We’re thrilled to announce our next group show “Feel Free” featuring @hannaleejoshi , @jeremy_miranda_ , @rachelahayden , and @paulinapizza ! Join us at Joy Machine this Friday from 6-8 p.m. for an opening reception. RSVP in bio. 👀
◈ “Held Like a Flower,” by Hanna Lee Joshi. Gouache and color pencil on panel. 14 x 18 inches.
Please DM for collector preview.
If you’ve ever wondered how artists fund their creative lives (we know you have), you’re not alone! The brilliant Mason Currey—who’s known for unraveling the day-to-day routines of hundreds of artists, writers, filmmakers, designers, and musicians—returns with a new book revealing how family money, day jobs, and schemes (so many schemes!) have buoyed artists through the ages.
Join us on April 8 in Chicago to celebrate the release of ‘Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life.’ Tickets via the link in bio. See you there!
Hey Chicago! We’re thrilled to co-host the Chicago premiere of ‘Paint Me a Road Out of Here,’ the award-winning documentary film from Aubin Pictures (@aubinpictures ) directed by Catherine Gund. Join us on March 25 for a screening of this incredible film, which uncovers the whitewashed history of Faith Ringgold’s “For the Women’s House” and its 50-year journey from Rikers Island to the Brooklyn Museum.
The premiere is co-hosted by Colossal (@thisiscolossal ), Intuit Art Center (@intuitartmuseum ), and the Women’s Center (@depaulwomenscenter ) at DePaul University. A conversation between Leah Faria, film participant and Community Liaison at Women Building Up, and Colossal’s Editorial Director Grace Ebert will follow.
The screening is free to attend, and seating is first-come, first-served. RSVP via the link in bio, and see you there!
‘General Strike’ is now on view at Joy Machine! Thanks to everyone who joined us last week for an incredible opening. There are still some incredible matchboxes left—explore the whole show, link in bio.
Last photo @q_type .
Join us for our fall exhibition General Strike, a group show of 70+ artist matchboxes! It’ll be 🔥🔥🔥🔥.
RSVP to our opening reception on November 21 from 6-8 p.m. at the link in bio. A portion of proceeds from General Strike will be donated to the ACLU.
DM to join our collector preview list.
Having grown up in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, where Cook County Department of Corrections sprawls across 96 acres, Maria Gaspar (@maria__gaspar ) has always felt the haunting presence of detention. Through the years, she became more involved in conversations about mass incarceration, abolition, and spatial justice, putting collaboration and compassion at the center of her work.
In a new conversation released in conjunction with the Colossal-curated exhibition ‘No One Knows All It Takes’ at the Haggerty Museum of Art (@haggertymuseum ), Grace Ebert (@grace.l.ebert ) speaks with Gaspar about the breadth of her practice and how healing is always political.
Read the conversation on Colossal, link in bio.
We’re thrilled to share a project we’ve been working on for the last year. Opening today at the Haggerty Museum of Art (@haggertymuseum ) in Milwaukee, ‘No One Knows All It Takes’ features works by Bryana Bibbs (@bryanabibbs ), Raoul Deal, Maria Gaspar (@maria__gaspar ), and Swoon (@swoonhq ). The exhibition explores the effects of concealed trauma and the ties between personal health and collective wellness, directing us to the systemic issues that undermine our well-being.
When we began conceptualizing this show, we didn’t know how relevant it would be amid mass deportations and cuts to nearly all social services. We’re incredibly grateful to the artists for sharing their work and stories and to the museum for supporting what are increasingly urgent conversations. And, a big thank you to John McKinnon (@jmckin2 ) for the invitation.
We hope you’ll join us for the opening reception on September 11.
~the breeze interrupting photos of Prism/Prison~
I’m always late to share but am so proud of this project. For the past year, my fellow @chicagobwp volunteers and I have been collecting work from Chicago-based artists and artists and writers incarcerated across the U.S. to publish in Prism/Prison.
The magazine arrived from @perfectlyacceptable
a few weeks ago and is a very tangible reminder that resilience and joy are possible in even the most inhumane conditions. These are some responses to the magazine from contributors inside and comrades on the outside, all of which feel particularly timely ahead of a holiday celebrating freedom.
Thank you to my collaborators Colin and Stephanie, @ilhumanities for the support, and all of the artists who very generously shared their work. Onto Vol. 2
A true polymath, Amarie Gipson (@amariecemone ) is a writer, curator, DJ, and founder of The Reading Room (@thereadingroom.htx ), an independent reference library with more than 700 books devoted to Black art and culture. The Houston space revolves around Gipson’s desire to expand art’s potential beyond museum walls, whether that be through visual art and photography or literature and politics.
This month, Colossal’s @grace.l.ebert spoke with Gipson about her love for the South, her commitment to meeting people where they’re at, and her hopes for the future of The Reading Room.
Dive into the conversation on Colossal, link in bio.
Our small but mighty gallery identity was selected by the Society of Typographic Arts (@typographic_arts ) for the STA100, an annual competition of typographic work running for the last 45 years.
Developed by our friends at @firebellydesign here in Chicago, the identity is the culmination of months of work by @q_type , @rootily , @smallvessel , and the rest of the FB team. They challenged us to consider a non-traditional approach to an art gallery identity, and the results have been better than anything we anticipated going into the project.
‘And Then There Was Everything’ opens this Friday at Joy Machine in Chicago and we’re thrilled to have three new works from Jeremy Miranda (@jeremy_miranda_ ) on view. Also work from @psbriggs3.0 , @yellenajames , @anna_ortizzzzz , @jefflymolina , @davidcass.art , and @laura.catherwood . 💜
Please RSVP for our opening reception 6-9pm at 4148 N Elston inside the @co1orclub building.
◈ Low Creek, 2025. 30 x 36” oil on canvas. Jeremy Miranda.
DM if you would like to receive our collector preview.
Thank you Chicago for an incredible opening at @joymachine.art . As we were going through @danielkwons ’s photos of our opening reception we were immediately struck by everyone’s faces. We estimate 300-400 people stopped by and crammed into the gallery for a raucous, joyful, inspired, and simply beautiful night.
My partner @grace.l.ebert and I fully recognize the backdrop against which Joy Machine is opening its doors. We find inspiration in this quote from Dan Savage:
“During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night, and it was the dance that kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.”
We believe joy is resistance. We believe that joy expands our ability to move and be moved and is an essential antidote to despair.
Thank you friends, family, and Chicago for an overwhelmingly warm welcome.
Last photo by @skaw .
