A Closer Look: Artist & Curator Dinner

On Saturday, September 26, the Spudnik Press 2015 Annual Benefit will raise an anticipated $10,000+ to support the mission of our humble organization. Now in our eighth year, we are excited to introduce a new component to the festivities, an exclusive dinner with select artists and curators at DMK Restaurant’s Ada Street on the Thursday preceding the auction, September 24.

The Artist & Curator Dinner is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to sit down with some of the Annual Benefit’s contributing artists and the Founder and Director of Spudnik Press, Angee Lennard, for an evening of conversation, great company, and great food. Tickets to this intimate dinner are very limited.

An Exclusive Dinner at Ada Street:

Ada Street, listed as one of Zagat’s 10 Most Famous Tables, will present a special wine and dinner menu specifically for Spudnik Press Cooperative. Ada St. showcases a passion for fresh, beautiful ingredients along with an exceptional list of spirits, wine, and handcrafted cocktails on an ever-changing, seasonal menu. The proud recipient of a Bib Gourmand designation by Michelin Travel & Lifestyle, Ada St. was profiled in Time Out Chicago’s 100 Best Things We Ate And Drank in 2012, named one of the 10 Best New Restaurants (2012) by Chicago Magazine, and received Best Chocolate Dessert in Chicago (2012) by Chicago Magazine. Designed by 2to5design, Ada St. is one of the most unique dining and entertaining venues in Chicago.

Who will be at the table?

Jason Pickleman is well-known in Chicago as an avid art collector and a trailblazer. His influence in pervasive, with Hyde Park Art Center, the Renaissance Society, and numerous other cultural institutions as clients of his design studio JNL. This fall, we will see his impact at EXPO Chicago.

Claire Ashley has had a stellar year of exhibitions in which she has blended performance, painting, soft sculpture, ceramics, fashion, and graffiti. Her work is currently on view in Detroit’s Youngworld International and was recently exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center. At Spudnik Press, she branched out and produced a monoprinted dyptich that will be available through bidding at Saturday’s auction.

Richard Hull, recently interviewed by Inside/Within, is well known for his colorful crayon drawings and painting reminiscent of the Chicago Imagist painters, whom he has shown alongside at Phyllis Kind Gallery since the 1970’s. More recently, his work can be found at Western Exhibitions and his paintings, drawings and prints are in the collections of several museums including the Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, D.C.; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Smart Museum, Chicago.

The table wouldn’t be complete with out Spudnik Press Founder and Director, Angee Lennard. Over the course of eight years, Lennard has established Chicago’s premiere community-based printmaking studio, a creative center that brings together hundreds of artists each year with a focus on collaboration among artists and creating a pipeline for anyone who wishes to be creative through print.

To wrap up the experience:

Each guest at Thursday’s Dinner are gifted two tickets to Saturday’s Preview and Benefit. This portion of our Annual Benefit invites our supporters to visit our studio, experience printmaking first hand, and spend time with the 35 artworks donated and commissioned for our silent auction.

Limited tickets are available for $250.

Purchase Tickets