascock. Taylor took these photos of me in Chicago’s Chinatown on a brisk (to say the least!) but bright March afternoon. Everything I’m wearing in them I’ve had for at least 14 years (exception: my sneakers, which I’ve had for 7) (this is a pattern you’ll find with me and belongings)

• Senior editor of culture Erin Evans

• Senior photo editor Chris McGonigal

• Artist Nancy Bechtol, one of my Artists on the Lam, who was also interviewed for this piece and had such kind words to say about me

• Everyone who’s been a part of my journey. We don’t get here alone!

Read the interview here.

Become a Patron

Support Artists on the Lam here

Since its founding in 2011, Artists on the Lam has been dedicated to championing local artists while channeling global perspectives (our motto!), making art accessible, breaking barriers, building community, inspiring people to see the world anew, and demonstrating that art is for everyone—all to acclaim.

Hailed by the press and the public as an “art wave-maker,” “a global arts mover and shaker,” “a pioneer of art that is interactive, collaborative, and as much fun for viewers as it is for artists,” and as an enterprise that “keeps Chicago’s arts and cultural scene fresh, engaging, and thriving” and “embodies everything that we, in the art world, need,” Artists on the Lam has spent the past 11.5 years cultivating a vibrant international community across 177 countries and counting, connecting artists and art lovers from all walks of life.

We’ve launched the careers of emerging artists and provided a prominent platform for emerging, mid-career, and established artists alike, whether it’s through the blog that started it all, which was voted “Best Local Visual Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue by readers like you, or through groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive art shows, such as the landmark exhibition I CAN DO THAT, which was voted the audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue by visitors like you.

From massive audience participatory shows like LEXICON, which was lauded by visitors as “wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation,” to storied celebrations like SLAYSIAN, which South Side Weekly praised for its “role in educating and engaging with the broader Chicago community” and for “showcasing a subset of artists that have always been part of the city’s art scene, but rarely acknowledged as a collective,” at Artists on the Lam we’ve always prided ourselves in being at the forefront of art.

We’ve also always prided ourselves in being entirely independent and free.

If you’ve ever had fun at one of our events, connected with one of our artworks, enjoyed reading—or been oddly moved by—a post on the blog, found respite perusing a pandemic-era virtual exhibition, or would simply like to express your appreciation for the things we do, consider making a donation here! Your name will be included on a published list of patrons.

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• And so much more.

In the past, Artists on the Lam has been awarded grants from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and has received COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from The Soze Foundation’s Artist + Activist Relief Fund Grant, Chicago Artists Relief Fund, Secret Walls’ Support Your Local Artist Fund, and Propeller IMPACT Fund Grant.

Thank you endlessly for your generosity and for supporting artists and the arts!

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Rebel with a Cause

First, some personal art announcements and news:

I got interviewed by CanvasRebel! Read it here. Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story!

I’m happy to announce that I’ve been selected to publish my art in Bruxelles Art Vue’s Limitless Nature book! Here are my pages in the volume, featuring my 2015 photo Fall in Love and my 2017 photos Singing Sands, Danxia, and Binglingsi, all shot on my iPhone 5s (view more of my mobile photography here).

You can get a free digital copy here.

Thank you, Art Vue Foundation!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jenny Lam (@artistsonthelam)

I’m also excited to share that I have an exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago: An activation / site-specific installation of my Dreams of a City project! Thank you to Museum Manager Juli Lowe and everyone at 21c for making this happen!

(For those of you who aren’t familiar with my labor of love: From 2008-2009 in Manhattan, and then from 2012-now in Chicago, I’ve been making thousands of pre-stamped self-addressed postcards, each with the prompt, “Tell me one thing you dream of doing before you die. Use this card as your canvas,” and each with a different code on the bottom. I’ve been leaving these postcards in public places all over the city, using the codes to record where I leave each one. So, when a card returns to me, I’m able to match its code with its location / am able to tell where each one was found, and have been gradually creating a map of the city from all your dreams. It’s a love letter to the city and a message of hope.

