ABOUT TH!NKART™
Th!nkArt™ is an international art gallery and policy salon featuring established and emerging artists from Europe, the United States and South America. Launched in 2006 by Laurie R. Glenn, Th!nkArt was built on the legacy of café society, famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for gathering artists and intellectuals of the day. Th!nkArt creates through a salon-setting thought-provoking exhibitions, integrating a variety of artistic interpretations such as: literary readings, music, dance, theatrical performances, film, and cultural programming that engages a dialogue between the world of art and politics.
“The dialogue that emerges in a salon environment allows us to understand our joint humanity,” says Glenn. “We are trying to create something more than the traditional art gallery experience. Our goal is to have people experience a larger vision of the world through our presentation of arts from around the world.”
APARTÉ: A CAFÉ-SOCIETY CELEBRATION
Exhibitions called Aparté™(s) are held in private residences, galleries and public spaces. In French, Aparté means “something that is apart.” It moves art from the canvas to a dialogue between people about art, philosophy, politics, and the world. Attendee’s range from collectors, professionals, art patrons, gallery owners, civic and philanthropic leaders, artists, museum board members, residents of Chicago, and its surrounding suburbs, and the world.
INTERNATIONAL ART FAIRS
Th!nkArt has participated in a series of international art fairs including: Art Chicago 2009, SLICK 2008 in Paris, France, the Bridge Art Fairs during 2007 in Chicago, London, and Miami.
PARTNERSHIPS
In 2008, Th!nkArt curated an exhibition at The Art Center in Highland Park entitled Art Francais featuring both established and emerging French artists. Also in 2008, Th!nkArt arranged with the Hyde Park Art Center to have David Gista featured as part of its Flamenco and Flames exhibition. Th!nkArt also participated in Chicago Artist Month featuring the paintings of Italian artist Carlo LoCascio.
As part of an international human rights summit held at the Hotel de Ville/City Hall of Paris in March 2009, Th!nkArt featured an exhibition of our artist Florent Moutti with the national human rights activist Rev. Patricia Watkins of the United Congress. We also partnered in January 2009 with FLATFILE Galleries as part of a joint gallery exhibition entitled French Kiss & Karma with French and Indian artists.
One of the highlights of this past year has been our partnership with CIMMfest, The Chicago International Movies and Music Festival where in March 2009 we presented both the award-winning photography of Richard Bellia as well as presented four films from across the globe in the salon.
SPONSORSHIPS
Since 2005, a wide-range of institutions have sponsored or collaborated with Th!nkArt include: the French Cultural Services of Chicago, Alliance Française de Chicago, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art North Shore Affiliates, Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc., City of Chicago Paris Committee of The Sister Cities Program, United Congress, Poetry Center of Chicago, The University of Chicago, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, Paris-based Friedland Rivault Gallery and Atelier Pasnic.
