MdW, an artist-run art fair founded ten years ago, is returning in 2022 with a renewed mission to convene alternative artist platforms in Chicago from across the Midwest. MdW is FREE, all-ages, and open to the public.

Over 100 artist-led projects will convene to present their projects at Mana Contemporary Chicago to support each other across hyperlocal scenes and build pathways for lasting coalitions of purposeful, artist-led action. Two giant floors of the building will be filled with pavilions from 6 central midwestern states, art booths, publisher tables, and installations will be interspersed with open programming platforms like a print lab, screening space, presentation space and more.|

Join Us! In addition to 100+ exhibition participants, the MdW Assembly will be hosting spaces for anyone to jump in and present their artist-run projects. Screening space, performance space, poster walls, print shops, workshop spaces, parking lot tailgates, and a poster wall are all available.

MdW is more than a fair – Co-designed by an group of seven organizing partners from across the region, MdW also invites audiences to connect with us through a series of regional road trips we’re calling MdW Drifts and growing online publication of over 60 essays from across the midwest – the MdW Atlas.

Assembly Participants: {\}() {\}∆‡!(){\} Laboratorio Tangencial de Arte Posnación, 062, 4Ground: Midwest Land Art Biennial, ADDS DONNA, Artists on the Lam, Arts & Literature Laboratory, Ash Arder, Beco Gallery, boundary, BYP100, The Collective Mending Sessions, Ceramics School, Chicago Art Department, Chicago Gay Drink & Draw, Chris Collins, Chuquimarca, Comfort Station, Commercial Gallery, commonworks, Compound Yellow, Curiouser & Curiouser, Decay Devils, Deep Space, Experimental Sound Studio, Flatland, GnarWare Workshop, Heal Thy Anus, Ignition project space, Indigenous Peoples Art Gallery and Cafe, Inga Books, Intersect, Iowa Lakeside Lab / Iowa State University, Jude Gallery, KC Underground Film Festival, Kostas Contemporary, Latitude Inc,Lease Agreement, LVL3 + Arts of Life, Arts of Life, Mayfield, Mirror Lab, Moody, Night Club, Nightingale Cinema, Nomadicube, NON:op Open Opera Works, Nox Library, Obsolete! Press, Ohklahomo, OJEADA, Open Air Media Festival, Plug Gallery, Red Line Service, Roman Susan Art Foundation, Roots & Culture, Second Shift Studio Space of St. Paul, Spaces for Possibilities, SPACORE, Steel Studio Foundation, Talking Dolls, Terrain Exhibitions, Thank You So Much For Coming, The Ekru Project, The Franklin, The Latent Space, The Martin, The School of Making Thinking, The UFO Lobby, Tritriangle, Troost Gardens, Unpacked Mobile Gallery, Witt Siasoco

MdW Assembly
Schedule
Friday: 5:00 – 8:00 PM: Opening Night
Saturday: Noon – 9PM: Assembly Visiting Hours; 6:00 – 9:00 PM: Evening Programming; 9:00 PM- Midnight: After Party @ Co-Prosperity Chicago
Sunday: 1:00 – 5:00 PM: Assembly Visiting Hours

Programming details forthcoming at MdWfair.com

MdW Atlas Editors: Public Space One (John Engelbrecht and Kalmia Strong, IA), Confluence Studio (Sam Gould, John Kim, and Duaba Unenra; MN), Kimi Kitada (MO), Nance Klehm and Kristi McGuire (IL), Curt Meine (WI), Talking Dolls (MI), Big Car (IN); (Aug): Cameron Gray/The Buxton Initiative (IA), Confluence (Sam Gould, John Kim, and Duaba Unenra; MN), Stephanie Koch (MO), Kristi McGuire and Tempestt Hazel (IL), Dan S. Wang (WI), Ashley Cook (MI), Brett Bloom (IN); Project Editor: Mairead Case

MdW Organizing Partners: Confluence: An East Lake Studio for Community Design (Minneapolis, MN), Public Space One (Iowa City, IA), Charlotte Street Foundation (Kansas City, MO), Bulk Space (Detroit, MI), Wormfarm Institute (Reedsburg, WI), Public Media Institute (Chicago, IL), Big Car (Indianapolis, IN).

 

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: {\}() {\}∆‡!(){\} Laboratorio Tangencial de Arte Posnación, 062, 4Ground: Midwest Land Art Biennial, ADDS DONNA, Artists on the Lam, Arts & Literature Laboratory, arts of life, Ash Arder, Ashley Cook, Beco Gallery, Big Car, boundary, Brett Bloom, Bulk Space, BYP100, Cameron Gray, Ceramics School, Charlotte Street Foundation, Chicago, Chicago Art Department, Chicago Gay Drink & Draw, Chris Collins, Chuquimarca, Comfort Station, Commercial Gallery, commonworks, Compound Yellow, Confluence, Confluence Studio, Confluence: An East Lake Studio for Community Design, Curiouser & Curiouser, Curt Meine, Dan S. Wang, Decay Devils, Deep Space, Duaba Unenra;, Experimental Sound Studio, Flatland, GnarWare Workshop, Heal Thy Anus, Ignition project space, Indigenous Peoples Art Gallery and Cafe, Inga Books, Intersect, Iowa Lakeside Lab / Iowa State University, John Engelbrecht, John Kim, Jude Gallery, Kalmia Strong, KC Underground Film Festival, Kimi Kitada, Kostas Contemporary, Kristi McGuire, Latitude Inc, Lease Agreement, Lower West Side, LVL3 + Arts of Life, Mairead Case, Mana Contemporary, Mana Contemporary/Open House, Mayfield, MdW Assembly, Mirror Lab, Moody, Nance Klehm, Night Club, Nightingale Cinema, Nomadicube, NON:op Open Opera Works, Nox Library, Obsolete! Press, Ohklahomo, OJEADA, Open Air Media Festival, Plug Gallery, Public Media Institute, Public Space One, Red Line Service, Roman Susan Art Foundation, Roots & Culture, Sam Gould, Second Shift Studio Space of St. Paul, Spaces for Possibilities, SPACORE, Steel Studio Foundation, Stephanie Koch, Talking Dolls, Tempestt Hazel., Terrain Exhibitions, Thank You So Much For Coming, The Buxton Initiative, The Collective Mending Sessions, The Ekru Project, The Franklin, The Latent Space, The Martin, The School of Making Thinking, The UFO Lobby, Tritriangle, Troost Gardens, Unpacked Mobile Gallery, Witt Siasoco, Wormfarm Institute