Watch, listen to, and read recent interviews about the project on WGN Morning News (live TV interview), WBEZ (live radio interview on Reset), and the Chicago Reader.)

And now, on to a visual recap of MdW Art Fair! (Photo-heavy, so if you’re navigating from the main page, continue reading after the jump.)

In the lobby of Mana Contemporary Chicago.

Hour of Magic

Baby’s first art fair!

The Artists on the Lam booth is near the southwest corner of the absolutely gorgeous Mana Contemporary floor that MdW Fair is in, and our window faces west (look at that golden hour light!); come watch the sunset with us during the Vernissage on Friday!

I went today to plan where each artwork would go on the wall. The artists [on the lam] will start installing tomorrow and I can’t wait!

Artists on the Lam presents

I CAN DO THAT 10th anniversary

Mini edition at MdW Art Fair

Curated by Jenny Lam

Featuring

Cristy Corso

Emily Calvo

Nancy Bechtol

Zachary Trebellas

& you

Midway There

I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in MdW, the local alternative art fair that’s back after 10 years and will be held Sept. 9 to 11 at Mana Contemporary Chicago! This will by my (and Artists on the Lam’s) first time exhibiting at an art fair! (I so love that MdW is free to apply to, present at, and attend.) And what’s more… I’m putting together a mini version / 10th anniversary edition of I CAN DO THAT at our booth! (Throughout the past decade a lot of folks have been asking me if ICDT would ever happen again, and I’m so pleased to finally be able to give you an answer!) Thank you to everyone at MdW for this opportunity. View more details here or/and keep reading below.

Image courtesy of MdW.

Artists on the Lam presents

I CAN DO THAT 10th anniversary edition and celebration

2022 marks the 10th anniversary of Artists on the Lam’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT, the groundbreaking—and rule-breaking—interactive show that Chicago artist Jenny Lam created and independently curated based on how a lot of people go up to contemporary art and say, “Well, I can do that,” or “my kid could do that.” So at the show Lam had the artists’ original art supplies in front of each piece, as well as blank canvases and other surfaces, and challenged people to see if they could, indeed, “do that,” or if they felt like they could improve a piece, they were able to directly paint or make any mark on that original work of art. It was glorious fun, and was eventually named audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue. Read more and view [many] photos here.

Now, a decade of anticipation later, Artists on the Lam is finally bringing I CAN DO THAT back! Enjoy a mini version at MdW, an artist-run alternative art fair showcasing over 100 artist-led projects. In keeping with MdW’s focus, the participating artists of this new iteration hail from throughout the Central Midwest. They include: Cristy Corso, Emily Calvo, Nancy Bechtol, Zachary Trebellas, and you. Celebrate with us!

Location: Booth #40 at MdW Art Fair, 4th floor of Mana Contemporary (2233 S. Throop St., Chicago, IL 60608—enter on East side of building)

Opening Night / Vernissage: Friday, September 9, 2022, 5-8pm

Other Visiting Hours: Saturday, September 10, 2022, 12-9pm & Sunday, September 11, 2022, 1-5pm

Admission is free.

You must wear a mask at all times. Let’s continue to keep each other and our communities safe. Read Mana’s COVID safety protocol here.

Instagram: @artistsonthelam | Twitter: @TheJennyLam | Email: artists.on.the.lam {at} gmail {dot} com

More from the original exhibition:

• Read the original press release for 2012’s I CAN DO THAT here.
• View the 2012 opening reception photos in their original albums on Flickr and Facebook.
• Journey behind the scenes of 2012’s I CAN DO THAT via these posts on the blog.

Job Opportunities:

• Art fair booth attendant needed! This is a paid opportunity. Apply here. [Update: This position has been filled. Thank you to the applicants!]

