Miishkooki Art Space, a new gallery (not quite) in town, had a jubilant opening last weekend with “Sweet Spoils,” a 95-piece show of comics-inspired art from all over the U.S. and Europe. Miishkooki is the sole inhabitant of a one-story commercial building on Oakton Avenue in Skokie, where it’s nestled among dental offices and insurance agencies, down the street from a dollar store and Brothers Food Market, and a short stroll from the Oakton stop on the Skokie Swift.
Since the film was completed, Maloof has been focusing on his own painting and music (he plays several instruments, mainly guitar, and writes songs). His Vivian Maier collection includes about 90 percent of her work (a recent settlement between him and the state of Illinois has him paying licensing fees to her estate, with an heir yet to be determined), but he has handed off exhibits and sales of her photos to the Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York. You won’t be seeing Vivian Maier photography at Miishkooki.
What about doing another film? He’d like to, Maloof says, but there’s nothing in the works. “It’s easy to make a documentary, but hard to make a good documentary. My heart has to be really in it. And you don’t make money on documentaries.”
Mon-Fri, by appointment only 4517 Oakton, Skokiemiishkooki.com
