City Treasurer Judy Rice and well-known philanthropist Michael Leppen will be the special guests at 'The House of Art' Chicago Gay Games Benefit Thursday, Feb. 9. For art lovers the special bonus of the night will also be the world-class artwork that fills the Near North home of the host, Judy Saslow. With a large collection of European outsider art ( also called Art Brut ) , Saslow has accumulated her remarkable collection over more than 20 years and now also owns Judy A. Saslow Gallery. In addition to access to the world-class art throughout the Saslow home and remarks by Treasurer Rice and Mr. Leppen, the event will include live music by singer and pianist Elizabeth Doyle as well as refreshments catered by David Jenson Catering.
The House of Art benefit will take place on Thursday, Feb. 9, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the home of Judy Saslow, 210 E. Pearson St. Tickets range in price from $150 to $2,500 with varying benefits per ticket level. RSVP is required as capacity is limited. Call ( 773 ) 907-2006, or reserve online at www.gaygameschicago.org . Attire is business casual and parking is available at Water Tower Place.
This event is co-hosted by Mike Demetria, Tracy Baim, Bob Klunk, Erik R. Sosa and Mark Kibby, Jeffrey Grinspoon and Jon Foley, Ronna Hoffberg and Dana Mikstay, Shawn McCormick, Greg McNitt, Bernard Bartilad, and Renae Ogletree.
Judy Saslow has been collecting art for more than 20 years. For the last 10 years, she has owned the Judy A. Saslow Gallery, which specializes in outsider, folk and contemporary art. The gallery has a large in-house collection of European outsider art ( also called Art Brut ) .
Saslow's collection includes the largest group of art by artist Bill Traylor, as well as works by Henry Darger, Robert Motherwell, Michel Nedjar, Carlo Zinelli, Edmond Engel, Marco Raugei, Mr. Imagination, Ed Paschke, Nancy Paschke, Nathan Lerner, Lee Godie, Sava Sekulic, Giordano Gelli, Oswald Tschirtner, Jean Dubuffet, Tony Fitzpatrick, African objects and much, much more.
A regular for many years at Chicago's famed Pump Room, Elizabeth Doyle has plied her singing, piano and composition skills at Maxim's, the Cultural Center, Speakeasy Supper Club, the Fairmont Hotel and many other Chicago venues. This past May, she was invited a second time to sing an original Doyle/Kalt comedy number in New York City at an ASCAP/MAC new music showcase. She performed her fifth solo show at Davenport's this past December.
Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will take place July 15-22. More than 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis. The weeklong event will include band, cheerleading and color guard performances, chorus, an ancillary arts festival, and a series of community-organized social events and parties. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 15 at Soldier Field, the lakefront home stadium of American-style football's Chicago Bears. Closing ceremony will be July 22 at Wrigley Field, the home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, located in the heart of Chicago's largest LGBT neighborhood.
For the first time, the Gay Games in Chicago will receive widespread television coverage on the Q Television Network. Global sponsors of Gay Games VII include PlanetOut/Gay.com; Q Television Network; Walgreens; Centaur Entertainment; Orbitz; Sydney New Mardi Gras; Olivia Cruises & Resorts; McKnight Kurland Baccelli; Human Rights Campaign; Chicago Free Press; Mate, Genre, Pink and Girlfriends Magazines; Windy City Media Group; and more than 120 business sponsors.
Registration for Gay Games VII is now open atwww.GayGamesChicago.org ( English ) , www.GayGamesChicago.org/es/ ( Spanish ) , www.GayGamesChicago.org/fr/ ( French ) , and www.GayGamesChicago.org/de/ ( German ) .
