In a couple of years, Around the Coyote will be 20, and as it heads toward that landmark, it is changing. Our list of things not to miss at this year’s installment reflects some of the changes and reminds potential viewers of a few staples. Of course, almost none of the works was up at the time of writing, so our guidance is minimal — you still will be on a voyage of discovery.
GROUP SHOWS: Last year, for the first time, the Preferred Lofts Building (1552-54 N. Milwaukee Ave.) became the festival’s largest venue exhibiting visual artists. This year it is again, with more than 100 artists’ booths and installations keeping the Flatiron Arts Building (1579 N. Milwaukee Ave.) — once Coyote Central — in second place (showing upward of 60 artists). The Curator’s Choice exhibition, representing the “best of the fest” as selected by Shannon Stratton of ThreeWalls gallery, will introduce 10 emerging artists at its usual venue, the Around the Coyote Gallery (1935 1/2 W. North Ave.).
VIDEO: Coyote gets its first Video Art and New Media Lounge, which over three days will show work by more than 100 artists, including guests Kurt Hentschlager and Carole Kim (at 1275 N. Milwaukee Ave.). These showings complement three other video programs at the Around the Coyote Gallery as well as selections from a project called “Pilot TV” and animations plus live video performances at different venues.
PUBLIC ART: Outdoor sculpture returns to Wicker Park (1425 N. Damen Ave.), joining works by more than 30 other artists showing in the Field House and on the grounds. Highlights of the sculptures are by Sze Lin Pang, Rich Mansfield and Emily Gustafson, and the People Powered collective. The year’s plan to activate unused spaces in Wicker Park also takes an unpredictable turn with “Rebar — Park[ing].”
MURAL: Coyote muralist-in-residence Mike Nelson unveils his “Invasive Spaces,” a work on the colonization of the New World, in the entryway to the Around the Coyote Gallery; it will be up through next September.
PERFORMANCE: “Coyote Spells,” a “participatory public art performance” by Fereshteh Toosi, will lead spectators on a call-and-response tour through Wicker Park in an attempt to tease out some of the area’s actual coyotes. For reservations, call 757-350-5791.
LECTURE: Artist-in-residence Haseeb Ahmed speaks about his site specific piece that turns the Around the Coyote Gallery into a mosque. At 1 p.m. Sunday.
TOUR: Executive director Allison Stites leads a tour focusing on the start and maintenance of an art collection. At Around the Coyote Gallery, 1 p.m. Saturday.
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