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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.

Your support goes towards

• Keeping the site (including the online art galleries of hundreds of talented artists) up and running;
• Keeping the site and blog ad-free and without any paywalls;
• Keeping in-person events free to attend;
• Helping produce these events and allowing them to be the best they can be;
• Helping pay our assistants;
• 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!

FAQ

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Yes! You can browse the online shop, you can write about / feature Artists on the Lam in articles and interviews, you can utilize our services, you can attend our exhibitions (both in-person and virtual) where you can collect the original works of our talented artists (join the mailing list to keep up with when these events happen), and you can spread the word about all the things we do!

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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.

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).

View this post on Instagram

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!

How We Move Mountains

Get excited, because I am: The multi-talented and ever joyful [and joyfully irreverent] Emily Calvo—who was one of the artists in LEXICON (if the title of this blog post sounds familiar to you, here’s why)—and I are collaborating on an upcoming poetry and art event! No details yet (we had our first brainstorming meeting today, and it was glorious), but it’ll probably be this spring. Putting out feelers: If you’re a visual artist who also does poetry / a poet who also does visual art, let us know! (And thank you, Emily, for asking me to collaborate with you on this!)

Another one of my many photos from my parents' and my Silk Road Tour in
Western China. (Taken while walking to Crescent Lake after our camel ride
on Echoing Sand Dune / Mingsha Shan, Dunhuang, Gansu.)

And a follow-up to Friday: Here’s me at Line Dot Editions, over an hour after the Holiday Show reception was slated to end, with a gift they surprised me with for helping judge the art submitted to said show. Amazing job to all the artists and everyone at the gallery (Line Dot folks, looking forward to more hangouts in the back room with the impressive bar), and thank you to all who came! Of note: I showed up towards the end of the opening (as I do) and it was still packed, even with the rain. (A friend on how she found me: “I saw someone short with long hair.”)

Second to None

As a follow-up to the previous two posts: LEXICON didn’t win the Chicago Reader’s #BestOfChi (it’s the runner-up), but I still think it’s the best. Thank you to everyone who voted!

A photo my mom took of a visitor to LEXICON.

(Also, it’s the runner-up to a show that’s actually on a national museum tour where Chicago was merely one of many stops. An independent exhibition being second to a huge organization like that is no small feat!)

The back of Tuesday’s daily Dreams of a City postcard is, on a visual level, another one of my favorites.

Postcard #2365 back: 24 July 2013, NW. corner of Fullerton at Ashland.

To read the front and for more dreams, visit @dreamsofacity, where I’ve been sharing one mapped Chicago dream a day, every day (Monday’s was moving too, especially since I’ve been thinking a lot about the passage of time lately), and to learn more about my ongoing large-scale interactive art project, visit this page.

Happy summer! (Even to you readers in the Southern Hemisphere, because yes.) From the solstice on Wednesday:

Best summer solstice ever.

(Pictured above was the view from a nerd alumni event—I was the only Columbia University person and think I represented you well, CU kids!—on the rooftop of a Streeterville high rise. Much love to everyone I met!)

Update: At this gallery opening, someone I always thought was cool told me they admire me. You all make my art life worthwhile!

#Selfie

Sneak peek and first time drawing myself since I was a kid (although I painted myself a couple times like 10 years ago?): Here’s a quick sketch that’s part of my story in the upcoming graphic novel anthology New Frontiers.

Also adding this to my Scribble Sunday series
[even though it's Monday].

(Thank you to Asian American Millennials Unite—an organization that “spotlights the political power of the new generation of Asian America”—for all the related love on Twitter and Instagram! Apparently I’m “one of [their] favorite artists who’s not afraid to use [my] medium to push AAPI issues forward.” Shucks.)

When folks still ask you about a piece you wrote 5(!) years ago:

Thank you, Babu!

(P.S. The post is “Midwesterner in the Middle Kingdom // The Outsider” and just so happens to be what I based my New Frontiers story on!)

A reminder: If you haven’t yet, vote LEXICON for “Best Gallery Exhibit” in the Chicago Reader’s #BestOfChi! Voting ends today at 12pm CST! (Refer to the previous post if you have any difficulties viewing the ballot.) Thank you in advance, thank you to those who’ve already voted and spread the word, and thank you for nominating LEXICON in the first place!

