Prime 8 Art League Announces Call For Artists And Gallery Opening

By Julia Weeman in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 14, 2013 10:00PM

Prime 8 Art League is now accepting artist submissions for their June gallery opening, which benefits Marwen, a nonprofit organization that "educates and inspires under-served young people through the visual arts." Five artists will be selected and paid $750 to create original work based on the theme "Rinse & Repeat." The exhibit opening is set for Friday, June 7 at Design Cloud (118 N. Peoria, Suite 2N) and will also include live music from Sidewalk Chalk, food, beer from Revolution Brewery, and a raffle. The event will be free, and you can RSVP online.

Prime 8 is the non-profit extension of Gorilla Group, a local web design and development shop, and was founded by Gorilla's Lead Designer Andrew Vitale. In an e-mail interview with Chicagoist, Vitale explained that though the Prime 8 Art League was originally established to support practicing artists, their mission has evolved. "We realized that there was a whole aspect of support that we were missing out on, specifically developing and providing instruction to new artists. By supporting organizations like Marwen, we can truly make an impact on the art community as a whole," he said.

The open period for artist submissions runs through Feb. 18 and interested artists may apply online. Artists who are interested must include a sample image of their work and Vitale encourages artists "to submit work that is a true representation of their style. When The Prime 8 Art League curates work, we look for unique esthetic, risk-taking ability and complete control of a respective medium."