2nd Floor Rear Returns For 24 Hours Of Art Festing

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 24, 2014 10:40PM

It ain’t easy being an artist, especially in Chicago where resilience, tenacity and the ability to live off Ramen alone are necessary to live among the creative community. That’s why 2nd Floor Rear tries to get some exposure for often overlooked and underfunded DIYers and artists, organizations, projects and gallery spaces around the city, focusing on the Northwest neighborhoods.

The festival takes place each February and runs overnight to showcase more than 24 hours of art events. In 2014, it kicks off Saturday Feb. 1 at noon and runs until 4 p.m. on Sunday. The events will take place in DIY spaces throughout Wicker Park, Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Avondale and Noble Square.

The whole thing starts with a sidewalk parade featuring rock and roll marching band Environmental Encroachment, who departs from the Illinois Centennial Monument at noon. Then the venues open their doors to the public for some gallery-hopping goodness, where you can see exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, zine releases and so on. The lengthy list of participants include Trunk Show, Inside the Artist’s Kitchen, Society of Smallness and the Chicago Traveling Theater Co. You’re probably wondering what the hell you’re going to do overnight at this festival—there’s a slumber party (with food) for those who stick it out late into the evening, featuring performance art by Joshua Roginsky, Alessandra Gomez and Leah Ransohoff. Check out the full schedule here.

These events are all free, which is why 2nd Floor Rear started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for this year’s fest, though they were sadly unsuccessful. But they’re still looking for help—anyone interested in donating can throw them a few bucks on their donation page. And check out this documentary from last year’s installment of the fest: