Art is hard—especially for those who feel as though the only space their work will be seen is the one beneath their bed. 

But there is hope, and its name is Beauty & Brawn.

Enter artist Lindsey Meyers, 37, CIW Co-op member and owner of Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery and Think Space at 3501 W. Fullerton. This passionate advocate of the underground arts opened her 1,200 square-foot gallery with mauve colored walls and large windows in March 2012, and making it her mission to give space to undiscovered artists of all mediums.

“There’s amazing art everywhere in Chicago and most of it goes unseen,” Meyers said.

Beauty & Brawn is currently showcasing local art company Loosey Goosey’s The Up & Coming, a display of mixed mediums – such as painting and collage – by four aspiring Chicago artists. During the show’s run through Sept. 28, Beauty & Brawn will be hosting small Saturday showings and events – its first event, Spoken Word, is coming up this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 24.

CIW checked out its opening night July 27 and chatted with Loosey Gooseys’ founders – longtime friends and Columbia College alumni Joseph Crawford, 25, Kyle Lamble, 24, and Jesse Lankford. The dynamic group exposes underground artists through curating shows and publishing work in their quarterly zine.

“Everyone starts as an underground artist—absolutely everybody,” Lamble said. “You can go out and look for that artist that’s already selling his work for $15,000 – but that guy has limited himself to a certain crowd at that point.”

Accented by the vocals of blues and rock ‘n’ roll artist Eli “Tabb” Taber and the aroma of pork belly sliders,  fruit salad and lollipops from chef Doni Everson,  the art at Beauty & Brawn ran the gamut from in-your-face pop art to poetry carved out of books. Some of the pieces were boldly splashed with neon color and glitter, bearing names like “Pizza Slut” and “Beach Slut Rumble.”

Artist Cory Sever, 23, who created the two aforementioned pieces, said he was breaking away from fine art into work that was more fun and humorous.

Another featured artist, 23-year-old Joe Sido, said he trained in photography but felt as though the camera lens limited the messages he wanted to convey. Sido said he wanted to give life to work people could reflect on and interpret for themselves. The book Tree of Codes inspired him to combine his love of poetry with visual art by carving out a book page by page – a visceral poem and treat for the eyes.

“I started doing poetry and photography, and the poetry and the photography weren’t always meshing the way I wanted,” Sido said. “My artwork goes by an ‘art for all, art for one’ philosophy.”

And his creations take dedication—on average, it takes about 100 hours to carve out a book.

Loosey Goosey picked the artists based on their drive and the diversity of their work.

“We like finding people who are still shoving their work beneath their beds rather than pulling it out,” Lankford said. “We want to give them a chance to show it.”

Meyers said she admired Loosey Goosey’s mission because it reflects her own—to give passionate artists a chance.

“I don’t think you need to already have a professional image or huge reputation to be seen,” she said. “I’m trying to show artists the business side of things—that you can make it a viable profession. Good art does not need the validation or approval of others. Good work stands on its own regardless of who creates it.”

Check out Beauty & Brawn’s sitefor more details on Saturday’s event, the gallery and all of its amazing services – like art classes for kids, community events and private functions!

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Written by: Sophia Coleman

Art photography provided by: Lindsey Meyers

Photography by: Sophia Coleman