It’s that glorious four days of the year when the international art world converges in Chicago for Expo and Chicagoans with exquisite eyeglasses and architectural wardrobes trek out to Navy Pier to join them. They also allow in reporters, which is why I got to go too, although I was clearly marked for consumption by overeager PR reps by my press pass, notebook, and ten-year-old trousers. (I was hoping they were old enough to be considered charmingly vintage, but I don’t think anyone was convinced.)
I quite liked Love Stream #2 by Randy Polumbo, a vintage AirStream trailer parked outside the festival hall, filled with silver cushions and phallic-looking glass tubes. It looked like a Studio 54-era Andy Warhol sex bus, but in a really good way.
Nearby was a feminist time line by UIC prof Jennifer Reeder and the social justice initiative Tracers Reading Group. At important markers, there are dolls representing Sojourner Truth, Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, and other icons of feminist history; visitors are encouraged to add dates to the time line.
