Get Crafty this Weekend At 50/50 Pilsen

By Michele Lenni in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 28, 2010 8:30PM

It's sort of hard to believe but Christmas shopping ads have already made their way into our living rooms; thanks for that Macy's! As the holiday season looms large over us here at the Chicagoist offices we have all made a pact this year not to leave all of our shopping until that midnight super-sale on Christmas Eve night. One way we've decided to combat our penchant for procrastination is to make the rounds at all of the independent, DIY, handmade artist shows that grace the streets of Chicago throughout the autumn.

Another takes place this coming weekend on Friday, October 1 through Sunday, October 3 entitled "50/50 Pilsen: The Blurring of Art and Craft." The show takes place in Pilsen in conjunction with its 40th anniversary of the Pilsen Art Walk Open House. The DIY-goodness features 15 prominent local crafters in a variety of genres and includes items ranging from paintings to small-scale sculpture, ceramics to embroidered and textile art. According to 50/50's website, the show is said to "explore the blurring of lines between artists and crafters...encourage further support of local artists and D.I.Y. businesses and to facilitate a rethinking of the relationship between art and consumerism within our American corporate run culture."

The three festival organizers, Mandy McGee, a.k.a. Moxie Doll, Megan Owdom-Weitz, a.k.a. Megan Lee Designs and Hesper Wolfe, a.k.a. Subversive Seamstress, are all names we recognize from attending other Chicago DIY events such as Renegade and Department. You may recognize Owdom-Weitz mainly because she travels to almost every show with her insanely adorable dachshund, Heika. Other artists featured at the show include illustrator Laura Berger, jewelry designer Moira K. Lime and husband and wife team Lydia Krupinski and David Paul Downs of the eco-friendly clothing line Perogi Picnic.

Several of us have vowed to get some of this painful shopping done early in a more pleasant enviroment where we can get those one-of-a-kind gifts that our Mom loves so much. We recommend you do the same.

50/50 Pilsen, Friday Oct. 1 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday Oct. 2 from noon - 7 p.m., Sunday Oct. 3 from noon - 6 p.m., 1915 S. Halsted St., FREE