On the morning of Thursday, January 23, Woman Made Gallery’s new space in the Acme Artists’ Community was a mess. Water dripped from a mysterious pipe coming from the heating unit, frigid air poured in through a hole in an outside wall, a row of track lights hung precariously from the ceiling, and wiring was visible through round holes in the drywall. Paint splatters and white dust covered the floor. One of the two galleries lacked a thermostat, so staffers were turning the heat on and off at the fuse box. They were also trying to clean up so they could unpack and hang the art for two exhibits scheduled to open the following night–something they usually have an entire week to do.
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Things hadn’t been going well since January 4, when Woman Made moved into its new 2,300-square-foot home. The ten-year-old nonprofit had spent the past five years in the historic Keith Mansion on Prairie Avenue. Modifying the space or even mounting installations was prohibited by the building’s landmark status, so by last summer, after they learned their rent was going up, they decided to move into Acme. Administered by the Near Northwest Arts Council, the three-building complex is a limited-equity condominium development designed to include 20 live-work spaces, common areas such as a rooftop deck and a darkroom, and five street-level commercial spaces.
NNWAC began planning the $3.2 million project in 1991 and five years later purchased the 40,000-square-foot former metal stamping factory at 2418 W. Bloomingdale for $299,000. After the usual hassles lining up permits and contractors (some of which were detailed in a 2001 Reader cover story) the council finally broke ground in March 2002. Six residential units were scheduled to be completed last fall, and two nonprofits–the Chicago Community TV Network and the Chicago Mutual Housing Network–moved in last November. At press time only one of the 20 residential condos was occupied; seven were finished. According to NNWAC executive director Laura Weathered, who’s also the project manager, the construction delay was due to plumbing problems. Five more residents are coming in February, she says, and the rest are supposed to move in in March and April.
Not true, says Minkovski. “We could have done it, though. The other space asked us not to move out until spring, when it would be easier to rent it. I could have stayed there gladly until March.”
Weathered, who says she hasn’t had time to paint in the past year and plans to move into the building in March, also attended the opening. “I thought it was brilliant,” she says. A few other Acme members were there as well; they took their friends upstairs for a tour.
