In Brief

UPDATE: 7 • 18 • 5
Apparently Folding Chair is back. Maybe it was temporarily removed from public view? A server error? Who knows. Other Blogger blogs were unaffected. At any rate, you can now view the "TENbyTEN Gone Under?" post here.


UPDATED 7 • 15 • 5

Folding Chair Folds
It appears that the Chicago artblog, Folding Chair is no more. The infrequently updated weblog was known for its postings on art auctions. But is perhaps most notable for first breaking the story of TENbyTEN folding in a post about finding cases of the magazine abandoned on street corners. RIP, everybody. Folding Chair is survived by Iconoduel, Houndstooth, Freshpaint, NotIfButWhen #2 and Art or Idiocy? In a final, ironic note (we checked, it is definitely ironic) TENbyTEN’s final issue, and current website, feature the theme of luck.

TENbyTEN Only Mostly Dead
Hopefully TENbyTEN is only temporarily out of service. Shortly after Folding Chair’s post, Deanna Isaacs, in her Chicago Reader column, The Business (4/15/2005), reported that TENbyTEN had laid off seven of its ten staff members and that publisher Margaret Malone had halted production until further notice. There has been no further notice as of yet, but TENbyTEN appears to be promoting subscriptions, and the website makes no mention of a shut down. Editor-in-Chief, Annette Ferrara, has most recently been seen penning art reviews for TimeOut Chicago. TENbyTEN was just what Chicago needed in a flashy, stylish piece of “art porn” along the lines of Tema Celeste or Contemporary, but more compact.

Venus Nolonger Between Us
Another local publication, that is definitely finished, is Venus. Venus reportedly has closed up shop not for lack or money or distribution, but because the Editor & Publisher, Amy Schroeder, who also launched it, has just gotten tired of doing it. It was started off as a fanzine, which explains why it came off as being mainly a LeTigre/Stereolab fan magazine at times. The website makes no mention of an impending closure, and in fact, anticipates a fall issue, although TimeOut Chicago (TOC #10, May 5-12) ran a story about its official demise following the Summer issue. Perhaps it has been bought out, as Schroeder openly wished for in the TOC piece. Or maybe she has had change of heart. It is also likely, though, that th website is just behind. Publications such as this seem chronically plagued by lack of information. How had is it to post a little bulletin about what’s going on? Venus has been building steam, and growing its profile, so it would be a shame for it to disappear. Most importantly, Venus has come out regularly and stayed on schedule, unlike other local magazines.