the pilsen yards collection

SUPPORTING ARTISTS AT A ZERO PERCENT COMMISSION.

FROM THE BEGINNING, we wanted the arts to play a central role at Pilsen Yards. Art pumps through the veins of Pilsen, from giant murals throughout the neighborhood to national acts that perform at Thalia Hall. We want to contribute in our own way to the vibrant artistic community that is Pilsen. So we built a space where Artists can show their work, both to those coming in specifically for it, and those who stumble through our doors for the first time to grab a drink.

OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT ARTISTS by providing them with a platform to sell their work at a venue with high foot traffic in an art-centric neighborhood.

WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS: WE OPERATE ON A ZERO PERCENT COMMISSION BASIS, and there are no fees of any kind. This allows the artist to keep much more of their sale and the collector to purchase art at a lower rate than they’d find at most galleries (we do ask artists to reduce their prices a little bit from what their gallery sticker price would be in order to make their work more accessible).

IN THE COMING MONTHS, we’ll begin rolling out limited release lines of Pilsen Yards merch, featuring several of the pieces below on the back of shirts. The artist gets half of the net profit of each shirt sold. Our hope is to make shirts that people love, featuring artwork they love, and to create another channel for the Chicago community to support some of their favorite artists.

IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST (or represent artists), and you think your work would look good on our walls, please feel free to share your work with us by emailing your portfolio or images of your work to hang@pilsenyards.com. Please note we have a minimum hang time of 4 months, but prefer 6. Art shows require a minimum of 15 pieces and involve extensive collaborative marketing. We require backup work for any piece we put up so we can replace sold pieces quickly.

THE PY COLLECTION

SINCE OPENING, we’ve acquired some house pieces we’re pretty keen on keeping around.* Below is The PY Collection, curated by our managing partner, PAUL ABU-TALEB, who oversees the arts program at The Yards.

Generally, we’re not really interested in selling our house pieces, but if you think you love something more than we do and you want to make an offer, feel free to bounce it to hang@pilsenyards.com. We’re also happy to get you in touch directly with the artist if you’d like to commission something of your own.

*There are a handful of Laura Goodson pieces still on display that we do not own and are still for sale.

*All Paul Branton pieces are available for sale.

Please inquire if interested.

roger j. carter

JAMES BALDWIN is probably the first person you’ll see when you walk through the revolving door. Completed by Bronzeville native, Roger Carter, The Baldwin went up before we even opened, and has since served as the example of the art we want to put on our walls: original, creative artwork that pops. Perhaps more importantly, the work of Baldwin himself is an ideal we aspire to and his message is one we hope to spread.

mixed media on plywood. 5’x7’

ig handle: @rogerjcarter
contact and inquiries: info@artistreplete.com
learn more about roger

LAURA GOODSON

LAURA GOODSON’S work is a modern representation of americana/western figures of the past. Laura’s work is monochrome, often dominated by bold, hat wearing cowboys, inspired by her childhood in southwest Texas. She shares the story behind the “man in hat” two-dimensionally, through layers of loss and the power of resilience. In June, 2022, Laura debuted our largest solo show to date, featuring 22 pieces. Over $5k in proceeds from this event went directly to families affected from the tragedy that occurred two weeks prior at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, her hometown.

Several of Laura’s pieces are available for sale. Click for more info.

ig handle: @lauragoodsonart
contact and inquiries: via instagram
lauragoodsonart.com

ROBERT LEWIS CLARK

ROBERT LEWIS CLARK’S series, Cerebrum Capacity, somehow complements the scale of The Baldwin to its right. Robert’s work is the result of both a thought intensive and free-flowing process, pulling the first letter of each word in the artist’s head at any given time—from the lyrics to a song to a favorite quote.

cerebrum capacity #1: mixed media on canvas. 8’x8’.
cerebrum capacity #2: mixed media on canvas. 4’x7’.

ig handle: @robertlewisclark
contact and inquiries: nicole@agapecreative.com
agapecollective.com


Lalo cota

LALO COTA is a self-taught, master street artist, drawing inspiration from Mexican folk art to Chicano low-rider culture. His work is iconic in Phoenix, AZ, where he has made his distinct style of Dia De Los Muertos skeletons known throughout the city with impressively huge murals. We were fortunate to host Lalo for a brief installation in October 2021 and decided we should keep a couple of his pieces around.

ig handle: @lalocota
contact and inquiries: via website
lalo-cota.com/

akito tsuda

AKITO TSUDA is a Japanese photographer. Tsuda has published works focused on subjects in Chicago, Osaka, and Tokyo. He has been recognized for his work documenting the Latino community of Pilsen in the early 1990s. We thought his collection would perfectly complement both the space and idea of our neighborhood cocktail concept, The Alderman.

ig handle: @akito.tsuda.photo
contact and inquiries:
https://akitotsuda.wixsite.com/akitotsuda

dwight white

DWIGHT WHITE straddles the line between fine art, sociology and experiential design. Raised in Houston, TX and made in Chicago, IL, White discovered the intersection of consumer insights, sport and artistic experiences while attending Northwestern University as a student-athlete. Nuanced Black Human behavior and personal experiences are prevalent subjects throughout his work. Dwight was part of a 3-artist exhibition in the summer of 2021.

ig handle: @dwhite.originals
contact and inquiries: via website
dwhiteart.com

paul branton

PAUL BRANTON is a Chicago native and perhaps the best kept secret of the art collection at PY. He was influenced at an early age by the sights and sounds of the South Side's urban lifestyle, which is woven into his work through a love story of flesh among concrete and rusted steel. Paul’s pieces can be found in The Alderman.

All of Paul’s work is available for sale—contact nicole@agapecreative.com for info.

ig handle: @urbanmenta
contact and inquiries: urbanmenta@aol.com
paulbranton.com

Jenny vyas

JENNY VYAS is a contemporary fine artist based out of Chicago. Her interest in the human condition, emotions, and frailty shows in her paintings where she creates semi-abstracts of human silhouettes and fluctuating forms in half-light; all drawn from reality, personal experiences, and memories. Jenny has had two shows at Pilsen Yards, including our debut show in November 2020.

ig handle: @jennyvyas
contact and inquiries: info@artistreplete.com
jennyvyas.com