Why Art on Tap?

British contemporary artist Paul Martin (1948–2022) described art as  “a lonely occupation… a conversation within your own head and with the work in progress, and all else a distraction.”

In the years since the pandemic, many remote workers have found themselves in a similar state—spending long days in their own rooms, their own heads, their own screens, with colleagues reduced to pings and shifting images on a laptop.

Against the backdrop of Chicago’s iconic tavern culture, Art on Tap Chicago explores how neighborhood bars serve as the unofficial "third places" for artists where solitary creativity meets community connection. The same dynamic should resonate with anyone working from home in a world of spreadsheets, emails, Slack, and Zoom.

Project Overview

Across Chicago, neighborhood bars and taverns are more than places to drink; they are informal studios, offices, and salons where creative work quietly happens. Many artists gravitate there for a sense of community. Painters sketch between shifts, writers work from bar stools with laptops open, and photographers document the life unfolding around them. These spaces provide both income and inspiration, allowing artists to balance work and creativity in the same room.

Synopsis

Art on Tap Chicago explores how local bars and taverns function as spaces for making, showing, and sharing art. Our team will start by profiling five to six artists who use these establishments as extensions of their studios and as hubs for connection. Chicago’s bar culture and creative community overlap in subtle but powerful ways, revealing how everyday spaces quietly sustain artistic lives.

Approach

Art on Tap Chicago will combine interviews, on-location footage, and brief scenes of artists working in their chosen bars. The films will capture the stories, regulars, and history of these spaces, showing how they serve as places to work, create, and connect. Moving between quiet moments of concentration and the bustle of a crowded bar, they will explore how artists balance working alone with being around others. Viewers who aren’t artists may recognize that same balance in their own experiences with remote work and the ways they recharge and reconnect.

Our team is currently reaching out to artists and bar operators to identify potential subjects. If you're interested in getting involved or simply learning more, drop us an email at artontapchicago@gmail.com.