Authenticity Archives

“The neighbor comes before the house”: finding affinity in Tunisia

On June 6, a group of 19 gathered in our hotel lobby in Tunis. And what was planned as a trip of art patrons to Tunisia was the setting for learning, illumination, friendship and the rare experience to see what political, cultural and social change looks like up close — and in real time. This […]

Jun 28 2022 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

A Case for Chicago Winters

“Winter came and the city turned monochrome — black trees against gray sky above white earth. Night now fell in midafternoon, especially when the snowstorms rolled in, boundless prairie storms that set the sky close to the ground, the city lights reflected against the clouds.” — President Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father: A Story […]

Jan 14 2022 by Madeline Rosemurgy in Editorials

Sounding Boards: Eastlake Studio’s Mural Initiative Amplifies Chicago Voices

At Otherwise, we believe in the power of art to bring communities together, ignite important conversations and explore the world around us through a critical lens. We recently found inspiration in Sounding Boards, an initiative that uses public art as a vehicle to amplify diverse voices throughout Chicago. Technically speaking, a sounding board is placed […]

Sep 15 2021 by Madeline Rosemurgy in Breaking the Grid

How to Use a City: Jim Duignan on Quietly Creating a Radical Social Art Practice in Chicago

‘I’ve been working quietly in the cracks of the city my whole life and all of a sudden there’s a kind of light shining that is often too bright and too constant.’ Born and raised on the North Side of Chicago, Jim Duignan has devoted his life to reinvesting in the city’s most under-served […]

Aug 18 2021 by Madeline Rosemurgy in Breaking the Grid

2008-9 Lycée Français de Chicago Artist-in-Residence Program: Lightyears ahead of #vanlife

As an unintended consequence of the pandemic, the role of the recreation vehicle has become central to the conversation about life in America, and values related to independent thinking, minimalism, adventure and bucking the status quo. But back in 2008, the prescience of an artist keenly observing our culture imagined how a vintage Airstream might […]

Jul 29 2021 by Nancy Lerner in Breaking the Grid