Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Crowley.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Produce Model’s other Co-Director, Javier Bosques, and I worked at an artist residency in Maine and it was a special place. Artists were invited with studio spaces available but could choose to come and just enjoy Acadia National Park. The only stipulation of accepting the residency was to give a brief lecture.
We hosted lectures three nights a week and it was an illuminating experience. Some artists chose to talk about their practice and some chose to lecture about their most recent birthday party or how the moon controls the tide of the Atlantic ocean. Working with artists in such an unrestricted environment inspired us to begin building PM.
While eating Korean BBQ in Los Angeles in the winter of 2015 we decided to look for a space in the Chicago neighborhood we both lived in. We found an old laundromat with big windows and it has been the perfect location.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road but not without struggles. It is hard running a small business when you have a full-time job. We also had some building related issues pop up and that was challenging.
I think the idea of time management gets a bad rap because it requires so much structure, planning, and administrative double checking. However, I think it can also be a poetic method for creating awareness. Javier and I have struggled with managing our time and our artists’ time, but we are learning a lot.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Produce Model Gallery – what should we know?
Produce Model Gallery places special interest in presenting curated exhibitions at the service of the Chicago community. PM is committed to bringing artists from varied backgrounds together as a means of creating the individual and collective agency. As an artist-ran space, PM Gallery maintains a concentrated sensibility for production, time and ideas.
PM specializes in exhibiting contemporary art and creating community programs. Over the summer one of the artists we work with, Caleb Yono, hosted a drag show titled, “Night of a 1,000 Amanda’s” based on the life and work of Amanda Lepore. For our fall exhibition, Quiet Storm, artists Ayanah Moor, and Krista Franklin hosted a performance night with poets and performers from all over the city. Most recently, we screened Sharon Hayes’ work, “Ricerche: three”.
I don’t think we are very different from other local galleries but we do put a little extra effort into our openings. We serve warm food and you can stay as long as you want.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
One thing that has afforded us success is planning exhibitions based on ideas and not commercial trends. We are an artist-centered space first and foremost and that has seemed to serve us and our audience.
Also, Javier and I both care a lot about the experience of coming into PM and we try to make that as warm and welcoming as possible.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1007 W 19th St Chicago, IL 60608
- Website: www.produce-model.com
- Email: producemodel.gallery@gmail.com
- Instagram: producemodel_gallery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/producemodel/
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