Opened in early 2025, The Storefront is part of Skokie’s Make It on Main movement to bring more art and creativity to the northern suburb of Chicago. The Storefront host exhibitions, performances, workshops and more.

Last Friday was opening night for the Second Annual Art Exhibit. One large room of The Storefront displayed 24 works created by Skokie artists.

All pieces were impressive, but I was first drawn to “Perspectives,” a watercolor by Ralph Levinson, who also had another interesting work, “Culdazac,” a latex and acrylic piece on canvas. They are two completely different pieces created by one person.

“Perspectives” by Ralph Levinson

“Culdazac” by Ralph Levinson

“Flying Dutchman,” an acrylic on canvas by Leonid Osseny, captured a rough sea scene. Everything about it is choppy, which makes it brilliant.

“Flying Dutchman” by Leonid Osseny

Monika E. Benitez’s photograph “Anatomy of Time” is a close shot of a watch’s interior. It reveals how the very thing the watch measured became the thing to wear down the parts.

“Anatomy of Time” by Monica E. Benitez

“The Bean” by Howard Frank is a photograph with a filter added, printed on aluminum. It’s an interesting view of the Chicago skyline, almost like a neon sign.

“The Bean” by Howard Frank

Pam Sloan kept watercolor paper in a pond for a week to create “Water and Wind.” After drying and sealing it, she added small amounts of paint. It reminded me of a painting with a similar process I saw at another Skokie exhibit last year.

“Water and Wind” by Jane Feit

One more piece I especially liked was “Momento Mori,” by Michael Maratos. A simple photograph on canvas of a rusted, abandoned Volkswagen Beetle seems to have a big story behind it. How did it get there? What did it experience during the years on the road? Who owned it? Who left it? The muted colors add to its beauty and mystery.

“Momento Mori” by Michael Maratos

These are just a few of the works of art. I enjoyed the whole exhibit. If you would like to see all of the pieces, The Storefront’s website shows all of them.

— John Wroblewski, online writer