Mars Gallery

I stumbled upon Mars Gallery online when I was searching for a unique wedding venue for my wedding reception. As soon as we visited the gallery, we were sold. The price of the venue is incredibly affordable (especially comparatively in this city), you are able to provide your own alcohol (thousands of dollars saved), and they provide a bartender that’s included in the cost. We worked with Barb and she’s incredible. She was very upfront about the limitations of the space and what options are available. She was also able to recommend vendors that were familiar with the space and had done well with previous weddings. Everything about this place is amazing. If you’re in the neighborhood, you should definitely check our the art. If you’re looking for a really nice venue that’s not quite traditional, this is winner.

I went here this pass weekend for a wedding reception. This is about the third wedding I went to at an art gallery and I like the trend. The atmosphere was cosy. Beautiful art work adorned the walls and the layout of the space was perfect. The couple exchanged vows upstairs and afterwards the downstairs and upstairs were used as the reception area to mingle and eat. Parking is limited, but this is a nice venue to host an event.

Very cool gallery. The building is unique and the art that was there while I visited was beautiful and interesting. There is a coffee shop downstairs that makes great cappuccinos and has healthy snacks.

I had the most spectacular wedding reception here this past Saturday. I rented both floors and it was perfect! My guests were so impressed with the space and how unique and beautiful it was.
Everyone thought I spent so much on this space, but my entire day was only $ 3,600.
I cannot say enough good things about Barbara and her team. They worked so hard to make sure my day was stress free.
I saved so much with this gem Byob gallery for my wedding. All my guests loved the artwork all around it’s such a beautiful atmosphere.
I didn’t need to decorate anything.
The hourly rental fee was so reasonable and it comes with a bartender, tables, and a helper for cleanup. AMAZING
I would suggest having your ceremony and reception there. I had my ceremony outdoors and I was beyond stressed about the possibility of rain. That would have been eased if I chose this space.
I am so grateful to Barbara and her team. My night was so memorable and enjoyable because I had their help and could relax. I cannot wait to host another event there!

Great collections, especially enjoyed the superhero prints. Staff is excellent and can make a mean cocktail inside of the old elevator.

Barb & her gallery have made a ‘yelper’ out of me! I don’t post reviews that often (I’m that lazy) but I felt I just had to this time. My husband and I hosted a cocktail reception here. I thank my stars (and google) that I found this spot. It was perfect for the number of guests I had (about 50) and had just the right of whimsy for my personality. And if the great price and venue weren’t enough, Barb and her team were so accommodating and helped my event go smoothly! My friends loved the space and a few of them also mentioned they were going to consider it for future events!

Barb and Elise helped us host a superb event for SheSays Chicago this week. It was a networking event/​panelist presentation and the setting and arrangement was just right. The art was inspiring, ideal because the room was full of 40 creative women! Our event was perfect for 40 on the main gallery level, but she also has a level that is quite open that fits more people. A great spot for a smaller 100 person wedding. I highly recommend this location to anyone looking to host an event. You should also just swing by there and check out the amazing art displayed! They also do custom framing! Overall, love the space and we will definitely be going back to Mars for future events.

Mars Gallery is a great place to have a wedding reception! We had ~120 people there without a formal sit down dinner and we had a blast well into the night! Its a great setup with lots of areas of interest, you dont really need to do much decorating since its an art gallery, and with 2 floors, you can dance the night away (and dont need to keep it down). Barb is great to work with and communicate with. She’s done a lot of events there and gives you great advice to get you through the planning and help you get what you want for your perfect party. She became a great stress reliever for my husband especially when he was running around up till the last minute. They also don’t make you use a short list of vendors which was one reason why I rejected so many other places. (We went with Inspiration Kitchens :)) Everyone was really impressed with the venue and the staff, who were all really sweet and helpful. I would have another party there in a heartbeat, or recommend it for anyone looking for a memorable way to celebrate with friends.
And its on a vortex, how rad is that!

Love it, they do excellent framing, fantastic selection. Purchased a few pieces of art that I love and have held some awesome events that everyone loved. Staff is excellent, very helpful.

Love this space. Just attended an evening event but then I went back later in the week to see the place in the daylight. Just loved the pieces in the gallery and really liked the staff.
This is the kind of space that makes Chicago so special to me. It just oozes flavor and history and neighborhood. Not some suburban cookie-​cutter building. Not that I don’t like cookies or the cutters that make them. But I like my galleries to have character.

