An evening all about experimentation, creativity, and mixed media! Join us for wine, vermouth, and beautiful food pairings. This event will feature work from 11 Chicago artists!
Date and Time:
February 21st – Doors at 7pm
February 22nd – Doors at 7pm
*The food pairings will begin at 7:30 sharp. The dinner portion will last about 2.5 hours. Afterwards, please join us for Vino After Dark!
Location:
Breakfast for Dinner Studio | 2537 N Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60639
Vino Divino Presents:
Amalgamations, an evening of Mixed Media with host Enrique Velasco-Sánchez, and artists Reevah Agarwaal, Megan Brauch, Charlotte Briskin, Gar Bodnar, Justin Dooley, Kelan Gill, Zachary Grey Phelps, Samuel Schwindt, Paloma Valencia and Raquel Vannucci
Mixed Media is a term used for artwork that employs more than one medium. Together, we will explore how wine has historically been used to create new beverages. The evening will be paired with artists that are focused on combining different materials to create cohesive, inventive pieces.
What’s On The Menu
The first half of the meal will feature three small plates, each inspired by Spanish cuisine and its interplay with French or Italian flavors. These carefully crafted dishes are designed to complement the unique characteristics of the vermouths we’ll be tasting.
For the second half, the menu will focus on Spanish-French fusion, offering three small entrées: a vegetarian, a pescatarian, and a meat-based dish. Staying true to our tradition of using only in-season ingredients, the dishes will highlight roots, herbs, and mushrooms, paired with select proteins like shrimp or duck, creating an unforgettable culinary experience.
There will be plenty of food to go around, so don’t worry about eating before arriving!
What wine are we tasting:
Join us for a relaxed and enjoyable evening exploring the world of vermouth and wine. We’ll start with three renowned styles of vermouth—Italian, French, and Spanish. You’ll get to taste white extra dry, rosé, and sweet red vermouth while learning how they’re made and how to use them in simple yet delicious cocktails.
Next, we’ll move on to two French single-varietal wines, each chosen for how well they pair with food. To round out the evening, we’ll try a classic French coupage, perfectly complemented by a Spanish-French fusion menu. This is a great opportunity to discover new flavors and enjoy great company.
What You’ll Learn:
Discover the art of appreciating vermouth beyond its role in cocktails, understanding why quality matters and how to enjoy it on its own. We’ll also explore the difference between single-varietal wines, which highlight the essence of one grape, and coupages, where blending creates depth and harmony.
About the Art:
This event will feature work from 10 local artists: Reevah Agarwaal, Megan Brauch, Gar Bodnar, Charlotte Briskin, Justin Dooley, Kelan Gill, Zachary Grey Phelps, Samuel Schwindt, Paloma Valencia, and Raquel Vannucci. While all these artists have very different styles, a common thread in their work is the willingness to push the boundaries of traditional art forms. From collage and sculpture to photography and painting, these artists invite viewers to deepen their appreciation for how limitless these materials can be. Read their bios bellow.
Vino Divino After Dark:
The tasting will eventually come to a close, but your evening won’t have to! Join us for music, and more fun immediately following the tasting. We will pick up the pace of your evening while you’re free to hang around with the new friends you made throughout the evening.
We can’t wait to see you soon!
Dress Code:
As usual, dress to impress! Maybe consider mixing textures, patterns, and colors to fit in with our mixed media theme!
Refund Policy:
Full refunds will be issued up to 5 days before the event. Send an email to vinodivinotheclub@gmail.com to let us know if you need to request a refund. We’ll miss you!
Reevah Agarwaal
Reevah Agarwaal is a multidisciplinary artist from New Delhi, India, currently based in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2024. Her work, inspired by aesthetics of girlhood, incorporates feminine palettes, decorative elements, and repurposed sentimental objects to create quilts and collages. Through her art, Agarwaal elevates the narratives of women and girlhood, reclaiming feminist history from exclusion, trauma, and internalized misogyny. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at Stainless Gallery (New Delhi), Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago Art Department, and South Asia Institute, among others. In 2024, she received the New Futures Award from The Other Art Fair and is currently a resident at the Chicago Artists Coalition.
Gar Bodnar
Gar Bodnar is a mixed media artist whose work explores the intersection of the metaphysical and physical worlds. Through illustrative and hyper-saturated compositions, Bodnar creates whimsical, multilayered pieces that invite viewers to engage closely. By balancing narrative and ambiguity, Bodnar crafts a unique experience rooted in the duality of fantasy and material reality.
Charlotte Briskin
Charlotte Briskin is a sculptor and papermaker from Pennsylvania, now living and working in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts with a focus on Fibers and Paper Making from Columbia College Chicago. Briskin uses interactive materials such as handmade paper, fabric, metal, and found objects to inspire play and self-exploration. Her work highlights the symbiotic relationships in nature, encouraging reconnection with the environment and community. Briskin is a resident artist at Studio FreeLove, where she teaches monthly papermaking workshops, and a student member of Chicago Sculpture International.
Justin Dooley
Justin Dooley is a freelance Art Director and Studio Designer based in Chicago, Illinois. His vibrant work blends whimsy and sophistication, characterized by bold colors, dynamic compositions, and a playful approach to storytelling.
Kelan Gill
Kelan Gill is a British-American painter and drawer raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and based in Chicago, Illinois, since 2017. Gill’s work examines media-induced cognitive dissonance and the erosion of humanistic values, often critiquing the role of technology and advertising in shaping perceptions. By exploring the rapid oscillation between positive and disturbing stimuli, Gill captures the unease of a world struggling to contextualize global events.
Zachary Grey Phelps
Zachary Grey Phelps is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary New Media Artist working with paint, ink, 3D, VR, AR, and projection. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Phelps blends classical training with experience in film and broadcast media. He is currently part of the staff at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Samuel Schwindt
Samuel Schwindt is an artist and writer from Indiana, now based in Chicago, Illinois. With a background in wood and metal craft, he earned a BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Schwindt’s work spans sculpture, leather crafting, curation, and freelance writing. His exhibitions include Gallery 400, Chicago Art Department, and the Leather Archives and Museum. His writing has been featured in publications such as Another Chicago Magazine and Chicago Reader.
Paloma Valencia
Paloma Valencia is a printmaker and painter based in Chicago, Illinois, originally from Miami, Florida. A 2019 graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she draws inspiration from street photography, depicting everyday scenes such as laundromats and diners. Valencia was the 2020 Artist in Residence for Lillstreet Art Center’s Printmaking and Book Arts Department and has taught printmaking classes there for five years. Her solo show, “SOUVENIRS,” debuted in 2022 at The Martin in Chicago. Her work has been featured in group exhibitions at Fulton Street Collective and SAIC Galleries, as well as in retail spaces and independent publications.
Raquel Vannucci
Raquel Vannucci is an artist and art historian from Brazil, based in Chicago, Illinois, since 2017. She holds a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Vannucci’s vibrant work incorporates various mediums, with a strong focus on color and thread.
