“The annual RNDD Gallery Walk brings the local community, artists, and interior designers together in an inviting, unpretentious way. This enables the designers and artists to collaborate and showcase their highest levels of creativity, while interacting with the public via education and inspiration,” said Daniel Kinkade, founder and president of Daniel Kinkade Fine Art, a Chicago-based company that works to serve as a liaison between artists and collectors.
Kinkade, an art consultant, has assisted in recruiting and curating artists to be a part of the 6th annual River North Fall Gallery Walk, which will take place on September 10 and September 11, 2021. This year’s event will feature 25 artists and 18 designer vignettes across 20 locations throughout the River North Design District in Chicago.
“In our neighborhood, in the River North Design District, there is a really nice peppering of art galleries, as well as interior design, furnishings, and plumbing showrooms. It’s all in the area that is anchored by the Merchandise Mart,” said Jill Maremont, chief executive officer and principal of Inspiration Station collective LLC, a marketing and public relations firm that works specifically within the design industry.
“We thought it would be a really fun idea to collaborate with artists and with our local galleries to put on a giant gallery walk where people could go from place to place, visiting each of the locations and have parties going on simultaneously. Then we sort of folded in layering our designer members into this and we have asked them to create these vignettes. For this one evening every single showroom has something going on,” Maremont added.
Some of the artists and designer vignettes of this year’s River North Design District, or RNDD, Gallery Walk comprise: Yamini Designs LLC and Interiors by Francesca featuring Linc Thelen at Calia Stone Boutique and select student works from Chicago Art Partnerships in Education, or CAPE; PROjECT. interiors featuring Patrick Sansone at 210 Design House; Studio 6F featuring Colt Seager at bulthaup; Elizabeth Scott Design Group featuring David Yarrow of Hilton | Asmus Contemporary; Variant Collaborative featuring Adam Thomas of David Kinkade Fine Art at Roca Tile; Centaur Interiors featuring JD Miller at Samuel Lynne Galleries; Cosentino featuring Keith Smith AKA Afrokilla at Cosentino City; Alissa Johnson Interiors featuring Lucy Slivinski and Tom Klein at Oscar Isberian Rugs; and Kahler Slater featuring Katherine Lampert of Daniel Kinkade Fine Art at The Luxury Bed Collection; among many others.
Supported by a number of collaborative partners, such as Daniel Kinkade Fine Art, Kahler Slater, Benjamin Moore, Roca, Merida, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Anheuser-Busch, Collective Arts Brewing, The Godfrey Hotel Chicago, EXPO Chicago, CAPE, and the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, among others, the RNDD Gallery Walk’s proceeds will benefit the nonprofit River North Design District and a portion will also go towards its philanthropic partner, Digs with Dignity.
“Digs with Dignity provides furniture and design services for people who are transitioning out of homelessness. It’s a really good fit for us, because it is within this interior design industry and it is creating environments for marginalized people. That really is important for us,” Maremont said.
The RNDD Gallery Walk begins with a Kickoff Party at Calia Stone Boutique from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 10 and finishes with an After Party at 210 Design House from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CT. Tickets are currently available for the two events.
Showroom events, which will be open to the public from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 10 are free to attend, as well as the open house on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. CT. The vignettes will remain on display until October 11, 2021.
“Every year it just grows, and grows, and grows. I think the first year we may have had eight showrooms participate. The last time we did it, in 2019, I believe we had like 33 locations. This time we have 20, which feels like it is sized right,” Maremont said.
“This is just a way for us to welcome our entire community into our showrooms, and say, ‘come on in, have a drink, see what this is all about,’” Maremont added.
Text: Brenna Buckwald
Photography: Gianni Franchellucci, Roberto Lopez, Lukas Machnik Design, Aimee Mazzenga, Peter McCullough, Andino Photography
