Art

Inside the World of Gallerybrewing

Another piece of art from Life, in some form.
Another piece of art from Life, in some form. Photo: courtesy Chicago Artists Coalition

Back when we were last seen at art gallery openings in River North, white wine was the drink du jour. But times have apparently changed, according to a piece at Chicago magazine— gallerybrewing is the latest thing. SMaB, or Small Ass Brewing, is a group of artists who brew themed beers especially for openings at Slow Gallery, which also happens to be the Pilsen apartment of one of the artists. Their operation is decidedly homebrew scaled— the 50 bottles they make is the standard amount most homebrew recipes aim for— so is this is more than just some guys calling their hobby art? Author Jason Fournberg tries to make that case. Meanwhile, at the Chicago Artists’ Coalition gallery at 217 N. Carpenter, as part of a larger exhibit on life processes called Life, in some form, the brew is the art— Marissa Lee Benedict’s installation The universe is formed by a series of feedbacks is, simply, a meadmaking setup. “It’s a way ‘to get rid of the art object,’” we are told. Last door at the end of the hallway for that. [Chicago]

Inside the World of Gallerybrewing