Buddy (Hi-Buddy.org), located on the first level of the Chicago Cultural Center, supports more than 200 local artists and small manufacturers selling Chicago-made art, objects and more. This year, the Buddy Store offers special, bespoke holiday gifts from Chicago makers for every shopping list, including the Pizza for Everyone cookbook from Crust Fund Pizza, a Loop Tote from Buddy MFG and Neatline Cartography, Hand Carved Wood Bowls and Utensils from Anne Farlee and Potato Candles from Luba Mendelevich. Buddy’s store hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For the 2022 Holiday Season, Buddy will present “Ornaments for All,” its second annual one-of-a-kind ornament show featuring work from more than 30 Chicago artists from November 18 to December 31, with an opening reception scheduled for Tuesday, December 6 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.
While holiday shopping at the Chicago Cultural Center, visitors are also encouraged to visit the many visual art exhibitions that are on view, including the latest immersive exhibition, “Exact Dutch Yellow,” which transforms Exhibit Hall into a series of immersive color and light installations using botanical colors in combination with color changing light conditions that transform into abstracted, atmospheric experiences. Free architectural tours, artist lectures and additional programming are also taking place this fall and winter. The full schedule of events can be found at ChicagoCulturalCenter.org.
2022 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR BUDDY
Charles H. Kerr Radical Publishers Books
$9 - $23
Link to products
Founded by Charles Hope Kerr, a son of abolitionists, in 1886, Charles H. Kerr Publishing is the oldest continuously running radical publisher in the US, offering "subversive literature for the whole family." This South Chicago publisher offers a fantastic range of contemporary, historical and affordable publications related to the radical, subversive, political and artistic minds of Chicago.
Beyond Heaven: Chicago House Party Flyers — Volume III, From 1983-1992
Almighty & Insane Books
$20
This recently released third and final volume of the Beyond Heaven trilogy shares Mario “Liv It Up” Luna’s collection of Chicago house music flyers (a.k.a. pluggers), ranging from the years 1983 to 1992. This volume once again brings you straight to the source for the who/what/when/where and visual aesthetics of the time when house music was born and took over Chicago. Published by Almighty & Insane Books, a platform to examine and preserve history and culture from the city of Chicago by working with artists and archives.
Potato Candles
Luba Mendelevich
$20 - $35
No, they don’t smell like potatoes, but they sure look like them! Made with pure beeswax, these carbs are so empty they will literally melt away. Made by Noble Square-based artist Luba Mendelevich.
Jetsy Merchblatt Caps
$30
Hats for people with a sly sense of humor. These wink-wink caps are made by Jetsy Merchblatt, aka Jesse Malmed, a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, educator and entrepreneur.
Fall Into the Gay Shirts
Body Confidence
$35
The GAY [Gap] design is a “visual pun” made by members of the queer community for many decades, since (at least) the 1990s. Wear with care while you queer the airport, the institution, the shopping mall or the family gathering. Created by bi-coastal (Chicago and New York where she is in graduate school) artist and performer Alex Schmidt aka @BodyConfidence.
Lakefront Anonymous: Chicago’s Unknown Art Gallery
William Swislow
$40
Thousands of magnificent stone carvings lie hidden in plain sight along Chicago’s Lake Michigan waterfront, a collective work of art and a spontaneous monument to good times by the lake. These carvings are unique in the world and lavishly illustrated in this first book-length treatment. Compiled by William Swislow, a writer and art collector and Aron Packer who has more than 25 years of experience as a Chicago gallerist.
Weaving Mill Textiles
$64 - $110
Scrap Napkins (Set of 4)
The Weaving Mill
$64
W.E.F.T. Rugs
The Weaving Mill
$110
Chenille Shrinky-Dink Throw Blanket
The Weaving Mill
$99
All textiles produced by this artist-run industrial weaving studio in Humboldt Park are gorgeous and thoughtfully made. They make limited runs of woven home goods and apparel, focusing on creative use of dead-stock, scrapped and recycled yarns, as well as supply-chain-forward contemporary materials. In partnership with social services agency Envision Unlimited, they provide textile education workshops for adults with developmental disabilities and host an experimental artist residency program.
Shag Pillows
Envision Unlimited
$90
These voluptuous and unique shag pillows are created by the artists of Envision Unlimited. For over 70 years they have served people with disabilities across all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. These pillows are made from recycled materials provided by the Chicago Creative Reuse Exchange (CCRx).
Ceramic Wreath
Kimberly Kim
$100
Wreaths for those who want to deviate from the traditional holiday decorations. They’re minimalist and playful at the same time. These precious wreaths are made by Kimberly Kim, a ceramicist and photographer, and she makes work at GnarWare Workshop, a ceramics studio in Pilsen. She told us that, “as tricky as it is to pronounce the word ‘wreaths,’ it was difficult to make this gravity-defying ceramic wall hanging.”
Neatline Cartography Maps
$50 - $120
Neatline Custom Cartography produces customized handmade street maps. Rendered in color pencil on cream paper, they are an elegant and one-of-a-kind way to celebrate your favorite place. Neatline is artist Larsen Husby, whose multidisciplinary, conceptual practice focuses on exploring and inhabiting space through mapping and walking.
Hanging Chancla Planters
Francisca Villagrana
$135
These artfully slip-cast ceramic planters can be hung or displayed on a shelf with vertical and horizontal drainage holes for plants. Created by Francisca Villagrana (Frenchy), a Chicago based ceramic artist from Cicero whose practice is primarily mold making, slip casting and wheel throwing. She also teaches at the GnarWare Workshop ceramic studio in Pilsen.
About Buddy
This collaboration between Public Media Institute and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) furthers both institutions’ goals of providing visibility and opportunities to artists across the Chicagoland area. Through exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances, readings, and product launches, Buddy works to bring the creative output of our city’s neighborhoods to the city center for visitors and locals alike to consume. Buddy is a place that introduces the world to the people making it happen in Chicago, a place that helps them create a sustainable world we all want to work, play, and live in.
About The Chicago Cultural Center
Drawn by its beauty and the fabulous free public events, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Chicago Cultural Center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in Chicago. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions, and family events. In 1991, the building was established as the Chicago Cultural Center by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the nation's first and most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue. Every year, the Chicago Cultural Center presents hundreds of free international, national, regional, and local artists, musicians, and performers, providing a showcase where the public can enjoy and learn about the arts.
About DCASE
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 78 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city — to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city — serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE and stay connected via our newsletters and social media. DCASE programming is supported by the Chicago Transit Authority.