The Martin

The Martin An artist-first community space in the West Town neighborhood in Chicago. We share a home with Split-Rail at 2500 W Chicago Ave.

Tomorrow night visual artist Cay Mims brings her community focused conversation and art practice event humbleDeity to Th...
05/12/2023

Tomorrow night visual artist Cay Mims brings her community focused conversation and art practice event humbleDeity to The Martin, featuring Prints! Prints! Prints! artists Jill Nahrstedt & Jessica Malatia.

Designed to challenge the typical approach of an artist talk, Cay invites the audience to have an open dialogue with artists about their practice, what it means to be an artist, the art community and more.

Rounding out the discussion the artists share a bit of their practice with the audience as well - uniquely transitioning all within the walls of the room to be able to also claim the moniker of artist through their knowledge and creation.

This event is free to attend! Doors at 6:30pm and the event begins at 7. Link in bio to RSVP.

We have entered our final week of our gallery & the exhibitions within it. It’s been such a delight to get to sell and s...
03/12/2023

We have entered our final week of our gallery & the exhibitions within it. It’s been such a delight to get to sell and share so much work from the Prints! Prints! Prints! show as well as Kyle Richer’s takeover of The Robin.

You can visit us today during staffed gallery hours 4-6:30pm, Wednesday during our artist talk (event dropping today!), and Thursday - Sunday of next week.

Link in bio for gallery hours and to RSVP for our closing weekend. 🤍

Alongside our Prints! Prints! Prints! group exhibition we are featuring very giftable mini pottery by artist Kyle Richer...
27/11/2023

Alongside our Prints! Prints! Prints! group exhibition we are featuring very giftable mini pottery by artist Kyle Richer in The Robin.

The Robin is our mini gallery hung in our bathroom - a repurposed vintage jewelry display turned gallery. This will be The Robin’s final exhibition (at least in this space!) and Kyle has created beautiful, charming & delightful pots for you or yours.

Collectors have already claimed a few of them but there’s plenty more to shop from. Stop by the next time you’re in the gallery or visit the links in our bio to see the details around the pots yet to be collected.

DM or email with collection interest today!

The Martin’s final exhibition opens TONIGHT.6-9pm - RSVP for free via the link in our bio or just stop on by.Can’t make ...
18/11/2023

The Martin’s final exhibition opens TONIGHT.

6-9pm - RSVP for free via the link in our bio or just stop on by.

Can’t make it tonight? Check out our website for all of our upcoming staffed gallery hours through 12/10.

My vision for opening The Martin in June of 2018 was to solve a problem in the event landscape of Chicago that I was exp...
14/11/2023

My vision for opening The Martin in June of 2018 was to solve a problem in the event landscape of Chicago that I was experiencing as a producer. I wanted a safe, flexible and affordable storefront in which artists could thrive, be seen and understood and overall: create.

The deep sense of loss I felt in our sudden closure in March 2020 due to COVID-19 after almost two years of rising to that occasion was immense. To be given the opportunity to reopen in June of 2021, adjoined to Split-Rail which I had called a home away from home for years prior, was a dream I didn’t even know I had. The past two years have provided clarity, direction and inspiration for myself and our growing, changing and thriving community.

Today I announce the official, final close of The Martin - a space that bears my father’s name, has grown up with me and will forever be a pillar in my artistic career and exploration in Chicago. Our final exhibitions will have their final weekend with us December 8th - 10th.

Along with our closure announcement we are announcing the close of Split-Rail. I’ve been on the team at Split-Rail for six years and have been grateful for an endless amount of opportunity, growth and knowledge from the generous minds of so many - but especially Zoe and Michelle.

Our vibrant, q***r, events-driven cocktail lounge Dorothy will continue on and I still proudly serve as the Creative Director of the bar - getting to produce events at a rate, impact and variety I could have only dreamed of when I sought out my own business in 2018.

I have found great peace and pleasure in the Curatorial field and will continue to work in many spaces with my focus always being to uplift, encourage and elevate young, q***r, hungry, talented artists. You can follow me at for future calls, shows and more.

Our Hospitality Collective is called Drinking Policy and you can follow us to stay in the know on where you can find us next.

Thank you for believing in me, supporting my dream and loving The Martin right along with me.