Like, 1/8 of LEXICON.

And speaking of shows, a recommendation: Takashi Murakami’s The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg is now open at the Museum of Contemporary Art! (Pretty much all of Chicago was at the exhibit on the first public day and I ran into and met so many people and I loved it.) It’ll be up all summer, and admission is free for Illinois residents every Tuesday.

Vote

LEXICON made it to the final round of the Chicago Reader’s #BestOfChi voting, thanks to you! Now, vote for LEXICON (the artist statement-less interactive show I created and curated featuring 47 talented artists from diverse backgrounds in the 10,000 sq. ft. exhibition space of the Zhou B Art Center) for “Best Gallery Exhibit”! (Click the Arts & Culture category.) Thank you! [Update: Voting has now closed!]

  

(Important tip: I’m unable to view the ballot in Chrome so I assume many of you might come across the same problem; if that happens, try your phone instead, or, if you have Windows 10, use Microsoft Edge on desktop. Update: Basically, I think you need to disable ad blockers for the Reader.)

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend! (Mine consisted of this loveliness, this life-long tradition, spotting this helpful reminder in the form of street art, and—of course—this.)

Chicago house music blasted in the background
of this photo. Lurie Garden, Millennium Park.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival, everyone!

Nod

The Chicago Reader’s annual Best of Chicago poll is open for nominations, and it would mean the world to me if you nominate LEXICON (the interactive art show I created and curated featuring 47 artists in the 10,000 sq. ft. exhibition space of the Zhou B Art Center) for the “Best Gallery Exhibit”! Thank you! (This is the first round of voting; [hopefully] I’ll be bugging y’all again in May for the final round.)

Xavier Johnson, me, and Michael Zhou the moment after
I sold Arturo Mazon's Oct on My Head to fellow artist Xavier
[in an amazing Pusheen hat]. LEXICON was Art's 1st show
ever! Photo by Gerard Rodriguez.

If you need to refresh your memory, check out the LEXICON tag for related blog posts!

(Also, a few people have told me they had trouble viewing the ballot depending on their desktop browser. Mobile worked for me, as did Microsoft Edge [aww yeah Windows 10 default] for desktop. Let me know if you need help!)

More words of gratitude: Thank you to everyone who visited The Subject Is Chicago: People, Places, Possibilities at the Chicago Cultural Center, where my interactive installation was on display! The exhibition (thank you again to the museum and to the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events!) may be over, but I’m still sharing one postcard a day, every day, at @DreamsOfACity. Keep following along!

(Speaking of my project, Dreams of a City was mentioned as one of the highlights in this article about the exhibition. Thank you, Loyola Phoenix and Marc Rosales II! There are some great visitor quotes in the piece too.)

In other Chicago art news: 150 Media Stream, a new media art installation of 89 LED panels inside 150 N. Riverside, is now open to the public! The first rotating artist is Jason Salavon.

In case you’re wondering about my recent Hong Kong trip, I’ll be writing a post about it soon / “soon”! In the meantime, check out my photos at @artistsonthelam on Instagram.

Me at Art Basel Hong Kong. Iván Navarro,
Impenetrable Room, Paul Kasmin Gallery.
Photo by my mom.

And: Ai Weiwei retweeted and followed me. That is all.

Wonder

I—and LEXICON—have been featured in Women of Wednesday, author Olivia Cole’s interview series with women of color! “Jenny Lam on Bridging Segregation with Art and the Necessity of Representation.” Thank you so much, Olivia!

Throwback to when I matched a Miami mural. (Wall by Ahol Sniffs Glue.)

[Update: I’m also featured on Asians Doing Everything! Thank you!]

Also, I have a new post on Time Out Chicago: 8 art gallery exhibitions to see in August. Check out my previous post for other stuff to see.

Poetry in Motion

Here they are! Your interpretations and meanings (and even poems!) you wrote on Post-it notes at LEXICON, as well as all the artists’ original statements, which, as you know, were not revealed during the interactive exhibition’s entire run. Some of the statements were created specifically for the show and have never been seen before until now. Take a look; it’s the perfect source for Monday motivation!

Guess who. (Left by graffiti artist Solo RM.)

In other news: I’ve been verified on Twitter! Thank you!