Still reigning supreme

Happy 10th anniversary to 2012’s I CAN DO THAT, the rule-breaking interactive group show featuring over 40 artists from around the world that I created and independently curated based on how a lot of people go up to contemporary art and say, “Well, I can do that,” or “my kid could do that.” So at the show I had the artists’ original art supplies in front of each piece, as well as blank canvases and other surfaces, and challenged people to see if they could, indeed, “do that,” or if they felt like they could improve a piece, they were able to directly paint or make any mark on that original work of art. It was glorious fun, and was eventually named audience choice for “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue.

Opening night. Photo by Sophia Nahli Allison, 2012.

The closing reception was on this day 10 years ago!

Read more and view [many] more photos (76 total!) here.

Here’s to art, and to you!

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, my 2017 photo Singing Sands, shot on my iPhone 5s, is included in this NZ Herald article, “World’s Best Smartphone Photos Revealed”! And according to this piece, this year’s Mobile Photography Awards received over 5,000 entries, submitted from over 90 countries!

P.P.S. And for my highlights of recent art around town—such as my favorites from Expo Chicago’s in-person return, including this trippy sculpture—peep my Instagram.

Mind’s Eye

I was interviewed by Lover’s Eye Press as the featured artist of the lit mag’s second issue! Thank you to founding editor-in-chief Eniko Deptuch Vághy (so much love to you!) and the LEP team; what an honor and pleasure.

What an introduction!

In our conversation I discuss my projects (including Dreams of a City, I CAN DO THAT, and SLAYSIAN), my influences, and my love of interactive art, and I reveal that I wrote high fantasy novels as a tween for fun (didn’t we all?). You can read my interview here. (And pictured above is a sketch I drew a few years ago.)

Back to SLAYSIAN 2.0:

Sold at the opening last week and via Artists on the Lam’s online shop last night: Baigujing prints by Vivian Le; and sold through the online shop last night: Vivian’s other new piece in SLAYSIAN 2.0, Harvey! (I love its frame so much.) Congratulations to Vivian and thank you to the collectors for your support!

And another work that sold at the opening: Thank U, Next by Nini Hawes! (With another unconventional frame that I absolutely love.) Congrats to Nini and thank you to the buyer!

Collect Nini’s other digital prints (including another new one created for this show) and more art by 22 local Asian American artists here.

Decked Out

It’s here! DECAHEDRON is now live!

June 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Artists on the Lam. Celebrate with us!

It was a decade ago yesterday that I published my first post on what would later be voted “Best Arts Blog” in the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago issue (read more about that in the previous post). As part of the celebration, I’ve curated an international exhibition (read more about this in the artist announcement post).

More about the curatorial process for this show that I didn’t mention in those posts: I’m likening it to an episodic TV series where you wander the land embarking on different adventures and meeting different characters, and then in the end you go back and revisit all your old friends and ask them to be part of your heist. Past, present, and future are all intertwined.

The result? 74 artists, with over 350 works of art.

View the exhibition at the following links: the main page and the artists page (click on each artist to enjoy their art and their words). Most of the pieces are available for purchase (and I was literally in the middle of formatting this post when a painting was already sold).

Celebrating 10 years of:

interaction; collaboration; making art as accessible as possible; proving that art is for everyone; championing local artists while channeling global perspectives; shenanigans; worldwide adventures; saying things everyone thinks but doesn’t say out loud; making messes; winging it; figuring it out; the same pair of sneakers; irreverence; puns; so many puns; open calls; giving emerging artists their first ever shows; refusing to use artspeak; not taking ourselves too seriously; troublemaking; optimism / earnestness / hope; leaving pretension at the door; getting people to actually look at the art; getting people to have fun with art and with each other; getting people to see the world anew; building relationships between artists and viewers; building relationships; building community; bringing people joy; a breath of fresh air; being able to touch the art; people coming into a gallery and not feeling intimidated; teaching; assuring people that they do, in fact, “get” art; showing that there’s nothing to “get”; invoking childlike wonder; connection, and not the schmoozing kind; making sure everyone feels welcome; rejecting cliques; breaking the rules; breaking barriers; bridging the spaces between us; standing out; not paying attention to trends; making our own; substance over style; quality over popularity; quantity; cramming an entire biennial’s worth of artists into one room; cramming as many viewers as possible into one room; helping visitors “hone their art appreciation skills”; giving visitors the “opportunity to explore their own interests and gain a better understanding of the kind of art they enjoy and why”; being worth the wait; being down-to-earth; showing there’s an abundance of culture in the Midwest; every medium you can think of; every art form you can think of; artists spanning the widest range of backgrounds, ages, and experience levels; talent; the best people you’ve never heard of yet; exploring and showcasing the underground; “shaking things up” / “rocking the art world” / “making waves”; changing the game; truly new experiences; being truly independent; perhaps being too DIY [but]; knowing no one is an island; using word of mouth; being unconventional; play; passion; constant growth; and art.

