Art Work Day

Join Me for Another Art Work Day in Chicago

Wednesday, I visited Chicago for a day of writing in the wild. I did independet writing I assigned myself and attended The Writing in the Galleries event hosted by the Art Institute of Chicago.

I traveled light this day. My bag felt too light with no computer - like I was missing something. I wore no coat because it's 60°F on a February day.

The train was only 5 minutes late! I loved how the tracks and platform looked through this division of six equal pieces.

I wrote on the train while I sat in one of the backwards seats. I know this bothers some people, but it is fine for me. I do not experience motion sickness while reading on the train, but do in a car.

For the first time, I saw another writer on the train. She sat at the opposite window from me and also got off at the Art Museum stop.

It was a beautiful day in the city! The member hour does not begin until 10 am [on the dot] so I walked down toward the lake instead of Michigan Avenue. At the end of the road in the picture above, Lake Michigan is there, though you cannot see it clearly.

On the way back to the museum campus, I note a runner coming from the path along the lake. She wears a red tank top and black shorts. Her long sleeve is woven through her shirt in the back. On the same sidewalk, a woman pushes a stroller in a full-length jacket and a gray baseball hat.

Shadow Self Portrait!

I walk past two women talking. I overheard, “I am working on an imagined art fair …”

Look! No People! Usually, several couples are taking engagement photos at this time.

This painting was my first stop. This Carrington painting is the only one currently on view in the Art Institute. As much time as I have spent in this gallery, I missed this painting because it is tucked in a corner in a darkened part of the room. It is hung diagonally from the Joseph Cornell Boxes I visit every time!

I spent about thirty minutes with this piece. I did some sketching for the purpose of paying attention to details I would otherwise gloss over if I was just looking.

I made notes with some questions I had assigned myself. I also wanted to be intentional about writing more flash in response to the artwork so I also assigned myself to write three sentences that nodded to a bigger story.

I also did a one-card Tarot reading for the work. I had planned to pack my deck, but forgot them on the treadmill in the three-season porch at home so I used a random tarot card generator. This worked well and I will use it again, rather than bringing the cards. [This may be why I had the feeling that my bag was too light when I started!]

I love the surrealists, so I wandered through the gallery a bit. My Writing in the Gallery event began at noon, so I had to be at the Goff exhibit then.

This is the box I focused on for this visit. You can read more about this work here.

One of the things I love about the museum is the constant change. Many installations are being enhanced or changed so the black dividers blocking entrances were prevalent. Some hammering was echoing in the American Wing that was so loud I had to leave that section.

Writing in the Gallery

was hosted by Nancy Chen in the Goff exhibit. I asked her before we started if I could offer to gather the writers in a group independent of the official event. She was enthusiastic and said her department doesn’t have the capacity to run a program, but they were happy to support an organic lead from one of the members.

The event always begins with simple introductions of the participants and the exhibit. Pencils and notebooks are distributed if you have not brought your own.

Realia is one of the sections of this exhibit, so our first prompt was writing about one of these displayed pieces. I chose the mirror ball ornament which is the first piece you see when you walk in.

Then we wandered in the exhibit noting hypothetical architecture renderings and the fantastical nature of some of his designs [that people actually lived in].

We sat in our circle with our foldable chairs and wrote and had some lovely conversation about a perfectly imagined house tailored to our interests and what we want to do in our homes.

Five writers expressed interest in staying in touch so I sent the initial email early Thursday.

Breaking my Fast

I ended my 44-hour fast with a baguette sandwich from Lea cafe after the writing. It was meh. Not the exact taste I was after. I have a clear taste memory of this type of sandwich, and was a little disappointed. [It was pointed out by my son that this was my own fault!]

I overheard an interview at the table behind me so many notes were taken as I ate.

Back to the Museum

I needed some coffee so went up to the member lounge. I snagged the perfect spot between the bar and a lively conversation behind me. I recognized the voice of one of the men behind either from TV, radio or a podcast. I grew up in this area, and all the stations are Chicago based, but I couldn’t hone in on the location I knew it from.

I had my coffee and water and then was off to the 3 pm Gallery Tour…also hosted by Nancy! We learned about the Cubists. I cut the tour a little short because I took a call from my son.

I visited a new photography installation and then headed to the gift shop to browse.

The 4:40 pm train ride was quiet. The shout of the conductor was loud against the wall of weary. Full days whether work or play especially on such a warm February day. I notice the amount of headphones on the passengers is astronomical.

Now I feel my tired because my sleep was terrible the night before, and I had a bit of cognitive overload.

I love my art days, and they are energizing, but the amount of input is sometimes overwhelming! I am glad I honed into fewer artworks with more depth than trying to see everything.

I have several starts to fiction pieces and doing the tarot reading for the artworks gave me a thread to examine in response to the ideas and emotions surfacing. I will do it again!

My new work day is Wednesday. Kat and I are heading back together so I will have a full focused day of writing!

If you missed my recap of my last art work day you can read that here:

A little more about me: Tammy L. Evans is a writer, teacher, and professional curator living in a tiny house on a peninsula with her husband and adventure cat. Her location device is her loud laugh. She is the creator and host of THE TRIO COURSE. Her poetry has been published in The Storyteller, FoxGlove Journal, Story Hall, Blue Insights, The Partnered Pen, and others. Her fiction has been published in Gone Lawn, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cabinets of Heed, Spelk, Five on the Fifth, Fiction Berlin Kitchen, and longlisted for the Welkin Prize 2026.