WEST TOWN — A renowned self-taught artist who went by the name Mr. Imagination and crafted art from found objects will be the focus of an exhibit that will offer a chance to create your own Mr. or Ms. Paintbrush Head, inspired by the famed artist's work.
An opening reception for "Welcome to the World of Mr. Imagination" is scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Friday at Intuit: Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. in West Town.
Intuit defines "intuitive and outsider art" as the work of nontraditional, self-taught or folk artists who demonstrate little influence from the mainstream art world, but who instead are motivated by their unique personal vision.
The retrospective show will run through April 25 and include an opportunity to learn more about Mr. Imagination from curator Martha Henry, who will discuss the artist's life and work at 2 p.m. Saturday.
According to a news release, the exhibit will be the first Chicago retrospective for Gregory Warmack, the highly prolific artist known as Mr. Imagination, whose career spanned more than 30 years, the bulk of that time in Chicago.
Born in 1948, Mr. Imagination developed and matured as an artist in Chicago. Most of the nearly 200 artworks in the exhibit will be borrowed from Chicago collections.
Warmack, who saw "spiritual possibilities in all kinds of objects," according to his Tribune obituary, died in 2012 at age 64.
The exhibition's title, "Welcome to the World of Mr. Imagination," is taken from a hand-painted sign hanging in the artist's Chicago studio, formerly at 3366 N. Clark St. in Lakeview, and reflects Henry's intention to present a survey of the artist's career.
The show will feature some early experimental pieces before Mr. Imagination began carving sandstone sculptures and his signature bottle cap work, as well as some of his last works that are remnants from a 2008 fire.
In addition to art, the artist's ventures in design — including furniture, clothing, jewelry, and accessories — will be shown.
Since Mr. Imagination was flamboyant and charismatic, often wearing his own creations like a hat adorned with bottle caps, he served as a muse for many photographers.
Billed as "a show within a show," a second gallery will feature an exhibition of portraits of Mr. Imagination taken by photographers Ron Gordon, dimitre, Link Harper, Cheri Eisenberg, Marc Hauser and others, as well as a virtual tour of the artist's last studio in Atlanta by dimitre.
A family-friendly workshop, "Visionary Craft: Mr. Imagination Paintbrush Figures" is set for 1-4 p.m. Jan. 24.
Led by artist Charlie Heinrich, the workshop will help participants create their very own paintbrush person, inspired by Mr. Imagination's beloved paintbrush heads.
Intuit will supply old paintbrushes and other repurposed materials. The cost of the paintbrush workshop is $15 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under.
Intuit: Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. Hours are 11 a.m - 6 p.m. Tuesdays- Saturdays; 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursdays. Admission is $5. Intuit members and children under 12 are free.
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