Again, thank you.

Here’s to the next 10 years!

(Pictured: A few photos from the opening reception of 2012’s acclaimed I CAN DO THAT, voted “Best Art Exhibit” in the 20th anniversary edition of NewCity’s Best of Chicago issue)

Leave a birthday message!

What’s your favorite Artists on the Lam memory? Perhaps you had a moment of transcendence at one of our interactive shows, or shared a spontaneous experience with a fellow visitor, or simply had fun. Perhaps a particular blog post moved you. Perhaps you’ve been inspired in some way. Your story could be featured on the site as part of the virtual celebration!

You can also send a photo, a doodle, or any other supplemental material. Email artists.on.the.lam {at} gmail {dot} com.

Shots, everybody

On Monday Illinois finally expanded vaccination eligibility to everyone 16 and older, so I got my 1st dose of the vaccine! Dolly Parton one / Moderna, at Walgreens.

 
I was so anxious and nervous on the way there (mostly because I haven’t set foot inside a store in over a year (thank you, curbside pickup) (as you know, I’ve been super strict with staying home since March 2020)), but once there I felt like I was in good hands. And what a gorgeous day it was to have a dose of hope.

More to be grateful for: Thank you, Art Design Chicago!

(March 30 marked exactly 1 year since SLAYSIAN—art show I curated of Chicago and the Midwest’s Asian artists—has been online. It’s still up and will remain up for as long as artistsonthelam.com exists. If you missed it in 2020, take a look now. (And for interviews and articles about the show, visit this page.))

Speaking of shows, thank you to everyone who applied to Artists on the Lam’s virtual 10th anniversary international art exhibition, DECAHEDRON! Keep your eyes peeled for the artist list announcement!

Speaking of hope, my labor of love, Dreams of a City (can you believe it’s been 13 years since I started it as Manhattan Map // Postcard Project and 9 years since I launched the Chicago edition?), has inspired a writer in Finger Lakes, New York, to start his own version, and here’s his post about me, my mission, and more.

And I’ll leave you with some nostalgia as random as it is potent: Who else used to watch a show called Yan Can Cook back in the day? When I was little, this was my thought process during reruns. (And I’m loving all the love in the comments!)

Free Agent

Two weeks ago I was invited to speak at the Leonardo LASER Talk “Resilience: From Cells to the Human Experience” via Zoom, and the video is up! If you were unable to attend, you can watch the full talk here. Thank you to organizer Pamela Winfrey and the ASU Leonardo LASER folks and to fellow speakers Carlo Maley and Chris Johnson for a wonderful panel discussion!

The full video is an hour long, so if you don’t have time for that at the moment, here’s a 1-minute clip in which Pam made an insightful observation that one of the unique ways in which I build community is through agency (and my response).

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A post shared by Jenny Lam (@artistsonthelam)

And in case you missed the previous post, I have an open call for artists for my next [virtual!] group show!

