Micro Gallery Joins Terrain Biennial!

Outdoor Version of Angelica Kauffman Gallery by Elaine Luther, as installed for the Terrain Biennial in September 2021.

Whew! We’re installed! If you’re in Chicagoland, you can visit this outdoor micro gallery in person! It’s installed at 527 S. Humphrey Ave., in Oak Park, IL as part of the Terrain Biennial! Terrain runs October 2 through November 15, though the piece is already up and ready to view!

Art shows inside the gallery will change about every two weeks during the Biennial.

Acknowledgements and Thanks!

Thanks a million to my family! They helped design this crazy thing, which wasn’t easy, and then to build it, which took an estimated 40 hours!

That got the gallery to this point:

The shell of the outdoor Angelica Kauffman Gallery, during the building process.

Then I painted the inside and out with exterior grade paint and added the roofing shingles. The shingles are hand split cedar shingles, made for dollhouses, that I installed with waterproof glue and then, sealed.

Here’s an in progress shot of the roofing job:

PlayMobil Figure Shingles the Roof of the Angelica Kauffman Gallery. We’ve had suggestions of names for our tiny roofer – Sally the Shingler, or Gabby the General Contractor.

Getting the roof done was an exciting milestone! But I couldn’t seal it yet, as I had to flip it upside down and continue painting. The exterior paint needed 4 hours to dry between coats, so that took forever. And I had to be very careful to not fill the channels that hold the plexiglass with paint, or the windows wouldn’t fit anymore.

This is the first outdoor micro gallery, as far as I know, that has windows on three sides!  Of course, with all those windows, we then had to add interior walls.  Lots of full sized galleries have moveable interior, or gallery walls, so that made sense.  That gives us 5 surfaces to install art on, plus floor space for sculpture.

Thanks to Terrain Exhibitions for selecting the micro gallery for the Biennial.  Thank you to the Awesome Foundation Chicago, for financial support for this project!  The build was surprisingly expensive, even with all volunteer labor.  Their support will also support return shipping to out of state and international artists, professional signage, as well as insurance costs.

Thanks to my husband, who knows how to do all the things I don’t know how to do, including installing outdoor micro galleries!

Artists in this Show

This show includes artists from the Chicago area as well as out of state.  Mediums include collage, assemblage, pen and ink, oil paint and acrylic paint.

Back wall:  Jill Kramer, @chimerapress.jakramer; Bryan Northup, @bryan.northup; Elaine Luther

Left outer wall:  Daniela Wenzel @danielawenzelart

Right outer wall: Tess Dillenberger @tessdillenberger

Inner walls:  Left: Chocolate by Tamara Wasserman, @wassermantamara; Left Matchbox for the Blue Room by David Morris, @davidmorrispaintings

What is Terrain?

Terrain Exhibitions re-purposes private spaces such as front yards, porches, or windows and turns them into public spaces to foster dialogue between neighbors and provide opportunities for artists and viewers alike to experience new perspectives. Terrain Exhibitions is a 501(c)3 Not for Profit organization established in the State of Illinois. Founded in Oak Park Illinois by artist Sabina Ott, the “Terrain Biennial” has produced editions in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.