🤍Whitney

Opening in one week is Prints! Prints! Prints! - a group exhibition celebrating the art of printmaking.This exhibition f...
11/11/2023

Opening in one week is Prints! Prints! Prints! - a group exhibition celebrating the art of printmaking.

This exhibition featuring 20+ artists from the Chicagoland area and beyond brings a variety of print techniques to our gallery, delightfully ranging in price and scope for all levels of collectors.

Each artist will feature one framed version of their available print along with unframed copies for easy take home and early holiday shopping.

RSVP for our opening next Saturday night from 6-9pm via the link in our bio! ✨

Two more fantastic works hang together in our back room gallery show MUTED & MIGHTY which closes tomorrow night: Heavy i...
09/11/2023

Two more fantastic works hang together in our back room gallery show MUTED & MIGHTY which closes tomorrow night: Heavy is the head by Elise Blair Bagnoli & Family Gathering (2023) by Izzy Cho.

Heavy is the head
• 42” x 54”
• Mixed media (acrylic & oil stick/paint, oil pastel, ribbon, found object)
• $12,000

Family Gathering (2023)
• 24” x 33”
• Laser cut acrylic, hanji, mdf, spray paint
• $4,000

Both works are still available for collection and you can see them tomorrow night during our closing reception from 6-9pm. The gallery is closed tonight for a private event.

RSVP for our closing tomorrow via the link in our bio. DM or email with collection interest!

We are one week away from bringing this dynamic and exciting event to The Martin: Imagining the New Creative Economy bro...
08/11/2023

We are one week away from bringing this dynamic and exciting event to The Martin: Imagining the New Creative Economy brought to us by The Future of Art in America podcast led by Olivia Lilley!

This event is a multi-tiered experience for those in the arts and anyone interested in future entrepreneurial efforts in the art sector. Network with professionals, listen to the stories and guidance by our panel members and even have a chance to pitch your idea to our audience for feedback, support and maybe even the pathway to making your entrepreneurial dreams achievable.

Panelists include screenwriters, curators, producers, actors - all here to share their wisdom and help guide the artists who pitch their creative visions to the room.

Only 10 tickets remain to next Wednesday’s event - link in bio to grab one of the remaining few.

bicatch by Mikey Mosher •13" x 16" x 8" • Letterpress drawer, metal grid, enamel spray paint, mesh, shell, zip ties•$750...
08/11/2023

bicatch by Mikey Mosher

•13" x 16" x 8"
• Letterpress drawer, metal grid, enamel spray paint, mesh, shell, zip ties
•$750

You only have a few chances left to catch CONTAINER CONTINUUM by Mikey Mosher! The gallery is closed tonight for a private event but you can still see the show:

• Wednesday: 5-9pm via Split-Rail
• Friday: 6-9pm at our closing reception
• Sunday: during Gina Cornejo’s DIRTY LAUNDRY event

That’s it! Otherwise the gallery is closed for private events and then we’re on to Prints! Prints! Prints!

Link in bio to RSVP to our closing reception 🤍 DM or email with any collection questions or interest.

📸

It’s our final week of MUTED & MIGHTY and there are still so many great works to collect, like “Barn Light” & “Chocolate...
06/11/2023

It’s our final week of MUTED & MIGHTY and there are still so many great works to collect, like “Barn Light” & “Chocolate City Skies” by artists Matthew Brett & Sunnie Skiez.

Barn Light by Matthew Brett
• 48”x48”
• Acrylic on canvas
• $6,000

Chocolate City by Sunnie Skiez
• 36”x36”
• Aerosol and acrylics on gallery canvas
• $850

Both works are still available for collection!

You can see these works tonight and hear directly about Matthew’s process in humbleDeity: a community-focused conversation & art practice hosted by Cay Mims, also featuring M&M artist Lillian Heredia.

Link in bio to join us for free tonight!

Artists: it’s Industry Night at Split-Rail tonight so grab dinner before the event and get 50% off when you tell them you’re industry. ✨

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2500 W Chicago Avenue

60622

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Our Story

The Martin is a flexible performance and event space located in West Town in the WOW district of Chicago, focused on creating collective experiences with growing the artistic community. Founded by Whitney LaMora + Lora Miller.