iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

By honoring our grief, we hold fast to our humanity & save the versions of ourselves our lost loved ones cherished. Muchen Wang honors her dog 雪粒 Xueli through paintings, zines & more. While some works are somber & profound, many burst with color & humor, reflecting the joy pets bring to our lives.

Painting of a black and white dog. Text says: End of the Tail, Muchen Wang, Aug 10 - Sept 20, The Beautiful Cat a window gallery at 1070 W Granville Ave

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Join us for a free plaster casting workshop w/ Julia Paloma! We'll be sculpting w/ play dough and learning how to cast plaster! Reserve your spot now! events.humanitix.com/plaster-casting-workshop Sunday, July 20 3-6pm The World Music Foundation 1066 W Granville Ave Chicago, IL 60660 #art #Chicago

A plaster casting of bubble wrap. Text says: free plaster casting workshop
Sunday, July 20, 2025
3-6pm
1066 W Granville Ave
Chicago, IL 60660
With metal artist Julia Paloma

Poster also features logos for The Beautiful Cat and the World Music Foundation

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

We’re excited to present “My Toe is on the Trip Wire”. Julia Paloma shows us that metalwork doesn’t have to be on grand scales but can be cozy. She pays tribute to the beauty of plants with casts of sweet potato leaves and eggplants, and abstract figures and vessels. #ChicagoArtists #Chicago

Aluminum cast of a cabbage leaf. Text says: My Toe is on the Trip Wire, June 28-July 31, sculpture by Julia Paloma, The Beautiful Cat

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Blue is a photoshoot crashing diva! He says although you won’t see him tonight- he’s strictly an indoor cat- you should still stop by the Locked Achievements closing reception & artist celebration to write letters to incarcerated teens. But also to see his face plastered all over. Priorities.

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Diovanni’s poem, “Misunderstood”, brilliantly breaks down the problems Black and Brown communities face, especially when it comes to carceral systems. We’re proud to showcase his powerful work in our first exhibition, “Locked Achievements”.

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

We’re sad our 1st exhibition is closing but excited to partner with our neighbor, Pete’s Pizza, to host a closing reception! Swing on by this Thursday from 6-8pm to get a guided gallery tour, learning more about Stomping Grounds, and meet some of the artists! #Chicago #Art

Poster laid out like a comic. Text says: Locked Achievements
Closing Reception & Artist Celebration
Support the creative work of youth facing incarceration!
Learn how
Stomping Grounds Literary
Arts Initiative mentors kids in the arts. And find out how we partnered with The Beautiful Cat to make an art show celebrating our resilience, creativity, and the power of storytelling.
We're starting the night chillin' with a DJ, then at 7pm there's a gallery tour led by the curators, at 7:30pm get a special look at Stomping Grounds programming, and we'll close out the night at 7:45pm with Stomping Grounds students.
° Location: Pete's Pizza
1100 W Granville Ave,
Chicago, IL 60660 (directly across from The Beautiful Cat)
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Food: limited food provided
More info: SGLAl.org
Come and support our work!
We've got an exhibition catalog, and you can meet the teachers for our upcoming classes at Haibayo Cares on Argyle. See you there!

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Why start an art gallery during the rise of fascism? Because fascists hate art and artists. We must all resist in multiple ways. Art alone won’t save us, but it is an important part of resistance. Multiple approaches are essential. The more we push back now, the less violence we’ll all endure.

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

The Locked Achievements exhibition catalog contains 20 pages packed with poems, artwork, and essays. It offers a glimpse into Stomping Grounds classes and the rich, inner thoughts and feelings of young, incarcerated artists. 🌟 Go to www.TheBCat.Gallery/Shop to learn more and order your copy.

The cover and middle pages of the Locked Achievements book. The cover features a young man leaping over a fence against a beautiful sky at sunset or sunrise. The middle pages feature an emotionally vulnerable young man holding himself in front of a building. A large quote says, “that is probably a skill you never knew you had, so you might as well give it a shot. -Deshawn J.”

Two spreads from the Locked Achievements book, showing cropped views of two drawings, one featuring a woman with angel-like wings and armor against a blue sky, the other featuring a woman floating in space. The poems are titled, “What I Wish..” by Azreya H and “Freedom” by Marquese H. Only “Freedom” is viewable in its entirety and it says, “For my brothers that I lost I feel the hurt, but its a lesson live everyday like its my last I can't be held down by depression just sit back and roll a wood cause it helps with all the stressing I thank God for first day outs cause some aint never coming home I would Facetime Jhonny everyday if heaven had a phone
got so deep up in these streets that it wasn't safe for me at home
I try to write bout how I feel but it just turns
Into a
poem”

Two page from the Locked Achievements book. One page says, “Teaching with Empathy, Nate Olison, teaching artist, comic illustrator” and shows two of his drawings. One is of a zombie and the other is of two people fighting. The other page is mostly covered but its title says, “The children are always ours”.

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

The Locked Achievements book is here! Poems are paired with artwork, taking you on a journey of hope amidst depression, longing for a better world, and the unshakable humanity of children who persevere in this inhumane system. Get your copy & an exclusive peek @ SGLAI classes! www.TheBCat.Gallery

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

We’re proud to partner with Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative to bring you emotionally raw and resonant artwork and poetry by Chicago’s incarcerated youth! As a window gallery, we’re open 24/7. Head to our website, TheBCat.Gallery, to learn more and see exclusive content! #Chicago #Art

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Bow down before Her Majesty, EmPURRor Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centaurus! As a patron of the arts, she has a keen eye for quality, only accepting art and hoomans of the highest caliber. Be on your best behavior before the EmPURRor or suffer the consequences of her deadly bite!

A grey and white tuxedo cat loafed on a bed, with one ear clipped

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The Beautiful Cat @thebeautifulcat.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Meet Locutus of Blue, art critic extraordinaire and pâté connoisseur! Blue is a very busy cat, so good luck scheduling an appointment with him! If you’re lucky though, you may just chance upon him in the gallery’s main window, assessing the artwork and judging visitors as they pass by.

A grey cat lounging on a cat tree, with ears pricked forward in interest

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