Shopping - Chicago 2005 - page 228

Taking a Break in Wicker Park
When you're ready to rest your weary self, settle down at a local coffee-
house and soak in Wicker Park's artsy vibe. Earwax Café, 1564 N. Milwau-
kee Ave. ( & 773/772-4019 ), attracts the jaded and pierced set with a
no-frills, slightly gritty atmosphere. Filter, across the street at 1585 N. Mil-
waukee Ave. ( & 773/227-4850 ), is a little more welcoming; comfy couches
fill the main dining room, which features paintings by local artists. Both
cafes are near the bustling intersection of North, Milwaukee, and Damen
avenues—the heart of Wicker Park—and draw a steady stream of locals.
It's here you'll realize that Wicker Park is really just a small town—with
cooler hair and funkier shoes.

Moments

Richard Gray Gallery Richard Gray is the dean of art dealers in Chicago. He
founded his gallery in 1963, has been president of the Art Dealers Association
of America and chairman of the board at the University of Chicago's Smart
Museum of Art, and operates a second gallery in New York. Specializing in
paintings, sculpture, and drawings by leading artists from the major movements
in 20th-century American and European art, Gray and his son, Paul, who now
runs the Chicago gallery, have shown the work of such luminaries as Pablo
Picasso, Jean Dubuffet, Willem de Kooning, Alexander Calder, Claes Olden-
berg, Joan Miró, and Henri Matisse. John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., Suite
2503. & 312/642-8877. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago.
Vedanta Gallery Owner Kavi Gupta is widely credited with kicking off the
West Loop art scene when he developed this property as a home for new gal-
leries. Vedanta specializes in contemporary art by national and international
emerging artists, so you never quite know what you're going to see here. Also
worth checking out in the same building are Thomas McCormick Gallery
( & 312/226-6800 ) and Kraft/Lieberman Gallery ( & 312/948-0555 ). 835 W.
Washington St. & 312/432-0708. Bus: 20 (Madison).
Wood Street Gallery & Sculpture Garden The most appealing and
enduring gallery in Wicker Park is undoubtedly Wood Street, a lovely, expansive
second-floor space dealing in contemporary sculpture, figurative and narrative
paintings, and manipulated photography (there's also a sculpture garden next to
the building). Owner Mary O'Shaughnessy makes a point of emphasizing local
and national emerging and midcareer artists. 1239 N. Wood St. (just north of Division
St.). & 773/227-3306. Subway/El: Blue Line to Division.
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery Bob Zolla and Roberta Lieberman kicked off the
River North revival when they opened their gallery here in 1976. Today,
Zolla/Lieberman represents a wide range of artists—including sculptor Deborah
Butterfield, installation artist Vernon Fisher, and painter Terence LaNoue—and
this gallery is generally considered the grande dame of the area. 325 W. Huron St. (at
Orleans St.). & 312/944-1990. Subway/El: Brown Line to Chicago.
LINCOLN PARK
The North Side neighborhood of Lincoln Park has a variety of unique specialty
shops that make it a pleasure to browse through this leafy, picturesque commu-
nity. While many of the shops on Michigan Avenue are branches of national
chains and offer few surprises, the shops and boutiques in Lincoln Park tend to