BUCKTOWN — A month-long annual art show inspired by biking in Chicago will open Friday at a new gallery in Bucktown — and the spot will be the final destination for the next Critical Mass ride at a closing party Feb. 27.
Scheduled for 6 to 11 p.m. Friday at Genesis Art Supply's new headquarters, 2525 N. Elston Ave., the 18th annual Bike Winter Art Show will include works by 50 artists.
Started in 1997, the Chicago Bike Winter Art Show evolved from a post-ride conversation at Quencher's Saloon, 2401 N. Western Ave. A group of cyclists who met for a beer were brainstorming on how they could get more people to come out and cycle in the winter months, according to a Facebook post.
Steven Lane, the show's co-curator along with Stuart Hall, said that the works represent a wide range of mediums, from paintings to performance art and video.
Prices for the art range from $25 to $3,000.
Rat Patrol, a bike club in Chicago that makes bikes from salvaged items, will be showcasing a bike made from a bed frame, as well as an an interactive stationary bike that crushes empty beer cans.
Revolution Brewery has donated cases of canned beer, so crushing the cans on the bike "should be fun," Lane said.
Another artist is planning to dress as a living statue that will be getting layered up in winter clothing and de-layering, repeating over and over again as a visual on how to dress for winter riding, Lane said.
Admission is free and there will be two food trucks parked outside the galley along with music from DJ Larry Sellars.
After opening night, the Chicago Bike Winter Art Show will be available for viewing for the remainder of February. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; noon to 6 p.m. Sat-Sun.
A closing party is set for 7 p.m. to midnight on Feb. 27 at the gallery. Critical Mass will ride to the gallery for the closing party. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.
"Hoku Chi Winter" by Karlis Kandero. Materials: Ink, gauche, paper on plywood.
"A fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupus" by Arturo Fresan. Materials: Acrylic on wood panel.
"A Hundred Million Trillion Billion Dollars" by Chris Gallevo. Materials: Acrylic and ink on canvas.
"Not all who wander are lost," by Lauren Conroy. Materials: Laser engraved birch wood.
Bed frame Bike, by Rat Patrol