I’ve been going to Mars since about 1987, and it’s always been a fun place. Cool art, great space and always a good crowd.

Having now attended several functions here, I am convinced that this place is more about functions and less about art. But that’s okay with me.
There is enough art to keep me interested as I wander around with my drink in hand and it is interesting enough to keep even the dullest function fun.
I like that there are different levels in the venue, although I will say that the stairway is a bit difficult to navigate if you are wearing heels. I have heard there is an elevator but if it is the one I saw– there is usually a bar set up in the elevator shaft! (my kind of elevator!)
There are several little rooms that break into larger rooms so depending on what kind of an event you are having there– you can separate people or keep them together.
It seems that you can bring in your own caterer as all the times I have been there– someone else was doing the food– and in one case the host made the food.
If you are looking for a different type of venue for your special event– check out the Mars Gallery. It’s a little «out of this world»!

What a delightful space! We attended a friend’s civil union reception here, and it was absolutely superb. They wrangled the flow of people to accommodate a food table up front, jazz trio in the middle, and bar in the back.
Parking can be a little awkward — we ended up down the street near the Pace Car lot– but if you find a spot nearby, you’re golden!

Wow! This place is amazing! It is a perfect venue if you are looking for something different– and a whole lot better– than a standard hall/​hotel. The stairway is beautiful, the artwork adds the perfect ambiance to any party, and the layout is perfect. Food on the second floor, dancing on the third and drinks on both! I would venture to guess that the people who had issues with the owner Barb may be a little on the sensitive side. She was all business, but in the best possible way. She was full of great ideas and suggestions to help cut some costs, but never rude.
Truly a hidden gem. HIGHLY recommend.

This is a long overdue review!
We had our «after wedding party» here and it was fantastic. We hired our own caterer Lisa Williams who was able to make all my foods gluten free. It was no problem for us to bring in whatever we needed. The small kitchen worked out fine for the prep work that needed to be done. Brought our own desserts. (Swirls gluten free cupcakes!) Hired the gallery’s bartender who sets up the bar in the freight elevator, pretty cool. Bought our own liquor. They provided the ice. Had PLENTY of leftovers! We had about 100 or so guests and fit comfortably on the main floor.
Barb was so great through everything, and we bonded over our black cats. When we first walked in to check the place out her kitty was there next to a painted portrait of himself. I knew then that it was the right place for us. Interesting, cool artwork and layout, which suited our non-​traditional in every way possible wedding. And VERY affordable as well. I would definitely have another party here if such an occasion arises!
Street parking is very abundant after hours, but we also were able to negotiate the use of one of the meat plants parking lots for a small fee.

My fiancé and I decided a year is way too long to still have bare walls after moving into our condo, so we decided to research some art/​framing galleries to take in our long over-​due art work to be framed. A friend of mine had suggested With Art, but apparently they closed down, so we decided to look into places close to us in the West Loop. The first link Unilocal brought up was Mars Gallery, and I can totally see why. We drove over there on a quiet Saturday afternoon and were greeted by Barb. She was busy with another client, but got us situated and had us looking at frame options in no time.
We were there for a little over an hour and picked out several different frames for our artwork. We also needed art to be heat-​pressed onto foamcore and they were able to do this which was a HUGE relief.
They said the artwork would take 2 weeks, but a week later Barb called and said everything was ready. I couldn’t be more thrilled! The work came out beautiful, and they even have an art installation guy who will come and hang the art for you.
Barb even took the time after work to come by and help us decide where the best place to hang the art work would be.
I will say, it’s on the pricey side, but it’s definitely worth it and I will be taking future art here to be framed.

