For all of you who missed all the action in Chicago this week… the Art Alliance Provocateurs show with its 200 plus pieces of fine art by 43 artists, the print sets, the music programming, and murals, or that other small deal… Lollapalooza… I am jealous of you because you got more sleep than I did. On the other hand, you didn’t do a 45 foot mural, DJ before Z-Trip, Nas, or Deltron 3030, or hang with a ton of cool artists and art fans like I did! Not to gloat, but I also got to see Interpol, Lorde, Eminem, and Z-Trip at Lollapalooza! Now that I have my hip-hop boasting out of the way, I can return to my normal, humble self and give thanks and praise where it’s due. Of course, I’m grateful to all of the artists who put such great work in the show, and to Pose, RETNA, Cleon Peterson, and WK Interact for doing murals in Chicago. The Provocateurs was very ambitious and would not have been possible without the very hard work and partnership of many people. My co-producers and staff worked tirelessly to make sure everything came together. Thank you to C3 and Lollapalooza, Lorrie Boula, Dan Flores, Nic Bowers, Rob Zagula, Beth Phares, Raihan Anwar, Amanda Fairey, Angela Chvarak, Mark Kelley, Block 37, Shelley Phillips, Jaclyn Mayer, John Liipfert, Columbia College, Hennessy, and all of our patrons and supporters. If you were there, thanks! If you missed it, check it out next year!  -Shepard

All photos by Jon Furlong