HUMBOLDT PARK — Lakeview's loss is Humboldt Park's gain now that artist Ian Sherwin has brought his gallery to North Avenue.
Having co-owned Sherwin's Gallery off Grace and Clark streets in Lakeview for two years, Sherwin decided to "go west" and open up the Ian Sherwin Gallery at 2649 W. North Ave., which will celebrate its official grand opening this Saturday.
In the late '90s Sherwin, 37, had also briefly run a gallery out of the Flat Iron Building in Wicker Park, and wanted to come back to the area.
"This is a good art community," he said of Wicker Park. "So we're trying to push the art community a little more down North Avenue."
Like at Sherwin's Gallery, Sherwin will offer various classes on everything from making clay pots and flutes, to making scientific drawings based on observations of Field Museum specimens.
An artist for the Field Museum, Sherwin has much experience with science-inspired art. He already teaches classes on scientific illustration at the museum as well as classes on origami, a hobby he took up in recent years.
Now he hopes to bring that all to Humboldt Park.
"I work with the public quite frequently, and I enjoy it," he said. "So I wanted to open a gallery for the public in the neighborhood."
This time around Sherwin has teamed up with friend and former student Sara Ali, a 30-year-old health specialist who discovered the love of painting after taking a "BYOB Wine and Painting" class at Sherwin's Lakeview gallery.
She'd also been looking to start a business of her own, and her newfound love of painting was a natural choice.
"The job I have currently is pretty stressful so it's nice to step outside of that world and sit in front of a board and do something fun," she said.
Now Ali hopes to bring that outlet to others, with classes like the wine and painting class that got her hooked.
A full list of classes to be offered at the Ian Sherwin gallery can be found on the Ian Sherwin Gallery website.
Additional details about this weekend's grand opening can be found here.
