The Stony Island Arts Bank may soon be the trendiest place to meet for a drink on the south side.
The Arts Bank has been closed to the public since January while the renovation was under way, but it will reopen Saturday with its part of a three-gallery exhibition, “Out of Easy Reach,” that features abstract artists who are women of color. (The other galleries are the DePaul Art Museum and UIC’s Gallery 400.) Artist Shinique Smith was there during the tour, overseeing the installation of a big, swingy, DNA-chain-inspired fabric sculpture that’ll dangle from the ceiling of the former bank lobby, now known as the Atrium.
Gates said he was only “managing the moment” when he took possession of the gazebo at the request of Tamir’s mother, Samaria Rice, in the face of a threat by the city to remove and demolish it. He considers displaying it congruent with the Arts Bank’s mission of “conserving black material culture,” but expects to offer it back to Cleveland, eventually.
