Abby Pucker grew up in Chicago but moved—as young people interested in the arts often do—to New York and then Los Angeles, where she worked on projects in art, film and events. Two years ago, she came back to her hometown convinced that the art scene in Chicago was second to none. “We have this perception that it’s bigger and better somewhere else,” she says. “But Chicago can be the place to make a thriving community of artists, patrons and collectors.” Pucker used her experience to start Gertie, which, at its most basic level, connects young professionals interested in the arts through events and newsletters. Here, Pucker shares where this new venture is headed.
What sort of events do you share? We have our own events as well as programming from museums and galleries. We tag each one with fancy or casual, talk or exhibition; the idea is to make it easy to find something art focused to do with friends.
How are the Gertie events different? They are smaller, more intimate experiences—usually 30 to 40 people—and are great for meeting like-minded individuals in an arts space.
We hear there might be a membership model coming. We’re playing with many ideas. We also have a book, (A)Part Chicago, that’s a guide to local arts and culture offerings through the lens of 26 contributors. There are a lot of great things happening!
