Two for the road - Arts Club of Chicago holds exhibitions of Daniel Buren and Richard Pettibone

Art in America, Sept, 1995 by Susan Snodgrass

Together, these exhibitions provided an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the Arts Club - past, present and future. When the Arts Club originated 1916, Chicago was a small but growing cultural center, with some 30 commercial galleries, the Renaissance Society (1915) and the Art Institute. Despite its adventurous aura,the city was not quick to embrace modem art. When the Armory Show came to Chicago in 1913, students of the School of the Art Institute burned of effigies of Matisse on the museum's steps. The Arts Club, under the leadership of Rue Winterbotham Carpenter and Alice Roullier, quickly became a necessary and important alternative to the Art Institute for the showcasing of avant-garde art in the Midwest. Its activities included significant exhibitions of works by Picasso (1923), Braque (1924), Noguchi (1930), Dali (1940) and Pollock (1942), among other 20th-century masters.

During the postwar years, the Arts Club continued its commitment to modernist art. By the late 1960s and early'70s it had lost much of its momentum, as it rested too comfortably on its laurels. Exhibitions during those years reflected the hidebound tastes of its increasingly elderly membership. Meanwhile, the opening of the MCA (1967) gave rise to a lively commercial art center in the River North area, as well as to several important alternative spaces, including N.A.M.E. (1973) and Randolph Street Gallery (1979).

Pat Scheidt, who served as director from 1973 to 1992, provided steady, albeit staid, leadership during her tenure. A lackluster program, waning membership and mounting financial troubles kept the Arts Club from being a significant player during the boom of the 1980s. At the same time, the Renaissance Society gained new importance under the guidance of Suzanne Ghez, who became director in 1975, creating an increased rivalry among all the institutions for members and audiences for contemporary art.

However, recent changes in leadership suggest that the Arts Club is searching for a new direction. In March 1994, Cathy Cottong, former director of Chicago's now defunct Center for Contemporary Art, was appointed artistic director. Cottong replaced former director Robbin Lockett whose tenure lasted less than a year

A new director, coupled with a new building, raises hopes for a revitalized Arts Club, one that can make significant contributions to the city and to contemporary art, just as it did at its inception. So far, Cottong has been reluctant to articulate the Arts Club's curatorial vision, although exhibitions of works by Marcel Broodthaers [Nov. 8, 1995-Jan. 6, 19961, Malcolm Morley [Jan. 17-Mar. 16,1996] and David Ireland [Mar. 27-May 25, 19961 are scheduled for this season. Still cautious optimism is warranted: dare we imagine a new Magnificent Mile, just east of the original with the new Arts Club and the MCA as its twin anchors?

1. The Arts Club had four different homes before the 109 E. Ontario St. location: the Fine Arts Building at 410 S. Michigan Ave., 1916-18; 610 S. Michigan Ave., 1918-24; the Wrigley Building's North Tower, 1924-36; and the Wrigley Building's South Tower, 1936-37.