

# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Exhibit Opening Soiree - RIVER RAT - Artwork by Joel Berman. 
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 28 Mar, 2026 at 05:00 pm (-05:00)
- **Event Description**: WHAT: Exhibit Opening Soiree - RIVER RAT - Artwork by Joel Berman. 
Light hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.
WHERE: Mormors Cafe at the Swedish American Museum - 5212 N. Clark Street, Chicago
WHEN: 5-8 pm Central Saturday, March 28

RIVER RAT: Artwork by Joel Berman

ABOUT THE SHOW

My work is rooted in the process of Urban Sketching – a discipline of drawing on-site, in the moment, to capture what I see and immediately process. The series Water is born out of my habit on the Chicago River. As a self-proclaimed “River Rat”, my subject is kinetic, chaotic, and constantly shifting. This exhibition showcases some sketches drawn directly from my kayak, a practice I call “sketchyaking”. The instability of drawing from the water forces immediate decision-making and rapid lines, stripping the urban scene down to its essential architectural and emotional elements. These sketches are conceptual tools, quickly translating the chaotic relationship between the natural world (water, sky, movement) and human infrastructure (bridges, piers, bulkheads, high-rises). The high- contrast, fast lines highlight the underlying skeleton of the city while accepting the unpredictable nature of the medium. The work is yin and yang: a structured architectural hand as a foil to the spontaneous energy of the water.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Joel Berman is the Principal Architect and founder of Berman Architecture [BermanArchitecture.com], a national design firm rooted right here in Andersonville. While his professional practice designs everything from complex retail franchise prototypes (including restaurants and bars) to adaptive reuse projects, his personal artistic pursuit is driven by capturing the immediate environment on site through rapid, expressive sketching.

A self-proclaimed “River Rat”, Joel lives on the Chicago River, which serves as a constant muse and backdrop for his artwork. He actively explores this unique urban ecosystem through kayaking, rowing crew with the Chicago Rowing Foundation, and dragon boat racing with the Greater Chicagoland Dragon Boat Club. His deep engagement with the river’s life and evolving landscape directly informs the lines and shadows of his creative work. Joel volunteers for the Swedish American Museum during Midsommarfest, and donates art for auction for their annual gala. Most mornings, Joel walks across Clark Street from his office for coffee and cardamom roll from Mormors Café, his daily Fika.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/chicago/exhibit-opening-soiree-river-rat-artwork-by-joel-berman/200029785313550
- **Event Categories**: art, fine-arts, sports, exhibitions, trips-adventures
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 37

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket URL**: http://facebook.com/200029785313550?utm_source=AllEvents.in&utm_medium=event-discovery-platform&utm_campaign=chicago-events

## Event venue details

- **city**: Chicago
- **state**: IL
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Swedish American Museum
- **lat**: 41.976639633021
- **long**: -87.668167481121
- **full address**: Swedish American Museum, 5213 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640-2101, United States

## Event Organizer details

- **affiliate_id**: 2
- **organizer**: Joel Berman (https://allevents.in/org/joel-berman/24676143)

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: banner
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/bd28dd098e95450679267c3b5c962b66de362886752ff589b11ac2b206ac177e-rimg-w1200-h608-dcd7d4c2-gmir?v=1773595034
- **Alt text**: thumbnail
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/f4ab5b9b91f7d72012c701562e22b7626808004b2efd4f3db93beec7131c6fa5-rimg-w300-h300-dcc2bca9-gmir?v=1773595034

## FAQs

- **Q**: When is the event happening?
  - **A:** Sat, 28 Mar, 2026 at 05:00 pm (-05:00)
- **Q**: Where is the event happening?
  - **A:** Swedish American Museum, 5213 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640-2101, United States
- **Q**: Who is organizing the event?
  - **A:** Joel Berman
- **Q**: What type of event is this?
  - **A:** art, fine-arts, sports, exhibitions, trips-adventures
- **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about Exhibit Opening Soiree - RIVER RAT - Artwork by Joel Berman.  ?
  - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "Exhibit Opening Soiree - RIVER RAT - Artwork by Joel Berman.",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/bd28dd098e95450679267c3b5c962b66de362886752ff589b11ac2b206ac177e-rimg-w1200-h608-dcd7d4c2-gmir?v=1773595034",
        "startDate": "2026-03-28T17:00:00-05:00",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/chicago/exhibit-opening-soiree-river-rat-artwork-by-joel-berman/200029785313550",
        "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "Swedish American Museum",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "5213 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640-2101, United States",
                "addressLocality": "Chicago",
                "addressRegion": "IL",
                "addressCountry": "US"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "41.976639633021",
                "longitude": "-87.668167481121"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "WHAT: Exhibit Opening Soiree - RIVER RAT - Artwork by Joel Berman. \nLight hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.\nWHERE: Mormors Cafe at the Swedish American Museum - 5212 N. Clark Street, Chicago\nWHEN: 5-8 pm Central Saturday, March 28\n\nRIVER RAT: Artwork by Joel Berman\n\nABOUT THE SHOW\n\nMy work is rooted in",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Joel Berman",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/joel-berman/24676143"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```