The Bike Room is a small privately owned and run project space tucked in among the residential neighborhoods just north of Loyola University’s campus in Rogers Park. Formerly a coal room for the apartment building, the gallery takes its name from its second life as a bike locker before it was converted into a studio space and finally a white walled gallery.
The project was started by Nancy Lu Rosenheim as an alternative venue off the main track of the Chicago exhibition circuit. Initially conceived of as a way to offer exhibition space to friends, the project has grown to provide solo shows for a wide range of local artists. The venue is intimate with enough room to hang a few paintings or a collection of smaller works. The gallery’s garden is also available as an exhibition space with pieces often installed both inside and out.
In the past year and a half, since the gallery was first opened, the space has provided eight shows with a wide range of mediums and formats. The Gallery does not have a specific curatorial agenda and has shown work ranging from painting, sculpture, installation, and new media.
