Bad at Sports
Podcasters set up camp at ThreeWalls.
Time Out Chicago / Issue 86: Oct 19-Oct 25, 2006

The nonprofit ThreeWalls has been offering studio space to artists from around the world as part of its residency program since 2004. For the next six weeks, the artists-in-residence will be Bad at Sports, the year-old local art podcast hosted by Richard Holland, Duncan MacKenzie and Amanda Browder.

From their temporary “base camp” in the West Loop, the BASters will host panel discussions, record interviews before a live audience-and cook us pancakes.

For their first event on Friday 20, artists Tony Fitzpatrick, Bill Conger, Phyllis Bramson, and curators Mark Pascale and Gregory Knight will speak to this question: What the heck do you mean “Chicago art”? It’s what the trio refers to as the “James Yood challenge.” This all goes back to an early program when the Northwestern University art critic was asked if there was a “Chicago art” and responded, in short, that place matters. “It’s the ultimate question,” says Kathryn Born, who joined the group recently and proudly calls herself the “publicist.” BAS is about as grassroots as it gets. Born met cofounder Holland via the art listserv The Other Group. “We’ve been arguing for years,” she says. And Browder stumbled into BAS during an art stroll. “Amanda was walking down a street in the West Loop while Richard and Duncan were recording.”

The first live recording will be with artist Kerry James Marshall on Tuesday 24 at 7pm. Gallerist Rhona Hoffman will be November 7; curator Francesco Bonami will be on November 21. The pancake breakfast on October 28 at 10:30am is circled on our calendar.-Ruth Lopez

ThreeWalls is at 119 N Peoria St between Randolph Ave and Washington Blvd. For the complete schedule of BAS events, check out www.badatsports.com or www.three-walls.org.

Christopher Hudgens