Logan Square’s Big Art Swap Set For Feb. 26

LOGAN SQUARE — Artists from across the city can participate in a large-scale art exchange in Logan Square this month.

Volunteer-led arts organization AnySquared Projects is behind the art swap, set for 6-11 p.m. Feb. 26 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Artists should bring a piece of original artwork to the event. All of the pieces will be raffled off, with the idea that each artist who brings artwork will come home with another artist’s work in exchange.

Past art swaps included paintings, drawings, prints and even sculptures, but any original piece that can be taken home is fair game for submission, AnySquared co-founder Tracy Kostenbader said.

“What’s special about the event is that it breaks down this wall of going to a white wall gallery that’s like, ‘Don’t touch the art,’ versus at the end of the night, everyone has a painting in their hand and it’s really exciting,” AnySquared artist Helen Sanchez-Cortes said.

This is the fourth art swap AnySquared has put on in recent years. The last one, held in 2020, drew more than 100 people, Kostenbader said.

The events are an extension of the organizations broader mission to create community through art, co-founder Brett Swinney said.

For many of the artists who participate, the swaps are a great networking event, the founders said. Swinney said he still keeps in touch with the artists whose work he’s won through previous swaps.

This year’s event will double as AnySquared’s 12th anniversary celebration. The organization recently became a nonprofit after years of only operating through fiscal sponsors, the founders said.

In addition to the raffle, which will include community prizes in addition to artwork, the event will feature interviews with artists. Snacks will be provided.

“It’s just an opportunity to reconnect with the community that’s always supported us so much,” Swinney said. “It’s nice to be able to have these in-person reminders that we’re all still here. That’s the theme of this in general — that we’re still here. AnySquared has been around for 12 years, has volunteers with no budget, and has been able to pull off amazing programs.”

Event-goers who don’t bring art will be asked to make a sliding scale donation to AnySquared, but the founders said no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

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‘Bring Art, Go Home With Art’: Logan Square’s Big Art Swap Set For Feb. 26

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