Industrial bead chains flowed freely against the crimson brick wall; colorful glass balls shined under white strip light; artists conversed over drinks and desserts. On Thursday, November 1, the Polsky Center, along with the Hyde Park Art Center and Chicago-based artist Beth Kamhi, turned the Polsky Exchange into a postmodernist art gallery. As the latest joint force effort to combine arts with entrepreneurship, the Polsky Center installed 12 art pieces by Kamhi to decorate its coworking and office space at the Exchange, and it is expecting further collaboration with the Hyde Park Art Center.
The art opening on November 1 featured Kamhi’s signature industrial bead chains, which have been displayed in many other facilities around the Chicago area. Kamhi participated in The Center Program at Hyde Park Art Center five years ago as an artist in residence and has stayed in touch with the center since then. When the Polsky Center announced that it was accepting proposals for its art installation project as part of the partnership with the Hyde Park Art Center, Kamhi heard about this opportunity through the art center and jumped right in.