From President Barack Obama in a provocative pose to the running of the bulls then and now, his is just a taste of the latest exhibit on display at Gallery Guichard. The six-year-old gallery displays a variety of Afro-centric artwork. To get more Chicagoans to take a look, the gallery's proprietor Andre Guichard conceived the Bronzeville Trolley Tour.
"The trolley tour itself is a combination of six organizations in Bronzeville, Hyde Park and Kenwood opening their spaces and their current exhibits. It gives the rider the opportunity to take a glance at the wonderful culture that the South Side offers," Guichard said.
Riders board a Chicago trolley to be transported between several galleries on the Near South Side. It hits the big ones including the DuSable Museum of African American History, The Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center and the Hyde Park Art Center -- where they were recently hosting "Cocktails and Clay." But the trolley also stops at smaller spaces like the Faie African Art Gallery.
"We're the only African art gallery on the South Side of Chicago. We specialize in traditional African art. We also carry African fine art," said Faye Edwards, the owner of Faie.
In fact, DuSable Museum President and CEO Carol Adams was recently at Faie, taking advantage of the tour as well.
"I love her work, I love what's going on here. I'm at my place almost 24/7, so i wanted to move around," Adams said.
Blanc is a newer gallery that has taken residence in the old Chicago Defender building. It has on display visual interpretations of iconic buildings along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"My building specifically was the regal," said artist Krista Franklin. "So I took that building and I kind of played around with the whole notion of this space as a community meeting place."
The tour lasts just three hours, so visitors spend only a short time at each venue. "This has enabled me to take a part of culture that I don't get a chance to actually interact with. It's just fantastic," said trolley "tourist" Laura Levere.
But organizers hope the sample is just enough to whet their appetites for a future visit.
"I call it a smorgasbord of culture on the South Side," Guichard said.
The trolley ride, as well as admission to each of the galleries, is all free during the Bronzeville Trolley Tour.
Gallery Guichard
3521 S. King Drive
Blanc
4445 S. King Drive
Little Black Pearl
1060 E. 47th St.
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell
DuSable Museum of African American History
740 East 56th
Faie
4317 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
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