Free cool stuff to do this weekend

Two great exhibitions are going on this weekend and through out the summer.  The first exhibit is the Chicago Then and Now: A story by Lee Bey, at the Chicago Gallery in the historic Water Tower. This exhibition is all about photography and pairs historic and contemporary images to examine social change in local neighborhoods. Bey has a great blog here which has proven to be a brilliant platform for his own photographs featured in this exhibit.  

Chicago Then and Now

You may want to check out the Chicago Then and Now exhibit before you go to a performance at the Looking Glass Theater, which was just honored with a Tony for best Regional Theater 2011.... the show, however is not gratis:) but well worth the price of admission I'm told.

Chicago Model City

Chicago Model City, at the Chicago Architecture foundation is another Free exhibit worth it's weight in gold.  It presents the only accurate and current model of the city.  Visitors are also shown how the city plan has grown and been influenced globally and how it connects locally. Featured are plans to beautify the city as well as actively green and gentrify the city. A fascinating look at the city from a view point that is rare.  There is also a great video of how the model was actually made and developed on the exhibit's web site.

Chicago Then and Now: A story by Lee Bey at thru to Jan. 9, 2012

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower 806 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 am – 6:30 pm; Sundays 10 am – 5 pm; Closed holidays Third Tuesdays of the month, February 15 – December 20, 12:15pm: Gallery Talks with Lee Bey

Chicago Model City at

Chicago Architecture Foundation

Atrium Gallery, 224 South Michigan Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Open Daily 9- 6:30 pm

Gallery talks take place every Friday and Saturday at 12:30 pm

http://caf.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=183

Got ink?

My not so recent obsession with tattooing has led me to acquire a collection of vintage photographs of tattooed sailors, some are dated from the 1920's and others seem to be before then and on up until the 1940's.... i am still perusing through the 100's of images and I thought I would share some of them with you... Even in black and white the ink patterns are beautiful

This form of art has long since been an inspiration to me and other designers (as well as a myriad of Chefs) and I have been impressed by the different techniques used in attaining this type of inked perfection....

Reddish Studios from Israel uses a digital inking method right on to the wood as you can see on the table below what an amazing affect it is. Ted Nemeth who has created the tables and benches below uses many different tooling techniques to the leather to make the tattoo designs pop with such intensity. Then there is the chair from Mama Tried Studio and the leather they use is tattooed as if it is skin, the result is nothing short of beautiful....