The West Loop gallery Spoke is offering up Objet Petit A: an exhibition and auction of artist-created piñatas to benefit both the gallery and the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project. A brand-new organization, CROP was founded to establish community rare-fruit orchards in Chicago and preserve open space. Auction participants will bid on piñatas created by artists Abby Christensen and Emily Vanhoff, Ben Fain, Jose Lerma and Cristina Tufino, Michael Jones McKean, Tomas Moreno, Harriet Salmon, and Astri Swendsrud — and the winners will be able to either keep the works as-is, or bash them up at a public performance event and reception taking place on September 11. more ›