If you’re planning a visit to “The Art of Banksy” in Chicago, the location for the exhibit has become elusive as the artist himself.
A statement from the show’s producers Wednesday read in part: “We regret that due to irreconcilable differences between our organization and the owners of Epiphany Center for the Arts, we are currently confirming an alternate venue for The Art of Banksy.
“Epiphany Center’s management team frequently changed the terms of our agreement in a way that made producing the show in this venue untenable,” the statement continued. “Providing our patrons the optimal art-viewing experience and exemplary customer service is our primary concern.”
A statement from the press representative of the Epiphany Center said communication between the venue and exhibit organizers had broken down.
“Despite numerous good faith attempts, we have not been able to come to terms on a lease that would allow the team behind The Art of Banksy (TAOB) to host their exhibit at our West Loop venue, Epiphany Center for the Arts. After weeks of planning and negotiations that included design and construction details specific to Epiphany’s historic spaces ... the team behind TAOB has ceased communicating with Epiphany and, after nearly a month of negotiations and preparations, all efforts to move forward with a rental agreement have gone unanswered.”
The hugely anticipated exhibit, featuring more than 80 of the artist’s works held by private collectors (many never before seen in public), was originally slated for an exhibit space in the West Loop with a July 1 opening date. Plans for that site fell through in late June, with exhibit producers blaming City Hall red tape. “Delays in city permit approvals necessitated a move,” Corey Ross, president & CEO of Starvox Exhibits, told the Sun-Times in an exclusive interview at the time.
At that time, Ross revealed the exhibit was moving to the 42,000-square-foot Epiphany Center (201 S. Ashland Ave.), with a new opening date of Aug. 7. Ticketholders were notified of exchanges/refunds policy directly at that time.
The local press representative for the exhibit on Wednesday said a new venue location will be announced “in the next few days.”
The Epiphany Center statement also notes that organizers there are “working hard to fulfill the programming and events that were postponed or cancelled to accommodate” the exhibit.
