Strange Closets

If you haven’t visited the breathtaking Milwaukee Art Museum, which was created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, I highly recommend that you check it out. Although I’ve lived in Illinois for most of my life, I’d never actually visited Milwaukee proper. Prior to my recent visit, I couldn’t understand why one would bother to make the [...]

Intrigued by the massive public art displays, anti-commerce ethos and the rich photographic opportunities that would have undoubtedly presented themselves at Burning Man, I briefly contemplated heading out into the Nevada desert for the annual festival this year. (Click here for a 2009 New York Times slide show depicting some of the art installations). It [...]

Have you seen the Marilyn Monroe statue downtown? Apparently it’s somewhat controversial, but I kind of dig it. I took the train downtown last weekend and walked around snapping photos. If you’ve never been to Millennium Park, I highly recommend checking it out. I can’t think of another place where the feeling of joy is [...]

Warning: this post contains graphic images of urban decay, although I have a feeling that you might like that kind of thing. If not, imagine how this place would look with a little rehab, a thick shag rug and a mohair sofa. Or how it would have looked 100 years ago when it was bustling [...]

I’ve been noticing this form around town lately, most recently atop a Lincoln Avenue building near its busy intersection with Belmont and Ashland. I’m pretty sure these steel structures were meant to hold billboards. If so, the sluggish economy might explain my growing awareness of their existence. One thing’s for sure: I’m far more fascinated [...]

Last week I visited Matthew Lew Gallery to catch his show, Chicago Pop, before it ends at the end-of-March. Lew’s vibrant paintings are a nice reminder that there’s plenty to love about Chicago, which can feel kind of gray and especially punishing at this time of year. Lew’s paintings might also change the way you [...]

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, seeing the world with a photographer’s eyes makes everything more interesting and beautiful. In fact, Detroit’s urban decay has inspired so many professional and citizen photographers to record its haunting beauty that the scenes have become a bit clichéd, which changes neither my love for them nor my intention [...]