Private Archiving Tour w/ Tequila Toast + Devils’ Night Party and Midnight Artwork Raffle at Arts Of Life

EarlyWork is heading to Circle Contemporary at Arts Of Life for a night of spooky and philanthropic fun.

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To mark the 8th anniversary of Circle Contemporary, Arts of Life’s gallery, M. LeBlanc has teamed up with the nonprofit on a special exhibition. You’re All Dead to Me features work from over 30 artists who have generously donated pieces for a raffle benefiting Arts of Life—an organization that has championed visibility and studio space for adult artists with developmental disabilities for 25 years.

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EarlyWork members will enjoy a special perk: a private tour of the Arts of Life archive room—a treasure trove of 25 years of archival material—led by Assistant Program Director Andreana Donahue at 6 pm. Afterward, we’ll raise a glass with a tequila toast before diving into the Devils’ Night Party and sticking around for the midnight artwork raffle. Each and every work on view will be raffled off by the end of the night!

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You're All Dead To Me is an exhibition for Halloween. An homage to the Grand Guignol. A tribute to all cabinets of grotesqueries present and past, guest–curated by Marc LeBlanc.

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Featured artists include Omar Abulsheikh, Renata Berdes, Billy Borgerd, Rachel Bos, Peppi Bottrop, Max Capus, Isamu Guy Conners, Maeve Coughlin, Raina ‘Tokyo’ Carter, Jesse Darnell, Rocco DiCaro, Liza Jo Eilers, Jake Fagundo, Danny Frownfelter, Ben Foch, Hans-Jörg Mayer, Manal Kara, James Krone, Vincent Larouche, Lawrence M., Ryan Michael Pfeiffer, Jack O’Sullivan, Scott Reeder, Haynes Riley, Mindy Rose Schwartz, Nick Schutzenhofer, CJ Shaw, Cameron Spratley, Maxwell Volkman, Jean Wilson, and Christina Zion.

Costumes are welcome and encouraged!

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Purchase raffle tickets in advance here.

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About Arts Of Life:

Arts of Life is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in January 2000, with a shared vision: to create a person-centric, working artistic community and provide a work environment of equality and inclusion in Chicago.Started by founding artist Veronica Cuculich and two co-directors, Arts of Life was launched with nine intrepid individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their shared vision grew from a passion for artistic expression and a need for an alternative system. Today we support over 80 artists.For artists at Arts of Life, a career in the visual arts is an opportunity for meaningful employment. At their three professional art studios, each artist has their own studio space and works independently from individualized project plans or receives 1:1 visual arts facilitation to increase their artistic skill set. Artists earn a monthly stipend for participation in the program with eligibility to receive bonuses based on personal annual art sales. In 2021, they launched community programs in partnership with art centers in Evanston and Highland Park to engage more artists in their own communities.

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About Andreana:

‍Andreana received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003. She is a visual artist, writer, and co-founder of the interdisciplinary advocacy project Disparate Minds. Working across painting, sculpture, and textiles, she has organized and participated in exhibitions throughout the US and Iceland. Donahue is a 2018 Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant recipient.

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About Marc:

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Marc LeBlanc is an independent curator and the founder and owner of M. LeBlanc, one of Chicago’s premier galleries for international contemporary art. Prior to opening M. LeBlanc, LeBlanc worked as an independent curator, advisor, and writer, organizing over forty exhibitions for galleries in Berlin, Cologne, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Following his international curatorial work, LeBlanc served as the Director of Programming for Art Los Angeles Contemporary and on the host committees of several benefit art auctions supporting research in healthcare sectors, specifically for autoimmune disorders, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health initiatives. In addition, he wrote numerous reviews and conducted interviews for magazines like Artillery, ArtReview, and Numero.

LeBlanc received a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 before completing his Masters in Exhibition and Museum Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2008.

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