Fly the // Art Flag

Had a meeting with one of the nicest and most visionary artists I know (also my birthday twin), and he told me that I “inspire” him and am the “voice of kindness,” one that “deserves to be loud.” Being kind is underrated, so my soul is blushing. (Get excited for an ambitious project by Nathan “Bam” Stanton—who participated in my interactive exhibition I CAN DO THAT—in 2017!)

Vote! (What I did after the above.)

(And before said meeting, my new favorite author, Ken Liu—everyone go read The Paper Menagerie short story collection [and cry in public] please—replied to me on Twitter. Yesterday was a good day.)

Hope you had a happy Halloween! (Mine included your weekly dose of silliness. And here’s something that came out over Halloweekend that all artists / art history buffs / art lovers should check out: The music video for Jane Zhang’s “Dust My Shoulders Off.” Those visuals!) Now that another month has begun, I have a new post on Time Out Chicago: 9 art gallery exhibitions to see in November.

And if you haven’t watched it yet, a video that includes my two-minute presentation at 20x2Chi is in the previous post.

I love you, Chicago.*

*[Edit: And an update…]

10 Chicago art gallery exhibitions to check out in January

Happy New Year! Make a resolution to see more art; here’s my monthly highlight post on Time Out Chicago to help you kick start 2016.

Hope everyone had a happy holiday season! (This was my Christmas, and this was my New Year’s Eve. The geekery is strong with this one.) When I was little, I made “pet rocks.” (If I noticed a uniquely shaped rock, I’d clean it, then paint it into whatever animal it reminded me of.) I came to my parents’ house to see that they’d dug this guy out.

Every few months or so, I CAN DO THAT blows up (it probably gets shared somewhere). And it’s happening now. Love it! (Look forward to my next exhibition in June.)

And a PSA: Artists, beware of frauds / imposters / overall horrible people / etc. Thanks to June Keser for alerting me in this post’s comments to someone who went by “Hop Coplin” on Facebook stealing this doodle of mine and claiming it as her own, even changing my signature to hers. The charlatan deleted her post after I told her off, and it now seems like her entire account has been deleted. Success.

To art thieves out there: We artists don’t know who you are. We don’t know what you want. If you are looking for attention, we can tell you I don’t have an attention span. But what we do have is a very particular set of skills, skills we have acquired over very prolific careers. Skills that make us nightmares for people like you. If you give us credit for our art now, that’ll be the end of it. We will not look for you. We will not pursue you. But if you don’t, we will look for you, we will find you, and we will obliterate your web presence.

To everyone else: Cheers to a splendid year!

12 Chicago art gallery exhibitions to check out in September

This has nothing to do with the rest of the post, to be honest.

My Time Out Chicago September art pick post is live: 12 shows to see next month. (Not including Expo Chicago, which I’ll be previewing.)

Because of a comment I left on a video that popped up on my Facebook feed, I CAN DO THAT—along with the photo album of its opening—is getting a spike in traffic. (What I can’t do? Believe that crazy beautiful show was 3 years ago. Oh yeah and whistle.) As announced in the previous post, you can look forward to my next big independent curatorial project in June.

And I’ll leave you with this statement.

Forever Golden

Brooks Golden in front of his mural on 16th & Paulina.
(Photo via Brooks' Facebook.)

Rest in peace, Brooks. The Chicago art community truly was and is golden thanks to you.

(More after the jump.)

Wish fulfillment // Mullets in Miami

December already? I can’t believe how quickly this [incredible] year has gone by. This yellow note, which I wrote at a party the night of Dec. 31, 2011, was my personal wish for 2012:

People's personal wishes for 2012, written at a New Year's Eve party
last year. The yellow note was mine.

And, well.

But enough about that. (For now.)

Let the winter art travels commence! Tomorrow through Monday, I’ll be in Miami for Art Basel Miami Beach [and a million other international contemporary art fairs]. It’ll be my first time at Miami Art Week and I’m super excited. (And, for the record, I do still fantasize about this.) Besides this blog, as always, you can follow my adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

Best believe I’ll be rocking what is quickly shaping up to be my swank affair uniform, the Clothes Mullet.