Firecat Projects

Firecat Projects is an independent art gallery in Wicker Park. A friend and I attended their «Fourth Friday» monthly event, in which they have a reception (free admission) for a new and upcoming artist. There are complementary appetizers and alcohol (But you should tip, people. That child support can wait). So many studios take 40 — 50% of what the artist sells but Firecat Projects is unique because, like the artists’ hair, they don’t get a cut.
This is a great, nonchalant crowd. Although most folks there are in the art scene, I didn’t feel compelled to make profound, mind-​numbing observations about the art. However, I did note that one piece was «transcendent» and another «really ties the room together.» There were also a handful of freeloaders. They are the ones sucking down bottles of beer like piglets ferociously attacking their mom’s teet. But overall it is a friendly place, and unlike the MCA Friday events, ladies don’t need to worry about looking away and then discovering their drinks so bombarded with roofies, if you threw said drink at a charging rhinoceros, it would immediately collapse in its tracks.
By the way dress code is way casual. The fashion bar is set so low even Stephen Hawking could jump over it. We are talking about artists after all. My friend and I spent 15 minutes talking to a guy wearing a tin foil sweater and shoes that would’ve gotten him kicked out of a bowling alley. The conversation about lake toxins and the city’s antiquated tax code were interesting nonetheless.
So get on out to this event and help local artists fulfill their dreams. Don’t worry — Starbucks will find someone else to make your mocha-​cookie frappuccinos.