ABOUT ZACH
Chicago, IL
Zach Bartz (he/him) is a visual artist in Chicago, IL. He frequently draws from his career as an improviser to create colorful critters on upcycled materials. His paintings have been displayed at Chicago staples like Chicago Truborn, All Star Press, the Wndr Museum, Design Museum of Chicago, Jackson Junge Gallery, Elephant Room Gallery, Dark Matter's Star Lounge, You Are Beautiful Gallery, Chicago Diner, iO Theater, Dimo's Pizza, and many more. As a muralist, his work has been seen at The Violet Hour, Cards Against Humanity, The Annoyance Theater, Kite String Cantina, and Cork Lounge. He was a featured artist through the Design Museum of Chicago / DCASE / Chicago Public Health for their Protect Chicago Vaccination campaign, and was the 2021 Chicago Reader 50th Anniversary button contest winner (1990's). He spent a decade teaching improvisation and visual art to CPS students through Columbia College Chicago, created and taught the Painting for Improvisers workshop at The Second City Training Center Chicago and the Zmack International Improv Intensive, and co-founded the word-of-mouth variety show The Shithole. He believes that being persistent, consistent, and tenacious is the key to both creative discovery and artistic fulfillment.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Chicago Truborn
All Star Press
Cards Against Humanity
Design Museum of Chicago
Wndr Museum
Elephant Room Gallery
Jackson Junge Gallery
Dark Matter's Star Lounge
Chicago Diner
Columbia College Chicago
Toy de Jour
Dimo's Pizza
McGarryBowen
Graham Cracker Comics Lakeview
Happen Space Gallery
Gallery Cafe
The Seventh Corner Gallery
Agitator Gallery
Happy Gallery
Backlot OIP
Paulie Gee's Logan Square
Twisted Scissors
Gallery Cabaret
Rev. Billy's Chop Shop
A Dope Art Show - Ludlow Liquors
Haz Room
Studio Freelove
Reed's Local
Pick Me Up Cafe
Bloc Dispensary Avondale
Sedgwick Stop
First Ascent - Block 37
Village Tap
Cole's Bar
Fulton Street Collective
ArtSpace Chicago
Green Eye Lounge
Lemmings Tavern
Full Bust
Smarty Cup Cafe
Randall's Pub
Alulu Brewpub
Royal Grocer
blnkhaus
Tradition Gastropub
Chicago Distilling Company - All American Trash Show
The Martin
Your Happy Place Liquors
St. Lucia's Smoke Shop
Rewired Cafe
The Frame Shop - Bridgeport
Hair Party
Wayward Arts
B'El Kitchen and Bar
Baderbrau
Pressure Billiards
Orange with a Peel
The Crowd Theater
The Playground Theater
Underground Wonder Bar
Virgil Catherine Gallery (Hinsdale, IL)
Gallery Forty-Two (Indianapolis, IN)
1100 Florence Gallery (Evanston, IL)
Yo Factory (Milwaukee, WI)
Espresso Royale (Madison, WI)
Studio 659 (Whiting, IN)
The Village Theater (Atlanta, GA)
Chalkboard Cafe ( Wallace, ID)
Second Wind Coffee House (Norman, OK)