Mars Gallery was the site of the REAL royal wedding. WHAT? You didn’t hear? The Duke and Duchess of the Ukrainian Village came to be in this gallery. (P.S. I’m the duchess.) OBVIOUSLY, the royal wedding had to be on a Friday because we’d already booked the more favorable venue. OBVIOUSLY.
All royalty aside, we could not have picked a better place to get hitched than the Mars Gallery. We are a rather different couple and knew that getting married the traditional way would not be the way to go. No church for us. Getting married in an art gallery? That’s more our speed. The exposed brick and gorgeous prints hanging all over the walls set up a very intimate experience. We rented both floors, so we had the ceremony on the third floor, dinner on the second floor, and dancing back up on the third floor.
Barb was absolutely fantastic throughout our brief planning process. Not only was she quick to respond to my emails, she made herself available for my occasional visits to the gallery to figure out the logistics of my event. The day of the event, she not only was there to oversee things, but had someone else there to help facilitate the day’s events. Thanks to Barb (and Kim!), our day was perfect, and everything ran very smoothly.
Our guests were amazed and delighted at the artwork on the walls. Truly! Some of our friends seemed to take more photos of the artwork than of us. (I KNOW. How rude.)
Some tips for the space as an event venue:
–The gallery is on the second and third floors. Be aware that there is a freight elevator that is accessible for those who don’t want to trek the stairs.
–No preferred caterers (good for you!).
–There is no full kitchen, so plan food accordingly. Make sure the caterer can prep it almost fully before the event.
–If you are having alcohol, you must hire their bartender.
–The second floor seats about 70 for dinner. We had a party of approximately 85, so we did some seated guests on the third floor as well.
I’d do it all over again. Barb and Mars Gallery helped make our wedding day truly memorable, beautiful, and practically royal. I should know, I’m a duchess now.

I am admiring a painting. A young lady walks over and proceeds to admire it with me.
Lady: «So what do you think?»
Me: «I find it quite appealing and I am trying to figure out why.»
Lady, peering at the caption beneath the painting: «I think they have mixed up the labels. This one is supposed to be titled Mimi.»
She peels off the label below the painting and swaps it with the label from the painting next to it.
Me: «Um, I don’t think we should have done that.»
Lady: «No, it’s okay. I am Mimi. That’s me in the painting. I’m the one in a bra.»
Me: «Oh, I guess it is okay then.»
I know what you are thinking and NO, that wasn’t the reason why I found the painting appealing.
Hobnobbing with artists and models was one of the perks of attending an opening at Mars Gallery. I was there for the Pop Show, an exhibition of American contemporary pop art. The artists displayed were very appropriate for the bright, airy gallery. Most of their works were rich in color and well set off by the brick walls.
The gallery has multiple rooms with high, wood beam ceilings. I never felt claustrophobic despite the large number of people at the opening.
Mars Gallery allowed me to enjoy fun works of art in a relaxed atmosphere. I’ll be back to see what other contemporary masterpieces I may find.

elvis is in the building!
Peter Mars was invited to be part of some big elvis channeling event in Memphis and some of his pieces still hang here bringing a little more sunshine and soul into the world.
In a cozy warm loft sits pieces all for sale by a few artists with something to say and worth listening. Even if you hate some of it, it makes you think. Just what do you think… that’s on you, but it’s good to do sometimes.
a little black cat takes ownership lying in the middle of the hallway ala garfield just bored with it all but my heart which beats within responds to the adrenalin and hormones pumping as i look upon someone’s dream and even if I don’t get it, I walk out with more than I entered.
Barbara Mars is a warm mug of tea on a cold day… inviting, informative and responsive to your mind’s seeking eye.
this place made for a perfect afternoon adventure into a place called art.

Ok, let me just get this jokey pun out of the way…
Mars Gallery is out of this world!
Ok, thank you for indulging me… I can now carry on with the rest of the review. Mars Gallery… is a happy place. Full of bright art, hardwood floors, warm vibes and authenticity.
With its location smack dab in the meat packing district… it feels like a secret. Slip in a small door just west of Jupiter Outpost coffeeshop, ascend a flight of stairs… and find yourself transported into one of Chicago’s coolest, funkiest, most-​welcoming art galleries. They are always open to the public (hours posted on web site), and never make you feel like you are somehow interrupting their process. Like, you know those cramped, stuffy, snobby galleries? Not here.
Today I got to visit, on a particularly fun venture through a snowstorm. From my home, to retrieve my car in Wicker Park… all the way back ’round to Fulton Market, where I scored a parking spot out front (much easier on weekends, as the meat packing boys aren’t out in full force with trucks, etc).
I came to see the King, literally. I caught a glimpse of the Elvis installation, which Peter Mars (hence the name) was commissioned and licensed to do by some big to-​do out of Memphis. It’s currently being packed up and sent to Memphis for a big showing. I also got to meet Peter Mars himself, who was ridiculously friendly and chatted with me a bit about the work. Very cool… I’m always so intimidated of artists that have «made it,» but Peter seems to have a firm grasp on what it takes to work with people, and just be all around… nice.
Beautiful space. They also rent out for private parties, small weddings, etc and host art receptions often. Great alternative venue. Fantastic art gallery. Do it justice and take a stop in, just so you can say you’ve been :)