And here’s:

• A status that seemed to resonate. Ah, microaggressions.

• A doodle (and caption) encompassing my latest obsessions.

Happy August / Leo season! (Adrienne Glover, one of my LEXICON artists, to me: “You’re the most low-key Leo ever. What’s your rising sign?”)

Princess Warrior

I am so happy to announce that I’ll be representing Sheila Arora—one of my LEXICON artists—as an artist agent! (Yes, artist, independent curator, writer, artist agent, mad scientist… I’m a woman of many graphic t-shirts hats.) Sheila’s paintings are an explosion of creativity and color and I couldn’t be more proud to rep them and their creator.

Sheila Arora, Circle Tribe, acrylic on canvas.

Get excited for an interview with Sheila, spotlights on her work, and more!

Speaking of LEXICON, the page (mentioned in the previous post) comparing your written Post-it notes with the artists’ original statements is forthcoming!

(And a reminder to follow Artists on the Lam on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr.)

Pond

Sold Love & Oil by Aisha Yousaf and my own sketches, Night Nurse, Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder, Force, and AKA, to Michael Zhou! (First time I put my own art into a show I curated too. [Even though those of you who came to the exhibition know that I hid my drawings in a corner.]) Thank you, Mike!

(And this was last Wednesday’s sale.)

LEXICON has come down (I was in the space yesterday staring at empty walls), but it’ll live on online; stay tuned for photos of your Post-it notes, as well as the reveal of the artists’ original statements!

Until then: Here, have a photo by Gerard Rodriguez of me in front of Capacity #2 by Brianna Lynn Hernandez Baurichter, charcoal on paper. (Yes, I wore an Éowyn-slapping-the-Witch-King-of-Angmar-a-la-Batman-with-Robin shirt at last week’s artist talks and demos.)

Garden

Sold Oct on My Head by Arturo Mazon last night! As mentioned in the opening reception follow-up post, LEXICON is Art’s first show ever. Thank you to Xavier Johnson—who’s an artist himself / is wearing his amazing Pusheen hat—for supporting emerging talent!

  

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the LEXICON artist talks, demos, and workshops (which have been featured in Chicago Artist Resource’s Notable Events of the week—thanks!) yesterday evening! Like the opening, it was a blast, and if you continue playing around with your scratchboards at home, take photos of them! I’d love to see your end results. And thank you to artists Angie Redmond, Lisa Goesling, and Zachary J. Williams for letting us into the world of your creative process!

Angie Redmond, Standing Tall with My Purple Rain, oil.

LEXICON ends this Saturday (sniff). If you haven’t gotten a chance to see—and be a part of—the interactive exhibition yet, go! And if you take photos/videos, share them online with the tag #LEXICONchicago!

Lyrics

LEXICON continues! A couple of the interactive show’s artists will be doing talks and demos this coming Wednesday, July 6, 6pm. Create and take home your own etchings, as taught by Lisa Goesling, and watch Angie Redmond (whose works are in the first photo in the previous post) do a live painting!

Lisa Goesling, Spontaneous Combustion, clay & India ink scratchboard.

Admission is free, and all you need to bring is an x-acto knife for Lisa’s workshop. Invite yourself to the Facebook event page.

Also, LEXICON’s been featured in 18 pages of the July/August issue of ACS Magazine! Thank you, Renee LaVerne Rose!

And! I have a new post on Time Out Chicago: 8 art gallery exhibitions to see this month.

Happy 4^th of July weekend!

[Update! Zachary J. Williams, who did this powerful painting, will be answering a few questions at the artist talk as well!]

Neon Heart Eyes

Thank you thank you thank you. To the guests for attending Friday’s opening reception of LEXICON and to the artists for being in the show. You helped make it a great success! After all, this exhibition is all about the art and audience participation, so it’d be nothing without you!

Photo by Sergio Gomez.

I can say with confidence that LEXICON is the best exhibit I’ve curated so far. Which is saying a lot since I’ve always been proud of each of my projects (and still am proud of them—otherwise, I wouldn’t be referencing I CAN DO THAT years later!). You should always continue to improve and grow and surpass the high bar you’ve previously set for yourself. Together we’ll clear the stratosphere.

