JC Rivera's Highly Acclaimed Solo Show is Closing Soon - FOREVER CHAMP

Just over 15 years ago, JC Rivera began his artistic journey with a character known as the Bear Champ. A boxing bear with a grim facial expression began popping up in neighborhoods throughout the Chicagoland area. In the beginning, Rivera would surreptitiously paint the character without permission. As the Bear Champ grew in popularity, commissions began to pour in for mural work and canvas creations featuring the character.

         

Fast forward to September, 2023: The Bear Champ was featured on the cover of Michigan Avenue Magazine, a publication dedicated to highlighting Chicago based trends, events and more. From that moment, it became fitting for the artist to plan his next solo exhibition on Michigan Ave. Named Forever Champ, Rivera meticulously put together a large collection of art he’s produced over the years, along with some new works. 

Sponsored by Topo Chico and Dark Matter Coffee, the exhibition opened its doors Saturday March 9th on level two of the historic Water Tower Place. Hours after opening, a line formed with wait times exceeding 30 mins to see Rivera’s large collection of artwork. Over 1,500 people attended the opening of Forever Champ in one the artist's most popular exhibitions to date. 

JC Rivera now has his sights on revamping Forever Champ with a multitude of new work created for an upcoming closing ceremony of the show. With a large portion of the exhibition sold out from its opening week, the artist is replacing all purchased artwork with prints, hand painted skate decks, canvas creations and a few surprises he has in store. 

The closing ceremony of Forever Champ will take place on Saturday, April 13th from 4-8pm. The event is sponsored by Topo Chico and will feature a hosted wine bar in the evening. For more details, visit the Forever Champ Eventbrite page and RSVP for updates.

With Expo Chicago taking place, the show will simultaneously feature a guest curation from Ogechi Harry of Golden Our Collective. Visit the Golden Our Collective website for a sneak on exhibited work.