AMFM will be kicking off the New Year with the opening of their brand new gallery on Saturday, January 7 from 7pm – 12am, located at 2151 W. 21st Street. The space will include an art gallery, co-working space, and a small shop highlighting local emerging designers and artists’ merchandise.

The opening will showcase some of AMFM’s favorite artists and musicians who have been featured in past shows, and to show homage to the brand’s journey in Chicago. Featured musicians will include Jeffrey Gibbs, Lester Rey, DRAMA, Calez, Sylvie Grace and more, alongside art from Marco Miller, Rine Boyer, Ivan Vasquez, Imani Amos, Edo, Emma Mckee, and a host of others.

The space will align with the AMFM’s mission to create a platform for emerging artists, musicians, designers and creatives to share their work and passions on a larger scale throughout the community. AMFM has already been doing this through their events, web content, and Q&A’s with artists from Chicago and all over the globe like Emma Mckee, Kweku Collins, Angel Haze, Shantell Martin, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Daniela Yohannes from Paris, and many more. The space will not only be a headquarters for the brand, but will also serve as a community space for others to bring their ideas, visions, projects, and shows to life through amenities like venue rentals, co-working spaces, artist residencies, and drop in creative classes – where people can learn how to DJ, screen print, and more from local working artists.

This is a milestone for the brand and the founder, Ciera Mckissick, who is looking forward to building and connecting with people. “Ultimately, this is for the art community. The biggest thing I have found being a young and emerging creative in Chicago is the need for space. Space to work, to exhibit, to grow, and to believe, and I owe a large part of this grand opening to those spaces and people who allowed me to do just that throughout Chicago,” Mckissick said.

McKissick currently holds a residency at the Chicago Art Department, where she was operating AMFM and hosting events, and is a partner of Cultura in Pilsen, where she held many of her events before they closed their doors this past summer. AMFM has been known for its popular large conceptual shows like last year’s Maskerade and this year’s Indigo Nation at the Chicago Art Department, and it’s music and art pop up events around the city – like its monthly showcase The Jazz Series, which features bands and musicians playing alongside a solo exhibition from a visual artist.

AMFM was able to secure the space through a GoFundMe, which received a lot of support and buzz. This is AMFM’s third year in Chicago, and since moving here from Milwaukee, McKissick has seen it evolve before her eyes. What began as a magazine created back in 2009 during her senior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison, has evolved into a lifestyle brand and now a space to call home. “This opening is a huge thank you to everyone who I have had the pleasure of working with and those who have believed in me all these years,” concluded McKissick.

AMFM is a web hub known for their dynamic art and music events, like their monthly Jazz Series on Second Fridays in Chicago’s Pilsen. Their shows and space curation pride themselves in supporting local and emerging artists and musicians, and always bring forth an air of positivity, vibrant energy, and community engagement. Outside of events, AMFM does in-depth Q&A’s with artists, musicians and designers from around the globe. Like us on Facebook!

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: AMFM, Angel Haze, Chicago, Daniela Yohannes, Emma Mckee, fashion, Gallery, Kweku Collins, Lower West Side, Shantell Martin, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh