For More Pictures Click Here

Factio Magazine's Bowler Hat Art Party Guests

Factio Magazine's Bowler Hat Art Party *All Photos by Fig Media's Billy Rood and Dan In

Factio Magazine's Bowler Hat Art Party

Great art deserves great celebration, and Chicago enjoyed nothing less last Friday, April 25, 2008. Factio Magazine produced its 2nd Annual
After Art Party for the much-anticipated Artropolis/Art Chicago weekend, bringing on local celebrity hosts Ali Azhar and Kelly Edwards of “Design on a Dime.” A tireless and fashionably-adorned stream of artists, collectors and the city’s elite packed En-Vent, at 344 N. Ogden, to hail the talent that storms Chicago once a year for an unparalleled show.

Dubbed the “Bowler Hat Art Party,” the festive theme was inspired by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte’s renowned painting. Works by Jack Perno, JC Steinbrunner, Christine Scott, Elizabeth Fraiberg, Neftali Centeno, Casey Murray, Ryan Shultz, Adam Gondek and Nick Volkert covered the brick walls of the swanky venue. Guests poured over Perno’s haunting Polaroids of enigmatic beauty and Shultz’s arresting oils that capture the idiosyncrasies of the urban youth. A multimedia mix of video and lights, created by the avant-garde arts collective group M5, gave the spacious spot an alluring aesthetic appeal of its own.

Guests also took part in The Peshtigo's Bubble-Rama, a short 30 second film, where party-goers could guess the ending to be entered to win a prize package from Lucky Strike and AMC, as well as the Summersent table with Evanston-based perfumer Marjorie Kitzrow on hand to show guests her dream-like product. In the center, two European furniture lounges courtesy of IQMatics made for a comfy and sleek place for guests to people watch, while listenting to high energy beats by Fig Media DJs' Tim Musho and Alvin Black.

The VIP crowd enjoyed hors d'oeuvres of lamb ribs by Viand and risotto cakes by Citizen Bar, indulged in chocolate-covered fruit at The Melting Pot’s delectable fondue chocolate fountain, and flocked the RUBI REY RUM open bars to grab the popular RUMbrandts (Rum and Coke), the Stingray (accented with Passion Fruit) or the Del Sol (with Triple Sec and fresh lime), along with red and white wine.

The gift bags sponsored by Factio Magazine and Branmar Swiss Watches were stuffed with an impressive assortment of goodies including $300-value memberships to MutualArt.com, à la mode scarves from Phaiz Boutique, beauty products by Pureology and Be! nail polish, perfume by Summersent, Fragrant Footings, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers catalogs, Michelle Levelle Boutique Lookbooks and the spring issue of Factio.

Sponsored by Artropolis/Art Chicago, The Peshtigo -a 57-story luxury residential condo building launching in Chicago, Branmar Swiss Watches, RUBI REY Rum, Summersent, IQMatics and Michelle Levelle Boutique, the event was as successful as last year’s party at Primitive, which also drew over 600 high-end art enthusiasts.

Throughout the weekend, this year’s Artropolis took over Chicago and featured more than 2,000 artists from 180 galleries and 18 countries. Four fairs ran simultaneously at the Merchandise Mart to showcase various styles of art, while Art Chicago hosted discussions and lectures led by international art figures. Artropolis/Art Chicago is quickly becoming a must-do for art enthusiasts worldwide.
-Grace Bahk