It makes me so happy that everyone more than embraced the concept of the show. Visitors told me how wonderful it was because normally they’d be too shy to voice their thoughts about art, but the anonymity of the Post-its (like my Dreams of a City postcards) allowed them to do so. Artists told me how wonderful it was because they could now see what people actually thought of their art, and sometimes it was exactly what they had in mind, sometimes it was completely out there, and other times it made them think about their art in a new way, giving them fresh insight into their own work; one artist told me they might even change their artist statement.

People also praised the diversity of the artwork and artists. You can see for yourself how this applies to more apparent elements like race/ethnicity and gender (as an artist who’s a young woman of color, I always try to ensure that artists who don’t usually get the shine they deserve, well, do) and in the art itself, but people also referred to age and experience. (You know the piece I’ve been using for all promo materials? In the artist announcement, on the Facebook event’s header, on the postcard, etc. LEXICON was artist Arturo Mazon’s first show ever.)

Photo by Sergio Gomez.

The most common descriptor for the show was “fun.” I also got “brilliant” and “compelling” often and had viewers tell me that “everyone is raving” about the interactive theme. People thanked me for inspiring them, thanked me for my passion.

Friends kept remarking on the amazing turnout, saying that the parking lot was filled and they had to park blocks away, and that pretty much everyone wandering around on other floors was asking where my event was (sorry, other floors).

Unexpected and hilarious happenings included participating artist Allen Vandever writing “D-” on a Post-it for his own piece to see if he could skew the results. It worked; his painting got some of the most notes and they were extremely positive (strategy: get people to feel sorry for you).

Photo by Sergio Gomez.

I accomplished my mission. Visitors were actually looking at the art, thinking about it, actively engaging with it. (If you attend enough art openings, you’ll know that this is practically unheard of.)

Scott P. Wheeler, husband of participating artist Emily Thornton Calvo, worded it perfectly on the show’s Facebook page:

“Awesome event. Fantastic works, excellent variety. Wonderful training and exercise in the world of art appreciation. This event helped visitors hone their art appreciation skills. Visitors had the unusual opportunity to explore their own interests and gain a better understanding of the kind of art they enjoy and why. It is not easy to assemble a show like this. Congratulations, Jenny Lam!”

You get it.

Some other comments I’m partial to:

“Jenny is a petite powerhouse!” –Renee LaVerne Rose, guest

“Jenny Lam [is a] creative and fearless curator.” –Peggy Shearn, participating artist

“[Jenny’s a] talented badass.” –Cristy Corso, participating artist

“Both [your dad] and I think that some of the artwork are as good as those at Art Basel, if not better.” –my mom in an email (the only opinion that matters, really)

etc.

My parents are the best. Photo by Sergio Gomez.

In addition to all the artists and guests, thanks to:

• Sergio Gomez, who invited me to guest curate a show at the Zhou B Art Center in the first place. (And for doing things like literally putting my name on the wall.)
• Michael Zhou for the opportunity as well.
• Those working behind-the-scenes at Zhou B like Carl Virgo and Ronnie, who’s a lifesaver and does everything from running the freight elevator to turning the air conditioning on for me even when he’s not supposed to. Carl installed almost all the pieces—there are nearly 60, mind you—all within a few hours. (Normally, I’m the one who installs most of the art at the shows I curate. And let it be known: Hanging artwork is the one part of the curatorial process that I despise. Imagine my elation when I found out that one man does pretty much all the hanging for the center’s second floor space.)
• My dear friend and mentor Robin Rios—whose studio is on the fourth floor of the building—for her support and impeccable timing and for referring to me as the Riker to her Picard.

Photo by Sergio Gomez.

All of the artwork can be viewed here. Most are available for purchase. If you have any questions about any piece, feel free to ask me!

Some photos from the reception are here, courtesy of Sergio Gomez.

If you took photos, email them to me! And/or share them on social media and tag them with #LEXICONchicago. Videos too!

Some of you have been asking me about what will happen with the Post-Its: On the last day of the exhibition’s run, I’ll record (whether via photos or typing everything up verbatim) what they all say, give them to the artists, and share the writings online! (I’m thinking of revealing the artists’ original statements as well!)

The exhibition is on view until July 9. Keep checking back to see how it evolves, and stay tuned for news of additional programming like artist talks and demos!